In 1992, a small village owner became the richest man in the village by owning a car.

Chapter 391 Shenzhen in the 1990s

Shenzhen, Futian Village.

Located at the confluence of the Shenzhen River and the Futian River, not far away is the Fumin Building, which was built just a few years ago. From a distance, the sunlight shining on the white tile facade is very pleasing to the eye.

Bicycles and cars weaved back and forth on the street below, and pedestrians on both sides hurried forward, their faces revealing a desire to make money.

In the 1990s, Futian Village was a typical urban village, characterized by rental houses and commercial streets, attracting a large number of migrant workers.

"Hey, Jiang Shang, are you picking up the kids so early?"

At the entrance of one of the supermarkets downstairs from Fumin Building, a middle-aged bald man sat fanning himself with a palm leaf fan while asking questions of his neighbor who owned a barbershop next door.

"No." The man named Jiang Shang was wearing a white short-sleeved shirt and loose shorts. His previous blond hair was gone, replaced by short, neat black hair.

“A brother from my hometown is visiting. It’s his first time in Shenyang. I’ll go pick him up.” Jiang Shang locked the door of Xiao Jiang’s Barbershop with a chain, then turned to the middle-aged man next to him and smiled. “Brother Diao, if anyone comes in for a haircut, just tell them we’re closed this afternoon and will reopen tomorrow.”

"Don't worry about the feline distemper," the middle-aged man called Brother Diao replied, then continued rocking back and forth in his recliner, fanning himself with a palm-leaf fan.

Jiang Shang withdrew his gaze and turned to walk towards the nearby bus stop.

"Second brother?!"

Jiang Shang turned around and saw a young man in a white vest running towards him: "Aren't you working at the construction site? Why are you here again?"

"What kind of work is this? Those bastards from Yantian are causing trouble again. Brother Yizi got into a fight with them, and he told me to come find you." Seeing Jiang Shang's predicament, the young man's face showed a mix of anxiety, helplessness, and grievance. "Second Brother, I know you don't want to get involved in this mess anymore, but it's not easy for us Northeasterners to earn money here. We can't keep being bullied like this!"

"It's not that I don't want to go, it's just that I really have something to do this afternoon." Jiang Erdan sighed, somewhat unable to bear the expression on the face beside him. "Claw, how about this, I'll give you a phone number. It's the project manager in charge of the entire Fukang Building project. I know him to some extent."

“Go contact him and ask him to put pressure on the person in charge of the construction site. The fact that those guys in Yantian are so good at causing trouble means they have already bribed the person in charge of the construction site. As long as the person in charge comes forward, most of the problems can be solved.”

"But, but Brother Yizi might not just let it go like that." Claw scratched his head.

"Then you should stop him. Shenzhen has become increasingly chaotic in recent years. Don't be quick to call for violence. Some big shots are just waiting for someone to open a crack in the defense."

"Alright." Claw could only nod reluctantly, and finally watched Jiang Shang get on the 317 bus and leave the bus stop.

----

Outside Shenzhen Railway Station, after a train arrives, the platform soon becomes crowded with people.

Many people started carrying large and small bags and began heading out of the station.

Some people come to this unfamiliar city to "strike it rich" because their hometowns are too poor, while others come here to stay with their relatives after hearing that they are doing well.

There are many more people, each with their own ideas, but all with the same goal: to make money, and more money.

"Dawei!"

As soon as Yu Dawei got off the green train and stepped out of the train station, he heard Jiang Erdan's voice.

He looked in the direction of the sound and saw someone waving at him from a distance.

"Brother Erdan." Yu Dawei waved back, then picked up his black suitcase and strode toward Jiang Erdan.

Jiang Erdan, whose real name is Jiang Shang.

Those who know him like to call him by his given name, and those who are familiar with him like to call him Second Brother. Only those who knew him in the village when he was a child know his childhood nickname, Jiang Erdan.

These people would call him Erdanzi, and the younger ones, like Yu Dawei, would call him Erdange.

"Hey kid, I never expected you to come! Did you buy a sleeper or a hard seat ticket on the way?" Jiang Erdan reached out to help Yu Dawei with his suitcase, but was refused.

"Don't even mention it, both legs of the journey were hard seats. I wanted to buy sleeper berths, but who knew there would be so many people coming this way." Yu Dawei stepped beside Jiang Shang. "Brother Erdan, is it always like this?"

"What do you think? You're calmer now, but back then..." Jiang Shang seemed to recall something unpleasant and waved his hand, "Never mind, let's not talk about it. Anyway, it was a mess." "Dawei, this time you should stay a little longer. Shenzhen is much more mature in every aspect than before, and people from all over the country, regardless of gender, are coming here."

“You’ll meet all sorts of people, including locals, and you can experience the hospitality and warmth of the Hakka people.” Jiang Shang arrived at the roadside entrance and looked at a green taxi. “Driver, to Futian Village.”

"Get in." The driver didn't get out of the car, but just glanced at the two of them.

"Brother Erdan, let's talk about the excavator first. As for Shenzhen, we can take our time exploring after we finish our business." Yu Dawei put his luggage on the passenger seat, and the two of them sat in the back of the taxi.

"Hey, don't worry about the excavator. My buddy found a repairman not long after that letter was sent out." Jiang Erdan turned around and patted Yu Dawei's thigh with a smile. "You can just relax and have fun here. I've arranged a place for you to stay."

"I see." Yu Dawei thought about it and agreed. After all, letters take a long time to arrive, and by the time he received the letter, the car would probably be almost repaired.

"Don't worry, he has several cars, and one or two of them are in a state of being scrapped. After you've rested here, you can go and take a look. It would be great if they could be repaired, but it doesn't matter if they can't." Jiang Shang was worried that Yu Dawei would feel that the trip was pointless, so he added, "The car you mentioned in the letter is currently working on a construction site, so it's in a bit of a hurry."

"I understand." Yu Dawei was about to say something when his stomach suddenly growled loudly. He looked at Jiang Shang somewhat embarrassedly, "Brother Erdan, where can we get something to eat? I'm a little hungry."

“I knew you’d be hungry. Don’t worry, I’ll take you to a noodle shop near my shop. There’s a really good one there.” After saying that, Jiang Shang went on to tell you about the local customs and culture of Shenzhen.

For example, people in Shenzhen are not considered locals by people from Guangdong Province because most people in Shenzhen speak Mandarin. Some of the original Shenzhen locals have gradually adapted to Cantonese (Mandarin), while others have moved to other parts of Guangdong Province after their land was demolished and they had money.

It could be the old home of my grandfather's generation, or a place that holds special significance in my memory.

Before long, the two arrived in Futian and found a restaurant.

Jiang Erdan was worried that Yu Dawei wouldn't be used to the local food, so he specially chose a noodle shop run by people from Northeast China.

There are Northeastern-style braised noodles, as well as Shenzhen's specialty noodles, such as Nazha noodles, satay noodles, and duck egg noodles... None of them are from Shenzhen, yet each one is from Shenzhen.

Yu Dawei just stood outside the cashier, looking at all the different kinds of noodles he'd never heard of before, and found it unbelievable.

This was his first time visiting Shenzhen in two lifetimes, and upon seeing these noodles, he instinctively assumed they were local Shenzhen specialties.

However, he was also afraid that he wouldn't be used to the taste, so he subconsciously chose the Northeastern-style braised pork and green pepper noodles.

After the two found a corner to sit down, Yu Dawei immediately exclaimed, "I didn't expect people in Shenzhen to love noodles too."

"I suppose so." Jiang Shang didn't intend to explain further. Once Dawei stayed here for a few days, he would know what the real Shenzhen was like.

"By the way, Erdan, how have you been lately?" Yu Dawei's green pepper and shredded pork noodles arrived quickly.

After taking a bite, the spicy and refreshing green pepper combined with the shredded meat was a perfect match. Plus, I was already hungry, so I vomited most of it in no time.

"Fortunately, my son got first place in his class in the last elementary school final exam." Jiang Shang's smile widened when he talked about his son, and he craned his neck and chuckled. "Dawei, you know, I was never one to study when I was little. I climbed trees to steal birds' nests, fished in rivers, got into fights, I did everything... I thought my son would definitely be like me."

"Back then, I had already decided that as long as the child lived a happy life, free from illness and disaster, that was enough. As for studies and such, my own studies were a mess, so why would I force my own child to study? So I basically left it to fate." Seeing that his tomato noodles were ready, Jiang Shang got up and quickly took them with both hands.

Then he picked up the chopsticks from the bamboo tube, spat out a mouthful of noodles, and said, "But I never expected that our Jiang family would have such good fortune. This child never needs anyone to watch him study. After finishing his homework at night, he still likes to read other books."

"Incredible! Your genetic modification is amazing, you must have to thank your sister-in-law for that." Yu Dawei complained while eating.

“That’s right, that’s right. When it comes to studying, I’m definitely not as good as your sister-in-law. Back then, her parents were very opposed to their daughter marrying me. In fact, she completely cut off ties with her family to be with me.” Jiang Shang said with emotion while eating noodles. “It’s also my fault. We were penniless back then and couldn’t even afford a decent wedding. Perhaps her parents felt ashamed, or perhaps they had completely severed ties, because neither of them came to the wedding.”

"I never expected my sister-in-law to be such a strong-willed person." Yu Dawei's perception of Erdan's wife has been completely changed.

No wonder Erdan didn't know the true situation of his sister-in-law's parents. It turns out that his strong-willed sister-in-law had already broken ties with her family when they first met.

"Brother Erdan, your wife is so devoted to you, you have to treat her well." Yu Dawei looked at the other person with some envy.

“Yes.” Jiang Shang stared at the noodles with braised sauce and smiled bitterly before looking up at Yu Dawei. “I have some money now, and I’ve been thinking about holding a wedding for Yunlan. Since you’re here, you can help me with the arrangements.”

"No problem, that's great!" Yu Dawei grinned.

(End of this chapter)