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

Chapter 212 Soaring Debt

Lin Yi felt incredibly embarrassed. His mother actually thought he needed pressure from his sister and brother-in-law to get Han Mei to have his child. He was even more depressed!
Han Mei looked down on him, and so did his mother. He was, after all, a full-time employee of a large state-owned factory; he was better off than 90% of people. How could they all end up like his brother-in-law?

Fang Mingche changed the subject, "Changchang, who are you going to spend your allowance on?"

Fang Chang patted his chest, indicating that he would spend the money himself.

"You're so stingy. You should at least spend money on your family."

Fang Chang glanced at her sister, wondering if she would give money to the family. Yan Yan quickly said, "I'll go buy some melon seeds and peanuts so we can all eat together."

Just then, there was a sudden 'bang' outside. Fang Chang grabbed her sister's leg and buried her face in it.

Yan Yan cheered, "The popcorn is here!"

Lin's father smiled and said, "Lin Yi, go and weigh out a pound of rice for them."

"Ok."

Lin Yi went inside to weigh the rice, and Yan Yan followed him. Chang Chang, who was clinging to her leg, naturally followed as well. Seeing that his sister wasn't afraid of the noise from earlier, he wasn't too scared anymore.

He didn't remember anything too trivial, but he hadn't heard any such noises since moving to the Overseas Chinese Apartments.

He never goes there to sell popcorn. He mainly targets the grassroots, serving children who can't buy many other snacks.

Most of the children living in the Overseas Chinese Apartments come from families with foreign currency. They can buy whatever they want at Friendship Stores and Overseas Chinese Stores, and popcorn isn't a big deal for them.

Yes, there are also those like Yan Yan who have been used to eating this since childhood. So when they hear this sound, they will happily weigh rice or corn to pop.

Lin Yi not only weighed the rice when he entered the house, but also took a grain coupon. The processing fee could be paid in cash or with a grain coupon.

Lin's father glanced at him and said, "Just pay the money yourself, why insist on using the public grain coupons? We don't earn much, so these places seem stingy. Han Mei certainly wouldn't do something like that."

Yan Yan patted her little satchel and said, "Uncle, you don't need to take the food coupons, I have change."

Lin Yi put the food coupons back and took his niece and nephew to get popcorn.

Changchang has short legs; at his pace, he'll probably be quite far back in line.

Lin Yi then picked him up with one hand carrying the rice and the other. His little nephew insisted on going to see what was making the noise. Children his age are all curious.

When they returned, Yan Yan had indeed bought peanuts and melon seeds. Actually, Lin's mother had prepared some dried sweet potatoes and other snacks today. But Yan Yan had to set an example for Chang Chang. And she even made Chang Chang contribute 50 cents as well.

"You got your allowance, you have to treat everyone, you know?"

So when Changchang came back, she patted her chest and said, "I'll treat you to a meal." Then she pointed to her sister and uncle.

Yan Yan said, "My uncle paid for everything."

Lin Yi didn't go so far as to let his nephew and niece pay while he stood by. If he did, the shopkeepers would probably give him the sideways look.

After having the mutton hot pot, the family drove home.

Back home, once inside her room, Lin Yan couldn't help but sigh. Fang Mingche knew she said she didn't care, but deep down she was worried about Lin Yi's marriage. And besides, she'd probably have to take the blame most of the time!

Lin Yan sighed, then said indignantly, "Hmph, it was clearly her who tried to get Han Mei into the travel agency in the first place. How come it's now my responsibility to just put her in there and then ignore it?"

Fang Mingche said, "Why would your own mother reason with you?"

"So, if Lin Yi really gets divorced, I'll probably be the one to take the blame. I've learned my lesson; I really shouldn't take on anything from now on."

The matter concerning the Xie sisters was left unresolved, and Xie Ting remained to take care of Aunt Gao and Xie Ping, who was newly pregnant. However, nothing came of it affecting Lin Yan.

Whether Xie Ping was in a good mood during the early stages of her pregnancy was none of her business. She had a husband and mother-in-law to deal with. But her family's affairs were clearly going to affect her.

Fang Mingche looked at her. Ayan actually has a very naive side, for example, she was bullied by her mother-in-law since she was a child, and as an older sister, she had to sacrifice for her younger brother.

So, ten years ago, it was the Lin family's turn to send one of their children to the countryside. The father-in-law's idea was that since Lin Yi was a boy, there wasn't much to worry about him leaving home, and he planned to let him go. After all, the two siblings were less than two years apart.

But Lin's mother was worried that her son wouldn't be able to endure the hardships of going to the countryside, so she discussed it with Lin Yan. They called it a discussion, but later, in a supposed conspiracy, mother and daughter went to the educated youth office and registered Lin Yan's name.

After being relentlessly crushed by life in the countryside, Ayan finally came to her senses and decided she wouldn't become a "brother-supporting demon" in the long run. But she was still influenced by her own mother.

Now, after being scolded by her own mother, she's finally woken up. She probably won't make decisions for her family again. There's still hope!
If Ayan weren't so honest and straightforward, all the other educated youth from her past life would have returned to the city, and she wouldn't have stayed in the countryside. Besides, few can completely break free from their mother's manipulative tactics from the start. The influence of one's family of origin is undeniable. If people had no flaws, they wouldn't be real!

Seeing that he didn't speak, Lin Yan thought about her in-laws and her brother and sister-in-law, and realized that Mingche's family relationships seemed to be much better than hers.

Fang Mingche said, "My mother-in-law said we're not going to interfere anymore, but that's not true. We've actually been trying to encourage Lin Yi to improve himself, but he just won't listen to reason."

Lin Yan nodded, "That's right. Mom doesn't put pressure on Lin Yi, but she puts the pressure on herself, the married daughter."

"I don't know how he can remain so composed!"

When Mingche was preparing for university entrance exams, she dared not slack off. A couple shouldn't be too different; it would be best if they could fly wing to wing together.

So what if Lin Yi is a formal employee of a large state-owned factory? He only earns 37 yuan a month. His starting salary is 36 yuan, plus 1 yuan in seniority pay from the past two years. Hmm, it's about to increase by another 50 cents. He's been working for almost three years now! But he's been stuck in the same place, not even passing the first-level technician exam.

But Han Mei earns around 300 yuan a month, which is eight times his! During the summer vacation, it even reached 350 yuan.

Lin Yan was the cashier, and all salaries were collected from her. Even the payrolls from Shanghai and overseas had to be reviewed by her. So she knew all of this perfectly well.

She really couldn't understand how Lin Yi could be so reliable. She was a woman, and if she was so much less capable than Ming Che, even if she had given birth to Yan Yan and Chang Chang, she wouldn't dare to think that her life was secure.

Fang Mingche said, "Actually, I don't think he's that down-to-earth. It's just that whenever he has any ambition, his work environment and his coworkers pull him down. He's not the kind of person who can break free from the environment!"

Even though he had already made his point clear, saying that factories, like rural areas, would definitely need reform, his father-in-law, who was about to retire, was even more affected than Lin Yi.

The father-in-law was worried about his retirement pension. Actually, there's no need to worry. Social security was fully implemented before the massive layoffs of 1998. The capital city was one of the first places to implement it. So, the father-in-law and mother-in-law will definitely have a seamless transition. They'll go directly from receiving their factory pensions to receiving their social security pensions. They won't be affected at all! Reforms aren't meant to cause social unrest, so the basic security for these veteran workers will definitely be ensured before any major changes are implemented.

But Lin Yi was only in his early forties in 1998. That's the time when he had elderly parents to care for and children to raise, a period of immense pressure. He couldn't escape it! His previous life had been incredibly difficult, forcing his parents to use their retirement savings to support his family of three.

Whether Lin Yi and Han Mei will divorce is something Fang Mingche no longer cares about. It's like forcing a cow to drink water—you can't do that! Besides, there will soon be an opportunity. Starting in 1983, he can take a leave of absence without pay.

Lin Yi's current inaction is simply due to his fear of losing his secure job. Especially for someone like him whose abilities are not particularly outstanding, or rather, have not yet been demonstrated, he is most afraid of losing his stable, guaranteed income.

But Lin Yi wasn't entirely useless. This was evident from how quickly he got his driver's license. He was willing to put his heart into things he truly enjoyed. If it weren't for this incident, Fang Mingche wouldn't have bothered telling him about the possibility of factories undergoing reforms similar to those in rural areas. Currently, some small factories are piloting restructuring and becoming self-sufficient.

But it turned out he had overestimated his brother-in-law. He hadn't thought that someone who shared a bed with Han Mei couldn't be two different people. His concern for money showed ambition. With a high income as a reward, Han Mei was indeed quite capable. It was all somewhat beyond Fang Mingche's expectations.

The best course of action now is to wait for the official document regarding his unpaid leave to come out in a year and see if he's willing to give it a try. With that document, he can get a two-year unpaid leave, and even if things don't go well during those two years, he can still return to his original unit and rank. That way, he'll have a safety net, and Lin Yi will probably choose to take unpaid leave and drive for the travel agency.

Lin Yan said, "Then how should this matter be resolved? I will never again be persuaded by my mother to make decisions for my family."

Fang Mingche said, "Regarding Lin Yi's matter, you haven't made up your mind yet. When the time comes, you won't just abandon him. Just be careful not to get yourself into trouble in the future."

Lin Yan nodded. "I understand."

"Don't worry, Lin Yi is my brother-in-law. As long as he's willing to come and doesn't make any big mistakes, I can arrange everything for him."

The next day, Fang Mingche had no classes in the morning, so he drove Yan Yan and Lin Yan to their classes.

Yan Yan was easy to manage; she was taken to the school entrance every day and then walked in. As for A Yan, riding a bike in the dead of winter was too uncomfortable and she was prone to slipping. So, they took her to the vicinity of the school gate and walked in with the others. This way, they wouldn't attract too much attention, and it would be warmer for her to walk the last part.

If Gao Xiang had classes, he would also come to the intersection near Yan Yan's school to wait for a ride.

Fang Mingche himself also instructed his driver to operate the vehicle in this manner. He could appear frugal and simple in normal times, but in the dead of winter, he would make use of his own car, as long as it didn't attract too much attention.

The last part of the walk is similar to taking a bus.

When he returned, Changchang had also woken up from her nap. Fang Mingche took off his military overcoat and hung it by the door, where he saw the little guy curled up on the children's sofa.

It really is a lump! Changchang is now a three-headed figure, plus she's wearing so many clothes. She looks round and chubby, sitting there like a miniature Buddha statue. Fang Mingche found his own association somewhat amusing.

The little one was drinking from the bottle by himself. When he saw him, he moved the nipple away a little and sweetly called out, "Daddy—"

Fang Mingche moved over and patted his head. "Eat up, and Dad will take you ice skating at the Summer Palace."

The father and son will go experience it first, and then bring other people over on the weekend.

This son, whom Fang Mingche didn't have in his previous life, only became truly real after spending a long time with him. He genuinely felt that this was his own chubby son, with his blood flowing through his veins. The little guy was full of attachment and trust towards him; how could he not love him?

After Changchang finished eating and rinsed his mouth, Fang Min dressed him in thick clothes, pants, and shoes. Fang Mingche picked him up; he seemed even heavier now. The clothes and pants would probably take several pounds of skin to fit him.

"Xiaomin, let's go together."

"Uncle Jiu, you've taken him out. I'll take this opportunity to tidy up the house."

"There's not much to pack, I can manage it when I have some time later. I'll feel more at ease if you hold him while you ride in the car." The small truck he bought doesn't have seat belts.

"Oh well."

Changchang was very happy when he was put on his thick clothes. He could understand what his father was saying, and wearing thick clothes meant that he was going downstairs. So, he cooperated very well throughout, smiling and raising his arms and legs.

Fang Mingche still let the two of them sit in the back of the driver's seat. Changchang kept sticking his head out from behind the seat to look ahead; he liked to observe the world.

Fang Mingche said, "Our house is 220 square meters. I'll buy you a small car to drive around at home later."

Nowadays, there's no such thing as shared area in apartments; this is a solid 220 square meters. That's equivalent to a 300-square-meter apartment in later times. A stroller could easily fit inside. This year, the rent has gone up to 2200. The landlord is shrewd; he simply won't sell. They've lived here for over half a year, and haven't seen a single apartment sold. However, he's already announced his interest in buying. If any neighbors are selling, he'll definitely be the first one they think of.

When they arrived at the Summer Palace, there weren't too many people since it wasn't a holiday or Sunday. Fang Mingche bought the tickets, but Fang Min still carried Changchang to sit on the benches to slide around.

Changchang was overjoyed. Even with a small mask on, you could see her eyes crinkling with laughter.

There weren't many attractions yet, but the snow scenery was truly beautiful. Fang Mingche brought his camera and took pictures of his son along the way. After playing for more than an hour, he promised to bring him back another time. Only then did he lead his son out and head towards the courtyard house.

Mr. and Mrs. Fang were quite happy to see their grandson arrive so early. Usually, Fang Min would bring him over around lunchtime.

Mr. Fang said, "Changchang, you're here so early today?"

Changchang nodded, then told her grandfather, "Ice skating."

Fang Mingche said, "I took him to the Summer Palace. There are slides on benches there. You two can go together on Sunday too."

Mr. and Mrs. Fang nodded, "Okay."

The places where the Empress Dowager Cixi and her relatives used to frequent are now accessible with just a ticket. Plus, the rides are quite stable. Anyway, these days you don't have to worry too much about small daily expenses.

After learning that her son had over 100,000 yuan in personal debt, Fang's mother finally became more magnanimous. "With interest alone so much, what's the point of saving money on daily expenses?" she thought.

Around noon, Fang Mingche drove to pick up Yan Yan, Fang Jian, and the other two from school to have lunch. Previously, Fang's father would arrange a driver, but since he didn't have classes this morning, he went instead.

The four siblings were very excited to hear that they were going to the Summer Palace on Sunday.

When Fang Mingche returned, he saw his second uncle and aunt had come into town, along with Fang Wu. Just as he was about to greet them, he saw Changchang happily sit up from the carpet. He had been sitting in a circle of mineral water, playing with his toys.

Fang Chang patted the mineral water bottle and said, "Xiao Wu, hurry, let's go into the pigsty!" Ever since Fang Mingche said that this place was a pigsty, he had remembered it.

The adults and her older siblings all laughed. Fang Wu was put down and happily took unsteady steps inside. The little girl had her first birthday celebration last month and was already twelve and a half months old.

Fang Jian had already helped move a case of water and opened the 'pigsty door' for them.

The floor heating was on, so you could feel the warmth even sitting on the carpet. Fang Chang came over and really liked sitting on the floor, not minding being enclosed. He'd been used to being enclosed since he was little.

Fang Wu, on the other hand, saw many toys in the 'pigsty'. She actually had quite a few toys herself, but other people's might smell better.

Changchang is generous with his things. But if you want to play with them, you have to call him "brother." Fang Wu called him that sweetly, and then happily played with the toys Changchang had given her.

A little while later, Fang Min and the cook brought out the dishes. It was getting cold, so they couldn't go to the first section to fetch the food anymore. That's why they arranged for another cook to be in charge of preparing the dishes here.

Everyone sat down around a large table. My second uncle and aunt had taken a black cab to town with their granddaughter. They hadn't originally planned to have lunch here.

But we didn't have enough budget, so we didn't bring enough diapers for Xiaowu. Who knew the little girl would poop so much this morning? We had to use Fang Chang's diapers here. Fang's parents will definitely insist we stay for lunch.

Second Uncle said to Father Fang, "Now I understand why wealthy families used to have small kitchens. For example, in the dead of winter, the vegetables sent from the main kitchen would definitely be covered with a layer of oil. They would be inedible. And this is a wealthy family. If they lived in the palace and didn't have a small kitchen, the food sent from the imperial kitchen would probably be ice cold."

Yan Yan had been to the Forbidden City several times already. She thought about the distance between the imperial kitchen and the inner palace, and realized it was indeed quite close.

Fang Mingche said, "Second Uncle, you don't need to worry too much about the ladies. Part of their allowance is paid in silver, and the other part is paid in kind. For example, a certain amount of pork and mutton per day. These are brought back by the eunuchs and maids in their own palaces and cooked in the small kitchen. Every palace has a small kitchen with many stoves. However, the ladies of the rank of Consort and above will definitely use the stoves first, while the lower-ranking concubines will have to wait. Moreover, those who are not favored will definitely not receive all of their allowance. This is where the palace intrigues take place. It's not just about vying for favor. The only downside is that the banquets are really cold. So, the Qing Dynasty imperial cuisine has many warm stewed dishes and hot pots for cooking meat and vegetables."

Auntie said, "I see. Mingche, you're researching these things too?"

Fang Mingche glanced at Yan Yan, who was happily eating. He'd watched a lot of palace dramas with his daughter. And Yan Yan even read palace intrigue novels on Jinjiang Literature City; he'd basically learned about them from her. He wondered if his little girl would ever be interested in these things again.

After lunch, Uncle and Aunt said they were going back. But Changchang clung to Xiaowu's arm and wouldn't let them leave.

Fang Mingche said, "Anyway, you've already called Mingfeng and his wife. Changchang has everything Xiaowu needs for eating, drinking, and using the toilet, so just use his. It's just that I have class this afternoon and can't stay home with her."

Nowadays, infant formula isn't categorized that finely; both children of different ages can drink it.

Fang's mother also said, "Yes, let's play a little longer once we're in the city. The two kids will take a nap this afternoon, and the four of us can play cards."

Second Uncle said, "Alright, it's not somewhere else anyway. Mingche, you just go to school and don't worry about us. Your parents are here. When are Minghua and Shufen coming back?"

Mr. Fang said, "It should be around two or three o'clock. They can make thirty or forty bowls of food at noon these days. They'll close in the afternoon and then prepare for the next day."

Seeing that it was still early, Auntie asked Mingche, "How was Minghui's performance at the travel agency?"

She'd been working there for four months, and two months ago she was promoted to a permanent position earning 36 yuan a month, plus commission, bringing her down to around 100 yuan. This girl really didn't want to go back to teaching at the village school. The prospect of working abroad in the future was especially appealing to her.

I went out on fieldwork this morning and haven't seen anyone yet.

If her performance is decent and there's room for promotion, then during the winter break, we'll simply grant her wish and let her go back and officially sell her job outright. The sell-out price has now risen to six or seven hundred.

Fang Mingche said, "Well, to be honest, Huihui's performance was rather mediocre."

Those who perform well will be promoted to full-time within a month. Minghui isn't particularly outstanding, but she's capable enough.

The second uncle and aunt exchanged a glance. "You didn't flatter her, did you?"

"No, it took me two months to make her a permanent employee. I treated everyone the same."

Second Uncle nodded. "Alright, let her go back and sever ties with her employer. It's definitely more reassuring to have the whole family together." He also suggested checking the video rental shop's accounts while he was at it!
Mingfeng said that as long as there are no major problems, it's fine. Water that's too clear has no fish!
Just then, the phone on the counter rang. Mr. Fang answered it from the nearest phone, "Oh, Xiao Wang, he's here. Mingche, Xiao Wang is looking for you."

Fang Mingche got up to answer the phone, "Hello, Lao Wang—"

Wang Dexian said on the phone, "The old Western-style building is about two miles away from where we're renting now. It's bigger than the place we're renting now, with three buildings and nearly three acres of land. It's even bigger than your courtyard house, with more greenery. It's in pretty good condition, and the property rights are clear. Do you want it?"

The Wang family needs a lot of money for political purposes. Besides, the money the old man sends to the families of martyrs is also increasing, especially with rising prices these days. That's why it was agreed beforehand that they wouldn't participate in buying the house.

The Wang family isn't short of houses. They all work within the system and are entitled to housing allocations. Moreover, the houses they receive are all good ones, allocated according to their job rank. They don't care about courtyard houses or small villas.

Fang Mingche asked, "How much?"

"20."

Fang Mingche clicked his tongue. There was only a little over 200,000 in the account, and a third of that belonged to the Wang family. Moreover, they still owed 200,000 in public funds!

But such an opportunity is rare; if you don't buy it, you'll miss out.

“Then I’ll borrow money from the travel agency in my own name to buy it. Once it’s bought, I’ll have Gao Xiang take out a mortgage loan.”

The market value is 200,000, and we estimate we can borrow 150,000 to 160,000. The remaining 40,000 to 50,000 can be considered as a New Year's bonus, which will then be distributed to the Wang family proportionally.

"it is good!"

The specific details of the operation will be discussed when Lin Yan gets home from school this afternoon. We'll wire the money to Shanghai later, and then fly there on Sunday to check out the apartment. Then it'll be a cash-on-delivery transaction.

The telephone was not far from the main room where everyone was sitting, so when Fang Mingche went out, everyone looked at him.

Mr. Fang asked, "You're buying another big house? How much will it cost?"

Fang Mingche held up two fingers, "I also borrowed money first, and then mortgaged it after I got the house."

He hasn't expanded yet, nor is he in a hurry to repay the bank. He's just waiting for an old Western-style building in Shanghai to become available for sale.

Mr. Fang thought for a moment, "Two hundred thousand, that's definitely bigger than this place! And it's an apartment building, so it should have more rooms than this place."

My second uncle also said, "So your personal debts are going to skyrocket again?"

Fang Mingche nodded, "If we don't run a bed and breakfast this time, we can probably keep it under 300,000. But we'll have to see for sure."

If he doesn't run a bed and breakfast, he won't need to buy so many imported appliances. Besides, he doesn't need that many just for offices in the three old Western-style buildings. Providing accommodation for his employees in those buildings is far too extravagant. He'd rather rent somewhere else nearby.

Mr. Fang thought for a moment, "I've never been to Shanghai before. I'll go with you to take a look this time. If it's suitable, we should still start a bed and breakfast. The house is just for rent, it doesn't make as much money as a bed and breakfast. Good appliances can indeed be used for many years, and we can slowly recoup our investment."

"Okay, then it'll be just me, you, and Gao Xiang going."

That way, the children can all be left at home and someone will take care of them.

Lin Yan returned in the afternoon; her second uncle and the others had already gone home. A familiar taxi driver took them back, so there was no need to worry. They arrived about ten minutes later. Her sister-in-law then called.

Lin Yan agreed when she learned that Fang Mingche wanted to buy the old Western-style house. Fang Mingche had already explained to her why such a rare property was not to be missed.

With such a large expense, it was essential to persuade the head of the household to agree. He just hadn't expected his father to be so eager to go along and so interested in opening a bed and breakfast.

Fang Minghua also found out, and he was still worried about buying a storefront worth four or five thousand. His brother was going to buy an old Western-style building in Shanghai.

"When you get to him, buying a house is as easy as buying cabbage?"

Yuan Shufen said, "Mingche's debt finally dropped to 68,000, and now it's skyrocketing again. If we find a suitable storefront, let's grab it quickly. We have places to borrow money, so let's not miss the opportunity. If all else fails, after we buy it, we can just do what Mingche did and use it as collateral at the bank to pay off our personal debts as soon as possible."

She's really become much bolder now. She's getting over a hundred bowls of food every day!
Fang Minghua said, "Those interest rates are terrifying!"

My brothers lent them money to buy things, and they could have done so interest-free. However, the second brother himself owes money to the bank and has to pay interest. How could I let him use his money for free?

He hadn't studied political economy and didn't know that during periods of inflation, saving money in a bank for fixed deposit interest would result in losses. It's true that nowadays, lending money between relatives and friends doesn't usually involve paying interest.

But he knew that Fang Mingche himself had to pay interest on his bank loan. He couldn't let his second son pay that interest when he lent the money to him.

Yuan Shufen said, "If you're already doing a business and the landlord breaks the contract or doesn't renew it, wouldn't you have to start all over again? It's better to buy a storefront as soon as possible. Besides, Mingche is a smart man; he's buying property. We're not as smart as him, but can't we just follow his example?"

(End of this chapter)