Chapter 95: Getting a wife, not marrying into her family

Once the waiter went down, Zhao Ruyi couldn't help but whisper: "You ordered so much, can the two of us finish it?"

Ning Weidong glanced at her and said with a smile: "What, feeling the pinch?"

Zhao Ruyi rolled her eyes and said spitefully: "I'll stuff you to death!"

Just at this moment, four more people entered from the shop door, looking like two couples; after exchanging a few words with the waiter, they went to the round table at the very back.

Passing by Ning Weidong, one of the women swept a glance at him, then her eyes suddenly fixed, and she hesitated: "Ning... Weidong?"

Ning Weidong was taken aback and turned his head to look over.

It was a woman wearing a khaki dark-patterned wool coat; she was of medium build, looked quite good, had a perm in the style popular this year, and her appearance was also decent, counting as above average.

Ning Weidong searched his memory rapidly and faintly found memories regarding this woman.

"Liu Yun! Old classmate!" Ning Weidong stood up, giving Liu Yun a start.

"Whoa, how did you grow so tall! If you hadn't been sitting just now, I wouldn't have dared to recognize you." Liu Yun laughed and heartily stepped forward to pat Ning Weidong.

She then turned to look at Zhao Ruyi.

Zhao Ruyi also stood up, though she had no wariness toward Liu Yun.

She had investigated Ning Weidong before and knew he was very close with Bai Fengyu from their courtyard, and had even specifically gone to take a look at Bai Fengyu.

She knew she was a very pretty young widow, so she could generally figure out Ning Weidong's taste.

Although this Liu Yun was also not bad, she was not Ning Weidong's type.

But Ning Weidong's face still had to be saved, if not for anything else, then for the thirty thousand a month; Zhao Ruyi smiled and nodded: "Hello, I am Weidong's wife, my name is Zhao Ruyi."

It must be said, when Zhao Ruyi put on airs, she truly had the air of a young lady from a prominent family, and coupled with her appearance and stature, she immediately stunned Liu Yun.

"Hello, my name is Liu Yun, I was in the same class as Ning Weidong from elementary school through middle school." Liu Yun felt inexplicably uneasy; she was a very smart and sharp woman, and with just one glance, she could see that Zhao Ruyi's clothing and style were not those of an ordinary person.

Moreover, Zhao Ruyi introduced herself as Ning Weidong's wife, not his partner.

The term "partner" had great flexibility; it could mean married or unmarried, after all, people now valued free love.

"Wife" was different; it definitely had to be a spouse to be called a wife.

She couldn't help but be curious, she hadn't heard among their classmates when Ning Weidong got married~ At this time, the people who came with Liu Yun also stopped to look over, and one young man wearing glasses came over, smiling happily: "Xiao Liu, ran into an acquaintance?"

Liu Yun hurriedly introduced: "This is my old classmate Ning Weidong, and his wife Zhao Ruyi." She then said to Ning Weidong: "This is my other half."

Yang Zhengdong adjusted his glasses, quickly sized up Ning Weidong and Zhao Ruyi, and smilingly extended his hand: "Hello, my name is Yang Zhengdong, I work at the Housing Management Office."

He shook hands with Ning Weidong, while Zhao Ruyi just nodded.

Ning Weidong also politely introduced himself: "Ning Weidong, from the Red Star Factory."

At this time, Liu Yun leaned in slightly, pursed her lips, and said in a low voice: "Those two over there are my old Yang's leaders, otherwise why don't we just join tables and have a good chat."

Ning Weidong nodded: "Business is important, hurry and go, we'll do it next time."

Liu Yun chatted a bit more with Zhao Ruyi, having quite the social butterfly personality.

The other two sat down over there first, and when Liu Yun and Yang Zhengdong went over, before they could explain that they had met an acquaintance, one of the middle-aged men with a severe receding hairline asked: "Xiao Yang~ do you know them?"

Yang Zhengdong's heart stirred, and he hurriedly explained: "Section Chief, that man is my wife's classmate."

The middle-aged man exchanged a look with the middle-aged woman beside him.

The middle-aged woman looked at Liu Yun: "Xiao Liu, do you know what that woman is called?"

Liu Yun said: "She introduced herself just now, said her name is Zhao Ruyi."

Upon hearing this, the middle-aged couple both had looks of sudden realization.

Liu Yun noticed the clue: "Auntie Liu, do you know her?"

The middle-aged woman said: "I wouldn't say I know her, I've just seen her once; she should be the sister-in-law of Section Chief Yu at the office."

Yang Zhengdong and Liu Yun gasped.

Section Chief Yu was precisely Zhao Yushui's husband, Zhao Ruyi's second brother-in-law.

Everyone in the office knew Section Chief Yu's background was extraordinary; Ning Weidong was actually his brother-in-law, he had climbed up to a high branch!...

On the other side, Ning Weidong and Zhao Ruyi didn't care about the small episode of meeting Liu Yun.

Once the barbecue was served, they ate on their own.

Zhao Ruyi was considered a big eater among women, but she had things on her mind, which affected her performance.

Watching Ning Weidong eat bite after bite without talking about business made her feel like a cat was scratching at her heart.

She said crossly: "We're almost finished eating, are you going to say it or not!"

Ning Weidong had barbecue stuffed in his mouth, chewed a few times and swallowed, then took a sip of soda: "What's the rush? Don't you know what 'the law is not passed to six ears' means? With so many people here, what do you want me to say?"

Zhao Ruyi choked, and said crossly: "You are like Mussolini, always right."

Ning Weidong didn't respond; unlike the other tables, Zhao Ruyi had no heart for idle chatter and wasn't drinking, so they ate very quickly.

It was only about forty minutes later; they finished and left directly without saying goodbye to Liu Yun's side.

Once outside, Zhao Ruyi grabbed Ning Weidong's sleeve and said guardedly: "It's settled, where are you going now?"

This barbecue meal just now hadn't cost little money, mainly because Ning Weidong could eat too much, which made Zhao Ruyi's heart ache a little.

Ning Weidong didn't go to get his bicycle, but pointed to the side of Shichahai: "Shall we go for a walk over there?"

It was past five o'clock now, and the sky was darkening.

The water of Shichahai hadn't thawed yet, and there was no one in the park.

It wasn't like later generations where it was brightly lit at night; at this time it was pitch black, and those who were timid wouldn't come back once it got dark.

Ning Weidong and Zhao Ruyi weren't afraid, and that was exactly why there was no one here.

Walking a few steps along the lake, Ning Weidong stopped hiding things: "Do you still remember what I said during the day?"

Zhao Ruyi blinked her eyes: "That stuff about the two types of capital, economic transformation and all that?"

At the lunch table, although only half was said, Zhao Ruyi had heard quite a bit.

Ning Weidong said: "Those are the keys to earning thirty thousand a month."

Zhao Ruyi was confused.

Ning Weidong explained, "Based on the current situation, it will be the general trend for us to cooperate with America and Europe to jointly contain the Soviet Union."

Zhao Ruyi nodded; she made it a point to read the daily news and newspapers.

Ning Weidong continued, "Therefore, capital from America, Western Europe, and Japan will flow into our country continuously in the future. However, our own economic foundation and system were copied from the Soviet Union, and they are incompatible with the Western free market economy. What should be done in this situation?"

Zhao Ruyi was still bewildered.

It was not that she lacked intelligence; everyone is limited by the era they live in.

Since the day she was born, Zhao Ruyi had never seen a free market economy, and she simply could not understand it just by reading a few books.

So, she could not imagine what the situation would be like as Western capital flooded in.

Ning Weidong was different. Before he transmigrated, when he was very young, he had either experienced it himself or heard relatives and elders talk about it, so he had a very intuitive understanding of that situation. Coupled with the information explosion of later generations, he could obtain knowledge at a low cost as long as he was interested.

Ning Weidong said, "To adapt to this situation, we will definitely implement a Dual-track System. In areas that accept a large amount of foreign capital, we will connect directly with the outside and integrate into the Western economic circle. In those regions and industries that cannot obtain foreign capital, we will continue the current system as a basic foundation and ballast..."

Zhao Ruyi looked at Ning Weidong's profile, listening to him rattle on; although she only half-understood, she felt it was profound.

At this moment, Ning Weidong suddenly stopped.

Zhao Ruyi was startled and couldn't help but let out an "uh."

Ning Weidong smiled: "We've reached the main point!"

Zhao Ruyi suddenly perked up.

Ning Weidong said: "If it happens as I said, what do you think will happen?"

Zhao Ruyi shook her head.

Ning Weidong said: "Currently, the prices of various bulk commodities in the country are far lower than those outside because they are uniformly allocated. Once this situation arises, there will definitely be the same commodity with a high price connected to the outside and a low price for internal allocation..."

Zhao Ruyi's eyes lit up, and she finally understood: "You mean we can use this to earn the price difference?"

Ning Weidong nodded.

But Zhao Ruyi soon frowned and hesitated: "But will doing this... I mean, will there be risks?"

Ning Weidong raised an eyebrow: "You've already done things like speculation and profiteering, and you're still worried about risks?"

Zhao Ruyi choked; just as she wanted to open her mouth to refute, she realized the implication of Ning Weidong's words: "You mean, there will be many people doing this in the future, right?"

Ning Weidong let out a long breath and pulled a cigarette from his pocket: "This is inevitable. Where there is a price difference, there is profit; no one will turn a blind eye to such huge profits. What's more, in their view, this is almost risk-free."

Zhao Ruyi frowned and asked: "Won't the authorities care?"

Ning Weidong said: "How can they care? Unless we don't want Western capital, we must endure it until the transition is complete, until we fully adapt and integrate into the Western-dominated economic system, completely breaking the original material allocation mechanism and eliminating the internal and external price gap..."

Zhao Ruyi fell silent.

Ning Weidong did not continue.

How to choose next depends on Zhao Ruyi.

In any case, the path was laid out before her.

With Zhao Ruyi's temperament, she might hesitate, but in the end, it would be hard to resist the temptation.

Otherwise, she wouldn't have been involved in the speculation and profiteering chain with Wang Jingsheng.

With the binding of interests, plus marriage, Ning Weidong's relationship with Zhao Ruyi would be secure.

In the future, Ning Weidong would not just be a simple tool for marriage in the Zhao Family; he would gain a certain amount of say.

Productive forces determine the relations of production, and the economic base determines the superstructure.

Anyone who has attended middle school knows this sentence; the next sentence is that the superstructure reacts upon the economic base.

This last sentence is quite worth thinking about.

Since 'a' determines 'b', how does 'b' react upon 'a'? Is it a contradiction? Before Ning Weidong transmigrated, he considered himself well-read in history; he felt this 'reaction' was used very cleverly and was worth savoring.

How it reacts, what the purpose of the reaction is, and what results it will produce.

In the evening, Ning Weidong sent Zhao Ruyi back, and it was already seven o'clock when he returned home.

Ning Weiguo's family of three had returned earlier than usual, just in a hurry to ask Ning Weidong how things were going with Zhao Ruyi.

Who knew that they had returned, but Ning Weidong had not yet.

As soon as Ning Weidong entered the room, Wang Yuzhen went up to meet him: "Weidong, did you just send Ruyi back? Where did you two go this afternoon?"

Ning Weidong answered each question with a smile.

Upon hearing this, Ning Weiguo and Wang Yuzhen knew that the matter was almost certain.

After talking for a while in the Upper Room, Ning Weidong returned to the earthquake shelter.

Wang Yuzhen breathed a sigh of relief, but her emotions welled up, and she fell onto Ning Weiguo's shoulder, shedding tears: "Weiguo, being able to see Weidong settle down and start a career, I can consider myself worthy of our mother's entrustment."

Ning Weiguo was also filled with mixed feelings; thinking of the hardships back then and his late mother, he couldn't help but hold her and pat Wang Yuzhen's shoulder: "Yuzhen, these years, this family of ours owes it all to you!"

Wang Yuzhen's shoulders trembled slightly; she cried for a long time before wiping away her tears and breaking into a smile: "These are all good things, I don't know why I just..."

Ning Weiguo said: "This is called bitterness ending and sweetness beginning; our family will only get better and better in the future. There is another matter; I was too busy with Weidong's matchmaking yesterday and forgot to tell you. Section Chief Hu in our bureau..."

Wang Yuzhen said: "The one with the big beard?"

Ning Weiguo nodded: "He submitted a report to be transferred back to his hometown in Xiang Province."

Wang Yuzhen asked in surprise: "Why? That person has good ability and isn't old, why leave suddenly? Did something happen?"

Ning Weiguo said: "Not at all, I heard that an elder in his family recently resumed work..."

Wang Yuzhen understood instantly; this was to keep him by their side to cultivate and reuse him.

Ning Weiguo added: "My relationship with him is okay. Their family was just assigned an apartment the year before last, Section Level, three rooms and a living room, over eighty square meters. Since he is being transferred this time, the house cannot be kept; how about we take it over?"

Wang Yuzhen frowned and said: "Will they agree?"

Although in principle, when a person is transferred, the house must be returned for redistribution, it wasn't impossible to be flexible; after all, he was just transferred, not in trouble, so they always had to save some face.

Ning Weiguo said: "You don't know, Old Hu is someone who cherishes his reputation very much and never compromises on matters of principle."

Wang Yuzhen suddenly understood; it seemed he was a man with aspirations who did not care for petty gains, so she nodded and said, "In that case, it is worth a try."

Actually, there was no need to be so rushed originally.

There was already word at Ning Weiguo's workplace that they would be building staff housing in the second half of the year.

If construction started in the second half of the year, it could be finished within next year, and they could move in by the end of the year.

Who would have known that plans could not keep up with changes; with Ning Weidong and Zhao Ruyi entering into a marriage alliance, they likely could not wait until the end of next year.

If nothing unexpected happened, both sides would prepare for a year and marry next October; they certainly could not have the Zhao Family's daughter marry into a makeshift earthquake shelter.

Although these two rooms in the Dazayuan were not necessarily that great, at least they were presentable.

Moreover, Wang Yuzhen lived here herself; if our daughter of the Wang Family could live here, why couldn't your daughter of the Zhao Family?

Furthermore, Ning Weiguo had another concern: the house for Ning Weidong's wedding had to be provided by the Ning Family; this was the Ning Family taking in a daughter-in-law, not Ning Weidong marrying into the bride's family.

That was why they were in such a rush.

Ning Weiguo said, "Old Hu has a son who got into university last year; although he has left, his son still has to continue his studies, and having one more person to look out for him in Beijing is always a good thing."

Wang Yuzhen nodded; regardless of anything else, Ning Weiguo was quite methodical in how he did things.

If you, Old Hu, have aspirations and are cold-hearted, then I will be good to your son and see what you have to say.

(End of chapter)