208 Big News
Even after the college entrance examination ended, Jiang Guiying still couldn't put her mind at ease. She asked around to find out when the admission results would be released and kept an eye on the calendar every day to count down the days.
The neighbors in Ginkgo Hutong had no time to discuss whose child would get into university this year.
"Did he take unpaid leave or was he fired? Could it be related to what happened last time?"
"It was a leave of absence without pay. I asked clearly and there's no way it could be wrong!"
"Isn't this general merchandise store just a grocery store? There are already three grocery stores and two supply and marketing cooperatives in this area. Should we buy things from her or from Sunflower Seed King's in the future?"
Someone went directly to Aunt Zhao and asked her what she thought.
"State-run stores are great! So many people want to go in but can't. Aren't you going to try and persuade Lili and Zhengyi?"
Despite the proliferation of individual businesses outside, the types of goods they sell are still heavily restricted. Many ration coupons haven't been abolished, so most people still prefer to shop at supply and marketing cooperatives, state-run stores, and department stores, where there's a wider variety and they can buy more at once.
Although some state-owned factories outside are facing reduced orders, inability to pay wages, and bankruptcy and layoffs, these situations are still far from what department stores are experiencing.
Being a sales clerk in a supply and marketing cooperative was still considered a good job, let alone being a sales clerk in a state-owned store.
Aunt Zhao was getting really annoyed. Why didn't she try to persuade them? She tried every day, but the troublesome couple was determined to take unpaid leave.
She wanted to ask her eldest son and his wife for help in persuading her, but they instead tried to persuade her, saying that opening a small shop wasn't necessarily worse than being a sales clerk in a state-owned store.
She was so angry that her chest hurt.
Hearing her neighbors' comments, she became even angrier. Unable to contain her anger, Aunt Zhao stormed home and slammed the door shut.
Neighbors who wanted to know more details: "..."
Now everyone knows that Aunt Zhao didn't support them, but she couldn't control Cao Lili and Chang Zhengyi.
"That couple loves to act first and ask questions later."
Another older woman added, "It's normal for the trendy people in our alley to be like this."
Whether it was secretly getting married after graduating from high school without telling their families, serving as a role model for sterilization at the Five Star Automobile Factory, or later taking the lead in getting their hair permed and wearing bell-bottoms, this couple were the kind of people who quietly accomplished great things.
Guan Yuehe was not surprised at all when she got home and heard the news that Cao Lili had been suspended without pay.
Aunt Fang was concerned about another issue: "There are already so many grocery stores and supply and marketing cooperatives in this area. If we open another one, will we still have any business?"
"Our location is good, so we're sure to have plenty of customers." As long as the prices aren't roughly the same, nobody likes to go out of their way to find a place that's close by.
Guan Yuehe said, "We'll install a telephone in the shop then, since there are quite a few people in the alley who need to make phone calls."
When it came to installing a telephone, Guan Yuehe reminded them that once the documents were processed, they had to go to the business hall to place an order. Currently, there is a waiting list for telephone installation, and it can take at least three or four months to get a turn.
The initial installation fee for the telephone is five thousand yuan, which is a large expense. Guan Yuehe plans to repay the five thousand yuan she lent to the elderly couple ahead of schedule.
"No rush, let's talk about it after your side is built."
Guan Yuehe thought about it and agreed. Even if the houses over there were built, they wouldn't be able to move in immediately. The houses in Courtyard No. 1 would have to be vacated at least after the National Day holiday.
The adults weren't in a hurry, but Lin Ting was. While munching on a tomato, she raised her hand high, shouting, "If Grandpa and Grandma won't open it, I will! I want to open a general store!"
She had already told her classmates in the preschool and her friends in the alley that her family was going to open a general store and asked them to come and support her.
"Open it, open it, I'll open it for you," Guan Yuehe replied absentmindedly.
Lin Ting always gets involved in whatever the adults are doing. A few days ago, Lin Yiku took her to deliver an IOU to Zhong Sheng, and when they came back, she said she wanted to drive a big truck and be a driver.
Instead of sleeping late at night, he made clanging noises at home. Guan Yuehe and Lin Yiku secretly laughed: Lin Ting thought that big trucks, like motorcycles, all made clanging noises!
The next day, Lin Ting was asked by her friends in the alley, "Lin Ting, is your family's general store opening soon?"
Lin Ting shook his head and replied, "No rush."
Two days later, my aunt called and told Guyu and Linting to go back to their hometown for summer vacation.
Thinking that their hometown was spacious enough for the two monkeys to run wild, they arranged a time with the aunt, and then both families began packing clothes and gifts to send back to their hometown for them.
Not long after, Guan Weiguo arrived on a modified electric tricycle, picked up the two of them and two large bags, and drove off with a roar towards his hometown, Fengshou Brigade.
With those two mischievous kids gone, Ginkgo Alley is finally much quieter.
Grandpa Quan breathed a sigh of relief.
With Lin Ting no longer home, he no longer needs to worry about her coming to take the puppies away every day.
The little rascal in the family went back to his hometown, and Guan Yuehe and Lin Yiku felt a little uncomfortable a couple of days ago.
But on the third day, whenever they both got off work and went home normally, they would go to a nearby movie theater to watch a movie, or go out for a walk in the evening.
Surprisingly, it's quite leisurely.
But the workload during the day didn't decrease at all.
Zhu Huacai's resignation application was finally approved.
Yes, Zhu Huacai submitted a resignation application, not a leave of absence without pay.
It was only after Zhu Huacai submitted her resignation that Guan Yuehe realized the numerous restrictions and rules governing government officials going into business, making it far more complicated than a state-owned enterprise employee taking a leave of absence without pay. After much deliberation, Zhu Huacai simply resigned.
Even if Zhu Huacai resigns, she will still be subject to supervision by relevant departments if she starts her own business in the next two or three years.
After Guan Yuehe finished talking with her, she took a small box out of the drawer and pushed it over, saying, "It's just a small token of my appreciation, nothing valuable."
Zhu Huacai was somewhat surprised. She opened the small box and found a Hero brand fountain pen inside.
In today's terms, this pen is indeed not expensive.
However, in Zhu Huacai's memory, only those who were recognized as outstanding workers or model workers at the end of the year could receive a Hero brand fountain pen as a reward. A fountain pen costing several yuan was considered a valuable item in the 1960s and 70s when the average wage was only around thirty yuan.
She had been with the Ministry of Foreign Trade for nearly seven years, and the leader in front of her had always used a Hero brand fountain pen.
Over the past seven years, she has risen from a regular staff member to a section chief, receiving a Hero brand fountain pen as a gift from this leader on both occasions. This is her third one.
"Comrade Xiao Zhu, we wish you success in your business venture. We, your former colleagues, are waiting for your good news."
Guan Yuehe stood up. "Let's go. Let's finish what we started. I'll accompany you to say goodbye to your old colleagues."
Zhu Huacai thought to herself: It can indeed be considered to have a beginning and an end.
When she first came to the Ministry of Foreign Trade, Guan Yuehe, who was then the section chief, took her around to familiarize herself with the unit. Now that she is leaving, Guan Yuehe, who is now the deputy director-general, is leading her to say goodbye.
Before she could dwell on it, her boss had already strode off quite a distance, so she quickly quickened her pace to catch up.
—
"Is Xiao Zhu from your company really sure he wants to start his own company? I thought it was just something someone was saying. I didn't expect this... It's good to be young and have drive." Li Xuelian sighed as she left work.
Despite the government's current encouragement for officials to leave government agencies and start businesses, in reality, these officials are often transferred to state-owned enterprises.
People like Zhu Huacai, who choose to resign and start their own businesses, are extremely rare in the Ministry of Foreign Trade.
"Absolutely true! The application was approved, so there can't be any lie."
"On the other hand, Xiao Zhu's hometown is Shenzhen Special Economic Zone, where things are developing rapidly every day. Who knows, he might really make a name for himself if he goes back there."
That's right!
The special economic zone is changing dramatically every day, with skyscrapers springing up everywhere.
Li Xuelian only mentioned it casually, after all, in the past two years, people coming and going in the unit has been the norm.
A colleague named Xiao Zhu resigned, but a new face came to the unit to take her place.
Guan Yuehe looked at her, "How about we eat noodles at a restaurant tonight? It's on me."
"You're underestimating me, aren't you? It should be my treat." Li Xuelian waved for her to hurry up and push the cart. "This is the last time we'll go home together today."
I feel a little reluctant to part with it.
The coal mine's residential compound was to be renovated, and Li Xuelian's family was among the last to move out.
Li Xuelian's family didn't apply to move into the new staff quarters at the coal mine; instead, they applied for housing in the government compound. The house is ready, and Li Xuelian's family plans to move in tomorrow, so they won't be going the same way as Guan Yuehe on their way home from work anymore.
"Oh, right, pick up your wife and your daughter too."
Guan Yuehe said regretfully, "One stayed with the army tonight, and the other went back to his hometown."
"Oh, you're quite good at saving money. Alright, it'll just be the two of us eating today, so we can use the money we save to order more dishes."
Li Xuelian, riding her bike against the wind, chatted excitedly with her, "To be honest, moving is great. It's much shorter to work now. Even if I get off work late, I won't be afraid to take this route..."
"I thought you weren't afraid."
“How could I not be afraid? Every time I pass that section, the one where we ran into the police catching the fugitive, I have to drive my motorcycle as fast as I can to get there. It’s great, we won’t have to worry about that anymore.”
Li Xuelian remembered her courtyard and said, "When you move to the new courtyard, you must invite me over as a guest."
"If you really like it, why don't you buy one? My neighbor across the hall is a real estate agent. He even showed me a small courtyard house near a government compound last time. Shall I ask him about it for you?"
Li Xuelian fell silent, feeling both tempted and worried that buying a small courtyard house was too expensive.
Li Xuelian knew that Guan Yuehe had bought the small courtyard not because Guan Yuehe had reported her property situation to the organization, but because there were also well-informed elderly people in the coal mine's residential compound.
Later, Guan Yuehe honestly told her the specific price of the courtyard, which surprised her so much that she was speechless for a while.
That's a whopping 25,000!
Moreover, the courtyard needs to be rebuilt by ourselves. In fact, a detached courtyard costs more than 30,000 yuan.
The term "ten-thousand-yuan household" first appeared in newspapers in 1979, and it's only in the last two or three years, with the increase in self-employed individuals, that the number of ten-thousand-yuan households has grown. But in reality, for a dual-income family with no income other than wages, being able to come up with twenty or thirty thousand yuan at once is already quite remarkable.
"Who says otherwise?" Looking back now, Guan Yuehe feels that she and Lin Yiku were quite remarkable. They bought big-ticket items and a house, and they didn't skimp on themselves in their daily lives.
"However, if it weren't for the loans from my family and a few friends, we wouldn't have been able to buy it." If we hadn't been able to borrow money, we would have had to sell the house in Courtyard No. 1.
Thinking that everyone had a good relationship, Guan Yuehe still brought it up a few more times, "I remember back in '79, a well-maintained, detached courtyard near the machinery factory's residential compound was only 18,000 yuan. If you found someone in a hurry to sell, you could even negotiate the price down. Whether the price will go up in the future is hard to say. But these courtyards are becoming increasingly rare; there are far fewer courtyards available for sale now."
The return of ancestral property happened in the early 1980s. Now it's almost the late 1980s, and anyone who wanted to sell their ancestral property to go abroad or stay with relatives would have already done so. By now, everyone wants to keep it for themselves.
Or they might be properties where tenants are difficult to vacate, making them unsellable. Honest people generally wouldn't buy these kinds of houses; there are just too many problems.
The two ate noodles at a restaurant, but Li Xuelian finally decided to go back to Ginkgo Hutong with Guan Yuehe to ask Jin Junwei if there were any good houses available.
Just three days later, Jin Junwei had Yuanbao carry a net bag of things to Guan Yuehe as a way of thanking her for introducing clients.
Knowing that Guan Yuehe would definitely not agree to accept the red envelope, Jin Junwei changed it to sending some canned fruit and a set of toys for Lin Ting.
Yuanbao came over carrying a net bag of things, and then went home carrying another net bag of things.
"Aunt Yuehe said, 'We're neighbors, no need to be so polite.'"
Jin Junwei didn't insist any further, thinking that he might as well treat them to a meal at a restaurant another day.
But Lin Ting, who had gone back to his hometown, had not returned yet. Guan Yuehe and Lin Yiku were still leaving early and returning late every day, rarely having a chance to rest. The couple were also busy keeping an eye on the construction progress of the courtyard, so he couldn't find an opportunity to treat them to a meal.
At the end of July, university admission scores and college entrance examination results were finally released.
Jiang Guiying went to the melon seed king's grocery store early in the morning to wait for a phone call.
The neighbors were also waiting. Under the ginkgo tree at the entrance of the alley, a group of elderly men and women gathered, fanning themselves and eating sunflower seeds.
When the neighbors caught a glimpse of Jiang Guiying walking over with a beaming smile, they guessed that the eldest granddaughter of the Guan family had finally passed the exam.
Which school did you get accepted to?
"She got into the fashion college, majoring in fashion design." Jiang Guiying couldn't stop smiling. "Oh dear, so many points were wasted. Jingjing did so well this year, scoring more than twenty points higher than usual!"
"Oh my, this is such a great major! It'll be perfect for getting a job at the Zhuoyue Garment Factory up ahead, much better than going back to our car factory."
"Of course. The average income of workers in those garment factories is much higher than that of our car factories, and they even provide housing."
“If you’re going to praise someone, then praise them. Why are you putting down your own factory? I don’t like hearing such unambitious things from you!” Mr. Zhang, who retired last month, was unhappy. He had worked at the factory for over 30 years and couldn’t stand hearing anyone say anything bad about the Five Star Automobile Factory.
"Can't I just tell the truth? Your assembly plant's profits are getting higher and higher every year, while our parts plant's profits are getting lower and lower every year. We're both under the Five Star Automobile Factory, but there's a huge difference in our wages. What's wrong with me telling you?"
Five Star Automobile Factory is a large enterprise with several factories under it, and the differences between the factories are huge.
Before the reforms, everyone received the same salary, so the differences in wages were minimal. After the reforms, wages were linked to performance, and the gap widened year by year.
The workers in the poorly performing factories had long been dissatisfied. Those with connections had used their influence to transfer to better-performing factories. Those without connections were left with pent-up resentment that grew day by day.
Seeing that a fight was about to break out at the alley entrance, Jiang Guiying had no interest in staying to watch the commotion and hurried home to deliver the news.
Forced to stay and look after his granddaughter, Guan Canghai hurriedly asked, "How is it?"
Although he had a guess in his mind after seeing his wife so happy, he couldn't put his mind at ease until he heard the definite answer.
Aunt Fang and Uncle Lin from next door also came over to ask.
"It's confirmed. I've been accepted into the Fashion Design School. I'm just waiting for the acceptance letter to arrive."
"Very good!"
"That's good. Now you can rest assured, right?"
"What do I have to worry about? I know she'll definitely pass the exam." Jiang Guiying lied through her teeth, as if she wasn't the one who was anxious and worried a while ago.
"What did Jianguo and Yufeng say? Are they going to treat us to a meal?"
"They said they'd wait until the acceptance letter came down before making any decisions." Jiang Guiying didn't care about that. As long as she knew her eldest granddaughter had passed the exam, she felt at ease. Whether or not she hosted a celebration was a minor matter.
When Guan Yuehe came home from get off work, she saw Guan Aiguo holding Yaoyao and shaking her while worrying and muttering, "Our daughter is destined to go to university. We can't let the good fortune of our family's ancestral graves end before our daughter, can we?"
Hearing this, Guan Yuehe couldn't help but roll her eyes. As she walked over, she casually gave him a tap on the back of the head to clear some of the water out of his head.
Guan Yuehe was exasperated, saying, "Don't just think about making your daughter successful; learn from Zhang Desheng!"
Speaking of Zhang Desheng, every neighbor in Ginkgo Hutong gives him a thumbs up.
He quietly improved his academic qualifications little by little, and when the country reinstated the postgraduate enrollment policy, he immediately applied. Look, after graduating with a master's degree, he got a job in the education bureau and is now a section chief.
"Sister Yuehe, what happened to my dad?" Zhang Quanbin grinned as he arrived at the door.
"He's praising your dad for his ambition. You're... sending out invitations, are you getting married? Congratulations!"
As soon as Guan Yuehe said this, Jiang Guiying and Wan Xiujuan came out of the kitchen. Even those living in the side rooms came out.
Zhang Quanbin continued grinning and showing his teeth.
The name on the invitation was unfamiliar; it certainly wasn't a girl from their Ginkgo Alley.
Good things tend to happen in clusters.
Ginkgo Alley was quite festive in August. First, Zhang Quanbin got married and held a wedding banquet, then Wu Jiawang found a girlfriend and set a wedding date, and then someone who got into university held a university banquet.
Two days before the quiet university banquet, Lin Ting and Gu Yu returned with their aunt's family.
Lin Ting had so much fun at the Harvest Brigade that she didn't want to leave, and was even reluctant to come back. When she finally got home and saw Guan Yuehe and Lin Yiku, she clung to them and acted like a spoiled child, saying that she missed her parents every day.
Guan Yuehe pinched her more muscular arms and legs, then looked at her tanned skin and thought that her words were greatly exaggerated.
Lin Ting moved back to their room to sleep that night, leaving the small room for her uncle and aunt.
Lin Ting insisted on sleeping in the middle, chattering on and on about all the friends she had made back in her hometown and what they had done.
"Mom, when are we moving to the new house?"
"It's still a long way off, at least until after National Day." The house itself was built quickly, but the construction involved a lot of paperwork, which was quite a hassle. The house is almost finished now, but it still needs more work inside; we need to move the furniture in, and we need to choose an auspicious day...
Actually, the goal was to choose a day when both she and Lin Yiku were free, preferably a Sunday, so that everyone would be home and able to help move the furniture.
Lin Ting clung to her like an octopus, "Mom, can you build a little pond for me to swim in the new house?"
Lin Ting and Gu Yu returned to their hometown for a month and learned to swim from their second uncle. What they missed most was the little river in their hometown.
Guan Yuehe and Lin Yiku exchanged a glance and refused her in unison, saying, "No. Our courtyard isn't that big."
It was probably last year when Lin Ting went to the wedding banquet of the Guazi Wang family with her elders. She saw that their big courtyard had a small pond for raising goldfish and thought that her new home also had a courtyard, so she thought she could also have a small pond for raising goldfish.
She had a wonderful idea: instead of keeping goldfish in the pond, she would turn it into a swimming pool for her to play in.
Why don't we live in a big courtyard?
"Because my parents don't have enough money, they can only afford a small yard for now."
"Okay, then you guys have to work hard. I kind of want to live in a big courtyard."
Guan Yuehe almost laughed out of anger. This girl really knew how to make arrangements for adults. "A good life has to be created by oneself. You're still hoping to buy a big courtyard yourself."
Guan Yuehe wasn't entirely joking. Her and Lin Yiku's salaries looked high now, but they were increasing slowly. Hers probably wouldn't change for the next few years, while Lin Yiku could likely get a promotion.
Prices are rising rapidly outside; who knows, one day, wage increases might not be able to keep up with inflation.
Lin Ting thought for a moment, then said happily, "I can open a general store and make a lot of money!"
"Mother......"
Guan Yuehe pinched her mouth shut. "Okay, you can't talk anymore. Mom and Dad have to get up early for work tomorrow."
"All right."
After Lin Ting fell asleep, Lin Yiku moved her to the side and slept in the middle herself.
It was pitch black at night, and Lin Ting didn't say a word, so he couldn't see where she was.
Guan Yuehe laughed and said, "You looked like this when you were tanned to a dark brown."
"..." I should have known better than to tease my daughter. Lin Yi covered her mouth with her hand, "You're not allowed to say anything either."
Guan Yuehe actually wanted to continue talking, but she forgot what she wanted to say for a moment, yawned, and quickly fell asleep.
The idea of sending Juanjuan to study in the city was proposed by her sister, Guan Yuehua.
Guan Yuehua is the person in the family who values education the most. When Guan Weiguo came to pick up Gu Yu and Lin Ting to go back to their hometown, she told Guan Weiguo to go home and discuss it with Li Qiuyue and Juanjuan, and to make a decision before the start of school registration.
Meanwhile, Aunt's family was in Courtyard No. 3, talking to Guan Canghai and Jiang Guiying about this matter.
“We were thinking of renting a room with Yuehe, so my mom and Qiuyue could take turns staying with Juanjuan in the city.” Guan Weiguo rubbed his rough hands, a little embarrassed. “This is a bit of a dilemma. The junior high schools in the commune aren’t very good, and we’re worried about disrupting the child’s development…”
In the past, he and Li Qiuyue wouldn't have thought so much. But he often went to the city and knew how many people in Ginkgo Hutong had been admitted to vocational schools and universities, and what good jobs they had after graduation. He couldn't help but think more about his child.
He was a bit unlucky; his household registration wasn't in the city. But his children were fortunate to live in a good era and could become city dwellers through their own efforts.
All they, as parents, could do was help them get into a better school.
Before he could continue, Jiang Guiying agreed to let Juanjuan come to the city to study.
Their family had been long-time workers at the car factory, so sending their child to a school for the factory's employees wasn't a big deal for them.
The household registration restrictions are not as strict as before, and it doesn't matter if there is no quota. Anyway, we can still have a surplus of grain grown in our hometown, so we don't lack food.
"Forget about renting a place. We have a small empty room at home, so let Juanjuan stay here and eat with us. That way, you won't have to travel back and forth. You can deliver things to the city every day, and let her go home with you on Saturday afternoons and come back on Sunday afternoons."
"Alright, it's settled then." Jiang Guiying made the decision directly.
Yao Yao was only a few months old. It would be several years before she wanted to sleep in her own room.
The school for children of employees of the automobile factory is already building student dormitories. Once completed, the students will live in the school dormitories, which will make management easier.
"Now that it's settled, you two come with me to the front yard to ask Zhang Quanbin for the registration materials." Guan Canghai didn't mince words and got up to leave.
It's so convenient to have a neighbor who's a teacher at a school in this courtyard.
When Guan Yuehe returned, she was told that her second brother no longer needed to ask her to rent a house. Even Juanjuan's school registration had been arranged, and she was just waiting to bring the materials to the school to pay the tuition on the registration day.
The only one who was unhappy was Lin Ting.
"Mom, I want to go to elementary school too!" Gu Yu and her sister Juan Juan are both going to school at the car factory, so she's the only one in the preschool class.
"Where have you gone again? Show me your teeth."
"Sizzle~"
Lin Yiku: "..."
—
The quiet university banquet was held in the new staff quarters, but all the neighbors from No. 3 Ginkgo Hutong were invited.
This was the first time Guan Yuehe had ever seen her elder brother and sister-in-law so smug, their voices so loud they were deafening.
But if she put herself in Lin Ting's shoes, Guan Yuehe felt that if Lin Ting got into university in the future, she would be even more smug than her sister-in-law.
Author's note: Thank goodness I took a second look!!! How could I have posted the unedited draft? [crying emoji]
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