While test-riding the new bicycle and checking the seat height and brake tension, Xiao Lan tightened her grip on the handbrake when she heard Hu Yongcai’s words: “What does he want to see me for?”
Xiao Lan would not let Ding Aizhen off. Her existence was like a time bomb, and Xiao Lan didn’t want to spend every day guarding against Ding Aizhen’s schemes. Moreover, she had only exposed a small part – now Ding Aizhen was charged with embezzling state property, and even the director of State Cotton Mill No. 3 had been arrested. This wasn’t something Xiao Lan could simply dismiss even if she wanted to.
When Xia Dajun was wounded by Liu Fen’s knife, he chose not to report it, so the police station wouldn’t intervene.
In Ding Aizhen’s case, the victim wasn’t Xiao Lan but State Cotton Mill No. 3.
Hu Yongcai didn’t know what Zhu Fang wanted to see Xiao Lan about.
During the New Year, Zhu Fang, who had once strutted around like a proud rooster, appeared at the Hu household unshaven. Hu Yongcai couldn’t refuse to help given the circumstances. He wasn’t sure about Xiao Lan’s connections, but on Blue Phoenix’s opening day, not only had Yuan Honggang from State Cotton Mill No. 3 attended, but also Bureau Chief Yang from the Public Security Bureau and Secretary Hou… With such powerful acquaintances, who would dare treat Xiao Lan like the village girl she once was?
“Zhu Fang might be desperate. He was sent by his workplace to attend a study session, and when he returned, he learned his mother had been arrested. The mill director was also arrested, and they were lovers. Zhu Fang’s father, cuckolded by his wife, not only refused to help but filed for divorce… I feel quite sorry for Zhu Fang.”
Hu Yongcai explained briefly.
Xiao Lan thought for a moment but still refused to meet Zhu Fang.
“I don’t hate Zhu Fang, but I dislike his family. Meeting him won’t change anything, so why give him false hope?”
Later, Xiao Lan wondered how the Zhu family had known about her involvement. She had been careful when applying for Blue Phoenix’s business license – she hadn’t appeared in person, and her name wasn’t on the license. She guessed that perhaps Zhu Fang had mentioned the coat he bought to his family.
Xiao Lan neither had the ability nor the desire to help Ding Aizhen escape punishment!
So why meet Zhu Fang?
When Hu Yongcai fell silent, Xiao Lan felt the atmosphere grow awkward. She remembered about buying a washing machine and television and asked if he could help.
“You even have foreign exchange certificates?”
Hu Yongcai marveled.
Imported goods were hard to buy, but with foreign exchange certificates, it wasn’t impossible.
After learning what size television and model of washing machine Xiao Lan wanted, Hu Yongcai said he would ask around.
Xiao Lan never asked Hu Yongcai to help for free – she had paid a fee for the bicycle purchase. Why would she waste his time without compensation?
When Hu Yongcai returned home, he remarked to his wife: “You guessed right, she won’t meet Zhu Fang.”
His wife rolled her eyes, “Only a fool would get tangled up with Zhu Fang. You said Xiao Lan probably has a capable boyfriend. If she looked down on Zhu Fang before, why would she meet him privately now? Would her boyfriend approve?”
No man could be that generous.
Even if she got too close to a male colleague, Hu Yongcai would get upset.
Capable men weren’t necessarily more petty, but they were certainly possessive of their women.
Xiao Lan was so pretty, that she needed to be careful. Even if she didn’t flirt with men, she couldn’t stop the butterflies from flying toward the flower. Hearing that Xiao Lan was buying a washing machine and television, even having foreign exchange certificates ready for imported goods, Hu Yongcai’s wife clicked her tongue:
“Hu Yongcai, when will you develop some ability so your wife doesn’t have to wash clothes in cold water?”
The oil residue reselling business had been confirmed closed after Blue Phoenix opened.
Liu Fen and Li Fengmei managed the daily store operations. Besides profit sharing, they and Xiao Lan each received a monthly salary of 200 yuan. This was an unusually high salary in 1984, but Xiao Lan insisted on paying wages to help Li Fengmei and Liu Fen separate household and personal accounts. When Xiao Lan and Liu Yong wanted to start a business, hadn’t both families contributed their savings to support them?
If they only took the profit sharing without seeing immediate returns, Liu Fen and Li Fengmei would likely skimp on their daily expenses.
The monthly wages were both recognition of their work and personal spending money.
Xiao Lan didn’t care whether she received 200 yuan monthly, but to help Li Fengmei and Liu Fen change their mindset, she accepted her “buyer” salary. When she stopped participating in the store’s purchasing and operations, she would naturally stop receiving wages.
Although Li Fengmei felt the 200-yuan salary was too high, she couldn’t refuse and felt relieved: “This is good. One store keeps both mother and daughter busy non-stop, while only one person from my family can help. I wouldn’t feel right otherwise.”
As the saying goes, even close brothers keep clear accounts. Neither side should take advantage, that’s how a partnership business lasts.
With Liu Fen essentially fixed at the clothing store, she couldn’t continue the oil residue business. After returning to Qijing Village, where mother and daughter had received their homestead and responsibility field allocations, Xiao Lan simply handed the business over to Chen Wangda.
Chen Wangda certainly wouldn’t run this business himself, but he had sons and daughters – he could pass it to whichever child he chose.
The silver carp was just a bonus; the real return was the oil residue business. Xiao Lan and Liu Fen had established the operation, and with connections to Shangdu’s oil pressing factories, it was a stable business earning three to four hundred monthly with little risk. The Chen family couldn’t remain indifferent.
All it needed was a bicycle to start, and what was there to fear about hard work? Rural people had plenty of strength – farming was even harder, yet they couldn’t dig thousands of yuan from the land in a year. As for how long the oil residue business would last and whether the Chen family could earn as much as Xiao Lan and Liu Fen had, that depended on which child Chen Wangda passed it to. People had different abilities – some weren’t suited for business and could run even a profitable venture into the ground!
Before going to Yangcheng, Xiao Lan sent telegrams to both Bai Zhenzhu and Chen Xiliang.
The New Year wasn’t over until the Lantern Festival, and she might not find them if she didn’t notify them in advance. Especially Chen Xiliang – he might not have winter clothing in stock in early spring… but Xiao Lan wouldn’t be taking winter clothes anyway. She wanted to be the first in Shangdu to stock new spring fashions.
When the clothing store opened, Xiao Lan noticed activity upstairs.
Workers from State Cotton Mill No. 3 who had been allocated housing had started moving in upstairs. After Ding Aizhen and the former director were arrested, the two spots Ding Aizhen had allocated were invalidated, and one was given to Old Zheng.
Xiao Lan saw Old Zheng’s disabled son.
She didn’t know what this young man had looked like before, but now one sleeve hung empty, and he looked like a wandering ghost.
The young man still couldn’t accept being disabled. Even standing in front of the hard-won apartment, there wasn’t a trace of joy on his face. Old Zheng had only dealt with Liu Yong and didn’t know Xiao Lan. As father and son passed by her, Xiao Lan heard Old Zheng say, “Having a house is good. Your aunt says she’ll introduce you to someone, and life will get better…”
Would life get better?
Xiao Lan didn’t know.
Disability was certainly a major challenge, but some disabled people achieved more than able-bodied ones – it all depended on how one chose to live.
But for this reason alone, she still wouldn’t meet Zhu Fang. Regardless of how many years Ding Aizhen was sentenced to, Xiao Lan would only applaud in celebration!