Chapter 1491

After another round of jolting, Wang Yan finally returned to Yan City.

He didn't rush off, but instead strolled over to the furniture shop that the city had arranged for them.

The location couldn't be called excellent, but it wasn't very remote either; the surrounding area had everything, including state-run stores, restaurants, a post office, clothing shops, and hardware stores.

What made Wang Yan feel satisfied was that across from the furniture shop, there was a mutton soup shop with a sign at the entrance that read "Hecuan Mutton Soup" in black characters on a white background, clearly indicating that this matter had been pushed forward and implemented over the past period of time.

When he arrived, it was exactly the lunch rush; not only was the mutton soup shop full inside, but they had even set up a shed outside and opened up tables, which were just as lively and bustling.

The fragrance of the mutton soup, carrying a slight gamey scent, drifted about, enough to stir up one's appetite from far away.

Wang Yan strolled inside and headed straight for the kitchen in the back.

"Hey, you can't come into the kitchen..." A young girl, seeing someone running toward the kitchen, hurried over to stop him, and then she saw Wang Yan's smiling face.

"Ah... Factory Manager Wang, hello." The young girl quickly let go and greeted him very politely.

In Lin County, there were very few people who didn't know Wang Yan; mainly because Wang Yan was quite active, and besides his regular appearances at the county's mutton soup shop, he also liked to carry his camera around taking pictures everywhere.

Before, he used to ride his bicycle around, but after returning a few months ago, he started driving a small car, going everywhere, seeing everything, and photographing everything.

Coupled with Wang Yan's immense reputation, even those who didn't know him were curious; whenever they met someone who mentioned him, they would know who Wang Yan was. Furthermore, this mutton soup shop was an industry of the commune, and the young girl was, of course, a commune member herself; if she didn't even recognize Wang Yan, she would be in for a beating if she went home and let that slip.

Wang Yan led the Hecuan Commune to where it was today, and the people of the commune held him in very high esteem; even Secretary Zhang's words didn't carry as much weight as his.

Of course, Secretary Zhang was not a person who vied for fame or coveted credit; he was very willing to see this situation. Conversely, if Secretary Zhang were a person who vied for fame and coveted credit, he wouldn't be the top leader of Hecuan Commune at this moment.

Where is there any pure unity? It's all the majority overwhelming the minority, and the minority engaging in various little maneuvers. It was the same in Hecuan Commune; it was true that Secretary Zhang had the final say, but it was also true that some of the lower-level leading cadres had many ulterior motives and engaged in many maneuvers.

The main point was that, on the premise that Wang Yan didn't mess around with relationships between men and women, not the slightest fault could be found in him.

"Hello." Wang Yan responded with a smile, "How is it working here? Are you adapting well?"

"It's better than back home; I never thought in my life I'd be able to come to the city." The girl said very simply.

Wang Yan laughed: "Think big! We're not just coming to the city; in the future, we're going to Chang'an, and even to the capital. But we can't just chase after the benefits outside; everyone needs to think about how to bring those benefits back, so that our commune and the people in our county can all live good lives."

"Yes, Factory Manager Wang is right." The young girl leaned in closer and asked curiously, "I heard that Factory Manager Wang is looking for a partner?"

"You've heard about that?"

"Everyone in the county knows."

Wang Yan laughed and waved his hand, taking money out of his pocket: "Give me a big bowl of mutton soup, add half a jin of mutton, two jin pancakes, another side dish, and heat up a pot of shaojiu."

"Alright." The young girl took the money and went into the kitchen.

Wang Yan followed her in, smiling and greeting everyone, while checking the sanitary conditions inside the kitchen.

This was an issue he emphasized heavily; the kitchen had to be thoroughly cleaned every night after work, especially the sanitary blind spots, which were the top priority. Even when idle, they had to clean diligently; they had to get the hygiene to the point where he himself had obsessive-compulsive disorder about it.

After checking everywhere to ensure there were no problems, Wang Yan encouraged them and then said: "Brother Sun, later you go contact the glass factory, have them smash this wall and replace it with a glass one.

We do a good job with hygiene, and the kitchen is clean; we can't be the only ones who see it. We must let the masses who come to eat see it, so that people can eat with peace of mind and feel assured."

"Alright, I'll have someone contact them this afternoon." Chef Sun replied.

He was the de facto store manager, responsible for the operations here, and the commune's accountant would come to check the accounts regularly.

There were precedents for this kind of using convenience to seek benefits for oneself. Previously, the cook in the county went from taking bones home at the very beginning, to taking mutton offal, then to taking mutton, and finally to taking money, stepping into the abyss step by step. He was criticized until he was covered in blood, and he was still undergoing reform in the commune; wherever there was road construction, he went, and everywhere he went, people would point fingers at his spine.

It was still very deterrent.

After all, people couldn't run away; if they wanted to commit a crime, they had to consider the consequences after being caught; the previous warning was right there...

After eating at the mutton soup shop, Wang Yan walked to the furniture shop across the street.

This shop had a large area, with a big courtyard in the back, where many people were looking at various types of furniture, and young girls were holding large catalogs, following the guests around to introduce them.

When Wang Yan reached the back courtyard, as soon as he entered, he saw Li Kuiyong smoking and talking to someone.

"Oh, Brother Yan, you're back." Li Kuiyong greeted him happily.

"Why are you here?" Wang Yan responded with a smile.

"Xiaofang wanted to come to the city for a stroll, and Qin Ling, Zhong Yuemin, and the others were clamoring to come too, so I followed them. They're strolling around outside, but I found it boring, so I'm here helping out with some work."

Li Kuiyong asked, "How is your wife over there? She's doing well, right?"

"How could she not be? She's a doctor, the allowance is high, she has status, and her parents can look after her; she's living very comfortably."

"Then you two..."

"She's submitted the report; let's get married first, and we'll talk about other things later."

"Oh, then congratulations! Brother Yan, you're finally not alone anymore; you've started a family." Li Kuiyong grinned and said, "Since you're married, shouldn't you find a way to get transferred back?"

Wang Yan glanced at him: "My situation here is excellent; why go back? I told Xiaobai, let's wait another three to five years, handle everything here, and then we'll talk. What's the matter, do you want to go back? Or is Comrade Xiaofang finding it difficult?"

"Brother Yan, Xiaofang does have quite a few issues, but this time it really isn't Xiaofang's fault. She has a friend who was assigned to the Great Northern Wilderness, and guess what? Last month, she was transferred back to the capital and even had a job arranged for her.

Although we aren't suffering or struggling now, it's still not as good as the capital; people are familiar, and the place is familiar. Since others have gone back, how could I not be restless?"

At this time, policies were relaxing, and care for only children, the widowed, and the lonely was being shown; not everyone had to go to the countryside.

On the other hand, some educated youth had already been transferred back to the city through medical retirement, hardship retirement, and other means. By next year, they would introduce a policy where those who had completed two years of labor could be recommended to other units as workers, further allowing some educated youth to return to the city. It was truly a case of everyone showing their own special talents.

In the following years, the educated youth who went to the countryside returned to the city one after another, until 1977 and 1978, when the return of educated youth reached its peak, numbering in the millions. Consequently, because there were too many idle people in the city, all kinds of problems emerged...

Wang Yan patted him on the shoulder: "Dayong, it seems you still don't understand our status. Others can go back, but that doesn't mean we can. Never mind you, let's talk about me; Dayong, why do you think I came here to join the production team?"

"Because you wouldn't bow your head. If you had just lowered your head, you wouldn't have had to come here and suffer."

"Then what do you think my situation is now?"

"The whole country is reading your reports like stories, waiting to see how much you can accomplish."

Wang Yan nodded with a smile: "I made a grand vow; I cannot leave until I have done a good job with this situation in Lin County. A person must keep their word; I don't care what others think, at the very least, I must be able to face myself. Dayong, I cannot leave.

If you and Xiaofang want to go back, I can't help you; if you want help, you can only find my father-in-law. After all, I know too few people in the capital, and this isn't my own business. Do you understand?"

"I understand, Brother Yan. I actually didn't think that much; I just thought that if you went back, you could take us two along with you." Li Kuiyong's face turned bright red with embarrassment.

Wang Yan knew that this wasn't Li Kuiyong's original intention; it was highly likely that Tian Fang had instigated it.

If it weren't for the existence of Wang Mou, Li Kuiyong wouldn't be able to handle Tian Fang. Tian Fang lacked the spirit of the workers and peasants to endure hardship and live simply...

"How about this: I'll talk to the commune and give you two a long vacation; go back and spend the New Year there this year. If you two can solve the transfer problem yourselves, then you don't have to come back; I'll handle the procedures here for you. If you can't solve it, at least it will have eased your homesickness."

Wang Yan gave him a light slap, "Let me give you the bottom line: when I leave, I certainly won't forget you. By that time, if you two are still doing well, of course, I won't forget her either. Since you've taken a fancy to her, you have to tolerate her shortcomings; don't harbor delusions of changing her. If you can accept it, accept it; if you can't, you have to reflect on yourself. Alright, it's no big deal; don't get emotional with Xiaofang."

"But my wife is quite good; she doesn't have so many issues."

"Then look at what kind of family she's from? She doesn't lack money, she doesn't lack food or drink, and she can solve whatever she wants with a phone call; of course she doesn't have so many issues. She doesn't worry about anything at all."

Wang Yan shook his head with a smile, "If she hadn't come from that kind of family background, it's hard to say what her temperament would be like."

"Hey..."

Li Kuiyong sighed and scratched his head, "Brother Yan, why is it so difficult for me?"

"It's always like this; just figure out what you want, and that's enough. Many people don't know what they really want, and that's why they struggle their whole lives. Once you figure it out, you'll be able to let go, and you'll be able to view some things and some problems calmly. You just don't want to use your brain; think more when you're free, that's all. This is the importance of thought; it guides production, and it also guides life."

Wang Yan waved his hand, "Since everyone is here, you go buy some wine and food; I'll cook a table full of dishes tonight, and we'll eat, drink, and have a good time together."

"Alright." Li Kuiyong replied decisively, turned around, and walked out.

He didn't like to use his brain, but he was very decisive in doing things; whatever Wang Yan said to do, he never hesitated, which was a very good merit...

Wang Yan looked around the shop, found someone to understand the situation regarding orders and deliveries, and also flipped through the account books, which could be considered a clearer understanding of the furniture shop. After encouraging the staff here, he started teaching the apprentices here how to work.

This place was for making some furniture with simple craftsmanship and high sales volume nearby; for mid-range products, they had to rely on the furniture factory in the commune to do it link by link.

When it was getting dark, Zhong Yuemin and the others arrived at the furniture shop, and seeing Wang Yan, it was another lively scene.

Wang Yan also stopped teaching the carpenters, and busied himself cooking, setting up two tables; one for the people in the shop, and one for Wang Yan and the others.

Of course, it was impossible for him to eat and drink well on his own while letting others watch the liveliness; that would be too inappropriate. As for the expenses of such lavish eating and drinking, of course, he, the leader, paid for it.

He really had quite a lot of money, all donated by patriotic people from Hong Kong. Although his bandit-like style was criticized, no one said anything to him; after all, his reasons were justified.

On the other hand, before he went to the countryside, he raided those ticket-scalping hooligan gangs in the capital, and the money and tickets he obtained hadn't been spent even now. This matter, along with his growing reputation, had long been dug up by others, but it was only spread in a small circle among the leadership group, and no one spread the matter to the whole world.

This was a small problem and didn't affect anything. On the contrary, if it were spread out and people followed suit, that would be terrible. How many problems would be created out of thin air?

After all, not everyone had Wang Yan's abnormal combat power, nor did they have Wang Yan's simple and pure background of being alone without parents or relatives, and they hadn't achieved as much as Wang Yan.

This was a thorough outlier...

After the food was cooked, everyone ate and drank, all showing concern for Wang Yan and Zhou Xiaobai's issue, and expressing envy that the two could still be so loving despite being so far apart and not seeing each other for more than two years, all saying that Zhou Xiaobai was a good girl.

After joking around for a while, Zhong Yuemin said: "Brother Yan, I might be going to be a soldier."

When these words came out, the dining table went quiet.

"The director of the Educated Youth Office arranged it for you?" Wang Yan asked with a smile.

"Yeah." Zhong Yuemin didn't avoid it, "He's my father's old subordinate, so he just thought about taking care of me."

"Then what else could it be? If he says it, it counts; you're definitely going to be a soldier." Li Kuiyong said, "It's also a case of heaven not closing all doors; you couldn't become a soldier in the capital, but here, you actually got to be one."

"Hey..."

Zheng Tong sighed faintly, "It's just me left here alone."

"What are you saying? Are Brother Yan and I not people?" Li Kuiyong was very unwilling, his face full of annoyance.

"That's not the same; Kuiyong, you're right next to Brother Yan, living such a comfortable life. Not to mention Brother Yan; he's already a factory manager, and the county leaders all listen to him."

"Hey, watch your words; what do you mean leaders listen to me? That's because what I said made sense, and the leaders adopted my suggestions." Wang Yan corrected his name.

"Oh, it's all about the same. Before, when Yuemin was here, the two of us could get together and talk nonsense; now that he's leaving, I'm miserable."

"It's alright, Brother Yan is busy; you go find Kuiyong to play. You still have the money to go to Hong Kong, and you're living comfortably." Zhong Yuemin laughed.

He seemed not to see the unhappiness of Qin Ling, whose face didn't look so good from the moment he said he was going to be a soldier...

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