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

Chapter 231 Prosperity
Fang Mingche rested and recuperated at the club for three days, and his energy and spirits were fully restored. It was really fun there, as long as you were willing to spend money.

Gao Xiang rested for two days before starting to work on last year's annual financial statements. He spent the third day working on them at his desk in his hotel room.

Fang Mingche and the Wang family received a considerable amount of dividends in 82, and he needed to balance the books. The tax threshold is 800, and for each month exceeding 12000, the individual income tax is 45%. He needed to spread it over 12 months to minimize the tax burden, given that it's a tiered tax system.

By the time Fang Mingche returned from playing pool with an acquaintance, he had just finished.

"Look at it."

Fang Mingche picked up the calculator and started pressing the keys as he looked at it. After confirming everything was correct, he said, "Okay, that's settled then."

Gao Xiang stood up and stretched his body, which had been sitting for a long time. "Shall we go back tomorrow morning?"

"Okay!"

Since winter break hasn't officially started yet, I skipped these three days of classes. I'm a senior now, and everyone knows that graduate school entrance exams have just finished, so the professors won't call on me.

The driver arrived in a car at 10:30 a.m. the next day. Gao Xiang glanced at the bill Fang Mingche had paid; it had cost nearly 300 yuan over three days.

He clicked his tongue; this place wasn't suitable for ordinary people. These days, young people working in the factory only earn thirty or forty yuan a month.

Fang Mingche said, "Go back and give your shoulder a good hot compress; the recoil from that gun is a bit strong."

For the first two days, Gao Xiang didn't dare to shoot, only rode a horse and played a game of bridge. He was afraid that shooting would make his shoulders stiff and interfere with his bookkeeping. But he's leaving today, and there's nothing urgent for the next few days, so it won't be a problem. Anyway, it won't affect his final exams in ten days.

The two went to shoot a gun; bullets cost five yuan each. They each fired ten bullets, which was the most expensive part.

For the past three days, Yan Yan and her three siblings haven't come to their martial arts class. They have exams coming up.

When I got home, Changchang greeted me with a remote-controlled airplane in his arms. However, it seemed he was already heading out anyway.

"Dad, have you finished your exams?"

Fang Mingche hasn't been home for the past three days. Lin Yan told her son that he couldn't come home because of exams.

Fang Mingche nodded, "Yes. Are you going downstairs to play? Be careful, the roads are slippery after the snow."

"know."

Fang Min saw him downstairs to meet up with his friends. They were going to have a race to see whose plane could fly higher and faster.

Fang Mingche looked out the window and saw that they were having a very harmonious time.

Fang Min came upstairs again. "Uncle Jiu, is the food there especially delicious?"

Fang Mingche, who was watching financial news on TV, nodded, "Yes, they hired two chefs who had been on unpaid leave from the large courtyard canteen."

It seems Old Wang has been quite busy lately; I haven't seen him at the club for the past three days. However, it's not usually Old Wang, who works at the municipal government, who manages the day-to-day operations.

He was quite valued after his promotion. Of course, those who aren't valued aren't likely to be sent abroad for study on government scholarships.

Moreover, after spending six months in the United States, his English improved dramatically, to say the least. Given the nature of his work in attracting investment, being good at English is definitely a plus.

Old Wang had even come to talk to Fang Mingche before, to see if he was stronger than Fang Mingche. The result, of course, was a draw; it's not something that can be quantified.

Fang Min said, "Now that you mention it, I feel quite pressured when I'm cooking."

"No need, your home-cooked dishes are quite good."

A little while later, Yan Yan came home from school at noon. She led her younger brother upstairs and helped him carry the remote-controlled airplane.

As soon as she saw Fang Mingche, she asked, "Dad, how did you do on your exam?"

My dad is preparing for graduate school entrance exams. Grandpa Qiu said that only a very small number of people can get into university, and graduate school is even rarer.

Fang Mingche said, "I've written down everything I know, but the competition is very strong. So let's wait for the results to be released."

However, I need to start preparing for the re-examination in private.

He plans to get paid tutoring from a Kyoto University graduate student who's staying on campus after his final exams. At least he wants to see what kind of questions they'll be asking.

Yan Yan said, "Dad, you can do it!"

She heard that the club's canteen was staffed by a master chef from the military region, and said with great interest, "Dad, let's all go and try it after our final exams."

"Okay." Yan Yan has always been very focused on her studies, so there's no need to use this as a material reward.

Two weeks later, the family of three finished their final exams. Fang Mingche then took the three of them, along with their parents, parents-in-law, and three nephews and nieces, to the exams.

With so many people, we can just get a minivan and have Lin Yi drive them over.

My second uncle had actually called before, but Fang's father said he wouldn't be going to the south this year. Mingche said he'd take them to a hot spring resort for the winter. Lin Yan's vegetable garden, which she co-owns, is also nearby; we can go check it out sometime.

So, after finishing a few minor exams, he packed up and headed out of the city. He left the day-to-day management of the guesthouse to his deputy.

Well, although he's called a deputy, he actually does the work and gets paid the same as the boss's father. Naturally, he doesn't mind being nominally the boss's father's deputy.

Lin Yi, driving, was extremely envious of his parents. He wished his sister and brother-in-law would invite him to the club for a visit, food, and lodging. He immediately packed a change of clothes. But not only could he and Han Mei not come, but his brother-in-law's older brother and sister-in-law were also still running their noodle shop. There was nothing he could do!
At most, we can only come in and celebrate the New Year together during the holidays. Judging from this, we'll be having a lively New Year here this year.

Fang Mingche smiled and said, "Lin Yi, you don't need to rush back. Let's have dinner later before heading back to the city."

This kid can be of some help now.

Lin Yi quickly replied, "Okay, brother-in-law."

Upon arriving at the club, the younger children were all familiar with the place. Changchang had even spontaneously said that he wanted to come in and practice horse stance when he turned three, so that he could come more often in the future.

Once inside, Fang's mother couldn't help but click her tongue in amazement. "This is such a beautiful place! And they've just fenced it off and won't let anyone in?"

Lin Yan said, "Mom, we paid the rent."

Looking around, Lin's mother couldn't help but say, "I glanced at the prices at that coffee shop over there, and the gap between the rich and poor is just too big."

Fang Mingche glanced at the expressions on his father's and father-in-law's faces. Although they didn't say it, they probably thought so too.

He said, "Wealth is the most tempting thing. If people don't see that those who go into business can live a good life, why would anyone follow suit? This is no longer the time for egalitarianism; neither rural areas nor factories can do that. Even the elders can't deny that many people have indeed become rich in recent years. The country's coffers are also slightly fuller than before the Third Plenary Session of the Eleventh Central Committee."

Lin's father said, "Are you saying that the government encourages this kind of behavior that widens the gap between the rich and the poor?"

Fang Mingche said, "The capable rise, the mediocre fall. Nobody's stopping others from venturing into business. Most of us who are making money now are those who work hard from dawn till dusk." Think about it: the country now encourages individual business operations, even allowing those with secure jobs to take unpaid leave and start their own businesses. Moreover, whether in rural areas or factories, the old system of equal distribution of income has been abolished, greatly unleashing people's enthusiasm. Efficiency has increased accordingly!
Thinking about all this, the four old people didn't say anything more. Mingche paid to bring them in, so they should just enjoy themselves. Let's not say anything unpleasant!

There were eleven people in total, and they booked five guest rooms. Changchang can just stay with the couple.

One of the second-generation heirs who was in charge of running the club smiled and said to Fang Mingche, "Xiao Fang, thank you for your patronage!"

Fang Mingche said, "This saves me the cost of a plane ticket to the south. Besides, didn't you give me a discount?"

The round-trip airfare for more than ten people is enough to cover expenses here for half a month.

Besides, business isn't great right now, so it's like they've practically booked the whole place. That's pretty good!

After settling into the room, Fang Mingche told Lin Yan about Mingfeng's plans.

Lin Yan wholeheartedly agreed, "I really wish the highways could be cleared immediately! On a small scale, this is about transportation; on a larger scale, it's about goods flowing throughout the world. Just like the Silk Road and the Tea Horse Road of the past."

Fang Mingche said, "I plan to only invest and take shares, sharing the risks and profits. At first, it should only be from Guangzhou to Chengdu. It's still early. I'll go back in April to sit down and discuss it. By the time we've raised enough money, it will be at least summer vacation."

At that time, the first major crackdown in the new China officially began.

I still didn't go back to my hometown for the Spring Festival this year. On New Year's Eve, Fang Minghua and his wife, as well as Lin Yi and his wife, were invited to celebrate the New Year together. We just need to book two more rooms for them.

The biggest difference between this year and previous years: there's a Spring Festival Gala!
The Spring Festival Gala was a rare sight back then! It's completely different from the way it was used as a New Year's Eve dish in later generations, where it was optional.

Everyone, young and old, watched with great interest. In particular, the pantomime "Eating Chicken" had everyone from Mr. Fang to Fang Chang laughing from ear to ear.

Lin Yan asked Fang Mingche in a low voice, "Do you think it would look good if I bought a Xiaoqing shirt to wear?"

The so-called "Xiaoqing shirt" refers to the red silk shirt worn by Liu Xiaoqing, the female host tonight. Wearing it on the Spring Festival Gala truly made it a hit.

Fang Mingche smiled and nodded, "Beautiful!"

This person is still active on screen 40 years later. He even watched a short drama she acted in when she was over 70! And apparently, she's also selling products online and participating in variety shows, and she still walks with a brisk pace. Her vitality is truly amazing.

Lin Yi and Fang Jian, who were sitting next to him, opened Tianfu Cola and drank it.

Fang Mingche asked them, "Does this taste better, or does Coca-Cola or Pepsi taste better?"

Fang Jian said, "Each has its own flavor."

The latter two were bought by Auntie from the Friendship Store, and they had all tried them.

Young and old alike didn't want to go to bed early; they only went to sleep after watching the Spring Festival Gala. They were practically staying up all night together.

Only Changchang got sleepy around 10 o'clock, so Lin Yan carried him into the house to wash up, take off his clothes, and settle him down to sleep.

The little rascal is sleeping soundly between his parents right now.

Fang Mingche sat on the edge of the bed. "Time really flies. In the blink of an eye, it's been four years since I brought Yan Yan to the capital."

Lin Yan looked at Changchang, "Yes, Changchang is almost three years old. We haven't wasted any time, have we?"

She divorced early and returned to Beijing, where she actually only spent the Chinese New Year with her family.

"Okay. Go to sleep, it's already the first day of the Lunar New Year."

Fang Minghua and his wife, and Lin Yi and his wife, stayed here until they started working or opened their own shops.

The remaining elderly and children, though not in a hurry, left with them. They had been staying there for about half a month. The large courtyard house still had very few guests, and with the underfloor heating, it was quite comfortable to go back and stay.

Fang's father couldn't help but ask Fang Mingche, "Do you think you'll pass with your score?"

Fang Mingche smiled wryly, "It feels a bit uncertain, after all, it's the top university."

When the scores were announced, Fang Mingche was the last one to be interviewed for the postgraduate entrance examination.

Unless you perform exceptionally well in the interview, you're usually just there to accompany the prince in his studies. But if you get this interview opportunity, you should definitely cherish it.

Fang Mingche had previously hired graduate students from the Department of Economics and Management at Peking University to tutor him. Now that he had secured an interview, he invited two more to share their interview experiences with him.

Surprisingly, none of what they had talked about was actually used during the formal interview. The teacher mainly asked about their views on economic trends.

Fang Mingche then recounted his experiences from his past and future lives, along with the results of his theoretical studies over the past two years.

The teacher listened while flipping through his resume. After he finished speaking, the teacher asked him to talk about his vision for the future of the travel agency.

After listening, he said, "Not bad. This is the first time I've encountered a student who combines theory and practice so well. Go back and wait for news!"

Fang Mingche thought this sounded like a good thing, so he bowed and said, "Thank you, teacher!"

After he left, a middle-aged teacher who was in charge of the interviews and sat in the middle said, "This is my student!"

It means you shouldn't fight over it.

Given his status in the industry, the others also said, "Okay, okay, it's yours."

Fang Mingche waited for over a week before the results were finally released. He was the last one admitted through the competitive selection process. It was both surprising and somewhat amusing; he'd been at the very bottom twice!
However, getting accepted is an incredible stroke of luck. He can't believe he'll ever be a graduate student at Peking University!

When the news reached home, the whole family was naturally overjoyed.

Mr. Fang immediately ordered firecrackers to be set off at the entrance of the courtyard house. He also hung up a sign that read, "Honored Boss, All Purchases Today are 12% Off."

Then he picked up the phone and called the village party branch, "Secretary, Mingche got into Peking University!"

“Oh my, this is truly a stroke of good fortune. The Fang family must hold a ancestral worship ceremony this Qingming Festival, and this matter must be recorded in the family genealogy.”

Fang Mingche happily picked up Changchang, realizing that many things in this life were different from his previous one. His father's death date from his previous life had passed, but the old man was still healthy and strong. His father-in-law was also very mobile.

Ayan said that since he has retired early, she will pay for them to travel to various places. Before they have grandchildren, they can travel and have fun.

As for Ayan, the traffic accident in her past life was an accident. It will never happen again in this life. This time, they will stay together and grow old together. Ayan will definitely be able to see her grandchildren.

Since his rebirth, he has been on an upward trajectory. Now, a business empire has already sprung up beneath his feet, waiting for him to continue expanding.

Sending his wife, a former educated youth, back to the city himself was the right move!

(End of this chapter)