Back to 1979: Sending the Educated Youth’s Wife Back to the City

Chapter 189 Only Wants to Use
Lin Yan checked on the opening day business on March 7th. On the morning of March 8th, she took a taxi to the Bund for a stroll. Fang Mingche and Yan Yan had taken many photos before, and she really liked the architecture on the Bund.

Of course, this is based on the fact that the Chinese people have now stood up, so she can appreciate the beauty of this architecture. If it were still a semi-colonial and semi-feudal era, she certainly wouldn't have had the leisure to appreciate colonial architecture.

Then she made a special trip to see Nanjing Road. Someone her age must have seen the movie "The Good Eighth Company on Nanjing Road" (also known as "The Sentinels Under the Neon Lights").

Nanjing Road is one of the most bustling areas in Shanghai, home to four major department stores: modern, luxurious, classic, and elegant.

Lin Yan went inside and browsed around, but unfortunately, she needed receipts to buy things. She didn't have enough!
She didn't even know where the black market in Shanghai was. Even if she found one on the spot, they probably wouldn't sell to her even if she bought a lot. It might be a sting operation!

At noon, Lin Yan casually picked up a small shop on the Bund for a snack. The father and daughter, who were on winter break, had actually gone to the Jinjiang Hotel specifically to eat their signature dishes. After strolling along the Bund, they enjoyed a Shanghainese meal at the Peace Hotel while overlooking the Huangpu River. She figured she could keep it simple since she was alone.

In the afternoon, she went to the Friendship Store again and bought thirty-six very distinctive scarves intended for export using foreign exchange certificates. It was International Women's Day, after all; she should show her appreciation. She had been thinking about this before coming and had specifically brought the foreign exchange certificates. Shanghai goods were now synonymous with high-end and very popular.

Back in the office of the old Western-style building, each female employee received a pair of [something]. Each male employee also received a pair; those with partners could give them to their partners, and those without could give them to their mothers. There were age-appropriate patterns; employees could choose for themselves.

"Thank you, Teacher Fang—" The employees were all quite happy. This was quite expensive; they wouldn't normally be willing to buy it for themselves.

Lin Yan smiled and said, "No need to thank me! This is a perk you deserve."

As for Brother Mingfeng, give him two, one for his sister-in-law and one for his daughter. Lin Yan will take them back with her.

After dinner, Xiao Gang and Lin Yan were taken to Hongqiao Airport. As for Lingzi, she would stay for another half month to bring out her successor.

After the car that took people to the airport drove away, a few female employees who had taken half a day off gathered on the lawn of the old villa to chat. They said, "We really envy Teacher Lin. Spending two or three hundred yuan like this is something we've never experienced before."

"Not only that, besides the scarf, she also bought a lot of things for herself. When the taxi came back, I went to help her carry them into the house. I'm afraid she spent all five hundred yuan on shopping in Shanghai this time."

She also said that she would invite us to afternoon tea at the Peace Hotel next year on International Women's Day.

Lingzi glanced at her chattering female colleagues and said, "If we work hard, we should be able to buy whatever we want someday."

“Ah Ling, of course you’re fine with it. You’re going to America soon to earn a high salary.”

"Everyone has a chance."

Fang Mingche had dinner and watched the news broadcast before preparing to drive to the Capital Airport to pick someone up.

These past two days, Fang Chang initially kept turning his head to look for his mother and cried twice. Later, when he couldn't find her, he stopped looking. Fang Mingche was avoiding him when he went out, so his son has been a bit clingy to him these past two days.

Don't underestimate a baby who's only ten months old. They start experiencing separation anxiety as early as six months, worrying about being abandoned. If Mom is gone, they'll cling to their dad.

After picking him up, we took Xiao Gang home first, since most buses had stopped running at this time.

"Cousin, brother-in-law, please come in and have a seat."

"No, you should go home and rest."

Fang Mingche then said to Lin Yan, "You're finally back! This family really can't do without you."

"I only traveled for two days and two nights, and you can't handle Changchang?" Lin Yan said with a laugh, "You only say this before the child is two years old."

However, compared to Yan Yan, Chang Chang is more attached to her mother.

Fang Mingche simply circled the alleyway in a near-square shape, thus avoiding the need to turn around. The alleys weren't very wide, making a U-turn would be troublesome!

Back home, Fang Chang was already asleep in his crib. Lin Yan had insisted that the child sleep alone. The nurse had told her that it was best to separate them if possible. Her biggest fear was that while the child was asleep, an adult might roll over onto him, preventing him from breathing and causing him to suffocate.

This is why Fang Min doesn't let Changchang sleep in the crib.

Yan Yan was still waiting for her mother to come back. Lin Yan bent down, opened her suitcase, and took out the doll she had bought for her.

Yan Yan was pleasantly surprised. "Thank you, Mom."

Fang Mingche said, "They don't sell them in the capital, so why did you bring them back from Shanghai?"

"I haven't seen it. Shanghai goods do have their own unique characteristics." Lin Yan is the one in the family who shops at malls the most, so she's the most qualified to speak on this matter.

Fang Mingche sent the slightly excited Yan Yan out, "Go to sleep early, you have school tomorrow." The time when the child is asleep is when the couple truly has time to relax.

Yan Yan, oblivious to the awkwardness, said, "But I still want to talk to Mommy." She hadn't seen her mother for two days.

Lin Yan hugged her. "Okay, let's talk. But we'll definitely be in bed by ten o'clock."

It's almost 10 o'clock, but the kids really need to go to sleep.

Yan Yan nodded repeatedly while holding the unopened doll.

Fang Mingche could only watch as the mother and daughter sat down, embracing, and started spouting meaningless nonsense. Fine, he went to wash up.

Fang Mingche was the one who got up in the middle of the night to feed Changchang her nighttime milk, and Lin Yan was exhausted.

She lay on the pillow and said, "You've already gotten quite skilled in just three days. It seems men have a lot of potential when it comes to taking care of children. Keep it up—"

Fang Chang was drinking milk with her eyes closed, but she opened them and looked over when she heard the sound.

His stroller was right next to the bed, with no gap between them, right next to Lin Yan. He drank his milk while staring at Lin Yan. He even sniffed with his high, straight little nose, as if taking a sniff. Halfway through his milk, he probably recognized her and lunged towards his mother.

Fang Mingche picked him up and pulled him closer. If Lin Yan hadn't just been exhausted from his earlier actions, he would have let her get up and serve him like a king. Why are you making any noise?
"Eat quickly, then you can sleep better."

After feeding, pat him upright to nurse, then put him down so he can sleep next to his mother.

Lin Yan slept in on the morning of the 9th, as her class was in the afternoon. After having breakfast, she drove to the Overseas Chinese Apartment. Because Changchang insisted on coming along, she took him and Fang Min with her.

Fang Min naturally bought a scarf as well. It's only natural to buy souvenirs when going to Shanghai, especially since it's International Women's Day.

Oh, Liu Qingfeng, Geng Shan, Huo Chen, and others also received benefits. The perks and treatment on both sides are quite similar. Liu Qingfeng and Geng Shan received theirs early in the morning, and Liu Qingfeng's deputy was taken along by him.

As they entered the Overseas Chinese Apartment complex, Lin Yan stopped and handed Geng Chen his share. It was well-packaged, and Geng Chen thanked her happily before tucking it into his pocket. It was from Shanghai; it would be a good gift for his girlfriend.

After he was discharged from the military, he was waiting for job assignments. It wasn't easy to find a job right away. Under these circumstances, it was definitely difficult to find a partner.

Although joining the scrap yard meant giving up waiting in line for allocation, his income exceeded one hundred yuan a day, sometimes reaching one hundred and fifty yuan, after becoming the assistant manager and collecting scrap from the Overseas Chinese Apartment every day. Moreover, when he registered the business license, he directly received a 5% share of the scrap yard.

Teacher Fang said that even if he quits in the future, he can sell the 5% stake back to the scrap yard.

In this situation, finding a partner becomes much easier. Although self-employed individuals still can't compete with workers in state-owned factories or collectively owned enterprises in the marriage market, they can still earn money.

Upstairs, Han Mei and the others received their holiday perks and were overjoyed. They had actually heard from people in Shanghai on the phone yesterday that the landlady had bought a lot of Shanghai scarves, enough for everyone.

Lin Yan gave Han Mei an extra one, saying, "I have to catch up on my homework. You can take this one back to our mother."

She had taken a year off from school, and now that she's back in class, she's finding it difficult. This has caused her to miss another day of class.

"Okay, eldest sister."

Then Lin Yan drove home.

People in the office still couldn't help but gossip about it.

"It's so great that Teacher Lin can drive wherever she wants!"

Xie Ping, sitting to the side, couldn't help but nod in agreement. Yes, that's wonderful! She had finally managed to save up enough money to buy herself a women's bicycle. She and her sister had even saved up together.

When Fang Mingche returned home from get off work in the afternoon, Fang Chang reached out to Minjie's arms for a hug. After spending two days and two nights together, the father and son had indeed grown much closer.

Fang Mingche took him out for a walk. It was March 9th, spring had returned, and the temperature was already over ten degrees Celsius. However, his youngest son was all chubby now, so it was fine to carry him even if he wore less clothing. When he was first born, he was really hesitant to hold him.

He walked towards the river. "Come on, Changchang, let's go to the river to see the willows."

Zhu Dahai and Hu Yong caught up, "Teacher Fang, wait a minute."

Seeing the two of them arrive together, Fang Mingche raised an eyebrow. These two had become sworn enemies ever since they started doing business together and began bidding against each other. The only reason they were coming to see him together could be because of a common enemy—Qi Shun.

Although Fang Mingche had said he would get revenge on Qi Shun for the rumors that caused him to lose his vegetable business, he hadn't actually paid much attention to the guy anymore. He knew that Zhu Dahai and Hu Yong would definitely be keeping an eye on things.

Fang Chang looked at the two men and smiled. He recognized these two uncles; they came to his house to watch TV every day.

Hu Yong also reached out to help him straighten his hat. Fang Mingche said, "Well, let's take a walk along the river."

The two of them then walked out with him.

When they arrived at the riverbank, Zhu Dahai said, "I don't know if Qi Shun saw that we all dutifully registered as individual business owners, so he went too. Moreover, we are now paying taxes based on the number of stalls, and he paid his taxes as well."

It will be difficult to find fault with him for tax evasion.

"It seems he's quite cautious," Fang Mingche said.

Zhu Dahai and Hu Yong looked at Fang Mingche, waiting for his next words. They definitely wanted to recruit Qi Shun's buyer. It just so happened that Fang Mingche and he didn't get along, so there was a basis for cooperation.

Fang Mingche looked at them and said, "I'll invest in you, and we'll make this a collective business. In the early stages, we'll wage a price war to squeeze him out. Later, we'll distribute profits proportionally."

They set up vegetable stalls to cater to customers outside of the main market. People are drawn to their lower prices. If they could offer even lower prices, they could indeed squeeze out their competitors. If things drag on for a while, the competitors won't be able to sell their goods, and their cash flow will dry up.

In this area, the only individual vendors running vegetable businesses were originally their two families and Qi Shun. They squeezed out Qi Shun, but then brought in the more competitive Fang Mingche. Moreover, with Fang Mingche's financial resources, he'll definitely dominate in the future. Isn't this like turning away a wolf at the front door and welcoming a tiger at the back?

Fang Mingche found it amusing. What, did they think that because he had a grudge against Qi Shun, he would help them seize the market for free? Business is business, and his money didn't fall from the sky.

"You guys should think it over carefully. I can just put up the initial investment and wait for the dividends. Changchang, let's go see the ducks."

Fang Chang made two "ah ah" sounds and was happily carried away by her father.

Fang Mingche developed his arm strength last year while selling large bowls of tea. Before that, he had always been pampered at home and hadn't done much work, so his strength was really not that great.

But now, at least when I hold Fang Chang for a while, my arms won't get sore that I can't stand it.

Fang Chang was engrossed in watching the ducks swim by on the riverbank. He could even stare intently at the trash floating in the river.

When Yan Yan returned home from the Children's Palace, her mother sent her out to call her father and younger brother home for dinner.

"Where did they go?"

Fang Min said, "They walked towards the river."

Yan Yan nodded and went out to look for them. She had just stepped out of the alley when she saw her father hurrying back, carrying her younger brother. Before she could say anything, her father had already brushed past her, casually tossing out, "Going home—"

At first, Yan Yan didn't react, but she quickly smelled the scent of her younger brother's bodily fluids. She raised her hand to fan her nose, and then...

When Fang Mingche got back, he put the baby on the crib and said, "Ayan, he pooped."

That brat! He was laughing just a moment ago, then he straightened up and pooped right there. No warning at all!

Fang Min quickly fetched clean diapers and pants, then filled a basin with hot water and grabbed a small towel to wipe Fang Chang's bottom. Lin Yan helped her, and they quickly cleaned Fang Chang up again.

Fang Min took the basin and the soiled diapers and pants out to wash. Lin Yan scolded Fang Mingche, "The baby was clean, and you were carrying him around playing. He pooped, and you brought him back to me."

Fang Mingche said awkwardly, "I was just worried that I was too slow and would make him suffer more."

Lin Yan rolled her eyes at him.

Yan Yan knew they were changing her younger brother's pants and diapers inside, so she didn't go in. Her mother wouldn't let her go in to watch, saying that she and her brother were different boys and girls.

Then she saw Minjie come out and start washing diapers and dirty pants at the laundry sink that had been built later. After Minjie turned off the tap, she walked over and said, "Was this how I was when I was little?"

Fang Min never saw Yan Yan poop when she was little. But, "Kids all go through this."

Yan Yan scratched her head, "Real dolls and porcelain dolls each have their own advantages."

Real dolls are much more fun; they respond, even if they sometimes just cry and fuss. But you don't need to treat a doll like that.

Fang Min laughed, "Yan Yan, you accidentally blurted out the truth. You're just treating Chang Chang like a doll."

When Yan Yan comes home from school, she often plays with her younger brother; she's a warm-hearted and kind older sister. But it's unlikely that a child this young will develop genuine affection from the bottom of his heart. Their sibling bond still needs nurturing. She thinks it would be better if he were older, like when Kang Kang first came to their home.

When Lin Yan came out and heard this, she said with a mix of amusement and exasperation, "So you can skip this stage of growth? When you were a few months old, I would clean you up before you went to eat, and you would still enjoy your meal just the same."

Back then, if you didn't eat, you'd go hungry. What couldn't you eat? Unlike now, if you didn't feel like eating at mealtimes, you could still go to Boss Cui's place and order later. Or you could just open your own snack box and have something to eat.

Yan Yan asked somewhat embarrassedly, "How long will it take him to be able to control himself?"

"Around one and a half to two years old. But I don't have much memory of anything before the age of two."

Yan Yan, drawing inferences from this, asked, "But Mom has the hardest time before she's two years old, right?"

"Yes."

During dinner, Yan Yan saw some chicken thigh meat and put it into her mother's bowl.

"Mommy, eat—"

Fang Mingche asked, "What's wrong with her? Why is she suddenly so sentimental?"

Lin Yan chuckled, "Seeing her brother causing me trouble reminded me of myself."

On the way back, Yan Yan held her mother's hand the whole time.

Before going to bed that night, Lin Yan asked about the things Zhu Dahai and Hu Yong had brought. Fang Mingche told her.

Lin Yan said, "That's a good idea. They only think about using us. They got such a big business off us for free before, they've gotten used to taking advantage. If we don't need those five, can't we settle accounts with Qi Shun ourselves?"

"Sure, anyway, these days in the food business, our money can completely crush everything else."

They do have personal debts of around 100,000 yuan. But the loan came through, and they paid back 30,000 yuan to the travel agency, so they still have a full 70,000 yuan on hand. That's enough to pay the remaining balance on the courtyard house. And if they pay the remaining balance before New Year's Day, they won't have to pay a single penny of interest.

With nine months left, he could easily misappropriate the 70,000 yuan. They also owned a small outbuilding, a small truck, and assets from a travel agency and a scrap yard. The travel agency and scrap yard were still generating a steady stream of income.

There is still a considerable amount of unemployed labor in society today. With a college entrance examination acceptance rate of only a few percent, over 90% of students fail the exam. There are also educated youth who returned to the city and demobilized soldiers who haven't been properly resettled. There is absolutely no shortage of manpower.

He poured money into the business, completely stealing the business from these three companies. A tractor costs 3000 yuan, so he bought three or four tractors specifically for transporting vegetables. By further lowering prices and increasing initial investment, he could completely disrupt the cash flow of all three companies.

However, the meager profits from the vegetable business were no longer worth Fang Mingche's attention. Just like the tea stall nowadays, with a monthly profit of around 600, he certainly didn't care about it.

It's just a side business; he sells intangible cultural heritage products in Dashilan while also running this tea stall. Together, the shop brings in about 3000 yuan a month. That's not comparable to his shops in Tokyo, London, or Paris. After all, abroad, he's basically running a one-man business.

These four shops selling intangible cultural heritage products make a combined profit of around 20,000 yuan a month. That's more than 600 yuan a day!
As for travel agencies, the figure for the capital city is around 20,000 per month, while the data for Shanghai in the first month is not yet available. However, it should be around 10,000 for now.

The vegetable business in this area only makes a few thousand yuan in profit at most each month, and that has to be shared with others. (He can only operate in this area. There are vegetable stalls in other parts of Beijing too; he can't afford to offend everyone.)
The reason he's still prepared to get involved is twofold: firstly, Ah Yan feels somewhat guilty about the matter. After all, she was the one who conceived and started the vegetable business; secondly, Qi Shun tricked them last year. If he lets it go, even more people will try to take his share in the future. Therefore, he needs to make an example of Qi Shun and teach him a lesson.

It doesn't make sense that Qin Mu's cousin went to the Gobi Desert to suffer from sandstorms, while Qi Shun was completely unharmed.

Moreover, Zhu Dahai, Hu Yong, and the other three are all experienced; entrusting them with the specific tasks means you don't have to worry about anything. Just sit back and wait for your dividends!
He's definitely just waiting for dividends. If he invested and still couldn't monopolize the business among the individual vegetable stalls in this area, that would be a huge failure!
Therefore, he tends to continue cooperating with Zhu Dahai, Hu Yong, and others. After all, they are neighbors, and it's better to resolve conflicts than to let them fester.

Besides Zhu Dahai betraying him, Hu Yong and his group didn't. Even with Zhu Dahai, who saw the profits and wanted to go it alone, that was understandable. But Qi Shun really spread rumors! If he was competing fairly, then admitting defeat and withdrawing wouldn't be a problem.

After listening to his analysis, Lin Yan thought about it carefully.

"You're right, there's really no need to start from scratch. It's exhausting to find a solution, but the returns aren't great. So, should we just wait?"

Fang Mingche put his hands under his head. "Since they came to me, it must be because Qi Shun put a lot of pressure on them. Just wait and see. I'm too lazy to waste any energy on this. They're the ones who's anxious now, not me!"

Lin Yan smiled sarcastically, "Qi Shun really doesn't seem to take us seriously. He thinks it's over now that we retired last year."

"Then let him taste this backhanded salvo! Otherwise, he'll really think we scholars are all pushovers."

Lin Yan said, "They had a price war before, and we stopped it then. Why is it starting again?"

Fang Mingche smiled. "Last time, the neighborhood committee stepped in and asked them to put aside their past grievances, work together, and continue to strive to enrich the people's food supply. But the conflict wasn't really resolved. I told Zhu Dahai and Hu Yong before that I was going to deal with Qi Shun and get back at them from last year. They are even less likely to compromise or back down now."

However, it turned out he wasn't so easily manipulated. He wouldn't stand up for someone just out of spite, and he wanted a large share of the business.

However, he also offered them a condition for compromise. He was willing to only invest money and take shares, without participating in the operation or taking the lead. Otherwise, they wouldn't choose to cooperate with him. They had worked so hard in the vegetable stall business for so long, especially persevering through losses last winter and the year before; they certainly didn't want to accept the status of Liu Qingfeng and his group.

(End of this chapter)