Chapter 105
The village-run furniture factory where Chen Lanjun's parents work has experienced ups and downs.
As soon as it was established last year, the business was booming. At the end of the year, all the villagers working in the factory received a generous bonus. The smell of meat wafted through every household. It has been many years since the New Year was so prosperous.
However, being too prosperous is also a sin, especially in small towns with underdeveloped economies. At the beginning of spring, my mother Zheng Mei was called to the commune—now the town government—by her superiors, saying that someone had reported them for interfering with the normal operation of state-owned enterprises.
The first crime was that the village furniture factory snatched away the timber, causing the county furniture factory to be unable to obtain good timber; the second crime was that the village furniture factory's furniture prices were actually lower than those of the county furniture factory, which seriously disrupted the planned furniture market and caused the county furniture factory's products to be unable to be sold.
The main parties that filed the complaint were the county furniture factory and other villages that did not have village-run enterprises.
Zheng Mei refused to admit such a charge and explained to her boss: "We are just making furniture honestly. The wood was collected by our villagers from many places. The county furniture factory was unwilling to go to those places before. As for the price, we reduced the burden on the buyers. Is there anything wrong with that?"
"How come you don't understand, comrade? Is this a matter of right or wrong?" said the newly appointed leader, frowning.
"Isn't it important who is right or wrong? I have done nothing wrong. Even if I am reported to Yanjing, I am not afraid."
Zheng Mei got angry and refused to back down.
However, within two months, the □□ issued a document, with the front page of the newspaper clearly stipulating: "In order to limit the competition for raw materials with large and medium-sized advanced enterprises, ... all commune-brigade enterprises that compete with large advanced enterprises for raw materials and have higher profits, whether newly established or existing enterprises, will be subject to industrial and commercial income tax in accordance with regulations."①
Originally, the commune-brigade enterprises were not required to pay taxes, but with this document, not only did they have to pay taxes, but some higher-ups also urged Zheng Mei to pay last year's taxes.
Zheng Mei straightened her back and argued with the visitor: "We are a commune enterprise. We have already given the money earned to the villagers as bonuses. If you want to collect it, go and knock on every door yourself!"
This attitude made the county staff very embarrassed, and they lost their temper on the spot: "Comrade, if you don't cooperate with our work like this, then I can't do anything about it."
Report to your superiors when you get back.
Then, when Zheng Mei delivered the finished furniture to the unit that ordered it, the furniture was rejected.
The person in charge came out, politely but firmly: "I'm sorry, according to the regulations of our superiors, we cannot buy products from the commune enterprise."
…
After explaining the whole story, the neighbor's aunt sighed and said, "Your parents went to the county meeting for this. In fact, I think this doesn't make sense at all. We finally set up a village furniture factory, everyone made some money, and had a good year, but now we have to... forget it, it's always like this anyway."
Chen Lanjun put down her chopsticks with a serious expression.
Her parents never told her about these things.
After returning from her neighbor's house, she lit a Mobil lamp and thought quietly.
Unlike the resolute reform atmosphere in Suicheng and Pengcheng City, the small county in my hometown immediately put on the brakes and the wind direction changed.
Under such circumstances, it is very difficult for the village-run furniture factory to reverse the situation.
I don't know how many times the autumn insects outside the house chirped, and I could hear human voices in the distance.
"Why is the light on?" Zheng Mei asked in confusion.
Chen Lanjun stood up and pushed the door open.
Zheng Mei and Chen Zhisheng were both stunned.
"Why are you back?" Zheng Mei asked in surprise.
Chen Zhisheng smiled, looked his daughter up and down, and seeing that she looked good, he nodded secretly: "When did you arrive? Are you okay?"
"fine."
Zheng Mei put down the bag in her hand and asked, "Have you eaten yet? Lao Chen, go light the fire and make some fried rice for my second sister."
"Okay, I'll go to the door and pick up some snacks--"
Chen Lanjun quickly explained: "No, I had dinner at my neighbor's house."
Although she said she had already eaten, Zheng Mei was still afraid that she would be hungry, so she insisted on going to the kitchen to heat up some rice soup.
The family sat at the table around a Mobil lamp.
"Mom and Dad, I came back for a few days this time to explain the matter of Pengcheng's house."
Zheng Mei frowned when Chen Lanjun mentioned this, but considering her daughter had just returned, she didn't want to say anything discouraging, so she just evaded the question: "Second sister, let's talk tomorrow. We are a little tired today."
After arguing for a long time, she was completely exhausted.
Seeing that they were indeed tired, Chen Lanjun did not force them. She simply talked about their recent situation and then they all went to bed.
The next day, after picking up younger sister Zhujun and bringing her home, Chen Zhisheng and Zheng Mei prepared a large table of dishes and had a lively meal together.
Chen Lanjun announced to them that she had already bought a house and could transfer her household registration.
Chen Zhisheng and his younger sister had no objections, but Zheng Mei had a gloomy face: "This time, it's like leaving everything behind."
The old house is fine, but this village furniture factory was built by her and Chen Zhisheng with great effort, so she really can't bear to leave it.
Chen Lanjun knew what she was thinking and asked, "Mom, are you worried about the village furniture factory?"
Zheng Mei said nothing. As a mother, how could she admit her anxiety in front of her daughter?
Seeing that she still didn't want to answer, Chen Lanjun didn't mention it anymore. She found Zheng Mei's time to wash clothes and chat with her privately.
Carrying a basin and soap to the pond, Chen Lanjun and Zheng Mei rolled up their sleeves and washed clothes, one applying soap while the other rinsed them with water.
As they twisted a coat, Chen Lanjun spoke:
"Mom, my sister and I have a factory in Pengcheng."
"I know. I went to see it with your dad during the Chinese New Year."
"I don't think you quite understand yet," Chen Lanjun used force with her hands to wring out many water droplets from the wet coat.
She took all the coats and said, "Mom, I have also bought properties in Hong Kong and Guangzhou. I did all this myself."
"Your daughter has grown up. Maybe you can try to rely on each other with her."
Zheng Mei looked at her with complicated eyes.
After a long while, he slowly said, "Well, I am facing some difficulties now."
The clothes were rubbed on the wooden board, making a rustling sound. Amid the sound, Zheng Mei slowly explained the whole story.
"…I went to the county yesterday and they told me some new news."
"It is said that the county has decided to merge some small village-run enterprises into county-run enterprises, so that the people in the original village enterprises can partially enjoy the treatment of non-staff workers in the county."
Zheng Mei lowered her head and rubbed the clothes mechanically. "Our furniture factory is also among them."
There was silence.
Chen Lanjun sighed softly.
“Let’s go to Pengcheng, Mom,” she said. “Although it’s difficult, the atmosphere there will be better than here. We can rebuild a factory there together, a factory that belongs only to us.”
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