Chapter 212 Debt Soars
Lin Yi felt very embarrassed. His mother actually thought that he had to rely on his sister and brother-in-law to put pressure on Han Mei to give birth to a child for him. He was even more depressed!
Han Mei looked down on him, and his mother looked down on him too. After all, he was a formal employee of a large state-owned factory, and he was better than 90% of people. How could everyone live like his brother-in-law?
Fang Mingche changed the subject, "Changchang, who are you going to spend your pocket money on?"
Fang Chang patted his chest, meaning that he would spend it himself.
"You are so stingy, at least you should spend it on your family."
Fang Chang looked at his sister to see if she would spend it on her family. Yan Yan hurriedly said, "I'll go buy some melon seeds and peanuts so we can eat together."
At this moment, there was a sudden "bang" outside. Fang Chang hugged his sister's legs nearby and buried his face in them.
Yanyan cheered, "The popcorn maker is here!"
Father Lin said with a smile, "Lin Yi, go weigh out a pound of rice for them."
"Okay."
Lin Yi went in to weigh the rice, and Yanyan followed him. Changchang, who was holding her legs, naturally followed. Seeing that his sister was not afraid of the noise just now, he was not too scared.
He didn't remember it was a small thing, but he hadn't heard such a noise since he moved to the Overseas Chinese Apartment.
The popcorn maker never went there. He mainly took the low-level route, serving the children who couldn't buy too many other snacks.
Most of the children living in the Overseas Chinese Apartment had foreign exchange at home. They could buy whatever they wanted at the Friendship Store and the Overseas Chinese Store, and they wouldn't be too keen on popcorn.
Well, there were also people like Yanyan who had been used to eating it since childhood. So when they heard the sound, they would happily weigh rice or corn to pop.
Lin Yi not only weighed the rice when he entered the house, but also took a grain coupon. The processing fee could be paid in cash or with a grain coupon.
Father Lin glanced at him and said, "Just pay the money, why do you have to use the food coupons from the public school? If you don't make much money, these places will seem stingy. Han Mei would definitely not do such a thing.
Yanyan patted her small bag and said, "Uncle, you don't need to use the food coupons. I have change."
Lin Yi put the food coupons back and took his niece and nephew to make popcorn.
Changchang has short legs. If he walks at his speed, he will definitely have to line up very far.
Lin Yi picked him up with the rice in one hand and the other hand. The little nephew insisted on going to see what the noise was. Children of this age are all curious.
When they came back, Yanyan bought peanuts and melon seeds. In fact, Mother Lin prepared some snacks such as dried sweet potatoes today. But Yanyan had to set an example for Changchang. And she asked Changchang to pay fifty cents as well.
"You got pocket money, you have to treat us, you know?"
So when Changchang came back, he patted his chest and said, "Treat us." He pointed at his sister and uncle.
Yanyan said, "It's all paid by uncle."
Lin Yi couldn't let his nephew and niece pay while he stood by. If he did that, the people in the canteen would probably look at him with a sidelong glance.
After eating the mutton soup pot, the family drove back.
After returning home and entering the room, Lin Yan couldn't help but sigh. Fang Mingche knew that she said she didn't care, but she was actually worried about Lin Yi's marriage. And she would probably have to take the blame!
Lin Yan sighed and said angrily, "Huh, it was obviously she who wanted to put Han Mei in the travel agency. How can it be that I put her in and don't care?"
Fang Mingche said, "How can your mother reason with you?"
"So, if Lin Yi is really divorced, I'm afraid the blame will fall on me. I know that I really can't take any responsibility in the future."
The matter of the Xie sisters was not followed up, and Xie Ting still stayed to take care of Aunt Gao and Xie Ping, who was pregnant not long ago. But there was no anger towards Lin Yan.
As for whether Xie Ping was in a good mood during the early stages of her pregnancy, it was not her business. Her husband and mother-in-law were there. But her family's affairs were obviously going to burn her.
Fang Mingche looked at her. Ah Yan actually had a very naive side. For example, she had been PUA'd by her mother-in-law since she was a child, and as an older sister, she had to sacrifice for her younger brother.
So, ten years ago, it was the turn of the Lin family to have one of their children go to the countryside. His father-in-law meant that Lin Yi was a boy, so there was no need to worry too much about leaving home, so he was prepared to go. After all, the two siblings were less than two years apart.
But Lin's mother was worried that her son could not bear the hardship of going to the countryside, so she discussed it with Lin Yan. It was said to be a discussion, but later the so-called mother-daughter conspiracy went to the Youth Office to report Lin Yan's name.
After being ruthlessly suppressed by life in the countryside, Ah Yan finally turned her mind around and would not be a brother-supporting demon in the general direction. But she was still affected by her own mother.
Now that she was scolded by her own mother, she has completely come to her senses. It is estimated that she will never make decisions for her family's affairs in the future. There is still hope!
If Ah Yan wasn't a straightforward person, she wouldn't have stayed in the countryside when all those educated youths returned to the city in her previous life. Moreover, few people can completely break free from their mother's PUA at the beginning. The influence of the original family is more or less. If a person has no shortcomings, it would not be real!
Seeing that he didn't speak, Lin Yan thought about her parents-in-law and her brother and sister-in-law. It seemed that Mingche's family relationship was much better than hers.
Fang Mingche said, "Mother-in-law said that we don't care, but that's not true. We have actually been thinking about promoting Lin Yi's progress, but he just won't listen."
Lin Yan nodded, isn't it. Mom doesn't put pressure on Lin Yi, but puts pressure on herself, a married woman.
"I don't know how he can be so stable!"
When Mingche was going to take the college entrance examination, she didn't dare to slack off. As a couple, they must not be too different. It's best to fly together.
What if Lin Yi is a formal employee of a large state-owned factory? He only makes 37 yuan a month. The starting price is 36 yuan, and the other 1 yuan is the salary for seniority in the past two years. Well, it's going to increase by another 50 cents. He's been working for three years now! But he's been standing still and hasn't even passed the first-level technician exam.
But Han Mei makes about 300 a month, eight times more than him! She even made 350 during the summer vacation
. Lin Yan is the cashier, so everyone gets their salary from her. Even the payrolls in Shanghai and abroad have to be submitted to her for review. So she knows all this very well.
She really couldn't understand how Lin Yi could be so down-to-earth? She was still a woman. If she was so much worse than Mingche, she wouldn't dare to think that her life would be stable even if she gave birth to Yanyan and Changchang.
Fang Mingche said: "In fact, I don't think he is that down-to-earth. It's just that every time he has some ideas to make progress, the working environment he is in and the co-workers he plays with will pull him down. He is not someone who can break away from the big environment!"
Even if she said that, saying that factories and rural areas must undergo reforms. As a result, my father-in-law is about to retire, and he is more stimulated than Lin Yi.
My father-in-law is worried about his retirement salary. In fact, it's okay. Before the mass layoffs in 1998, social security was fully launched. Why is it that the capital is the place where it has started to be promoted? So my father-in-law and mother-in-law will definitely have a seamless transition at that time. From receiving retirement wages at the factory, they can directly transfer to social security. It will not be affected at all! The reform is not to cause social unrest, so the basic security of these old employees will definitely be well prepared before major actions are taken.
But at Lin Yi's age, he was only in his early 40s in 1998. It was the time when he had the most pressure, with elderly parents and children to take care of. He couldn't avoid it! He had lived an extremely hard life in his previous life. His parents' pension had to be used to support his family of three. Whether
Lin Yi and Han Mei would divorce, Fang Mingche didn't want to care at all now. Can you force a cow to drink water? Moreover, there will be an opportunity soon. Starting from 1983, he could take a leave of absence without pay.
Lin Yi is not moving now, just because he is afraid of losing his iron rice bowl. Especially for someone like him who doesn't have outstanding abilities, or hasn't shown them yet, he is most afraid of losing his iron rice bowl that is guaranteed to be profitable.
But Lin Yi is not completely useless. This can be seen from the fact that he quickly passed the driver's license test. He is still willing to do things he really likes with all his heart. If it weren't for this, Fang Mingche would not have bothered to tell him that the factory might be reformed like the countryside. Nowadays, some small factories are also piloting restructuring and are responsible for their own profits and losses.
But he still overestimated his brother-in-law. He thought that he and Han Mei were two different people even though they slept in the same bed. He cared about money, which was also a sign of ambition. With a high income as a reward, Han Mei was really good at her job. It was a bit beyond Fang Mingche's expectations.
The only way now was to wait for the official document on unpaid leave to come out in a year and see if he was willing to come out and give it a try. With the official document, he could apply for a two-year unpaid leave. Even if he didn't do well in the past two years, he could still return to his original unit and position. This would provide a safety net, and Lin Yi should choose to take an unpaid leave and drive for a travel agency.
Lin Yan said, "How will this end? I will not be persuaded by my mother to make decisions for my mother's family in the future."
Fang Mingche said, "Whether you make a decision about Lin Yi's affairs or not, you will not give up when the time comes. Just be careful not to get yourself involved in it first."
Lin Yan nodded, "I understand."
"Don't worry, Lin Yi is my brother-in-law. As long as he is willing to come and doesn't make any big mistakes, I can arrange everything for him."
The next day, Fang Mingche had no classes in the morning and drove Yanyan and Lin Yan to class.
Yanyan was easy to talk to. She was sent to the intersection of the school every day and then walked in. As for Yan, it was too uncomfortable to ride a bike in the winter and it was easy to slip. Just send her to the vicinity of the school gate and walk in with others. This way it won't attract too much attention, and it will be warmer to walk a little at the end.
If Gao Xiang has classes, he will also run to the intersection of Yanyan's school to wait for a ride.
Even Fang Mingche himself asked the driver to do this. You can be frugal and simple in daily life. In the cold winter, if you have a car, you should use it. As long as it doesn't attract too much attention.
The last section is about the same as taking the bus.
When he came back, Changchang woke up from his nap. Fang Mingche took off his military coat and hung it at the door, and saw him sitting on the children's sofa.
It was really a lump! Changchang is now three heads tall, and he is wearing too many clothes. He looks round and looks like a small Buddha statue sitting there. Fang Mingche laughed at his own association.
The little guy was drinking from the bottle by himself. Seeing him move the pacifier away, he called sweetly: "Dad——"
Fang Mingche moved over and touched his head, "Eat quickly, and after you eat, Dad will take you to the Summer Palace for ice skating."
The two of them went to experience it first, and then took others there on the weekend.
This son who didn't exist in the previous life, Fang Mingche actually got a sense of reality after spending a long time with him. He really felt that this was a fat son with his own blood. The little guy is full of attachment and trust to him, how can he not love him?
After Changchang finished eating and rinsed his mouth, Fang Min put on thick clothes, thick pants and thick shoes for him. Fang Mingche picked him up, and he felt even heavier. It is estimated that the clothes and pants can still lose several pounds of skin.
"Xiao Min, come together."
"Uncle Jiu, you take him out. I just need to clean up the house."
"There is not much to clean up, just take some time later. You hold him in the car, and I have to feel more at ease." The small truck he bought does not have seat belts.
"Oh, okay."
Changchang was very happy when he put on thick clothes. He could understand what his father said, and wearing thick clothes meant going downstairs. So, he cooperated very well throughout the whole process, smiling, raising his arms and legs.
Fang Mingche still let them sit behind the driver's seat. Changchang always sticks his head out from behind the seat to look forward. He likes to watch the world.
Fang Mingche said, "We have 220 square meters at home. I'll buy you a small car to drive around the house."
Nowadays, there is no such thing as a common area in a house. The house is actually 220 square meters. It is equivalent to a 300-square-meter large flat in the future. A children's car can be driven around the house.
The rent has increased to 2,200 this year. The landlord is very smart and refuses to sell. They have lived here for more than half a year, but they haven't waited for a house to be sold. However, he has already said that he wants to buy a house. If a neighbor sells a house, he will definitely think of him first.
When they arrived at the Summer Palace, because it was not a holiday or Sunday, there were not many people coming to play. Fang Mingche bought a ticket, but still let Fang Min hold Changchang to sit on the chair and slide.
Changchang was very happy. Even with a small mask on his face, you can see that he was smiling with curved eyebrows.
There are not many projects here, but the snow scene looks really good. Fang Mingche brought a camera out and took pictures of his son along the way. After playing for more than an hour, he promised to bring him here when he had time. Then he brought him out and went to the courtyard.
Fang's father and mother were also very happy to see their grandson come so early. In the past, Fang Min would bring him here when it was almost time for lunch.
Fang's father said, "Changchang came so early today?"
Changchang nodded, and then told his grandfather, "Ice skating."
Fang Mingche said, "Take him to play in the Summer Palace. There are benches for skating inside. You two can go with us on Sunday."
Fang's father and mother nodded, "Okay."
The place where the Empress Dowager and the royal family played can now be visited by buying a ticket. Moreover, it is quite stable to sit and skate. Anyway, now there is no need to worry too much about the small money for daily expenses.
After knowing that her son was in personal debt of more than 100,000 yuan, Fang's mother finally became more and more generous. With so much interest, what is there to save in daily life?
Near noon, Fang Mingche drove to pick up Yanyan and Fang Jian from school to have lunch. Before, Fang's father arranged a driver to go, and he went this morning because he had no classes.
Hearing that they were going to the Summer Palace on Sunday, the four brothers and sisters were very happy.
Fang Mingche went back and saw that his second uncle and second aunt had come to the city, and they brought Fang Wu with them. Just as he was about to say hello, he saw Changchang sitting up from the carpet happily. He was just sitting in a circle of mineral water playing with toys.
Fang Chang patted the mineral water and said, "Xiao Wu, hurry up, go into the pigsty!" Ever since Fang Mingche said that this was a pigsty, he remembered it.
The adults and brothers and sisters all laughed. Fang Wu was put on the ground, but she walked in happily with unsteady steps. The little girl also had a one-year-old ceremony last month, and she is already twelve and a half months old.
Fang Jian has helped to move a box of water and opened the "pigsty door" for them.
The floor heating is turned on, so you can feel the warmth when sitting on the carpet. Fang Chang came over and liked to sit on the ground. It didn't matter if he was in a circle. He was used to being in a circle since he was a child.
Fang Wu saw the many toys in the "pigsty". She actually had a lot of toys herself, but others might have more fragrant ones.
Changchang's things were generous. But if you want to play with his, you have to call him "brother". Just call him, Fang Wu called him sweetly, and then played happily with the toys given by Changchang's brother.
After a while, Fang Min and the eldest sister who cooked brought out the dishes. It was cold, so they couldn't go to the first entrance to fetch them. So an eldest sister was arranged to cook here.
Everyone sat down around a large table. Second uncle and second aunt sat in the dark today and took their granddaughter to visit the city. They hadn't planned to have lunch here.
But the budget was insufficient, and they didn't bring enough diapers for Xiao Wu. Who knew that the little girl had so many poops and pees this morning. They had to come here and use Fang Chang's. Then Fang's father and mother would definitely keep them for lunch.
Second uncle and Fang's father said, "I think I know why wealthy families had small kitchens in the past. For example, in the dead of winter, the dishes sent in from the big kitchen outside must be covered with a layer of oil. Then they can't eat it. This is still a wealthy family. If they live in the palace without a small kitchen, the dishes sent from the imperial kitchen might be cold."
Yanyan has been to the Forbidden City several times. She thought about the distance between the imperial kitchen and the harem, and it was true.
Fang Mingche said, "Second uncle, you don't have to worry too much about the ladies. Part of their allotment is paid in silver, and part is directly distributed in kind. For example, a certain number of kilograms of pork and mutton a day. These are brought back by the eunuchs and maids in their own palaces to cook in the small kitchen. A palace always has a small kitchen with many stoves. However, the main ladies above the rank of concubine will definitely use the stove first, and the concubines below will have to wait. Moreover, those who are not favored will definitely not get all the things in their allotment. This is also where the palace fights are fought. It's not just about competing for favor. The only downside is that when eating at banquets, it will really get cold. Therefore, there are many warm stews in the imperial meals of the Qing Palace, and there are hot pots to cook meat and vegetables."
Second aunt said, "I see. Mingche, are you still studying these?"
Fang Mingche glanced at Yanyan, who was eating happily. He watched a lot of palace fighting dramas with his daughter. And Yanyan was also reading palace fighting novels on Jinjiang, and he basically listened to her popular science. I don't know if the little girl will still be keen on these in this life.
After lunch, the second uncle and the second aunt said they wanted to go back. But Changchang held Xiaowu's arm and refused to let her go.
Fang Mingche said, "Anyway, you have called Brother Mingfeng and Sister-in-law. Changchang has all the things Xiaowu needs to eat, drink, defecate and urinate. She can just use his. It's just that I have classes in the afternoon and can't stay at home with her."
Nowadays, baby formula is not divided into so many categories, and both of them can drink it.
Fang's mother also said, "Yes, we can have more fun in the city. The two children will take a nap in the afternoon, and the four of us can play cards."
Second uncle said, "Okay, it's not somewhere else anyway. Mingche, just go to school, don't worry about us. Your parents are here. When will Minghua and Shufen come back?"
Fang's father said, "It should be two or three o'clock. There are thirty or forty bowls of business at noon now. They close in the afternoon and then prepare for the next day."
Second aunt saw that it was still early and asked Mingche, "Is Minghui doing well in the travel agency?"
She has been working there for four months. Two months ago, she was converted to a regular employee and earns 36 yuan a month, plus commissions, she gets about 100 yuan. This girl doesn't want to go back to teach in the village primary school. Especially the opportunity to work abroad in the future is too attractive to her. She
went out on a field trip this morning and hasn't seen anyone yet.
If her performance is okay and there is room for promotion, she will just do as she wishes during the winter vacation and let her go back and officially sell her job. The selling price has now risen to 600 or 700 yuan.
Fang Mingche said, "Well, I'll be honest. Huihui's performance is mediocre."
Those who do well can be promoted to regular employees in one month. Minghui is indeed not that outstanding, but she is competent.
The second uncle and the second aunt looked at each other, "You didn't flatter her, did you?"
"No, I took two months to make her a regular employee. I treat everyone equally."
The second uncle nodded, "Okay, let her go back and end the working relationship. It is indeed more reassuring for the family to be together." Check the account of the video hall by the way!
Mingfeng said that as long as there is no problem on the surface, it will be fine. If the water is too clear, there will be no fish!
As he was talking, the phone on the counter rang. Fang's father picked it up nearby, "Oh, Xiao Wang, he is here. Mingche, Xiao Wang wants to see you."
Fang Mingche got up and went to answer the phone, "Hello, Lao Wang——"
Wang Dexian said on the phone: "The old western-style building is more than two miles away from the current rental. It is larger than the place we rent now, with three existing buildings and an area of nearly three acres. It is larger than your courtyard house and has more greenery. It is well preserved and the property rights are clear. Do you want it?"
The Wang family needs a lot of money for political funds. Moreover, the money sent by the old man to the martyrs' families has also risen, and prices are also rising now. So as agreed before, they will not participate in buying houses.
The Wang family is not short of houses. They are all in the system and can be allocated houses. And the houses allocated according to their ranks are all good houses. Siheyuan and small villas are not rare for their family.
Fang Mingche asked: "How much?"
"200,000."
Fang Mingche made a "tsk" sound. There were only more than 200,000 in the account, and one-third belonged to the Wang family. And the public account still owed 200,000!
But such an opportunity is rare, and if you don't buy it, you will miss it.
"Then I will borrow money from the travel agency in my own name to buy it. After I buy it, I will let Gao Xiang do the mortgage loan."
The market price is 200,000, and it is estimated that 150,000 to 160,000 can be borrowed. The remaining 40,000 or 50,000 will be regarded as the dividends for the New Year, and then it will be distributed to the Wang family in proportion.
"Okay!"
The next specific operation will be discussed after Lin Yan comes back from school in the afternoon. I will remit the money to Shanghai and fly over to see the house on Sunday. Then I will exchange the money and the goods.
The telephone is not far from the main hall where everyone is sitting, so when Fang Mingche goes out, everyone looks at him.
Fang's father asked, "You are going to buy a big house again? How much?"
Fang Mingche made a two sign, "I will also borrow money first, and then use the house as collateral after I get it."
He has no plans to expand or rush to pay the bank back for the time being. Isn't he just waiting for an old Western-style building to be sold in Shanghai?
Fang's father thought about it, two hundred thousand, it must be bigger than this place! And it's a building, so there should be more rooms than here.
Second uncle also said, "Then your personal debt will soar again?"
Fang Mingche nodded, "If we don't run a homestay this time, it can probably be controlled within three hundred thousand. But we have to go and see it to know the details."
If we don't run a homestay, we don't have to buy so many imported home appliances. However, three old Western-style buildings don't need so many just for office use. It's too extravagant to provide accommodation for employees in old Western-style buildings. He would rather rent another place nearby.
Father Fang thought for a moment and said, "I haven't been to Shanghai yet. I'll go with you to have a look. If it's suitable, we should still run a B&B. The house is only rented out, but it doesn't make as much money as running a B&B. Good appliances can indeed be used for many years, and the cost will be recovered slowly."
"Okay, then it'll just be you, Gao Xiang and I."
In this way, the children will be left at home and taken care of.
When Lin Yan came back in the afternoon, the second uncle and his family had already gone back. The familiar black taxi driver drove them back, so there was no need to worry. Ten minutes later, they arrived. Sister-in-law called.
When she learned that Fang Mingche wanted to buy the old Western-style building, Lin Yan also agreed. Fang Mingche had already told her why this scarce house should not be missed.
With such a large expenditure, the head of the family must do ideological work. He just didn't expect his father to be so active in going to see it together, and he was so concerned about opening a B&B.
Fang Minghua also knew about it, and he was still worried about buying a storefront worth four or five thousand. His brother was going to buy an old Western-style building in Shanghai again.
"How come buying a house is as easy as buying cabbage when it comes to him?"
Yuan Shufen said, "Mingche's debt has finally dropped to 68,000, but it has soared again. When we find a suitable storefront, let's act quickly. We have a place to borrow money, so don't miss the opportunity. At worst, after buying it, we can learn from Mingche and mortgage it to the bank to pay off our personal debts as soon as possible."
She is really much bolder now. There are more than a hundred bowls of business every day!
Fang Minghua said, "The interest rate is so scary!"
His own brothers lent them money to buy it, and they could have waived the interest. However, the second brother owed the bank money and had to pay interest. How could he use his money for nothing?
He had not studied political economy, and did not know that it would be a loss to deposit money in the bank and earn fixed interest under inflation. Nowadays, borrowing money from relatives and friends is indeed free of interest.
But he knew that Fang Mingche had to pay interest on his bank loan. If he lent it to him again, he couldn't let the second brother pay the interest.
Yuan Shufen said, "If the landlord breaks the contract or doesn't renew the lease for a well-established business, won't we have to start all over again? It's better to buy a storefront as soon as possible. Besides, Mingche is a smart man, he's buying a house. We're not as smart as him, can't we just copy him?"
(End of this chapter)
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