The biggest change since I returned this time is that the severe flooding has subsided. The water levels in the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River have dropped across the board, and the central government is already deploying post-disaster reconstruction matters.
Just after having dinner with his parents at home, on the evening of 8 September, Feng Yiping rushed to school to report for evening study. After he arrived, his homeroom teacher, Chen, called him into his office right away. 'Yiping, I have to criticise you this time. You have been educated for more than ten years. If you arrange your time reasonably, you should know the importance of your senior year without us having to say much. You knew that the school year was about to start, so why didn't you go home earlier?
Taking a week's leave at the beginning of the school year, and doing so by phone – this is the first time something like this has happened at our school. The office of politics and education has asked me to inform you that your parents should come to the school as soon as possible.'
'Sorry, Mr Chen, I thought I had plenty of time, but before I left, I first had a fever, then severe diarrhoea, and then the hospital diagnosed it as dysentery. I was in hospital for a week, which delayed my return to school. Anyway, it was my fault for not arranging things properly. I'll improve in the future, no, I promise there won't be a future.' Feng Yiping arranged a reasonable excuse.
'Well, I believe what you say, but as you know, you are quite a well-known figure at school. Coming back a week late after the start of the semester will have a significant impact. The administration office will have to give an explanation to everyone. Your parents came to the school for this very reason, to find out what happened. Don't think too much about it.'
'Thank you, Mr Chen,' Feng Yiping took out a small rectangular box from his bag and placed it on his desk. "This is a mug I bought in Hong Kong for you. It's a gift for your Teachers" Day. Please accept it.'
It was a stainless steel vacuum flask, the standard equipment of many office workers, including some civil servants and school teachers. So businessmen had also come up with many ways to play with this thing, with endless concepts. The one Feng Yiping bought this time was an ordinary quilt, but it was exquisitely made, and of course it wasn't cheap.
Schools are now also influenced by social trends, and they are used to giving and receiving gifts. Teacher Chen declined for a few moments, but in the end, he kept it. The water cup he is currently using is still a magnetised cup. Compared to Feng Yiping's, it looks very old-fashioned. He thought about it for a while and kept the packaging box with the traditional Chinese characters on it, too, and placed it on his desk. Nowadays, it is very troublesome for ordinary people to go to the special administrative region, let alone Hong Kong.
'How was it? The teacher didn't give you a hard time, did he?' Huang Jingping greeted Feng Yiping as soon as he walked in the door.
The training for the first batch of 50 people was over, and she was now studying at the Municipal Finance School. In fact, according to her, she wanted to study computers or languages. Her cousin Huang Jingshu strongly recommended that she study accounting, saying, 'To control a man, you must first control his wallet,'
Huang Jingping agreed without really understanding what she was getting herself into. In fact, she didn't really want to manage his wallet, she just wanted to help Feng Yiping out a little and share the workload. As Feng Yiping's business grew, so did the financial issues he had to deal with.
Feng Yiping didn't really care about this, as long as it wasn't computer science. With the continuous development of software and hardware, what you learn in computer science classes today will be useless in the future.
'No, just tell my dad to come to school tomorrow.'
'Ah,' Huang Jingping was a little panicked. Feng Yiping was not going to meet her parents, and she was not prepared to meet Feng Yiping's parents either.
'It's fine. My dad is busy too, so he will just drop by and leave. Tomorrow morning, just tidy up your room. Also, tomorrow at noon, you will eat at school, okay?'
'Okay.' After hearing Feng Yiping's arrangements, Huang Jingping, who had been nervous, felt a little lost. She couldn't quite put her emotions into words.
Feng Zhenchang had no choice but to rush to the city the next morning. It was the first time in the past ten years that Feng Yiping had been to school for a reason similar to being questioned, so he was a little upset.
Fortunately, the person in charge of politics and education only verified the situation and said something like, 'Senior year is the most critical year of their lives, and I hope parents can cooperate with the school's work.' It was the same as what Teacher Chen had said, just to give an explanation to some students who might be on the fence.
At noon, Feng Zhenchang accompanied Feng Yiping to a restaurant not far from the school for lunch. The father and son ordered a few dishes and had a good chat.
At first, it was inevitable that Feng Zhenchang, as the father, would lecture Feng Yiping a bit, telling him to listen to his teachers and study hard.
To be honest, he hasn't had many opportunities to say these things to Feng Yiping over the past few years. There's no way around it, his son is just too outstanding, so there's no need for him to nag him about these things. As a parent, it's not as much fun either. He's afraid that once he goes to university, there will be even less opportunity to say these things, so he'll say more while he still can.
Feng Yiping, as usual, listened respectfully with his head bowed, much to Feng Zhencang's satisfaction.
'I left in such a hurry yesterday that I didn't have time to ask you. Did it go well this time? Will you have to keep going there like this in the future?' Feng Zhenchang didn't ask him how much money he had made.
'It went quite well. I won't need to go in the future. I can find someone to represent me.' Feng Yiping didn't tell his family exactly how much he had earned. Although Feng Zhenchang and the others were already used to millions of wealth, if they suddenly heard that the US dollars in Feng Yiping's hands were worth more than 100 million yuan after conversion, they would be truly shocked.
'That's good. I don't need to say much about studying. Just focus on your studies this year, and you'll definitely get into a good university next year. If cooking takes too much time, just eat at school. If you don't like the food at school, find two clean and hygienic restaurants to settle down at. You don't need to save this money now, and you have a car, so it's convenient.'
Originally, there were more than ten people in the city's convenience stores, plus the warehouse staff, and they could have set up a canteen that would have been affordable and safe. But these stores were scattered all over the city, and it would have been inconvenient to eat together centrally, so they didn't set up a canteen, which would have been a lot less trouble.
'Okay, I understand. How are the three new college students doing? Are you satisfied?' This time around, the noodle shop also hired three college students, two men and one woman.
'Not bad. Manager Zhou helped out for a few days, and we also took them through the various processes. They adapted quickly and completed the arrangements in a timely manner. In particular, they did a good job with some of the paperwork, and your sister is very satisfied.'
Although the noodle shop has been put on a system, the work is still relatively unsophisticated for Feng Zhenchang and Feng Yuxuan. For example, apart from the proposed work system, very few written documents have been formed.
'Dad, I've been thinking. You're not young anymore, and in a few years, you'll be at what city people call retirement age. The same goes for Mum. Now that she doesn't need to work in the shop all day, I think you should shift your focus to other things, such as inspecting the various shops. Besides, the town has already opened two factories. Once the convenience store gets bigger, there'll definitely be more factories. You'll still need to coordinate with the town and the village. You can slowly hand over the shop to your sister in the future, and you and your mother can live in the province for a while and then at home for a while. What do you think?'
'Where do rural people get retirement from?' Feng Zhenchang was a little angry when he heard his son's words. It seemed as if his son was trying to seize power. But after thinking about it, he calmed down. His son still had nothing to seize power over. He became less involved in the noodle shop. Besides, he was already busy with his own affairs.
In fact, he was feeling the pressure now. Sometimes it was even more exhausting than farming.
In the past, when he ran a dozen stores, he could manage it, but now there are some things he really doesn't understand. If he were still in his thirties or forties, he could learn new things, but he is already past the age of knowing his destiny and is almost at the age of listening to others. He has been in the closed-off countryside for the past few decades, and many of his perceptions have been set in stone. It is really a bit difficult for him to transform and keep up with the pace of development.
Moreover, the two points Feng Yiping mentioned are also very important, and he is the most suitable candidate for this task.
'You're right. The management and inspections of the shops run by those people in the village cannot be relaxed, otherwise it will ruin our reputation. However, if other people go, they really cannot suppress them, and only your mother and I can make them listen.
The factory in the town is also very important. Cai Lei is not a local, and your second uncle, he is a bit too eager. And your mother, she still insists on being in the kitchen every day. If I ask her not to do it, she still won't be happy. What you said is also a way to go. I'll think about it!'
'My main point is that the family's situation is better than before, and you and your mother are not getting any younger. I want to make things easier for you and give you more years of happiness.'
'I understand your thoughts, and this is also your filial piety,' these were probably the most emotional words Feng Zhenchang could say. 'Your mother and I are already very content with what we have achieved, and I will discuss this with your mother in due course.'
In fact, for Feng Zhenchang and his family, although they have settled in the provincial capital, their roots are still in the countryside. Returning to the countryside, facing the familiar mountains and rivers, seeing familiar faces, and listening to the familiar accent, they feel happy from the inside out.
After class in the afternoon, Huang Jingping and two female classmates walked to the school gate, ignoring the advances of a few boys nearby. She was a little depressed, wondering, 'Has his father left? Did I not show anything at home? Should I call home first?' Just as she was thinking, she heard a familiar voice shouting, 'Hey, beautiful!'
She looked up and saw Feng Yiping leaning against the car, arms folded across his chest, imitating the swingers in the movies, and lazily greeting her.
'Hee hee,' she ran over with a smile on her face, took Feng Yiping's hand, leaned on him, and looked like a little girl in love, 'Did your father leave? You didn't notice anything at home, did you!'
'He never went home. Are we going out to eat or going home?'
'Home!' Huang Jingping said happily.
The two girls were a little stunned. Huang Jingping already had such a close boyfriend?
The boys nearby also wilted when they saw this scene. They could all tell from Huang Jingping's heartfelt joy just now that as long as they weren't particularly narcissistic and arrogant, they knew they didn't stand a chance.