Journey 1995:Non-Stop

Chapter 262 Chinese New Year
The howling wind and the second snowfall in Jinan heralded the official arrival of winter in the city.

Concrete work at the construction site has completely stopped, and Yan Hui has suspended his plywood business, except for a small amount of lumber supply. Manager Xiang already knew about this; after all, he had been supplying them for years and understood the situation.

From mid-September to early January, Yan Hui occasionally added to his orders, placing a total of 15 orders for 12000 sheets of plywood, with a total order amount of 816,000 yuan and a profit of 144,000 yuan.

Yan Hui's assets increased from 5 yuan to approximately 15 yuan.

He was still receiving his brother-in-law's salary and doing other business, but his expenses were also very high, especially since it was agreed that he would share the profits with President Han, and Yan Hui couldn't possibly refuse to do so.

Leaving aside the details of that process, in short, Yan Hui did manage to share some of the profits, leaving him with approximately 15 yuan.

Chinese New Year is early this year; it falls on January 23rd, which is Lunar New Year's Eve.

On January 17th, the eve of the Lunar New Year in northern China, Yan Hui called home to say that he wouldn't be going back for the holiday this year and would be helping his brother-in-law look after the warehouse.

Before leaving, Yan Hui's brother-in-law gave him 3000 yuan as overtime pay for working during the Spring Festival. In return, Yan Hui gave his brother-in-law 20,000 yuan and asked him to take it back to southern Fujian.

After receiving Yan Hui's money, the brother-in-law thought for a long time before accepting it: "I will take good care of it to Grandma for you."

"Yes, brother-in-law, be sure to tell them that I have to help look after the warehouse, but I will definitely go back next year. You have more time this year, and the air conditioning business is less in winter, so please let my sister stay home and spend more time with my grandma." Yan Hui then instructed her brother-in-law.

"Don't worry, you're not the same as before. I know you're still far from being what you used to be, but following President Han... you might not believe it, but quite a few people recognize you now, and some will even start giving me face because of you," my brother-in-law said with emotion.

The reason he took Yan Hui's 20,000 yuan was because he judged that Yan Hui had at least 100,000 to 200,000 yuan. He had truly watched Yan Hui gradually gain President Han's trust and establish himself in Jinan.

"Brother-in-law, don't say that. Without your introduction, I would still be far behind. Anyway, brother-in-law, I am truly grateful to you and my sister! Really, if it weren't for you two, this year..." Yan Hui said, his eyes almost welling up with tears.

"Don't say these things. We're all relatives, why are you talking about this? Your sister said she'd come to see you after the New Year; she didn't even dare to come and say goodbye today. Anyway, just be well. I have a feeling that in five years at most, I'll be able to make money using your name," her brother-in-law said. "You must remember that all those things from the past are your wealth, things that helped you grow. Only after you went through that experience can you grasp even greater wealth."

"I know." Yan Hui hugged his brother-in-law's shoulder.

...

My brother-in-law is gone, and this winter seems even colder.

Yan Hui moved Lingling's nest into the warehouse.

It was just as cold inside the warehouse, but there was no wind and the temperature was above zero. Yan Hui laid out a thick mat for Lingling and made a nice doghouse for her.

After a few months, Lingling has grown up completely, weighing 25-30 pounds, making her a nearly adult Chinese rural dog.

These past few months, Yan Hui has been feeding Lingling well, and she has grown very quickly. Her bond with Yan Hui has also deepened.

When Yan Hui is in a bad mood, he will go out to chat with Lingling, and sometimes he will invite Lingling to his bedroom to sleep.

Lingling is very sensible. When she gets to the bedroom, she just lies on the mat and never jumps onto the bed.

Lingling is Yan Hui's best listener. No matter what Yan Hui says, it accompanies and listens.

Sometimes, when Yan Hui sings alone, it listens and occasionally whines along, showing a remarkable intelligence. In the past year, Yan Hui hasn't been to a karaoke bar or similar place even once. Sometimes, when passing by karaoke stalls, it just glances at them and walks away. He says he wasn't as happy as he was back in Northeast China. Back then, he was poorer and worked harder, but he didn't suffer as much as he does now.

So, what exactly is suffering for a person? Is it being content or not?

...

My brother-in-law left a lot of food, but Yan Hui still went to the store and bought a bunch of things.

Around this time in 2000, during the Spring Festival, most shops were closed, so Yan Hui bought a box of instant noodles and a large bag of steamed buns.

He and Lingling both ate steamed buns. The outside temperature was already minus ten degrees Celsius. He bought hundreds of steamed buns and stored them in a shady place in the warehouse. They would be fine to keep them all winter.

There were also sausages for sale in the market, and Yan Hui bought ten jin (5 kg) of them.

Every day I brew tea, make instant noodles, heat up steamed buns and sausages, feed the dog, and read books. The New Year is just around the corner.

On New Year's Eve, Yan Hui received many phone calls. His family alone called him five or six times. Basically, whenever a relative visited his grandmother, his grandmother would find an excuse to call Yan Hui.

While the relatives were chatting with Yan Hui, his grandmother listened from the side. Only when she said, "Everything is fine here," did she reluctantly hang up the phone.

...

However, Yan Hui did not expect that on the first day of the Lunar New Year, he received a call from an unknown number. After chatting, he found out that it was Song Zhiyuan calling.

On January 24, 2001, Song Zhiyuan turned 20 years old.

"Xiao Song? How did you get my new number?" Yan Hui was surprised.

“My brother Song is still at the market today. I came over to wish him a Happy New Year, and we talked about you. He called you and found out you’d changed your number. This is your new number, which I got from Brother Guo.” Song Zhiyuan’s voice was quite loud.

"Oh, I see! How have you been these past few years?" Yan Hui was in a pretty good mood after receiving Song Zhiyuan's call.

"Brother Yan, I'm doing well. I got into Beijing University of Technology and I'm a freshman now, majoring in organic chemistry. I received a scholarship at the end of the semester. I heard from Brother Guo that you're doing business in Jinan now. When are you going back to Jinan after the New Year? I'd like to visit you sometime!" Song Zhiyuan seemed very excited as he talked.

"You don't need to rush to see me. Your studies are the priority. You can come see me after you graduate from university." Yan Hui didn't think there was any hurry.

"Oh? It's okay, Brother Yan. I'm not as constrained as I was in high school. I found two tutoring jobs in Beijing and even got a scholarship. Now I've saved up several thousand yuan, so I can go anywhere."

"Then let's wait until April. Spring will be in full bloom in Jinan then. When you come, I'll take you to see Baotu Spring," Yan Hui said with a smile.

"Okay! It's settled then! Have a good New Year, Brother Yan. Long-distance calls are too expensive, so I won't say too much!" After chatting for a few minutes and exchanging contact addresses, Song Zhiyuan hung up the phone.

After putting down his phone, Yan Hui glanced at the calendar and sighed at how fast time flies.

Three years in Jianye, one year in Jinan, four years have passed in the blink of an eye. Thinking back, several of my old friends who went to university back then have long since graduated, while that 14-year-old boy is now a university student in Beijing.

(End of this chapter)