[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-that-year-the-flowers-bloomed-in-1981":3,"chapter-that-year-the-flowers-bloomed-in-1981-that-year-the-flowers-bloomed-in-1981-chapter-93":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"chinese","That Year, the Flowers Bloomed in 1981",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},2294511,4489,"Chapter 93: I","that-year-the-flowers-bloomed-in-1981-chapter-93",93,"\u003Cp>After Hao Jian said “too much money bites the hand,” Li Ye asked calmly, “First tell me, how did you earn this five hundred thousand? Why does it make you uneasy?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I earned it exactly the way you told us to—it felt like a dream.......”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hao Jian said, “Following your method, besides the sugar candy channels in the provincial capital, we carried letters of introduction to every county town, hunting for downlines everywhere.......”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“In the first month, sales were painfully slow—they didn’t trust us at all, even grew suspicious.......”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“But starting the second month, sales accelerated faster and faster, until we couldn’t stop.......”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Originally, Li Ye’s sales plan with Hao Jian and the others had included obtaining a business license for the Yangcheng clothing wholesale department and official seals and letters of introduction, so they decided to go all out.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They stopped sneaking around retailing; beyond the provincial capital’s sugar candy channels, they aggressively sought out potential “downlines” in other county towns.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Like Hao Jian himself—bold peddlers—or managers in collective clothing shops.......\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The clothing styles were decent, prices low, and they issued official receipts stamped with seals; aside from their individual status sounding unimpressive, they were hardly different from state employees.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Of course, how big that difference was depended entirely on how they interacted with those in charge.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hao Jian counted on his fingers for Li Ye: “Our first batch of twenty thousand yuan in goods took over twenty days to sell out, but the second batch only took half a month.......”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Each batch doubled in quantity, yet the selling time halved....... Now, as soon as goods arrive at the train station, we clear them in three days........”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the early eighties, clothing sales in northern county towns were a seller’s market—if one person wore a new style, everyone rushed to buy it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>State-run department stores were hard to deal with, but collective shops and secondhand clothing stalls, once cracked open, exploded everywhere.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Li Ye brother, we went from a few hundred yuan to twenty thousand in half a year, and from twenty thousand to five hundred thousand in just a few months—how long will it take to reach your five million?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hao Jian, heart pounding, said, “Li Ye brother, believe me—I’m not the type who fears wolves ahead and tigers behind, not a coward. Even if you told me to go to jail right now, I wouldn’t flinch—I just.......”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hao Jian struggled to find words, pacing frantically around the room, unable to express what he felt.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Finally, he said to Li Ye, “Let’s go for a walk!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Ye smiled, grabbed a few bottles of beer, and stepped outside.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was already past nine at night; the last movie had ended, so despite summer, the streets were nearly empty.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hao Jian said nothing, leading Li Ye and Jin Peng straight to the northern part of town, crossing half the county to reach the gate of County No. 1 Middle School.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then he asked Li Ye, “Little Ye, do you remember where I sat the first time we met?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Ye, unsure of his intent, pointed beside a tree: “You sat there—hidden from view, but visible to the school kids for your sugar candy.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hao Jian nodded, walked over, and squatted down.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Ye found it amusing, so he and Jin Peng imitated him, joining in the Asian squat.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hao Jian handed one cigarette each to Li Ye and Jin Peng, then lit his own.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This time, he didn’t eagerly light Li Ye’s cigarette as before—he just smoked hard, gulping down the whole cigarette in three or four puffs.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Cough cough cough~”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After violent coughing, Hao Jian rubbed his face hard, then began mumbling.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I’m not from around here—I married a local woman and put down roots. When everyone returned to the city, my daughter was just born........”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I don’t regret not returning to the city. My family wrote scolding letters—I didn’t resent them. Wherever you live, you still live, right?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“But when my daughter was diagnosed with illness....... I regretted it. I regretted not controlling myself, letting her be born into this world to suffer.......”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Tears and snot had already streamed down Hao Jian’s face, dripping into his mouth without him noticing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I took her to the city, to the provincial capital....... Doctors said she’d need medicine for life....... Maybe she won’t live long.......”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I hated myself! I hated how I failed my child.......”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hao Jian’s face twisted in pain and confusion, his eyes vacant, lost entirely in memory.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Ye didn’t rush—he waited quietly as Hao Jian relived his pain.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Long after, perhaps sensing the wetness on his lips, Hao Jian wiped his face hard.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I wrote to my father for help—he quickly sent me one hundred and twenty yuan.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“One hundred and twenty yuan could buy my daughter medicine for years....... But I sent the money back. Do you know why?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Ye shook his head. Jin Peng quickly followed suit.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Both had to play along now.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hao Jian bit his lower lip, fighting back tears: “Because my father wrote me a letter saying he sold my older brother’s bicycle to raise this money.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Do you understand what that meant? Huh? Do you understand?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jin Peng guessed, “You felt bad for your brother—you feared he’d quarrel with his wife?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jin Peng’s guess wasn’t off—the bicycle was absolute family wealth in this era.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With a bicycle, you could easily go to rural markets for grain or meat, commute to work, or take your wife and kids to visit relatives—it was convenient, prestigious.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lose the bicycle, and a family’s quality of life dropped several levels instantly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But Hao Jian cursed: “I care about him? Pfft.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“..........”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hao Jian’s eyes burned with anger: “My father earned forty-three yuan and fifty fen a month. My daughter’s medicine costs only a few yuan monthly—why sell the bicycle?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I accept I lost control—I deserve punishment for not returning home to care for my parents—but this girl....... she’s his own granddaughter!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hao Jian wept again, complaining: “I know my father had hard choices—many siblings, can’t help everyone,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>but can one bicycle really sever family ties?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“.........”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jin Peng stared at Hao Jian, then looked at Li Ye.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Ye nodded gently: “Don’t blame your father—he was helpless too.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Listening closely to Hao Jian’s story, one could feel his anguish—and understand his father’s helplessness.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The family had many children; Hao Jian couldn’t return to the city, settled far away in a rural village, and had a daughter with an incurable illness.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It made the patriarch’s choice agonizing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the end, Hao Jian’s father sold the bicycle to silently convey one message.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I’m willing to pay for my child—but this is a bottomless pit our family can’t fill.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Was the old man cruel? If he truly were, he could’ve sent nothing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After all, a bicycle was a fortune.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In this era, for the old man to do this wasn’t heartless.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But Hao Jian, stubborn as a mule, sent the money back.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hao Jian wiped his tears, chin raised: “I used to be a decent man—I never dared to speculate or trade. But for my daughter, I started digging at the foundations of socialism.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I was chased by the anti-speculation squad, beaten by thugs, spat on by neighbors....... I didn’t care.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“From that day on, I knew—if you want money, earn it yourself. Relying on charity is no different from begging.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hao Jian spat on the ground: “So what if I lose face for my daughter? If it saves her life, I’ll give my life!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I only fear....... even if I give my life, it won’t work! Hahaha hahaha.......”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hao Jian laughed hysterically, tears streaming again.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He pointed at Li Ye: “Do you know, if I hadn’t met you, I truly couldn’t have held on—I truly couldn’t have.......”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“But now, I’m Hao Jian, a big boss. A big boss.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hao Jian’s face flushed red: “Last month, I took my wife and daughter to Yangcheng—to the best hospital.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The top doctor secretly told me there’s imported medicine—guaranteed to cure my daughter—but it’s expensive.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“My heart nearly stopped—I asked, how expensive?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hao Jian held up two fingers, sobbing: “Two thousand yuan. Just two thousand yuan, and my daughter’s illness is cured.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Just two thousand yuan! Just two thousand yuan!...... Waaahhhhhhh!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hao Jian stomped around in place like a manic gorilla.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A thirty-year-old man’s sobs drifted through the summer night street—like the mournful wail of a ghost.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Ye’s heart stirred slightly, but his face remained calm.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But Jin Peng was moved—he turned away, wiping his eyes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Two thousand yuan? Just two thousand yuan?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In 1982, two thousand yuan was as crushing as a modern family facing an unaffordable cancer surgery.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>【There’s only one disease in this world—poverty.】\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>One short sentence, revealing countless sorrows, endless bitterness.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hao Jian’s sobs lasted several minutes before fading.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then he spoke sincerely to Li Ye: “I told you all this because I want you to know, Little Ye—I’m not afraid of earning too much. I’m afraid of losing everything I have now.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I fear my daughter will be left without care. I fear returning to the past. I fear my dream....... won’t come true......”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I’ve imagined it—someday I’ll drive my own car back to my hometown, taking my daughter, showing them all.......”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hao Jian slapped his chest hard: “I’ll show them all—my daughter isn’t a bottomless pit, isn’t a money-draining burden. She’s a golden treasure, a phoenix none of them can ever reach.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Ye propped his chin on his hand, smiling, watching this “daughter slave” with interest—it was fascinating.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Daughter slaves were rare in this era!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But Hao Jian misread Li Ye’s smile, uneasy: “Little Ye, why are you laughing?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I’m not laughing at you,” Li Ye shook his head. “I’m just wondering—if your dream isn’t fulfilled yet, why are you hesitating now?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hao Jian fell silent for a few seconds: “I hope for your guidance, Little Ye brother.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“My guidance?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Ye rested his right hand on his chin, half-smiling.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In truth, when Hao Jian first sold sugar candy, he’d already approached Li Ye once, worried about becoming a ten-thousand-yuan household—or even a million-yuan one.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At the time, Li Ye needed a talented general with entrepreneurial spirit, so he guided Hao Jian and unlocked the ambition hidden within him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hao Jian still had great potential, but he was not a born warlord whose desires knew no bounds; at certain critical junctures, he needed a bit of guidance and cultivation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Right now, although Hao Jian had mentally prepared himself for becoming a millionaire, seeing five million yuan so close at hand still shocked and overwhelmed him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At this moment, he developed a desire for stability, craving a solid foundation to rely on.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Ye’s grandfather held status and connections, and Hao Jian frequently delivered vegetables and meat to the second grain store, and he knew about Wen Leyu’s existence.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Teacher Ke from County No. 2 High School had been directly transferred to Jingcheng — that was no great secret.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So Hao Jian felt that Li Ye could offer him direction.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hao Jian didn’t dare hope to reach higher circles, but I’m just a subordinate — isn’t it reasonable for my boss to give me a little confidence?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So Li Ye gave him direction.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Hao Jian, Jin Peng, you’ve both been to Yangcheng these past few months — haven’t you noticed that private businesses worth hundreds of thousands of yuan there are no longer unusual?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“.........”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hao Jian and Jin Peng paused, momentarily confused.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But soon, Hao Jian caught a glimmer of understanding and tentatively asked Li Ye: “Are you saying we should... put the money in Yangcheng?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Not just money,” Li Ye corrected him. “Our next base of operations must be in Yangcheng or Pengcheng.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“On that hot ground, you don’t need to hide any amount of money.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hao Jian and Jin Peng stared at each other, stunned for a long time, before reluctantly saying: “But that’s someone else’s territory — what do we do with the territory we’ve built here?”\u003C\u002Fp>",2008,"2026-06-20T05:04:59.129Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","3c3710bf6203391904be383932108efc5797c24e543673ff5646659533220e62","that-year-the-flowers-bloomed-in-1981-chapter-94","that-year-the-flowers-bloomed-in-1981-chapter-92",884,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fthat-year-the-flowers-bloomed-in-1981-cover.jpg"]