Chapter 255 (End of the Main Text)
Because Zhou Jiani's views on farm economic reform were too absolute, the Economics Department even held a debate on this issue.
Over the years, Zhou Jiani has gotten used to the discussions that occasionally break out among her classmates. The debates cannot be completely described as refutations, but rather as different opinions that reflect different recognitions of the current situation.
Zhou Jiani herself was very calm. She carefully recorded the arguments of her classmates and expressed her own views from time to time in response to different opinions.
After finishing the exams for this semester, the last summer vacation of college arrived. After the summer vacation, everyone began to worry about job assignments after graduation and was busy looking for supervisors to prepare graduation thesis.
The same is true for Zhou Jiani. While she is busy with her graduation thesis, she is also struggling with whether to wait for a job assignment or continue to prepare for the postgraduate entrance examination.
My roommates are also worried about future arrangements.
However, the school has not yet given any assignment directions, so everyone can only stay calm and focus on their graduation thesis.
Lu Minjuan wants to return to her hometown to develop, but she doesn’t know if she can do so.
But her mother didn't want to give up her job in the capital.
Zhou Jiani suggested with a smile: "Why don't you let Aunt Zhang go back to your place and open a shop or a small stall?"
Lv Minjuan was shocked: "Isn't this a way to rob you?"
Zhou Jiani exaggerated, "How can we possibly snatch someone from you when we're thousands of miles apart?"
Aunt Zhang blushed and waved her hands, "No, no, no, that won't do. I'm just taking your things."
Lv Minjuan also felt it was inappropriate. She said, "I want to go back to my hometown, but who knows where I'll be assigned? Maybe I'll just stay in the capital. Let's wait and see."
She felt bad about letting her mother use Jiani's things to make money.
Moreover, when she returns to her hometown, the money her mother earns is definitely not her own decision. Her brothers and sisters-in-law are like wolves and tigers. What's more, she has a father who favors boys over girls. He will definitely treat her mother like a workhorse, and he only asks her to work and is reluctant to feed her fodder.
Although her mother has helped her a lot in the past few years, all the money her mother earns is in her own hands. Many times her mother asked her to take it, but she refused.
She remembers how much her mother has given her over the years, and how she has helped her take care of her children. When she can earn a salary, she will definitely give her mother the money back.
Thinking of the miserable family at home, Lv Minjuan felt that it was okay not to go back to her hometown... Alas, it was not up to her to decide, it was up to the country.
However, Zhou Jiani also has to pay attention. If Lu Minjuan does not stay in the capital after graduation, Aunt Zhang will definitely have to follow her daughter. The store will be short of someone and she will have to fill the gap.
Jiang Xinfeng said directly: "When the time comes, ask Xiao Jiang. Her daughter doesn't have a job, but she can do some sewing and mending. She said that all the clothes the family wears are made by her daughter herself."
I'm talking about Mrs. Jiang who works at home.
Zhou Jiani nodded.
If Aunt Zhang can stay, Zhou Jiani also wants to open another branch and let Yue Cuiyun take charge of it. If Sister Jiang's daughter has not found a job yet, she will let her go to the new store to help Yue Cuiyun.
We also need to find someone new for the old store.
It's not that busy. Opening a branch will be something I'll do after graduation. Right now, nothing is more important than my graduation thesis.
When Qiu Zeming came home on the weekend, Zhou Jiani told him about her dilemma. Qiu Zeming said, "I think you're not going to give up your small business. If you plan to expand your business in the future, consider continuing your postgraduate studies. I won't limit you to your small business."
If you are assigned a job, if it is assigned to a government department, there may be some restrictions.
"Master's degree programs give you a few years to seriously consider your future career path. If you decide not to develop your business during this time, the company and starting position you'll be assigned to after graduation will likely be better than with an undergraduate degree."
Zhou Jiani also thought of this.
Another thing is that college life was an experience she lacked in her previous life. Later, she often heard villagers bragging about other people's children, saying that so-and-so's son was admitted to graduate school and got a master's degree; so-and-so's daughter was amazing and was studying for a doctorate.
She has this opportunity in this life, and she wants to continue reaching upwards.
Besides, she has ambitions to do business, and the next few years are the most critical years for development. She doesn't want to miss this wave.
It's a bit greedy, but since I can try to catch it, I might as well give it a try.
After setting the goal, Zhou Jiani stopped panicking and focused on writing her thesis.
Bai Haoyang and his colleagues have also reached this stage and are busy with their graduation thesis. The store has been completely straightened out in the past few years, so they don't need to worry too much about it. They just need to take time to go there regularly to take inventory, check the accounts, and remind them about purchasing.
Zhou Jiani also found an opportunity to tell her grandmother that she had bought the yard they were living in now.
Jiang Xinfeng had actually long suspected that the yard was not rented, because her eldest granddaughter forgot to lie about "collecting rent". She had doubts in her heart, but her granddaughter didn't say anything and she didn't ask.
As for where the money to buy the yard came from, she secretly guessed that Jiani must have earned some money by taking advantage of her position when she was a salesperson in the early days, but she didn't tell the truth because she was afraid that her family would worry.
Otherwise she would have been away from home all day during that period.
She said she was helping the village with business, but she could also run her own business at the same time.
I'm just a little confused as to how much my granddaughter would have to sell to earn enough money to buy a house.
But when I think about how my granddaughter was able to negotiate such a big deal for the village, how could she not have purchased and sold goods privately and made a profit from the difference?
So when Zhou Jiani said she bought this yard, Jiang Xinfeng only asked whether she had borrowed money from the Qiu family. She was also worried that her granddaughter did not have enough money and had to borrow money from the Qiu family. Then she had to pay it back quickly, otherwise she would always feel that she was indebted to them.
Zhou Jiani said: "No, the money I saved is enough."
Jiang Xinfeng settled down. Although the Qiu family were all nice people, she secretly felt that it would be better for her not to have any vested interests with her future husband's family before getting married.
One of Jiang Xinfeng's advantages is that she dotes on her granddaughter. Since her granddaughter has already taken care of things, she doesn't worry about whether the yard was bought before or now, nor will she ask questions. She just feels more at ease living there.
Zhou Jiani also plans to renovate the yard and add some decent furniture. When she gets married in the future, she can live in Shichahai if she wants, or live here if she wants.
I had previously used the excuse that the house was ‘rented’ and that it was difficult to do major renovations.
She didn't have to worry too much. The design drawings were drawn up and they hired the same team that decorated the Shichahai courtyard. They had worked together once before, so this time she didn't have to worry about anything. She just had to let Mrs. Jiang keep an eye on it.
Everything is proceeding steadily and synchronously.
After the house was renovated and a decent set of furniture was added, Qiu Zeming bought two TV tickets, one for their wedding and the other one he bought and placed at the old lady's house.
Jiang Xinfeng just said that watching a color TV was too luxurious for her and that a black and white one would be enough.
Spend this old money.
Zhou Jiani smiled and coaxed her, "It can be used for many years. In the future, when our family business becomes big, we can have parents retire early and come to the capital to help me run the business. When Jiaping and Jiaan grow up, I will keep an eye on them and have them work hard to get into university in the capital. Then we can settle down in the capital. Then we can live together as a family. What's the big deal about a color TV?"
She didn't feel comfortable saying that she would take a leave of absence or that her parents would definitely be laid off in the future, as the elderly couldn't bear to hear that.
But Zhou Jiani knew that the Second Spinning Mill could not escape the wave of closures.
Even if my parents had not been plotted against in their previous life, they would have been laid off after entering the 1990s.
Before being laid off, the factory must first go through a few years of low tide, and will only be forced to go bankrupt when it can no longer hold on.
So, in a few years, when I see that things are not going well, I will persuade my parents to take unpaid leave so that our family can reunite in the capital.
As December approaches, Zhou Jiani is also preparing to embark on the final process, thesis defense.
She also asked Mrs. Jiang and found out that her youngest daughter was still idle at home, so she asked her to come to the store to work.
Mrs. Jiang was extremely grateful. With a large number of educated youth returning to the city, it became increasingly difficult to find jobs there. Her daughter was not good at studying, and if she studied well, that would be a way out. However, she could not concentrate on her studies, so the only other way out was to find a job.
Or get married.
But Mrs. Jiang was reluctant to marry her daughter off to someone else just because she was idle at home. Now that the boss has asked her to work in the store, it really relieved Mrs. Jiang's worries.
She had no other way to repay him, except to clean the house every day, prepare three meals a day, and fulfill her responsibilities.
After the thesis defense, some classmates in the class applied to study abroad at their own expense, so I said goodbye to my classmates in advance.
Zhou Jiani also told the school that she wanted to stay on campus to pursue graduate studies. There was more than a dozen students in the economics department who were preparing to pursue graduate studies in the two classes combined.
Before graduation, the class gathered together and someone lamented that it felt like a lifetime ago, saying, "It feels like I just walked onto campus yesterday, and I didn't expect to graduate today."
Everyone was talking about the interesting things that happened when they first entered university, and it felt as if it happened yesterday.
After graduation, except for those who went abroad or continued to prepare for postgraduate studies, the rest of the students received their job assignments.
Lv Minjuan was retained in the capital and joined a government unit.
Zhao Mingzhu went to work at a newspaper in Shanghai.
Tian Yuan returned to the provincial capital where his hometown was and joined a research department.
Liu Guixiang went to work in a government unit in the neighboring province; Zhai Hong stayed in the capital.
The people in their dormitory had a party. A few girls ate hot pot and drank half a bottle of Erguotou. When they were a little tipsy, Tian Yuan was the first to cry, reluctant to leave.
Zhou Jiani's eyes were also sore, and she smiled and said, "We are still meeting, it's not like we won't meet again."
But how many chances do classmates who have been separated by miles after college have to meet again in this life?
Everyone agreed to write letters to each other.
Liu Guixiang said to Zhou Jiani: "Lao Wu, strive to get a doctorate. We are proud of you."
Zhai Hong said loudly, "I can't recite anymore. I want to do something right now. Come on, Lao Wu!"
She knew that Zhou Jiani had been busy with her own small business while studying, and had experienced a lot in recent years.
She doesn't have the brains for doing business, so she should just shine in the position assigned to her by the country.
Others shouted "Come on" to Zhou Jiani, hoping that she could get a doctorate and become the pride of their dormitory in the future.
Zhou Jiani said solemnly: "I am proud of all of you."
Their generation is at a critical stage of the country's rise, and they shoulder the mission of revitalizing the country. They will all have outstanding achievements in the future and will definitely be classmates that Zhou Jiani is proud of.
Let’s clink our glasses.
After graduation, it was time to say goodbye. Zhou Jiani sent her classmates and roommates who were assigned to other places onto the train one by one and waved goodbye.
While packing her luggage in the dormitory, Zhou Jiani saw the latest issue of the department magazine. She picked it up and flipped through it, feeling a little emotional.
At the beginning, it was mimeographed. She still remembers that her hands were black every day. Later, it was changed to lead printing. She also watched the department journal develop step by step to the present day, which embodies the hard work of their class of economics students.
However, after entering the last semester, I could no longer take care of the work of the departmental journal, and handed it over to the younger students from the class of 1978.
Zhou Jiani flicked it lightly and carefully put it into the warehouse along with the past issues of the magazine.
After moving the luggage back home, Jiang Xinfeng said, "Take a good rest for a few days."
After only one day's rest, Wang Qianjin, Sun Ping and others came over.
The two of them faced a test: Wang Qianjin stayed in Hebei Province, and Sun Ping was assigned back to Qi Yang's unit.
Bai Haoyang and Xiao Min also faced the test. Xiao Min also stayed in the local area, while Bai Haoyang and Yu Wanxia both stayed in the capital.
But Xiao Min made a decision. She planned to work while preparing for the postgraduate entrance examination, and strive to be admitted to the capital.
Bai Haoyang said, "I was thinking of finding a way to transfer to Qiyang, but I didn't expect Minmin to take the exam to come here."
Zhou Jiani said, "Xiao Min's plan is also good."
The value of college students these days is high, but the units assigned to graduates from Shuimu and Huada are better than those assigned to schools like Wang Qianjin, Xiao Min, and Bai Haoyang.
If Xiao Min can pass the postgraduate entrance examination, even if he returns to his original unit in the future, his position will be higher than his current one, or he will have certain advantages in job transfers.
Wang Qianjin had a bitter face. If he were to take the postgraduate entrance examination, he might not succeed even if he tried for his whole life. But he couldn't ask Sun Ping to go to the capital to take the examination for him, right?
So he could only find a way to transfer his job, either he would be transferred there or Sun Ping would be transferred here.
In short, everyone has their own plans.
Yu Wanxia and Bai Haoyang became teachers in a primary school in the capital, and one was assigned to a middle school in the suburbs of the capital.
We had a mutton hotpot at Zhou Jiani's place, reminiscing about the past and looking forward to the future. We chatted until after ten o'clock in the evening. Bai Haoyang and Wang Qianjin left together, while Yu Wanxia and Sun Ping stayed and squeezed on a kang with Zhou Jiani, just like the first day they went to the Qianjin Brigade. The three of them squeezed on one bed and choked with homesickness.
Now, we are talking about the future with ease.
The three girls chatted until after midnight before falling asleep. The next day, after seeing Sun Ping off, Zhou Jiani went to the store.
Lu Minjuan doesn't have to leave, and Aunt Zhang also plans to continue working in the store.
But Jiang Sao's youngest daughter Feng Juan was a little uneasy. She knew that she came here to make sure the store would be short of staff after Aunt Zhang left. Now that she knew that Aunt Zhang would continue to work in the store, she was worried that Zhou Jiani would fire her.
Zhou Jiani didn't expect Feng Juan to be so worried. She held a meeting with three employees and told them about the plan to open a branch next year.
"I'll look for a shop when I have time. I'll open one after the New Year and when the weather gets warmer in the spring. When the time comes, you can go over and manage it, and let Xiao Feng assist you."
Yue Cuiyun's legs have recovered very well after treatment. She can no longer walk without difficulty and has become much more confident. When Zhou Jiani asked her to manage the new store after the New Year, she subconsciously wanted to say "Can I do it?" but immediately changed her mind and nodded: "Don't worry, Jiani, I will definitely help you manage it."
Zhou Jiani winked at her and said, "When the time comes, tell Xiao Feng to do anything. Just relax and have a baby with my brother Zhang."
Feng Juan also heard that she would not be fired, and it seemed that she would be asked to go to the new store to assist Sister Yue. She nodded vigorously beside her: "I can work, I have the strength."
Yue Cuiyun blushed and said to Zhou Jiani, "You are a girl, and you are not ashamed to say this."
Jiang Xinfeng smiled and said, "This is serious business."
Aunt Zhang also laughed. Yue Cuiyun was shy and glared at Zhou Jiani: "Still laughing, I won't talk to you anymore."
Went to the side to tidy up the counter.
The others couldn't stop laughing.
The door was pushed open, Zhou Jiani turned around and saw Qiu Zeming coming in wearing a military coat. Yue Cuiyun immediately complained: "Comrade Qiu, please control your wife."
Qiu Zeming smiled and said, "Sister-in-law, my wife has been busy with graduation matters for a while and is exhausted. Please let her have some fun."
Yue Cuiyun was so jealous that the room was filled with lively jokes.
Zhou Jiani was not shy either. If she hadn't been concerned about her grandmother being here, she would have wanted to rush over and hold her boyfriend's arm.
Oh, how come her partner is so good!
"Are you taking a day off today?" Zhou Jiani asked me and then I realized that it was the weekend and I had been very busy recently.
Qiu Zeming greeted Jiang Xinfeng politely: "Grandma, I'm taking Jiani to see a movie to relax."
Jiang Xinfeng smiled and waved her hand: "Go ahead, have fun by yourselves."
Zhou Jiani wrapped herself in her military coat, put on her hat and scarf, and happily followed him out.
After walking out, he realized, "It's almost noon now. Why go to the movies now?"
There had been a heavy snowfall a few days ago, perhaps up to the ankles. The snow on the sidewalk was now very solid and slippery. Qiu Zeming didn't ride his bike. Instead, he took her hand and walked carefully towards the bus stop, saying, "Let's go back to the courtyard in Shichahai."
Zhou Jiani's face flushed. Every time this man came back, he would take her back to the Shichahai Courtyard, and then kiss and hug her shamelessly. So when she mentioned going back to the Shichahai Courtyard, Zhou Jiani's heart was inexplicably throbbing.
"Why go back there?" she whispered.
Qiu Zeming was still keeping it a secret: "You'll find out when you get there."
Zhou Jiani rolled her eyes at him, as if she had no idea what 'bad thing' he was going to do.
When she opened the door, she was stunned.
After entering the door, a path was cleared in the middle of the yard, with snow piled up on both sides. Qiu Zeming got some plum blossoms from somewhere and planted two rows of them on both sides.
As soon as the door opened, a faint fragrance entered her nose. Zhou Jiani's eyes flashed with surprise: "Where did you get it?"
Not only that, there are two snowmen piled in the middle of the yard. The two snowmen can be vaguely identified as male and female, and they seem to be looking at each other. They also stretch out their hands together, holding a heart-shaped snowball with a red box embedded in the middle of the snowball.
The ground around the two snowmen was clean.
Zhou Jiani smiled and said, "Did you make this?"
Qiu Zeming closed the door, took off his military coat, revealing the casual clothes underneath, nodded, walked quickly forward, took the box off the heart-shaped snowball, turned and walked towards Zhou Jiani.
Zhou Jiani thought of something and her heart started pounding.
Qiu Zeming walked up to Zhou Jiani, his eyes warm and affectionate. "Jiani, you are the most precious thing I've gained from going to the Qianjin Brigade. Thank you for recognizing me, agreeing to me, and accepting me. We've been apart for the past few years, and I haven't been able to stay by your side to accompany you and take care of you. Thank you for not giving up on me and for giving me the opportunity to be with you for the rest of my life. Jiani, my wife, I want to do something with you that will last a lifetime."
He knelt on one knee, opened the box in his hand, revealing a golden ring, and said, "Jiani, will you marry me? Let's get married!"
Zhou Jiani's eyes misted up, she sniffed and nodded, saying, "Hurry up and put on your military coat, it's so cold."
"Not cold, not cold at all, I'm warm."
He was on fire.
Qiu Zeming smiled like a fool, took off the glove on Zhou Jiani's right hand, put the ring on her, stood up and hugged her and spun around several times, holding her in his arms and looking down at her.
Their eyes met, their gazes lingering, Qiu Zeming lowered his head and kissed her. (End of article)
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