novelslam Chapter 128 Neighborhood Relations
Chapter 128 Neighborhood Relations
For my third aunt's family and my eldest uncle's family, I gave them ten cases of liquor and a case of cigarettes each.
My aunt was home alone and a little confused because the child had brought quite a lot of cigarettes and alcohol in one go.
Of course she had heard of Moutai and Zhonghua, but nowadays many brands are just generic ones, yet they advertise themselves as Moutai liquor or cigarettes. Auntie, a country woman, just felt that all that money must have cost a lot of money. The child was being too polite, as if he were doing something abroad. She wondered if he was just putting on a show, since many people who live abroad seem to do that.
After giving Zhou Hong a few earnest words of advice, Zhou Hong was both amused and exasperated, but felt a warm glow in his heart and nodded repeatedly in agreement.
After Zhou Hong left, his third aunt's husband returned, and that's when things really got out of hand. Tens of thousands of yuan worth of cigarettes and alcohol? That's enough to buy a house in the county town! What's going on here?
When his third aunt's husband called, Zhou Hong was on his way to his eldest uncle's house with Pengpeng in tow.
Although my aunt's husband doesn't have a mobile phone, this is the time when landline phones are becoming widespread in rural areas. With the advent of mobile phones, the initial installation fee for landlines has been significantly reduced, even to the point of being free.
Zhou Hong subtly suggested that the wine could be stored away and that it would appreciate in value in the future. He also mentioned that his parents had valued the family a lot over the years, and now that he had some ability, he wanted to give back to his relatives.
"Okay, okay, you're going to your older brother's place? Be careful while driving." Uncle San's repeated reminders ended the call.
It was clear that her third aunt's husband's attitude towards her had undergone a subtle change.
Zhou Hong glanced at Pengpeng beside him and smiled, "We're almost at your house."
My maternal uncle's home is more than 40 miles from the county seat, and the town where it is located borders a neighboring county.
The last section, about three miles long, is a dirt road and quite bumpy, but otherwise it's fine.
Even from a distance from my uncle's house, I could hear what sounded like an argument.
The car slowly stopped in front of my uncle's house, and sure enough, my aunt was arguing with her neighbor across the courtyard wall.
They were exchanging barbs from afar. The matriarch would say something, and the other woman, who was also a hostess, would chime in with a few insults.
Both of them were using veiled insults, rather than directly calling each other "F*** you."
The conflict between his uncle's family and the neighbors had a long history, and Zhou Hong was tired of hearing about it every year during holidays.
It was all a trivial matter, but at the end of last year, the other party rebuilt their house, and the eaves of their house extended three inches beyond my uncle's house. In the countryside, this is considered very unruly and bullying.
As a result, the existing conflicts between the two companies escalated rapidly.
It seems that the neighbor's family has two sons, while the uncle's family only has one daughter. In the countryside, they are considered to be in a disadvantaged position.
Pengpeng is from the generation that implemented the one-child policy. Her aunt had been a member of the "extra-birth guerrilla" team, but the child was still aborted, and there was nothing she could do.
When Zhou Hong and Peng Peng entered the hospital, the other party was hurling insults at them. Peng Peng blushed, lowered her head, and tears welled up in her eyes.
At this moment, Da Jin'er's mind was not on things like "Xiao Hong is here" or "Daughter is back." She opened her mouth to retort, but Zhou Hong grabbed her arm and pulled her into the house.
"No, I have to go and yell at that bastard!" Auntie insisted on going out, but Zhou Hong said helplessly, "Auntie, I'm paying for your house renovation. Why bother getting angry with them? It's not worth it!"
"What?" The matriarch was a little confused.
Zhou Hong pulled out two stacks of RMB from his handbag, which was the maximum amount he could hold. However, 20,000 RMB was more than enough to build a house in the countryside. Normally, it would cost around 7,000 to 8,000 RMB to build a three-room house in the county.
"Where's my uncle?" Zhou Hong asked, placing the money on the coffee table.
"He went to the orchard." Auntie stared blankly at the two stacks of red banknotes that Zhou Hong had put down.
"Oh, I brought some cigarettes and alcohol for you and your uncle. Aunt, please keep the money!" Zhou Hong went out to carry the alcohol in and put it in the unoccupied west room, with Pengpeng helping out.
After a few trips, Zhou Hong came out and saw a young man looking him and the black car up and down in front of his neighbor's gate.
Actually, some children nearby were watching the spectacle, since it's still a rare thing for a private car to enter the village.
"Dude!" Zhou Hong waved to the young man.
The young man was taken aback, then strolled over, his face somewhat serious: "What's wrong?!" He clearly thought Zhou Hong was going to cause trouble.
"Are you Erqiang?" Zhou Hong asked. Daqiang and Erqiang were the two sons of Daqiang's neighbor. Daqiang was married, and Erqiang was also of marriageable age, but he was irresponsible and his girlfriend didn't seem like a good person either.
It wasn't that Zhou Hong wanted to know; it was just that this was always one of the topics that came up every time he saw his aunt.
"Yes, so what?!" The young man's neck stiffened, his face full of resentment.
Zhou Hong offered him a cigarette. "Want a smoke?"
The young man was taken aback, took the cigarette, glanced at it, and said, "The Emperor of the Ninth and Fifth, never heard of it..." His gaze drifted to the trunk that Zhou Hong had opened.
"Don't report it!" Zhou Hong smiled, his meaning clearly referring to the counterfeit cigarettes and alcohol.
Although there are fewer serious crimes in rural areas nowadays, many things are still uncertain.
Should I not have brought cigarettes and alcohol down here? Rural areas are not like cities; if someone notices me, they might actually come and steal from me.
It's better to just give money directly. I used to think about giving my elders tens of thousands of yuan, but that's not the case. But I just spent money to build a house for my aunt's family, so it doesn't seem like a big deal.
But aside from cigarettes, getting some Moutai liquor for relatives is also meant to encourage them to stock up and give them a chance to get rich. Of course, this kind of getting rich is aimed at rural families.
The young man was stunned for a moment, then chuckled, "Report? How could that be? I'm not that person!" As he spoke, he lit a cigarette.
"Brother, you're in big business!" the young man said with a smile. "Yeah, these cigarettes are nice, not cheap, right?"
"In the future, you should try to persuade your aunt more often. Neighbors are for life, why keep arguing? I'll also try to persuade my uncle and aunt. They'll be renovating soon too, just make sure the eaves are aligned."
"Yes, I always talk about my mom too!" the young man quickly replied.
"Oh, I'll take the cigarettes and alcohol in first!" Zhou Hong said.
"I'll help you!" the young man said, offering his assistance.
Inside the house, the aunt was a little stunned as she watched Erqiang helping Xiaohong move the wine.
Zhou Hong glanced around and noticed that the two stacks of money on the coffee table were gone.
After the last move, Zhou Hong and Erqiang returned to the car, and Zhou Hong simply tossed Erqiang a box of soft cigarettes.
Erqiang, a heavy smoker, opened the pack and lit one. "This tastes just like the real thing?" he said with a forced smile. "What are you thinking? You definitely smoke the real thing, brother." He added, "I have room at home too, I can help you store your goods."
"You should try to persuade your mother first, and I'll see how you do." Zhou Hong smiled. In a short time, their relationship had become somewhat like that of Erqiang as his errand boy.
"Don't worry, brother, I understand!" Erqiang added, "Please write down my pager number, brother. Call me if you need anything."
Zhou Hong handed him a business card, saying, "Don't give it to anyone else!"
Erqiang stared at the business card in disbelief. It was written in Chinese, English, and Thai, but he couldn't understand the others. The card was simple, with just the name "Zhou Hong" and two mobile phone numbers, one from Singapore and one from China.
Both phone numbers were strings of 8s, from China, specifically "08888888". Erqiang was completely stunned.
"Whenever you get a phone number, just tell my uncle and aunt. They'll tell me and I'll add you to their whitelist so unknown numbers won't be able to call."
In reality, Zhou Hong's business card was meant to be used to deal with outsiders, not as a private phone number to contact friends.
"Okay, okay..." Erqiang was dumbfounded. This was like a pie falling from the sky; who was this important person he had suddenly met?!
Hmm? Something's not right? Erqiang looked at the mysterious young boss's black sedan, a Bora, a car worth around 200,000 yuan. Of course, no one in the countryside could afford it, but it didn't seem to match that intimidating phone number.
Zhou Hong patted him on the shoulder, preparing to go back inside.
"Brother, you really do smoke and drink, right?" Erqiang suddenly had a flash of inspiration, took two steps forward and asked in a low voice.
Zhou Hong smiled and said, "Don't tell anyone."
"Don't worry, I definitely won't tell, and I'll even keep an eye on things for you!" Erqiang immediately swore an oath.
……
When we got back on the bus with Pengpeng, she already had her household registration booklet with her.
I told my aunt that I would take Pengpeng to the capital for a trip, and she readily agreed and even found out the household registration book for me.
At this moment, Pengpeng was filled with excitement, her little thoughts soaring to the five-starred Tiananmen Square.
Zhou Hong's phone rang. It was Xiao Bao, saying that Zhu Zi and Lao Tian had returned from the city.
We had already planned to get together tonight, the Iron Quadrangle.
"I'm on my way to the county town, wait for me." Zhou Hong hung up the phone and was about to step on the gas when suddenly a "ding" sounded, a voice from the depths of his soul.
"Ding! Kyoto Residence Area activated!"
"Congratulations! The first zone of the main region has been activated! All zones are now activated simultaneously!"
"Ding! Reward received: Milestone Reward Card with 10x Value!"
Zhou Hong was stunned and speechless. Had the milestone multiplier become as common as cabbage? He had received one in the compensation package a while ago, and now he had another one.
However, what about the Kyoto residential area?
Zhou Hong looked at the domestic regional module, his eyes widening suddenly.
"Main Area: Chinese Charity Pension: 300 days' salary; Official Pension: 300 days' salary; Grain Pension: 300 days' salary; General Pension: 300 days' salary."
"Northwest Division: Activated Charitable Annuity: 100 Days' Salary; General Annuity: 100 Days' Salary."
"Southwest Region: Charitable pension activated: 100 days' salary; General pension: 100 days' salary."
"South China Region: Charitable pension activated: 100 days' salary; General pension activated: 100 days' salary."
"North China Region: Charitable pension activated: 100 days' salary; General pension: 100 days' salary."
"East China Region: Charitable pension activated: 100 days' salary; General pension activated: 100 days' salary."
"Central and Southern Region: Charitable pension activated: 100 days' salary; General pension activated: 100 days' salary."
"Northeast Region: Charitable pension activated: 100 days' salary; General pension: 100 days' salary."
"Ancestral home area: Activated charitable pension: 200 days' salary; general pension: 200 days' salary."
"Kyoto Residence Area: Activated Charitable Pension: 300 days' salary; General Pension: 300 days' salary."
Shortly after, Citibank's private team called to report on the deposit.
Hearing the numbers, Zhou Hong was already numb.
He was just pondering that this "Beijing Residence Area" actually had a daily stipend of 300, which was higher than the annuity of his ancestral home area and the same as the main area. However, unlike the main area, there was no "Lu Su Annuity" specifically for eating, drinking and having fun, nor "Li Yi Annuity" specifically for clothing, hats and jewelry.
That makes sense, though. According to the model of Chinese officials, those outside the capital are just temporary officials, while those in the capital are the real officials. The higher the rank of an official, the more likely they are to have their real residence in the capital, right?
As he pondered, Zhou Hong gradually became lost in thought.