Chapter 7

Hu Jia and his son chatted for half a day, until it was pitch dark outside, and the sound of the lock being opened at the gate of the courtyard finally rang out.

"Great, now that your mom is back, we can have dinner!" Hu Jiefang exclaimed, getting up briskly and running out.

Poor Hu Jia, the only woman in the family knew how to cook. If Xiao Yeqin didn't come home one day, the whole family would surely go hungry.

"Wife, come here, let me take your bag. You must be tired from work, right? What, did you have to work overtime at the institute again?"

Time seemed to have left little mark on Xiao Yeqin. If anything, it had only taken away her youthful naivety and replaced it with the charm of a mature woman. In this era, ordinary people didn't have a wide variety of skincare products, but even just the Friendship Snow Cream and Honey Flower Shampoo were enough to enhance her captivating beauty.

Although she was well over forty, Xiao Yeqin looked as if she were only in her early thirties. No matter when, her back was always straight, like a stalk of celery growing vigorously in the wild. The Xiao family was a lineage of scholars, and Xiao Yeqin was a college graduate from the 1960s, embodying the spirit of women holding up half the sky.

Marrying such a woman was Hu Jiefang's proudest achievement in life.

Xiao Yeqin handed her canvas bag to Hu Jiefang, seemingly without much desire to speak. However, after a few steps to the kitchen door, she took off her wooden-soled cloth shoes, put on slippers, and sighed, shaking her head. "The work at the institute is really becoming unbearable..."

"What, did the new director have some new ideas again?"

"The higher-ups want to promote Hua Luogeng's optimization method, which is a good thing and could help the research work." Xiao Yeqin pointed to the kitchen sink, asking Hu Jiefang to wash the vegetables, and continued, "But our new director is impatient. He wants results after just a few days of promotion. Now he's starting to collect statistics from each lab and requires each lab to submit a report and exchange experiences. To meet the deadline, we had to put aside our ongoing research and work all day. If any lab doesn't complete the task, they're not allowed to go home."

"Well, the leadership must have their own considerations..."

"Of course they have their own considerations! They just want to get promoted! You leaders only care about your own future, not whether your subordinates have families to feed!"

Hu Jiefang laughed bitterly, at a loss for words. Sometimes, things were just like that, not about right or wrong, but about everyone stating their positions. Being both a "leader" and a "family member," Hu Jiefang found himself in a dilemma, unable to say anything right.

"Mom, I think you should just quit."

"Out of the way, you little brat, what do you know?" Hu Jiefang turned around and saw Hu Wenhai leaning against the kitchen door frame, waving him away. "If your mom doesn't work, what will you eat and drink? Do you think school is free?"

"I'll do it myself. Nowadays, everyone is jumping into business, and many are making money."

"Jump into business? You only see the profits, not the losses. What if you lose? Will the whole family starve? Working at a unit is much better; you're protected from wind and rain, and the state will take care of you for life."

"Dad, with your mindset, no wonder the 501 Factory is in such a mess, tsk tsk—"

"Brat, are you asking for a beating?"

Hu Jiefang made a move to hit him, but Hu Wenhai pouted and ran out of the kitchen.

However, when Hu Jiefang chased Hu Wenhai away and turned back to Xiao Yeqin, he found her holding a knife, lost in thought.

"Well, our son is growing up and isn't the obedient child he used to be." Hu Jiefang shook his head, fished the washed vegetables out of the sink, and asked worriedly, "Wife, are you okay?"

"I'm fine. But, actually, Wenhai might have a point." Xiao Yeqin said thoughtfully.

"Have a point? He's just a kid, what could he know?"

"Our son is different from other kids. Look at him; he's never made a wrong decision."

Hu Wenhai had been reborn for over a decade. At first, his words were like those of any other child, easily forgotten. But after consistently giving correct "advice" for over a decade, he gradually gained some influence in the family.

In this family, although major decisions were still made by Hu Jiefang and Xiao Yeqin, and they didn't need to consult Hu Wenhai, their long-term experience made them subconsciously recognize that when Hu Wenhai had an opinion, it was best to take him seriously.

Xiao Yeqin, as a mother, didn't need to maintain the so-called dignity of the father. In this family, Hu Jiefang tried to establish his authority over Hu Wenhai, but Xiao Yeqin didn't need to do so. She could even be proud of her son's sharp insight and mature thinking.

In other words, compared to Hu Jiefang's inherent resistance to Hu Wenhai's suggestions, Xiao Yeqin could consider them more objectively.

"I've worked at the 64th Institute for over a decade. If there were any other way, I wouldn't take such a risk." Xiao Yeqin said, lowering her head. "But look, prices have been skyrocketing these past two years, but our salaries haven't changed. You're a deputy factory manager of a military factory, but look at the house we live in and the food we eat. We can endure some hardships, but think about Wenhai. With his academic performance, he can definitely go to college."

Xiao Yeqin placed the vegetables Hu Jiefang handed her on the cutting board and started chopping. "How will we pay for his tuition? Where will the living expenses come from if he goes to another city? And if he gets into a university in the capital, will he stay in the city after graduation? In this society, without money, you can't do anything."

"I know, but..."

Hu Jiefang was about to say more, but Xiao Yeqin interrupted him. "Besides, I don't think the 64th Institute can last much longer. Since the new director came, the management has become increasingly chaotic. The reason I'm interested in jumping into business is that Lao Bai and Huang Er also have the same idea."

"Lao Bai, as in Bai Shi? He's a full-fledged researcher, and he's thinking of jumping into business?" Hu Jiefang asked, incredulous.

Xiao Yeqin nodded, saying heavily, "His family has a much heavier burden than ours. His second daughter almost died at birth last year and has been sickly ever since. His savings can't cover the expenses. He used to do some side jobs to earn extra money, but someone reported him to the new director. Recently, the director criticized him in a full-staff meeting, saying that he could come in at eight and leave at nine, but working for other companies was disloyal..."

"Ah—" Xiao Yeqin sighed and shook her head. "What a mess!"

"That's not surprising. People only act when they're pushed to the brink." Hu Jiefang sighed along with her but then changed the subject. "But that's Lao Bai's situation. Our family is much better off. Why take such a risk?"

"So what? In the worst case, you, the big factory manager, can support me." Xiao Yeqin glared at him, pretending to be annoyed. "What, you don't want to?"

"Of course not! That's not what I meant!" Hu Jiefang laughed bitterly. Both of them knew what the other meant. He wasn't unwilling to support Xiao Yeqin, and she wasn't relying on him to do so.

Sometimes, once an idea takes root, it grows like wild grass, unstoppable.

Without Hu Wenhai's words, Xiao Yeqin might have just complained. But after seriously considering jumping into business, she felt a strong urge to do it.

After over a decade of working in a public institution, she suddenly found it impossible to tolerate the lifeless atmosphere of the institute any longer. Xiao Yeqin was indeed a person who would rather stand and be broken than bend and be trampled.

If there were no other path, she might have convinced herself to live like this. But after the economic restructuring and the push for reform and opening up in the past two years, the central government encouraged high-level intellectuals to jump into business. In the capital and Shenzhen, many researchers had already started their own businesses and become wealthy.

Moreover, there was a more pressing issue. The terrifying inflation since 1979 had halved the wealth of countless Chinese people. Even a family like the Hus felt the pinch in their finances.

Xiao Yeqin's intuition was very sharp. By the end of the 1980s, China would experience its second wave of inflation. The cycle of inflation, contraction, and inflation would accompany the entire reform and opening up process.

"Then it's settled. I'm jumping into business!" Xiao Yeqin threw the vegetables into the iron pot, and the sizzling sound of cooking suddenly filled the air.

"But, even if you want to jump into business, you need capital. With our family's savings, what kind of business can we start?" Hu Jiefang knew his wife was a person who, once she made up her mind, wouldn't look back. He had to use a different strategy.

"Dad, I have a plan for that."

Suddenly, Hu Wenhai appeared at the kitchen door again. "As long as you listen to me, I'll find the capital for Mom to start her business!"