Chapter 256: Change of Career
Time flies, and it’s the end of the year in a blink of an eye.
Zhao Minglei's business in Dashilan finally opened a month ago. Although the process was a bit tortuous and unsatisfactory, Zhao Minglei finally achieved his goal.
Xiao Qiao considered it for several days and finally gave in, but he and Zhao Minglei also laid their cards on the table. It was impossible for him to partner with Zhao Minglei in the Dazhalan shop business. After all, the business was not Xiao Qiao's alone, as there were other people involved, and Xiao Qiao could not be the boss of everyone.
But considering their relationship, since Zhao Minglei wanted to enter this business, there was no problem. He could help him introduce procurement channels and sales routes. At the beginning, he even sold a batch of goods to Zhao Minglei on credit for free, allowing him to test the waters first.
As for the shop, this is not a problem for Zhao Minglei. Don't forget that his father is the leader of the district. The leader above can say, what's the big deal about opening a shop in Dashilan?
Zhao Minglei was a little unhappy with this result at first. Originally, he just wanted to take advantage of the situation and make money for himself by taking Xiao Qiao's business, but Xiao Qiao was not stupid. Besides, although Luo Yang had left Dazhalan, he was still Xiao Qiao's brother. If he really pushed the issue and couldn't save his relative's face, it would be a waste of time. But if he angered Luo Yang, it would be counterproductive.
Since Xiao Qiao said so, it also gave Zhao Minglei a way out. More importantly, Zhao Minglei didn't need to pay for it. Zhao Minglei thought about it and thought that he could give it a try. If it didn't work, wouldn't Xiao Qiao still have this way? If he really couldn't make money, Zhao Minglei still had a backup plan, so he wasn't afraid that Xiao Qiao wouldn't agree.
In this way, Zhao Minglei used his connections to get a storefront in Dashilan. Naturally, he owed the rent first, and then asked Lao Xiong to get an individual license for him. He then bought a batch of goods on credit from Xiao Qiao and opened the business.
Compared to Xiao Qiao and the others, Zhao Minglei and the others are simply not cut out for business, even Old Xiong who is at the front desk is the same.
I definitely learned how to eat, drink and have fun, but I was new to business. Fortunately, the things Xiao Qiao brought were in short supply, so they were not difficult to sell in the market. Moreover, the current market was a seller's market, so as long as you were not stupid, you could always make money in Dashilan.
After a while, and Zhao Minglei originally studied economics, he understood how to operate the ordinary business. In addition, they also used their connections to unscrupulously poach Xiao Qiao and his team, that is, directly snatching customers and sales channels. Although Xiao Qiao was very dissatisfied with this, he only expressed it verbally, which further increased the arrogance of Lao Xiong and his team.
What's more, after doing the accounts for a month, he actually made a lot of money, which made Zhao Minglei overjoyed.
The biggest part naturally went to Zhang Liming. When Zhang Liming received Zhao Minglei's tribute, he acted very calmly and even criticized Zhao Minglei harshly, saying that he should just do his job well and why did he do this kind of nonsense.
But the moment he saw the thick stacks of banknotes, a gleam of light flashed in his eyes and fell into Zhao Minglei's eyes. Zhao Minglei bowed his head and was severely criticized by Zhang Liming. He sincerely admitted his "mistake", but in the end he kept the money with a stern face on the grounds of "not doing it again".
After paying tribute to Zhang Liming, the remaining part was divided among Zhao Minglei, Wang Juan and Lao Xiong. Even with this division, Zhao Minglei finally got a lot of money. With money in his pocket, he felt more confident. When he walked on campus, he no longer felt the same as before about other people's looks. Instead, he felt that compared with these poor students, he was now on a higher level.
Lin Yuhang was demobilized in mid-December. As a combat hero, Lin Yuhang received many honors after returning to the army, and was awarded the second-class individual merit and the first-class collective merit.
In addition, Lin Yuhang also gave several reports to the troops and local areas under the organization's arrangement. Each report was packed with people, and the report ended with warm applause. Even as a combat hero, Lin Yuhang also received love letters flying in like snowflakes. These love letters were countless. When sacks of love letters were placed in front of Lin Yuhang, he was almost dumbfounded.
This was an era of hero worship, and girls’ values were not as realistic as those of later generations, and they were even less interested in those “fresh meat” guys.
In the hearts of most girls, a soldier with masculine aura and a combat hero is their dream object. In addition, Lin Yuhang himself is good-looking. Although he is disabled due to injuries, he is still the first choice in the hearts of these girls. After listening to Lin Yuhang's report, they couldn't help but write a love letter to Lin Yuhang, and attached their most beautiful photos, looking forward to becoming a revolutionary partner with such an outstanding soldier.
Looking at the mountain of love letters, Lin Yuhang didn't know whether to laugh or cry. Although many of the girls who wrote the love letters were well-off and some were even very beautiful, Lin Yuhang had no idea about them at all. In order to avoid trouble, Lin Yuhang didn't even read the love letters. He sealed them up and asked his comrades in the army to help him find time to deal with them.
Although the reports were inspiring, Lin Yuhang felt extremely tired and guilty over time.
In Lin Yuhang's opinion, it is true that he came back from the battlefield, but the real heroes are those comrades who fell and died on the battlefield. Compared with them, he cannot be called a "hero" at all, and he is not qualified to accept this heavy honor on their behalf.
Furthermore, Lin Yuhang was disabled due to an injury, and he knew very well that his career in the army had come to an end, and the army could not continue to keep a disabled soldier as a military chief. Although the superiors specifically talked to Lin Yuhang, the implication was that if Lin Yuhang wanted to continue to stay in the army, there was a way, but to help him arrange a position away from the military, doing propaganda and political work in the rear.
Although this is a way out, and it also allows Lin Yuhang to continue wearing this military uniform, Lin Yuhang finally refused. In his opinion, if he agreed to this condition, it would be tantamount to betraying his sacrificed comrades. Besides, what reason does a soldier have to continue wearing this military uniform if he does not demonstrate his value on the battlefield?
Just like that, Lin Yuhang directly submitted a report for transfer.
On the eve of his retirement, Lin Yuhang made a special trip to Chuncheng, and then returned to the vicinity of the front line from Chuncheng. There, he found the cemetery where his comrades were buried, and took out the cigarettes and alcohol he brought to offer to each of his comrades who were buried there.
Lin Yuhang stayed in the cemetery for a whole day, telling his comrades everything in his heart, drinking wine, shedding tears, and then he started laughing while talking, and after laughing he couldn't help crying.
It was not until the sun was setting that Lin Yuhang, who had sung "Returning from Target Practice" with his comrades, left the cemetery. On the way back, he looked back every few steps, reluctant to leave.
After returning from Chuncheng, Lin Yuhang's application for demobilization was approved by his superiors. Before leaving the army, Lin Yuhang and his comrades got drunk. The next morning, before dawn, Lin Yuhang, wearing a military uniform without collar badges, left the camp with a small amount of luggage.
The moment he walked out of the camp, Lin Yuhang suddenly felt as if he had lost something precious in his heart. He suppressed the pain in his heart, did not look back at the familiar camp, bit his lip and got into the jeep that came to pick him up to the train station.
But when he closed the car door, he noticed out of the corner of his eye that the sentry guarding the camp was saluting him, and in an instant Lin Yuhang burst into tears.
Lin Yuhang didn't tell his family before he came back, so when he returned to Yanjing, Song Yuanchao, who was helping make dumplings at Lin Yan's house, was chatting with his future mother-in-law Chen Yuqin.
They were not talking about national affairs, but some trivial daily matters. However, they were able to see the big picture from the small details. In addition, both Song Yuanchao and Chen Yuqin were not ordinary people, so they were able to talk about the phenomena caused by some social events in great detail and with great interest.
"I really don't know what's wrong with the young people nowadays. What's so good about these bell-bottom pants? They look like the material is free, and the trouser legs are so big. They don't even mind when they drag on the ground?" Chen Yuqin complained. With the popularity of bell-bottom pants starting last year, the popularity has reached its peak this year.
Young people nowadays would be embarrassed to go out without a pair of bell-bottom pants, and the trouser legs are getting wider and wider. Compared with the original bell-bottom pants, the trouser legs nowadays are just like flags hanging on the uppers of shoes, swaying in the wind and dragging when they walk , which makes Chen Yuqin dislike it very much.
"Mom, let people wear whatever they like. Not to mention bell-bottom pants, even if they just wrap themselves in a piece of cloth and go out, it's their freedom. Aren't we advocating openness and freedom now? This is it. You, your thinking is old-fashioned. You have to move forward with the times." Lin Yan, who came to serve dumplings, listened to Chen Yuqin's endless comments on this matter and couldn't help but say from the side.
"You girl, how can this be related to progressive thinking? This is nonsense!" Chen Yuqin glared at her and said unceremoniously, "Wrapping yourself in a piece of cloth before going out? How could you think of that? Do you think your mother is old and confused? Your mother has also been to school and has studied. No matter how open-minded she is, there must be a limit! What is the beauty of such strange clothes? Tell me about it?"
"Mom, I have bell-bottom pants too. They were given to me by the Korean War. Why don't you criticize them?"
"You do, that's right! But look at what the young people out there wear now. How can it compare to what you wear? One leg of your pants is as thick as three of yours. How can it be the same? Have you heard of this idiom?"
"What idiom?"
"Too much is as bad as too little!" Chen Yuqin rolled her eyes at Lin Yan: "You're still a college student, don't you understand this?"
"Hahaha!"
Song Yuanchao and Lin Yan were amused and they both burst into laughter immediately.
Just as I was laughing happily, there was a knock on the door.
Chen Yuqin hurriedly said: "Yanzi, is your father back? Go open the door."
"I'll go. Yan Zi, you take the dumplings to the kitchen first." Seeing Lin Yan holding a pair of dumplings in her hands, Song Yuanchao quickly put down his work, wiped his hands on his apron twice, then quickly walked to the door and opened it.
But when the door opened and the person who appeared in front of Song Yuanchao was not Lin Daoyuan but Lin Yuhang, Song Yuanchao couldn't help but be stunned.
