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

Chapter 213 Buying an Old Western-Style Building

Fang Mingche only had two classes on Saturday morning, so his flight to Shanghai was booked for Saturday afternoon.

On Friday night, Lin Yan packed him a change of clothes and some other things he would need. A small 15-inch suitcase was all it took.

When Fang Mingche came in, he saw the Marriage Law lying on the table. He knew she had been looking at it. He picked it up and flipped through it; it was about the provisions concerning the ownership of property after marriage.

Under the current Marriage Law, after four years of marriage, all assets except for major purchases like cars and houses are considered joint property, regardless of whether they were acquired before or after marriage. After eight years of marriage, cars and houses also become joint property.

So nowadays, when people get married, the man provides the house, while the woman provides the renovation and furniture.

Ah Yan is probably looking at this to see how Lin Yi and Han Mei define their marital property. It's unlikely she's planning a divorce; she's just considering how their assets will be divided.

Fang Mingche said, "Lin Yi and Han Mei got married in October 1979. If Han Mei really had any other ideas, she would definitely have divorced before October 1983."

Otherwise, she would have to give half of her earnings to Lin Yi.

Lin Yan nodded; that was indeed the case. It was January 1982, and they had been married for over two years. Most of the young people who got married at the same time in the factory were already parents by now. That's why her mother was so anxious.

Fang Mingche asked, "By the way, how is Han Mei's salary managed?"

He used to be too lazy to care about the couple's affairs, and Lin Yan, knowing this, didn't mention it to him either. However, with Han Mei's monthly income of 300, it's likely that both the Han and Lin families are keeping an eye on her.

When the two families first started discussing the marriage, they had a disagreement about Han Mei's income after marriage. At that time, Han Mei didn't have a job yet! She didn't even have a job selling eggs.

Back then, they even got into a physical fight over it, and his father-in-law had to call him in to cover for him. He even beat up two of Han Mei's brothers. But now, those two brothers, along with Han Mei's parents, greet him politely whenever they see him.

There's no reason why they haven't had any disagreements about Han Mei's current high salary. Before, the Han family even demanded that Han Mei bring ten yuan home every month after marriage, saying that it wasn't easy for the family to raise her through high school.

Lin Yan said, "There was definitely a fuss about it. But my mom and my aunt shut them down, and even my uncle got involved. They said that I only earned that money because of the Lin family's connections. It was agreed that it would be ten yuan a month, and that's what it is."

Fang Mingche asked in surprise, "Your uncle can be so fearless when dealing with outsiders?"

"Isn't that just borrowing your power and influence?"

After Mingche said all that, he stopped interfering. But that didn't stop the Lin family and their relatives from using him as a backer when they faced others. It was because of Mingche that his uncle was so confident.

The reason why Lin's father didn't let his son-in-law intervene even when he made a fuss later was because he no longer needed to intervene directly.

Fang Mingche asked, "And then?"

"Then things went back to normal. But the Han family also said that the money should be kept in Han Mei and Lin Yi's names, and my mother couldn't touch it. Otherwise, they would continue to make trouble. As far as I know, they deposited 240 yuan a month, and the two of them kept the passbook themselves."

Why 240? Because 250 doesn't sound good. Anyway, with interest, it won't be less than 3000 a year. Well, it wasn't that much at first. Han Mei's salary was low at first too.

Fang Mingche said, "If four years have passed, it will indeed be considered joint property of the couple. Lin Yi is probably so confident because of this, right? He doesn't think Han Mei will divorce him before October 1983. And his mother-in-law has this concern, which is why she is increasingly urging Han Mei to have a child."

Lin Yan said, "If I interfere now and force Han Mei to go back and have the baby, it will be like a feudal family. This will not be good for our future job allocation and business expansion. So the most fundamental and appropriate solution is for Lin Yi to be ambitious."

Fang Mingche nodded. Mainland China is different from regions like Hong Kong, Macau, and Taiwan that haven't undergone the baptism of liberation. These kinds of actions, if they cause a stir, will really lower one's standing! Whether one is in the military, politics, or business, one must be mindful of the social impact.

Lin Yan said, "I shouldn't have let my mother persuade Han Mei to join the travel agency. I should have let her continue selling eggs, and in a few years, when my father retired, I would have let her take over his job. But it's too late to say that now."

Fang Mingche thought to himself: By the time your dad retires normally, he probably won't be able to take over the business. In four years, the succession system will be completely abolished.

"What's the point of looking at the Marriage Law? We're not planning on getting a divorce."

"I'm just looking into it. Lin Yi probably thinks that everything is split 50/50 after marriage, and he thinks Han Mei wouldn't be willing to give it up. Don't worry, I won't say anything. The two of them haven't even started talking about divorce. Why would I say something like that?"

Fang Mingche didn't ask any further questions. He'd wait for the official document regarding his brother-in-law's leave of absence to be issued before making any further plans.

The next day, he was driven to school. After the second period, when he left the school, the driver had already gone back to pick up his father and the suitcase, and they headed straight for the airport.

We'll eat at a reasonably priced restaurant near the airport later. They've practically mastered that area by now.

He'll definitely go for economy class. Business class is so much more expensive; his dad would scold him if he found out.

This was definitely Fang's father's first time flying, so he went with Fang Mingche. Fang Mingche went ahead to check in and do the other procedures, coming back every now and then to see if he had caught up. Only after they were on the plane and settled in did they relax.

Father Fang whispered, "Who would have thought there would be a giant iron bird that could travel ten thousand miles a day?"

Fang Mingche laughed, "That sounds familiar. I remember now, Lord Ding Ruchang used a similar excuse the first time he traveled abroad by ship."

He saw it in the TV series "The Sino-Japanese War at Sea".

“It’s very rare. When you were little, I would always carry you to the county town.”

Back then, a bus ticket cost three cents, which was quite expensive for farmers. It was only ten kilometers, so he carried other things on one end and his youngest son on the other, and walked there.

Fang Mingche didn't remember this. "Go where?"

"Going to a meeting. When I was young, I did get a few years of schooling and was even elected as a representative to the People's Congress in our district. Attending these kinds of meetings earns you work points, which is much easier than working in the fields. Your mother is also working in the fields, and she has to take your brother with her. Your grandparents passed away early, and there's no one to look after you at home, so I'll bring you along. Anyway, you don't like to make a fuss. It's not unusual; some women even carry their babies in baby carriers. We can just put you all together in one place to play during the meeting."

Fang Mingche asked in surprise, "Aren't you going to cover the round-trip travel expenses?"

“Sure. But if you walk back and forth, you only earn six cents. Just find two train tickets to get reimbursed. Back then, they even gave out meal vouchers after meetings so we could eat in the canteen. That canteen was run by the government for the cadres, so it was good, with plenty of oil and meat. A single serving was enough for both of us. Your eyes would light up when you ate meat.”

His younger son was intelligent from a young age, and he was willing to take him everywhere. Sure enough, the younger son grew up to be much better off than the older son. So now, he is more inclined to favor his older son, who is doing worse.

Changchang is now quite chubby. But Minghua and Mingche were both skinny and bony when they were little. There really wasn't much food in the countryside back then.

Fang Mingche hadn't expected such a past, and felt a pang of sadness. Then he heard his father say cheerfully, "Now I can finally fly to Shanghai with you."

Fang Mingche said, "I'll take you to see the Bund in Shanghai later."

Pudong is still a muddy mess. It won't be developed for several more years. The only thing worth seeing is Puxi.

After hearing what he said, Mr. Fang asked, "Puxi, is it west of the Huangpu River?"

"Yes."

By now, Chow Yun-fat and Angie Chiu's "Shanghai Bund" should have finished filming. However, it wasn't filmed on location; it was shot in Hong Kong's TVB studio.

He's finished taking care of buying the old villa and will be back to prepare for his final exams. He's not going abroad this winter break; he plans to go to Hong Kong and Macau instead.

He and Ah Yan got business visas, and it was easy for their two minor children to go with them. Unfortunately, mainland China doesn't yet have the permits to import Hong Kong videotapes. If they want to watch them, they still have to go through Mingfeng's channels to get grey market goods from Guangzhou.

Mr. Fang asked, "Can't we go to Taiwan?"

Fang Mingche shook his head. "We have to wait for Chiang Kai-shek to agree to the three-way communication. They are still maintaining the policy of 'no contact, no negotiation, no compromise'. The chief architect even specially asked the local government to renovate the grave of his mother, Mao Fumei, in order to make the call."

The three links wouldn't be available until 1986.

Even for Hong Kong and Macau, it's very difficult for people from mainland China to go there now. His family has already been to Europe, America, and Japan, and returned on schedule, so obtaining visas was relatively easy for them. Moreover, this trip was a genuine investigation into opening a business in Hong Kong and Macau.

The Ministry of Culture and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs both gave the green light. Their overseas stores are thriving, and the foreign exchange they are remitting each month is increasing.

Fang Mingche continued, "It's more comfortable to spend the winter in the south because of its mild climate. You two can come south with us and settle in Guangzhou or Shenzhen, it's fine. We'll celebrate the New Year in the south after we come back from Hong Kong. Mingfeng and his family will also be going."

Yes, the two elders can bring Kang Kang and Fang Fang along. Fang Jian can stay and help out at the noodle shop, and then travel by train with his parents.

Mingfa said he'd go back to his hometown when Fang Jian's winter break started. Even though he'd only been in the capital for three months, he still wanted to go home for the New Year. Alternatively, his brother and sister-in-law might close their noodle shop and fly with him. He'd cover the airfare.

Mr. Fang asked, "Has Mingfeng's house been handed over?"

"The house is about to be handed over! But even after it's handed over, he still hasn't had time to renovate it. This time, everyone will just stay in the guesthouse."

Mr. Fang shook his head, "No, that won't work. We can't have no one going to pay respects to our ancestors."

"I'll go back during the Qingming Festival. Grandpa and Grandma won't mind. By then, spring will be in full bloom, and life will be easier. The main problem is that we don't have an airport where we live. Flying to Chengdu and then taking a long-distance bus or train from Chengdu to Leshan would take too much time."

The plane took off, and Fang Mingche checked on his father's condition. Seeing that he was alright, he felt relieved.

Mr. Fang said, "If Changchang can fly, why can't I?"

Last night, his wife asked him if he was scared of flying for the first time, and that's his answer. He really thought so! Otherwise, he would definitely be nervous the first time.

Upon arriving in Shanghai, the father and son took a taxi to the travel agency. They were too busy to send anyone or a car to pick them up.

The taxi stopped, and Vice President Cheng Changdong came out to greet him. Upon seeing Fang's father, he said, "Are you Uncle Fang?"

He was interviewed by Fang Mingche in the capital, and he looks somewhat similar.

Mr. Fang nodded. "Is it Xiao Cheng?"

"Yes, I am Xiao Cheng."

As Cheng Changdong spoke, he nodded to Fang Mingche, who had just gotten out of the car, and then went to the trunk to help him with his luggage.

Fang Mingche said, "I don't have a suitcase. I'm only staying for two days, so I didn't bring much."

Mr. Fang stood at the door and looked around. This old Western-style building was truly only affordable for capitalists back then.

"Can you see those three buildings I want to buy from here?"

Cheng Changdong had already gone to see it, and hurriedly pointed it out to him, "It's those three buildings over there."

Mr. Fang nodded. "What a nice house. Why are there so many plane trees everywhere on this street?"

Fang Mingche said, "Back then, Chiang Kai-shek specially sent people to France to bring back and plant them in order to woo Miss Meiling. The third daughter of the Soong family liked the plane tree."

Mr. Fang said, "If the main characters weren't these two, it would actually sound quite romantic."

Fang Mingche laughed.

After a short rest, they had dinner. The three fellow villagers who had come here to work before were all together. They rushed over to greet Fang's father and Fang Mingche.

Mr. Fang nodded. "You're used to it by now, aren't you?"

"I'm used to it, Uncle Fang."

"Alright, do a good job!"

After eating, Fang's father wanted to walk over and take a look.

Cheng Changdong said, "The homeowner doesn't live there anymore, and the gate is locked. We need to notify them to bring the keys." "No need, we arranged for tomorrow morning. I'll just look from outside the large, openwork iron gate."

"Okay, I'll lead the way."

The three fellow villagers naturally went over as well, and they surrounded Fang's father and talked to him.

Walking along the road, the atmosphere of old Shanghai was very strong. Mr. Fang thought to himself that opening a bed and breakfast might actually be a good idea. Many people like this vibe.

Fang Mingche asked Cheng Changdong, "How's your English? For companies like international travel agencies, English is a must for promotion."

Cheng Changdong knew he needed a catalyst to get a permanent position. However, no one in Shanghai was pressuring him, and he was indeed receiving around 500 yuan a month.

Hearing Fang Mingche say this, she knew that her work over the past year had been recognized.

He said, "I have been studying diligently, and now I can basically talk directly with foreign guests."

"That's good. We'll talk about it when Qiu Yin and the others return from Europe."

"Okay." That'll be five months then, he can wait.

The group stood outside the large iron gate and looked around. It was indeed a nice house, with a fountain right at the entrance. They couldn't see much more, but walking around the outer wall, they found it to be quite large.

The homeowner arrived the next day, and he was very attentive when he heard that the person in question had come.

Fang Mingche was quite satisfied with the house after inspecting it, and he didn't try to haggle over the price. These days, buying an old house like this is a steal. The key is to have money and be well-informed.

Both parties agreed to go to complete the transfer of ownership on Monday morning.

Mr. Fang glanced at Fang Mingche twice, not wanting to embarrass him in front of outsiders. But once they were alone, he couldn't help but say, "You should at least try to negotiate the price down, even a thousand or eight hundred would be good. You're a big boss and it's not appropriate for you to do it yourself, so let Ayan do it."

Fang Mingche said, "Dad, the price increase is more than that in a month. We've already made a fortune, so we can't be bothered with trivial matters."

Mr. Fang thought about it and realized that his father was 300,000 yuan in debt, with 20,000 yuan in interest annually. He estimated his monthly income was only in the tens of thousands. He needed to maintain a certain image in public.

"No, Dad. What kind of image do I have? These houses are in high demand, and we're not the only ones looking to buy them."

"I see." Well, if someone's arguing about it, then so be it.

"Come on, I'll take you to visit the Bund, Yu Garden, and other places. Then we'll also go see the site of the First National Congress of the Communist Party of China in a Shikumen."

Mr. Fang asked, "Can we go see the fishing boats from Jiaxing, Zhejiang?"

"Sure, it's very close. Our travel agency offers this route. We'll check if it's full, and if not, we'll add you on the list."

Lin Yan's remittance had arrived earlier. However, it was slower than a plane ticket and wouldn't arrive until Sunday. Fang Mingche received the remittance slip, drove to collect it, and then went to the Agricultural Bank to deposit it.

There is no Postal Savings Bank now, otherwise you could transfer your savings without even leaving home.

Once the transfer of ownership was completed on Monday, Fang Mingche instructed Cheng Changdong to quickly have someone take the property to the bank for a mortgage loan.

Then he asked Fang's father, "Dad, I need to go back to prepare for my final exams. Why don't you just go with a tour group to Suzhou and Hangzhou? We can have someone take you to the airport then."

After thinking for a moment, Mr. Fang said, "Okay, let's arrange it this way."

Anyway, the guesthouse is operating normally, and he has made all the arrangements.

When Fang Mingche returned, his mother heard that the old man had gone to Suzhou and Hangzhou, and couldn't help but purse her lips and say, "He's quite carefree."

We went to Shanghai, Suzhou, and Hangzhou.

Fang Mingche said, "Mom, you can also go and have some fun. When spring comes, you can go on a trip together and explore new routes for the travel agency while you're at it."

Fang's mother was somewhat tempted. Her youngest son and daughter-in-law had taken Yan Yan and Chang Chang to America and Europe. Now, the old man had also gone to the Jiangnan region. After all, that area of ​​East China was the Jiangnan region that Emperors Kangxi and Qianlong visited.

She also wanted to go out and see the world. She was initially reluctant to spend the money, but her youngest son said it was like sending them on a business trip.

Yuan Shufen and Fang Minghua, who were standing nearby, also looked over. This life is too good!
Fang Mingche said, "You two work hard to earn money, and you'll have everything you need in the future. By the way, I'm planning to take the whole family to Guangzhou for a mild winter this year. We'll fly there and go with Mingfeng and his family. I'll cover the round-trip airfare."

Yuan Shufen and Fang Minghua looked over, clearly also somewhat tempted.

"Then, second brother, thank you very much!" Fang Minghua said somewhat awkwardly.

But he didn't have the confidence to say that he was paying for his family of five's expenses himself, since he hadn't earned that much yet.

"Don't mention it. You just haven't accumulated enough experience yet. Work for a few more years, buy a shop and a house, and then traveling won't be a problem."

Yuan Shufen and Fang Minghua exchanged a glance. Buying storefronts, buying houses, and even going on trips?
Lin Yan smiled and said, "What's impossible? As long as business continues to be good, anything is possible."

Compared to her good-for-nothing brother, Mingche and his wife were far better off. They had honestly earned their wealth through hard work. In terms of background, they were far inferior to Lin Yi, who was born in a crowded courtyard in the capital and grew up on government-subsidized grain rations.

It was only because Mingche got into university and the crackdown on migrant workers wasn't so strict anymore that they were able to come to the capital to make a living.

Lin Yi is still clinging to his secure job as a formal employee of a large state-owned factory. However, his income is actually much lower than that of Mingche's brother and sister-in-law. Their only advantages are housing, medical reimbursement, and retirement pensions.

But his parents had already allocated two rooms, so Lin Yi wasn't eligible. Many young factory workers didn't own homes, so someone like him with a place to live wouldn't be considered. Retirement was still a long way off, and as for medical reimbursement, which covered over 95% of his income, it served as a safety net.

Lin Yan no longer believes that a stable job is better than a well-performing self-employed individual. With Mingche's brother and sister-in-law's income, it's entirely possible for them to buy a shop in two years and a house in four.

Fang Mingche looked at Ayan, who was chatting warmly with her brother and sister-in-law. Having Changchang in this family would definitely improve family relationships, especially between brothers and sisters-in-law. With Changchang around, his mother wouldn't be thinking of giving Kang Kang to him anymore!
When Fang Minghua heard that if they wanted to stay open for a few more days, they would split into two groups and leave, he quickly waved his hand and said, "Then let's leave together. Anyway, it's a private restaurant, so we can decide when to open and close. Closing for half a month before the Lunar New Year is also reasonable. Letting us go to the airport by ourselves is completely out of the loop. Taking the train would be too much of a waste of time."

He'd heard Mingfeng say that if you flew, you could have morning tea in Guangzhou and Peking duck in the capital for lunch. How convenient!
That's settled then. Fang Mingche noticed that neither his eldest son nor he himself were as determined as the old man to go home to pay respects to their ancestors. It seemed the younger generation didn't value this matter as much as the older generation.

Yuan Shufen said, "Are all of us going to stay at Mingfeng's house? That would be too crowded, especially during the Chinese New Year."

Fang Mingche said, "Their house won't be handed over for several months, and even then, it will need to be renovated. It would be good if we could move in by next year's Chinese New Year. Besides, it's only about a hundred square meters, and there are seven people in their family. We should all stay in guesthouses; we'll find one by the sea later."

Fang Jian's eyes lit up instantly; a kid from Sichuan was fascinated by the sea. Besides, Chu Liuxiang lived on a large ship at sea.

He asked, "Uncle, are there still people living on the boat?"

"Yes, we have fishing boats and yachts. Well, our family of four will be going to Hong Kong and Macau for about a week. You can stay at the guesthouse with your grandparents and eat lots of seafood. It's warm in the south, even during the Lunar New Year it's still over 10 degrees Celsius. Please pack appropriate clothing."

Fang Minghua looked at his brother and asked, "Are you going to Macau to gamble?"

“I don’t have enough money for even one night at a casino in Macau. I’m not going!” Fang Mingche shook his head.

However, I've heard that some people who claim to have lost a lot of money there are actually just using the casino to transfer assets. Casinos have their own ways of operating, charging a certain percentage of the winnings as a commission.

Fang Mingche glanced at Fang Jian. If they boarded the gambling ship to international waters, it would probably be about the same size as Chu Liuxiang's grand ship. This kid's admiration for Chu Liuxiang remained unchanged. However, he definitely wouldn't take Fang Jian to such a place. He himself might not even have enough self-control.

Fang Mingche and Lin Yan went back to work on their final exams. During a break from their exams, they came to the courtyard and heard from Han Mei that Xie Ping had experienced a miscarriage scare the previous night. Late at night, Geng Shan had to drive her to the hospital in a tractor. She had taken the day off to stay at the hospital to try and save the pregnancy.

Fang Mingche asked Lin Yan, "Has Gao Xiang's work been affected by family matters recently?"

Lin Yan thought for a moment, "Not for now. However, the period after New Year's Day will be his busiest time, with final exams coming up."

A fiscal year has come to an end, so I'm definitely busy.

Fang Mingche frowned. "It will be too late if he delays things. Han Mei, after the exam, have him come to me."

Han Mei nodded, "Okay."

After everyone finished their exams in mid-January, Gao Xiang came to the courtyard to settle the accounts for the previous fiscal year. Han Mei told him, "Teacher Gao, Teacher Fang wants you to go see him."

Gao Xiang, looking somewhat tired, nodded and, after confirming that Fang Mingche was in the third side courtyard, went inside.

Fang Mingche was building a snowman with Yan Yan, Kang Kang, and Chang Chang. Everyone was wearing leather gloves so their hands wouldn't get cold.

Yan Yan took a small piece of carrot and placed it on the snowman's face, while Chang Chang and Kang Kang each held a button.

Kang Kang was the first to see Gao Xiang. "Uncle, Teacher Gao is here."

Fang Mingche said, "You're here. Come in and sit down."

The two sat down in the main room, and Fang Fang quickly brought up a cup of tea on a tray. Fang Min and Mingfa had already taken the train back to their hometown. The five people working at the travel agency couldn't go back; they had to work overtime during the Spring Festival. It was a good opportunity for the others to go back for the holiday.

"Professor Gao, please have some tea."

"Thank you."

Fang Fang went outside, and the three little ones called out to her, "Big sister, come and have a snowball fight."

Fang Fang was worried that they would get snow down their necks. "How about we go to the river behind and watch them catch fish?"

The three children enthusiastically agreed to the suggestion. After telling the adults, the four of them, led by Fang Fang, went out. She carried Changchang directly, with Yan Yan and Kang Kang following behind.

Fang's mother quickly followed, worried that Fang Fang wouldn't be able to handle it alone.

Gao Xiang looked away. "Xiao Fang, I feel like your family relationships are particularly harmonious."

Fang Mingche stated directly, "My family doesn't have any scheming women or 'extreme' types. So, with abundant material resources, there are fewer conflicts among us."

Gao Xiang said somewhat unhappily, "So you mean my family has them?"

"You're the one who's being overly sensitive and taking it personally. I didn't say that. Lao Gao, if you're finding the work too strenuous, I can find someone to share the burden with you. Look at how tired you look. After this, let them find other accountants for the vegetable stall and the scrap yard. You just focus on managing the travel agency."

After finishing their final exams, both he and Lin Yan were in great spirits. Gao Xiang, on the other hand, was clearly in a bad mood because of the chaos at home.

With three—no, four—less jobs, his income will definitely decrease. Fang Mingche's scrap yard isn't hiring him anymore, and Fang Mingfeng will certainly find someone else.

However, the atmosphere at home has been tense lately, and he's truly exhausted. Xiaoping is still six or seven months away from giving birth. Home should be a haven of rest. Now, with three women in the house, it's like a drama, and he's really struggling to cope.

Fang Mingche paused for a moment, then said, "If you find it too difficult to run just a travel agency, then hire someone with a finance background to help you out."

He originally entrusted his business finances to Gao Xiang because he needed to take care of Gao Xiang, who had a sick family member. Gao Xiang has been quite competent in his work these past two years.

However, if his family matters are not resolved and affect his work performance, he certainly will not tolerate it.

The ancients said that cultivating oneself, regulating one's family, governing the state, and bringing peace to the world still holds true. If you can't even manage your own household affairs, how can you expect to do a good job?

Gao Xiang straightened up. "I understand."

(End of this chapter)