Chapter 45

Chapter 1: The Transfer Student

Not long after the Spring Festival of 1988, the new semester began. Fang Mingyuan, who continued to attend the Qinxi Pressing Equipment Factory School in Hai Zhuang Town, was now a first-year junior high school student. Over the four years, with ample nutrition and sufficient physical activity, Fang Mingyuan had grown to nearly 1.6 meters tall, making him one of the taller students in his class. His once innocent face had also taken on a hint of mature charm. He had requested to sit in one of the back rows of the classroom, a small request that the teacher, given his status as a top student who had consistently ranked first in the grade for nine consecutive terms, naturally did not refuse.

His four-year desk partner, Zhao Ya, was now about 1.5 meters tall. However, after entering junior high school, she was assigned to a different class. The former beauty had grown into a little beauty, though her figure had yet to fully develop.

Feng Qian, the neighbor's little sister, had also grown into a graceful young lady. Her father, who had been transferred back to Hai Zhuang Town last year, had also joined the Qinxi Pressing Equipment Factory, allowing the family to reunite. This little beauty no longer needed to be sent to the Fang family's home when her mother worked the night shift.

Fang Mingyuan's elementary school classmates had also entered junior high school, but this time, the academic performance of those close to him was significantly higher than in his previous life.

Fang Mingyuan turned his head to look out the window. Now in junior high school, they had moved to the third floor of the teaching building. His mind was still filled with memories of the New Year's greetings he had given to Chen Xiaoer and Zhu Laomao during the Spring Festival. Chen Xiaoer and Zhu Laomao were no longer the same as before. In 1985, they had achieved remarkable success with three selected skits on the Spring Festival Gala, firmly establishing their position as the top performers in the skit genre. In the entertainment industry, the names of Chen Xiaoer and Zhu Laomao were known to everyone! Chen Xiaoer, riding the wave of success from the Spring Festival Gala, also achieved great success with the film "Erzi Kai Dian" (The Two Sons Open a Store) in 1985, which became the top-grossing film of the year. As Chen Xiaoer put it, the income was substantial!

In the 1986 Spring Festival Gala, Fang Mingyuan provided them with two more skits, "Selling Lamb Skewers" and "Black Pepper," both of which were highly praised by the audience and once again topped the skit category. The number of promises they owed him increased to five. That year, through Chen Xiaoer and Zhu Laomao, he also met several other major figures in the entertainment industry and sold them three crosstalk scripts, which would appear on the Spring Festival Gala the following year. However, Fang Mingyuan had not yet decided whether to provide them with new scripts. On the one hand, although he had a few more Spring Festival Gala scripts in his mind, their quality was not as high as the five he had already provided, and he did not want to give the audience the impression that the quality was declining year by year. On the other hand, he also considered that their status in the skit genre was already firmly established, and even without his scripts, they would have enough to choose from.

In the end, Fang Mingyuan provided them with two more scripts, "The Prince and the Postman" and "The Great Escape," both of which he adapted to the contemporary context. He also informed Chen Xiaoer and Zhu Laomao that future scripts might no longer be suitable for them. They expressed deep understanding, recognizing that actors need to broaden their range, and authors cannot always tailor scripts to specific actors. If there were suitable scripts, that would be best, but if not, they could look forward to future collaborations.

It was also in that year that Fang Mingyuan met Huang Hong and Song Dan, who were about to make their debut on the Spring Festival Gala. By then, Fang Mingyuan was already quite well-known in China's entertainment industry, especially in the crosstalk and skit genres. His young age, outstanding scripts, and unusual demands for compensation had earned him a reputation. However, due to the protection of Chen Xiaoer and others, the media only knew his name, not his identity. Occasionally, when reporters saw him, they would not have thought that this young man, who looked like a junior to Chen Xiaoer or Zhu Laomao, was the famous Fang Mingyuan.

This summer, Fang Mingyuan was looking forward to meeting Grandma Zhao Lirong. This elderly lady, with her exceptional acting skills, integrity, and character, was Fang Mingyuan's favorite female skit performer from his previous life. He had watched her every Spring Festival Gala performance multiple times. Even in the years after her passing, whenever he thought of her, he would revisit those cherished skits.

Over the past four years, Fang Sheng and his wife, along with Fang Mingyuan's two aunts, remained ordinary workers at the Qinxi Pressing Equipment Factory. However, the Fang family's business in Hai Zhuang Town had grown significantly. They had not abandoned the bun business, and the most upscale restaurant in Hai Zhuang Town was now owned by the Fang family. Whenever the factory had guests, they would be taken to the Fang family's restaurant, as it was prestigious and face-saving. Of course, in Hai Zhuang Town, making a fortune was not easy, as dining out was still a luxury for ordinary people in 1988. The restaurant's monthly income and expenses were roughly balanced, with a slight surplus. Fang Sheng and the others considered the restaurant a bit of a burden, neither profitable nor worth closing, but Fang Mingyuan insisted on keeping it open.

Fang Mingyuan's lending library was still in operation, but it had been completely renovated. The three rooms were now connected, and the books were categorized, resembling a small library. Because Fang Mingyuan kept up with the publishing market and frequently purchased new books, many people at the factory had abandoned the factory library, which had not acquired new books in five or six years. Fang Mingyuan also hired a disabled person from the town to manage the library, and the old man only needed to check in occasionally.

Now, Fang Mingyuan was considering whether to open a small supermarket.

The Fang family had accumulated a considerable amount of wealth over the years, but it was spent as quickly as it was earned. Stamps, stocks, and collectibles—each of these was a significant investment. However, these were all paper wealth, and while the amounts were impressive, the best time to cash out had not yet arrived. Although Fang Mingyuan was confident that a supermarket would be profitable, he could not immediately raise the necessary capital.

"Ring..." As the bell rang, the students who had been playing in the hallway returned to their seats.

"I heard there's a transfer student. His father is apparently the deputy factory manager of your factory!" Liu Yong nudged Fang Mingyuan.

"Is that so?" Fang Mingyuan had heard about it. This year, the original party secretary of the Qinxi Pressing Equipment Factory had been promoted to Fengyuan, the original factory manager had become the party secretary, and the deputy factory manager had been promoted to factory manager, with a new deputy factory manager appointed from above. However, he was not particularly concerned about the factory's affairs in this life—no matter how well one did at the Qinxi Pressing Equipment Factory, it could not prevent the factory from being privatized after the year 2000. Unless the Fang family could use this as a stepping stone to enter Fengyuan or another city, which, given their character and background, was highly unlikely.

As the bell rang, a young female teacher entered the classroom with two students, a boy and a girl.

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