"Brother Yang, don't worry. Mo Sheng and I will take good care of Uncle and Aunt on the road. When we get to Jinling, Uncle will write back to you."
Chen Yang drove the donkey cart to send his parents, Zheng Weiguo, and Liu Mo Sheng to the county town to catch the bus. The county had unified arrangements for educated youths returning to the city.
Chen Yang decided to have his parents travel with them. They could buy tickets for the same bus, and the entire carriage would be filled with educated youths, making it safer.
"You two go back and work hard. Try to find a good job."
Chen Yang patted Zheng Weiguo and Liu Mo Sheng on the shoulders. It had been over five years since they went down to the countryside, and the sixth year was about to begin.
"Dad, Mom, be careful on the road."
"After the New Year, I'll bring Xue'er and the two little ones back to see you."
Chen Yang hugged his father and mother. Parting was always difficult.
"We're not old yet. We have arms and legs, so you don't have to worry."
"Remember to bring your grandchildren to see us after the New Year. Pay more attention to your wife. Xue'er is pregnant now, so you need to take good care of her. Don't be lazy."
"Now that you're a father, don't be hasty in your actions. Always consider your wife and children."
"Also, I heard from the policy that it's not certain whether educated youths who are married will be allowed to register for the college entrance examination next year, but you should still prepare." Su Dan Novel Network
"It's a good thing if you can get into university. Then you can bring their mother and the two kids back to the city to live in a rented house outside the school. You can study while taking care of your family, and it won't interfere with your business."
Chen Liming patted his son on the shoulder. In the blink of an eye, his son was half a head taller than him and was now a father himself.
In their hearts, they still hoped that their son could return to the city.
There was no choice; that was the era. Life in the countryside was hard. The commune production teams worked tirelessly all year round, but their work points earned less than a city worker's monthly wage.
Later, with the household responsibility system, sometimes after working hard for half a year, more than half of the harvested grain had to be paid as agricultural tax.
In years of bad harvests, the agricultural tax could truly ruin people. This was why people in that era all wanted to be city dwellers, not villagers.
Even someone as open-minded as Chen Liming couldn't escape this sentiment.
"Dad, don't worry. I will take good care of the three of them."
"As for studying, I'm probably no match for that girl Yu'er, but I'll work hard and try to get into university."
This was something his father had brought up, and Shen Xue also thought about it. For their sake, and for his own, Chen Yang would strive for it.
In his previous life, he had been admitted to East China University of Finance and Economics. Although it wasn't a prestigious university by later standards, this cohort produced many influential figures.
Many of them entered politics or large state-owned enterprises and achieved extraordinary success. He had even befriended some of them in his previous life and kept in touch frequently.
The value of university students in those years was considerable, and these connections might come in handy someday.
Chen Yang had been a notable figure in Shenzhen in his previous life. The fact that he could still maintain close friendships with several of his classmates indicated how extraordinary their status was.
These connections would be useful in the future.
This was the reality in China: without policy support and connections, trying to expand a business was a joke.
The idea of "starting from scratch" was merely a tale to fool ordinary people.
Considering Ma Yun and Wang Jianlin, who didn't have connections behind them?
If you really want to talk about starting from scratch, it's only Liu Qiangdong. Even the money for his university tuition was pooled by the villagers. Unfortunately, even he has been sidelined now.
It was a harsh reality, but there was nothing that could be done.
Just like Chen Yang's fish and radio businesses, if he hadn't established a good relationship with Wang Jianguo from the start, and if he hadn't had the unwavering support of Zou Chenguang, could he have achieved his current success?
Impossible, absolutely impossible.
"Let's go back. When I get home, I'll write to you."
"Be careful on the road. When I get back, I'll ask about that young man named Bao Guo and see how his arrangements are going for you."
After the previous incident, Chen Li Ming was clearly more concerned about Chen Yang's safety.
Making money through business was good, but from a father's perspective, he cared more about his son's safety.
No matter how much money his son earned, in his eyes, it was not as important as him being healthy and happy.
"Okay, Dad. You can write to me then. Also, when you go to the hospital, please check on Zhang Weiyang's father. I don't know how his surgery is scheduled or if they've found a suitable kidney donor yet."
Chen Yang hadn't expected his father to bring up Lei Baoguo's matter. He probably had been scared by that madman.
Fortunately, after that madman was shot last time, the entire Liouhe County Public Security Bureau, in conjunction with the militia teams of various communes, had increased their patrols.
The public order in Liouhe County was much better than before. Executing one person had a significant deterrent effect.
After a series of instructions, Zheng Weiguo and Liu Mo Sheng helped their parents carry their luggage and went to the registration point arranged by the county. After registering their information, they headed for Qinghe.
Upon arriving in Qinghe City, they would transfer to Fei City, where there was a direct train to Jinling.
It was estimated that they would arrive in Jinling late this afternoon, possibly in time for dinner.
After seeing his parents off, Chen Yang drove the donkey cart leisurely to Old Master Liao's place. The end of the year was approaching, and there would be a lot of New Year's goods to buy. He needed to buy some grain, meat, and food coupons from Old Master Liao.
In the past, his family was poor, and Shen Xue struggled to make ends meet during the New Year. Now that their family's conditions had improved, Chen Yang wanted his wife to have a prosperous New Year.
However, he didn't know what to buy. After buying some coupons from Old Master Liao, Chen Yang cut some meat and fresh pork liver and headed back.
The doctor had said that eating pork liver could help alleviate some of the pregnant woman's nausea and supplement her nutrition. Chen Yang remembered all of this.
The old donkey brayed as Chen Yang returned home shortly before noon.
"Here, fresh pork liver. I'll have Mother make you a soup with catnip later."
Chen Yang carried the pork liver threaded with straw. It was quite fishy and difficult to handle. Chen Yang thought about digging up some scallions from the vegetable garden.
There was also some old ginger at home. He would soak it in blood water, then marinate it with scallion and ginger juice to remove the fishy smell. When cooking the soup, he would add a little sesame oil, and it probably wouldn't be so fishy anymore, so Shen Xue could eat it.
"Give it to Mother first. I can't eat it if you make it. Let Mother make it this time."
Shen Xue's nausea had improved slightly, but smelling the aroma almost brought back the sourness in her stomach.
Seeing this, Chen Yang quickly carried the pork liver away from her, not daring to let her suffer. He felt his heart ache every day watching her vomit with such intensity.