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

Chapter 214 First Arrival in the South
Gao Xiang went out to do some work. Lin Yan looked at Fang Mingche with some surprise. So efficient and decisive?
Moreover, Gao Xiang, who had been so indecisive before, will probably make a decision soon. After all, the family troubles are already affecting his livelihood. And it's not just his livelihood; it concerns his mother's medicine, his wife's hospitalization fees for bed rest during her pregnancy, and as for the children's formula, those will have to wait until after the pregnancy is successfully completed.

Fang Mingche said, "Otherwise what? Should I painstakingly persuade him? I don't care about his family matters, but it's absolutely unacceptable for it to affect his work."

Gao Xiang also knew that he wasn't a finance major. Given the current size and salary level of the travel agency, hiring a professional accountant wouldn't be too difficult.

Sure enough, before the Fang family went south, the Gao family's matter had already been resolved.

Gao Xiang didn't send Xie Ting back to her hometown; instead, he let her stay to take care of his mother. He provided room and board and paid her a monthly salary, treating her like a hired caregiver. This was only because Aunt Gao enjoyed being cared for by her. If Xie Ting didn't want to be sent back to her hometown, she certainly wouldn't dare to neglect her.

He and Xie Ping moved into the Fang residence that very day. They also started looking for a rental nearby, planning to visit every few days. This time, no matter how much Aunt Gao made a fuss, or how pitiful Xie Ting acted, Gao Xiang remained unmoved.

Gao Xiang's income was enough to afford the two yuan per day room fee at Fang's house. He even negotiated a monthly rate of 40 yuan with Fang's father. Since it was the off-season during the Spring Festival, there were rooms available every day. Fang's father readily agreed.

Living here is so convenient; even the couple can get to work just by walking out the door. With this place, Xie Ping no longer has to watch Xie Ting constantly vying for her attention. Since she's taking such good care of the old woman, let them live together. She's finally truly free!
Xie Ping was discharged from the hospital immediately and returned to the courtyard house to recuperate. There were still two weeks until the Lunar New Year, and she had originally planned to take a long leave. But since she was in a good mood, she figured a few days of rest might even allow her to go back to work. This way, the 40 yuan monthly fee was completely offset.

Gao Xiang was spared the hustle and bustle of three women making a racket, preventing him from concentrating on his work. He'd be lucky to pass all his final exams by a narrow margin. These days, the annual financial reconciliation absolutely cannot afford the slightest mistake.

After that, only the position of finance manager at the travel agency remained. The entire family's livelihood depended on this job. He was about to become a father, a heavy burden indeed.

Before leaving, Lin Yan went to check on Xie Ping. She was amazed to see that Xie Ping looked much better than when she was in the hospital, and the pregnancy was more stable. Even Gao Xiang's dark circles had lessened. He'd been working overtime these past two days, yet his condition had improved. Wouldn't it have been better if they'd lived separately from the beginning?
Lin Yan returned and rejoined the main group, and together they headed to the Capital Airport.

The two households together comprise eleven people, requiring a minivan. We specifically chose a day off from the tour company's five-day trip to have the driver take them. As for Fang Mingfeng's family of seven, they took a seven-seater unlicensed taxi. The two families will meet at the airport.

In the eleven-seat van, including the driver, Changchang could only sit on her father's lap. Yan Yan and Fang Fang sat together in the same row. Lin Yan sat next to the father and son.

She glanced at Fang Mingche, "Xie Ping and Gao Xiang are both in much better shape than they were a few days ago. I think Gao Xiang's work should be fine now. You really cut the Gordian knot. I originally thought Gao Xiang wouldn't make such a decision, but it turns out all it took was a little push."

“I didn’t meddle in their family’s affairs. But he also knows what his livelihood is now. What head of a family can’t make decisions? It’s just a matter of whether he has the will.” Fang Mingche lowered his head and touched foreheads with Changchang’s, and the little guy giggled.

The whole family went on a trip during the winter break, and everyone, young and old, was very happy. For that alone, the expense was worthwhile. Besides, it wasn't a large sum of money for them.

Fang Mingche does indeed have nearly 300,000 yuan in personal debt, but the travel agency's annual profit share for him is already more than 300,000 yuan. So he's not really under any pressure. Once the mortgage loan for the old mansion is approved, and things are settled with Gao Xiang, the Wang family's share will be distributed to them.

Fang Mingche didn't know how much political funding would be needed. But he estimated that paving the way for the Wang family's descendants would be no small sum.

I heard that the impoverished city where Uncle Wang Dexian works is looking to attract funding for road construction. The Wang family will reportedly allocate some funds to initiate the investment attraction process. The name or whose name is used doesn't matter; the key is to help Uncle Wang establish a foothold. This is a way to build political achievements! Once the road is completed, the people will benefit, and Uncle Wang will naturally also profit.

Even the money that Grandpa Wang sends annually to the descendants of his old comrades and the families of martyrs can be considered political funds. When Grandpa Wang started doing this in his early years, he certainly didn't have any ulterior motives. But now, it's something that brings honor to the Wang family.

Lin Yan lowered her head, silently reflecting on her actions. It seemed she had really meddled in other people's business. She needed to be more careful in the future! If she couldn't manage it, it was best not to.

Fang Minghua and Yuan Shufen sat behind them, with the Fang brothers, Fang Jian and Fang Kang, beside them. Fang Kang knelt up and, wearing gloves, wiped the white fog off the windowpane; he wanted to look outside.

Fang Jian glared at him, then could only reach out and grab the back of his neck. Otherwise, if he fell too hard, the whole family's livelihood would be ruined.

As for the elderly couple, they sat in the seats behind the driver. The closer to the front, the less bumpy the ride, right?

Fang Minghua recalled that when they went to Beijing, a representative from the group climbed onto the roof of the bus. Then, one after another, bags of urea filled with supplies were passed up and stacked. When they arrived in the city, they took them down again, and everyone carried them to the train station.

Compared to that, things are so much more convenient now. It's so good to be rich!
Thinking about the future his second brother and sister-in-law had envisioned for them: buying a shop in two years and a house in four, his heart burned with excitement. If only it could really be like that! When he came back after the New Year, he would definitely roll up his sleeves and work hard!

Well, this time they didn't use urea bags to pack their luggage for the long trip. They specifically asked Sister-in-law Cui for help, and the family of five bought four suitcases. The second son had also given them a suitcase before. This way, they'll be a little more presentable.

As for the two elders, having money on hand makes it very convenient for them to buy things. Not to mention the money Fang Mingche and Lin Yan give them during holidays, Fang's father alone has money. He not only has RMB but also foreign exchange certificates. He doesn't earn much from the small department store, but he has some. He exchanged it for foreign exchange certificates at the People's Bank of China. After all, he's a district people's congress representative; he has that much awareness.

The two elders also went to the Friendship Store. Of course, they just looked around; they stopped there on their way to buy more goods. Since Mr. Fang was driving, Mrs. Fang went along in the car.

I got to see what was going on, but when I got back, I still had to ask Sister Cui to get tickets on the black market and buy them at the Xidan shopping mall. Even the things at the Friendship Store that you could buy with RMB were ridiculously expensive. It was like ripping people off! So, I decided to just buy them outside.

After comparing the savings, I felt quite satisfied.

The Mingfeng family met up in the waiting area, making a total of eighteen people. It looked quite a large group.

Seeing Mingche holding Changchang, his cousin's wife handed Xiaowu to Fang Mingfeng. He usually acted like a lord, neither holding his younger daughter nor leading his older one. Now, with his arms full of children, and seeing Fang Mingche holding her, he also took the younger daughter. Changchang and Xiaowu held hands, leaving the two brothers forced to stand together.

Fang Tong used to live with Fang Fang and Yan Yan. "Our house will be handed over this summer, and then we'll renovate it. I might transfer to a school in Guangzhou the year after next."

Fang Mingfeng now runs a scrap metal yard and a video arcade, and his income is actually quite good. Making fifty to sixty thousand a year is no problem.

However, living in the capital is indeed extremely difficult. Even after two years, he hasn't been able to find a powerful backer like the Wang family, unlike Mingche. Therefore, his business will never be able to grow significantly.

In fact, Mingche had taken him to interact with the Wang brothers, but he couldn't be as useful to them as Mingche was. Therefore, he had never been able to integrate.

Therefore, Fang Mingfeng decided to take his family south. In the special economic zones to the south, connections weren't as crucial as in the capital. As long as he was willing to work hard, he believed he could still succeed. Buying a house in Guangzhou before was essentially a preliminary step.

Unlike Fang Minghua, who couldn't do anything else, he was still unwilling to become a supporting character to Fang Mingche.

The two brothers stood together, and Fang Mingfeng asked, "I heard you bought another old Western-style building in Shanghai?"

"Yes, these kinds of old houses are extremely rare and hard to come by." These houses simply don't enter the market. If it weren't for the Wang family, he wouldn't even have had the opportunity to buy a house on debt.

"So, are you going to buy those old houses in Guangzhou?"

Fang Mingche switched Changchang's arms. The brat weighed 26 jin (approximately 18 catties), and with his clothes on, he weighed over 30 jin (approximately 15 kg).

"You mean the mansion in Xiguan? We can consider it if a suitable one comes along in a couple of years."

Guangzhou has a large foreign population and numerous cultural and tourist attractions. It opened as a treaty port in 1840, followed by the momentous Great Revolution, and boasts many former residences of prominent figures from modern times. Perhaps setting up a branch of a travel agency in Guangzhou would be a good option.

Fang Mingfeng nodded. "Then it will be easier to transfer Minghui to Guangzhou."

Changchang waved her hand in the air and said enthusiastically to Xiaowu, "Airplane, airplane—"

"You better speak clearly, it's an airplane." Fang Mingche was both annoyed and amused.

Lin Yan handed out the plane tickets to everyone, and they had to check the tickets one by one when they went in. Her cousin-in-law did the same.

Lin Yan handed the plane tickets for the five members of the eldest son's family to Yuan Shufen, asking her to take them and break them down further.

Upon seeing that there were five tickets, Yuan Shufen couldn't help but exclaim, "Oh, Kang Kang wants all the tickets?"

She and Fang Minghua had always calculated that they would get full votes, while Fang Jian and Fang Fang would get half votes. They never expected Fang Kang would get half votes!
Lin Yan said, "We need to buy plane tickets as soon as we're born. Changchang and Xiaowu both need tickets. It's just that there aren't any seats available for them."

As she finished speaking, she suddenly noticed that Fang Mingche didn't even blink, his gaze following the family of three beside him. Moreover, he was mainly looking at the little girl walking in the middle. The little girl looked to be about thirteen or fourteen years old, fashionable and stylish.

"Mingche, is this someone I know?"

Fang Mingche withdrew his gaze and looked at Kang Kang, who was standing next to him, laughing so hard that his eyes were almost closed, while he was talking to Yan Yan about something.

"Oh, it looks familiar. I must be mistaken!"

Oh my god! That's her nephew's wife from her past life, the rich woman Kang Kang hooked up with. At this age, she actually looks almost the same as she did as an adult. You can definitely tell it's the same person! Especially her mother, who looks so much like her twenty years later.

Before, I knew there was an age gap between them. But nothing was as obvious as this moment! One is already in middle school, and the other hasn't even graduated from kindergarten.

But they probably won't end up together in this lifetime. Judging by how things are going, Kang Kang shouldn't need to go after a rich woman again.

At this moment, Fang Mingche's expression became somewhat uncontrollable. Everyone looked at him strangely, wondering who was so shocked. Following his gaze, they saw the family of three had already entered the business class waiting area. They were probably on the same flight to Guangzhou Baiyun Airport.

In his past life, Kang Kang was indeed assigned to work in an electronics factory in Guangzhou by his vocational high school, and then met his nephew's wife while working as a security guard at a karaoke bar.

Fang Mingche thought to himself: So my nephew's wife's family was also a pioneer of reform and opening up; they were already quite wealthy back then. Could things have changed drastically? Maybe we'll run into each other in a Guangzhou shopping mall someday. Oh well, I won't think about it anymore. I'll just pretend I don't know anything about it. Anyway, many things in this life are different now.

The flight from Beijing to Guangzhou takes three hours. I boarded the plane at 10:30 in the morning and arrived at 1:30 in the afternoon.

Before boarding the plane, the father said to his parents, second uncle, and second aunt, "It's alright, the plane will take off and land smoothly. Just sit still. If you feel uncomfortable, just open your mouth."

Lin Yan also shared her experience of feeding her child fruit slices during takeoff with her cousin-in-law.

"Children over six months old can have their eardrums withstand the pressure at high altitudes. Opening their mouths can cancel out the internal and external pressures."

My cousin's wife nodded. She was a little worried about going out with both the elderly and the young. Fortunately, there was the precedent set by Uncle Qi and Changchang.

Everyone took off smoothly as expected. Fang Minghua asked, "Second brother, what's that curtain covering the front?"

"It's business class, their tickets cost two or three times as much as ours. The seats are wider, and the food is better. The flight attendants can even squat down to help us change our shoes. They separated us so we wouldn't feel unfairly treated."

Fang Minghua curled his lip, "If we fall, we'll all fall together. They might not even be able to escape unscathed."

Yuan Shufen glared at him, "Can't you say something auspicious?"

Several elderly people also looked over, and Fang Minghua had no choice but to bow, begging to be let go. Then he asked, "Second brother, have you ever sat in the special front seat?"

"I've flown abroad. The journeys are too long, and sitting like that isn't comfortable. At night, you can recline the seat to sleep."

However, the main reason is that I'm not so poor anymore, so I can treat myself better. Otherwise, of course I wouldn't have been able to buy a sleeper berth; he had to sit in a hard seat for three days and two nights with his daughter in his arms.

At 11:30, the flight attendants served us lunch.

Fang's mother asked in a low voice, "Old man, does this cost money?" "No need to pay extra, it's all included in the airfare. If you're still hungry, you can even ask her for another serving."

"Everyone else only eats one serving, so it's definitely enough for me. Besides, they also brought other food and drinks."

In the past, Fang's mother would never let go of an opportunity to profit. But times have changed, and her family is not short of food.

Changchang and Xiaowu's meals were specially prepared by the airline when they bought their tickets. Hmm, nothing complicated: two bowls of steamed egg custard.

Fang Mingche fed Changchang and, seeing how much he enjoyed it, couldn't help but ask, "We give you authentic free-range eggs at home, why aren't you eating them so deliciously?"

Lin Yan said, "Everything outside smells good."

Fang Mingfeng is quite familiar with Guangzhou, so he'll arrange everything once we land. Fang Mingche only needs to cover two-thirds of the expenses.

As soon as they stepped out of the airport, everyone exclaimed, "It's so warm!"

Then I took off my thick coat. I was prepared for this; I only needed to take off my military overcoat and heavy cotton-padded jacket.

Second Aunt said, "This winter will be easy."

Fang Mingfeng said, "That's why I'm letting you experience it. So that when I renovate the house and bring you to live in the south, you won't want to move."

The children were very happy, as they could move around more easily when dressed lightly.

Even Fang Minghui couldn't help but break into a big smile, "I love winter in the South!"

After standing for two minutes, a minibus that Fang Mingfeng had contacted by phone arrived to pick them up. This was a chartered car, much more expensive than taking the bus, but still much cheaper than taking four taxis. Plus, they didn't need to find a bus stop; they could get off directly at their booked hotel.

The hotel was near the beach, but several kilometers away. Fang Mingfeng booked all eight rooms on the second floor of the hotel.

Mr. Fang asked, "How much is one room?"

"Eight rooms, booked for twenty days, twenty yuan a day in total." Fang Mingfeng knew he wanted to compare prices, so he directly quoted the numbers.

Mr. Fang was astonished. It was even more expensive than a courtyard-style guesthouse near Tiananmen Square!

Fang Mingfeng said, "The apartment I bought costs 700 yuan per square meter. Guangzhou is more commercialized than the capital. Many things are clearly priced, so they are more expensive."

Mr. Fang thought about it and realized he was right! The housing prices here are much higher than in the capital. Compared to that, it's actually quite cost-effective here.

My second uncle said, "Why didn't you find a place near the sea, where you can see the ocean directly from inside the house?"

Fang Mingfeng said, "Those rooms are so damp you could grow mushrooms. This distance is perfect. If you want to see the sea, just drive there later. Everyone, go back to your rooms and rest. We'll have dinner together tonight; I've booked a private room at a nearby seafood restaurant."

Those are seafoods purchased directly from nearby fishermen, which are much cheaper than sending them to the city.

"it is good!"

Fang Mingche chuckled. His second uncle still dreamed of facing the sea, with spring flowers blooming? But it really was just as Mingfeng had described. Houses by the sea are incredibly damp. If you don't dehumidify, the appliances will break down quickly.

Otherwise, why would wealthy people in Hong Kong live in the Mid-Levels instead of the seaside? It's because living in the Mid-Levels offers all the advantages and avoids the disadvantages. They can have a direct sea view without the dampness.

Even the oceanfront villas of the wealthy are more than 500 meters away from the sea. It's just that there are no obstructions in front of them.

He and Lin Yan brought Changchang to live in one room, while Yan Yan still lived with Fang Fang.

Despite the flight and two car rides, both the elderly and the young were surprisingly energetic. After dropping off their luggage, they prepared to go see the sea.

When I asked them, they all said it was much better than going to Beijing before. Alright, since the old and the young are all going, I guess I'll just have to go with them.

With everything arranged by Mingfeng, Fang Mingche's trip was relatively hassle-free. He planned to spend three days in Guangzhou, and then go to Shenzhen with Mingfeng. The older and younger children would be taken care of by his older brother.

When the topic came up on the way, Fang Minghua was somewhat embarrassed.

"I can't understand what they're saying."

These are all locals from Guangzhou, and they speak Cantonese. He really doesn't speak it.

“It’s okay, we’re consumers, they’ll try their best to accommodate us and speak Mandarin. If that doesn’t work, you can always use gestures. I don’t speak Japanese, but I still went to Japan for half a month.”

Fang Minghua muttered, "Didn't you say Yan Yan would?"

"She was so young back then. Don't worry, we'll see, she'll be back the next day."

The Shenzhen-Guangzhou Expressway is definitely not under construction yet. The 120-kilometer distance between the two places takes three to four hours to drive due to poor road conditions, making a day trip impossible.

Lin Yan said, "Big brother, my cousin and I aren't going either. We'll help you. Mingche, are you and Mingfeng taking the long-distance bus?"

Fang Mingche looked at Fang Mingfeng, who waved his hand. "I'll borrow a car from someone. Long-distance buses are never on time. But Mingche, you'd better be prepared. Although Shenzhen has become a special economic zone, it's only slightly better than a small fishing village. From what I've heard, only the Shekou Port area and the Luohu area near Hong Kong are slightly better. Other places are probably not much better than our hometown."

Fang Mingche frowned. With such a good geographical location, it really didn't take off until the chief architect's southern tour in 84?

Well, since we're already here, we should definitely go and take a look.

Fang Mingfeng said, "Guangzhou is still better; it's already very developed. Besides, it's the provincial capital!"

That's why he chose to buy a house in Guangzhou.

That day, we played on the beach and ate seafood. The next day, we took the same minibus into the city and also visited the Donghu Xincun residential area.

The apartments are scheduled to be handed over this year; they're almost topped out.

Mr. Fang asked Fang Mingfeng, "Is the house selling well?"

Fang Mingfeng pointed and told him, "These thirty-odd buildings in the first phase, which are scheduled to be delivered this year, are almost sold out."

Everyone was surprised that something so expensive was almost sold out.

"The location is great, and many of the buyers are from Hong Kong. For them, 700 is very cheap. Mingche, you can also go and take a look at Hong Kong properties. I'm not telling you to buy, prices have fallen sharply in the last two years. I'm saying take a look at the buildings themselves. I've heard there are some that are fifty or sixty stories high."

Fang Mingche thought to himself: Hong Kong's property prices seem to be on the verge of collapse in the last two years. They only started to rise after the 84 Sino-British Joint Declaration, continuing for over a decade until the 98 Asian financial crisis. Moreover, the rental yield is very high.

However, he estimated he wouldn't have any spare money two years later. He bought courtyard houses and old Western-style buildings because they are non-renewable resources, and using them as offices and guesthouses wouldn't result in a loss. But Hong Kong properties only have investment value.

He'd been eyeing that Tokyo house for a long time but hadn't made a move yet. He'd originally planned to use half of the profits from his four overseas stores to buy it. But the Wang family said they didn't want the house, they wanted cash. So he'd have to pay his dividends and taxes before buying it himself. That wouldn't be so convenient.

He said, "I feel increasingly short of money, and I'm afraid I won't be planning to buy any more property easily."

Fang Mingfeng said, "Who told you to insist on buying a house, and why did you have to pick the expensive one? Most people who do business rent first."

"Once you want to buy a house like this, you won't have the chance anymore."

Two days later, Fang Mingche and Fang Mingfeng drove to Shenzhen. The others, having heard that the roads were in terrible condition and unwilling to leave behind the delicious food and sea views of Guangzhou, stayed behind.

As Fang Mingche drove along the road, his heart grew increasingly cold. Was Shenzhen really this bad in 1982? By the time he reached Buji, it really wasn't much different from his hometown. It was even worse than his hometown's county town.

Fang Mingfeng said, "I already told you, but you didn't believe me. You insisted on coming to see for yourself!"

"Things will get better in a few years. Otherwise, with Guangzhou already so close to Guangdong, why bother creating a separate area in Shenzhen? There will definitely be preferential policies!"

Things are slightly better inside the Great Wall, but still limited. There are absolutely no investment opportunities right now.

The land purchase didn't happen until the "first land auction in China" in 1987. At that time, the Constitution hadn't been amended yet; it was just a matter of policy from the Shenzhen government. Only after that was the Constitution amended to encourage the transfer of commercial land.

Seeing his expression, Fang Mingfeng said, "Don't be disappointed. Aren't you about to take your family to Hong Kong? It's a completely different world there. How about we go check out the border at Lo Wu tonight?"

"Forget it, let's not go. It would be too much trouble if we got caught in the crossfire. We could go to Chung Ying Street tomorrow morning, have lunch, and then decide what to do about driving back to Guangzhou."

Chung Ying Street, with its boundary marker in the center, separates mainland and Hong Kong jurisdictions, with one half under mainland administration and the other half under Hong Kong administration. This dual system makes it a shopping paradise with abundant goods!

Mingfeng took the opportunity to go on a shopping spree and bought a lot of things. They were actually quite expensive, but you could buy them directly with RMB. Fang Mingche didn't buy anything; he planned to buy them in Hong Kong. He figured he could find more affordable places there. So, I just helped him carry the things and transport the goods.

Mingfeng speaks fluent Cantonese, so bargaining is no problem for him. But it's okay if you can't speak it. Fang Mingche saw many people take out electronic calculators, which are still relatively rare in mainland China, and start pressing the plus and minus buttons.

The shopkeeper did the same, silently pressing the plus and minus buttons on the screen. Finally, an agreement was reached, and the deal was done!

The two brothers returned laden with their loot. When their families heard about the unusual sight of "one street, two systems" and the abundance of goods there, they regretted not having gone with them.

Fang Mingche said, "There will be other opportunities. We can go when the roads are repaired and Shenzhen is more prosperous. One street, two systems is nothing. There's also one village, two systems."

The first thing Mr. Fang realized was, "Half of the village is in Shenzhen, and the other half is in Hong Kong?"

"Yes, that's Luofang Village. Villagers who go to Hong Kong to farm all need to have a farming permit. They truly work from sunrise to sunset. The People's Liberation Army and the Royal Hong Kong Police are stationed in the center of the village with guns. But there's one good thing: they can buy seeds, pesticides, and fertilizers from Shenzhen and then sell the vegetables they grow in Hong Kong. The price difference between the two places is dozens of times."

My second uncle said, "That's great! We're sure to make a fortune!"

(End of this chapter)