Chapter 152: Visiting the Brother-in-Law

After this period of contact, Ning Weidong had long since made up his mind to promote Zhang Dajun.

This was not only because Zhang Dajun and Ning Wei were among the first to handle tasks for him, but also because of Zhang Dajun's ability and work attitude.

Especially the latter.

If ability is not strong, it can be cultivated slowly; besides, in many cases, whether a matter succeeds or not actually has little to do with ability.

There aren't that many opportunities to fight five people at once and turn the tide; most work is of a tool-like nature.

As long as one isn't stupid or slow, it makes no difference who does it.

At times like this, what matters is attitude.

Clearly, Zhang Dajun's consistent attitude had won Ning Weidong's trust.

It was just that before, and even at the present moment, Ning Weidong did not have the qualifications to exert influence for Zhang Dajun.

To put it bluntly, his foundation was shallow.

To this day, Ning Weidong was merely an add-on; in essence, other than serving as a tool for the marriage alliance between the Wang Family and the Zhao Family, he had no other clear attributes.

For Ning Weidong, this was a status quo that urgently needed to be changed.

And the most direct means for him to change this status quo was to improve his academic credentials.

Actually, logically speaking, taking the university entrance exam would be more direct and effective.

After all, university students in 1979 were still quite valuable.

But the problem was that after getting into university, one still had to study for four years, and Ning Weidong's mental age made him unwilling to spend four years on a campus.

Taking a step back, in this era there was only a 5% admission rate, and wanting to get into a top-tier domestic university was not that easy.

Don't think that just because one has transmigrated, things are easy; if Ning Weidong had been in his twenties or even thirties before transmigrating, he would have chosen the college entrance exam, but his age before transmigrating was simply too great.

That was why Ning Weidong had set his sights on a correspondence diploma, starting first with a Secondary Specialized School Diploma, followed by a junior college degree.

With a diploma, at least at the current stage, a Secondary Specialized School Diploma still carried some weight.

It was enough to prove that Ning Weidong was not just a flashy, useless ornament.

Ning Weidong had to wait until after the correspondence exams before he could substantially obtain some political resources to help Zhang Dajun.

Zhang Dajun did not know this, and there was no need for Ning Weidong to explain it to him in detail.

It was enough to tell him that there were arrangements for him and let him wait patiently while harboring hope.

After Zhang Dajun left, Ning Weidong couldn't help but ponder.

Since it was confirmed that there were no issues with that Siheyuan, he could consider taking it.

Firstly, it was a scarce resource, and secondly, it had practical uses; it would be perfect for Zhao Ruyi to hang the Trade Company's sign there.

With that in mind, he would have to put some heart into the matter concerning Liu Yun's older brother.

Ning Weidong simply picked up the phone and dialed an extension: "Hello, Sister Wang, please do me a favor and call Ruyi."

In the Zhao Family Office, the person who answered the phone was none other than that Sister Wang who always loved to eat lunch with Zhao Ruyi.

Before long, Zhao Ruyi arrived at Ning Weidong's office, her face still carrying a faint rosy glow.

Presumably, when Ning Weidong called just now, she had been teased by someone in the office.

Seeing Ning Weidong, she couldn't help but glare at him: "Can't you let people work properly~"

As she said this, she walked over and plopped down onto Ning Weidong's lap, wrapped her arms around his neck, and gave him a peck.

Zhao Ruyi had a bold personality and was quite unrestrained when no one was around.

Ning Weidong chuckled and casually rubbed her soft little belly: "Missed me again?"

Zhao Ruyi scolded: "Get lost, you're the one who called me here, aren't you? You make it sound like I threw myself at you."

Ning Weidong said: "The result is the same." As he spoke, his hand had already moved upward, and he suddenly gave an astonished "Hey."

Zhao Ruyi was taken aback by his actions: "What's wrong, why the sudden surprise?"

Ning Weidong pinched her sneakily and said: "Did you go through a second growth spurt? Why does it feel bigger than last time~"

Zhao Ruyi was speechless for a moment; she had been startled just now and thought something was wrong, so she scolded: "Your mind is full of filth."

Ning Weidong chuckled: "I'm just worried about our son going hungry in the future~"

Zhao Ruyi blushed: "Shameless, who wants to have a son for you."

After the two of them fooled around for a while, Ning Weidong brought up the serious business: "By the way, that thing we talked about last time, the matter in Heilongjiang Province, has there been any progress?"

Zhao Ruyi said: "I sent a telegram to my eldest cousin at my aunt's place, but there's no reply yet. Why? Is it urgent?"

Ning Weidong said: "It's not exactly urgent. I had someone check that courtyard a couple of days ago, and there shouldn't be any problems; we can take it. I was thinking if there aren't many issues over there, it's best not to delay and put the company there."

Upon hearing this, Zhao Ruyi's eyes also held a bit of anticipation.

Previously, Ning Weidong had painted a big picture for her, and when he first told her to leave the Red Star Factory, she had been somewhat hesitant.

But after making up her mind, her mindset changed, and she became even more expectant.

She immediately said: "I'll urge them later. There shouldn't be any problems. Anyway, the difficulty isn't on that side; as long as they agree to release the person, handle the household registration, and arrange the job, the hard parts are all here in Beijing~"

Ning Weidong nodded, also feeling that there shouldn't be any issues.

After all, they could find policy grounds for such an operation; in principle, it was not against regulations, let alone illegal.

However, neither Ning Weidong nor Zhao Ruyi expected that the matter they thought had no difficulty would be exactly where the problem arose.

A few days later, Sunday morning.

Several days in advance, Zhao Ruyi had told Ning Weidong that her sister-in-law, Tan Limin, was returning from abroad and planned to get together with Ning Weidong, and by the way, meet the relatives.

Ning Weidong's impression of this sister-in-law of Zhao Ruyi's came entirely from Zhao Ruyi's descriptions.

Although Zhao Ruyi didn't say it directly, it wasn't hard to feel from her description that she held this sister-in-law in high regard.

Elegant and intellectual, learned and talented, quick-witted and humorous... in short, marrying her older brother was like a flower stuck in cow dung.

This made Ning Weidong feel a bit more curious about this sister-in-law.

But thinking about it, it made sense; a woman who could serve as a foreign affairs instructor could hardly be an ordinary person.

That threshold was quite high.

He had originally assumed that this gathering with Zhao Lichun and his wife would be held outside, and considering Tan Limin's background as a foreign affairs instructor, it was even more likely to be at a foreign-oriented restaurant or something similar.

Yet, in the end, they went straight to Zhao Lichun's home, with Tan Limin taking charge of the cooking and Ruyi helping out. At nearly ten o'clock in the morning, Ning Weidong and Ruyi arrived at Zhao Lichun's home together.

Zhao Lichun lived in the Coal Ministry's residential area, in a two-bedroom apartment.

Seeing that Children's Day was approaching, the weather in Beijing was getting warmer and warmer.

Because it was a private gathering, Ning Weidong and Ruyi were not too formal; Ning Weidong usually wore a Zhongshan Suit or his Red Star Factory work uniform to work, but today he wore a blue denim jacket that Ruyi had bought for him, with black trousers on his lower body.

Originally, Ruyi had wanted him to wear a full denim outfit, and the pants were flared with side openings, but Ning Weidong had sternly refused.

Mainly, he truly could not appreciate men wearing flared pants.

This outfit made Ning Weidong look even younger.

Ruyi wore a long skirt, knee-high socks, and small leather shoes, with a denim jacket on her upper body that matched Ning Weidong's.

The two of them carried a bag of fruit and two boxes of tea, all of which Ruyi had brought from her home.

The person who opened the door was a young girl of about ten, who immediately called out "Little Aunt" sweetly upon seeing Ruyi.

Ruyi beamed with joy, reached out, and said, "Xiaoxian, let Little Aunt give you a hug."

As she spoke, she took the little girl into her arms.

Ning Weidong watched from the side, knowing that this little girl must be Zhao Lichun's eldest daughter.

Ruyi hugged her for a moment and rubbed against Zhao Xiaoxian's little face before putting the child down, introducing, "This is your Little Uncle."

Zhao Xiaoxian was very well-behaved and followed suit by calling out to him.

Just then, Zhao Lichun also came out from the room, wearing loose loungewear, and said with a smile, "Weidong is here~" He then shouted toward the kitchen, "Limin, Weidong and Ruyi are here."

Before the words had even faded, a woman wearing an apron came out of the kitchen.

Ning Weidong knew this was Zhao Lichun's wife, so he couldn't help but look her over.

Tan Limin was of medium build, about 1.6 meters tall, wore a bob haircut and black-rimmed glasses; looking at her appearance alone, one couldn't say she was very beautiful.

At least compared to Ruyi, in terms of looks, Ruyi was an eight, while Tan Limin was only a seven-plus.

Added to the fact that she was at home and not dressed up at all, with a spatula in her hand, she lacked the sharp edge she had in the workplace, making her look even more ordinary.

But in reality, people should be like this.

It was like going to a bathhouse to bathe; everyone stripped down to nothing, and you couldn't tell who was a worker and who was a factory director. Only when you stacked on various status buffs could you see the differences.

Tan Limin was also sizing up Ning Weidong, saying with a smile, "So this is Weidong, please come in."

Ning Weidong nodded and said, "Hello, Sister-in-law."

After a simple exchange of pleasantries, Ruyi very consciously went to the kitchen to help, while Ning Weidong sat in the living room talking with Zhao Lichun.

"Big Brother, where is Xiaohui?" Ning Weidong asked about Zhao Lichun's other daughter.

Zhao Lichun said, "She's at her grandmother's place~"

Ning Weidong nodded; it was just a conversation starter, and he chatted with Zhao Lichun while drinking tea.

Meanwhile, in the kitchen, Ruyi said with a grin, "Sister Li, how about it? Our Weidong is pretty good, right~"

She had known Tan Limin since she was a child, and in private, she sometimes called her Sister-in-law and sometimes Sister Li.

Tan Limin smiled with pursed lips: "Tall and big, with thick eyebrows and big eyes; he does have a bit of a manly air. With your big frame, you really need to find a man like this, otherwise, you really wouldn't be able to keep him in check."

Ruyi's face turned red: "Sister Li, what are you saying~"

Tan Limin had just been speaking casually, but seeing her reaction, her heart stirred, and she whispered, "Have you two... done that?"

Ruyi also knew how to be shy and gave a mosquito-like "Mm."

Tan Limin frowned, then relaxed and said, "As long as you've made up your mind. He looks dignified, though his family background is a bit lacking, but that might actually make him more willing to yield to you."

Who would have thought that when this was mentioned, Ruyi would say indignantly, "Yield to me? What are you talking about~ That stinky guy is fierce! Sister Li, do you know what he said to me the first time we met?"

Tan Limin flipped the food in the pan and asked, "What did he say?"

Ruyi said, "He said, whatever conditions I had were fine, he just asked if I could take a beating~"

Upon hearing this, Tan Limin burst out laughing.

She had known Ruyi for twenty years and had been her sister-in-law for nearly ten; she knew exactly what kind of person Ruyi was, so she asked, "And then?"

Ruyi curled her lips: "I wasn't going to let him get away with that~ I started fighting right then and there."

Tan Limin pressed, "And the result?"

Ruyi said, "What else could the result be? I didn't win~ You don't know how strong he is; in front of him, I'm like a little chick."

Although Tan Limin had guessed the result, she was still startled after hearing Ruyi's description.

She knew Ruyi's strength and martial arts; among women, she was definitely gifted with natural strength, stronger than the average man who did manual labor.

She hadn't expected her to use such a metaphor, which showed she was truly convinced by his physical strength.

Tan Limin couldn't help but cover her mouth and laugh: "What did I say back then? Brine hits the tofu, one thing subdues another. It seems you've met your match this time."

Ruyi pouted and huffed, "I'm willing; even if he subdues me, I accept my fate."

Tan Limin couldn't help but roll her eyes, knowing that this sister-in-law was completely done for this time, and then she asked again, "I heard your brother say that this Ning Weidong is no ordinary person. It's not easy to hear a 'good' from your brother's mouth."

At the same time, in the living room outside, Ning Weidong and Zhao Lichun were discussing recent policies.

After hearing what Ning Weidong had to say, Zhao Lichun frowned: "Will it be that radical?"

Ning Weidong only mentioned some of the more major personnel changes in the next year or two, but it was enough to stun Zhao Lichun.

Ning Weidong said, "Big Brother, whether we are willing or not, one era has ended, and a new era is about to begin. But before it begins, there are some things and some people that must be removed. It's not that they have done anything wrong, but that the future era has no place left for them."

Zhao Lichun couldn't help but fall silent.

He naturally understood what Ning Weidong meant, but having come from the previous era, he found it emotionally difficult to accept.

"Weidong, what do you think our future will turn into?" Zhao Lichun was silent for a long while, then sighed and said, "I have a premonition that once we break the production models and spiritual beliefs we previously established, it is very likely that results we never expected will appear..."

Ning Weidong smiled and said, "Big Brother, there are no outsiders here, you can speak more plainly."

Zhao Lichun choked, revealing a bitter smile.

Ning Weidong continued, "Without a doubt, in the next few years or even over a decade, with the intervention of foreign capital, we will inevitably encounter huge difficulties: a regression in moral standards, a collapse of spiritual beliefs, and the reappearance of evil habits that were originally eradicated..."

Zhao Lichun's brows were tightly locked; he had originally thought what he was thinking in his heart was serious enough, but he hadn't expected Ning Weidong to be even more pessimistic than him.

However, speaking up to this point, Ning Weidong suddenly changed the subject.

"But the price for all of this is worth it, and it is a price that must be paid." Ning Weidong's tone was resolute: "Who told us that our historical debts are too great? Since the beginning of our modern history in 1840, the wealth accumulated by China over thousands of years has been plundered clean. In the past, when we changed dynasties, no matter how fiercely we fought, the meat stayed in the pot; it was never taken away by others. But this time... our real gold and silver were truly taken away by the Great Powers. If we want to recover our vitality, we must re-accumulate capital. This is reality, and no one can bypass it."

(End of this chapter)