1994: Starting with unpaid leave

My older brother's dining table is an old-fashioned square table with rounded corners tucked under the table. With a little force, it can be turned into a round table, making the table much more spacious.

With the help of her mother and older sister Dong Shaoying, the table was soon filled with steaming hot food.

The table was laden with braised pork ribs, their colors a deep red and their aroma rich and savory; tender pork ribs stewed with potatoes; and Northeastern-style sauerkraut stewed with pork ribs. The men of the Dong family stared in disbelief at the entire feast of pork ribs.

Although living conditions are much better now than in previous years, it is still difficult for a working-class family to eat so much meat all at once.

Good meat goes well with good wine. Brother Dong Baoguo picked up the two bottles of Yulin Daqu liquor given to him by Wu Qianzhu and looked at Dong Jianguo with a smile:

"Mom said this wine was a gift for you. It looks quite old; this gift is no small matter. You better not get corrupted!"

The eldest brother is ten years older than Dong Jianguo. When he was young, he took over his father Dong Xuewen's job and entered the railway maintenance section. Now he is a section chief, managing seven or eight railway workers. He is also the only junior leader among the four children of the Dong family.

Although it was a joke, he still didn't forget to give his youngest brother a little nudge.

Dong Jianguo chuckled: "I'm just an ordinary worker, how low could I possibly fall!"

He was a little worried that everyone would keep asking him questions, and if Xiuyun, who wasn't very good at lying, was found out, everyone might find out that he had been suspended from his job at the factory, which would ruin the meal. So he quickly changed the subject:

"Second brother, why didn't sister-in-law and Yangyang come?"

"Your sister-in-law had class this afternoon and didn't have time to come back, so she took Yangyang to eat at the tutoring center..." Second Brother Dong Weiguo explained somewhat awkwardly.

As soon as he finished speaking, his elder brother winked at Dong Jianguo, and his elder sister Dong Shaoying kicked Dong Jianguo under the table.

Actually, Dong Jianguo regretted his words as soon as they left his mouth. Because of his father's preference for sons over daughters, his second sister-in-law Zheng Rui, who was a teacher at the Third Middle School, and Yangyang rarely came here. His question was completely unnecessary.

Seeing Dong Jianguo's embarrassment, Zhou Xiuyun helped change the subject, pulling her sister-in-law Dong Shaoying aside and asking, "Sister, why did you come alone? Why didn't you bring the child?"

"Your brother-in-law is away on a business trip or training, and my mother-in-law is worried that I can't manage on my own, so she asked me to send the child to her place..."

"I see... Don't you want children?"

"I want to, but I don't want to. When that little guy is around, he's incredibly annoying, but when he's really gone, all I see when I close my eyes is him... I can't really explain this feeling, you'll understand when you become a mother. Right, Mom?"

"You bet! I was thinking that Jian Guo hadn't come to see your dad and me in ages, but he came with all this pork ribs. It kept me busy all morning, I was so annoyed and tired. I thought to myself, it would have been better if he hadn't come at all!"

"Hahaha……"

Zhang Guifen's words made her children at the table burst into laughter, and even her usually taciturn father, Dong Xuewen, looked at his wife with a smile.

Soon, the pork rib feast began in a pleasant atmosphere.

Zhang Guifen's cooking skills are absolutely worthy of the spare ribs that Dong Jianguo bought.

She prepared several main dishes with perfect color, aroma, and taste. The meat on the ribs, with its fatty edges, could be easily sucked off the bone and melted in the mouth without needing to be chewed, releasing a burst of juice...

The eldest grandson, Dong Xiaojun, was almost overwhelmed by the aroma after the first bite. Once he recovered, he opened his mouth wide and opened it so fast that he didn't dare to stop.

Compared to children's directness, adults are much more reserved.

The men sipped their wine and ate their meat, chatting occasionally as they paused to enjoy themselves.

"There was a worker in my section who quit his job last month. I heard he went south to do business and made a lot of money, earning over ten thousand a month!"

"What, did he go rob a bank?"

"Dad, you can't say that. It seems like the social atmosphere has really changed recently. Our factory's accountant said that the factory is out of money right now, and next month's wages may be delayed for a while... Many skilled workers in the factory have chosen to take unpaid leave and go to the south."

"Nonsense! Even the No. 1 Machine Tool Factory in Qiqihar can default on wages? That was a key national project back then!"

Sister Dong Shaoying shook her head in rebuttal:

"Dad, I can only say that times have changed... Zhenglong told me that in the past, workers had secure jobs and good social standing, but things may be very different in the future."

"What? He dares to look down on the workers?"

"That's not what Zhenglong meant. He believes that people still need to have a skill and can't just live on a salary. He said, 'Relying on mountains will lead to their collapse, relying on people will lead to their departure...'"

Dong Xuewen glared at him, almost slamming his fist on the table:

"Bullshit! Is this how a high school teacher works? How many students would he corrupt?! And was he pointing that out to you?!"

Dong Shaoying was taken aback: "What are you referring to me for?"

"Is he trying to run away?!"

The eldest brother chuckled, "Dad, don't worry. With Wang Zhenglong's skinny arms and legs, my second brother and I could easily drag him back!"

"Brother, what are you saying? Zhenglong isn't that kind of person! He's been so good to me..."

Dong Jianguo mainly ate and listened at the dinner table, with no intention of saying anything.

The novel things these older brothers were talking about weren't news to him. With the shift from a planned economy to a market economy, those who dared to be the first to try something new always made their first fortune.

Even if the short-term, high-yield opportunities are already reserved, the overall transformation of society is such a massive undertaking that as long as one focuses on a particular direction, one can always manage to gain some benefits.

He was quite grateful to his brother-in-law, Wang Zhenglong.

Wang Zhenglong is a history teacher at Hecheng No. 1 Middle School. He has a refined appearance, writes beautiful calligraphy and paintings, and is knowledgeable about both ancient and modern times, with a keen eye for knowledge.

In my past life, it was this brother-in-law who suggested that I go to Shenzhen to develop my career. Before I left, he even secretly gave me 3000 yuan for travel expenses.

As it turned out, I actually made the right move.

My brother-in-law is good at giving advice to others, but when it comes to his own, it doesn't work as well.

Over the years, besides being a teacher, I have also tried to start my own business, but I have failed repeatedly. In the end, my life can only be described as uneventful.

It seems I have a chance to repay the kindness from my past life in this one...

"Jianguo, Xiuyun, how's your fine knitting and weaving factory doing?"

Upon hearing his father's question, Dong Jianguo put down his chopsticks and replied, "It's alright, anyway, I'm quite relaxed now. I plan to take advantage of my free time to try some side hustles."

I work one day on and two days off, so I'm not very busy. Revealing my plans in advance will give my family some time to prepare.

Little did anyone know that the father, Dong Xuewen, was not focused on this at all: "It's good that you're not busy. If you're not busy, see when Xiuyun has time to take her to the hospital to see your Uncle Zhang and ask him to help determine whether she's carrying a boy or a girl..."

"He said the hospital has new equipment, and it's very accurate."

As soon as the father finished speaking, the second brother, who was sitting next to Dong Jianguo, tilted his head back and downed his glass of wine in one gulp...