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

Chapter 205 Risks of Heading South
Fang Mingche's announced housing subsidy policy was quickly formalized into an official document, stamped with the company seal, and posted on the office bulletin board. A special red dot was added: "This subsidy is available to each person/couple only once."

He almost overlooked this. Without this sentence, the travel agency would be running out of cash every time they needed to buy a house, constantly borrowing money.

When Han Mei posted the ad, everyone gathered around to look. The tour guides and drivers who were supposed to be picking up the tour groups hadn't even left yet.

Now there are two large rooms used as offices for tour guides and drivers, and several senior staff members also have their own offices. Others can sit on the sofas along the side. It's much better than the Overseas Chinese Apartment we stayed in before. Before, if we wanted to rest, we could only go to the meeting room. If the meeting room was in use, it was only for people holding meetings.

Ning An'an stroked her chin. The travel agency was officially established on December 1, 1979. She joined in early 1980. The fifth anniversary would be six months after she returned from Europe.

Back then, her monthly income was definitely higher than the current 300 or so. If Qiu Yin comes back, she can at least be a vice president. Although things will take time between the East and West, there isn't actually a full president in Shanghai, only a vice president. In the capital, there aren't even vice presidents; Teacher Fang is managing everything himself.

That would require at least two presidents and one vice president. Moreover, the vice president has a chance to be promoted to a full-fledged position in Luoyang or Xi'an. She felt she had a chance to secure one of the four positions. Her qualifications weren't a problem; the key was having organizational and leadership skills.

We'll only know if it's real or not once we put it to the test. In any case, she has a chance.

So in 1985, she might have earned 500 yuan a month (assuming her job income didn't increase). She could borrow 24 months' worth of monthly income, which would be 12000 yuan. Hmm, not bad, then she would definitely be able to afford a courtyard house by then.

Upon hearing her say this, Xie Ping replied, "First of all, there needs to be a courtyard house for sale. This requires the right timing, location, and people. Otherwise, why would Teacher Fang be in such a hurry to buy one even with a debt of 15 yuan?"

It is now generally accepted that Fang Mingche incurred a debt of 15 yuan from purchasing the courtyard house, along with its fine furniture and imported appliances. He also incurred a debt of 3 yuan from the furniture and appliances at the Overseas Chinese Apartment.

Everyone nodded in agreement; after all, suitable courtyard houses were hard to come by. They'd heard there had been another opportunity before, before moving to the Overseas Chinese Apartments. But the tens of thousands of yuan involved had scared Mr. Fang off. He simply couldn't afford to be in debt back then!
So when he came across another one, even though it wasn't as well-maintained as the previous one, he quickly scraped together the money and bought it.

Han Mei said, "I think if I didn't want to buy a courtyard house like Qiu Yin's or buy an extra one, and wait another three or four years, I probably wouldn't need to borrow this money."

Seriously, she can save 3000 yuan a year. If it were just a small apartment of about 50 square meters in the Tuanjiehu community, she could afford it all at once. That's the point of their high income.

Ning An'an said, "When the time comes, are you really going to set your sights on such a far-away, small house?"

Han Mei said, "But right now, the only commercial housing available for sale in the entire capital is the Overseas Chinese Apartment and the Tuanjiehu Community. The rest can only wait for those living in old bungalows to sell one or two rooms at a time. I've lived in those tenement courtyards since I was a child, and I'm really fed up with them. There's no privacy at all! As for the Overseas Chinese Apartment, not only is the total price high, but not a single unit has been sold in years. Even if there were, would it be my turn?"

My older sister and brother-in-law have been living there, just waiting to take advantage of their proximity. When my older sister bought the furniture and appliances, she said that she bought such good things so that if any rooms became available in the Overseas Chinese Apartments, she could buy them as soon as possible and move in as a whole.

Xie Ping also said, "There are indeed too few houses to choose from."

The concerns of middle-level and above employees in travel agencies are not about not being able to afford a house in three or four years, but rather about finding it difficult to find suitable housing. Their income is tied to seven handicraft specialty stores, with even the lowest income earning around three hundred yuan.

If I save for another three or four years, I should have around ten thousand yuan. Plus, I can borrow about 7200 yuan, so I really don't need to worry about not having enough money. The only problem is not having enough properties to choose from.

Listening to the middle managers chatting so enthusiastically, the newcomers who had just joined the company couldn't help but start making their own plans.

After they become permanent employees, plus commissions from domestic and international handicraft shops, they can earn around 100-200 yuan. That's much better than in other companies! In another five years, even if their income and position don't change, they should be able to save around 4000 yuan. Plus, they can borrow around 2000 yuan. Although it's not enough for a whole apartment, it's enough to buy two single rooms.

Moreover, how could one's position and income not increase over five years? When Director Han was recruiting, he kept telling everyone that the travel agency was expanding and those who performed well would get promoted and receive raises very quickly.

So, everyone's interest was piqued. They also realized that the lack of sufficient housing options was a problem.

Lin Yan didn't have classes this morning and was in the office. She came out to listen to the lively discussion outside and realized that Ming Che was right when he said that this benefit would make employees feel more at home.

Although they can't be allocated housing directly like state-owned or collectively-owned units, their salaries and bonuses are high. With the added benefit of being able to borrow money to buy a house, everyone will really be able to afford a house in a few years.

The travel agency is almost entirely staffed with young people, meaning most of them could buy their own homes before the age of 30. She doesn't feel anything about it now. But before, if she could buy a house before 30, she would have been incredibly excited.

She said, "Work unit welfare housing can be sold as long as the property rights are in hand. Also, I overheard Mingche and Lao Wang talking about how the government previously reclaimed some houses that were ownerless. In these cases, the property rights are in the hands of the housing management bureau. You can ask them how to buy them. Although there are fewer houses now, there aren't many people who can afford to buy a house outright."

It's also possible that they fled overseas before the liberation and didn't have a property ownership certificate issued by the People's Republic of China.

Property ownership certificates issued before October 1949 do not allow for the return of houses. Grandpa Gu was able to reclaim his property because he obtained a new certificate in the 1950s. In the 1980s, the return of occupied houses was uniformly based solely on property ownership certificates issued in the People's Republic of China.

The group considered the proprietress's words and realized they made sense! Those large courtyard houses were popular with overseas Chinese and many high-ranking officials, so they were unlikely to find a market. But what they wanted wasn't a large courtyard house that occupied several acres and cost over 100,000 yuan. Therefore, they were very competitive in the market for those houses that were available.

Lin Yan glanced at the wall clock. "Alright, it's about time. Go do what you need to do!"

She deliberately let Han Mei post the notice five minutes early. Otherwise, the drivers and tour guides would start to get restless when it was time to leave.

The boss spoke up, and it was indeed time to start work, so the crowd that had gathered in the office quickly dispersed.

Then Lin Yan went straight into the back courtyard. She had come to the first office to see the reaction to the posted official welfare policy. The response from Shanghai was also being handled simultaneously via phone. She guessed the employees' reactions were similar.

Right now, Yan Yan and the three Fang siblings have all gone to school. Early this morning, after Chang Chang had breakfast and gone back to sleep, Fang Min carried her to this place in the back seat of the small truck to be with her. Her in-laws should be over there right now.

The preschool program is specifically designed for dual-income families where no one can care for their children. Lunch is provided, and a nap is also taken care of. However, this does not apply to elementary school students. If no one at home can cook, they can eat in the school cafeteria; nap time is not supervised. If someone cooks, they can eat at home.

Fang Jian and his two siblings, along with Yan Yan, always ate at home, specifically at the courtyard house.

Mingche said everyone would eat at the courtyard house, since they had hired the cook. Eating together would be a way for everyone to get to know each other. His family would have individual stir-fries, while the other employees would eat the communal meals from the canteen.

The elderly value family reunions. Otherwise, if the two elders traveled all the way to Beijing, and the whole family had to eat and sleep in two or three separate places, they would definitely be unhappy.

This is much more convenient, especially for Fang's mother. Otherwise, she would have to cook for the elderly and children all day long. Now her work is much easier, and she has a washing machine for laundry.

As for buying groceries, there's no need to go. Zhu Dahai and the others will deliver meat, vegetables, eggs, and fruit every day. There are many people eating at the courtyard house, dozens a day. That's enough to reach the minimum order quantity.

So, Fang's mother now helps out at the courtyard house whenever she has free time. Most of the time, she helps look after the small general merchandise counter. Fang Mingche said he would pay her 40 yuan a month, and she would be specifically responsible for looking after that counter. The old man is in charge of driving to get the goods.

If someone made a reservation to use the washing machine, Fang's mother would stay in the small courtyard to collect the money. Fang's father would take care of watching the counter.

Fang's mother was overjoyed, saying that she had never received a salary in her entire life. Now, she was coming to work on time, just like everyone else.

Her shift was very easy; she just collected money from customers who wanted to buy things. Then, when the goods arrived, she would arrange them.

Mr. Fang really wanted to say, "I can do it just fine without you." But knowing that his youngest son was willing to earn some money for his mother, he didn't say anything. This was for the best, saving him the trouble of having to call someone to watch over him if he needed to go to the toilet or something.

The two elders seem quite happy with their jobs. Especially Fang's mother; this time, she no longer envies her in-laws who receive a monthly pension. She also has a monthly income and even wears a watch. Ultimately, it's because her second son is successful that she can live such a good life!

Lin Yan also thought this arrangement was quite good, better than simply giving them money for their retirement. Indeed, her in-laws weren't very old, and they might not be used to not doing anything. But she also wanted to ensure they weren't overworked.

Moreover, this way, the nieces and nephews will cover their own expenses as long as they can. They won't have to ask the couple for money every time, which saves everyone trouble.

Changchang has woken up and is nestled in Minjie's arms, drifting off to sleep. Upon seeing her mother, she reaches out for a hug and snuggles into her embrace.

When Lin Yan told him about their new benefit of lending money to employees to buy houses, Mr. Fang couldn't help but laugh. "This is like quenching thirst with plums in the dark, putting the burden on more than three years into the future."

Fang's mother chimed in, "That's right! They themselves still owe so much money. Yet they're so eager to lend money to so many employees! When they all rush in, will they even have enough money to go around?"

Lin Yan said, "There won't be a rush. We can't afford or buy apartments in the Overseas Chinese Apartments, and the Tuanjiehu Community is too far away and doesn't have a good environment. We can only buy in a scattered way!"

After a while, they heard Han Mei say that Ning An'an was going to Europe to replace Qiu Yin and might buy a house abroad.

Their eyes widened in disbelief. "How can we afford that?"

Although the salary is higher when working abroad, the housing prices are also much higher!
When Fang Mingche returned for dinner, he heard this and explained to them, "In other countries, there is a policy of making a 30% down payment and then paying in monthly installments."

After some calculation, Mr. Fang said, "If the monthly bank repayments are about the same as the rent, then it's still a good deal."

"Yes."

After finishing lunch, Fang Mingche saw that Changchang had gone for a nap. He took out a few packets of sunflower seeds from his bag. "Here, have a taste. This is the famous 'Fool's Sunflower Seeds,' which I had someone bring from Anhui. It's a creamy-flavored sunflower seed created by Nian Guangjiu after traveling to many major sunflower seed producing areas and combining the strengths of various sources."

Fang Jian, Fang Fang, Yan Yan, and Kang Kang all said it was delicious after trying it.

"It's delicious, otherwise how could it have such high sales?"

Mr. Fang also ate a few. "Why did you have to bring them all the way from Anhui? If they were easier to buy in the capital, I could stock up and sell them here."

Fang Mingche took out another copy of the Wuhu Daily from his bag, which the person who brought the melon seeds had given him on the way. This was the Wuhu Daily from September 5th, which had just passed a few days ago.

Mr. Fang took it and looked at it. "Oh, he's in the newspaper."

"Yes, on September 4th, the vice mayor of Wuhu, the editor-in-chief of the Wuhu Daily, and two deputy directors from the Municipal Administration for Industry and Commerce and the Public Security Bureau went to his home. They reassured him and encouraged him to expand the brand and bring honor to Wuhu. The next day, the article 'Genuine 'Fool's Melon Seeds' was published. So, Dad, if you want to get your hands on these, you should be able to get them from major department stores and supply and marketing cooperatives in the capital very soon."

This was clear official support for creating a local star brand. Later, "Silly Melon Seeds" indeed became the nation's leading brand for the private sector, and Nian Guangjiu became a milestone figure in China's reform and opening-up.

Mr. Fang was relieved to hear this, as this was the first time that a private enterprise had received such strong support from the government.

Fang Mingche knew that things might still have twists and turns, but there was no need to say anything now and worry the old man.

Before you know it, it's National Day. Foreign tourists often don't like to crowd with the large number of domestic tourists on this day, so travel agencies simply give them a holiday.

Mr. Fang said, "Let alone them, I don't even want to go out and squeeze in today."

When he and his mother arrived for work in the morning and saw the huge crowd, they quickly took a detour through the alley behind the building.

School is closed today, so the whole family is here.

Fang Mingche asked Fang Jian, "I wonder how your parents' autumn harvest is going."

Fang Jian and his two siblings were all quite concerned about this matter. Their grandfather had called home several times, urging their parents to come to Beijing as soon as the autumn harvest was over, saying that there would be plenty of opportunities in the capital.

Their parents had decided to lease the land to someone else after the autumn harvest and were going to come to Beijing.

Mr. Fang said, "Why don't you just call back and ask?"

The village branch recently installed a telephone, which is very convenient. The branch secretary mainly wanted to make it easier for the rice processing plant to contact businesses. Otherwise, he wouldn't have been willing to pay several thousand yuan in installation fees. Moreover, he also bought half of it on credit, to be paid later when the account is full. It's a way for the post office to support township enterprises. The rice processing plant has been doing quite well these past two years; Fang Mingche's initial investment of 1,000 yuan has already grown to 1,400 yuan. The main reason is that he declined the second round of additional investment. Fang's father invested a total of 600 yuan, both of which have grown to 1,000 yuan. They said they would be able to distribute a portion of the profits at the end of this year.

The village contributed the majority of the investment. With the profits, the entire village held a meeting. More than half agreed to install a telephone. It's definitely useful for contacting businesses; previously, they had lost business because they couldn't contact villagers further away.

Moreover, more and more people in the village are going to school, doing business, or working in the north and south. Nearly half the villagers are surnamed Fang, so quite a few people with that surname have emerged, and having a telephone is definitely more convenient for them. Naturally, no one would object to installing a telephone.

Besides, according to the Party Secretary, the post office is the only public telephone in the entire commune. Once they find out they have a public telephone here too, many outsiders will definitely come to make and receive calls. We can slowly earn back the connection fee here.

Sure enough, after it was installed, people from all around came to make and receive calls, some by bicycle and others on foot. There were so many people in the entire commune, and the post office was far away with long queues. Now, the net profit is still around ten yuan a day.

At this rate, we should be able to break even in two years.

A few days ago, the Party Secretary called Fang Mingche. He explained the details of his 1,000 yuan donation to help students. He had already asked the cashier to send over a carbon copy of the details, which should arrive in a couple of days.

Of the thousand yuan, only a few dozen yuan remain. After all, the scope of educational assistance has expanded from the village to the township, then to the commune, and finally to the entire town. If the year-end dividends are not substantial, Fang Mingche will need to make another donation.

It's not a big deal, as long as the money is actually used for those impoverished students.

The reason Fang's father had Fang Mingche make this call was naturally to have him express his welcome to his brother and sister-in-law. Otherwise, it would be him, the father, making the calls the whole time.

The reason the whole family is living so well in the capital is mainly because of their youngest son. His brother and sister-in-law can't feel at ease unless he makes a clear statement.

Fang Mingche understood what he meant. "Let's call after lunch. That'll be when they'll have time to answer the phone."

Since you're trying to be a good person, you might as well do it gracefully and make your brother and sister-in-law feel comfortable. Don't let him have made sacrifices and still have unresolved issues between his brothers and sisters-in-law.

He smiled and said, "My older brother said he wanted to practice Mandarin two years ago. How's his practice going?"

Mr. Fang scoffed, "He's only inconsistent in his work."

Fang Jian and Fang Fang looked embarrassed. After learning they were going to study in the capital, they practiced every day by listening to the broadcasts. Even Kang Kang did the same.

The three of them learned quite quickly. But their parents learned rather slowly.

Speaking of this, their father argued, "Learning languages ​​is easiest for kids. It's not so easy when they get older. Your grandparents' so-called Mandarin isn't even standard."

And that was indeed the case. Fang's parents stayed for four or five months this time, and only then did they gradually lose some of their local accents. They mainly relied on clearly marked prices to sell their goods, and there wasn't much verbal communication between them.

It's also because the crackdown on illegal migrants isn't as strict these days. If it were when Fang Mingche and Yan Yan first arrived, the two elders, with their level of expertise, definitely wouldn't have been able to get away with it. Now, everyone knows they're well past the age of visiting relatives as stated on their letters of introduction.

However, the atmosphere of mutual denunciation that existed during that decade has faded considerably, and the neighborhood committees often turn a blind eye. As long as one isn't homeless or sleeping under a bridge, no one will bother them.

If this family really goes back, the Yuan and Xiao families in the tenement will probably be more resentful than anyone else. After all, the daughters-in-law of both families could support half the family just by making clothes for the five of them.

After lunch, Fang Mingche indeed made the call.

The Party Secretary shouted through the loudspeaker, "Fang Minghua, Yuan Shufen, answer the phone—"

Then he asked, "Are you going to call back in five minutes or what?"

Fang Mingche said, "Secretary, let's chat for a bit. Is everything alright in the village?"

This was the first time he had called back since the village installed a telephone a few days ago. He could tell from the Party Secretary's tone that he had something to say to him. Otherwise, why would he ask?

He could even guess what the Party Secretary was trying to say.

The Party Secretary said, "Mingche, you've taken your parents and your nephew and niece away. I heard from your brother and sister-in-law that they're planning to go to Beijing after the autumn harvest?"

"Yes, the most important thing for a family is to be together. However, even though we are all in the capital, our family roots and ancestral graves are still in the village. During the Spring Festival, our family members will definitely go back to pay respects to our ancestors."

Regardless of what others say, the old man is definitely going back. He says that no matter what, the ancestral worship cannot be stopped. Anyway, it's easy to buy them sleeper tickets now. Although it takes a long time, it's not too much trouble to go directly to Leshan Railway Station.

The village secretary said, "Although a rice processing plant has been opened in the village, labor productivity has increased, and it can't absorb that many surplus laborers. Can you help us think of a solution?"

I've heard that these days, if people go south to work and don't stick together in groups, they might get lost and no one will care. The villagers have heard that Guangzhou is full of opportunities. Everyone wants to go out and work there!

Rather than sending them to Guangzhou, where they know no one and are unfamiliar with the place, it would be better to let them go and seek refuge with Fang Mingche and Fang Mingfeng. That way, he and the elderly people in the village would feel more at ease.

Fang Mingche said, “Secretary, it’s not like I haven’t pointed out the way. When I came back last time, I said that I was looking for people here who could drive and had strong language skills. But in the end, they went and learned to drive tractors. Only Mingcheng and Hanping came to Beijing with me. As for language skills, even if we don’t speak foreign languages, we should at least learn Mandarin well. When Brother Mingfeng came to Beijing to find me, he also practiced his Mandarin properly.”

Although he had a slight Cantonese accent, it was immediately obvious whether he was paying attention or not. As for his parents, brothers, and sisters-in-law, they were his closest relatives, incomparable to others.

He'd already put it so clearly, and if those people still weren't proactive, they wouldn't be proactive at all once they got to the capital. He wasn't planning on taking on everything himself.

“Secretary, I advise you not to take on too much responsibility. It’s your duty to manage well, but if you don’t, all you’ll do is complain. I don’t object to people from the same hometown being favored. But you can’t just favor everyone from the same hometown. Even you, when you hire people for the rice processing plant, you handle things fairly and select the best candidates, right?”

Fang Mingche felt he had made his point quite clear. It wasn't impossible for someone to come to Beijing and seek refuge with him, but they should at least learn Mandarin and show some sincerity. Otherwise, did they really expect him to provide food and lodging and even guarantee them a satisfactory job?

The village secretary understood, but Mingcheng, Hanping, and Fangmin only sent 10 yuan back each month. Everyone knew Fangmin earned 30 yuan a month. He guessed the other two probably didn't earn much more. It really was better to go south and work.

When the village secretary asked cryptically, Fang Mingche replied, "I only give my parents 10 yuan a month for their retirement. As for whether Han Ping and Mingcheng have earned any money, if they haven't, why are they still coming here despite living apart as a couple?"

However, Han Ping and Mingcheng secretly asked me for money to buy houses. The landlord of the three rooms in the next-next-door tenement, which would become vacant later, wanted to sell them to raise money for his son to buy an apartment.

They wanted to buy the house together, each taking one and a half rooms, and then partitioning off a space in the middle. This way, they would have a chance to tell their families and bring their wives and children over.

They were short of money and planned to borrow from Fang Mingche. This wasn't part of the welfare program they had previously posted; it was purely a loan based on their personal relationship.

Fang Mingche has already agreed. Aside from birth, aging, illness, and death, buying a house is the most important thing. What they lack is nothing to him. Even though he himself is in debt, squeezing out a thousand or two for them wouldn't be a problem.

The Party Secretary understood; Fang Mingche simply didn't want to take on too much responsibility. The amount of money Mingcheng and the others sent back wasn't much, which was probably discussed among everyone in the capital.

Fang Mingche didn't want the villagers, especially those with the surname Fang, to feel that because he had the surname Fang, he was obligated to take care of his clansmen. However, he was still happy to help those who were proactive, positive, sensible, and resourceful.

Actually, before the news about going south to work and earn money spread, the villagers didn't think that thirty or forty yuan a month, with ten yuan sent back, was a small amount. But then some people came back from the south, describing it as if gold was everywhere. Compared to that, earning a hundred or two in Guangzhou was definitely better than earning thirty or forty in the capital.

Fang Mingche said, "Secretary, the South is really chaotic right now. There are one or two people who want to go, you'd better stop them. Don't let them end up with their kidneys cut off. That's a lifelong matter, it's like being half-crippled. I heard from Brother Mingfeng that the open space at Guangzhou Railway Station is packed with people sleeping. It's like gold lying everywhere, don't those people know to pick it up? Those people who come back from Guangzhou and say all sorts of nice things, they might just be lying."

Going south to work is fine, but it's best to wait until after the first crackdown. By then, the security situation in Guangzhou and Shenzhen will be much better, at least within the city limits. For now, it's best to wait.

Fang Minghua and Yuan Shufen ran over, and the Party Secretary handed them the microphone.

"Hey, second brother, are the old and the young alright?" Fang Minghua asked anxiously.

"It's all alright. I just wanted to ask how the autumn harvest is going so we can make some preparations for your trip to the capital. I hope your height hasn't changed, brother and sister-in-law? Ayan said she'll have the tailor make you two sets of clothes according to the auspicious date."

Fang Minghua said, "You know what, we're actually a bit worried."

The old and the young have passed away, and the sister-in-law has prepared all their clothes perfectly. But they are just the older brother and sister-in-law, so they can't really take it for granted. They were just discussing whether to get a new set of clothes made to wear to the capital after the autumn harvest.

However, I'm also worried that the new clothes that are decent here might not be presentable in the capital. Wouldn't that be a waste of money?

Fang Mingche said, "It's alright. This is the first time, let Ayan help you choose the style. You can make them yourselves from now on."

"Hey, okay."

Fang Mingche subtly conveyed his welcome before handing the microphone to the children. They had come during summer vacation and hadn't seen their parents for three months.

After the three children had talked for a while, Mr. Fang said, "Alright, Kang Kang, your mom and dad will be here soon. We can talk about it when we meet."

Don't think phone calls are free! Even though your uncle is paying, he still has to pay. This is a long-distance call.

After hanging up, Fang Mingche called Fang Mingfeng, who had also put his phone back on.

“Brother Mingfeng, someone came back to the village and raved about working in Guangzhou. Call back and talk to the village secretary and other people who want to go. I suspect something’s up.”

Fang Mingfeng said, "Whose family is this? Don't they care about their ancestral graves, their parents' graves? What gang did they lure this person away for, so he'll never come back?"

In his haste, he blurted out his dialect.

"I suspect he's already deeply involved. Things have really been chaotic in the south lately. If all else fails, how about we call a few more diligent people to come to the capital?"

"Row!"

After hanging up, Fang Mingfeng immediately called back and recounted his experiences in Guangzhou and along the way. The Party Secretary then broadcast it publicly, inviting those who wanted to go south to work to listen.

“I’m not saying you’ll definitely not have a good future or that you’ll definitely get scammed. But even I, an experienced driver on that route, wouldn’t dare to head south right now. Let’s wait and see, until the security situation is improved. Mingche has already said what kind of people he needs, but you’re all ignoring him. Han Ping and Mingcheng are even planning to borrow money to buy a room and a half to bring their wives and kids to Beijing.”

He traveled by plane before, which is much safer! Buses and trains are more prone to accidents.

Fang Mingfeng stopped there, and finally discussed a list with Fang Mingche. He asked the Party Secretary to inquire whether these people wanted to come to the capital. If they did, they would come with Fang Minghua and Yuan Shufen this time.

The Party Secretary said, "Okay, I understand."

After the autumn harvest, more people joined Fang Minghua and Yuan Shufen in going to Beijing. Han Ping and Fang Mingcheng's wife and child were already planning to come. Then there were six more people who came to work. Some were invited after Fang Mingche and the others discussed it, while others wanted to go on their own.

Of course, they're all hard seats. Fang Mingche hadn't originally planned to get letters of introduction for his brother and sister-in-law to buy sleeper berths. He and Yan Yan had both come in hard seats, so the two of them, being young and strong, certainly wouldn't have any problems. The older and younger ones could get sleeper berths if they could afford it, but the younger ones were better off not getting them. They themselves wouldn't be willing to spend the money.

(End of this chapter)