Zhang Guoqing rode his bike toward the county town, which resembled a colorless photograph, with a gray sky, muddy roads, and large red slogans plastered across the walls of the houses on both sides. As soon as he entered the county town, he took a closer look and saw that there had been a surge of propaganda posters and large red slogans on the walls of every corner in recent days. The streets were almost uniformly populated by men, women, and children, all wearing patched, plain clothes. Groups of people, dressed in yellow military uniforms, yellow caps, red armbands, yellow shoulder bags, and Liberation shoes, gathered in groups of three or four. They carried paint buckets and sprayers, using pre-cut paper patterns to affix to the walls and then spray a few times.
I was in a hurry that morning and didn't notice that there were many new slogans on it, such as "Work hard, strive to be the best, build socialism quickly, efficiently and economically." "Carry the anti-rightist struggle to the end," etc. The big red fonts sparkled in the sunlight.
There were some people selling persimmons, pears and some wild fruits like "bitter girls" on the streets of the county town. Zhang Guoqing couldn't help but stop the car when he saw the "bitter girls". These fruits were especially sweet only after frost. So he bought some fruits. Jiaojiao loved to eat these wild fruits.
Loudspeakers in the streets and alleys of the county town played revolutionary songs, accompanied by the creaking sounds of mechanical adjustments, "The East is Red, the Sun is Rising..." Zhang Guoqing followed the tune and rode all the way to the county textile factory.
The county textile mill is the largest factory in the county, employing over 1,000 people. It houses two workshops, one for towels and one for cotton cloth. Covering 20 hectares, it is located on the eastern outskirts of the city. Before liberation, it was owned by Wang Baiwan, a county capitalist. Later, it was privately owned and publicly owned, becoming a state-owned collective enterprise.
Before liberation, thanks to this factory, Wang Baiwan owned a street of shops in the most prosperous downtown area of the provincial capital. At first, his cotton cloth and towels were sold throughout the three northeastern provinces.
Near the textile factory, near the county seat, stood a five-story courtyard house that served as his ancestral home. Surrounding it were numerous smaller courtyards built by his family members who later depended on him for support. After the factory was liquidated in 1952, the courtyard was divided up by local officials and distributed among the original textile factory employees.
Wang Baiwan's life was filled with twists and turns. His father died young, his mother was frail and seriously ill, and he had a much younger brother. As a young man, he ventured alone to Shanghai, where he made a name for himself through his daring and cunning efforts. He even married the only daughter of a prominent family. After his father-in-law passed away, he returned to his village in the mountains with his wife, children, and property. He immediately bought a large plot of land in the eastern suburbs of the county seat, built a five-story courtyard house, and established the largest textile factory in Northeast China at the time. At its peak, his family employed over 2,000 people.
He had only one wife in his life and had three sons and two daughters. When Yuan Shikai was about to ascend the throne, he sent his young son and daughter to study in England, accompanied by his younger brother and his family.
He and his wife established a family rule, stipulating that all children, regardless of gender, who turned 10 and had completed the Four Classics and Five Books, would be sent to England for further education. When they returned from studying abroad, their youngest son would be left alone. The children who went abroad would only return every three to five years. On September 18th, after sending their youngest son and his family abroad, the couple felt reluctant to leave their homeland. Seeing the situation was unfavorable, they closed down many of their businesses, leaving only the county textile factory. When the Japanese invaders arrived, they occupied the county textile factory. After the liberation of China, the couple died in the liquidation in 1952. Despite saving countless lives, his children have become a mystery, and his wealth is even more of a mystery.
Zhang, the factory gatekeeper, knew Zhang Guoqing. He often saw him visiting his two sisters and brother-in-law. When he saw him riding his bike over, he shouted, "How did you find time to come here today? I heard you and your young wife got married. Why didn't you invite me over for a drink?"
"Uncle Zhang, you're such a busy man. It would be rude of me to ask you to go. Why would I, a junior of my generation, ask you to go to the countryside? When you're free, let's go out for a drink. I'll be there whenever you ask." Zhang Guoqing said to the doorman with a smile, then stopped the car and asked, "Which workshop is my eldest brother-in-law in? I need something from him."
"Okay, I'll shout through the loudspeaker. You come in and wait first." Uncle Zhang, the doorman, said as he went in.
After a while, a loudspeaker sounded, "Comrade Zhang Chunming, someone is waiting at the gatehouse. Comrade Zhang Chunming, please go to the gatehouse. There are guests waiting for you. Calling Comrade Zhang Chunming, there are guests waiting for you at the gatehouse."
He shouted it three times in a row, which made Zhang Guoqing embarrassed. Now the whole factory could hear it.
"Uncle Zhang, is Huang Yaoguo, the driver, at the factory today?"
Uncle Zhang thought about it and had no impression. He hadn't seen him today either. "I didn't see him today, so I don't know. Can I call him for you?"
"No, it's not urgent. Let's go to his house later. It's not good to keep calling people at work. If the boss hears, it will be difficult for you."
"That's the good thing about you, you're considerate of others. The other day I came to Master Huang's house in the towel workshop, and he made me call out five people at once. The leader happened to be out at the time, and he saw that even I was criticized." Uncle Zhang sighed.
"Yes, everyone is busy with their tasks now. Getting on and off the plane will delay our time. Everyone should work hard to build socialism. There is no time to lose. Every household is busy."
Zhang Chunming saw from afar that his brother-in-law Zhang Guoqing was chatting enthusiastically with the doorman Lao Zhang in front of the doorman's office. Lao Zhang was usually silent and always had a stern face. Only Xiaowu had this ability. He could find topics to chat with them, from young to old.
"Xiaowu, what do you want from me? Didn't you just come this morning?" He was still quite confused. He saw her a few days after taking a bath, and she insisted on riding her bike over.
Zhang Guoqing saw him and said to Uncle Zhang, "Uncle Zhang, when are you free tomorrow? Let's go out for a drink. I found my brother-in-law. Thank you for your help today."
Zhang Guoqing took his brother-in-law away from people and walked to a remote place. Seeing that there was no one around, he took out 30 ten-yuan bills from his pocket and handed them to him.
"Brother-in-law, you are such a fool. There is no need to be so polite with me. After listening to what my second sister said, I realized that buying a house is a big deal. Here is 300 yuan. You count it. If it is not enough, I still have 200 yuan in my pocket. I am not in a hurry to use this money. It will be fine for two or three years. Don't worry about it. Don't be harsh on my nephews. When you are more convenient and have extra money, you can give it to me. You must buy that big yard as soon as possible. It is a rare place and the location is good. Besides, it is getting cold in winter and it is not easy for my nephew to sleep in the living room. When you move, remember to call us brothers to help."
Zhang Chunming took the money, counted it, nodded, and then shook his head. "300 yuan is enough. I went to that yard with your sister and the others this morning. We've already negotiated with the other party. He's a straightforward person. He said he'll leave all the furniture and everything. He's going to his son's place in the provincial capital this time, so it's hard to take the furniture with him. He'll only take food and clothes. The price has also been reduced to 920 yuan. I've already paid the deposit, and we've made an appointment to transfer the ownership. We'll go to exchange the property deeds on Monday. Hehe, brother-in-law, don't say thank you for those polite words. Don't worry about your brother-in-law. With your eldest sister's and my salary plus renting out the old house, we can pay it off in less than a year, and he won't be too harsh on you nephews. Forget about moving. That yard has everything. The house here is small and there's not much stuff. You all should come over for a few drinks after the housewarming."
Zhang Guoqing smiled and nodded. "Okay, I'll be leaving first. If you need anything, come find me. I'm plenty strong." He still had to hurry to the supply and marketing cooperative. "Brother-in-law, go in. Come early to help on the third day of the baby's bath."
Zhang Chunming waved goodbye and said, "Okay, we'll go to your second sister's house early, so be careful when riding your bike."
Zhang Guoqing rode his bicycle past the entrance of the textile factory, greeted the doorman Uncle Zhang, and rode towards the county supply and marketing cooperative.
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