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Chapter 5 Locking a Shared Bike

"There is no factory in our brigade. Isn't the sideline business just fish pond breeding and growing some seasonal vegetables to supply to the city in exchange for some money for fertilizer? The commune's only state-owned enterprise is a glass factory, and it is almost bankrupt. Secretary Yin of the commune sighs and his mouth is full of blisters whenever he mentions the glass factory. The glass produced is difficult to sell to other provinces, let alone to other counties. The factory director Ma Da's head is so anxious that it is bigger than it was in the past two years." Han Chengsong said with disdain when he heard the word "side business".

The reason why he was so disdainful of side jobs was naturally because in his opinion Zhongping Village did not need to develop any side jobs that would waste labor. Focusing on agricultural production would be enough to feed all the men in the village. Looking across the entire Bingyang County, few production brigades had such confidence and such good land.

"Vigorously developing sideline businesses is something that only places with insufficient food and forced to beg for food will do. Although our Zhongping Brigade has more than 2,800 people, we also have a lot of land. The per capita land of 1.85 mu is not just a casual remark. It is all good land that can guarantee a good harvest in drought or flood. Do we need to delay production to develop sideline businesses?"

"The glass factory is going bankrupt?" Xie Hushan only cared about the key points he wanted to pay attention to. When he heard Han Chengsong say that the glass factory's performance was too poor and the commune secretary was anxious, he immediately recommended himself: "Second Uncle, as for me, I think my brain is okay, not stupid. Why don't you talk to Secretary Yin of the commune and arrange for me to be a non-staff salesperson in the glass factory. Besides, the factory's performance is poor, I don't need to get a salary, and I don't need to advance the travel expenses. I can use the money my grandmother saved for me to get married and build a house to pay for the travel expenses. As long as the factory and the commune give me a letter of introduction proving that they are sending me to other places to get orders, I promise that I will never return home if I can't get orders!"

Perfect! Xie Hushan thought proudly in his heart, the glass factory was not profitable and lacked orders, he was selfless and dedicated, not asking for salary, not asking for advance travel expenses, and he would help to get orders for free with just a letter of introduction. No matter how you looked at it, the glass factory would not lose money, and would definitely agree. As long as he got the letter of introduction, he would buy a train ticket and go all the way south, looking for an opportunity to go to Hong Kong Island to help him change his life.

"You want to work as a salesman in the glass factory to attract business? You don't want a salary? And you have to pay for the travel expenses yourself? Why didn't you tell me that you didn't want work points when you were working in the brigade? I know you have a high level of consciousness and have been strict with yourself since you became a militia platoon leader, but selfless dedication doesn't mean you would do that! I don't agree. Not to mention that I don't agree, your team three will never agree to let you go!" Han Chengsong heard what Xie Hushan said and glared at him in dissatisfaction:
"Besides, with your physique, you are talented enough to do side jobs and attract business. Your selfless dedication shows that you are a good material for the future production team leader. Besides, you are now at the right age to work hard and be used as a donkey. How can I let him take advantage of you? Even if Secretary Yin grows a howitzer in his mouth, he can't take advantage of our team. There is no way."

Xie Hushan stared at Han Chengsong blankly. What kind of logic was this? Just because he was physically fit, he had to stay in the team and be a donkey? Even if he was willing to make selfless contributions, he couldn't do that?
"Even if I want to... I can't?"

"What can you do? You have a stupid brain and you are a fool. I am afraid that you will not be able to sell the glass in the city, and people will sell you instead!"

"Second uncle, you see, I'm already eighteen this year, and it's time to build a house and get married. My parents passed away early, and there's no one to arrange for me. I have to save some money to build a house and get married. I thought, I'll try my luck in the factory to do some business. If I can't get any, I'll give up. But if I really get a big deal, the factory will give me some bonus, and maybe the money for building a house and getting married will be enough."

Seeing that selfless dedication didn't work in front of Old Man Han, Xie Hushan immediately played the sympathy card. His parents died in the Yaoshan earthquake two years ago, and now he lives with his aunt. There are only two of them in the family, he and his aunt, and he is the only strong laborer. The work points he earns in a year are enough for him and his aunt to have enough food, but it is impossible for him to come up with a large sum of money to build a new house and get married in the short term. It seems that the group of bachelors in the countryside has reserved a good position for him.

Han Chengsong felt sad when he heard Xie Hushan talk about his parents' death and no one arranging a marriage for him. In a rural place like Zhongping Village, although the state stipulates that men must be 20 years old and women must be 18 years old to register for marriage, generally when a boy reaches the age of 16 or 17, his parents will start looking for a suitable partner, so they don't have to rush to register for marriage. The two families will arrange the marriage first, and visit each other as relatives during festivals, commonly known as occupying a seat.

If Xie Hushan's parents had not died in the earthquake and were still alive today, along with himself, a family of three strong working men, I'm afraid someone would have come to introduce Xie Hushan to a matchmaker long ago. The three of them would have worked together and, based on the grain output and dividends of the Zhongping Production Brigade, they could have saved up for three years at most to help Xie Hushan buy a new house and find a wife.

But if the brigade doesn't lend a hand now, this good boy might really have to remain single for more than ten years. After all, if he delays when he is young, it will be difficult for him to find a wife when all the girls of the right age in the surrounding area are married. He can't find a good one, and he won't like a bad one. The longer he delays, the older he will get, and finally he will be in his thirties or forties. The women's director will try his best to help find a widow with a dead husband and children, get a marriage certificate, and live together with her.

Han Chengsong thought about this and sighed, "You are right. When your parents passed away early, you have to learn to support yourself. But when it comes to business, who can guarantee that you will make money? How many people have been cheated? It's better to be safe than sorry. Besides, even if you don't run into a scammer, we are all farmers whose ancestors worked the land. We are not as smart as those who do business."

"But the land under our feet won't lie. It will treat you the same way you treat it. As long as you work hard on it, it will never let you go hungry. In this way, the production team will not ignore your saving money to build a house and get married, nor will they let a young activist like you remain single! I'll go back and tell Ma Laowu, the captain of your third team, that starting this year, the production team will distribute dividends at the end of each year, and the third team will lend you an extra sum from its account. You can save for three to five years, and when you are twenty-one or twenty-two years old, it will be enough to build a house and get married. After you get married, we will slowly deduct the money from your and your wife's labor dividends every year. The loan will be borrowed over three years, and the repayment will be in installments. You can pay it back in ten years. If you can't pay it back in ten years, you can say you can't pay it back. Is that okay?" Xie Hushan wanted to try to get an excuse to run away as a free salesman in the glass factory, but he couldn't say anything in the face of what Old Man Han said. He understood that this was the best arrangement made for Xie Hushan in the eyes of Old Man Han. The production team would lend him a sum of money in three years to build a house. After he got married, he would allow his wife and himself to pay it back slowly in ten years. He even left a word. If he couldn't pay it back in ten years, he could just give him a few more years. In short, he would never be left alone, nor would he go hungry because of paying off his debts.

You know, when members borrow money from the production team, they don't have to pay interest. They only need to repay the principal. If they borrow for three years, they can repay it in ten years. After hearing such generous conditions, any member would give Han Chengsong a thumbs up and praise his kindness.

But the problem is, I'm not really doing this to get married. Why should I be in such a hurry to get married? If I really make money in Hong Kong Island, I'll go to various nightclubs to collect folk songs and rinse my mouth with abalone and shark fins. Which thing is less important than getting married?

Pretending to be selfless and making sacrifices in order to escape won't work for Old Man Han, so he simply won't pretend. Isn't it just a community-run enterprise that's going to go bankrupt? What's so arrogant about that? If you don't want me to work for nothing, then find a way to encourage the third team to set up a team-run enterprise!

At that time, let the team leader be the factory director, and you will be the salesperson and deputy factory director, write the letter of introduction to yourself, and stamp it yourself!
Hong Kong Island has decided on its own, even Jesus can’t stop it.

After rolling his eyes a few times and making up his mind, Xie Hushan said to Han Chengsong, "Second Uncle, how about this? You talk to our team leader and tell him that I want to join our team's sideline group without delaying production, do more work, and learn how to do sideline work. That's fine, right?"

"You don't delay production and you're not afraid of hard work. How can the team stop you from making positive contributions? Ma Laowu is right. You are a good material for initiative and progress!" Seeing that Xie Hushan no longer insisted on going to the commune glass factory to work for free, Han Chengsong's expression softened a lot. As for the sideline groups of various production teams under Zhongping Village, in his opinion, they were places for the elderly, the weak, the sick and the disabled to work. As long as Xie Hushan did not delay production and went to the sideline groups to help the elderly, the weak, the sick and the disabled with some work, no one could stop him. Instead, he deserved praise and encouragement.

"Uncle, you may not be used to this cigarette. It has a filter and is not strong. It is not suitable for you. I will get you some tobacco leaves another day." After Xie Hushan finished discussing the business, he did not get the answer he wanted, so he reached out and took the filter cigarette off Han Chengsong's ear.

"It seems like you are disgusted with me for not helping you. It's hard to even smoke a cigarette from you~~you kid~~" Seeing Xie Hushan's lazy behavior, Han Chengsong grinned and laughed for a while, then waved his hand: "Go away, go back to bed early."

After saying hello to Old Man Han and Accountant Yang, and putting the fire stick and old gun back into the militia duty room, Xie Hushan left the team headquarters and headed towards his home under the moonlight.

At that time, the moonlight was shining, covering the earth with a layer of silver gauze. Cicadas were crying in the trees, insects were chirping in the fields, and frogs were croaking in the pond. It was a rural summer night scene.

As a figure in this peaceful rural landscape, Xie Hushan was a bit of a spoiler, and kept muttering angrily as he walked:
"Just because I am in good health and have made selfless contributions, do I have to stay in the production team and work as a donkey? Can I only contribute to the production team? Can't I contribute to the glass factory?... Why don't these old men understand that it is immoral to lock shared bicycles!"

(End of this chapter)