Chapter 47: I Want to Be a Hundred-Thousand-Yuan Household

Why should Wei Dong care what happens to these delicate hothouse flowers? There were so many people still struggling to survive on the riverbank.

As expected, the provincial investigation team arrived in Shangzhou just before the Spring Festival. First, they listened to the city's report and reviewed the compiled documents, then the task force brought them to the docks to meet Wei Dong.

Damn, every extra day they stayed meant another one or two thousand spent. This was 1984! That kind of expenditure was worth hundreds of thousands in the future. But after six or seven days of hauling sand and stone, not only were all the construction sites in Shangzhou fully stocked with materials, but the laborers, women, and children were all grinning from ear to ear. At least no one had to scavenge under the factory dump anymore. A few days of hauling had earned them dozens of yuan, enough to improve the family meals for the New Year.

Though the scene was still one of relentless struggle, in those days the poorer you were, the more honorable it seemed. So, except for Wei Dong, who found it all jarringly out of place, the smiles and endless praise on everyone’s faces were heartfelt.

They eagerly wished the “important leaders” from out of town a happy Spring Festival, expressing hope and belief that the future would be better. Only Wei Dong’s face remained expressionless, for he knew that once people had tasted a bit of sweetness, returning to bitterness was all the more unbearable.

In fact, since that first conversation, the special task force had been at the docks every day, observing and gathering information. Wei Dong had no choice but to join them, speaking to the investigators with deliberate subtlety: “Although the Shangzhou region is a poor mountainous area, we sit right on the golden waterway of the Yangtze. Historically, this has been a bustling trade hub. If we could revive dockside commerce, it would transform not just this city but the economy of the entire prefecture.”

He nearly spelled it out: we’re holding a golden rice bowl and begging for food.

But it was precisely his detached perspective that allowed him to notice the investigation team wasn’t really paying attention. He also realized they all seemed to have their luggage with them.

Sure enough, some had already bought tickets to travel downriver through the Three Gorges before heading home, while the rest were in a hurry to return to the provincial capital.

It was already the twenty-ninth of the lunar month!

Wei Dong only realized as he saw them off at the boat that these people had never even met with You Qili.

“If there’s no major discrepancy in the situation, there’s no need to waste time,” they said.

Having worked security for years, Wei Dong was used to such details and privately sneered. He, too, would soon wrap up and head home.

Dong Xueqing was still curious, wanting to follow him to the countryside for fun.

Wei Dong pointed at the truck: “Three seats. Where do you want to sit? On the roof or hanging off the back? Overloading is illegal, you know.”

Fengchu, thick-skinned as ever, grinned, “Heh, actually, I could just bring a rattan chair and sit in the truck bed. Three seats, right? Hee hee, next time you and Sis can both sit with me. Well then, Happy New Year! See you after the holiday. Xiaodie, come say goodbye to Grandpa and Grandma...”

Dong Xueying tried to make herself invisible. “I’ve already given this month’s wages to the families of old You, old He, and the others, so they can get through the holiday. I’ll take care of them these days, and after Spring Festival I’ll await your instructions.”

Wei Dong wanted to say, “Their families are none of my business,” but he knew Dong Xueying was right. This was a responsibility he, the old security guard who used to hide in the guardroom, had never borne.

He sighed. “You should be prepared. At any time, you might have to move to Jiangzhou. At the very least, establish a foothold there first; the environment in Shangzhou won’t change quickly.”

Surprisingly, Dong Xueying replied, “Alright, I’ll try to relay your advice to old You next time I visit him.”

Wei Dong looked at the pair of sisters who would provide grist for Shangzhou’s gossip mill for the next forty years, said nothing more, and set off with his parents, filled with mixed emotions.

Even in the rearview mirror, he could see the three of them standing by the roadside for a long, long way.

Wei Dong couldn’t help glancing back several times.

His mother craned her neck at the rear window, unable to stop watching. “Xiaoqing is a good girl—smart and sensible, though she doesn’t do much housework. Her sister seems to do everything. After marriage, who’ll do it then?”

Wei Dong scoffed inwardly. Both Wolong and Fengchu were just putting on an act!

His father, leaning against the door smoking, finally relaxed. “You’d do better to worry about facing the Li family when we get home.”

His mother immediately became anxious. “That’s right. Erfeng is a good girl too. After all this, how will she face the village?”

Wei Dong was straightforward: “I told her last year it wasn’t possible, but she kept spreading it around anyway. She’s just trying to use village gossip to force my hand. It won’t work. As for her reputation, she can always leave the countryside. These days, making money solves everything.”

Indeed, the massive Dongfeng 140 truck, loaded with goods, didn’t even stop in the county town.

By the time they reached their village, darkness was falling, but not even that could stop the neighbors from all around—the news had spread and everyone came to see the spectacle!

Just half a year ago, his father had fallen and nearly become paralyzed, only to be sent by his son for surgery in Jiangzhou, where a miracle occurred and he was able to walk again.

No one expected him to return in a Dongfeng truck driven by his son.

At the edge of the village basketball court, several rare kerosene lamps were lit. Children swarmed the truck, climbing all over it!

No one even tried to uncover the tarpaulin—everyone was too busy showing off their truck-climbing skills, mimicking the crane techniques they had seen on the highway. For them, this was the kind of high-end truck they could only dream of chasing.

To adults, the truck was just as awe-inspiring.

Forget the forty-thousand price tag—equivalent to millions for them—no one in the countryside even dared imagine a private family could own such a thing.

Dog-Egg was already there with a crowd of young men, basking in reflected glory. “I told you Dongwa could drive—last time in Jiangzhou he drove fast and steady!”

Erfeng tried to blend in among the young wives, nervous yet proud, craning her neck to catch every bit of praise.

Proud, yet terrified the man she loved would say something heartless—if he did, she might as well jump down a well.

Even his father, who had never had such a lively homecoming even when he joined or left the army, only dared get out and hand out cigarettes with repeated bows, so nervous his words tripped over themselves.

His mother, who had wanted to jump out and show off too, caught sight of Erfeng from afar and resigned herself to sitting in the cab.

Wei Dong had to face everyone himself.

He nimbly climbed up onto the truck bed and called out, “My father broke his bones at the county construction company and almost ended up paralyzed. It was all thanks to the help of our friends and relatives that he got to the hospital and got compensated. The Let family is endlessly grateful and will spend our lives repaying you all. Here, I’ve brought ten bolts of printed fabric—please help divide them among the neighboring households!”

There must have been hundreds gathered, the entire village and those nearby. Seeing this strong, generous young man, they burst into cheers.

Dog-Egg took the lead. “I’ll help carry it!”

Wei Dong laughed and pulled him onto the truck. “This is for the women to make colorful clothes. These sheet sets too—distribute them among the households. The silk comforters are for the elders—ten should be enough.”

He pointed Dog-Egg to the pile of fabric.

Then, turning to the eager crowd, he clasped his hands in thanks. “I just met with the city leaders in Shangzhou. Under the leadership of the Party, life will only get better. Over the past half year, with Dog-Egg, Erfeng, and a few others, we’ve done some small business. Now every household can have a radio, and there are four televisions for the village. We’ll place them in different directions so everyone can watch…”

No one heard the rest—his words were drowned out by a tidal wave of exclamations and excited chatter.

Television sets! Four of them!

The entire village had never seen one—not even the whole township. It was said the county had one, but only as a foreign curiosity in the hardware store.

When villagers went to town, they’d crane their necks for a glimpse of the little box with singing, dancing figures inside, and brag for days afterward.

Now, four TVs right here?

Yet even so, someone’s first worry was, “Won’t the electric bill be high for whoever keeps them?”

But others were more sensible. “Thank you, but don’t leave one at our house! Dongwa, I’ll help you move them!”

Wei Dong glanced at Erfeng.

She bit her lip, but couldn’t hide her excitement. She shed her demure, daughter-in-law act, scrambled into the truck bed, and took his hand as he helped her up.

She was even more spirited: “Uncle Four! We earned these TVs with our own hard work. One for Uncle’s family, one for Dog-Egg’s, one for mine, and Jun’er, you take one to the west side!”

She knew the villagers better and was more adept at organizing.

Wei Dong instructed her, “There are two signal splitters; you can connect two TVs each. Wiring them up improves the reception. I brought a bundle of wire—whatever’s left, keep for repairs.”

Since he’d be driving away, he might as well clear out the valuable appliances he’d stashed in the abandoned warehouse at the tax office. The clerk had written receipts for them—they were accounted for as previous sales, balancing the books and freeing up more cash for Dong Xueying for the holiday.

Counting the earnings from every batch of oranges, there was over ten thousand hidden in the brick wall—it was bursting at the seams.

It really did ensure that Old You and the others had no worries at home. Of course, that made Wei Dong seem all the more remarkable.

But none of that compared to the acclaim he received from the villagers.

Returning home in glory certainly has its pitfalls, but at least Wei Dong had seen the negative examples of You Qili and the rest, met senior reporters and provincial investigators, and spoken with city leaders.

He handled the situation well.

Most importantly, he gave Erfeng a warning—if she tried to use the marriage issue to stir up gossip again, she’d be exposed: “After the Spring Festival, we’re leaving. Dog-Egg is coming to Jiangzhou with me. You can go to the county or to Shangzhou, keep the cured meat business going, and you’ll easily become a ten-thousand-yuan household. But if you insist on dragging in the marriage thing, I won’t be polite about it.”

Following his directions, Dog-Egg carried out a television, hooked up the splitter, and instantly they could watch shows from the brick station. The whole village wanted nothing more than to sit down together and eat fruit.

Erfeng had her two friends help the young men distribute the fabric and sheets, and those who’d helped with the cured meat business got a radio for their families.

Wei Dong handed her the sheepskin shoes to give to the village elders, giving her plenty of face.

Standing together in the truck bed, Erfeng hugged a silk comforter, cheeks puffed like a goose. “Are you seeing that city teacher now?”

Wei Dong sneered. “Her mother would love nothing more than to have me locked up—she’s tried to harm me several times. Remember, these next ten or twenty years are the best time to make money. If you don’t seize your chance, don’t blame me for shutting you out. I’ve already made over sixty thousand this year. Next year, I’m aiming for a hundred thousand…”

His vision didn’t go far beyond that for now.

Having struck it rich so quickly, he was still in the habit of keeping his head down, not yet understanding what prosperity truly meant.