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

Chapter 220 New Ideas
After Lin Yi rode away on his bicycle, Lin's mother asked Lin's father, "Why did you provoke him like that?"

Lin's father said, "Although we still eat from the same pot, some factories across the country are indeed trying to be self-sufficient. I think Mingche is right. Lin Yi and his generation probably won't be able to work in factories from their early twenties until they retire in their fifties. It's rare that he's finally willing to be a little more ambitious now. He's not going to play cards on Sundays but thinking about making extra money. I'll give him a push! Don't spoil him, or he'll really become a good-for-nothing."

It's better for Lin Yi to become a father later. He's not mature or responsible enough yet. If his daughter-in-law didn't rely on the family for her job and was earning such a high salary, she definitely wouldn't want to stay with him anymore.

Lin Yi rode along, feeling utterly stifled by life. When did being a regular employee of a state-owned factory become so stifling? Other people's lives were clearly not like this.

It took him several tens of minutes to ride there; now his sister drives a car home. From a 26-inch women's bicycle to a secondhand pickup truck, and now a new car, his sister's mode of transportation always astonishes the people in the courtyard.

Back when women rode bicycles, people would grumble behind their backs, but those voices have vanished now. Because my sister and brother-in-law have reached a level that the neighbors in the tenement can only look up to. Now, the idea of ​​"sharing poverty" is no longer fashionable; those who are a little richer have been ostracized. Even if they resent the rich, they only dare to do so secretly.

But what about himself? Even the old bicycle he's riding now belongs to his father. He even made him buy another one. How did his life become like this?

He made a phone call at a convenience store before leaving, otherwise he was worried his sister wouldn't be home. She's got a lot going on these days. And having a car makes it easier for her to get around.

However, my brother-in-law and sister told them that if they encountered someone lying on the road, they shouldn't stop or get out of the car. They should take a detour rather than get involved. At worst, they could call the police when they got home.

The security situation is really a bit chaotic these days. He needs to go home early; he can't stay out too late.

When Lin Yi arrived, Yan Yan was waiting for him at the entrance of the residential area. Otherwise, he would have had to register and wait for the security guard to verify his identity before he could enter. Seeing that it was almost time, Lin Yan sent Yan Yan downstairs to greet her uncle.

Lin Yi and Yan Yan, who was wearing a woolen pinafore dress, walked together toward the bicycle shed.

"Why doesn't your mom want her bicycle anymore?"

Yan Yan said, "My mom had her eye on an imported car at the Friendship Store a long time ago and wanted to use foreign exchange certificates to buy it. But they already had the previous one, so she couldn't buy it."

"Oh, I see! Yan Yan, how much is your monthly allowance now?"

Yan Yan said, "It's still ten yuan. My parents said that no matter how rich they are, they can't spoil their children. Besides, they're still in debt for over 30 yuan. Uncle, can you add some for me?"

Lin Yi said awkwardly, "Let's talk about it when my uncle's salary is higher."

When he parked his bicycle, he noticed that the bicycles there were indeed better than those ridden by ordinary people. Were they all imported?

Yan Yan said, "Most likely, many of the people living here have overseas connections. They don't really care about foreign exchange certificates!"

On his way here, Lin Yi still thought about buying some sponge cakes from the state-owned cake factory for his nephew and niece. They weren't expensive, but he couldn't very well come empty-handed.

He gave one to Yan Yan to eat, and took the rest upstairs. As soon as he opened the door, Chang Chang came out smelling the aroma. The sponge cake was freshly baked and smelled quite good.

Changchang hugged her uncle's leg tightly, looked up, and laughed, "Uncle—"

Lin Yi bent down and handed one to him as well.

Lin Yan said, "You can eat half of it, and give the other half to Mom. He just ate dinner and might have indigestion."

Yan Yan said, "Mom, this is really delicious."

Lin Yan smiled and said, "In state-owned cake factories, the master craftsmen usually pass down their skills from generation to generation. Back then, they all had to pass a public exam before setting prices."

"Oh, really? Then I'll buy some of the stuff from those state-owned food factories and try it out."

Lin Yi asked, "Is my brother-in-law not home?"

"I have social engagements outside."

Lin Yi sat down next to Lin Yan to watch TV. Changchang carried a bottle of mineral water from his "pigpen" to his uncle. He really was only strong enough to be carried.

Lin Yi raised an eyebrow. "You've learned how to entertain guests now?"

"He's just following orders. A couple of days ago, someone came over, and the water wasn't boiled yet so I couldn't make tea, so I opened a case of bottled water and gave it to them. And you gave him some steamed egg custard, so this is just him returning the favor. Next time you bring food, he might give you water too. So, what's up?"

Lin Yi said, "What else could it be? I just want to drive to the travel agency on Sunday."

"Can you be as safety-conscious as other drivers and not demand special treatment just because you're my brother?"

Lin Yi nodded, "I'll be in the car too, and I'll definitely be careful. I'll do the same thing as other drivers; I won't ask for anything special."

He had to ask for this job three times before he finally got it. He had no choice but to cherish it. No other place would just ask him to work only on Sundays.

"Alright, come this Sunday. Also, don't just follow the example of other drivers. If they're not doing a good job, you can't be complicit with them."

"I understand." So they really were waiting for him to come forward himself.

He reached into the fruit bowl on the coffee table and took a big, pretty orange. "You have oranges already? Hmm, they're quite sweet."

“Brought back by college students who went to other places to collect materials and film the creative process of local craftspeople.”

Those college students, paid by the travel agency, traveled all over the country with the agency's assistants. They also mailed back a lot of food, which was distributed among the travel agency staff.

Lin Yi had obviously remembered this as well; Han Mei had brought back quite a few foods from various places—snacks, snacks, and fruits. The neighbors were all very envious.

This time, however, they're back to deliver the initial filming footage for editing. These oranges came back to Beijing with the group. They'll be used for their graduation defense after the editing is complete. The original agreement stipulated that the copyright belonged to the travel agency, but they themselves could apply to use it for free.

Before leaving, Lin Yan asked Fang Min to pack a bag of oranges for Lin Yi to take back. This time, they weren't mailed; a college student brought them back. The quantity wasn't large, so they weren't distributed within the travel agency.

"Sister, your husband is rich now. Aren't you worried about him going out to social events like this?"

Lin Yan said, "Of course I'm a little worried. But I'm not a parasitic plant; I earn my own living. I'm still a university student. So, although I'm worried, I'm not afraid. If he really does something reckless, I'll leave him."

Fang Mingche had just stepped out of the elevator, smelling slightly of alcohol. As he approached his door, he heard the two siblings whispering at the entrance, saying something about not wanting him anymore.

"What did you say?"

Lin Yi said, "I didn't say anything, I just asked my sister if she was worried about you messing around outside. Goodbye, brother-in-law—" After he finished speaking, he went into the elevator.

Before the elevator doors closed, Fang Mingche said, "You should worry more about yourself."

As the elevator descended, the couple entered the room together.

Lin Yan noticed he didn't smell much alcohol, so she didn't ask Fang Min to make him some sour soup to sober him up. She simply asked, "How can you manage going to school, attending extra classes to review for exams, and managing the travel agency all at the same time?"

"There's nothing major wrong. It's just that I've been dealing with the paperwork for opening a shop in Hong Kong recently, and there have been some staff changes both domestically and internationally, so things have been quite busy."

He went out today specifically to handle the paperwork for opening a shop in Hong Kong. There shouldn't be any problems; Deng Xiaoping was even inviting the Iron Lady to Beijing for negotiations. The Chinese side is certainly happy for him to open a shop in Hong Kong and won't obstruct the paperwork.

Lin Yi thus began his experience of working from Monday to Saturday and driving on Sundays.

Han Mei processed her emotions on her own. She'll probably go through something like this every two years. What else can she do but figure it out herself?

Fang Minghui has already gone to Guangzhou. Before leaving, she asked Fang Mingche what currency his salary would be if he went to Hong Kong.

"Issuing the local currency is necessary wherever you are located; otherwise, it cannot be used directly in the local area."

Fang Minghui left happily. She would definitely try her best to seize the opportunity to go to Hong Kong. First and foremost, she needed to do a good job in Guangzhou.

Once the Hong Kong dollars are issued, she'll exchange them for US dollars at a Hong Kong bank. Then, through clandestine channels, she'll bring them back and exchange them for RMB in a back alley near the central bank. That's the black market; the exchange rate there is much higher than the one currently offered by the central bank. She can make a considerable profit from this exchange rate difference.

Mingche told her that if she got caught by the police, she should make it clear that it was her own behavior and had nothing to do with the travel agency.

Hehe, next time she comes back she'll bring some goods back from Hong Kong and Guangzhou to make a profit from the price difference. With this two-pronged approach, she should be able to afford a house soon. Houses in Guangzhou are expensive, but those in Chengdu and the capital are alright!
The goods Fang Minghua and Yuan Shufen brought back were quickly sold out, netting them a profit of three or four hundred. They immediately returned half of the remaining high tuition fees for the three children to Fang Mingche. With one hundred left, they promptly bought the braised pork knuckle from Tianfuju, which Lin Yan had her eye on.

The whole family of eleven, plus Fang Min, sat around a large round table and ate happily.

Mr. Fang said, "I'll treat you to a meal later. Think about where you'd like to eat next time!"

His idea of ​​renting out period costumes for photos at the Forbidden City has been quite profitable lately. Since it was entirely his idea, Fang Mingche gives him 70% of the profits!

The old man has been feeling a great sense of accomplishment lately. And he'll be going to Shanghai on a business trip soon. Mingche asked him to go and give some guidance to the guesthouses there.

Mr. Fang said, "We can do period costume photoshoots in the capital. Can Shanghai allow guests to dress up like people from old Shanghai and take photos in the former Bund?"

Fang Mingche nodded, "That's a great idea. Speaking of which, I just got a copy of 'Shanghai Bund' from Brother Mingfeng. Let's watch it together later."

Fang Mingfeng's video arcade was booming thanks to videotapes from Hong Kong and Taiwan. The Taiwanese videotapes were actually smuggled in from Hong Kong, and he had a lot of films by Qiong Yao.

He personally enjoys action and violence, especially the "Shanghai Bund" series. He even bought a copy to read. Fang Mingche, hearing that he had finished it, went over and took it, intending to read it himself. After all, it's a classic; it always offers something new to see.

After dinner, a car and a small truck drove together to the Overseas Chinese Apartment. The truck was driven by Mr. Fang.

The living room in the Overseas Chinese Apartment is very large; in a 220-square-meter unit, the living room occupies more than 50 square meters. It was designed in the style of overseas apartments, where large living rooms are particularly popular.

Nowadays, in China, houses built like those in the Tuanjiehu community, often have two-bedroom apartments of 52 square meters that don't even have a living room. People just eat at a table set up in one of the larger rooms.

Once everyone was seated on the sofas in the living room, Fang Min turned on the VCR and the television. She started playing the first episode of "Shanghai Bund," the Mandarin version. Mingfeng had directly used the Hong Kong version released in Taiwan. He could understand Cantonese, but his parents struggled to understand it.

Upon hearing the familiar melody of "Waves Rushing, Waves Flowing," Fang Mingche smiled slightly.

The whole family quickly became engrossed in watching. When Mr. Fang saw Xu Wenqiang's suit, formal hat, and Feng Chengcheng's cheongsam, he stroked his chin and thought to himself, "Old tailors in Shanghai should be able to make clothes like these."

I'll provide a black umbrella later. Hmm, I also need to take this videotape to the guesthouse in Shanghai to play it.

Fang Jian also said, "Isn't this Su Rongrong? Su Rongrong is Chu Liuxiang's person."

Fang Mingche smiled and said, "An actor will be working with this actor in this drama and then with that actor in the next drama."

I still want to see 'Chu Liuxiang' and 'Su Rongrong' act together. Just wait, there's also 'The Legend of Qianlong' coming up.

A few days later, Fang Mingche heard Yan Yan singing "The mighty Yangtze River never stops flowing" at home. It can be said that the whole family, except for Fang Chang, loves watching "Shanghai Bund".

Even Yan Yan said she could understand most of it this time. Every evening after dinner, Fang's mother and the three Fang siblings would urge their father to drive them over to see Xu Wenqiang. Yuan Shufen also liked it, always finishing her work in the afternoon and coming over in the evening. Lin Yan, Fang Min, and Yan Yan even stopped going out to visit others in the evenings.

Fang Mingche thought that with Xu Wenqiang being beaten to death in the finale, all the women in his family would probably be devastated. A few bloodstains blooming on his white suit—it truly had a kind of broken beauty.

Sure enough, when that day came, everyone from Fang's mother down seemed unable to accept it.

Fang Mingche could only say, "Try to think positively, it's just a TV series. If someone dies in this show, they'll come back to life in the next one."

Lin Yan said, "Then even if he comes back to life, he won't be Brother Wen anymore."

Mr. Fang looked at the group of heartbroken women and girls and said, "Qingming Festival is coming soon. Who will come home with me to sweep the tombs?"

Fang Minghua turned his head away and laughed. Lately, Yuan Shufen had been constantly talking about Xu Wenqiang, which greatly displeased him. It's only because he's a character in a TV drama that he wouldn't have scolded her.

Upon hearing Fang's father's words, everyone who had been so sad just moments before stopped grieving.

"Ah, I need to go to school | Sell noodles."

Fang Mingche said, "I really can't leave."

Father Fang said, "You should just focus on your business." He silently told his ancestors about his youngest son's achievements when he offered incense. He had a legitimate reason for not going back.

Finally, it was decided that Mr. Fang and Fang Minghua would go back.

(End of this chapter)