1994: Starting with unpaid leave

Every year before the Spring Festival, almost every household has the same little plan as Dong Jianguo and his wife.

After being rebuffed by Jianguo Xiuyun, Zhou Xiuqing, the second sister, returned home and couldn't help but complain to her husband as she took off her cotton-padded coat:

"I told you I couldn't borrow money from Xiuyun, but you still insisted I go and borrow it myself! I've lost all face!"

"The way you're saying that makes it sound like I never borrowed money! What's so shameful about borrowing money?!"

Zhang Jinlong had been trading stocks for two months, with more losses than wins. The money he had borrowed had shrunk to a third of its original value. When he heard that his wife hadn't been able to borrow any money from her sister either, his eyes immediately turned red.

"Xiuyun won't lend it, so what about Jianguo?! He won't lend it either? Didn't you tell him about my money-making scheme?!"

"I told them, but they clearly didn't believe me. What could I do?!"

Zhou Xiuqing glared:

"Look at you! When you were making money, you wouldn't sell, you insisted on waiting. Now look what happened! Not only did you not make any money, you even lost a lot..."

"Alright, alright, stop nagging! I was just trying to make more money to break even! Who knew that stock would be so weak! It only went up for a few days and then it all went down... I'm even more annoyed than you are!"

As Zhang Jinlong spoke, he picked up his water glass, intending to take a sip.

But when he brought the cup to his lips, he realized there wasn't even any saliva in it.

He tossed his water glass onto the table and couldn't help but complain:

"People really do change once they have money! Even when Jian Guo and his wife were poor, they weren't this stingy!"

"They run such a big factory, make so much money, what's wrong with lending us a little?! They'd rather spend their money playing games on the radio than lend us any, damn it..."

Zhang Jinlong grew angrier the more he thought about it, and couldn't help but sit down and curse.

Zhou Xiuqing was also annoyed: "Hey, hey, stop swearing! Isn't Xiuyun's mom my mom too?!"

"Then what do you suggest?! How about we borrow some more from my older sister?!"

"Come on, you haven't even paid back what you borrowed last time! My brother-in-law may be a government official, but he's not in charge of printing money. Where is he going to find so much money to lend you?!"

With yet another path blocked, Zhang Jinlong became even more frustrated.

"This money-making opportunity is right in front of you! That stock is bound to skyrocket after the New Year! If you don't buy more now, it'll be too late! Why are you acting like nothing's wrong?!"

Zhou Xiuqing snorted coldly: "What's the use of being anxious now? You can't just conjure money out of thin air! If I were you, I'd just sit back and wait. You'll have money after the New Year!"

Upon hearing the unexpected turn of events, a look of joy immediately appeared on Zhang Jinlong's face:

"Wife, what do you mean?!"

"Are you stupid?! This year, Mom and Dad will definitely receive gifts from the third brother's family for Chinese New Year. I'll talk to them about it then, and maybe we can borrow some..."

"Wow, you always have a way!"

Upon hearing this, Zhang Jinlong was so excited that he stood up, hugged his wife, and kissed her twice on the cheek.

Zhou Xiuqing impatiently pushed him away: "Get out of my way, get the hell away from me! Let me tell you, you better make sure this one works, or you won't be able to explain it to your parents..."

"Don't worry, honey, I'm really accurate at predicting stocks now!"

……

Not only Xiuyun's second sister's family, but also Dong Jianguo's eldest brother's family were holding a family meeting.

Old man Dong Xuewen smoked several cigarettes in a row, filling the room with smoke, which made Zhang Guifen look very dissatisfied.

"If you keep having these spasms, I think you'll get sick sooner or later!"

"This is my only hobby... So what if I'm sick? If I really get sick, my family will pay for my treatment..."

Upon hearing her father-in-law's words, Dong Jianguo's sister-in-law, Liang Qiuyue, immediately sneered.

"Dad, it's hard to say. Jian Guo has made so much money and has connections with the provincial railway bureau. He won't even say a word to his older brother. To put it bluntly, if you really get sick, I doubt he'll be willing to pay for your treatment!"

The eldest brother, Dong Baoguo, frowned and glared at his wife:

"What are you saying?! That's not what I'm talking about!"

"Oh my god, I'm really speechless. He treated you like that, and you're still defending him?! You're such a close friend of Dong Jianguo, but he doesn't even give you a second glance!"

"Putting everything else aside, he earns so much money now, but how many times has he actually come to our house?!"

Dong Baoguo stammered, "He...he was just busy with business!"

"Busy? Busy my ass! The last time I went to his house, the two of them were just relaxing at home, living in their new apartment, warmed by the radiators, having a blast. Who cares who we are!"

Hearing his wife say this, Dong Baoguo was at a loss. He got up, took the cigarette case from his father Dong Xuewen, and lit one for himself.

"Qiuyue, you can't say that. Jian Guo might have his own reasons..."

Zhang Guifen couldn't help but recall what her youngest son had said downstairs last time.

She often thinks about those words these days.

The eldest son is a bit soft-hearted and listens to his wife in everything.

My current official position is low-ranking, so there's not much of a kickback to be had, which doesn't really matter.

If he actually climbs up there, and his wife eggs him on, he might really cause a big mess!

Now, the more she thinks about it, the more she realizes it makes sense.

But she dared not tell anyone this truth...

"Oh, Mom, don't try to make excuses for Dong Jianguo! If you ask me, that's just the kind of person the third son is—he can only share hardship, not prosperity!"

"Alright, alright, I'll try to persuade the older and younger family members again when the whole family is together during the Lunar New Year."

Father Dong Xuewen frowned and stubbed out his cigarette in the ashtray.

"I refuse to believe it! The eldest son of the Dong family got into the system, and they're all brothers. Do you really think they'd just stand by and do nothing?!"

"Dad, what if Jian Guo really doesn't help?!"

"If Jian Guo won't help, then there's Hu Guo! He runs a small shop at the school, and he makes quite a bit of money each semester. If Bao Guo is short of money for gifts, then Hu Guo can cover it!"

"If he really gets promoted, how come he won't be able to earn that money back?! You can just pay him back then!"

Liang Qiuyue frowned:

"Dad, you can't say that. Giving gifts to leaders isn't always a sure thing."

Dong Baoguo was getting impatient:

"Alright, what's wrong? My brother gave me the money, and you expect me to just take it for free?! My second brother's family isn't well-off either; their child needs money right now..."

Liang Qiuyue glared:

"What? You think it's easy for us?! We have elderly parents to support and young children to raise. Have I ever complained about how tough it is?! Don't our kids cost money?!"

"Your promotion is clearly an honor for the entire Dong family, so why should you, as the eldest brother, have to foot the bill?!"

Seeing that the discussion was about to end in another argument, Dong Xuewen tapped the table:

"Alright, let's wait for the second and third brothers to arrive, then I'll talk to them myself!"