[156] Everyday Life

On the morning of the twenty-third, Fang Lugun escorted his wife and three children to the railway station. Having spent a month together only to part again, the family was filled with a lingering reluctance to separate. In the waiting room, Fang Yanyan asked, "Daddy, when are you coming home?"

Looking at his daughter's reluctant expression, Fang Lugun almost shed tears. He lowered his voice and said, "Soon, soon. It'll be August in no time, and in four more months, Daddy will be coming home too."

He still spent a yuan to buy a platform ticket, seeing the mother and children onto the train. With him helping with the luggage, Fang Chang'an and the others boarded extremely quickly. When they got on, the carriage was almost empty. Fang Lugun deftly placed the suitcases and bags on the luggage racks and turned to leave.

It was another train ride of nearly twenty hours in the hard-seat section, utilizing the exact same two adult tickets and one child ticket. However, the train conductor this time was not as easygoing as the last. They haggled for a long time during the evening ticket inspection, though in the end, no extra fare was collected.

Around eleven o'clock the next day, Fang Chang'an and his group got off at the Yunlong City Railway Station, then took a public bus to the Western Bus Station. While at the Western station, Fang Chang'an called Fang Luyong. Wang Yuxiu answered, saying that Fang Luyong had already set out and would likely have arrived by now.

Since they still had to wait for the long-distance bus to depart, it was more than two hours later when Fang Chang'an and the others got off the city-to-town shuttle in front of the town railway station. Fang Luyong had been waiting for a long time.

Cong Rong suffered from motion sickness, so after getting off, she had to rest and recover for a good while before boarding a three-wheeled motorcycle to head home. Taking advantage of the moment, Fang Chang'an ran to the nearby steamed bun shop to buy two yuan worth of steamed buns and another yuan for five sesame flatbreads, which would serve as lunch.

Along the way, Fang Luyong brought up the topic of opening a shoe store and buying a house, primarily asking how they planned to handle the shortfall in funds.

News of Fang Lugun borrowing money had undoubtedly already been circulated among the siblings, with each household promising different amounts. The eldest uncle, Fang Luguo, had promised three thousand; the eldest aunt, Fang Xia, six thousand; Fang Yan, two thousand; and the youngest uncle, Fang Luyong, two thousand as well.

Among the five siblings, in terms of family wealth, Fang Yan's household was unquestionably the most prosperous, followed by Fang Xia and Fang Luguo. Fang Luyong wasn't particularly diligent in saving for the future either, but with the care of the two elderly parents, his situation was somewhat better, though scraping together two thousand yuan probably wouldn't be easy for him.

Although teachers' compensation was increasing annually, it was far inferior to that of later generations. Fang Luguo and Xu Jing had bought their house only a few years prior and were still supporting two children through school, so borrowing three thousand yuan was justifiable.

Fang Xia had promised six thousand, which was already a considerable sum. Consequently, Fang Luyong felt somewhat resentful toward Fang Yan, whose family was clearly much better off, and was only willing to lend two thousand. Both he and Fang Lugun had uninhibited personalities; seeing that Cong Rong was suffering from motion sickness and unwilling to talk, he didn't care whether it was appropriate or not and directly started complaining to Fang Chang'an and his siblings.

Fang Chang'an had already known about this matter before returning. Fang Lugun was also somewhat dissatisfied with this younger sister, but instead, it was Cong Rong who comforted him: "With a reputation like yours, the fact that people are willing to lend you money means they've already prepared themselves for the possibility that you won't pay them back. Even if someone only lends you two hundred, they are still doing you a favor—what is there to complain about?"

With Cong Rong taking such an attitude, Fang Chang'an, being of the younger generation, naturally had even less to say. He also understood that what his mother said was the truth; it was just that Fang Luyong and Fang Lugun, much alike, didn't yet realize what kind of image they projected in the eyes of others.

After Fang Chang'an offered a few words of comfort from the perspective of a junior, Fang Luyong asked again, "Where are you opening the shop? Have you looked at the location? What about Changming and Yanyan?"

Fang Chang'an knew his youngest uncle had no filter. While there were no commercial secrets involved, a repeat of the situation with Fang Ying would be somewhat troublesome, especially since the one dealing with that situation back then had been his mother. Thus, he just vaguely brushed the questions aside.

Fang Luyong didn't mind this; he was merely showing concern and continued, "Changming and Yanyan are both going to school in the town—where will they live?"

"We're buying a house. The shop isn't suitable for living in, and Mom will need a place to live too."

"Houses in town must cost twenty or thirty thousand by now, right?"

Fang Luyong was somewhat startled, not expecting his second brother to suddenly make such a lavish move. "Is the money enough?"

Fang Lugun cared greatly about saving face and hadn't explicitly stated how much money he was earning when he went home for the New Year, though he didn't exaggerate too wildly either, claiming externally that he made "eight or nine hundred, pushing a thousand." However, Fang Luyong knew something of his second brother's true income. Coupled with the need to support three children through school, he found it somewhat hard to accept that his second brother could suddenly pull out such a large sum of money.

The money borrowed from the four siblings only amounted to a little over ten thousand in total. After opening a shop, how much could possibly be left?

Naturally, an agricultural three-wheeler didn't cause motion sickness. Aside from the slightly glaring sun, it felt even more comfortable than riding in a sedan, primarily because the fresh air made a big difference. Cong Rong's motion sickness aftereffects had subsided significantly, and at this point, she finally chimed in, "Your second brother has his salary, and Chang'an has some savings too. Put it all together, and it's just about enough."

"How much salary can Second Brother have? Five or six thousand at most, and you all still have to spend a fair bit. You must be falling short by over ten thousand just to buy a house, right?"

Hearing this, Fang Luyong became even more baffled. "And where did Chang'an get money from?"

"Didn't he used to sell steamed buns for a classmate? Later on, when that classmate's teacher opened a bun shop to do the same thing, they felt the idea came from him, and every semester they give him a cut of the profits."

"Really or fake?"

Fang Luyong knew about Fang Chang'an selling steamed buns, including the subsequent opening of the bun shop by Shen ChengYan, because Fang Luguo had mentioned it. However, the primary spreader of the news had been Fang Lungsheng, who loved to use the matter as dinner table conversation, sighing over what a great idea it was while lamenting, "What a pity I lack the ability and couldn't pull it off—just look at them."

Of course, Fang Lungsheng hadn't gone around broadcasting it purely to praise Fang Chang'an; while that was part of his intention, as he held a somewhat favorable view of his nephew, more importantly, he used it as conversational fodder to show off that he knew the mayor's son, and incidentally to take a jab at Fang Lugun and Fang Luyong. By saying "it's because we lack ability that someone else snatched such a great idea," there was actually an undertone of mockery.

Fang Luyong had been deeply resentful of this, but since what the man said was the truth, at banquets he could only exaggerate his own guesses regarding the difficulty of the venture or retort with something like, "Why don't you go do it, then?"

Never in his wildest dreams had he expected that Fang Chang'an actually received a cut of the profits from this venture, and judging by the wording, the profits went directly to his nephew himself rather than to his older brother and sister-in-law.

Fang Luyong's initial reaction was a bit of disbelief, but then he recalled the incident around New Year's when Fang Chang'an encountered robbers. Some suspicious details he hadn't paid attention to back then finally fell into place—no wonder Fang Chang'an went to the bank and got robbed; he actually had real money!

"How much can Chang'an get in a semester?"

"Several thousand, too. Don't go spreading it around everywhere."

In this day and age, the adage "wealth should be kept hidden" held true, and Cong Rong knew Fang Luyong's personality well, so she heavily discounted the figure Fang Chang'an had mentioned to prevent Fang Luyong from broadcasting it everywhere.

Fang Luyong didn't know what shareholding proportion Fang Chang'an held, but judging by the tone of his sister-in-law's voice, it must be around five or six thousand. For a rural household in this era, that already constituted a massive income, and he praised, "Well, that teacher is really quite decent, giving him such a big cut of the money just for an idea..."

Upon returning home, Cong Rong still felt somewhat unwell, though she had improved a great deal. After tidying up the house, she made a pot of hand-pulled noodles, which, paired with the steamed buns and sesame flatbreads, served as lunch.

Fang Chang'an called his maternal grandmother. There was no telephone installed in the elderly woman's household; calls were always made to their neighbors, who would then summon them to answer. Neither of the two elderly people knew about the daughter's family moving to town, and they only offered routine reminders about everyday matters.

After hanging up, Fang Chang'an called Shen Chengyan to confirm their appointment to look at shops and houses in town the next day.

He also thought about calling Shen Mo and Wang Ke to let them know he had arrived safely, but after a second thought, he dismissed the idea, worrying that too much of a good thing could backfire. Both of them were still young, and keeping in touch too closely might yield the opposite of the desired effect—especially with Wang Ke, since school was about to start and they had two whole years ahead of them; there was no need to rush.

While the mother and three children were eating, Elder Fang Fukang strolled over with his hands clasped behind his back. It was already past three in the afternoon, and the old man had obviously eaten long ago. As usual, he pulled up a chair and sat inside the room, only asking after a moment, "I heard you're planning to open a shop—what are you selling?"

Cong Rong replied, "Shoes."

The old man nodded. After a pause, he asked again, "Where are you getting your stock?"

"Wenzhou. We've already made the arrangements."

The old man nodded once more, then asked after a moment, "And what about the household here?"

Fang Luyong must have told the old man everything, but the old man simply enjoyed asking questions to which he already knew the answers.

Cong Rong's motion sickness had not yet fully subsided, and she figured the old man was here specifically to advise, stop, or reprimand them for wasting the money of his other children's households. She forced herself to patiently answer a few more questions, but as the old man continued questioning relentlessly, her patience began to wear thin.

The old man naturally noticed, yet he pressed on: "What about Changming and Yanyan's schooling?"

"They're transferring to schools in town. We've already arranged it."

"Who did you contact to arrange it? Is it reliable?"

Fang Chang'an chimed in, "I asked our teacher for help, and it's all settled."

The old man nodded again, then asked, "Then what about the farmland at home?"

Realizing this was the old man's true objective, Cong Rong replied, "I'm not running the shop every single day; farming won't be neglected. If I really get too busy to manage, I'll hire someone to help."

The old man fell silent for a moment, sighed, and drew from his bosom an item wrapped in old newspaper. Unwrapping it slowly, he said, "I've spent my retirement pension every month and haven't managed to save much, but here is two thousand—you use this first."

Cong Rong glanced at it and remained silent.

The old man pushed the money along with the newspaper forward, saying to Fang Chang'an, who was sitting at the very edge, "Changming, take it."

Fang Chang'an glanced at his mother, turned, took the money, and placed it on the table beside his mother's hand.

Cong Rong still said nothing.

"No matter what, moving to town is a good thing. If the money is still not enough, we can figure something out when the time comes."

Having said that, the old man stood up, clasped his hands behind his back once more, and slowly strolled out into the courtyard and through the gate.

Cong Rong finished her meal without rushing to clear away the bowls and chopsticks, staring fixedly at the two thousand yuan without speaking. Fang Chang'an smiled and said, "Grandfather gave it, so you might as well keep it."

Cong Rong murmured softly, "Your grandfather came for the sake of the land."

Fang Chang'an reasoned, "Even though you didn't give your word on that, didn't he still give the money?"

Cong Rong glanced toward the inner room where the two younger ones had run off to watch television—though invisible through the wall—sighed without further comment, and stood up to clear the dishes.

The money was naturally kept.

Although Cong Rong possessed a tolerant and accommodating nature, her household had long been treated as the outcast among the five children. As time passed, resentment was inevitable, and with the accumulation of time, it only deepened.

The old man was still relatively reasonable; although he secretly favored others behind the scenes, he at least maintained a broader perspective outwardly. What caused Cong Rong even greater discontent was her mother-in-law.

Because lunch had been late, Cong Rong went out to the fields again after the sun began to set. By the time she returned, it was pitch dark. Everyone had eaten late and wasn't hungry, but dinner still had to be prepared.

While Fang Chang'an was helping tend the fire for cooking, his grandmother suddenly appeared outside the kitchen. Cong Rong saw her and offered a greeting. The old woman uttered a grunt of acknowledgment, and after a moment asked, "Are you all moving away?"

"If we don't move, what else can we do? There's no one else to look after things."

Cong Rong intentionally expressed her discontent, but the old woman paid it no mind and asked instead, "How much is it going to cost? How much did you borrow?" After a brief pause, she added with a warning, "Making money isn't easy—don't go wasting it all!"

Before waiting for a reply, she let out a heavy sigh: "Living good days isn't good enough for you, why must you run off to town? Is doing business really that easy? Who knows how much money you're going to lose in one go..."

Cong Rong initially kept quiet, but as she listened, she grew irritated and retorted bluntly, "That two thousand yuan is right there on the table. If you want, you can take it all back."

Although the old woman held biases among her children's households, to be fair, her stance on this matter wasn't entirely a case of favoring one over another; it also stemmed from her ideological limitations. She believed that her second son's family didn't know how to live prudently, and now, by pulling off this stunt, they would in all likelihood squander the money borrowed from all the siblings. A lifetime of frugality had made her reluctant to even use an extra oil lamp after dark, and she simply couldn't stomach what she saw.

As for what constituted doing proper work, what counted as living a steady life, and what amounted to stirring up trouble, viewing such subjective matters through tinted glasses was inevitable.

However, taking the money back was naturally out of the question. After delivering a lecture, the old woman turned and left.

Fang Chang'an consoled her: "Grandmother is old, and her way of thinking is bound to be different from ours. You're not worth getting angry over."

Cong Rong remarked, "If it had been... never mind, I won't bicker with her over this. The more they look down on us, the better we have to live our lives to prove them wrong."

Hardly had the grandmother departed when Fang Changfeng strolled over to inquire about the matter. Evidently, he had already heard it from Fang Luyong, knowing only that a shop was to be opened but remaining unaware of the house purchase.

Following the meal, Fang Changfeng's wife, Liu Xiqin, arrived. Before she had even left, the aunt Wang Yuxiu came over, followed closely by Fang Lungsheng's wife, Chen Qiaofao, and then another older aunt from the front courtyard.

Even Fang Dianqiu came looking for Fang Chang'an to go play, and he too inquired whether his family was moving to town. It seemed half the village—at least the members of the Fang clan—had already caught wind of the affair.