Spring Breeze Twenty Years

Chapter 205 Living Conditions

As the coal truck drove away, the people began to gather the scattered coal. Several women and children came out from the side, carrying bags or baskets, collected the coal, lifted it to the side, and continued to stand there waiting for the next truck.

Xiao Wei said, "This is blatant robbery, and nobody's doing anything about it? Why didn't the driver get out and look for him?"

Chen Hui shifted gears and said, "Get out and look for it? If the truck dares to stop, it won't be able to move. We'll unload a whole truckload of coal in ten minutes. Who are you going to look for then?"

Chen Xiao said, "I might even get beaten up. The police station can't do anything about it. It's just that the law doesn't apply to everyone."

Xiao Wei and Xia Maosheng stared at each other blankly. Xia Maosheng said, "I don't need to fight for coal there. There's coal everywhere. There's plenty."

Xiao Wei said, "We don't need to fight for coal where we live. We don't have coal, we burn wood."

Chen Hui said, "There are fewer coal trucks here, so the fighting isn't fierce. Go to Tiexi, go to the shantytowns near Yanfen, that's where it's really lively. People fighting over coal can even break out. If a coal truck leaves and you're left with more than half a truckload, you're considered lucky. But it seems like there's someone in charge now, there are patrols during the day."

Xiao Wei said, "That coal truck is stupid, it can just not go that way."

Chen Hui said, "Do you think he wanted to leave? He had no choice. They all robbed people on the only roads. Unless you flew, you'd have to go all the way around Fengtian, which would cost a fortune. Besides, even if you went all the way around, you'd still have to get him to his destination in the end."

Xia Maosheng said, "Wouldn't it be easier to reach it if we used a bigger truck? I see that the coal trucks in our area are all big, with cargo beds that are much taller than mine."

Chen Hui said, "These are all private individuals making a little money. How much does it cost to maintain a car for a year? Can they afford it? Besides, they can't even afford to buy one. And these coal buyers are mostly from old neighborhoods or shantytowns. If the car is too big, it can't get in. Go to Tiexi and see, you have to get off your bicycle and push it, let alone a big car. They'll build a house for you as long as there's a tiny bit of space."

Xiao Wei said, "What kind of house can you build with that? What's the point of building it like that?"

Chen Xiao said, "People live there, of course. Where else would they live? Families usually have several children, but they don't get married or have kids. The smallest house I saw near my classmate's house had a roof of only five square meters, and it was still a family of three living there."

Xiao Wei stood there for a long time, then said blankly, "It seems that city people have it even harder than us mountain folk."

Chen Xiao said, "It depends on how you compare them. Those who have nowhere to live and can't make money are definitely worse off than you. Those who have jobs and are allocated housing are definitely better off than you. Anyway, we all have to survive."

Chen Hui said, "Yes, there are quite a few people who can't make money. Many small factories are going out of business now and can't pay wages. Many families only earn a few dozen or a hundred yuan a month. There are also many former farmers who have lost their land and can't earn a penny. I'll take you to the outskirts of the city sometime so you can see for yourself. It's heartbreaking."

Xiao Wei asked, "Then nobody cares?"

Xiao Hui said, "Why is no one taking care of them? If no one took care of them, they would have starved to death long ago. How can anyone take care of them? It's not just one or two families. It's not a matter of you giving them some money, you understand? What they need isn't some money from someone, which can last for a few days. What they need is a way to survive. Actually, the government over there isn't having an easy time either. Aren't they worried about these things every day? In winter, they have to watch out for a few people freezing to death, and in summer, they have to watch out for a few people starving to death. They have to find ways to help them earn money. It's tough. Many of the street officials over there are even taking things from their own homes to post on the forums for people."

Chen Xiao said, "To put it this way, in this area, you feel that life is pretty good, money is easy to make, and human nature is ugly. Over there, it's the opposite: life is hard, money is hard to make, but human nature is beautiful."

Xia Maosheng laughed and said, "This guy, Xiao Xiao is quite talented in writing. I never noticed before."

Chen Xiao rolled his eyes at Xia Maosheng and said, "I graduated from university properly, okay?"

Xiao Wei exclaimed in surprise, "Ah! You graduated from university? Then why aren't you working?"

Chen Xiao curled her lip and said, "Do you think I don't want to work? There are so many graduates, where are there so many places to be assigned? Do you think this is the 70s or 80s, where a college graduate was a cadre, and everyone was scrambling to hire them? Now, the government-approved positions are tightly controlled. Dozens or even hundreds of people are vying for each opening. A college degree is nothing; you still need connections, strong connections, and luck. My brother's father had to pull a lot of strings and go through a lot of trouble to get him a job, and he's still just an ordinary employee. If you want a government-approved position, hmph, just wait. Education, connections, money—you can't be without any of them."

Chen Hui said, "Our power industry is in a better position. It's relatively independent and takes better care of its own employees. The postal and telecommunications sector is in a more difficult position because there are fewer jobs. The key issue is that there are too many people in Fengtian. The situation is better in the surrounding cities and prefectures, where it's not as competitive. However, I think that if things continue like this, it will be the same in two years."

Xiao Wei shook his head and said, "I don't understand these things at all, and I don't know anything about them."

Xia Maosheng said, "My area is alright, with a small population, but it's not easy to find a good job; you have to ask for favors and spend money."

Chen Xiao said, "Just talking about college graduates, there are also those who are unemployed, veterans, high school graduates, vocational school graduates, and those who changed their rural household registration to urban status. There are so many of them, all wanting to work. Where are we going to find enough jobs? If you ask me, we really need to implement family planning now; there are just too many people."

Chen Hui said, "These days, taking over a family business isn't common anymore. Once you're older, you just stay home and wait. It's only now that the market has opened up, allowing individuals to do small businesses, that a large portion of the income has been distributed, enough to make a living. Otherwise, it would be even worse. So, where do we stop?"

Xiao Wei peered out the window and said, "They say it's the third room from the right of the main entrance, so let's park in the front one, is that okay?"

Chen Hui said, "Yes." He turned the wheel and the car went around.

Chen Xiao said, "Even more people are leaving, some to make their fortunes in the south, some to Guangdong or Hainan, basically everyone with some skills is making a fuss, while those without skills just stay at home. Where are we going to eat? We haven't seen any restaurants all day."

After parking the car, Chen Hui said, "Let's take a look. We need to meet with Han San first, right?"

Xiao Wei got up and got out of the car, saying, "Let's go, let's go check out that shop first."

Several people got out of the car. Chen Hui locked the car door, put the money bag on his back, and the group counted their money as they walked toward the third shop.

This is a cookware store, where all kinds of spoons, pots, pans, sieves, buckets, knives, stoves, and stoves are neatly stacked from large to small and from the outside to the inside. There is also a boutique section with things like Fissler, Zwilling, Störton, and Altenbach, where a pot costs 1,800 yuan and a knife costs 3,000 yuan. I wonder if anyone would actually spend that much money to buy them.

Xia Maosheng ran over and stared at the ladle in amazement for a long time. The craftsmanship was indeed exceptional; the walnut wood handle even had a biomimetic grain. Priced at over nine hundred yuan, it gleamed under the light. Xia Maosheng said, "Wouldn't it taste better if we used this to stir-fry dishes?"

(End of this chapter)