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

Chapter 217 Wonderful Thoughts

The family returned to the small side courtyard of the traditional courtyard house and first settled Fang Chang down to sleep.

Yan Yan, holding up the sugar figurine, asked, "Where should I put this for him?"

Although her younger brother often forgets things as soon as he turns his back, if he remembers them the next day and she gives him the sugar figurine, he will definitely cry and throw a tantrum. Besides, she doesn't really love sugar that much.

Lin Yan said, "Put it in the refrigerator in the front kitchen."

The refrigerator cost over three thousand yuan each, so they must have only bought one and placed it in the large front kitchen. They came back through the side door, without going through the first courtyard. Now, to open the refrigerator, they have to go to the first courtyard.

Yan Yan said, "The temperature outside shouldn't be too low, right?"

The yard was too big, and she was a little too lazy to walk around. Her father told her that the refrigerator's temperature was 0-5 degrees Celsius, which was about the same as the weather forecast said for today.

Lin Yan thought about it and realized that although the earthworm was burned, the temperature was only above ten degrees Celsius, so it wouldn't become runny.

"Alright, then you can put it in the cupboard. Go find Sister Min to wash up and go to bed."

"Oh."

After Yan Yan left, Lin Yan said, "The filming team that Han Mei found for you is calling again asking for money."

Fang Mingche said, "Give them to them first. In the end, we'll need receipts to check the total. Any overpayment will be refunded, and any underpayment will be collected! Besides, the receipts must be for legitimate expenses. We've already taken ninety-nine steps, so what's one more hurdle?"

Previously, he had Han Mei find someone to film folk artists making intangible cultural heritage products. This required traveling all over the country, often traversing mountains and rivers. Especially in places where one had to cross mountains and valleys, carrying filming equipment was indeed not easy. Unlike later generations, it's not like that now, where you can just use a mobile phone to film.

Han Mei hired senior photography students to get a much cheaper price. They could also treat it as a graduation internship project. However, these students didn't have much money, so they would have to pay upfront and then get reimbursed. They'd already been traveling all over the country for several months, and the expenses were considerable.

Fang Mingche lay on the bed with his hand under his head. "Ayan, calculate how much money we made in 82 besides the travel agency."

Lin Yan took out an electronic calculator. "You're not planning something big again, are you?"

"I'm almost 30 yuan in debt, what big moves could I possibly make? Besides, apart from buying a house, I don't have any other big plans."

Lin Yan thought about it and agreed. The purchase and restoration of the courtyard house cost 14.4 yuan, while the old Western-style building alone cost 18 yuan to buy.

Moreover, to this day, their family only owns a second-hand pickup truck shared with a travel agency. They haven't even bought a car! Mingche is certainly not someone who spends money recklessly.

They currently have a debt of 27 yuan, but to renovate the old villa and turn the two extra buildings into guesthouses, they'll need to invest another 3 yuan. Home appliances are their biggest expense!

She lowered her head and started calculating. After the two scrap yards added street-side collection services, business jumped again. They could earn about 100,000 a year.

The vegetable stall, including the greenhouse vegetables expected for next winter, will cost around 30,000 yuan.

In comparison, the upper limit for vegetable stalls is indeed not high, just as Mingche said. The total number has hardly increased, unlike the scrap yard where it has increased several times.

Yes, a guesthouse in a courtyard house can earn two to three thousand yuan a month. If old Western-style houses in Shanghai could also earn that much, the total would be fifty to sixty thousand yuan a year.

Their travel agency earned around 180,000 yuan at the beginning of this year. That's likely a bit more!

Fang Mingche said, "Alright, I'll leave the debt repayment to you, Master!"

Having this amount is good; if we can pay it off within two years, there won't be any pressure. Travel agencies really don't have much extra money for dividends during expansion periods.

Lin Yan said, "Don't worry, I definitely won't forget. I've written down the loan due date in my little notebook. It's also written on the last page of the calendar; it will be carried over to next year."

They all used their houses as collateral; if they didn't repay the loan on time, the houses would be taken back, and they would lose money.

Fang Mingche said, "They won't take it immediately; they'll remind us two or three times beforehand. The bank's purpose isn't to collect collateral. So how much cash do we have on hand?"

You definitely need to keep some cash on hand; it's too late to raise money if something happens.

Lin Yan made a "three" gesture, meaning there were 30,000.

Three days later, Liu Qingfeng and Geng Shan came to the Overseas Chinese Apartment after get off work. They stayed in the courtyard house for one night and then returned home.

Fang Mingche was holding Changchang, watching Lin Yan, Fang Min, and Yan Yan playing shuttlecock in the neighborhood. Many other girls from the neighborhood were also joining in. In the dead of winter, moving around is definitely the warmest thing to do.

"Teacher Fang, we misunderstood before. From now on, we will do our job well."

Fang Mingche nodded. "Alright, let's continue our pleasant cooperation then."

If you don't want to start from scratch and be responsible for your own profits and losses, then you should work hard. He's not going to give you another pep talk.

After seeing them off, the family went home, keeping track of the time. The house had central heating, so everyone started taking off their coats as soon as they entered. Lin Yan couldn't help but say, "Central heating is definitely the most cost-effective. Underfloor heating is too expensive!"

Fang Mingche said, "Currently, only a few places in the capital, such as East and West Chang'an Avenue and the Overseas Chinese Apartments, have heating. Moreover, even if centralized heating is promoted in the future, it will only be available in apartment buildings. Old bungalows cannot benefit from it. Furthermore, the cost of heating in courtyard houses is ultimately borne by the residents themselves. The coal used for heating is included in the rent."

Neither their courtyard house nor their small side courtyard are centrally heated. These days, the elderly couple and their eldest son's family like to spend their free time in the courtyard house because it has underfloor heating. The small side courtyard, however, can only be heated by a stove. Unlike underfloor heating, a stove can't provide heating over a large area. They can't just stay huddled around the stove all day.

The cold weather made everyone who had just returned from Guangzhou feel a little uncomfortable.

If I remember correctly, it was around the mid-1980s that centralized heating was first introduced in residential areas of Beijing. It was definitely more cost-effective than air conditioning or heating with floor heating.

Changchang squatted down as Fang Min pulled down his thick outer pants. After taking them off, he let out a long sigh of relief. He muttered, "Cold, ugh!"

Knowing that the kid complained that the capital wasn't as warm as Guangzhou and that he didn't wear enough clothes, making it difficult for him to do outdoor activities, Fang Mingche said, "While the snow hasn't melted yet, I'll take you to the Summer Palace for skiing tomorrow. Snowy days have their advantages too."

Seeing Fang Chang's puzzled look, he said, "You forgot again? Before New Year's Day, Dad took you and Sister Min to a really, really big park to ski. Sister Min held you while you sat. Never mind, you might remember when we go tomorrow."

The next day, the family slept in until they naturally woke up, had breakfast, and were just about to leave when the phone rang!
Fang Mingche answered the phone nearby, "What? Okay, thank you!"

He hung up the phone and called the courtyard house, "Dad, tell those veterans to take a taxi over here right away. There's some trouble with Huo Chen downstairs from other scrap collectors."

A neighbor saw it just now and knew it was one of his employees. As soon as I got home, I called him to let him know.

Two days ago, Huo Chen informed Fang Mingche that another group of people had started collecting recyclables at the entrance of the Overseas Chinese Apartment. However, he said that he had been collecting recyclables here for quite some time, always honest and fair, and had never shortchanged anyone or anything. The people in this neighborhood all recognized him, so no one went to that other group.

This area around the community doesn't belong to anyone, so Fang Mingche can't interfere if someone wants to collect recyclables. But if someone tries to bully others just because they outnumber them, that's definitely not allowed.

He hung up the phone, put on his military overcoat, and went out immediately. Just as he stepped out of the house, he heard Lin Yan call out, "Xiao Min, keep an eye on them."

She also grabbed a stick and chased after them.

Standing at the elevator door, Fang Mingche glanced at Lin Yan and asked, "Is that a stun gun?"

Lin Yan nodded, "Yes."

"When did you buy it? Where do you usually keep it?"

“Last time someone climbed over the wall into the yard to steal a tire, which scared Changchang. I found this for sale when I was shopping at Friendship Store, so I bought it. I usually keep it in my bedside table.”

Well, it's been a year and a half since then. He doesn't usually tidy up the house, so I really didn't notice.

"Alright, women hold up half the sky. Let's get this over with quickly and not make a big deal out of it."

The elevator arrived, and the couple went in together. A neighbor who was already inside chuckled, "What, are you two going downstairs to stretch your legs? Isn't 220 square meters enough for your place?"

Fang Mingche said, "No, the guy who collects recyclables at the entrance is one of my employees. He had a few people surround him."

Huo Chen was indeed surrounded by several scrap collectors at the corner, who threatened him that he was not allowed to come here starting tomorrow.

Huo Chen glanced around; there were six men, armed with bricks and sticks. If he launched a surprise attack, he could take down two or three. They were veterans, after all!

But many more will likely be difficult to defeat in the short term. Those will probably suffer some losses, after all, two fists can't fight four hands.

A regular customer had just seen him, and while walking quickly inside, he made a phone call gesture. He knew the customer meant to go in and call Teacher Fang, so he just delayed.

I told them I'd been there longer than a year, and that we could compete fairly, with everyone selling their scrap to whomever they wanted. Then I added that I was just an employee, and it wouldn't be right to explain this to the boss, and so on.

Seeing that Teacher Fang and Teacher Lin had both come out, he suddenly kicked out. He didn't dare kick the stomach, afraid of causing a serious injury. He kicked the thigh, and the person who was kicked staggered back several steps. He also staggered back a few steps.

After a moment of surprise, the other five men charged at him, wielding bricks and sticks.

The other person had been so aggressive, their finger practically poking his face, and spitting at him. Now that reinforcements had arrived, why should he put up with it?
Fang Mingche immediately ran over to help. Lin Yan also turned the stun gun to the lowest setting and joined in.

Fang Mingche was always a formidable fighter, and Lin Yan was the one who used to carry a shoulder pole to steal water back in the day. Now, the shoulder pole had been replaced with an electric baton, increasing its lethality. With Huo Chen added to the mix, they quickly overwhelmed all six of them, leaving them defenseless.

Fang Chang, who was chased out by Fang Min, was completely dumbfounded. Yan Yan, who was standing next to him, said, "If you misbehave in the future, Dad and Mom will give you a double beating like this."

Fang Chang shrank back, his chubby little body shrinking, and hugged Fang Min's neck tightly. He couldn't help but turn his head to look at his parents.

Fang Min was even prepared to call the community security guards if necessary. But seeing how fierce Aunt Jiu was, she felt it was completely unnecessary.

She had never actually seen them fight. Lin Yan's incident of stealing water was before she became a teacher, and Fang Mingche never fought in the village. She had always seen them as well-mannered and polite; she never expected college students to be such good fighters.

Yan Yan had seen her father get into fights twice before, so she wasn't too surprised. Fang Min had urged her to hurry up and get dressed, but she hadn't been in a rush. However, she hadn't actually seen her mother fight before, so she was momentarily stunned!
Seeing how fierce they were, the six men turned tail and ran.

It took several minutes for the veterans to arrive by taxi. Fang Mingche told them to leave two people there to keep Huo Chen company, and to come over later.

"Don't worry, Teacher Fang. With us here, if anyone dares to bully the few with their numbers, we'll beat them so badly they won't even recognize their own mothers."

Fang Mingche said, "Just defend properly, don't give them any leverage. Also, don't cripple or injure them."

Huo Chen and the others nodded, "Okay."

Then, as usual, Fang Mingche drove his wife and children on their trip.

On the bus, Yan Yan asked, "Mom, can teachers fight with people too?"

“Although others call your dad and me ‘teachers,’ we’re not officially teachers yet. Never mind, I won’t go into those formalities, lest I confuse you. Uncle Huo Chen is one of our own; we can’t just stand by and watch someone beat him. We must clearly distinguish who our friends are and who our enemies are. Just follow that principle from now on!”

Yan Yan nodded, indicating that she had learned something.

"Mom, we practice martial arts together, but how come you're so good at it?"

Lin Yan laughed, "Because you're too small! But you'd probably be pretty good at fighting against people your age. But we martial artists don't bully the weak, you know?"

"know."

"But if someone tries to bully you, then the attitude should be 'I will not offend others unless they offend me; if they offend me, I will retaliate!'"

Yan Yan continued, "What if Uncle Huo Chen was surrounded by a group of people like he was today?"

Fang Mingche said, "Avoid it if you can. But if you can't avoid it, then target one person and be as ruthless as possible! Against one person, it's better to break one finger than to attack all ten; against a group of people, target one person."

"Ok."

Fang Mingche said, "Yan Yan, it seems you quite enjoy practicing martial arts?"

Yan Yan nodded, "Okay. Daddy, when are we going to go shooting again?"

"Aren't you afraid of shoulder pain? Then let's have Uncle Wang take us there again before he goes abroad. We'll do what we did last time and put a soft pad on your shoulder."

Old Wang and his wife are about to go abroad; they've both been sent to the United States for six months of study, departing after Arbor Day in March.

Yang Mei was already happily taking the foreign exchange certificates they had been given to the travel agency to exchange them for US dollars.

She wanted to exchange more money for a rainy day. Grandpa Yang scolded her, telling her not to be so unsociable. Besides, earning dollars in China is so difficult, why take it over there to spend? Spend as little as possible, ideally none at all!
Yangmei never came back after that.

Travel agencies have a monthly quota for foreign exchange remittance. Fang Mingche and Lin Yan were naturally happy with this.

As for the shooting, Fang Mingche's confidence in agreeing to Yan Yan's request was naturally inseparable from the booming profits of the travel agency.

After the travel agency, the Wang family made some other investments, probably to avoid putting all their eggs in one basket. But even their most profitable venture, the martial arts club owned by Old Wang, doesn't yet generate a fraction of what they earn from the travel agency.

Mr. Fang, Mrs. Fang, and their three siblings, Fang Jian, also took taxis to the entrance of the Summer Palace. Mr. Fang paid for the ride; now, apart from Fang Mingche and Lin Yan, he was the wealthiest member of the family.

Five of us squeezed in and made it across. It wasn't much more expensive than taking the bus, and the main thing was the convenience.

Hearing that there was a chance to go shooting, Yan Yan felt that ice skating wasn't so appealing anymore. After all, ice skating is something money can buy. She refrained from bragging to her cousins, because she didn't know if her father would be able to take them along.

While skating in the chairs, Mr. and Mrs. Fang participated in two rounds. They mainly watched their grandchildren play.

During this time, Mr. Fang turned his head and looked at the bridge over there. On the bridge, Mr. He's wife was soliciting business with a camera. When they came in, she greeted Fang Mingche and Lin Yan with a smile.

Previously, when Master He got married, he invited Fang Mingche and Lin Yan to his wedding banquet. They had known each other and interacted for three years.

For the past two years, the travel agency has consistently hired Mr. He, a professional photographer, for everything. Even the rolls of film taken during our recent trip to Guangzhou, Shenzhen, and Hong Kong were developed by Mr. He.

They brought their own camera today, but they'll definitely go back to Mr. He to develop the photos later.

Mr. Fang quickly noticed that someone had made a rather crude Qing Dynasty costume to take photos. However, it still attracted many tourists who came in to stop and watch.

He suddenly had an idea: why not set up a few nice, exquisite outfits in the guesthouse for tourists to rent out for photoshoots? After all, they live close to the Forbidden City!

Ah Yan doesn't have time; she has to take care of her child, study, and work as a cashier at the travel agency. I wonder if Aunt Yuan's daughter-in-law would be able to do this kind of work? He'll ask her when he gets back.

He shared this idea with Fang Mingche.

Fang Mingche looked at him, "Dad, that's great! You can do more than just Qing dynasty costumes; Ming dynasty costumes are fine too. Even costumes from all other dynasties are possible. Hmm, I'll go to the library and borrow a copy of Shen Congwen's *A Study of Ancient Chinese Costumes* for you. It's richly illustrated, a masterpiece. Shen Congwen stopped writing novels ten years ago and turned to studying ancient costumes; he's still a legend!"

This book was published by The Commercial Press Hong Kong in September last year. It contains 700 images and 250,000 words. It is the culmination of 20 years of painstaking work by Mr. Shen.

Seeing that his youngest son agreed with his ideas so much and even wanted to help borrow the master's book, Mr. Fang nodded happily.

"How about we go borrow the books this afternoon?"

"Okay, you can borrow it and take a look first. If you're interested, we can go and buy another set."

We had lunch at the Summer Palace. This time, we didn't run into any young masters trying to take a private room, and everyone ate happily. Afterwards, Fang Mingche drove everyone back to the courtyard house, and then took his father to the library to borrow books.

Because the library currently has limited parking spaces, Fang Mingche parked at Zhu Qiming's place.

Zhu Qiming was very enthusiastic, "Hello, Uncle Fang! Brother-in-law, don't worry, I will definitely stay by your side every step of the way. I will never let anyone scratch your car."

Fang Mingche said, "Someone has already done this kind of thing?"

Zhu Qiming nodded, "Yes. But I mainly guard bicycles here, so it's alright."

People who vandalize other people's cars are mostly resentful of the wealthy. A bicycle, which can be bought with several months' salary for a regular worker these days, wouldn't necessarily provoke such hatred.

However, there are also many bicycle thieves. He is mainly focused on preventing these kinds of thefts.

Fang Mingche nodded, "Okay, then I'll leave it to you."

"Brother-in-law, you don't need to be so polite with me. Uncle Fang, would you like some hot water added to your teacup? I'll add some for you."

A small stove sat in front of Zhu Qiming, with a kettle of water boiling on it. Next to it was a filled thermos.

When Mr. Fang saw him extend his hand, he thanked him and handed him the teacup.

Zhu Qiming turned around and filled it with the sauce.

As the father and son headed to the library, Mr. Fang remarked, "I think Ayan's cousin is quite adept at handling things."

"Maybe after guarding the bicycle for more than a year, he's become more agile. Anyway, I heard that Lin Yi was really spurred on by him."

People who are already more capable than him probably won't really provoke him. But Zhu Qiming has probably saved up a thousand or eight hundred in the past year or so. This matter has really provoked Lin Yi.

Perhaps his uncle and aunt couldn't resist showing off during holidays and festivals.

Upon entering the library, Fang Mingche settled his father in a section where citizens could freely enter and read newspapers. Then, he took his library card and went in to borrow books.

After checking in, Mr. Fang said, "This library is nice. I'll come here to visit from time to time."

"Yes, that's fine. Oh, and I'll send another thousand yuan back to the Party Secretary. It's another semester. Besides the tuition fees for the impoverished students, I'll ask him to arrange for someone to buy some books to enrich the village's reading room."

He received a dividend distribution before the New Year, and he asked the village secretary to deposit all the money into the student aid account. However, the village-run factory also needs to expand and buy new machinery. Therefore, the dividend distribution won't be much. He'll probably send money back home once a year from now on.

Mr. Fang took the book home and started reading it. That afternoon, he even made a special trip to the Yuan family to ask Mrs. Yuan's daughter-in-law if she knew how to make it.

The other person glanced at the Qing Dynasty costume in the book and said, "I've never actually made one."

However, it's a fool not to make money when it's available. Now, she's increasingly appreciating the benefits of earning money. She decided not to reject it outright, but to do some research first.

"Uncle Fang, I know someone at the Beijing People's Art Theatre. They have Qing Dynasty costumes to see. I'll go check them out this weekend. But the fabric is hard to find, so I'll have to ask them where they buy their costume fabric."

She heard that someone in this alley was a descendant of the Eight Banners, so she went to ask. Anyway, when it comes to making money, she'll think of any method.

Mr. Fang said, “Oh, this matter has really troubled you. Mingche told me that this is considered custom-made and requires extra payment. Let me give you some deposit first. After all, you have to go through the trouble and ask for favors. Even if it doesn’t work out in the end, you don’t need to refund me.”

He gave him five yuan directly, which was what Fang Mingche had instructed him to do.

Aunt Yuan said, "We're neighbors, why would we need these things?"

"It will be useful. Didn't you hear me say that we'll have to run around and ask for favors? So, Little Ma, I'm entrusting this matter to you."

"Okay! Don't worry, I'll definitely get everyone around me to help me figure out a way, and I'll make it happen for you."

(End of this chapter)