Chapter 110: It Takes Ideals to Turn Ghosts into Humans

Given Rang Weidong’s current temperament, he naturally asked whatever crossed his mind.

By the time they got off the vehicle, evening was approaching. They had spent the day wandering through a dilapidated old street that bore no signs of renovation, let alone any efforts to develop tourism, and by now, the sky was darkening.

In this tiny town, which clearly saw no outsiders, there was surprisingly a decent-sized restaurant still in operation. It was hard to imagine who their customers were; this wasn't an era where foodies would catch wind of a place and drive dozens of kilometers to check into a highly-rated eatery. Being in such a remote location, there was no way to sustain a business, and certainly not by relying on the local population alone.

Although the place was empty, Rang Weidong ordered a few dishes and called over his secretary, who had been lost in sentimental reflection, to come back and eat. Zhang Lanzhi, however, had lost her swaying gait and was sitting to the side, striking a pose with a thoughtful expression.

Rang Weidong had already taken the initiative to pull the camera from her bag and snap two photos. Although the AX camera lacked a flash and performed poorly in low light—its night-shooting capability being nearly zero—Rang Weidong had shot dozens of rolls in the last few months and had become quite skilled. He did his best to steady his elbows on the table, ensuring that even if the aperture wasn't sufficient for the fixed shutter speed, there would be no motion blur. As long as the image was clear, it could pass.

Using the light from the restaurant behind her, he captured a portrait of Zhang Lanzhi. He casually voiced his doubts about the establishment: "Is this place a trap? Are they going to drug our food, then rob us of our money and take advantage of our virtue?"

Unlike the early days on the train, where she had sat sideways and been filled with picky demands regarding her photos, Zhang Lanzhi smiled brightly now: "Thank you."

She then poured tea for Rang Weidong: "Most of the towns around Shanghai have a tradition of import and export trade dating back to the Ming and Qing dynasties. They were all very wealthy at one point. Later, people emerged from these places to make a name for themselves in Shanghai, which is why you see such grand restaurants and mansions here. As for now... I suspect there is still some sales activity; many factories are located in these towns."

Rang Weidong nodded in realization: "I ordered the sesame oil eel shreds, the scallion pork rind stew, steamed bamboo fish, plus a vegetable dish and soup. The 'thick oil, red sauce, and a hint of sweetness' is their signature style. Let's see if it tastes like home to you."

There was already a casual, husband-and-wife air to their interaction. He was becoming increasingly addicted to it.

Zhang Lanzhi remained polite: "Thank you..."

Rang Weidong decided to get to the point: "We don't have to be this formal, do we? I said I would take responsibility. We are essentially a couple now, or are we getting married? Either works for me."

The secretary deliberated for a moment before speaking earnestly: "I truly thank you for taking me out to see the world; this is something I never dared to imagine before."

Rang Weidong still wanted to tease her: "You’ve worked hard on this business trip too. This was a situation you sought out yourself, starting from Rongdu."

But Zhang Lanzhi was not one for flirtation: "I want to be as useful to you as possible so that you will need me more. I don't ask for anything else; I just want the opportunity to go abroad and see the world."

After saying this, she leaned on the chair with both hands, her shoulders straight, looking at Rang Weidong with a hint of anxiety. The man had stopped speaking, slowly focusing his gaze on the girl, as if trying to discern something from the face that was becoming increasingly familiar.

It wasn't until the owner brought out two of the dishes that Rang Weidong picked up his chopsticks and signaled for her to eat: "Last time, by the river at the Swan Hotel, you said you wanted to see the world, even if it meant sacrificing your life. Well, I can understand that. Intellectuals who read a lot of books naturally yearn for beautiful places. I can give you my word: this isn't hard. With the start of our business, in ten or twenty years, we will definitely be able to travel abroad often. When we are old, even taking long vacations overseas won't be a problem. Do you understand what I mean?"

He was in a small place and didn't know the exact timeline, but he was certainly aware of the wave of emigration that had gone wild during the mid-to-late eighties and nineties. Countless movies and television dramas had depicted this era of universal worship of Europe and America. Many couples had desperately sold everything just to send one person out, hoping to pull the other over later. And yet, the divorce wave was also a hot topic back then; there was a saying that the divorce rate for such couples was one hundred percent. He hadn't expected to encounter this so soon.

So, although he was a bit surprised, Rang Weidong absolutely understood the girl's attitude. It wasn't even a matter of being obsessed; everyone was like this at the moment. In an era that felt too painful, too stifling, and completely devoid of individual presence, people could only treat the West as a paradise. Especially for intellectuals who read and learned about the world beyond. An old security guard who knew nothing certainly wouldn't have such thoughts.

Zhang Lanzhi didn't even look at the food; she was very formal: "I know you are talking about marriage, but that wouldn't be fair to you. I never intended to cling to you for a lifetime. I just want the chance to go abroad. I want to see the Eiffel Tower, the Roman churches, the Tower of London, and the Statue of Liberty. I want to experience those beautiful civilized societies. I will work hard to help you with anything, help you take care of the factory so that your parents can live in peace, and then I can pursue my dream without worries. This is the hope you've given me."

Rang Weidong set his chopsticks down and remained silent for a long while. The old security guard, who had jumped over one pit after another, felt he needed a moment to recover.

Zhang Lanzhi, on the other hand, began to eat slowly, occasionally picking up food for him, while quickly scanning his expression: "Are you angry?"

Rang Weidong shook his head: "No, I think what you're doing is quite honorable. It would be most disadvantageous to you to lay this out now, but you're being upfront so that there are no misunderstandings later. It prevents me from coming away empty-handed and feeling like I’ve been deceived if you leave one day. Now, I have to pull back my feelings."

There was still an unexplainable sense of melancholy. Or perhaps just a feeling of being inexplicably upset. It wasn't about himself—he genuinely felt this was a good thing for him. It was more a sense of detachment from this land; even though he now had a standard of living that surpassed everyone else in the country, the sentiment remained that things were better elsewhere. Yet, he felt he couldn't criticize her, as the mainstream thought at the time was all about reflection and finding fault with everything.

Zhang Lanzhi was apologetic: "I never thought I could travel to so many places with you so quickly, stay in big hotels, and fly in planes. I am not trading my body for this, but I have nothing else to give you. I've wanted to see Shanghai since I was a child, and if I could go abroad, it would be my life's goal."

Rang Weidong began to laugh softly: "The way you're handling this reminds me of Li Yunlong's wife."

The secretary was clearly confused: "Who?"

Rang Weidong shook his head casually: "A war hero, a crude man. The organization arranged the marriage. You might ask how much his beautiful wife liked him at first? It’s hard to say, but he was a hero, a commander. Most marriages in this era are arranged, aren't they? You meet once and hold the ceremony. Most people marry first and fall in love later, slowly磨合 (adjusting to each other). It's rare for people to divorce. It's normal that you don't have feelings for me yet."

Zhang Lanzhi looked embarrassed: "We haven't known each other long, but I believe there will be feelings in the future, which is why I’m afraid..."

She couldn't even describe it herself, but Rang Weidong understood: "Afraid of just living a mundane life of raising children and dealing with the trivialities of daily life, never seeing the rest of the world again?"

There was a flicker of light in Zhang Lanzhi's eyes: "Yes! Growing up, no one liked to play with me, and my parents told me that people die eventually, and there's a world of difference in how one spends their life. I had accepted my fate of just staying in the factory, but you showed me so much, and I can't help but want to see more. I don't want to hide these thoughts from you. I’ve given you my body, but my soul yearns all the more for freedom."

It seemed she had been "whipped" too hard these past few days; she was a bit delirious.

Rang Weidong scratched his head, feeling sheepish: "I originally thought about how to convince you that going abroad isn't such a big deal, but then I realized that having a goal is a good thing. For example, last year I set three goals for myself: cure my father's illness, make money to establish myself, and take revenge. I achieved them all, which allowed me to lay a foundation for everything I have now. Otherwise, I might have just drifted through life. Fine, I'll keep it in mind and help you achieve your dream as soon as possible."

Sometimes people just rely on a goal to keep going.

Zhang Lanzhi seemed relieved. She picked up some more food and asked: "Why do you think going abroad isn't a big deal?"

Rang Weidong thought carefully: "Right now, anyone with a bit of ability and a dream wants to go abroad, especially the struggling intellectuals. How should I describe this... well, currently, the West is at the peak of the mountain, and we are in the valley. It's normal for people to seek higher ground. Most people who leave now will probably be happy, but in the future, we will be fine. At the very least, the gap will almost disappear."

To say this in the eighties—or even twenty years from now—nobody would believe it. So he felt like he was telling a myth and couldn't really persuade her.

Zhang Lanzhi, as expected, didn't believe him: "How is that possible? Don't you want to go abroad too?"

Rang Weidong shook his head: "Not that kind of going abroad. Because I’m so eager to dive into the magnificent transformation of our own country, I don't have the time to look abroad... Haha, I can't say that either. I want to go north, to the Soviet side, to see what it's like."

Zhang Lanzhi, clearly influenced by Western literature and the factory's ideology, was dismissive: "Ah, it's freezing cold, and it's the Soviet revisionist imperialism. What's good about that?"

The Third Front factories were mainly established to defend against a northern invasion, which was why they were moved entirely to the southwestern mountains. In a sense, without the northern threat, Zhang Lanzhi should have been a local girl who grew up in Shanghai.

Rang Weidong couldn't tell her that his biggest takeaway today was just how awesome it was to change planes. Only by sitting on such a large plane in person could one realize how incredible this business was. Yu Qili could brag about this for a lifetime; his status was set in stone. One single deal had made him the richest man in the country. He wanted to participate and experience it; that was his life's ideal.

Therefore, he understood Zhang Lanzhi very well—perhaps even better than any deep investigation could reveal. He could only tease: "If you don't become my wife, I guess I'll have to go find a Russian girl."

Zhang Lanzhi bit her lip quickly: "You wouldn't. You are the most capable and amazing person I've ever met. Little Dong likes you very much, and that comrade with the bandaged hand the other day must also have a good impression of you. I don't count for much; I just happen to be able to help you for now. In reality, I have no interest in business or schemes."

Rang Weidong tried to learn to step aside and observe. He also thought on her behalf: "Well, to be honest, I am also trying hard to figure out how to go abroad, even if my purpose is different. Manager Zhang from the photo studio is the person in Jiangzhou who most frequently encounters people going abroad. Didn't you see me show obvious interest when those two chefs mentioned they had been abroad? I am mainly interested in doing business abroad, but at least for the next year or two, or three or five, it might be impossible. That's determined by policy. So, if you want to go abroad, the only path is through studying."

Zhang Lanzhi said with disappointment: "But I am really terrible at my studies."

Rang Weidong said unhurriedly: "That's why we need to focus on making money. Once we have the money, it shouldn't be too hard for you to find some cultural or historical research major to study self-funded. Who knows what your background is? Just the fact that your English is good enough already beats many people who go abroad. Yes, we will stay in Shanghai for a few days and keep wandering around the universities to learn more; this is the place where people are most keen on going abroad. Later, we'll go to Beijing a few times, and maybe we'll find an opportunity for you to study abroad."

Zhang Lanzhi, with rare initiative, served him soup: "Thank you... Are, are we going back to the city to stay?"

The way she blushed and spoke in a whisper was incredibly tempting. Had she forgotten the reality of the situation?