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

Chapter 222 Threatening
After May Day, Ning An'an and the others who were rotating shifts to London and Tokyo will depart. Some family members will also be traveling with them. Well, Paris will be a few months later. The shop in the US has been open for less than a year, so there's no need for a shift rotation yet.

The family members accompanying Qiu Yin were to take the same flight to London to find her. Those in Tokyo were replaced and accompanied by other family members visiting Qiu Yin.

Old Zhou was the only one who flew to New York alone. This caused quite a stir in the entire tenement compound.

"Why does it seem like going abroad isn't so difficult anymore?"

In the past two years alone, they have witnessed many travel agency employees and their families traveling abroad. In addition, the travel agency has also arranged for many people who have become wealthy to travel abroad.

As for Fang Mingche's family, it's well-known that they've visited four countries: Japan, the US, the UK, and France, and also Hong Kong. Qin Hua from the alley has also been to Tokyo. Oh, and Wang Dexian, he and his wife are currently studying in the US on a government scholarship.

Aunt Yuan said, "That's because it's easier for people connected to travel agencies to go abroad. The Wang couple comes from a good family and were sent abroad on government scholarships. Who else do you see as having an easier time?"

After thinking about it, everyone agreed. The Zhou family had overseas connections, and Old Zhou was only able to go abroad this time because Lingzi worked at the travel agency.

As everyone was talking, they saw Fang Mingche drive up in his car and park directly in the only remaining open space in the small side courtyard. It truly was the only remaining open space. After all, two more rooms had been added to the east wing, significantly reducing the available space.

Fang Mingche got out of the car carrying some cooked food.

Grandpa Gu asked, "Xiao Fang, what are you doing?"

The Fang family isn't home. Fang Minghua and his wife are busy at the noodle shop, while the elders are at the courtyard house. As for the three younger children, they've probably gone to school.

Fang Mingche said, "I need to ask Lao Zhou for a favor before I go out for drinks."

He smiled and nodded to everyone, then headed towards Old Zhou's house.

Someone said, "Does he still need to ask Old Zhou for a favor?"

Aunt Yuan said, "He has to ask Lao Zhou to come back on time. Otherwise, it won't be easy to get a family visit visa again after the travel agency helped him get one."

Everyone suddenly realized that Yingzi had been abroad for two years. Her visa had long expired! The Zhou family had a history of overstaying their visas and not returning.

Old Zhou had been preparing to go abroad for many years. I've never heard him mention coming back after he leaves.

However, he is indeed a family member of a travel agency employee. Since he's entitled to the annual company-funded family visit benefit, Xiao Fang couldn't stop him from going.

Grandpa Gu said, "If Xiao Zhou really doesn't come back, Xiao Fang will definitely be in trouble. Unlike Xiao Fang, he doesn't have such a large business in China."

Aunt Yuan nodded. When Xiao Fang's family of four went to the United States, she actually had some reservations.

However, Xiao Fang had recently bought such a large three-courtyard house there and brought his parents over. But the Zhou family doesn't have any businesses in China.

Fang Mingche had called Old Zhou before he arrived, and Aunt Zhou had specially prepared some delicious food.

Seeing that he was also carrying cooked food, she quickly said, "Teacher Fang, you're here, why did you bring food and drinks?"

"Just add two more dishes."

Old Zhou came out and said, "Thank you so much, Teacher Fang, for coming to see me off. Go and put the food in the pot—"

He accepted the gifts. They'd practically delivered them to his door; it would have been impolite not to. His wife had only been politely acknowledging them earlier.

Aunt Zhou was busy in the kitchen, and she and her son ate their meals at a small table in the kitchen, leaving space for Old Zhou and Fang Mingche to talk.

Fang Mingche drank two glasses and, emboldened by the alcohol, said, "Old Zhou, you absolutely have to come back on time! If you don't, as the legal representative and largest shareholder of the travel agency, I'll be summoned for a talk immediately. Not only will our travel agency be affected in processing visas for family members, but it might even be affected in processing visas for tourists traveling abroad."

"Definitely, definitely," Old Zhou replied readily.

Fang Mingche smiled. "If you don't come back on time, I'll definitely fire Lingzi. Also, your son will need a criminal record check to apply for a visa to go abroad in the future, right?"

Firing Lingzi might not actually threaten Lao Zhou abroad. After all, his uncle is there, and his two small supermarkets need help. However, if his son gets a criminal record and can't get a visa to leave the country, then Lao Zhou's hopes will be dashed.

Moreover, having a criminal record will affect one's entire family. (While political vetting isn't as strict nowadays, the reputation of a criminal's family is still tarnished. They won't be able to leave the country, and they won't be able to join the military or become government officials in the future.)

That's why he stipulated that only one person from each family could go abroad per year. The others, even if they went, didn't have any skills to make a living. Besides, the costs abroad are so high, they would eventually have no choice but to come back obediently.

But Lao Zhou was genuinely worried. He was all bark and no bite when he threatened people.

As long as Lao Zhou doesn't come back, he'll definitely make Zhou's son take the blame!

Old Zhou's expression immediately changed. Yingzi's absence didn't affect Lingzi's paperwork for going abroad. He had genuinely intended to play it by ear when he left. If things went smoothly, he really wouldn't come back!

But Fang Mingche's threat undoubtedly hit his weak spot! He had lived half his life and accomplished nothing, so naturally, his son was the one he valued most.

He's over forty; even if he wanted to have another child, he might not be able to. Even if he did, it might not be a son. And even if it was a son, he might not be able to raise him. As an undocumented immigrant in America, it's difficult for him to find a wife and have another son.

Let alone undocumented immigrants, even poor people have a hard time finding good wives. Otherwise, why is his uncle's supermarket clerk still single in his late thirties? He can only lure girls from China with a green card.

Fang Mingche saw him clench his fists, veins bulging. He wanted to hit someone! But he still had some sense of reason, knowing that he still had to rely on himself to get out.

Moreover, even in a fight, he would be no match for him.

He waited until Lao Zhou calmed down a bit before saying, "The United States is a country of immigrants. If nothing unexpected happens, Yingzi should be able to get an amnesty and a green card after a few years of illegal immigration. If you want to go abroad, just wait for her to process your application legally."

There was no way to continue drinking. Fang Mingche stood up abruptly. "I've said my piece, and I mean it. I'm leaving—"

He left from there and headed towards his brother and sister-in-law's noodle shop.

After walking a few steps, I heard someone slam their hand on the table. It was quite loud; judging from the noise, the plates on the table must have jumped up.

Then Aunt Zhou and her son came out to see what was going on, and they said something to Old Zhou, but he didn't care anymore.

It was lunchtime, and Fang Mingche went straight to the noodle shop and sat down. "Sister-in-law, make me a bowl of noodles."

Yuan Shufen agreed and threw noodles into the pot. She then prepared more meat sauce for him than for the customers. The three siblings, having just finished school, went straight to the courtyard house for lunch. The couple paid for their meals. The food there was good, and it saved them the trouble. This way, they could focus on their midday business here.

When Fang Mingche returned to get his car after eating, Aunt Yuan came over and asked him, "How did you communicate with Lao Zhou?"

She was also wondering whether Lao Zhou would come back after he went out. However, thinking that Fang Mingche was more concerned about his own interests, she kept quiet. But now she had to ask.

Fang Mingche said directly, "I told him that if he doesn't come back, I will fire Lingzi. I will also get a criminal record for his youngest son so that he can never get a visa to leave the country again."

Aunt Yuan glanced at him but said nothing. Alright, that's settled! Old Zhou wouldn't dare not come back. This really is the only way to deal with him. However, she couldn't say this on behalf of the neighborhood committee.

She didn't say anything and just left. When she got back, Grandpa Gu asked her about it. The other families in the courtyard were also very curious.

Aunt Yuan repeated what Fang Mingche had said, without adding her own opinions.

The sound of a car engine came from the small courtyard, and Fang Mingche drove away.

Grandpa Gu slapped his thigh and laughed, "It has to be Xiao Fang, that's what you call striking the snake at its vital point!"

Zhu Wenjuan, who was also at home without classes, said, "There's nothing we can do. Many people who go abroad never come back. It's not just people like Lao Zhou; government-sponsored overseas study is also a major problem. They still don't dare to open up self-funded overseas study."

The pool of candidates eligible for government-sponsored scholarships is getting wider and wider, unlike the first year when only 52 people were selected through a rigorous process. Last December alone, several hundred people took the TOEFL, so it's inevitable that some will be opportunistic and only choose those who are truly favored.

Aunt Yuan said, "Most people who go out are as determined to come back as Xiao Fang's family."

Despite Fang Mingche's threats, Lao Zhou ultimately didn't dare to retaliate. A few days later, he boarded the plane using the ticket Han Mei had given him.

Fang Mingche didn't see him off that day; it was Han Mei, the office director, who went. It would be awkward if they met again!

He didn't personally attend to other flights to Tokyo or London. He's busy trying to get into Peking University's School of Economics and Management for graduate school; he's essentially doing the work of two people.

The people at the travel agency also knew that he had threatened Lingzi's father. Everyone felt relatively relieved. If Teacher Fang didn't have some tricks up his sleeve, they really wouldn't dare to work for him like this.

Fang Mingche was at home studying for the Beijing University of Economics and Management graduate entrance exam. He had no problem with English; he should be able to get a high score of 80 or 90. Being an English major for the graduate entrance exam gave him a significant advantage.

Even his major courses weren't a big problem, since financial management was a practical application of theory for him. He audited classes with undergraduates at Peking University and was still able to understand most of them. In addition, he borrowed materials from the library and caught up on the rest.

Even if he, as an out-of-school student, couldn't borrow materials from the Kyoto University Library, he could simply pay someone to help him borrow them after attending classes in the same classroom for a while, and then make copies.

Furthermore, the Beijing Library also has quite a few professional books available for borrowing. Borrowing from the Normal University Library is even more convenient.

It all comes down to the same issue: politics! Marx and Engels' political economy isn't the problem; much of that is already established. But many of their theoretical concepts regarding reform and opening up conflict with what was already formed in his mind.

Currently, distribution according to work is only mentioned briefly in newspapers, let alone distribution according to production resources.

There was nothing he could do but try to forget the things he already remembered, and he stayed home reading the newspaper. His father always subscribed to the newspaper, and he would staple the overdue issues together by date.

He went to the courtyard house and brought over all the documents from the past year, examining them one by one. He even copied them down as he looked at them!
Lin Yi was working at the courtyard house on Sunday. She saw Fang Mingche dressed in a T-shirt, thin sweatpants, and sneakers, riding a bicycle and carrying a backpack. He didn't look like a father of two at all.

Fang Mingche replied after hearing his words, "I am only 27 years old, and I just graduated from Peking University."

He certainly wouldn't be wearing a suit and tie when entering and leaving a university campus.

Lin Yi didn't have any driving assignments today; he was currently cleaning the commercial vehicles that needed maintenance. There was no commission for this job. Lin Yan had instructed that his working hours be reduced, so Han Mei had no choice but to assign him odd jobs.

Lin Yi paused, holding the rag. Peking University! As a Chinese person, how could I not yearn for Peking University and Tsinghua University?

He's been stuck in the same place for the past three years, while his brother-in-law has been soaring to new heights! They're only a little over two years apart in age.

Han Mei was talking excitedly about her brother-in-law threatening Lao Zhou at home a couple of days ago. Who doesn't admire the strong? As her income increased and she met more people, Lin Yi really didn't seem to matter much to her anymore.

Seeing that Fang Mingche didn't seem to be busy at the moment, Lin Yi took out a cigarette from his pocket and offered it to him.

Fang Mingche didn't want to smoke, but he couldn't very well refuse the cigarette his brother-in-law offered. So he took it and put it behind his ear, saying, "Just say what you need to say."

"Brother-in-law, besides driving on Sundays, what other routes can I take?"

Fang Mingche looked at him and sat down on the tree stump bench next to him. "I heard that the government is going to pilot a leave of absence without pay for people with secure jobs."

The document was issued in January 83, so there were still about seven months left. At that time, a few places were indeed piloting it.

He explained to Lin Yi what a leave of absence without pay was.

"I think you could give this a try. As for what to make, do you have any ideas of your own?"

Lin Yi said, "Besides going to work as usual, all I can do is drive."

Fang Mingche nodded, "When your sister was released back to Beijing three years ago, I thought about it again and again and only found out that I had this special talent."

"And then you went with Brother Mingfeng to work as a driver, reselling electronic watches and making your first pot of gold?"

"Yes. But you can't do that now; the roads are much more dangerous than they were three years ago." There are quite a few criminals in the village these days. He wouldn't dare encourage Lin Yi to do it. The chances of something going wrong are too high!
Changchang came out of the house, calling out, "Dad, Uncle—"

Fang Mingche said, "Go and get us two bottles of water."

"Oh." Changchang ran inside and came out carrying two bottles of mineral water in two separate trips. Then she sat down next to her father.

Lin Yi said, "Since we can take a leave of absence without pay in the future, brother-in-law, can you give me some advice?"

As long as he keeps his secure job, he hopes to find a way to make money like his brother-in-law and Zhu Qiming. Asking him to drive around and fawn over people is truly a difficult task.

Fang Mingche said, "They're all our bread and butter, what's so difficult about that? We're not asking you to bow and scrape to unreasonable people. If you want to do business, you have to do it this way. It's not a state-owned supply and marketing cooperative or a bus company, do you expect to give customers the cold shoulder?"

(End of this chapter)