Chapter 318: 1986, Killing the Chicken to Scare the Monkey
In Bobai area, moving into a new house is called "Jinhuo". You can move in ahead of time during Jinhuo, but you are not allowed to light a fire in the house before the auspicious time.
Therefore, after all the relatives and friends arrived, Mrs. Changwen generously waved her hand, and together with her sons, daughters-in-law and their relatives and friends, went to the newly opened mutton hotpot restaurant at the South Gate to have a delicious mutton hotpot.
Mrs. Chang Wen naturally knew the owner of this hot pot restaurant. He was the clan leader's eldest nephew, Bu Dashi. He had lived in the clan leader's home for a long time before. People in Naye Village and several nearby villages basically knew him.
This mutton hotpot cost a total of several dozen yuan. In this day and age, not many rural people are willing to eat like this. However, today, all relatives and friends have gathered together, which can be said to be the most glorious day in Chang Wen's life. It's okay to spend these dozens of yuan, and she doesn't feel sorry at all.
After eating mutton hotpot, Chang Wensao and her family took their relatives and friends to stroll around the county town to broaden their horizons.
In addition to Chang Wen's family, several other clansmen have also chosen to move to their new home tomorrow, and have also invited their relatives and friends to come today.
There is no doubt that after seeing the Naye Deng Community, the relatives and friends of these tribesmen were shocked by this community which was so beautiful that it was beyond their imagination. Their shocked reactions greatly satisfied the tribesmen's need to show off.
In order to complete the pretense, the clansmen behaved extremely generously, almost all of them treating their relatives and friends to good meals, spending dozens of dollars each time. Their ostentatious appearance naturally attracted the attention of their relatives and friends.
There is no fixed auspicious time for starting the fire in Bobai. Some families do it in the early morning, some in the middle of the night, and some in the morning. In short, the exact time for starting the fire depends on the exact time given by the fortune teller.
Chang Wen's wife's family started the fire at 1:06 in the morning. They went through a simple fire-starting ceremony with relatives and friends, and then went back to their rooms to continue sleeping.
The next morning, we cooked and ate at home.
At this time, gas was actually available in the county town, but because it cost a lot of money to equip it with gas stoves and gas tanks, the penetration rate was extremely low, and most families still chose to use cheaper honeycomb coal.
After the meal, relatives and friends said goodbye one after another.
Chang Wensao's family warmly invited them to stay several times before sending their relatives and friends to the station and watching them leave by bus.
When she returned home again, Mrs. Changwen's smile never left her face.
From yesterday to today, it was truly the happiest day of her life.
Although these relatives had helped her family when they were in financial difficulty a few years ago, she knew in her heart that these relatives did not think much of her family in the past few years, and they only had to help out a little out of consideration for their relationship.
This is actually human nature. There is a saying in later generations that goes "poverty is so severe that it's scary." This is very appropriate when applied to relatives and friends.
If you are only in trouble temporarily, your relatives and friends will naturally be willing to help you, knowing that you will soon recover, and everyone is happy to do this favor. But if you are in such trouble for a long time, your relatives and friends will be afraid of you and will not get close to you if they can, for fear that you will ask them for money.
After all, once the money has been lent out, in the eyes of relatives and friends, it is unknown when it will be returned. This is the main reason why others are afraid.
A few years ago, Chang Wen's family was the type that was so poor that it was frightening.
Now, the difficult days are over, and life at home is getting better and better. From now on, her family is no longer so poor that it scares relatives and friends, but is so well off that all relatives and friends envy them and are willing to make friends with her family.
Unfortunately...
Mrs. Changwen sighed quietly, how great it would be if the child’s father could see this day!
…
In January 1986, five new townships, namely Shuangfeng, Lingjiao, Shabei, Shuangwang and Daba, were established in the county.
At this point, there are a total of 19 townships and 6 towns in the county.
For a long time, the territory of Shuangwang belonged to either Longtan or Songshan. After being tossed back and forth for so many years, it finally gained independence. From now on until the future, Shuangwang will be an independent township and will no longer be under the jurisdiction of Longtan or Songshan.
…
Yongjia Supermarket.
After more than two months of operation, Yongjia Supermarket is now as popular as department stores. Even in the sales of small commodities, department stores are no match for Yongjia Supermarket. It's just that Yongjia Supermarket currently does not sell as many types of goods as department stores, and it cannot compete with department stores in the field of home appliances. Therefore, it cannot pose a threat to department stores.
Today, the employees of Yongjia Supermarket have been trained. The cashiers and weighers now know the prices of all kinds of goods by heart, and the checkout speed is much faster than in the first half month.
The turnover is also stable in the range of 5,500 to 6,500, with daily profits exceeding 1,000. The speed of making money is really terrifying.
Now, Deng Yuntai and Zhang Xiuping have a clear division of labor. Deng Yuntai is responsible for purchasing and replenishing goods, and Zhang Xiuping is responsible for daily account settlement. These jobs no longer require them to stay in the supermarket on the second floor all the time. The two of them spend most of their free time in the restaurant on the first floor as before.
That afternoon, Deng Yuntai was drinking with his father and Grandpa Zhang, when suddenly a supermarket security guard ran down and said, "Boss, we caught a thief, come up and deal with him!"
Deng Yuntai stood up suddenly and cursed: "Which bastard is so bold!"
Deng Shirong frowned when he heard this, put down his chopsticks and said, "Uncle Zhang, drink first, I'll go up and see what's going on."
It is impossible to completely avoid supermarkets being visited by thieves even in later times with highly developed surveillance networks, let alone in this era. Deng Shirong was mentally prepared for this. He even estimated that thieves had already committed the crime, but they had not been caught yet.
Now that we have caught the first thief, we must of course do a good job of publicity to achieve the purpose of killing the chicken to scare the monkeys.
Zhang Guangzong couldn't sit still any longer, so he put down his chopsticks and said, "I'll go up and see who dares to steal here."
He had people spread the word since the first day Yongjia Supermarket opened. He believed that the gang of thieves in the underworld would not dare to come near here. Now that there were thieves in the supermarket, he also wanted to know where they came from.
So the three of them quickly went upstairs, and Zhang Xiuping followed with her son in her arms.
Deng Yunzhen asked her cousin to help watch the cash register and followed her upstairs.
At this time, the supermarket cashier counter was surrounded by customers who came to watch the fun. A woman in her fifties was struggling and cursing in local dialect. Deng Shirong and others couldn't understand what she was saying, they just knew she was cursing.
After coming up, Deng Shirong asked, "What happened?"
The two girls from Naye Village were the ones who caught the old lady. One of them said, "Jiugong, this old lady stole something. I saw her take a bag of longan pulp and put it in her inner pocket."
The auntie yelled in a timid tone: "You are talking nonsense. I didn't steal your things."
Deng Shirong ignored the old lady and asked again: "Are you sure the longan pulp is still on her?"
The girl said affirmatively: "Yes, I've been watching it!"
Since the stolen goods are on her, it will be easy to deal with. Deng Shirong directly ordered: "Two more people hold her down, and you search for the things."
All the staff in the supermarket were recruited from the Naye Deng family. Since the clan leader and big boss had spoken, how could these young girls and wives be afraid? Two young wives came up and held down the struggling old lady.
The girl who had been staring at the old lady didn't hesitate to reach into her clothes and quickly took out a bag of longan pulp.
The old lady, who had been struggling, instantly lost her temper after the longan pulp was taken out. A trace of regret and fear flashed in her eyes. She had not thought much about it when she stole the things, but now that she was caught, she realized how serious the consequences would be.
Because Yongjia Supermarket has been promoting this aspect, anyone who steals will be fined ten times the amount stolen. Those who have jobs will be notified by their unit leaders, and those who are caught and refuse to accept the punishment will be directly sent to the public security bureau. In short, anyone who dares to steal will have to bear such serious consequences.
Now, let’s not talk about the tenfold fine, just the fact that there were so many people watching at the scene, to use the words of later generations, was a complete social demise!
Deng Shirong took the bag of longan pulp, looked at the aunt who looked like a deflated ball, and asked, "What else do you have to say now?"
The aunt covered her face and said nothing.
Seeing this, Zhang Guangzong secretly shook his head. This old lady looked like an ordinary person, not the kind of person who came out to mix with the underworld. He really couldn't care less about such a person. Now that things have become clear, there is nothing to see in this kind of excitement. It is better to go downstairs and drink his wine! So, Zhang Guangzong went downstairs with his hands behind his back.
"He's quite old, and his clothes and family conditions are not bad, but he does something that embarrasses his children and grandchildren. Does he think his children and grandchildren are living too comfortably?"
"Supermarkets have warning signs everywhere saying 'ten times the amount of money you steal'. I remember this bag of longan pulp was half a pound and sold for 7.5 yuan a bag. Ten times the fine would be 75 yuan. This is fatal. This is the result of greed!"
"Stealing someone else's things in broad daylight is shameless. You should be punished!"
“…”
The customers who had been watching the excitement nearby, seeing that the truth had been revealed, began to criticize the thieves. After all, although there were many bad people in this era, there were even more kind and righteous people, and they naturally despised such acts of theft.
After hearing the accusations from the customers, the old lady now wishes she could find a hole to crawl into.
Seeing that the old lady still didn't say anything, Deng Shirong asked, "Do you want to accept the punishment, or do you want us to take you to the police station?"
The old lady dared not remain silent any longer after hearing this. You know, we are still in the crackdown period. If she is sent to the police station, it might cause a big disturbance. She quickly whispered, "I accept the punishment, but I don't have that much money. I...I will go back and get the money to pay for it."
Deng Shirong said: "I will send someone to go back with you to get the money."
Of course the aunt was unwilling in her heart, but she also knew that it was impossible for others to let her go back to get the money by herself, so she had no choice but to agree.
So, Deng Shirong sent two security guards from the supermarket and asked them to go back with the aunt to get the money.
After the old lady left, Deng Shirong looked at the other customers and said, "I'm sorry to have wasted your time. Thank you for your words of solidarity. Our supermarket has zero tolerance for theft. I hope this old lady can learn from this and not make this mistake again."
"This lady looks kind, but I didn't expect she would do such sneaky things. You can't judge a person by his appearance!"
"In the most difficult times, we never thought of stealing other people's things. Now that we can generally solve the problem of food and clothing, people still steal. This is really a decline in morals!"
"After this lesson, I hope she can repent and turn over a new leaf!"
“…”
The theft incident seemed to have passed just like that.
But in fact, what happened in Yongjia Supermarket today quickly spread to most of the county as the customers present spread the word.
"…The lady was caught on the spot. She refused to admit it at first, but people saw her stealing with their own eyes. What's the point of denying it? In the end, the female employee of the supermarket took out half a bag of longan pulp she had stolen from her. She was caught red-handed and couldn't deny it even if she wanted to!"
"So what happened afterwards?"
"What else can I do? Ten times the amount of theft is fined. There are warning signs like this everywhere in the supermarket. Since I stole someone's things, I can only accept the fine. That bag of longan pulp is half a pound and sells for 7.5 yuan a bag. Ten times the fine is 75 yuan. This auntie has to pay a lot!"
"You deserve it. Since you chose to steal someone else's things, you have to bear the consequences of being caught."
"The fine is a minor matter. The most important thing is that it was embarrassing. There were dozens of people watching. I guess someone recognized her, but they just didn't reveal her identity on the spot."
"It's really embarrassing. If this gets out, her children and grandchildren will probably be ashamed too!"
"In short, this incident should serve as a warning to people who steal things in supermarkets. If they are caught, the consequences will be very serious."
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"Yongjia Supermarket operates in a way that allows customers to select their own products. This is to make things convenient for us customers, so that we don't have to look at the salesperson's face when we buy things. However, these people with bad intentions take advantage of this convenience to steal. It's really shameful!"
"There are always bad apples in the herd, and there is nothing we can do about it."
“…”
When everyone was discussing the theft incident at Yongjia Supermarket today, Deng Shirong directly gave all the compensation money from the old lady to the employees of the supermarket. Everyone got a share, and the employee who caught the thief received the largest reward, while the rest of the employees divided the remaining money.
After distributing the money, Deng Shirong directly announced that in the future no matter which employee caught the thief, the compensation would be distributed like today.
As soon as this reward measure was announced, many supermarket employees cheered.
I believe that from now on, the employees responsible for monitoring this area will be extremely alert. After all, as long as they catch the thief, they will receive a reward, so the enthusiasm for this work will naturally be higher than before.
…
Saturday, 3pm.
Deng Yunsong is making a small toy bamboo dragonfly for Xiao Dong'er, as shown in the picture below: The bamboo dragonfly is one of China's traditional folk children's toys and is widely circulated.
When playing, rub your hands together and then release them, the bamboo dragonfly will fly into the sky, spin for a while, and then fall down.
It is a very ingenious invention in ancient my country. This simple but magical toy once amazed Western missionaries and they called it the "Chinese spiral". In the 1930s, Germans invented the helicopter propeller based on the shape and principle of the "bamboo dragonfly".
This toy is simple to make and is one of the most popular toys in rural areas of this era, and is loved by teenagers and children.
Soon, Deng Yunsong finished making the bamboo dragonfly, put away the knife, and said to his niece with a smile: "Xiao Dong'er, open your eyes and watch carefully. When your uncle rubs his hands like this, it will fly into the sky!"
As he spoke, Deng Yunsong rubbed his hands skillfully, and the bamboo dragonfly instantly flew up, about three meters to four meters high, leaving Xiao Dong'er stunned.
When the bamboo dragonfly fell down, Xiao Dong'er, who had reacted, was so excited that he kept shouting, "Uncle San, I want to play too. Please teach me how to play!"
Deng Yunsong reached out to catch the falling bamboo dragonfly and said with a smile: "Okay, Uncle San will teach you how to play. I will demonstrate it again. Watch carefully!"
Xiao Dong'er nodded repeatedly, staring at her uncle's hand intently.
Deng Yunsong deliberately slowed down this time, rubbed it back and forth a few times, then rubbed it with a little force. As soon as he loosened his hands, the bamboo dragonfly flew up again.
Xiao Dong'er understood and said happily, "Uncle San, give it to me to play with."
Deng Yunsong caught the slowly falling bamboo dragonfly, handed it to his niece and said, "Okay, then you try to see if you can make it fly."
Xiao Dong'er took the bamboo dragonfly from his uncle's hand and excitedly imitated his uncle, rubbing it clumsily with his two little hands. The result... was obvious, it failed to fly and fell directly to the ground.
Xiao Dong'er's face suddenly fell, and she pouted and said, "Uncle San, why doesn't it fly?"
Deng Yunsong picked up the bamboo dragonfly and said with a smile, "That's because you haven't learned it yet. Uncle San will teach you again. Keep your palms straight. When you rub them forward vigorously, remember to let go, otherwise it won't fly. Uncle San will show you again."
As he spoke, Deng Yunsong slowed down his movements again, rubbing it gently, and then let go, allowing the bamboo dragonfly to fly only a little over one meter high.
After all, Xiao Dong'er is already over four years old. She has seen a lot of the world since she was a child, and her brain is much smarter than other children of the same age in the village. She has a good learning ability as well. She imitated her uncle and tried several times in a row, and finally succeeded in making the bamboo dragonfly fly.
This made her so happy that she jumped up and down. Just at this time, her grandfather came out with a hookah to smoke. She quickly showed off, "Grandpa, this thing of mine can fly. Do you believe it?"
Deng Shirong teased her, "I don't believe it. Isn't this a bamboo? How can it fly?"
Xiao Dong'er said with a smile: "Grandpa, just watch, I will make it fly right away."
As she spoke, Xiaodong'er rubbed her hands together, and the bamboo dragonfly failed to fly and fell directly to the ground.
Xiao Donger picked it up and rubbed it again, but it fell to the ground again.
At this time, she was a little anxious and her face was tense.
Fortunately, after rubbing it for the third time, it finally flew up. This made her smile again, and she jumped up and down and said, "Grandpa, look, it's flying!"
Deng Shirong laughed and praised: "Oh, it really flew up, Xiaodong is really amazing."
Xiao Dong'er was even happier after receiving the praise. She ran into the restaurant with the bamboo helicopter. She wanted to show it off to her parents and aunt.
Seeing her happy look, Deng Shirong also felt happy from the bottom of his heart. While taking out tobacco and matches, he asked his third son, "Xiaosong, how have you been reviewing recently?"
Deng Yunsong said: "The review went very smoothly."
Deng Shirong said: "Your current results are better than your second brother's. You will take the college entrance examination next year. The next six months are the most critical time. You must not relax and go all out. Your goal is to win the top spot in Guangxi's college entrance examination next year. Do you have confidence?"
My second son originally attended Songshan High School, which was one of the lowest ranked high schools in the county and the teaching staff was not good. It was a miracle that my second son could stand out from such a high school and be admitted to Peking University.
The high school where my third son attends is the best high school in Bobai County, and its faculty is undoubtedly the best in the county.
The third son has been ranked first in the grade since his freshman year in high school. No classmate has been able to shake his position in the past three years. His grades are indeed much better than those of his second son. Deng Shirong naturally hopes that he can win the top spot in the province (autonomous region).
Deng Yunsong still felt a little pressured when he heard this, and said, "It should be no problem to win the city's top prize, but if you want to win the Guangxi top prize, it depends on the situation. Anyway, I will do my best."
Deng Shirong stuffed tobacco into his cigarette holder and smiled, comforting him: "Don't feel pressured. Your real goal is Tsinghua University or Peking University. Guangxi No. 1 Scholar is just an honorary title. It doesn't matter whether you have it or not."
"I know."
Deng Yunsong nodded, and then said confidently: "As for Tsinghua University and Peking University, if nothing unexpected happens, with my current score, it should be a sure thing."
Deng Shirong was very happy to hear this, but he still reminded him: "Xiaosong, although you have good grades now, you must not be proud and complacent. You still have to work hard in the next six months. Before you get the admission letter from Tsinghua University or Peking University, you can't relax at all. Do you understand?"
Deng Yunsong responded: "Don't worry, Dad. I understand."
Deng Shirong struck a match, lit the tobacco and took a few puffs before continuing to ask, "Do you have any idea about your major in college now?"
Deng Yunsong shook his head and said, "I have no idea yet. Dad, do you have any suggestions?"
Although he knew that his third son had chosen the political path in his previous life, Deng Shirong still felt it necessary to ask him what he thought: "After you graduate from college and start working, do you plan to go into business, or go into politics like your second brother?"
Deng Yunsong said without hesitation: "Go into politics like my second brother!"
Deng Shirong nodded and said, "If you want to go into politics in the future, you can choose majors such as political science, economics, philosophy, sociology, etc. You can choose according to your own interests. Each major has its advantages and will be helpful to your future development."
Deng Yunsong nodded, not quite understanding. There was still half a year to go before this matter was resolved, so it wouldn't be too late to think about it slowly then.
Deng Shirong added: "Also, your second brother is now working. He has more experience in this area than us. You can also write to him to discuss this university major. I believe he should be able to give some good suggestions."
Deng Yunsong hummed and said, "Okay, I'll write a letter and talk to my second brother later."
Deng Shirong said: "If you can be admitted to Tsinghua University or Peking University, then I hope you can choose Tsinghua University."
Deng Yunsong was surprised and asked, "Why?"
Deng Shirong said, "Because top universities like Tsinghua and Peking University all have their own circles. If you two brothers both go to Peking University, you can only hang out in the Peking University circle together. Naturally, your connections will not be as good as if one of you hangs out in the Peking University circle and the other hangs out in the Tsinghua circle. Do you understand what I mean?"
Deng Yunsong suddenly realized: "I understand, then I will choose Tsinghua!"
Deng Shirong nodded and said, "It's useless to say more now. Let's wait until your college entrance examination results come out before we talk about it!"
(End of this chapter)