"What!?" Chen Yuanming frowned and looked at his parent's expressions carefully. It didn't seem like they were joking so he couldn't help asking, "What happened to their family? Even if they have moved, how could I not be informed?"
Wang Juan struggled for half a minute, and finally reluctantly opened her mouth, "You are still young, Doudou, and you don't know the dirty things between adults. I didn't want to talk about it but ... maybe around the beginning of last year, Sun Jun's messy relationships with women in the factory broke out, and the couple had a big quarrel. They smashed the office of the branch factory, and everyone found out. Later, they divorced, and the children were given to Liu Yun. As she still had half of the family property, she resigned and took her two children back to her hometown. Affected by this incident, Sun Jun was also demoted and has currently been transferred to the branch factory as the workshop director. How can he manage to ... "
Chen Yuanming frowned. He didn't expect this. How could they get divorced?!! There were too few women who would choose to divorce in 1993. Besides, even if they were gone, how could they not leave any contact information? When Yuanming left back then, he had left San Lang a letter. If Aunt Liu really wanted to leave, she would have found a way to keep in touch with him ...
Seeing her son's frowning brows, Wang Juan couldn't help saying, "Don't think so much, I had said that those two people were not good things, why bother tangling with their family, you don't know how Sun Jun behaved back then. Don't even mention it, it was so awkward. Liu Yun too, how can you make a little money and disregard your family. Her ambitious heart had flared out and almost dragged our family into the water. No one forced her to leave but because they were having a hard time on their own, they didn't want to think about their children. Er Mao had already passed the first high school exam and had been admitted... "
"Mother!" Chen Yuanming could not help but interrupt his mother's gossip. He remembered that when his mother had scolded him in the past, she had let slip that Sun Jun's reputation in the factory was unbearable. After Liu Yun found out, she did not choose to be as patient as most women at this time, but instead simply filed for divorce. This was not good. While it was a crisp and extremely straightforward action, under the conservative social atmosphere at this time, it had become a typical example of a lack of womanly virtue ...
But how could he explain such a thing. Suppressing the anger in his stomach, Chen Yuanming took a deep breath and asked again, "When Aunt Liu left, did she leave any contact information? Sun Lang has such a good relationship with me. There should have been a letter ... "
Wang Juan's eyes dodged for a moment, and she didn't dare to look directly into her son's eyes. They had done a big thing and he had become scarily serious, making her panic. Her husband had thrown away those letters at the time, and she had also raised her hands in agreement. This family's influence was too bad. Who knew what else will happen if they continued to associate with them, it was better to break it off!
At this time, Chen Jianhua also said, "That family was in trouble, would they still remember you? Anyway, no harm has occurred. Also, about the house, I'll discuss it again with your mother later, so don't worry about it! Hurry up and eat!!"
His words were so rigid and inflexible that it couldn't hide the fact that they wanted to conceal something. After looking at his parents, Chen Yuanming didn't say much, picked up the chopsticks and continued to eat. Seeing their son no longer ask questions, the couple was relieved. Just don't ask and live peacefully. The meal was awkward, but in the end it was fine. The family was tired after the past two days, and the parents were afraid that the TV set would consume too much electricity so in the end they turned off the TV and went to bed at 9 o'clock.
However, at this time, while lying on the wooden bed, Chen Yuanming couldn't sleep. Things had caught him by surprise and his plans were out of control. If things had gone as expected, Liu Yun would have been an opportunity to move to the next step of building an industry. She would have been a wonderful partner who he could push to the front without letting himself fall into a passive or dangerous situation. He had sufficient funds and a vision for future fashion trends, while the other party had an open-mind and an excellent aesthetic, which was absolutely promising in the clothing field. Fashion and luxury goods have always been top-notch money-generating industries but with steady progress they could become bigger and stronger, and even eventually become China's answer to Chanel and Versace.
But now everything was empty talk. Even if he could ask Aunt Liu's former colleagues and friends, it would still be very difficult to find them. If he remembered correctly, her hometown was in Shandong. This year, even land-line telephones were not popular, let alone internet and mobile phones. Without access to these, in such a vast population it would take a long time to find them.
Rolling over on the bed, Chen Yuanming closed his eyes, it seemed that he had to find another way out. It was just that in his last life he was most familiar with finance. Currently, the funds in his hands had exceeded the safety threshold. In the next two years, the Chinese stock market will enter a policy-locked consolidation period, which will last for two or three years. The bear market was also waiting down the road. After that, many factions will appear, and the stock market will completely become the gold mine that local tycoons with well-connected networks will wrestle over. It is not until the end of the banker era that the trend will begin to change.
With such a large amount of money, he could no longer stay in the stock market, because the pressure on him was bound to multiply. At the same time, his age and net worth were like two big locks, blocking most of the paths he could set foot in. Now that money was available, what he could do with it had become a new problem. Even if he had a lifetime of experience and even if he knew the development trajectory of many things, a layman was still a layman. He knew very little about where to start and what he should use an opportunity.
However, the things that bothered Chen Yuanming and caused him to toss and turn were far away from Chen Jianhua and Wang Juan. They didn't know that they had inadvertently ruined their son's entrepreneurial plans. They were struggling for their ideal life as usual. In a twinkling of an eye it was the Spring Festival. Neither of them chose to work overtime this year in order to get wage subsidies, instead they returned home early to start enjoying their happiest Spring Festival ever.
On New Year's Eve, just as it was getting dark, a lot of rich food was placed on the small round dinner table, which was almost crushed by the weight. Chicken, duck and fish was all available. The food was accompanied by a bottle of Wuliangye brought by Chen Yuanming. It was said to be a good wine from Sichuan. It did not have a price tag, but it tasted so delicious that Chen Jianhua, who was usually quiet, praised it several times.
On the new TV set, the 1993 Spring Festival Gala was being broadcast. Although the Spring Festival Gala had been broadcast for a full ten years, Wang Juan and Chen Jianhua were personally experiencing it for the first time. No need to mention how excited they were.
The sound of firecrackers outside the window kept coming and going and their sparks reflected the smiling faces of the family members. The hosts of the gala were the still youthful Zhao Zhongxiang and Ni Ping. Feng Gong's mantra was not yet "Friends in the audience, I miss you all!" and Dong Wenhua still stood at the center of the stage, singing the main melody. Familiar and unfamiliar faces appeared on the screen in turn until the rise and fall of the annual golden melody sounded. Chen Yuanming looked at the love song prince of the year and revealed an inscrutable smile.
Yes, this was still such a naive age. Those who were ruined, those who were old, those who will disappear, have not yet appeared before the audience. This was a good time, full of overflowing hope, fearlessness and courage, but it was also a dangerous time. A dark tide was surging under the calm waters, and there were traps everywhere. If you made a mistake, you will meet a disaster. He had been walking on the tightrope for so long, what will be waiting for him?
The clock finally struck twelve, and Chen Jianhua took out a thousand-head firecracker, hung it on the windowsill and let it crackle. Wang Juan with some embarrassment handed Chen Yuanming a small red paper packet. "Doudou, mom knows that you are making money now, and you don't care about this, but there should always be money for the New Year. Mom also wishes you a safe and successful new year ... "
When he opened the paper packet, there were three brand-new fifty-yuan bills in it. This was the monthly salary of both parents and the limit they instinctively gave. Holding the thin paper envelope, Chen Yuanming didn't know what to say. These were his parents, an existence that always made him suffer, but he couldn't let go of.
In the end, Chen Yuanming smiled and placed the red packet into his pocket.
"Thank you, mom and dad I wish you a happy Chinese New Year and may all go well with you."
****
At the same time, in a military compound in Beijing's Xicheng District the sound of firecrackers had deafened and overshadowed everything on TV. There were two round tables in the spacious living room, which was warmed up by the rich food and wine, yet the atmosphere in the room was not so harmonious.
The sound of the firecrackers had only stopped for a moment, and the silver-haired old lady seated near the main seat couldn't help it. She patted her husband's arm. "Don't scold old fourth all the time. How old is he? Do you want him to live off his brother and sister forever? Now the one above is saying we should reform and open up in order to revitalize the economy, yet you are saying this is a crooked path. If the stock market really was crooked why did you agree to give it a try ... what did you say, back then?
Knowing that this was his mother's way of providing an opportunity for him. Xiao Yun immediately stood up straight and replied in an upright manner, "Permit me to see and firmly try for a year or two. If it is right, we can go ahead, if it's wrong we can make corrections or close out. In closing we can do so quickly or slowly and leave a small tail on the market. Whatever our fears may be, if we stick to this attitude, we won't make big mistakes."
"Listen to this, how can this be a dishonest thing?"
Listening to his old wife's appeals, the old man was full of anger. He slapped the table and a pile of dishes tumbled down "You know nothing! This child is being spoiled by you! In this stock market, how many people have fallen as a result of it; embezzlement of public funds, abuse of power, and some after seeing how others have made money are thinking about how to fish in muddy waters! You all just want make money but don't think to look at the current situation! As soon as the general meeting begins in March, the stock market will definitely be rectified. We cannot let the fourth child drag down the family! What's more this is not just making money. It's simply forcing ordinary people to death. Losing money is the least of my concerns!"
This was a bit heavy, Xiao Yun frowned, and said a little stubbornly, "I have never been a banker, this money was made by capitalizing on general trends. Honestly, my conscience is clear."
"Ah, old fourth, say less." A middle-aged woman sitting by the side stopped him immediately, so that the old man would have no chance to rebut. She smiled, looked at the people around her, and spoke in Mandarin with a soft Shanghai accent. "It was a good channel to make money but now that the situation does not allow it, it is also good to switch to another business. At the end of the day the stock market is a digital game. It is rootless grass. Otherwise why did our ancestors choose industry instead of those financial businesses? Industrial power is always right. "
This was polite and courteous, and not only spoke on behalf of the old man, but it gave Xiao Yun a chance to step down. As the holder of a large amount of stock equity, her opinion on this topic was quite convincing.
Xiao Yun lowered his head for a moment, and finally nodded, "I understand what sister-in-law means, but currently the stock market is still on the uptrend, so I have finish riding this market wave. After that, I will prepare well for the next step. Although the stock market is eye-catching there are too many pitfalls, which is not what I really want. I will always give a sincere explanation."
Hearing such soft words, the atmosphere in the room suddenly calmed down, and after some persuasion things finally became peaceful. Xiao Junyi, who had been sitting at the next table eavesdropping, finally returned to his senses. Looking at the sweet-scented Osmanthus lotus root on the table, he suddenly remembered the strange boy from back then. His uncle was ready to retreat, so what was that boy going to do?
He tapped his fingers on the edge of the table and smiled.
Translator Notes:
This Chapter is timely. Happy Lunar New Year to all who are celebrating. I hope you enjoyed watching the spring gala this year too. Enjoy the chapter!
Big (better late than never) THANK YOU's to Sanchi, McJohnston and Alice for their gifts of coffee. <3
A Chinese baijiu liquor dating back to the Ming Dynasty Thanks to its special mix of 5 different cereals : broomcorn millet, rice, glutinous rice, wheat and corn
The CCTV New Year's Gala, also known as the Spring Festival Gala, and commonly abbreviated in Chinese as Chunwan, is a special produced by (CMG). It is broadcast annually on the eve of Chinese New Year on its flagship and internationally through the The Gala has the largest audience of any entertainment show in the world, and is recognized by as the world's most watched television program. The 2018 edition of the Gala attracted more than one billion viewers. Credit Wikipedia
Zhao Zhongxiang (: 赵忠祥; 16 January 1942 - 16 January 2020) was a well-known Chinese on the national news program and television host. He joined in 1959. He was the host of CCTV's New Year gala.
Ni Ping (born 15 February 1959) is a mainland film and TV host. Since the early 1990s, Ni shot fame for hosting a record 13 times. Credit: Wikipedia
Feng Gong (: 冯巩; : 馮鞏; : Féng Gǒng; born 6 December 1957) is a actor, performer, , and . He is best known for his performances in the annual , having made more appearances on the show than every other major performer. He appeared in the first in 1986 and he has appeared at almost every Chunwan performance for the next thirty years. Credit: Wikipedia
Dong Wenhua (born June 29, 1962) is a famous singer from the . "Moon of the Fifteenth", "", as well as many other songs of hers were popular to the youth generation of the 1980s and the early 1990s. In America, she has performed at both and . Credit: Wikipedia
Author sums up the complex relationships most of us have with our parents and vice versa. They may irritate, annoy and cause suffering but we are a package deal, so we love them still.
Every year in March, the Chinese Communist Party holds two plenary meetings for its top legislators and for its political advisory body.
Referring to those who manipulate the stock market to take advantage of small retail investors