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

Chapter 230 Daring to Think and Act
Fang Mingche sorted out the timeline; the first major crackdown was about to begin this year (1983).

The People's Armed Police Force is likely already under construction and will be officially established in the capital on April 5th of this year. This force is specifically created for cracking down on crime and to address the previous shortage of police manpower.

Fang Mingche said to Gao Xiang, "It's good to have some peace and quiet. It's perfect for us to enjoy ourselves."

I bet Wang Dexian was both amused and exasperated when he received the call asking him to reserve a standard room. Their club really was born at the wrong time. But thankfully, land rental fees shouldn't be too high these days.

In today's capital, the Tuanjiehu neighborhood is considered quite remote, even outside the Third Ring Road. Moreover, in this genuine suburb, the 30-year land lease is incredibly cheap. Even without business, the only current expenses are labor costs. But once this period is over, things will naturally improve. If they can weather this storm, they'll definitely be rolling in money in the future.

Gao Xiang nodded. "Yeah. To be honest, even now that I'm completely relaxed, I feel really tired. With this kind of exam, we can go home after each subject. In the past, candidates for the imperial examinations and the metropolitan examinations would take the exams for nine days and nine nights straight, and they weren't allowed to leave at all. I've seen the exam venue; it's worse than prison. They had to eat, drink, sleep, and do their exams all inside. It was so long that you couldn't even sleep straight; you could only curl up at night."

Fang Mingche said, "I've been there too. But once you step onto that path, it's a road to success, and people have been flocking to it for thousands of years. Even for our generation, if the college entrance exam were in that kind of environment, we would still have to go."

Born into poverty, there was no other way to improve oneself. The college entrance examination is already a rare instance of fairness in the lives of ordinary people.

The car gradually drove into the central area of ​​the club. Fortunately, it was much better than the desolation outside. There were still a few scattered guests. After all, it was a hot spring resort, and simple businessmen like them were still willing to come out and spend money.

It should be operating normally now without any problems. After all, it's a high-end venue, and the fees should cover the staff's salaries. It's just that it's nothing compared to the first two weeks after it opened in October; the difference is quite significant.

Moreover, as a businessman, Fang Mingche was very happy that the crackdown was finally about to begin. Better public security is naturally more conducive to social development and makes it easier for them to do business.

He doesn't dare organize long-distance tours by car or train anymore, for fear of something going wrong along the way. He organizes tours by plane for all his tourists. But flying means missing out on a lot of beautiful scenery and business.

After parking the car, Fang Mingche said, "Since there are many empty rooms, let's each take a room later. That way we can rest better and won't disturb each other. You don't need to rush to start working; rest for a couple more days first."

This parking lot is quite different from the one Ah Yan described as being packed with cars. However, there should still be about ten or twenty private cars. That's quite good these days.

Gao Xiang nodded, "That would be great, since you're paying for it, boss. Hmm, I'll rest for another day before we talk about work."

Unfortunately, Xiaoping needs to take care of the child and can't go back to work in the short term. Her mother also needs to continue taking her medication. Besides, they still have to slowly pay back the travel agency money after buying the house.

He's the pillar of the family, so he has to do more.

The two men, carrying their belongings, checked into the newly built resort hotel. They booked two adjacent rooms. The rooms were quite upscale. It seemed that Old Wang and his group had indeed invested a considerable amount.

However, they haven't lost money yet; they just haven't made any money.

They drove over after finishing their exams in the afternoon, and it was almost dinnertime by now. They dropped off their things and went to the restaurant together.

This is a booklet-based system; you can spend the 1200 as you like. Fang Mingche ordered whatever he wanted, including some dishes that Gao Xiang liked. After eating, the two went back to their room to rest before soaking in the hot springs.

There weren't too many people! Aside from those who had their own private pool, most others were divided into two pools: one for men and one for women. The other pools weren't open to save on manpower.

Fang Mingche found a deeper spot in the pool, sat on a stone bench wearing his swimming trunks, and the hot spring water reached up to his neck.

Wow, this feels so good! This is a natural 43-degree hot spring!
Before he came, he asked around and found out that Ayan, Zhu Dahai, Hu Yong, and Qi Shun's greenhouse vegetable farm seemed to be nearby. Being close to the hot springs and having a greenhouse is essential for growing vegetables in the dead of winter. Old Wang said that the club gets its vegetables from there.

Ayan had also muttered to herself that their dishes were relatively expensive when sold outside. After all, they had what others didn't! But compared to the prices at this club, it was completely incomparable.

However, this place is really great, offering a one-stop service for eating, lodging, and entertainment!

In a few days, after the younger children's final exams, we can bring the old and the young all here. We won't even need to go south for the warm winter; life is quite pleasant right here by the hot springs. In ancient times, this was a luxury only royalty and nobility could enjoy.

Consider it a favor to support Old Wang's business!

Just then, the landline phone at the Overseas Chinese Apartment rang. It was Mingfeng calling from Guangzhou.

Lin Yan and the others had already eaten. She answered the phone, "It's Mingfeng, looking for Mingche, but he's not home."

"Where did he go? Wasn't the postgraduate entrance exam over today?"

"Yes, so he went to the hot springs at the club that Wang Dexian and a group of high-ranking officials' children jointly owned."

"He went there by himself, leaving you and the three of you at home?"

“Yan Yan, Xiao Min, and I all have to prepare for our final exams. We can’t let him relax after all that hard work and then have to take care of Chang Chang, this little baby. So he went straight to Gao Xiang’s place after the exam.”

Evening school also has exams, and Fang Min will have her graduation exam next semester. She'll get a diploma then. In September, Changchang will attend the preparatory class, and she can choose to work at a travel agency or a guesthouse.

Fang Min has been learning English for the past two years, and her uncle and aunt both told her that it would definitely be useful. So she should have no problem with either of those.

Fang Mingfeng said, "He really knows how to enjoy life. Is there a telephone?"

"There's an extension in the hotel room, I'll give you the number."

Lin Yan hung up the phone and raised an eyebrow. The fact that she insisted on calling Ming Che meant it wasn't to ask if his family was going south for the New Year. So, was there some business to discuss?
The scrap yard has been operating smoothly without any incidents. Could it be that you've started another new business?

Three or four years ago, Lin Yan and Fang Mingche were still running a tea stall in Tiananmen Square. At that time, she felt that if they could transport goods from Guangzhou to the capital for sale, it would be a great business for them and Brother Mingfeng.

But Mingche pointed out at the time that the security situation was poor, and many people would hitchhike on the trains along the way. Back then, losing even one shipment could break their cash flow. Therefore, they didn't dare to develop in that direction.

Last year, she went to Guangzhou for a mild winter and witnessed firsthand how many good things were smuggled in or openly transported from Hong Kong. Mingche and Mingfeng even visited Chung Ying Street in Shenzhen and came back saying that the goods there were extremely abundant. Chung Ying Street is uniquely positioned to buy things from Hong Kong.

They don't have the qualifications to bring goods from Hong Kong back to sell right now, but it would be great if they could import from Guangzhou and Shenzhen. They're still short of money! The 60,000 yuan that both sets of parents contributed to the house purchase hasn't been taken yet, but that money is clearly untouchable. Even if a satisfactory apartment finally becomes available in the Overseas Chinese Apartments, they can't touch it.

Mingche has already said everything. If things move, and the four elderly people find a house they like and come to her for the money, can she just shrug and say, "It's all been spent"?
She used all the money she earned from the scrap yard and vegetable stall to pay off her debts. Now they truly bear a debt of several hundred thousand yuan. (They've already paid off over 100,000 yuan this year.)
As for the travel agency's profit sharing, they need to open branch offices and stores from time to time. And the Wang family can't be without funds when they need them. So, you really can't rely too much on this money.

Therefore, Lin Yan would naturally be happy to see new, profitable business opportunities. Especially since Brother Mingfeng is currently in Guangzhou, if those goods can safely reach Beijing, it would be a real money-maker!

However, he probably felt it inconvenient to discuss this directly with his brother-in-law and sister-in-law, which is why he insisted on going to Mingche. But have the difficulties Mingche mentioned before no longer existed?

Fang Mingfeng called the club, and the operator at the switchboard enthusiastically transferred him to a room. Unfortunately, it rang more than a dozen times without anyone answering. Fang Mingche was still soaking in the hot spring pool at that moment.

After soaking, he and Gao Xiang went to receive a massage from a technician.

Gao Xiang initially cried out as the pressure was applied, but Fang Mingche said, "I told you not to be so overworked with paperwork all day. You need to get up and move around after sitting for so long. It's okay, you'll be fine after this!"

Gao Xiang said, "You make it sound so easy!"

"I'm better fit than you. I play basketball all the time. I didn't cut back on my workouts even during my exam preparation period."

After feeling completely relaxed from the massage, Fang Mingche and Gao Xiang walked back to the hotel together. There were many hot spring sources here, so the temperature throughout the area was higher than outside. And since they had just soaked, their bodies were warm and cozy.

Gao Xiang was in excruciating pain at first, but he gradually began to appreciate the benefits of the massage. He said, "This natural hot spring seems to be more comfortable than soaking in a public bathhouse."

"Yes, hot springs contain many minerals that are beneficial to the human body."

The two walked past the front desk, where the receptionist, who had just answered the switchboard, said, "Mr. Fang, someone claiming to be your cousin called just now. I transferred you to your room, but you weren't there."

Fang Mingche nodded, "Okay, I understand, thank you."

He returned to his room, changed into his pajamas, and went straight to bed. Then he picked up the extension phone on the bedside table and dialed Mingfeng, asking casually, "Mingfeng, is there something you need?"

He soaked in the hot spring for a while, then enjoyed a massage with precise acupressure points. He was starting to feel sleepy.

Fang Mingfeng said, "Mingche, I finally got to see you finish your exam and come out of the exam hall. What do you think about what happened last year?"

He really did wait two and a half months before making that call. Mingche was the academic star of their Fang family. If it delayed his studies and he almost failed the exam, he didn't want to be blamed by his seventh uncle.

Fang Mingche asked, "What's your opinion?"

“I think we should probably crack down on public security. We’ve discussed before that the government can’t just ignore this; if things continue to be chaotic, it will affect the overall reform and opening-up policy. When we first talked about reform and opening up, so many people didn’t believe us, but we kept our word and opened up to the outside world and reformed domestically. And these special economic zones in the south, they were set up just like that. Do you think we should start preparing in advance?”

Fang Mingche remembered that in his previous life, Mingfeng only started running freight transport in 84 by buying a second-hand Jiefang truck.

So, in his past life, at this point in time, he wasn't actually without ideas, he just didn't have enough money? Is he calling me now to try and get me involved so we can get the business up and running as soon as possible?

He's interested in this! Talking about it makes him less sleepy.

This kind of investment is much better than simply buying a house. He's buying a house now mainly because it saves on rent, and he can also mortgage it to the bank to borrow 70-80% of the money to pay it back or continue using it.

But to truly become wealthy, you still need to do business and invest. Although housing prices are rising rapidly, inflation is also rising very quickly. Buying a house can only just outpace inflation.

Moreover, Brother Mingfeng already succeeded in doing it in his previous life.

He asked, "Are you looking to buy a car but short of money?"

The other person quickly replied, "That's right. This is the only house I have right now, and I don't dare to gamble everything. So, do you want to partner with me? We can also bring your student who does black market business back in our hometown."

He was really hesitant to mortgage his only apartment in Guangzhou to the bank and use all his savings to buy a large truck for transporting goods.

He has elderly parents to care for, young children to raise, and is even planning to have a third child, a son. What if he loses money? That's why he wants to find Fang Mingche to share some of the risk, so that everyone can benefit if the business grows bigger in the future.

Fang Mingche rubbed his temples. It seemed that Mingfeng was neither in the capital nor in Guangzhou at this time in his previous life.

Since he didn't come to the capital, he naturally didn't earn the twenty or thirty thousand yuan he made at the scrap yard. At that time, he was just doing business in the county town.

Having earned an extra 20,000 yuan in this lifetime, and seeing the profits from running a travel agency, is that why he started planning ahead?

"Preparations can begin now. We can manage on manpower; my student and your apprentice who's still driving for your former boss count. We can also scrape together the money to buy a truck."

"Yes, we can buy two first."

Fang Mingche said, "You found a company in Guangzhou where I can register my transport vehicles? My travel agency and store won't do. I can only buy small trucks for local delivery."

Are you going to buy two cars right away? It seems that Brother Mingfeng's expectations have really risen since he started his own travel agency.

Fang Mingfeng said, "The regulations aren't that strict now, are they?"

“No, it won’t work. If it gets too big, it’ll become a liability. It’s not just you and me who see how profitable this industry is. Anyway, the crackdown hasn’t officially started yet, so there’s no need to rush. I reckon there should be places in Guangzhou where you can get affiliation for a fee. You’re familiar with the area, so you can inquire there. We can meet up in our hometown during the Qingming Festival and discuss the details further.”

"it is good!"

(End of this chapter)