Chapter 11 The Story of This Year During dinner, my father talked about a piece of news that happened in Huguan Township today. It turned out that the director of the Huaguang Socks Factory, Zhang Youguang, was arrested because he was reported for corruption. He was investigated for more than a year, but no matter how the accounts were checked or his home was searched, no money was found. It was determined that it was a false accusation, so he was released. However, he had not been assigned any work and went to Huguan Township to officially take up his post today. Director of the Civil Affairs Office. When talking about him, my dad couldn't help but sigh. Cao Yukun actually had a deep impression of this man - he was recognized as a very capable person. After working as the deputy township head for two years, he was transferred to be the director of the Huaguang Socks Factory. At that time, the factory was on the verge of bankruptcy. It was originally affiliated with the county's Light Industry Bureau, and later it was transferred to Chengguan Town. As a result, after Zhang Youguang took the initiative to volunteer to go to the sock factory, he turned the loss into profit that year. In the second year, he even sold socks to Shanghai. The profit and tax paid were very considerable, and people from top to bottom in the county praised him for his ability. In the third year... he was reported for corruption and arrested. The case has been investigated for more than a year. After he was released, he stayed idle at home for more than half a year. Now, the new factory director has brought the sock factory back to the ditch. It is said that there are a lot of debts that cannot be collected, and it also owes millions of dollars for raw materials. Not only does it have no money to buy new raw materials, it can't even pay the workers' wages. However, the higher-ups did not seem to think there was anything wrong with this. After being unemployed at home for half a year, Zhang Youguang was even demoted to a lower level and returned to the team as the director of a civil affairs office. The Huaguang Socks Factory, which he once revived, has been put on the chopping block.
The county is already holding a meeting to discuss selling it. Reducing burdens is part of the reform of state-owned enterprises. Cao Yukun ate his meal while listening silently to the stories unique to that era. He has a big appetite but eats quickly. By the time he finishes eating, his parents have almost put down their chopsticks. Wiping his mouth, he said, "Dad, I need some money." My parents stopped talking and turned to look at me. Dad pondered for a moment and asked, "How much do you want?" Cao Yukun did not answer but asked: "How much do you have at home now?" Cao Weiguo did not intend to hide anything and said directly: "We built a house in 88 and bought a motorcycle last year. Now we only have a little over yuan left. Is that enough?" Cao Yukun shook his head. "It's a far cry. I need this money, the more the better. How much can you... borrow?" Cao Weiguo fell silent. Cao Yukun was ready to answer his next question, but surprisingly, he still didn't ask his son what he was going to do with so much money. He was silent for a while, then began to settle accounts with Cao Yukun again, "Your grandfather has some savings, not much, all from selling fruits, vegetables, tea he made himself, and those little things he made over the years. It should be more than 5,000." What he said was in sufficient detail, and Cao Yukun knew that he was probably trying to tell himself that every penny of this money was hard-earned - if you were planning to use it for any wrongful purpose, then you should first ask your conscience. Cao Yukun remained silent and waited for him to continue. So he said, "Your aunt's family might be able to borrow four or five thousand." At this point, he turned to look at his son and said, "Gather 15,000 yuan. Is that enough?" This is basically the entire Cao family's foundation - not only cash, but also reputation. Yes, although multi-millionaires like Song Hongxing have emerged in this era and households with an annual income of over 10,000 yuan are no longer so rare, but among the common people, having a savings of over 10,000 yuan still means a family is fairly well-off. However, Cao Yukun shook his head and asked, "How much can I borrow from my second uncle?"
Cao Weiguo was silent for a moment, then said, "Then I'll go to Xizhou City in a couple of days to see your second uncle. He's just been promoted to section chief, and he's been working for a few years, so maybe he can save some. I guess... 10,000 or 20,000 yuan!" Having said that, he turned his head and looked at Cao Yukun. Cao Yukun could sense how much inquiry was in those eyes. After thinking for a while, he said, "Dad, I want to do something. I don't want to be looked down upon anymore. This... requires some capital." Mom suddenly spoke up, her face full of worry, "Isn't this too much, Zai Zai..." However, her father suddenly coughed and interrupted her. "You need capital. I have it. I'll lend it to you. But don't be angry with others. If you do business out of anger, you will lose money. If you lose, you will have to pay it back for many years. It will be difficult to recover." After a pause, he added, "You need to pay it back yourself!" Cao Yukun nodded, "I know, if I lose it, I will pay it back myself!" ………… Before dawn the next day, Cao Yukun was awakened by the sound of a motorcycle starting. After being confused for a few seconds, he quickly stood up and looked out the window, but the car had already left the yard. After a while, the dim yellow light from the headlights shone into the mountains. Two or three minutes later, the light disappeared around the bend. Now I have no desire to sleep. He knew that his father must have ridden his motorcycle directly to Xizhou City to borrow money from his second uncle. That's just my personality. He doesn't talk much, but he keeps his word and acts on his words. However, there was nothing to say about this - Cao Yukun had already decided to do this, and once he had made up his mind, there was no point in being too concerned about the details. If he went there now, except that it would be a little difficult to go down the mountain, the road is actually very easy to travel once he gets on the national highway. After more than 200 miles, about 130 kilometers, he would enter Xizhou City. When he arrived at his second uncle's house, he might be able to have breakfast at his home. Although they have been separated for a long time, and their daily contact with each other is not frequent except for the holidays when his second uncle would come back, Cao Yukun knew that they had a very good relationship as brothers. Dad will definitely be able to bring back the money this time. More or less. He was no longer sleepy, so he didn't go back to lie down. He turned on the light, put on his clothes, turned off the light and went out. Just then, his mother came back from seeing his father off, so Cao Yukun said, "Mom, I'm going fishing!" However, his mother grabbed his hand and said, "Zizi, tell me the truth, what do you want the money for?" Cao Yukun laughed and said, "Go do something big. If you succeed, you and my dad will enjoy a lifetime of happiness!" ………… The sky really brightened inch by inch. In his previous life, Cao Yukun had gotten up before dawn countless times to go to school or catch the subway, but he had never watched the morning light rise so quietly like this. The morning in the mountains is so beautiful that it makes you hold your breath. Because this time, Cao Yukun's heart was extremely calm. Having made up his mind, he would not think twice before doing anything. He sat quietly by his pond for a full hour and a half before the first group of people came out. They were surprised to see him fishing by the pond before dawn, and when they greeted him, they were puzzled and surprised. Then, he met a few more groups of people, and at seven o'clock, his mother called him to eat. At first it was dark and he couldn't see the movement of the float, but as the sky gradually brightened, he actually caught two fish, unlike the day before when he returned empty-handed.
It was almost noon, around 11:30, when the sound of a motorcycle suddenly began to rumble. Cao Yukun subconsciously turned his head to look back. Sure enough, his father, riding a motorcycle, quickly turned the corner. When he arrived in front of Cao Yukun, he slowed down a little and said, "Go home!" "it is good!" (End of this chapter)
