Chapter 147 of "New Urban Farmers": The "Legal" Fake Certificate (First Update - Please Subscribe)
Yi Guodong secretly returned to the provincial capital several times, only to find out that Fatty and Zhang Guodong had been drinking heavily that night. As a result, Fatty got drunk first, and Zhang Guodong himself also got drunk without even trying to clear his throat.
The next morning, Fatty gave Zhang Guodong a phone call, saying that this guy was very powerful and could get documents done, and that he was "quite well-known in the underworld."
Then the fat man went to work.
During this period, Director Jiang concurrently served as the Deputy Secretary of the District Political and Legal Committee, and Lin Yue concurrently served as the Deputy Director of the Public Security Bureau—both considered promotions. The fat man was envious, but his job was rather special—serving the leaders—and he hadn't made any significant achievements and had only recently become a secretary, so he could only watch helplessly.
In China's officialdom, seniority is highly valued. The fat man is too young, and having been in a new position for less than six months, it's impossible for him to be transferred laterally.
So perform well normally and try to get a good spot when you get promoted.
Zhang Guodong scoffed at this, showing no interest in such matters of officialdom and only wishing the fat man a smooth rise in rank.
Then he found the awesome guy who forged documents, nicknamed "Pockmarked Face," which wasn't a very flattering nickname. When he called, the guy, hearing that he was referred by a friend and needed something done, agreed to meet him.
Zhang Guodong thought to himself, "Is the fake document business really this big? Aren't they afraid it's a trap?" But since the other party seemed to have no qualms about agreeing to meet, he didn't care either.
They met at a teahouse with the pockmarked face.
Nowadays, these elegant teahouses are everywhere in the city. Whether you understand tea or not, come and have a look. Zhang Guodong is one of those who doesn't understand tea.
Although I know the quality of tea, it's impossible to give a detailed explanation of how to brew and appreciate it. Professor Bai Zhongsheng from the Yangling Academy of Agricultural Sciences gave my dad half a jin of medicinal tea, a rare delicacy that most people couldn't afford. My dad ended up taking it all with him, and I don't even know if he finished it.
Fortunately, the tea house had a tea master specifically for beginners. He handled the long-spouted teapot with such skill that not a single drop of water spilled from the small teacup. Zhang Guodong was very impressed.
Zhang Guodong felt that this kind of culture should be promoted, as it brought him peace of mind and happiness, so he tipped the tea server fifty yuan.
Less than twenty minutes later, Zhang Guodong, with his pockmarked face, finally appeared after drinking three different cups of green tea.
The man in the suit and tie, exuding a gentlemanly air, with his pockmarked face perfectly straight, saw Zhang Guodong sitting there and immediately went to sit down opposite him.
"Hello, everyone calls me Pockmarked Face!" Pockmarked Face smiled slightly, looking quite self-assured, like he had a bowl in his hand.
Zhang Guodong was taken aback. This was so different from the image of those shady dealers who forged documents! Tsk tsk. He truly embodied the image and demeanor of a successful person. The man did have quite a few pockmarks on his face, but thankfully, they didn't detract from his overall appearance.
"Zhang! What kind of tea would you like?" Zhang Guodong shook hands with him briefly.
"No need for that, let's get down to business. To be honest, I'm very busy right now, but most of the people who know my number are old friends or introduced by old friends. I believe Mr. Zhang should understand the rules. Let's get things done quickly. Low-end files are 5,000 yuan each, including phone verification; mid-range files are 20,000 yuan each, including entry into the government archives. If it's just for settling down, there aren't many good options. High-end files cover settling down in all cities in China. Of course, the legal files are also in the government archives and can be checked at any time! High-end files are 180,000 yuan each!" the pockmarked man said proudly.
Zhang Guodong smiled slightly in surprise. "This level of fake document forgery is truly impressive. It even includes residency registration services? The fat man didn't mention that."
However, the fat man found him a village to settle in. It was a relatively remote village called Jixing Village in the suburbs.
Zhang Guodong thought for a moment and said, "Low-end products don't need to be registered at the moment!"
The man with the pockmarked face stiffened for a moment. He thought Zhang Guodong would at least opt for a mid-range or high-end service, but instead he chose the cheapest option, costing five thousand yuan, and made him come all this way? He should have sent his underling. But the customer is always right, and they'll likely be doing business together in the future.
"No problem. For the required name, age, and month of birth, please provide the color headshot. We can check the rest of the information, such as place of birth, anytime!" the pockmarked man said businesslike. "Also, pay first, then we'll process the documents!"
That's nothing. Five thousand is a pittance to Zhang Guodong, and besides, Fatty said that this pockmarked man has a very good reputation and has processed a lot of documents for their group.
After receiving the money and photos, the pockmarked man disappeared, saying he would call him the next day after the sheep were harvested.
After the pockmarked man left, Zhang Guodong also got up to pay the bill.
He thought to himself, "This is so easy to get done! They can even check the origin of this file? That makes things even easier." However, Zhang Guodong hadn't initially planned to have the local police station check anything. He figured he'd just pay them and they'd handle everything else.
The May sky is as unpredictable as a baby's face. I had only been out for a short while when the sky quickly darkened and a light rain began to fall.
Rain is a luxury in this major northwestern city. On ordinary days, the scorching sun, industrial emissions, and vehicle exhaust, combined with the dryness, make the city appear drab and gray. A timely rain, however, transforms the city completely.
Feels good!
Along one side of the wide street stood several large billboards, and a lane entrance was prominently displayed. At that lane entrance, many people were coming and going, and the small vendors' businesses were thriving.
Zhang Guodong remembers that this was an urban village that had not yet been demolished, named Sha.
"Zhengchuan Shanming Shajing Village used to be a single entity, but now, due to the municipal government's urban redevelopment campaign, a main road has been built running through it, dividing it into West Shajing and East Shajing. Behind those huge billboards and twenty-story residential buildings, the village is hidden away."
However, it plays a significant role.
The southern suburbs are surrounded by many universities, construction sites, and migrant workers. These low-income groups cannot afford to buy houses and have to rent. As a result, these urban villages provide accommodation for a large portion of the low-income groups.
Otherwise, once the last villages in these cities are demolished, the cities will lose most of their urban service workers, and the cities may appear quite empty.
Zhang Guodong stared blankly at the village for a moment.
Recalling many things, the bits and pieces of his struggle to live in such a village before, are like many precious images. It's quite moving.
"It would be good to go in and take a stroll!" Zhang Guodong had this impulse.
The noisy crowds and the rather dirty and narrow alleys felt familiar to Zhang Guodong, and he didn't feel uncomfortable at all.
Zhang Guodong entered from the west entrance of Dongshajing and walked all the way to the east entrance. He lingered at the village entrance for a while before leaving.
Several men and women stopped at the east entrance of Dongshajing and stared at Zhang Guodong's back, puzzled.
"We must be mistaken, right? Is that Zhang Guodong, who dropped out of university early?" Liu Tao chuckled dismissively, a hint of disdain in his eyes. "Even if you're doing well, how far can you go without a diploma or degree?"
“I also said I was mistaken. Besides, how could Zhang Guodong be as manly and handsome as this guy? Hehe!” Ms. Bu said in an admiring tone.
"You're such a fangirl!" Pao Yan rolled her eyes at her and scolded her with a laugh.
"You're the one who's infatuated!"
"Well, he's just someone from the past, what's there to discuss? Let's hurry up and prepare to celebrate my promotion to deputy manager!" Liu Tao said smugly.
Everyone looks on with envy when the deputy manager is mentioned.
For graduates, promotions and salary increases are not necessarily linked to their educational background. Some people climb the ladder rapidly, while others remain at the bottom as low-level employees, and some even have unstable jobs.
"How much does the deputy manager make a month? I found out Wang Kang's phone number and heard his sister is the owner of a group company. If we could get in touch with Fatty Wang, would we still be so worried about work?" Xu Jing said bluntly.
"Really?" Both men and women were surprised, while Liu Tao looked displeased. Having their limelight stolen so suddenly was a blow to their pride.
The chubby guy quietly disappeared after graduating from university, rarely contacting his classmates. Now, news of him has surfaced, sparking curiosity and interest among many.
Strictly speaking, among these men and women, some are classmates, while others are in the same grade. They know each other but aren't particularly close, like the assistant manager, Liu Tao.
“Of course, I also know what Wang Kang is doing now, and you’d never guess,” Xu Jing said.
"What does he do for a living? Wang Kang's sister works for a group company and is a department manager or president's assistant or something, right?" Li Rulong said.
“You’re all wrong! Wang Kang has entered politics now, and is said to be a deputy section chief!” Xu Jing said.
"You've become an official?" Li Rulong asked in surprise. Liu Tao was also surprised, but upon hearing that it was just a deputy section chief, he immediately became disdainful. In the company, they often dealt with section chiefs and department heads, so it wasn't anything special for them.
“He’s just a deputy section chief. We’ve had a lot of contact with section chiefs and division chiefs!” Liu Tao said.
"Tch, you're just asking for favors. If you're so capable, why don't you try being a deputy section chief in two years?" Xiao Xujing said.
Xu Jing is a straightforward, pretty woman who speaks very directly. In university, she easily got along with both male and female students, and she was equally blunt when criticizing others.
Two of the four were classmates of Zhang Guodong and Fatty: Xu Jing and Li Rulong. Bao Yan and Liu Tao were in the same year. After graduation, they all signed contracts with the same company in the provincial capital, but of the four, only Liu Tao is doing relatively well and is now about to be promoted to deputy manager of the sales department!
This is a lucrative department, which foreshadows the fact that buying a house in the provincial capital will be a breeze in a few years.
Li Rulong felt that the relationship with his classmates was different; he couldn't contact many of them anymore. Reconnecting with them would be beneficial for him in the future.
He said, "What are Xu Jing and Wang Kang's phone numbers? Why don't you contact them now?"
At this moment, he couldn't care less about Liu Tao's strange expression.
"Okay!" Xu Jing hesitated for a moment before taking out her phone. After all, everyone was no longer on campus. Now that they were all working, Wang Kang's low-key departure might indicate a lack of acceptance of the group? Speaking of which, Wang Kang didn't really have any good friends in college; he was a typical rich kid who spent money extravagantly, which clashed with the frugal lifestyle of students.
Everyone says that, but actually putting it into practice, I'm genuinely worried that if the fat guy is aloof, everyone will feel awkward.
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