Zhang Baimin's narration was like a key that slowly opened the door to the past. I listened attentively and my heart was deeply touched.
Looking back, Zhang 놂min was born into a middle-peasant family.
In that vigorous land reform, the wheel of fate began to turn, and his family was wrongly classified as rich peasants.
From then on, the label of "five black categories" of "rich, anti-corruption, bad and rightist" was like a heavy shackle, tightly tied to the young Zhang Min.
His father was a stubborn man at heart. In order to express his resistance to the unfair fate, he named his son "Zhang Poor Nong". In that special era, this name was undoubtedly a silent cry.
When Zhang Xiaomin entered school, his teacher considered that the name had too strong political connotations, so after careful consideration, he changed his name to "Zhang Xiaomin", hoping that he could find a trace of peace in the torrent of the times.
Zhang Xiaomin's life trajectory was destined to be extraordinary from the very beginning.
In the wave of educated youth going to the countryside, he, as a rural youth, won the heart of a rural female educated youth with his sincerity and simplicity, and successfully entered the marriage hall. Against the backdrop of the distinct urban and rural divide at the time, this was like a bolt of lightning, drawing the attention of those around.
As time passed, the clarion call for the educated youth to return to the city was sounded. At that time, the couple already had a pair of children. At the crossroads of fate, after some struggle, the wife finally made up her mind and chose to divorce Zhang Min, ruthlessly abandoning her two young children and embarked on the train back to the city.
Looking at the train going away, Zhang Min's heart was broken into countless pieces. The strong sense of humiliation and unwillingness was like a ball of fire, burning in his chest.
At that moment, Zhang Min clenched his fists and vowed in his heart that he must control his own destiny. He entrusted his child to his relatives in his hometown and resolutely went to the city.
The anger in his heart turned into an inexhaustible driving force for him to move forward, motivating him to do something and make his ex-wife regret her choice.
In order to survive in the cracks of the city, Zhang Min is like a wandering seed, trying hard to take root.
He once worked as a boiler operator in a thermal power plant, with scalding steam filling the air as he worked busily in the heat. He once carried sacks at a railway station, with his back bent by the heavy sacks, but they could not crush his hope for life.
In that era of material scarcity, most people were still struggling to make ends meet, and they would do anything to earn a few more cents, even at the cost of their lives.
While carrying the sacks at the railway station, Zhang Xiaomin discovered that someone was secretly picking corn kernels out of the sacks. But he did not go with the flow, instead he keenly seized the business opportunities.
Afterwards, he rushed to the countryside, bought grain at a price higher than the official price, and then sold it on the black market in the city.
However, in that period of strict control, his behavior violated the law and he was soon sentenced to six months' detention for the crime of "speculation and undermining the policy of unified purchase and sale of grain."
After being released from prison, Zhang 놂min did not become depressed, but became more shrewd. He no longer directly purchased food with money or food stamps, but instead bartered with fellow villagers for scarce daily necessities such as matches and soap, cleverly exploiting loopholes in the law.
This seemingly insignificant move opened the curtain of his entrepreneurial journey with original sin. In the torrent of the times, he began a business adventure of ups and downs.
The wheel of time rolled into a new era of reform and opening up. This vigorous wave provided a broad stage for Zhang Min. With the experience and courage accumulated in the past, he was like a duck in water, and his wealth was gradually accumulated through hard work. Later, he entered the fast-moving consumer goods field and became a regional agent.
Once, Zhang Min went to Suzhou for business negotiations. In the quaint city of Suzhou, he met Aunt Song, who worked in the Commercial Bureau. Aunt Song has elegant manners, lively eyes, and the unique gentle temperament of a Jiangnan woman, which attracted Zhang Min's attention at once; and Zhang Min's rich experience and unique insights made Aunt Song feel good about her. After a few visits, the two quickly fell in love and immersed in sweetness.
However, this relationship did not receive the blessing of Aunt Song's family. Aunt Song's father, as an official, looked down on Zhang Min, who was full of business aura. Not only is Zhang Xiaomin more than a decade older than Aunt Song, he has also been married and has two children. Song's father took a tough stance and obstructed their relationship in every possible way, trying to keep his daughter away from Zhang Xiaomin.
Although they did not enter the palace of marriage, their feelings did not cool down. They have maintained their relationship despite external pressure and have been together ever since.
Later, Zhang Min suffered an investment Waterloo, almost lost everything overnight, and fell into the trough of life. In his most difficult times, Aunt Song never left him, silently stayed by his side, gave him spiritual comfort and material support, and helped him stand up again.
Zhang Xiaomin sighed that the fate between 그 and 그 might have been secretly arranged by fate from the very beginning. He said: "If there had not been those obstacles back then, I would have been able to marry Xiao Jie smoothly. Otherwise, we might have parted ways due to various conflicts."
I was deeply immersed in their otherworldly emotional journey, and my heart was filled with emotion.
Aunt Song sat at the side, her eyes full of emotion, and she whispered softly: "Look, I really dare not imagine how many years have passed in the blink of an eye."
Zhang Xiaomin looked solemn and spoke sincerely, "Xiaoguan, you just stepped into this door, and I took advantage of my age to persuade you to separate from Nannan. This is my unshirkable responsibility as Nannan's father and close friend. After all, I have watched Nannan grow up, and I really don't want her to get hurt."
After that, he sighed slightly, his eyes deep and far-reaching, and continued: "Just now, I told you the story of how your aunt Song and I have been together, just to let you know that as long as two people truly love each other and understand each other, no obstacles from the outside world can separate them. Now, I have said everything I should say, and I have fulfilled my responsibility as an elder. As for how far you and Nannan can go on the road of love, and whether you can achieve the right result, it all depends on your fate and luck."
I was filled with gratitude and looked at Zhang Min sincerely: "Uncle Zhang, thank you very much for your guidance. But this time I came to the provincial capital not for my daughter. I know what is important and I am definitely not the kind of person who would pester you and not distinguish between the primary and the secondary."
My words were like a stone thrown into a calm lake, instantly causing a thousand waves, which caught Zhang Min and Aunt Song off guard. Aunt Song's eyes flashed with surprise, and she couldn't help asking, "Is there something more serious than this?"
I lowered my head with a little shame and said in a steady voice, "It's really embarrassing to say that I don't have Uncle Zhang's unswerving persistence in love. I'm afraid Nannan is not like Aunt Song back then, who was desperate for love. In fact, we have already reached an agreement that when her temporary assignment is over, this relationship will come to an end and we will not disturb each other in the future."
Zhang 놂min and Aunt Song couldn't help but look at each other when they heard this. Then, Zhang Xiaomin raised his head and laughed, saying with emotion: "Young people nowadays have unique ideas. They even make agreements about love affairs like signing a contract."
I responded honestly: "To be honest, I came to the provincial capital to help a friend deal with an extremely difficult matter."
Zhang Xiaomin looked at me warmly and said, "Since you have run into a problem, if you don't mind, you might as well tell me about it. We Northeasterners have the gene of being public-spirited and righteous. I have been working hard in this provincial capital for so many years and have accumulated some connections. Maybe I can help."
Seeing that he was sincere in his words, I no longer hid anything and told him everything about how Yu Zhiming had plotted against me and how I had fallen into the loan shark crisis.
After listening to this, Zhang Xiaomin frowned and fell into deep thought.
After a moment, he waved at me thoughtfully. I quickly sat down next to him. He leaned slightly to my ear and whispered something in my ear.
After hearing his words, my eyes lit up and a spark of hope ignited in my heart.
I asked with a little concern: "Uncle Zhang, is this too much trouble for you?"
Zhang Min laughed heartily and reached out to pat my shoulder lightly: "Stop calling me Uncle Zhang. You're making me look old! Just call me Brother Zhang from now on. How about that, Brother Guan?"
Aunt Song looked at us from the side with a smile on her face. For a moment, the room was filled with unrestrained laughter.
The carved mahogany table was glowing with a faint light. Zhang Min bent his well-maintained right hand and slowly pulled a jade ring from his thick thumb.
The emerald green color flows under the light. Although the water head is not top-notch, the patina is thick. The engraved lotus patterns become more and more ancient when rubbed. At first glance, it is an old object that has been accumulated over the years.
"That guy is the one who refuses to admit his mistake," he handed the ring to me, "so show me this."
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