Back to 1979: Sending the Educated Youth’s Wife Back to the City

Chapter 188 Everything Goes Well

After the sixteenth day of the first lunar month, everyone who was supposed to go to school went to school. The Fang family of four, except for nine-month-old Fang Chang, all went to their respective schools early in the morning.

So, after Changchang woke up from his nap, Fang Min was the only one who could carry him to eat, drink, and relieve himself.

Fortunately, we had been training him like this at home for a while. He cried a few times as a token gesture, then took the pacifier that Sister Min fed him and started sucking on it.

Fang Min had already eaten breakfast and was preparing to do laundry. After he finished his milk, she carried him out with one arm and took the dirty clothes from the laundry basket with her other hand to put them into the washing machine.

Once the washing machine started, she put Fang Chang in the stroller and pushed it around the yard. The washing machine was semi-automatic, requiring operation every few minutes, so she couldn't take him out for a walk. She needed to hang the clothes to dry first.

Fang Min's main job every day is to take care of Fang Chang. The things that need to be hand-washed the first time are mainly Fang Chang's clothes and swaddling clothes. She rubs off the dirt and then puts them in the washing machine to wash.

Now that Boss Cui's place is open for business as usual, she just goes there for lunch.

She herself felt that the job was very easy. In the countryside, who would take care of children and do some simple housework on the side? Some people even have to carry their children on their backs and cook, wash clothes, and clean the house for the whole family.

She usually earns 30 yuan a month and sends 10 yuan home. During the Spring Festival, Lin Yan gave her a 20 yuan red envelope, and she also received a 20 yuan red envelope for her birthday before.

Therefore, her annual income is 400, including room and board. This is comparable to that of a newly hired full-time employee in a state-owned factory.

Fang Mingche told her that he only sends 10 yuan home a month.

Lin Yan also told her about Lingzi and her sister. Lingzi used to hand over 80% of her money, which her parents took for granted. Now, through their efforts, she only needs to hand over about 30 yuan a month for living expenses. As for Yingzi, it's hard to say. Besides, even if Lingzi talked about Yingzi's difficulties over there, it's easy to imagine. Yet, the Zhou couple are still only thinking about getting their daughter to send 400 US dollars back each month.

Lin Yan also said that her family gave her the same amount. It's better to keep the money in your own hands, and only take it out when faced with major events like illness or old age.

Fang Min thought that made sense. Uncle Jiu only sent 10 yuan home every month; what could she possibly do with that?
Even when her parents wrote letters with various comments, she didn't send them extra. Before, when she went to Beijing, her family wouldn't even pack her an extra set of clothes to wear outside. Ten yuan a month could do a lot in the countryside. Besides, her leaving home meant one less person to support the family.

For Lin Yan, spending 400 yuan a year to have someone take care of Fang Chang has truly freed her up.

She rode her bike to class with Gao Xiang today. Thanks to the fact that she had been riding along the central axis every day for a while, she finally didn't fall behind.

It was still quite cold, and the two of them were bundled up tightly. So it wasn't until they reached the school's bike shed and parked their bikes that Gao Xiang pulled down his scarf and said, "Xiao Ping and I were talking privately, and we both thought you were going to drive to and from school. I even said we could take turns driving, or I could be your driver."

In that case, you wouldn't have to ride your bike in the freezing cold that day. But to my surprise, Teacher Lin still chose to ride her bike.

Lin Yan said, "I don't want to have a roll of fat around my waist and abdomen, like a tire. Besides, driving to and from school costs money on gas, right? The key is, it will definitely attract gossip. I don't want to be the subject of people's gossip."

Fuel costs are actually manageable, only 80 cents per 100 kilometers. A round trip costs about 20 cents a day. With four minivans, we can definitely save on fuel. The main reason is that I want to lose weight and avoid being talked about.

Gao Xiang didn't care at all. He was just a freeloader; people wouldn't say anything about him.

He smiled and said, "Well, if you take a year off from school, then you'll graduate together with Xiao Fang and me."

"You guys have bachelor's degrees, I only have a vocational diploma. Even if I take the postgraduate entrance exam, I'll still need to work for two years. Okay, I'm leaving!"

Lin Yan slung her backpack over her shoulder and headed to meet up with her new class.

Starting today, Fang Mingfeng will also be visiting the Overseas Chinese Apartments to observe the operation of the travel agency. He will observe for a week before flying to Shanghai.

He arrived at work early in the morning, fully equipped from head to toe, riding his bicycle. He'd be happy to get 500 a month. Plus, he could learn about a new industry he'd never worked in before.

As for Lingzi, she and Xiao Gang took the train to Shanghai on the sixth day of the Lunar New Year. They arrived in two days and two nights; I bought them sleeper tickets. Airfare was too expensive, and there was no need for domestic flights.

Fang Mingche only gets economy class treatment when he's on business trips. Giving them sleeper berths is already quite generous.

The two of them were there to do pre-opening preparations, from signing the lease to setting up the office and dormitory, handling all the paperwork, and even buying the initial two minivans. Lin Yan only transferred the money for the cars after the Shanghai travel agency's account was opened.

One of these two is Lin Yan's cousin, who will be taking the college entrance exam in July; the other is someone who plans to open a shop in the US in a few months. So, it's relatively safe to transfer the money for the car to them.

At the end of the month, Fang Mingfeng will take the newly formed English and Japanese teams, along with the finance staff, to Shanghai. They also need to recruit a few people locally. Opening a shop without creating jobs for the locals is unacceptable. Ideally, they should be people with connections and influence who can provide assistance to the travel agency.

For the time being, everyone will be staying upstairs in the old building, in single, double, and quadruple rooms arranged according to their job titles. The principle is to manage everything on one floor. Fortunately, the old building has enough rooms, so the monthly rent of 500 yuan is worthwhile.

When Fang Mingfeng arrived at the entrance of the Overseas Chinese Apartment, Han Mei came down to meet him. She then helped him register his entry and exit permit and led him upstairs.

"Wait, where is Huo Chen's stall collecting recyclables?"

Han Mei pointed it out to him, "There. He even made a makeshift shed to keep out the wind in winter. He should be here around nine o'clock. He'll ride back for lunch at eleven. He only comes for two hours each day. The residents here are used to it; they bring their recyclables over during that time."

It's quite a distance from the entrance of the Overseas Chinese Apartment, and it's located under a tree where it won't obstruct pedestrians. They certainly wouldn't allow him to place it right at the main entrance.

Fang Mingfeng nodded. This was indeed a good place to collect recyclables. This one spot alone could probably make half the business of his shop. Mingche's mind was truly brilliant!

After going upstairs, he casually found a desk to sit at and didn't go into the small office inside. How could he observe if he went in?
Han Mei would say a few words to him and explain the situation whenever she did something.

"There are a lot of new recruits now, and we'll send another administrative team to Shanghai later. They'll all be your soldiers!"

Fang Mingfeng smiled and said, "I'm just temporarily filling in. Once Mingche finds a suitable person, I'll retire gracefully."

In this industry, having sufficient connections is absolutely essential these days. Otherwise, it's impossible to book rooms in those hotels catering to foreigners and to freely enter and exit. He can only learn about it; he can't steal business from them.

However, since he was there to help, he intended to do it well. So, once all his men had arrived, he gathered them together for a meeting in the small conference room.

A week passed in the blink of an eye, and he had seen most of what he needed to see. He took a few people with him on the train. This time, he and the senior employees took sleeper berths, while the newcomers had to take hard seats. Private companies also need a clear hierarchy for good management.

Han Mei was also tasked with formalizing these procedures. She's currently figuring it out as she goes. Then, when she goes on business trips, she can simply follow the reimbursement rates appropriate for each rank.

The Shanghai branch was scheduled to open on the day of the Dragon Raising its Head (March 7th). The next day was March 8th, and the female staff could have a day off. So, Lin Yan was the one who flew over to see the opening. She flew there on the evening of the 6th and flew back on the evening of the 8th, only missing four classes on the 7th.

Lin Yan was particularly excited about this. She had never been on a plane before. Unlike Yan Yan, who, despite being young, had flown twice.

She's only going for two days, so she doesn't need to bring much luggage. However, she promised to help her cousin's wife bring things for her cousin. She also asked the Zhou family and her aunt if they needed anything to bring. As long as the total weight doesn't exceed the limit, it's fine.

So on the 5th, Xiao Gang's aunt packed up his things and brought them over.

Xiao Gang is taking the college entrance exam in July, so he definitely won't be getting a promotion. But since he was needed for a business trip, he packed his bags and went without hesitation. It was actually the first time he'd been away from home for almost a month, and his aunt was quite unaccustomed to it.

Lin Yan said, "He's 18 this year, which is better than me having to pack my bags and go to the countryside when I was 16. Besides, he'll be living in an old Western-style house in Shanghai. I'm so envious of the photos."

My aunt said, "What are you envious of? You just bought such a big courtyard house, and you're going to move to an apartment building with an elevator later."

From having a tiny room when we first came back, with my younger brother having to be the 'head of the living room,' and then a small side courtyard—that's a three-stage leap!
"But the old Western-style buildings in Shanghai are still different," Lin Yan said happily, while putting the things her aunt had brought her into her suitcase.

She even weighed it herself. She had told her aunt on the phone beforehand that she needed to be very careful with her luggage. Otherwise, she would have to take it out of the baggage allowance at the airport.

My aunt said, "Xiao Gang told me that if he didn't pass the exam, he would simply stay and work at the travel agency."

The benefits are indeed quite good. However, she definitely still hopes her son can get into university. Her goal is to improve his English score here.

However, the business trip was unavoidable. Thankfully, he'll be back with his cousin in a few days. Hmm, he'll have to pay the difference between the sleeper berth and economy class airfare himself.

Old Xiao said that this was the travel agency's rule; without rules, nothing could be accomplished. Fortunately, after paying the difference, they managed to get a day and a half to rest.

Lin Yan said, "Then I think he will still go to university. Wei You only got into a vocational school and he still went, didn't he?"

She took the college entrance exam three times before finally getting into a junior college. Many people who have taken the exam every year since it was reinstated in 77 and failed every year are still taking it. Therefore, my cousin will definitely pass eventually; he won't actually end up working at a travel agency.

Just as her aunt was about to say something more, she noticed someone touching her trouser leg. Looking down, she saw Fang Chang crawling over, heading to find his mother. Because she was blocking his path, he reached out to push her aside.

She bent down and scooped the little one up in her arms. "Come on, give your grandma a little kiss!"

Fang Chang didn't resist being hugged by her, and pointed at Lin Yan, indicating that his great-aunt should carry him over.

His aunt then carried him to Lin Yan.

The little guy is almost ten months old, which is the perfect time for him to crawl around. Lin Yan put homemade elbow and knee braces on his elbows and knees so he could crawl all over the house. Fang Min kept the indoor floor spotless.

Fang Chang looked at Lin Yan and made a sound similar to "Mom".

Lin Yan took him from her and said, "Oh dear, I'm not coming back tomorrow night, are you going to cry?"

During the day, he's fine; he's always with Sister Min. But as soon as she gets home from school, this kid clings to her.

The aunt said, "Crying won't help. Are you still going to take him? Yan Yan hasn't come back yet."

"I went to class at the Children's Palace and won't get home until later."

As they were talking, Yan Yan's singing voice drifted in: "Learn from Lei Feng, a good example; be loyal to the revolution and the Party."
My aunt said, "Yes, today is Lei Feng Memorial Day."

Fang Chang got excited as soon as she heard her sister singing, pointing outside with her little finger, wanting to go meet her sister. Lin Yan then carried her outside.

Yan Yan pushed out her mini bicycle, ready to ride it a few laps, when she saw her aunt Lin Yan arrive and obediently greeted, "Hello, Great-Aunt!"

Her aunt stepped forward and patted her head. "Little girl, I heard you do very well in all your subjects, and even your extracurricular activities are excellent!"

Yan Yan said, "That's only right. My dad and mom are both college graduates."

Yan Yan's mini bicycle also has a baby seat installed on the back, the one she used to sit in. Now she doesn't need to sit in it anymore; she knows to keep her feet away from the wire.

This seat became Changchang's throne. The folded tarpaulin was still there, and Fang Mingche's homemade seatbelt had been added to fasten it. Otherwise, the kid might slip and fall. His feet couldn't reach the steel wire, so there was no need to worry about that.

Seeing his older sister about to ride her bike, Fang Chang started fussing, wanting to ride in it too. He doesn't really like riding in a stroller anymore; he prefers sitting on the back of his sister's bicycle.

Lin Yan put him inside and fastened the homemade seatbelt.

"Alright, you can take him for a walk around the yard."

Yan Yan said, "Mom, I want to go to the courtyard house." She rode her bike there and arrived in seven or eight minutes.

Her father is over there right now, and she wants to go and see him.

"It's almost five o'clock, aren't you going to watch the children's program?"

"Today is Tuesday. Only images of Earth are available until 6 PM. I'll come back to check later."

That was actually a PM5544 TV test card. When Yan Yan asked, Fang Mingche, wanting to save trouble, told her it was a picture of the Earth.

Lin Yan suddenly realized, no wonder. She was so excited that she even forgot what day of the week it was.

"Then Auntie, why don't we go take a look together? We can come back and have dinner."

My aunt nodded. "Okay. After hearing about it from your dad, I've been wanting to visit your big courtyard for a while now."

So Yan Yan rode Chang Chang on a mini bicycle with training wheels, and the two of them followed behind.

Changchang even knew to reach out and grab her sister's clothes around her waist to help her sit more steadily.

We'll just go through the alleyways, not the main roads. That way there won't be any cars. Bicycles will also ride slowly, so they can avoid each other. Everyone knows there are many pedestrians in the alleyways; if you ride fast, you might bump into someone when you suddenly turn a corner.

Fang Mingche had no classes in the afternoon, and the travel agency didn't have much to do either, so he came over to check on Master Lei and his team's construction work. He handed out Zhonghua cigarettes to them, telling them to take a puff and rest.

Construction has been underway for 20 days, and everything that needed to be demolished has been removed, with the basic outline restored. The existing buildings have also been inspected, and the main structures are still usable. Therefore, very little needs to be aged or replaced.

With a cigarette between his fingers, Master Lei said to Fang Mingche, "It should be ready in about a month. The furniture is being made by workers at the same time, and we can move it over later."

"That's good. By the time summer vacation starts, the business will have already been open for at least a month."

Master Lei nodded, "In this area, as long as you have all the necessary permits, the business should be quite good for a guesthouse."

Fang Mingche said, "I think so too. With a price tag of over ten thousand, we should at least make up for some of it."

Its future appreciation is a matter for the future; for now, it's best to turn it into a tool for making money. He spent 136,000 to buy it and then spent nearly 10,000 to renovate it. Just leaving it like this is indeed a bit of a loss.

When Fang Mingche saw Ayan and her two children enter with their aunt, he went to greet them, "Auntie's here—"

My aunt looked around and said, "Wow, it's huge!" "Well, the first courtyard will be used as the travel agency's offices, and the two courtyards and two side courtyards will be used as guesthouses. If the travel agency needs more staff later, we'll change the furnishings in the side courtyards and use them as offices."

The main hall in the two courtyards, whether it's the flower hall or the side hall, will be converted into rooms. However, to avoid disrupting the original layout, screens will be used to separate the rooms, leaving a path leading to both rooms.

My aunt nodded, "We need to earn more to make up for it. It's too expensive! Compared to that, the rent for the first house is really cheap."

"After all, we're the ones who pay the bulk of the cost."

The rent for the first room is 2000 a year. The other rooms should bring in around 2000 a month. I'll probably need to buy two more washing machines, otherwise I won't be able to handle all the laundry. I'll also need a dedicated yard to dry the sheets and blankets.

The basic structure of the house is now complete, and the basic model can be seen.

Yan Yan pushed her bicycle over to the model and pointed it out to her younger brother.

Fang Chang was delighted and tried to reach out to grab it, but he was too weak to budge it. So Master Lei handed him a discarded model of a small pavilion to play with.

Seeing that he was about to reach into the model lotus pond to stir it, Lin Yan quickly grabbed his hand. She then took out a fake lotus flower from the model and let him play with it.

He sat there, stuffing the fake lotus flowers into the small pavilion model. When they spilled out, he called to his sister to pick them up and try again.

Lin Yan's aunt toured the place with her and couldn't help but exclaim, "This courtyard is so expensive!"

“We’re not even talking about the price per square meter. My cousin Mingche bought an apartment in Guangzhou last month with an elevator; it cost 700 yuan per square meter.”

If it's 700 per square meter, their house can sell for a million.

My aunt was so shocked she almost bit her lip. "What? 700?"

She could understand the price of a courtyard house for over 100,000 yuan. But the fact that an apartment in Guangzhou with an elevator costs 700 yuan per square meter was beyond her imagination.

"Yes, that's why housing prices in the capital are still relatively cheap."

"Then why is Guangzhou so expensive?"

“Guangzhou and Shanghai are both the most economically developed cities. Moreover, Guangzhou is adjacent to Hong Kong and also to the four special economic zones. I’d like to visit the South during the summer vacation,” Lin Yan said excitedly.

These days, getting a letter of introduction is easy, and the airfare isn't a big deal for her family. She really can go!
Besides, Mingche said he wanted to open shops from north to south, so he could easily take a sleeper train and see them all the way. As for Changchang, Lin Yan glanced at Fang Mingche and decided to let him mentor him, fostering a better father-son relationship. This time, she was going to Shanghai for two days, so she could let him practice.

After dinner, Lin Yan drove her home. Once home, she told Lin Yan's uncle, "I went to see Ayan's new house today; it's really nice."

My uncle said, "Isn't that obvious? It occupies two acres of land and is only a ten-minute walk from the Forbidden City. This must have been the residence of a high-ranking official in the past. How convenient it would have been to go to the morning court! Walking is so convenient! I mean, back then you'd probably have to take a sedan chair or ride a horse. Walking would have been so beneath you!"

Auntie said, "But Ayan said that the price per unit is much cheaper than the apartment with an elevator that my cousin Mingche bought in Guangzhou."

How much in Guangzhou?

My aunt bent her little finger and said, "700, and it's not even finished yet."

"Instead of buying a 100-square-meter apartment in Guangzhou, why not buy a courtyard house in the capital?"

The aunt shook her head. "A courtyard house isn't something you can just buy whenever you want. I heard that Chief Wang got hold of this one because of him. Otherwise, such a nice house is rarely available on the market."

After dinner on the 6th, Fang Mingche drove Lin Yan to the airport. He left Yan Yan at home to play with Changchang.

Yan Yan said, "Isn't Sister Min here?"

“He’s used to playing with his mom at night. If you’re there, he won’t keep crying and looking for his mom. Just tell him that his mom went to take a shower or go to the toilet.”

Yan Yan said, "Can you really fool me for two hours?"

"She's so young, she has no concept of time. Big sister, I'm leaving her in your care tonight."

"Ok."

After her parents left, Changchang, who had been playing with her older sister for a while, started looking for her mother.

Fang Min turned on the bathroom light and then locked the door from the outside. Fang Chang then pounced on the door, wanting to go in and help his mother in the bathroom.

"Mom will be out soon—"

Fang Chang wouldn't listen and kept leaning against the door, shouting and making a scene.

He was making such a racket that no one in the west room could watch TV in peace. Hu Yong asked, "What's going on?"

Song Quan said, "It seems that Teacher Lin went to Shanghai to see his mother."

Han Ping and Fang Mingcheng have moved to the neighboring odd-jobs yard, where a room has become available. They each pay 2.5 yuan in rent.

When someone came out of the west room to use the toilet, Fang Min also told them to use the public toilet.

“The door opened, but my Ninth Aunt wasn’t inside. Changchang wouldn’t be making a scene like this.”

I can still manage to soothe him. I brought the stroller over and let him sit by the toilet door drinking NeiNei while he waits. His older sister is also there to play with, so he can barely stay still.

If the door is opened and he sees that his mother isn't inside, he'll immediately start crying.

The other person nodded, "Oh, okay."

When Fang Mingche returned around 9 o'clock, he saw that his youngest son's eyelids were drooping, but he insisted on not sleeping and was waiting for his mother.

"Still not going to sleep?"

Fang Min whispered, "It should be soon." As she spoke, she continued to walk around and coax the baby to sleep.

After a while, the little guy finally couldn't stay awake any longer and fell asleep. Fang Min said, "Uncle Jiu, should he sleep with me?"

"Never mind, let's just take him back to his crib."

Tonight, it'll just be the two of them sleeping, so naturally, it'll be his job to get up in the middle of the night to prepare and feed them milk. He's only been here for two days; Ah Yan has been here since her mother-in-law left.

Fang Min was staying in the small room in the west wing, and the bed was a bit cramped with the baby. They had to add a crib.

Lin Yan said that teenage girls sleep well and probably won't wake up easily in the middle of the night. So she's been putting the little one to sleep by herself. She's worried that suddenly changing the little one's sleeping place tonight might not be a good idea.

Fang Min finally managed to coax Fang Chang into bed, and then took Yan Yan to wash up and go to sleep. It was past nine o'clock; time to sleep.

Lin Yan called Lao Zhou's house around 10 o'clock to let him know she was safe. Xiao Gang picked her up in his van, and she quickly washed up and went to bed at the old villa.

Fang Mingche almost didn't wake up in the middle of the night. He was only woken up when Fang Chang cried a few times without anyone paying attention, and the crying got louder. He didn't quite react at first.

"Oh, here it comes, here it comes."

He quickly mixed the milk and squeezed a little onto the back of his hand to test the temperature. Luckily, he had done all the preparations before going to bed, so he just needed to mix it now.

However, he had already overslept, and his movements weren't as practiced as Lin Yan's, so Fang Chang ended up crying terribly. Yan Yan and Fang Min were also woken up.

Yan Yan pulled the light cord, rubbed her eyes, and sat up. Seeing that her parents' room light was on, she knew her father was already up, so she went back to sleep.

My little brother has such a loud voice!

Fang Mingche prepared the milk, tested the temperature to make sure it was right, and quickly fed it to his youngest son, who had already sat up on his own. He then pulled the blanket over him.

"You clearly saw me making you milk, and you were still crying so miserably. Couldn't you have waited a bit?"

Fang Chang felt she had been scolded and turned to look at her father with some annoyance and grievance.

Fang Mingche quickly softened his voice, "Eat, eat, eat your fill so you can sleep better."

It's the middle of the night, so the priority is to feed him and put him to sleep. Otherwise, what if he wakes up and asks for his mother?

After much effort, the little guy was finally put to sleep and lay down again. Fang Mingche, however, was kept awake by his antics. For an adult, waking up around 2 AM isn't something you can just fall back asleep on your own.

When he woke up the next day, he was yawning a little, and Yan Yan also said that she hadn't slept well.

"You'll be fine when your mom gets back. If you're sleepy, you can take a nap at school at noon." A child that young has no worries; even if he's woken up, he should fall asleep again quickly.

"My little brother has never cried this loudly before."

"Yeah, Mom's not here, I'm looking for Mom. It's not easy to coax her!" Fang Mingche couldn't really say it was because he overslept, so he could only give a vague answer.

Yan Yan said sincerely, "Dad, you've really worked hard! You've been playing both the role of father and mother these past two days."

Fang Mingche was a little embarrassed. "So I need your help, big sister."

Lin Yan didn't sleep well in Shanghai either; she woke up reflexively around 2 a.m. She turned on the light and turned to look towards the crib, only to see a bedside table.

"Changchang?" I called out before I realized she was in Shanghai on a business trip.

She could only turn off the lights and try to sleep. She fell asleep more easily than Fang Mingche; she was used to it.

The next morning, after washing up and going out, Fang Mingfeng found that the staff had already prepared breakfast. The place was spacious, and with more people coming, he had hired a housekeeper to come and cook three meals a day. Since they hadn't started earning money yet, they wanted to keep everything simple and save money wherever possible.

"Cousin, did you sleep well last night?" Xiao Gang asked.

Lin Yan nodded, "It's alright. I don't know if your brother-in-law can take good care of Changchang."

"It should be fine, right? I think my brother-in-law is taking good care of Yan Yan."

Lin Yan shook her head, "His taking care of Yan Yan is mainly something that happened after I returned to Beijing. Before that, we couldn't really count on him. But it's good for him to get some experience."

Sitting at the same table, Fang Mingfeng laughed and said, "I only started taking care of my two kids when they were older and could understand what adults were saying. We'll set off a string of firecrackers at 8:08 to announce the opening. The Comrade Lin that Mingche introduced said he'd have someone send flower baskets. I've also ordered some, so there will be at least two on each side of the entrance. I wonder how business will go on the opening day."

He ordered the flower basket in his own name to add some popularity.

Lin Yan said, "It should be alright. Today we're going to the airport to attract tourists on international routes. Some tourists will also be flying in from the capital."

They participated in a five-day tour of the capital and then traveled to five provinces in East China. These guests all chose to fly, saving time and following the crowd. As for traveling by water, that's not yet open. Water transport will be delayed by two days; there aren't many commercial vehicles available these days.

They've already reserved rooms for the Friendship Hotel in Shanghai through connections. Guests arriving from the capital will be taken directly there. For those needing customers at the airport, they'll have to actively solicit them. Oh, and by the way, one or two tourists each from Tokyo, London, and Paris are also flying in at different times.

All of this requires Reiko, the office manager, to coordinate and manage everything. In short, the guests cannot be kept waiting, and no guest can be missed.

Lingzi said, "I also think it should be alright. The first time, when Teacher Fang and Teacher Qiu went to the Capital International Airport to solicit customers, I had absolutely no confidence."

She stayed in the office, genuinely unsure if any business would even open. Thankfully, it was a great start!

Lin Yan smiled and said, "Everything is difficult at the beginning, but it will be much easier if you have a foundation. Okay, let's go set off firecrackers after we eat."

Fang Mingche wasn't feeling well in the morning, so he decided to skip those two classes. He planned to catch up on sleep in bed with Fang Chang, who had already had her morning milk and gone back to sleep.

Fang Min said, "Ninth Uncle, let Changchang sleep outside."

Otherwise, if Uncle Jiu is inside, and Changchang needs a diaper change after pooping or peeing, she won't be able to go in.

"Row!"

Around noon, Lin Yan called to say that business was going well and the group had been successfully formed. Both vans were full, and they would begin their East China tour tomorrow.

Fang Mingche said, "That's not bad. Tell them that the other two cars will have to be earned in Shanghai. The capital needs to save money for the American stores."

It's March now, so in two more months, after May Day, Lingzi can go there. In another two weeks, after I've taken care of the office manager in Shanghai, she should come back to apply for her visa. Her passport, however, will be ready before the new year.

(End of this chapter)