RIRW – Chapter 87

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Zuo Dan felt that this telephone was most likely exchanged for another quota. Otherwise, why would they suddenly install a telephone in the village?

So, once again, Shen Yiming had managed to make a deal where he profited without any risk. She had no idea how he operated these quotas—Du Juan had exchanged hers, and yet he could still use it to get something in return. She had to ask him about it later and learn a trick or two. She was self-aware enough to know that while she could manipulate people in small ways, when it came to handling major schemes, she was just a tiny bit behind Shen Yiming.

Some things simply required talent. At the end of the day, she was just a bit more naive than Shen Yiming, so it was only natural that she was slightly inferior in this aspect.

Meanwhile, in the provincial capital, Du Juan completed the necessary paperwork and moved out of the dormitory-style apartment that very same day, handing the keys over to the Zhou family couple.

The Zhou family was thrilled to receive the keys and eagerly prepared to renovate the house so that their eldest son could get married as soon as possible. However, when they returned the next day, they found someone already living in the house.

Upon inquiry, they discovered that the house belonged to the Bureau of Culture and that the current occupants were staff members of the bureau. The Zhou couple was ready to make a huge scene, but then the occupants presented their property ownership documents. They were officials from the Bureau of Culture, and this house had been allocated to them as part of the bureau’s employee benefits.

Unlike typical state-owned enterprises, where allocated housing remained the property of the company and could only be used but not sold, government-assigned housing was different—once allocated, it belonged to the recipient. If the owner passed away without heirs, the house would be reclaimed. The small-time official from the Bureau of Culture explained that this house had originally belonged to Comrade Shen Yuehong, who had passed away. Her son had then donated the property back to the bureau, and all the legal paperwork was in order.

“This is impossible! We even got an official certification from the Housing Authority!” The Zhou couple was dumbfounded. However, given that the officials had the legitimate property documents, they didn’t dare to cause a scene and immediately rushed to the Housing Authority for clarification.

The staff member at the Housing Authority frowned when they arrived. “We were just about to notify you. The person you brought in claiming to be the homeowner—are you sure they weren’t a fraud? We contacted the Bureau of Culture, and their records show that the property was never under the name of Wei Guohua. It has always belonged to the Bureau of Culture and has now been allocated to one of their officials. Your certification is invalid, and we will also be investigating the official who issued it. This is a clear case of fraud!”

Madam Zhou almost fainted on the spot. But she quickly pulled herself together. The Shao family had introduced them to a fraud? This was outrageous!

Enraged, they stormed out of the Housing Authority and went straight to the coal yard to confront the Shao family. If they couldn’t get the house, they at least had to get their jobs back. It was unacceptable that they had been swindled out of both!

Upon reaching the coal yard, they headed straight to the family quarters and confronted the Shao family.

The resulting uproar led Shao Aijun’s mother to finally understand what had happened—her son’s fiancée’s family had scammed the Zhou family out of a job position. And now, the Zhou family had come for payback.

Shao Aijun’s mother was not one to take losses lying down. She immediately called for her son to return home and took the Zhou couple to confront the Wei family. The daughter-in-law hadn’t even officially married into the family yet, and she was already bringing trouble from her maternal home—what kind of woman was this? Shao Aijun’s mother began to have serious doubts about Wei Jingren, who had initially seemed like a well-mannered girl.

As the Zhou couple was making a scene at the workers’ union, Xu Dapeng happened to pass by and stopped to watch. Remembering Shen Yiming’s previous instructions, he secretly approached Madam Zhou and whispered, “We’re all coal yard workers. Seeing you like this, I really feel bad for you. But coal yards have their own rules—there’s no way you’ll get your jobs back, and that house is as good as lost. The only thing you can do now is to demand compensation.”

Madam Zhou’s eyes turned red. “How much money are we talking about?”

Xu Dapeng raised two fingers. “At least two thousand.”

Madam Zhou’s eyes widened in shock. Two thousand? Even if she sold herself, she wouldn’t get that much! She and her husband earned fifty yuan a month together, but they had a big family to support. Living in the city was expensive, and they also had to send money back to their hometown occasionally. Saving money was nearly impossible.

Seeing her hesitation, Xu Dapeng added, “You don’t know this, but Wei Jingren’s family used to be high-ranking officials. They have money!”

Now that she had a target, Madam Zhou became even more aggressive in her demands.

Shao Aijun, now completely overwhelmed by the Zhou couple’s relentless pestering, had no choice but to take them to the Wei family.

At this point, he was also starting to resent Du Juan and Wei Guohua. He felt sorry for Wei Jingren—how unlucky was she to have such manipulative parents? All this just to get their younger children back into the city?

Since he had helped them find their current rental home, he knew exactly where they lived. Taking a bus and then walking for a bit, they soon arrived at the rural outskirts of the city.

Du Juan and Wei Guohua were renting a traditional courtyard house in a farming village. Though it wasn’t as clean as the city, the house itself was quite decent—made of blue bricks and tiles, spacious, and affordable in rent.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Du Juan was in the middle of cooking when she heard loud knocking at the courtyard gate, accompanied by Shao Aijun’s voice. She rushed to open the door.

As soon as the door swung open, the Zhou couple barged in. Madam Zhou grabbed Du Juan and slapped her across the face, screaming, “You liar! You stole our jobs! I’ll kill you!”

Immediately, she and Du Juan got into a scuffle.

“Auntie Zhou, don’t be impulsive! Let’s talk this through properly first,” Shao Aijun quickly stepped in to pull them apart. However, Old Zhou blocked him, saying, “There’s nothing to discuss. Either give us the house, or return our jobs!”

Du Juan had never fought before. The best she could do was secretly trip people up or hide a dagger behind a smile. But facing Auntie Zhou, who was used to hard labor and was not afraid to make a scene, she was completely outmatched. She was beaten so badly that she couldn’t even fight back.

Fortunately, Wei Guohua, who had been napping inside, heard the commotion and rushed out. Seeing what was happening, he stomped his foot and shouted, “What are you all doing? If you don’t stop right now, I’m calling the police!”

“Go ahead and call them! I was going to call the police on you two scammers anyway!” Auntie Zhou yelled back.

Wei Guohua, who had at least been a cadre in the past, was now being called a scammer. His face darkened like ink. “When did I ever scam anyone? Don’t falsely accuse me!”

“You still won’t admit it? Do you think we’re fools? That house never belonged to you—it was someone else’s, and now it’s been returned to the Culture Bureau! The bureau has even arranged for someone to live there, and they have a proper property deed! No wonder you couldn’t show us any proof—it turns out you never had any in the first place! We even went to the Housing Authority, and they confirmed that you’re scammers! They checked with the Culture Bureau, and that house was never yours!”

“Impossible!” Wei Guohua’s expression changed dramatically.

“Why would I lie to you? If the house was fine, I would be busy moving right now! But now, what are we supposed to do? The mine refuses to give us our jobs back, and we’ve lost everything! You two must give us an explanation today!” Auntie Zhou was furious.

Du Juan’s face turned pale as she looked at Wei Guohua. Seeing that he was just as shocked, she realized he himself didn’t even understand the situation. She could only turn to Shao Aijun for help.

Shao Aijun awkwardly said, “Auntie, I don’t know the full details either, but it’s true that the mine can’t return their jobs. So maybe you two should at least clarify the house situation. If that house really isn’t Uncle Wei’s, you need to find a way to make things right.”

“I don’t believe it! That house is mine! How could it belong to the Culture Bureau?” Wei Guohua shouted, his face flushed.

“If you don’t believe it, then come with us and see for yourself! You must give us an explanation today! Otherwise, we’ll all go to the police!” Auntie Zhou insisted.

Shao Aijun also wanted this matter settled. If it wasn’t, it would cause trouble for his own family too. If the Zhou family went to his house to make a scene, how would he live in peace? He didn’t even think the Zhou family was being unreasonable—after all, they had genuinely suffered losses. But the Wei family had handled this in a completely dishonest way. Scamming acquaintances like this—wasn’t that just making trouble for him?

“Uncle, Auntie, let’s go and clarify things. This situation isn’t helping anyone.”

Du Juan, with her hair in a mess and scratches on her face, was already in turmoil over the house situation. Seeing that even Wei Guohua was unreliable, she had no choice but to agree. They needed to get to the bottom of this first.

So the group took a bus to the tube-shaped apartment building. When they arrived, the new occupants were already annoyed by their visit. The female homeowner directly pulled out the property deed.

“This house was allocated to us by our unit, and the Housing Authority officially transferred it to us. Everything is legal! Making a fuss here won’t help. If you have a problem, go argue with the Housing Authority or the Culture Bureau. Either way, this house is ours now.”

Wei Guohua stared blankly at the property deed. He had no idea that this house had been returned to the Culture Bureau.

“Old Wei, what is going on?” Du Juan asked anxiously. Everything had been settled—how had such a huge problem suddenly come up?

Wei Guohua was completely out of it. He thought back to more than twenty years ago, right here in this house, when Shen Yuehong had happily told him on their wedding day that the Culture Bureau had allocated this house to him. But she had kept the property deed herself, saying she had to manage their household.

At the time, he hadn’t cared much, since he was already overshadowed by Shen Yuehong at work. He hadn’t asked too many questions. After all, she had married him, so she would have to listen to him in the future.

But it turned out Shen Yuehong had deceived him from the start!

“Old Wei, say something!” Du Juan anxiously tugged at him.

“Whatever you need to say, say it outside. We need to tidy up our house,” the new homeowner said, ushering them all out and shutting the door behind them.

Wei Guohua was still in a daze. No matter how much Du Juan pulled at him, he didn’t respond. But Auntie Zhou wasn’t willing to wait any longer. “What are you planning to do about this house?”

Seeing that Wei Guohua was useless in this situation, and feeling pressured by Auntie Zhou, Du Juan had no choice but to stall. “How about this? When my children come back, their workplace will allocate them housing. I’ll have them let you stay there.”

“Ha! Wishful thinking! If that were an option, why would I have given up my job for your family? I could have just kept it for my own daughter!”

“Auntie, I can see you’re a reasonable person. Guohua and I really don’t have any options right now. We’re just as confused about this house situation as you are. Since you’re so understanding, please don’t pressure us. We will definitely find a way to compensate you.” Du Juan put on a fake smile, hoping to buy some time. As long as she could stall the Zhou couple for now, she could figure something out once her children returned to the city.

Unfortunately, Auntie Zhou wasn’t falling for it. She had already taken Xu Dapeng’s advice—if they had money, they could buy an even bigger house. Then their family wouldn’t have to worry about housing ever again. Why should she trust this woman’s empty promises?

She gritted her teeth and said, “No way! I don’t believe a word you say anymore! Either you compensate us with a house right now, or we go straight to the police! The guarantee letter is still at the Housing Authority—that’s evidence of your scam!”

Du Juan’s face changed drastically. She hadn’t expected this old woman to be so unyielding. Forcing herself to stay patient, she said, “The house is gone now. I have no way to compensate you.”

“Then give us money!” Old Man Zhou interjected.

Old Woman Zhou immediately followed up, “Yes, money! If you don’t pay, we’ll go straight to the police station. I’ve heard about you—you’re officials with bad reputations. It’d be a good time to let the police investigate you thoroughly!”

Wei Guohua finally snapped out of his daze. Seeing the commotion before him and realizing they might be dragged to the police station, he felt utterly humiliated. He grabbed Du Juan’s arm and said, “Just give them the money!”

As long as money could solve the problem, Du Juan was willing to endure it. Clenching her teeth, she said, “Fine, I’ll go withdraw 300 yuan and give it to you.”

“Three hundred?” Old Woman Zhou scoffed. “Try buying two jobs with 300 yuan! Just one of our salaries was 50 yuan a month. In a year, that’s already more than 300!”

The residents of the communal building had come out to watch the spectacle. Hearing that 300 yuan was being offered in exchange for two jobs, they pointed and laughed.

Being ridiculed in public, Du Juan was both furious and ashamed. She felt she had never been humiliated like this in her life. “Then how much do you want?” she asked through gritted teeth.

“Two thousand, not a cent less. Otherwise, we go to the police. And not just you—Old Shao’s family too. They arranged this deal, so they have to take responsibility.”

Shao Aijun, who had been standing aside, turned red with embarrassment. “Auntie, let’s just settle this here. If this goes to the police, it won’t be easy to get out of.”

“Two thousand is too much,” Du Juan hissed, struggling to maintain her composure. Her family’s total savings barely exceeded two thousand. If she handed it all over, how would she and Wei Guohua survive?

Old Woman Zhou was instantly displeased. She hadn’t even asked for more than what Xu Dapeng suggested. Xu Dapeng had said two thousand was enough to buy a new house, and she’d only asked for that much. Yet this woman was still unwilling? Enraged, she lunged at Du Juan, shouting, “If you don’t have money, we’re going to the police!” She also called out to Old Man Zhou, “Old man, grab her husband! Don’t let him run!”

Old Man Zhou quickly moved to seize Wei Guohua. Seeing this, Wei Guohua panicked. If he ended up at the police station, he would never be able to face anyone again. If his old colleagues saw him, he wouldn’t even want to live anymore. Desperate, he shouted at Du Juan, “Give them the money! Just pay them already!”

“Brother Yiming, we got the money. Tomorrow, I’ll take them to buy a house. Heh, a random little house will do, and we’ll still have money left over. We can treat ourselves to a few good meals,” Xu Xiaoqiang boasted as he pulled out the cash in a private dining room at a restaurant.

Xu Dapeng added, “Heh, the local officials even called our coal yard to discuss this. They said that Wei Xiaojun and Wei Xiaohong used to be cadres’ family members. Back then, they even sent a banner to the provincial government for this matter. If they return to the city now, it would go against the policy of sending cadre children to the countryside. Plus, Wei Guohua was punished because of this whole situation. If they go back now, how would the provincial leaders save face?

“But most importantly, they don’t think these two have shown outstanding performance, so they don’t qualify to return. That means their return request was denied. Our leader, not wanting to offend the provincial officials, decided to hire new people instead. One of them is Zhang Baoshu, transferred from the coal yard at Dahe Commune. The other is a former educated youth from the countryside, whose family works at the provincial post office. The post office was grateful, so they even installed two more telephones for our coal mine! Hahaha!”

“Brother, come on, let’s drink to that!” Xu Xiaoqiang excitedly clinked glasses with Shen Yiming. He deeply admired this brother of his. Just look at how smoothly everything had gone! Without even lifting a finger, he had completely played the Wei family.

Today, when he saw the Zhou family, Old Woman Zhou had been bragging about how she had beaten Du Juan up. It was clear she had thoroughly enjoyed taking her revenge.

The three of them clinked glasses and downed their drinks in one go.

After drinking, they continued eating and chatting. Xu Dapeng suddenly asked, “By the way, Yiming, why didn’t you get a coal mine job for Comrade Zuo Dan? That way, she could move to the city too.”

Shen Yiming chuckled and shook his head. “She doesn’t want to move to the city just yet. She wants to stay home and take care of her parents for a while. We’re getting married next year anyway, so there’s no rush.” He had no intention of letting Dandan go to a place like the coal mine.

Xu Dapeng took another sip of his drink and nodded. “That makes sense. But I was surprised you got Zhang Baoshu transferred here. Even if you wanted Secretary Zhang’s help in stopping the Wei kids from returning, you didn’t have to bring Zhang Baoshu in.”

“I’ve been meaning to get him here for a long time,” Shen Yiming said with a smirk. “That guy has a terrible reputation. He’s been harassing women back home. Didn’t he even assault a female educated youth before? I had to bring him here to keep him from causing more harm. And if the opportunity arises…” He trailed off, flashing a knowing smile.

Xu Dapeng curled his lips, clearly not believing that Shen Yiming was doing this because some female comrades had been bullied. It was most likely because of what he had mentioned to Shen Yiming before—Zhang Baoshu had been pestering Comrade Zuo Dan. But regardless of the reason, Zhang Baoshu was indeed not a good person. Back at the commune, because he was Secretary Zhang’s eldest nephew, he acted like a local tyrant and was difficult to deal with. Now that he had come to their territory, wasn’t he just walking into a trap? So, he clinked his glass with Shen Yiming’s, showing his support.

Xu Xiaoqiang looked at the two curiously. “Bro, what are you guys talking about? I can’t quite follow.”

Shen Yiming smiled and patted him. “Nothing much, just preparing to take care of the comrades coming from the local area. Xiaoqiang, you put in a lot of effort for this matter. I’m treating you to this meal today. Keep the money and spend it on yourself. When you ask people to do things, you always need to make trips, and you can’t always rely on your aunt’s connections at the housing management office. You have to give them something in return. Relationships last longer when there’s mutual exchange—you can’t just use them casually.”

Xu Xiaoqiang felt like he had learned something new and nodded enthusiastically. “Bro, I’ll listen to you! I’ll go buy some things and send them over later.”

After finishing their meal and drinks, Shen Yiming insisted on paying the bill before parting ways with Xu Dapeng and the others to return to work.

Back at his workplace, Shen Yiming received a call from the provincial post office. The caller specifically informed him that they had coordinated with the county post office. In support of local development, after evaluating the situation, they determined that the geographical location of the Zuo Family Production Team in Dahe Commune was excellent and very suitable for installing a telephone, which would greatly benefit rural development. Therefore, they had decided to install the phone there. Additionally, to save on materials, the telephone would only be installed in the house closest to the main road within the production team.

Shen Yiming smiled and said, “The leadership’s decision is very wise.”

“What kind of decision is this? I just don’t understand it at all.” Over at Dahe Commune, Secretary Zhang, upon receiving the call from the county post office, was utterly baffled. Back when their commune got a telephone, they had to beg and pull strings in all directions just to get a single unit installed. The entire commune had only one phone.

And now, out of nowhere, Zuo Family Production Team was getting one. He had no idea what made their location so special. Sure, they had been performing well recently, but that was only in the short term—nothing too outstanding in the past. How did they suddenly catch the county’s attention? No, not even just the county—the provincial authorities. The county post office had said this was an order from higher up.

What puzzled him even more was that to “save materials,” the phone could only be installed in the house closest to the main road. Usually, for convenience, wouldn’t the phone be installed in the production team’s office? At the very least, it should go in the team leader’s house.

They could install the telephone, but they couldn’t spare a bit of extra wiring? Strange.

Secretary Zhang thought about it for a long time but couldn’t figure it out. Though he was confused, he had no choice but to support the county post office’s work. He quickly notified Zuo Shuisheng and the others to get ready—prepare food and drinks to host the county post office staff and decide which household would have the phone installed.

This wasn’t something he needed to handle personally. He just sent a junior staff member from the commune on a bicycle to deliver the message.

For this kind of “good news delivery” task, the staff member moved quickly. Even on a rickety old bicycle, he pedaled like the wind, kicking up dust along the way. Soon, he arrived at the Zuo Family Production Team and found Zuo Shuisheng working in the fields.

“What? We’re getting a telephone?” Zuo Shuisheng shouted in excitement.

The staff member hesitated. “…Yes, but don’t get too worked up.”

“How can I not be excited? This is such a great thing! I need to hold a meeting later to make sure everyone in the village knows about this good news!” Wow, Yiming really followed through! He said he’d get a phone installed, and he actually made it happen!

That afternoon, after the villagers finished work, Zuo Shuisheng gathered everyone for a meeting. But first, at noon, he had to make a trip to Zuo Dacheng’s house to inform him personally. After all, this great thing that his son-in-law had done had to be credited under Zuo Dacheng’s name!