But since Liu Shitang had mustered the courage to confess to his son, he naturally wouldn’t return empty-handed. He got in the car with his son and chattered all the way, introducing his discoveries to his son. His purpose was singular: he wanted to tell his son that he felt the Qian family’s financial situation was abnormal, and his son, who valued friendship, must not fall for Qian Hongming’s tricks.
But as soon as the car entered the industrial zone, Liu Shitang fell silent. He looked in surprise at the neat but old standard factory buildings clustered at the industrial zone entrance and asked his son in amazement, “Did you see that? What are those people gathered there doing?”
Liu Jun replied without turning his head, “Another factory owner has packed up and fled. These small factories renting standard factory buildings are most likely to pack up and flee. Their equipment isn’t worth much, the factory buildings are rented—when they see the market conditions are bad, they pack up overnight and leave, abandoning a bunch of workers with nowhere to collect their wages. Quite a few small Korean enterprises from Shandong have fled, and many small Taiwan and Hong Kong enterprises from Dongguan have also fled. There aren’t many here yet, but it’s just beginning.” Liu Jun intentionally interrupted his father’s unseemly rambling by speaking in detail.
“Oh my, these factories often employ the most people. The stock market has recently fallen by a third, and the country hasn’t suppressed factories, so how could they also… Did the bosses also speculate in stocks?”
“You stockholders see every policy in terms of the stock market, so naturally you can’t see policy impacts on enterprises. This year, enterprises face three new burdens: first, implementation of the new Labor Contract Law, which labor-intensive factories like those at the entrance can least afford. Second, tariff increases—most of those factories do orders sent out by foreign trade companies, so they’ve also tasted bitterness. Third, banks’ credit tightening. The country intended to compress speculative funds, but who can distinguish such funds so precisely? When it gets to the ground level, it’s still across-the-board cuts, compressing our factories’ working capital loans together. But these are still the obvious ones everyone knows about. Those property tax and land use tax collection adjustments, plus various government inspections and compliance requirements under the excuse of adjusting regional industrial structure, all require our factories to pay money. I often look at my account books and wonder how those small processing factories survive. Sure enough, one by one, they can’t take it and flee.” Liu Jun parked in the shed and finished speaking in one breath before pulling out his keys. “Dad, I’m very busy today and don’t have time to accompany you. Are you just sitting around casually, or should you go back now?”
“Have a driver take me back. I don’t have anything particular to do.”
“Let me see if the drivers are around. These past few days, there’s been another diesel shortage. The two drivers often have to spend entire days queuing for fuel, only getting 20 liters at a time. Sometimes they queue day and night just to fill one tank. The oil drums for diesel engines are also constantly empty—we can’t get approval for normally priced oil. This year is really strange.”
Liu Shitang was confused for a moment. Indeed, when you don’t manage things, you don’t know how expensive necessities are. “Turn around and drop me at the bus terminal behind the industrial zone. I’ll take the bus back—in this weather, consider it going out for fresh air. Don’t feel bad about it. Your father isn’t seventy or eighty years old yet. Taking a bus isn’t exactly suffering.”
“Dad, you’re a good old man. Why do you always get entangled with Qian Hongying? You know yourself, it’s sordid, which is why you never dared tell me. Why do you have to do this? You’re degrading yourself.”
Liu Shitang just smiled without speaking. No matter what his son said, he wouldn’t respond or refute, but he just wouldn’t listen to his son. Liu Jun had no way to deal with his father and could only puff out his cheeks as he dumped the old man at the bus terminal and turned to leave. But he couldn’t help himself—he made a U-turn and pulled up beside his father, threatening, “I’m already numb to this. If you continue, I’ll tell A’San that starting tomorrow, Dandan won’t be left alone with you anymore, to prevent her from learning bad things.”
“Hey, no way! I’ll change.” As soon as it was mentioned that he couldn’t take Dandan, Liu Shitang had to surrender.
“Words are cheap. You’ve promised me many times, but you’ve never kept your word once. This time I won’t believe you.”
“But what do you want me to play with? You won’t live with me, I don’t like those fifty or sixty-year-old ladies. I just enjoy teasing Qian Hongying for fun—I’m not doing anything to her. At my age, what could I do? It’s her own restless heart and guilty conscience, always thinking I still want to do something to her. You don’t know how fun it is when this person acts tough on the outside but weak inside. Fine, I won’t tease her anymore, but you have to find me something to do.”
Liu Jun stared at his father in frustration. “You can raise dogs or cats, grow flowers or keep fish, or go to clubs to drink tea and play cards. Isn’t that how everyone else lives?”
Liu Shitang grinned. “Alright, go back now. I’m getting on the bus. You talked with me so much today that I won’t be bored all day.”
Liu Jun stared blankly as his father got on the bus, shook his head, sighed, and left. He suddenly realized he had reached middle age. They say people in middle age are overwhelmed, with elderly parents above and young children below—one person’s time is never enough to go around. Thinking about it, he had indeed neglected his father, seeming to spend more time with Cui Bingbing at her parents’ house. He always felt his father was shrewd and could take good care of himself, so he asked fewer questions. It turned out his father also had emotional needs. Liu Shitang sat on the slowly departing bus, smiling through the glass as he watched his son. His son’s weak spot was too easy to find—he estimated his son was probably reflecting intensely right now.
Liu Jun indeed felt guilty for a while, but soon thought about Qian Hongying asking his father for money, which was probably related to Qian Hongming’s current situation of lending money for loan rollovers that couldn’t be completed. Both preparing to send his wife and daughter abroad and having Qian Hongying urgently borrow money, even tolerating being teased, clearly Qian Hongming’s problems were somewhat serious. Liu Jun thought for a while, but unfortunately, he was completely unfamiliar with Qian Hongming’s financing structure, composed of more than ten companies, and couldn’t help with anything, so he could only observe. He just found it strange that while Qian Hongying was borrowing money to the point of desperation, Qian Hongming no longer called him, as in the past, asking to transfer five million or something. It should be said that although he had now exhausted all original capital reserves because the heat treatment branch had just started operations, rather than generating profits, he could still manage to open a letter of credit to help Qian Hongming. Perhaps his guess was wrong, and Qian Hongming could manage.
He looked at the time, estimated that night owl Qian Hongming hadn’t gotten up yet, and sent him a text message. Unexpectedly, the text came back quickly—Qian Hongming told him he could manage this time. So Liu Jun let it go. But Qian Hongming was very happy about Liu Jun’s text. With borrowing money, people only avoid it like the plague—only true friends would genuinely care whether he could manage. Especially since he knew Liu Jun was currently cash-strapped. Now that the entire country’s credit was tightened and banks treated everyone equally, he believed Liu Jun’s family would be somewhat affected by loans, even with A’San there. Qian Hongming understood Liu Jun’s company structure clearly, which parts made money and how much they could make, so he knew Liu Jun’s capabilities. Only because of this was the caring text message truly precious.
However, Qian Hongming finally found someone outside their circle who could escort his wife and daughter to Australia—his university classmate, a woman who had already settled in Australia. They normally had no contact, but fortunately, this female classmate was vacationing, bringing her children, who were born and raised abroad, back to China to see the Great Wall and the nearly completed Olympic venues. As soon as he learned this news, he was overjoyed and quickly took Jiali and Xiao Suihua to Beijing to meet his classmate. The classmate was very helpful, immediately contacting Chinese friends in the city where Qian Hongming planned for Jiali to settle. Jiali could finally depart.
Cui Bingbing prepared a respectable, generous gift for Liu Jun to give to the mother and daughter. Moreover, to maintain secrecy, Qian Hongming couldn’t escort his wife and daughter to Shanghai, and their departure couldn’t be a big production. Cui Bingbing and Liu Jun separately smuggled out Jiali’s several suitcases and hid them at home. On the final day, Cui Bingbing borrowed the bank’s Odyssey minivan with black tinted windows. Liu Jun drove while the couple, bringing Dandan, escorted Jiali and her daughter with a car full of luggage to Shanghai airport. Done without anyone knowing—even if someone saw Jiali and her daughter getting in the car, they could never imagine they were going to distant Australia.
From the moment she got in the car, Jiali kept crying. Cui Bingbing had nothing to console her with—she estimated her consolation wouldn’t suit Jiali’s taste. Liu Jun also couldn’t console her. He understood the multiple meanings behind Jiali’s tears, but in front of two clever children, how could he speak? Fortunately, Qian Hongming’s call finally came. Jiali held the phone, talking constantly—actually, Jiali didn’t say much; it was mainly Qian Hongming on the other end continuously giving instructions. The two chattered back and forth repeatedly for the entire journey.
Cui Bingbing, aside from talking with the two children, remained silent, staying silent until they saw Jiali and her daughter through customs. Only then did she breathe a long sigh of relief—finally sent them away. From now on, she wouldn’t have to worry about her husband constantly being commandeered by another woman as if it were natural. She was very happy on the return journey, singing along with the CD with Dandan. Not only Cui Bingbing, even Liu Jun breathed a sigh of relief. When Jiali was there, the car cabin was truly depressing. Regardless of the mother and daughter’s excited singing, he interjected, “A’San, do you know lawyer Chen Qifan? She’s a woman.”
“I know she has connections, has courage, supposedly incredibly impressive. What, did she extend a rose or an olive branch to you?”
“Hey, as if I’m beloved by all who see me and make flowers bloom when they see me, only you like me. It’s Dongdong who found out Chen Qifan is having dinner with friends tonight and plans to ‘happen to pass by’ and crash the party. I finally pried the restaurant location out of Dongdong. If we can make it tonight, let’s go watch the excitement. Dongdong used to pursue Chen Qifan, but then a charming female broadcaster got between them, and they broke up. I want to see if Dongdong can successfully win her back.”
“Oh, we absolutely can’t miss such a spectacle. Did you make reservations? Why does Dongdong want to eat yesterday’s grass? Should we make a bet?”
“Dongdong’s family has suffered heavy losses in the stock market recently. He even needs to sell part of his original shares to maintain normal cash flow. His real estate ventures are also lifeless—the two king lots he bought can’t be returned or developed. He’s in a very bad mood because most of his family’s bold speculative activities were his idea and planning. He can barely face his old father at home now, so where would he have the mood for dating? Only now does he think of Chen Qifan’s good points. I advised him two years ago to go back to Chen Qifan, but he didn’t take my advice. People are like this—they won’t give up until they reach the Yellow River. As for the outcome, do we need to bet?”
“Uh. But a single friend of mine said her most marriage-desperate period was from twenty-seven to thirty. She was so anxious then that if any decent-looking guy pursued her, she’d respond enthusiastically and seriously consider it. After she passed thirty, especially starting around thirty-four or thirty-five, she became indifferent and even found dating troublesome and exhausting. Chen Qifan is also at that age now, so Dongdong might not find it easy.”
Liu Jun replied without thinking, “What should we bet? A month of breakfasts?”
Cui Bingbing thought about it and immediately lost enthusiasm, refusing to bet no matter what. Seeing her husband’s smug expression, she had the urge to punch him. “Buddha bless, Buddha bless—may Chen Qifan not let Dongdong succeed today, not give Dongdong any face, not pay Dongdong any attention.”
But although Cui Bingbing clasped her hands to Buddha all the way, when they arrived at the restaurant right on time, she still gave Shen Huadong considerable face by restraining the impulsive devil in her heart and not causing trouble.