Chapter 341 Deng Yunheng and He Minjun's first meeting

Capital city.

Zhao Jing and her sister-in-law He Minjun strolled around the Ditan Temple Fair with great interest, watching calligraphers and painters splashing ink and writing, watching folk artists making mane figurines, cutting window paper-cuts, making dough figurines, turning windmills, walking on stilts, performing double acts... and tasting a variety of local snacks.

After strolling around for two or three hours, the aunt and sister-in-law left feeling satisfied.

When they were about to catch the bus, Zhao Jing asked, "Minjun, are you going home or to my place?"

He Minjun said, "Sister-in-law, I'd better hide at your place for a while. If I go home, I have to attend social events every day. I can't even spend the New Year in peace. I'm so fed up with it."

Zhao Jing laughed and said, "People are looking forward to this kind of social event, but you are totally ungrateful for what you have."

He Minjun held her sister-in-law's arm and said as they walked, "It's different. Others go to social events to build relationships and get promoted, but every time I go to a social event, it's like a blind date, which makes me feel uncomfortable."

Zhao Jing said with a smile: "You have joined the workforce now, and you are not young anymore. It is normal for me to start looking for a partner for you. You have met so many outstanding young people before and after the New Year. Is there anyone you like?"

He Minjun said with disdain: "What outstanding young people? They are just some empty-headed people. None of them can compare with my academic qualifications. If they didn't rely on their elders to get a good job, it would be strange if they could achieve anything with their own efforts."

Zhao Jing blushed and said, "Your requirements are a bit high. You graduated from a key university. How many people in the country can get into a key university? And as far as I know, most of them have junior college degrees, which is already very good."

He Minjun shook her head and said, "Anyway, I don't like it. My future husband, apart from anything else, must be better than me in terms of culture."

Zhao Jing couldn't help but sigh: "If that's the case, then it will be really difficult for you to find a suitable husband. You should know my standards for choosing a son-in-law. His family background cannot be worse than ours. It's really too difficult to find a partner who meets both my requirements and your conditions."

He Minjun said: "I don't care about family background. After all, people with better education than me must have graduated from the top universities in the country. Even if such people come from the countryside, I believe they can make a name for themselves. If their families can help them in key positions, their future achievements should not be low."

Zhao Jing's heart moved, and she asked, "Your idea is good, but how are you going to get through the hurdle of Mom?"

He Minjun laughed and said, "Sister-in-law, the way you ask this makes it seem like I already have such a partner."

Zhao Jing smiled and said, "Isn't this just an assumption? If you really encounter this situation, what are you going to do?"

He Minjun curled her lips and said, "That's easy. If there is a person that I am satisfied with, and my mother objects to it because of my family background, then I will go to my grandfather to ask for an "imperial decree". No matter how powerful my mother is, she dare not go against my grandfather. As long as my grandfather agrees, everything will be fine."

Zhao Jing blinked and said, "Your method is indeed effective. If Grandpa speaks, Mom will definitely not object. But this way, Mom may not feel comfortable. If the relationship with her son-in-law is not good, it will be very uncomfortable for you to be caught in the middle."

He Minjun shook her head and said, "No, I know my mother. At most, she will be a little bit uncomfortable at the beginning. After a year or two, she will accept it and it will be fine."

When Zhao Jing heard this, the desire to help make connections suddenly surged up, but she swallowed the words back.

Forget it, it’s better for her not to be a matchmaker. If she succeeds, her mother-in-law will know that it was her who introduced the relationship and she might get angry at her, which will affect their relationship.

As they were talking, the aunt and sister-in-law had already walked to the bus stop, and the topic ended.

An hour later.

Zhao Jing and her sister-in-law walked into the residential compound of the State Planning Commission hand in hand. As soon as they reached the second floor, they met Deng Yunheng who was coming downstairs.

Deng Yunheng greeted with a smile on his face: "Happy New Year, Leader!"

Zhao Jing greeted him unexpectedly: "Happy New Year, when did you come back?"

"I just arrived."

As he spoke, Deng Yunheng looked at the pretty girl and asked, "Who is this?"

This is God's will, Zhao Jing sighed in her heart, and then introduced them: "This is my sister-in-law He Minjun, who works in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Minjun, this is Deng Yunheng from our department, a top student who graduated from Peking University. You two should meet each other."

It turned out to be the leader's sister-in-law. Deng Yunheng smiled and greeted her, "Comrade He, hello!"

Hearing his sister-in-law say that the other person graduated from Peking University, He Minjun couldn't help but look at him more and greeted him with a smile: "Comrade Deng, hello!"

"Leader, I just brought you some wedding candy and the local specialties I told you about before. Please wait a moment, I will go upstairs and get them for you." As soon as he finished speaking, Deng Yunheng went upstairs to get things for the leader.

He Minjun couldn't help but smile when she saw this, and said, "Sister-in-law, your subordinate is quite interesting. Why did he bring you wedding candy? Is he married?"

Zhao Jing smiled and said, "It wasn't him getting married, it was his sister getting married. At that time, he asked me about my vacation because he wanted to go back to attend his sister's wedding. I casually asked him to bring me some wedding candies, but I didn't expect that he actually brought them."

He Minjun chuckled and said, "Sister-in-law, you, as the leader, have spoken, how can a subordinate not remember it?"

The two sisters-in-law didn't have to wait long. In less than a minute, Deng Yunheng came down with two mooncake boxes and a small bag of wedding candy, handed them to Zhao Jing and said, "Leader, this is our hometown's specialty, Huishuizang. You can take it home and cut it into pieces. When you eat it, fry it slowly over low heat. When it is fluffy and golden on both sides, you can remove it from the pan and evenly spread salt on it. This is the salty way to eat it.

If you want a sweet taste, add sugar when it’s almost done frying, wait until the sugar melts and covers the dumplings, then you can remove from the pan.

Both flavors have their own taste, you can try them both and taste them, the taste should not disappoint you. ”

Zhao Jing took the Gray Water Basket and said, "Thank you. It's really thoughtful of you to bring this Gray Water Basket to me from afar. I will cook it as you said and try it later."

"You're welcome. I won't bother you anymore. I'm going to go out and buy something."

"Okay, go ahead!"

After Deng Yunheng went downstairs, Zhao Jing and her sister-in-law returned to her two-bedroom apartment.

After entering the house, He Minjun asked, "Sister-in-law, where is your subordinate from? I have never even heard of this gray water basket, and I don't know what it is."

Zhao Jing said, "He is from Guangxi, thousands of miles away from our capital. This is a special snack from their place. It is normal that we have never heard of it."

"So you're from Guangxi. That's really far away."

He Minjun fiddled with the mooncake box and said, "Sister-in-law, can I open it and take a look?"

Zhao Jing said: "What's wrong with that? Just watch it if you want to!"

He Minjun opened the mooncake box with great interest, and then saw the vacuum-packed golden-yellow mooncake inside: "This looks pretty, but I wonder if it's as delicious as he said."

Zhao Jing smiled and said, "It should be good. At least it must be very special over there. I heard him say that this is a delicacy that can only be eaten during the Chinese New Year."

He Minjun said: "That makes sense, how about we make this for dinner later?"

"Okay, let's have this for dinner."

Zhao Jing then turned the topic to her subordinate, saying, "My subordinate is quite impressive. Although he was born in the countryside, he was admitted to Peking University, and his younger brother was admitted to Tsinghua University last year with the first place in science in Guangxi. Both brothers are studying in the top universities in the country. Such examples are really rare."

He Minjun was surprised and said, "One of the brothers is from Peking University and the other is from Tsinghua University? That's really amazing!"

She herself graduated from a key university, so she naturally understood how difficult it was to get into a key university. And the difficulty of getting into Peking University and Tsinghua University, which were ranked at the top, was even more incredible. Anyway, she had studied hard, but her college entrance examination scores were still quite a distance away from the level of Peking University and Tsinghua University.

Not to mention, her younger brother was admitted to Tsinghua University with the first place in science in Guangxi. She is very clear about the value of this.

Zhao Jing nodded and said, "Yes, these two brothers are indeed gifted in studying, and if nothing unexpected happens, he should be able to be promoted to deputy director this year. He is only one year older than you, and he comes from a rural background. He has been able to make it so quickly, he is really outstanding."

He Minjun agreed, "Sister-in-law, you are right. People like this are truly excellent, much better than those guys my mother let me see."

Zhao Jing said: "Unfortunately, you can't have your cake and eat it too. He is indeed excellent, but without the help of his family background, if he relies on his own efforts, he may be able to be promoted to the department level or even the bureau level smoothly, but it will be difficult to move up further."

He Minjun said: "It's already very good to be able to reach the hall level. Take the guys I met these days for example. Even if they have help from their families, they can only reach the hall level. It is extremely difficult for them to break through this level."

Zhao Jing smiled and said, "That's true. A good blacksmith must be strong himself. If you don't have enough talent, it will be difficult to cross that threshold just by relying on your family's hard work."

He Minjun sighed: "This is why I look down on them. They don't have much ability, but they brag louder than each other, as if provincial level is something they can easily control. They have no idea how high the sky is and how deep the earth is."

Zhao Jing was surprised and said, "Minjun, it's not that exaggerated, right? After all, she is a college student, how could she be so superficial?"

He Minjun said: "I don't know if they are superficial or not, but this is the impression they left on me."

Zhao Jing thought for a moment and said, "It's also possible that they feel a little inferior in front of you. After all, everyone's family background is similar, but you are a top student who graduated from a key university, and they are just college students. You are inferior to them in academic qualifications, so of course they want to show their excellence in other ways."

He Minjun said: "Maybe. Anyway, no matter what they are thinking, if someone with a lower education level than me wants to be with me, there is no need to even talk about it."

"Marriage is a lifelong thing. If you don't have a choice, that's fine. But if you do have a choice, it's best to find someone who satisfies you."

"I'm not in a hurry to get married anyway, so I'll just take my time looking for one!"

…

In Bobai, there is a fine tradition of donating money to run schools.

During the Yongzheng period of the Qing Dynasty (1723-1735), Li Longxu, a successful candidate in the imperial examination, donated 29.2 mu of land as school land and established a charity school.

Huanyu Academy was built with the donation of salary by Nangong Xiu, the county magistrate, and the foundation by Zhu Jingbo, a national student. In the eighth year of Jiaqing (1803), Yan Yue, the county magistrate, moved the academy to the north of the city with the support of the gentry.

During the Republic of China period, many schools in the county were established with donations from the public.

In the 1940s, when the county-run Fengshan Junior High School was being planned and built, nearby residents enthusiastically donated land as school funds, with the rent from donated land reaching 816 shi.

From the 1950s to the 1970s, due to some special reasons, fundraising for school construction and mass education were once neglected.

It was not until the 1980s that fundraising work in the county was taken seriously again. Since the second half of last year, people from all walks of life have begun to donate enthusiastically to contribute to the construction of primary and secondary schools in their hometown.

The latest novel is published first on Liu9shuba!

It has to be said that the Bobai people are still very united in this regard. Even those Bobai people who have worked outside the province for decades and rarely return to their hometown, after hearing that their hometown is going to raise funds to build a school, all donated generously and contributed to the education of their hometown.

According to the Bobai County Annals, from 1986 to 1987, the county raised a total of 13.412 million yuan, built 154,300 square meters of new school buildings, constructed 1,711 standard classrooms, 1,304 teachers' and staff dormitories, repaired 197,000 square meters of school buildings, and purchased 5,671 new desks.

By 1988, another 15.442 million yuan was raised throughout the year, 75,300 square meters of seriously dilapidated buildings were demolished, 155,500 square meters of school buildings were rebuilt or newly constructed, 108,000 square meters of generally dilapidated buildings were repaired, a large number of teaching equipment were purchased, and the operating conditions of schools in the county were improved.

You know, the current population of Bobai is just over one million, and the funds raised to build the school in more than two years are nearly 29 million. This is something that few counties can do.

After all, Bobai County was not a wealthy county. It was still a poor county at the autonomous region level until 20 or 30 years later. But when it came to education, the people were so willing to spend money, so it was only natural that Bobai County's education would be among the best in Guangxi in later generations.

…

The old ancestral hall of Naye Village.

By this time the Spring Festival travel rush had ended, and the Deng family of Naye held a routine clan meeting to distribute dividends from the passenger transport company to clan members.

As more and more people go to Guangdong to work, the profitability of the passenger transport company is getting stronger and stronger. This year, the dividends paid to the members have reached 800 yuan per share.

More than two million yuan in cash was placed on the table. Since the largest denomination was only 10 yuan, it was equivalent to more than 20 million yuan in cash in later generations. The visual effect was quite shocking.

Every year when the passenger transport company of the Naye Deng family distributes dividends, members of the Guan clan from nearby villages such as Jimapo, Bangliang and Sham Shui Tian would come to watch after hearing the news. This year was no exception, and the number of onlookers was more than in previous years.

Seeing so much cash on the table, these Guan clan members were naturally envious.

This was the third time the passenger transport company had distributed dividends. The entire process was the same as the previous two times, so there was nothing much to say. Deng Shirong, the clan leader with the largest shares, received 288,000 yuan. The cash, which had to be packed in a sack, attracted the attention of the entire audience.

After the dividends were distributed, Deng Shirong came on stage and said, "My fellow tribesmen, to strengthen our tribe, we must first strengthen our intelligence, and to strengthen our intelligence, we must first strengthen our education. In our country, it has always been the world of scholars. Illiterate people who cannot read and write have no future and can only do the hardest work at the bottom.

Now, the whole county is raising funds to build schools, and people from all walks of life are donating generously to contribute to the construction of primary and secondary schools in their hometowns. Our Naye Primary School has become dilapidated and it is time to rebuild it.

There are also Bangba Primary School, Macun Primary School, Daozhang Primary School (all of which are transitional primary schools from preschool to third grade), etc., all of which need to be rebuilt.

Finally, there is Shuangwang Junior High School. As everyone knows, it was originally the bandit den of the thief Long Sanba. After it was converted into a school, so many years have passed, and both the teaching buildings and the student and teacher dormitories have become very old, and it is time for reconstruction.

Whether it is elementary school or junior high school, it is where our children go to school and is closely related to us.

So, I suggest that everyone contribute a little to build the school together. A few hundred dollars is not too much, and ten or eight dollars is not too little. In short, everyone should contribute according to their ability."

Deng Changbao asked: "Jiu Gong, what do you plan to build these schools into?"

Deng Shirong said: "For smaller schools like Bangba Primary School, Macun Primary School, and Daozhang Primary School, each one costs about 20,000 yuan. And Naye Primary School is the primary school we focus on building. I plan to make it one of the primary schools with the best hardware facilities in the county, which will cost about 500,000 yuan.

As for Shuangwang Junior High School, it is the junior high school for everyone in Shuangwang Township. The specific construction plan needs to be discussed with the leaders of the township government before a decision can be made.

Let’s raise funds for the primary school first, and we’ll talk about the funding for Shuangwang Junior High School later.”

Deng Changbao nodded and said, "I see. Then I'll just throw out some ideas. I'll donate 5,000 yuan." As the richest man in the Deng family in Naye, whose financial strength is second only to the clan leader, he just took out 19,200 yuan in dividends from the passenger transport company. Donating 5,000 yuan is nothing.

Deng Changxiong replied: "Then I will donate 4,000!" He is also one of the top three richest people in the Deng family. He just received a company dividend of 17,600 yuan, so there is no pressure for him to donate 4,000 yuan.

Other members of the clan also donated according to their financial strength, ranging from a few thousand to dozens. The director and teachers of Naye Primary School are basically all members of Naye Deng’s clan. At this time, they all helped with registration and collecting money.

More than an hour later, the amount of donations was counted.

Before Deng Shirong took any action, the clan members donated a total of more than 430,000 yuan, so their fighting power was also very strong.

When they heard the school teacher's number announcement, the Guan clan members who had been watching outside could no longer stand. These primary schools were closely related to them. Children in their village usually attended Bangba Primary School before the third grade, and then went to Naye Primary School in the fourth grade.

Now the Naye Deng family is donating money to build these primary schools. Even though their economic conditions are not as good as those of the Deng family, they have made a lot of money by growing watermelons with the Naye Deng family over the years, and their economic conditions are better than many villages.

Then, a member of the Guan clan asked, "Uncle Jiu, can we donate money?"

Deng Shirong smiled and said, "Of course you can. This Naye Primary School is not just the business of our Naye Deng family, but the business of the entire Bangjie Village. You are all part of Bangjie Village, so it would be great if you could contribute a little."

The Guan clan member who spoke up said, "Okay, I'll donate 100 yuan too."

Seeing this, other members of the Guan family also donated money. Some donated hundreds of dollars, while some donated only ten or eight dollars. Anyway, it was considered a contribution.

After the donation was completed, the Guan clan member said, "Uncle Jiu, I can go back and mobilize the people in our village to donate money. There are also the Zhou clan members in Dabei Village. They are also part of Bangjie Village. I can send someone to inform them and we can all work together to build the school."

Deng Shirong originally wanted to make up the remaining gap by himself, but after hearing what the Guan clan member said, he nodded and said, "Okay, then let's notify each other later. No matter how much you donate, it's a token of your appreciation. Anyway, I'll cover the bottom line."

For things like this, even if you have to spend money, you have to give people a sense of participation. After all, this is the common primary school for everyone in Bangjie Village.

After raising funds for the school, Deng Shirong did not announce the end of the meeting, but said: "My fellow tribesmen, there is another important matter to discuss. I plan to take the lead in establishing a food company, just like the previous passenger transport company, 1,000 yuan per share. You can go back and discuss with your family how many shares you want to buy.

However, I would like to state in advance that I am not sure whether this food company can make money, so everyone should invest within their means and not be too blind, lest the company loses money due to poor management, which would be a big blow to its vitality. "

As soon as these words were spoken, there was an uproar at the scene.

"Great, Jiugong is taking the lead in establishing a new company again!"

"I was too conservative when the passenger transport company was established last time. I only bought two shares. I must own more shares in this food company and I must not fall behind."

"After waiting for so long, I finally have another chance. I must seize it this time."

“…”

Although Deng Shirong had already warned everyone not to invest blindly to avoid losses, the clan members' trust in him as the clan leader has reached its limit. As long as it is a company founded by him, everyone is willing to invest without thinking.

As for losing money?

Most of the tribesmen didn't even consider it.

Seeing this scene, Deng Shirong felt happy but also a little pressured. Needless to say, he was happy. To be able to gain the absolute trust of his clan members was definitely a happy thing for the clan leader.

The high pressure is understandable because people are afraid of disappointing the trust of their fellow tribesmen.

After all, this food company is different from the passenger transport company. When Deng Shirong first established the passenger transport company, he had full confidence that he could make money, because in that era, running transportation was really like making money with your eyes closed. As long as the power was strong enough, anyone could succeed.

But as for the food company, he was not absolutely sure that he could make it a success.

(End of this chapter)