Cai Dexiang has been particularly busy these days. When they arrived, he was on the phone, and when he saw them come in, he gestured for them to sit down first.
Most of his colleagues at the city furniture factory, who are the same age as Cai Dexiang, are at home enjoying their grandchildren at this time of year. He is quite a thoughtful person and was able to find a place to set up a furniture workshop on his own. He is busy with everything, and in the past two days, he has been especially anxious about one thing.
Although it is officially called a factory, it is actually a family workshop. Apart from himself, the people in the workshop include his two sons, a daughter, and a few apprentices.
For convenience, the whole family originally lived on the second and third floors of the factory building. But after the eldest son got married, it became inconvenient for them to live together, so they moved back to the house that the factory had allocated to him and his wife.
After they had a child last year, his eldest daughter-in-law kept asking him if they could buy the current courtyard.
The old man always says that having many children brings blessings, but now he is increasingly feeling that having many children brings trouble.
He knew exactly what his daughter-in-law's motive was. If they bought the land, the flat they had been allocated by the city furniture factory would naturally belong to them, and Cai Xin and Cai Hong would certainly not be able to compete with them.
He was also tired of the hassle. On second thought, it would be good to buy the land. Given his health, he could still work for a few more years, but the factory was always renting space, which was not a long-term solution. So he mentioned it to Wang, who had frequent dealings with the neighbourhood office.
Who knew that when Lao Wang heard him mention it, he immediately gave him a thumbs-up, praising him for his ideas and insight. Reforms have been underway for some time now, especially since the Southern Tour speech was delivered. Among those who are familiar with the policies, or have thoroughly understood and have confidence in them, many have predicted that land prices will definitely rise sharply in the future!
He went back to the factory confused and praised, pondering for a few nights, finally understanding that the land they were renting must be taken down! With this piece of land, even if the business fails in the future, their children will have a foothold.
If they sell this piece of land, they will live better than the average person. If they don't know or don't understand, they won't say anything. But once they understand, they immediately put buying the land at the top of their list. If they can settle this matter, it will be worth doing business with them!
So through Lao Wang, he invited Director Hong to dinner at a hotel a few times to get to know him better. This family dinner was originally intended to be a formal sounding out, but unexpectedly, everything was ready when Lao Wang suddenly said that Director Hong could not come.
Feng Yiping heard him say on the phone that it seemed to be a certain cadre from the street office. 'What? Director Hong can't come? What's wrong, Lao Wang? Wasn't it all arranged?'
'Oh, oh, okay, of course you have to come, why wouldn't you be welcome? You must come!'
He hung up the phone and said to Cai Lei, 'Director Hong can't make it, so just Lao Wang will come.'
Cai Lei leaned back in his chair, and Feng Yiping could hear the chair creak in disapproval. "This Director Hong is really hard to please!'
'Don't think too much about it, he probably really has something come up.'
Cai Dexiang got up and sat down, forcing a smile, "Haha, Yiping, right? I'm sorry, I've been rude!'
Feng Yiping hurriedly stood up, 'I'm sorry, I'm sorry for coming uninvited and causing trouble!'
'Sit, don't be polite, make yourself at home!' Cai Dexiang pushed him into the chair, 'How many days have you been in the provincial capital, where have you been, and what do you think?'
'The provincial capital is pretty good, it's big and developing quickly, if I come back next year, it will definitely have changed a lot!'
Cai Dexiang had just been chatting casually about family matters, but after hearing Feng Yiping's words, he really became interested in the conversation. It really impressed him that a young country boy of ten could see these things. 'Oh, tell me, is this change good or bad?'
'Of course it's good. There are more and more construction sites, and more and more factories are being built, so it's easier for people in our village to find work if they go out to work.' Cai Dexiang nodded in agreement. 'Yes, the more these things are built, the more job opportunities there will definitely be.'
'However, our teachers taught us that there are always two sides to everything, and this is no exception. There are also bad aspects,' Feng Yiping said, changing the subject.
Cai Dexiang sat up straight at this point, looking at the little boy with sparkling eyes, 'Oh, there are bad aspects? Tell me!'
'Not to mention other aspects, I looked from the car and saw that the more factories that are built, the more land they take up. The total amount of land is limited, so in this way, the price of land will definitely rise. In the future, it will definitely not be easy to settle down in the provincial capital.' Feng Yiping didn't even need to think about it; everyone would know this in twenty years.
Cai Dexiang and the others heard it differently. Anyone who could think of these problems now was definitely a person with brains. He first thought that Yiliang had told his nephew about buying land. That was impossible. He was currently handling this matter on his own, and he had even kept his two sons in the dark. He was also planning to talk about it tonight.
He turned to Mei Yiliang and asked, 'Yiping has been studying in the countryside? This is the first time he's been to the provincial capital?'
'Yes, this is his first time away from home.' Mei Yiliang also felt that Feng Yiping's words were insightful, and these were questions that he had never thought about before.
'Not easy, not easy, not easy!' Cai Dexiang said three times in a row. Feng Yiping wondered if he should blush in response. But after all, he is not a professional actor, and he can't blush just like that. He can only put on the expression of a modest child when praised by adults: a somewhat embarrassed, shy smile.
Feng Yiping has considered that for a teenager to say these things would be surprising, but not unbelievable. He also wants to show off a little in front of his brother-in-law's parents, mainly to make his brother-in-law look good and add points for him.
'You're too kind! It's just that my teachers always taught us to be observant, think hard and summarise in class, and I unconsciously do the same sometimes. I hope you don't laugh at these personal views I've come to,' Feng Yiping said with a humble face.
'No, no, no. Many people see the same thing, but they don't have any ideas. Some people see it and have ideas, but their ideas are wrong. Only a small number of people see it and immediately come to the right conclusion. This is rare and precious! You have this quality, and you must maintain and carry it forward.' Cai Dexiang was very moved, patted him on the shoulder, and solemnly said to Feng Yiping.
He couldn't help being moved. He had also hit the nail on the head, and only then had he figured out that land prices would soar in the future. You, a country boy going away for the first time, figured it out at a glance. How could he feel? He thought with some frustration, have I lived my entire 60-odd years like a dog?
However, Feng Yiping's words also strengthened his resolve. He must get this land at all costs.
He put out the cigarette in the ashtray on the coffee table with some force, 'Da Lei, go with me to welcome Lao Wang. Yiliang, you take Yiping for a walk, and come back when it's time to eat. Yiping, don't go back today. Stay at the factory for a few days. I still have something to tell you when I'm free.'