Chapter 7: Confrontation

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By right, a county branch bank manager holds a rank equivalent to that of a township chief. As a promising entrepreneur, it would be wise to cultivate a good relationship, not to neglect it.

But since the other party was entangled with the village chief, it was clear he wasn’t on our side.

Moreover, the county town wasn’t served by just one bank, and Dongshan had more than one county town.

When we get the plastic greenhouses up and running and need funds, there will be plenty of banks eager to lend money—even begging for our loans.

After all, who wants to miss out on good performance?

So Yu Yang was very confident.

Once a person gains confidence, their entire demeanor changes.

He shouted loudly and clearly, his voice resonant and powerful.

Soon, he attracted a large crowd.

Foduomiao Township was named after the Foduomiao Temple.

Legend has it that near the end of the Northern Wei Dynasty, during a chaotic court, a royal clan member of the Tuoba family colluded with the Turks and ravaged the south.

This angered a reclusive, enlightened monk living there. Dressed in cloth armor and wielding an iron pestle, he fought fiercely, killing dozens of cavalrymen every time he clashed with them.

After several encounters, the Turks never dared to cross south of the Yellow River again.

After the monk passed away, people built the Futu Temple in his memory.

The followers who gathered nearby, seeking livelihood, established Futu Village.

Later, due to naming issues, “Futu” was changed to “Fodu,” and the name passed down for a thousand years, giving birth to Foduomiao Township.

It is said that while the monk was alive, a Northern Zhou general named Han Qinho, stationed at the South River route, heard of the monk’s deeds and came to spar with him.

He left descendants there, which evolved into Han Gai Township to the west.

There’s also a tale of a farmer surnamed Zhang, who, upon hearing of the monk's and Han Qinho’s sparring—never defeated—decided his grandson must be as brave as the Buddha to protect the homeland.

He changed his grandson’s name from Zhang Guo to Zhang Xutuo.

Zhang Xutuo became a grand general in the Sui Dynasty, guarding Qizhou and the South River route, setting up military camps nearby.

These camps, along with Han Gai to the west and Foduomiao to the north, were spaced ten li apart, hence the name Shiliying.

These legends are very old and now unverifiable.

However, the Fodu Temple does indeed have bronze statues of Han Qinho and Zhang Xutuo.

Because the temple’s incense never waned, the population of Foduomiao Township far exceeded that of Shiliying.

The devotees burning incense, combined with villagers coming to market, made the marketplace as lively as a temple fair.

Thus, pea shoots sold extremely well.

Especially since they were vegetarian.

Not only did the devotees scramble to buy them, even the monks bought two large baskets, becoming regular customers, agreeing to receive one basket every other day.

“Such wealth!”

This scene made the surrounding vegetable vendors feel there was money to be made.

They scrambled to buy woven baskets and crossed provinces that very day to sell at the temples along the North River.

Some vendors even loaded five or six baskets onto farm tricycles with scales installed, heading for the South River.

Thus, 26 baskets of pea shoots were snapped up in less than two hours.

Unfortunately, phones were rare in those days, so all they could do was leave an address for the vendors.

Otherwise, they would have had to add WeChat contacts and create a pea shoot group to facilitate ordering and pick-up.

“The times limit development!”

Yu Yang exchanged scattered old bills for blue “great man” notes at the local credit cooperative.

Rubbing his hands, he counted—25 bills in all.

While pondering whether to raise the price of pea shoots, he hitched up the donkey cart and headed back to Shiliying.

...

The village chief’s new home near the provincial road.

“Dad, Yu Yang’s here.”

“Why just now?” The village chief saw Yu Yang, weary and dusty, and wanted to scold him, but recalling Yu Yang had just been hung up and beaten back home, he softened his tone. “The leader has been waiting for a long time.”

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“Sorry, leader. Foduomiao’s a bit far and the road’s rough. I got delayed.”

Yu Yang said as he took it upon himself to scrub the washbasin at the village chief’s house, poured some cold water, then added hot water to wash his hands and face.

Then, just like at home, he opened a drawer in the village chief’s TV cabinet and took out a brand-new thermos, brewing a cup of Tieguanyin tea.

“So, leader, did you agree to the suggestion I gave earlier?”

“Your family already has overdue loans. Getting another 500,000 yuan loan will be difficult.”

“Difficult doesn’t mean impossible. You handle it, and I’ll sign the contract and transfer the brick kiln to the bank.”

“No way!”

“Then there’s no deal.”

“No deal, and without Zhou Xuan from the bank, your father will really go to jail.”

The county branch manager didn’t wait for Yu Yang’s reply and continued, “Young Yu, you’re still young. If your father goes to prison and gets a record, it will affect your future—school, military service, work—everywhere you’ll be constrained.”

“So what if it affects three generations? Don’t worry. I’m a businessman, not an official. It doesn’t matter. Besides, my son will go abroad and live as a Chinese overseas, so it won’t affect him.”

Hearing this, the county branch manager took a deep drag on his cigarette, feeling he had met an opponent and couldn’t use old tactics.

“Really no deal?”

“My business keeps me busy. Once I make money, I’ll go abroad after the New Year.”

Yu Yang finished speaking and went to the door. Standing on the village chief’s second floor, he looked down at the dilapidated Yu family village, his eyes full of affection.

“No choice. Who wants to leave their home? We’re all forced.”

Then he shrugged and decisively left.

The village chief was already numb. “How does he know so much?”

“Maybe it’s those few outsiders who deliver vegetables to the capital. They lead by example. After all, Walmart and Metro are foreign enterprises; they’ve seen the world.”

The county branch manager didn’t care who took over the brick kiln or whether Yu Yang went abroad.

He just wanted to recover the loan and settle accounts before year-end, adding to his performance records to advance next year.

So he called out loudly, “Young Yu, actually, we can negotiate.”

“I want a 500,000 yuan low-interest loan!”

“Okay, a secured loan. As long as you put up enough collateral, I’ll lend.”

“How low?”

“Two percent, 2%.” The manager added, “Current five-year rates are 6.75%.”

“Deal?”

“Deal. But this year’s loan balance is used up; we have to wait until next year, at least past New Year’s Day.”

“No problem.” Yu Yang returned to the second floor, sitting by the tea table. “Sign the contract.”

The county branch manager was slightly surprised. “Sign now, before the loan is approved?”

“I trust you. After all, such a senior official wouldn’t cheat me. Besides, this lets you take the initiative at work.”

What does “taking initiative” mean?

Changing the brick kiln contract can be done before the year ends, then the bank can take over the kiln.

After the New Year, the 500,000 yuan loan can be separately approved.

That way, the two matters are unlinked.

In other words, ignoring the 500,000 yuan loan condition today was the manager’s persuasion to switch from an unsecured to a secured loan.

How much better does that sound?

If leadership hears this, it shows ability.

The county branch manager took a deep drag on his cigarette, looking Yu Yang over carefully.

“He doesn’t look eighteen.”

He then glanced at the village chief with a hint of schadenfreude.

“If you think you can outmatch this guy, you’re in for a surprise.”

The village chief sensed trouble.

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Especially since Yu Yang had several capable outsiders at home.

He wondered whether he should go hide for a while.

...

After signing the loan agreement amendment, the brick kiln was no longer connected to the family.

Yu Yang felt no regret; instead, he felt light and free.

It was as if he had said goodbye forever to another version of himself from a different timeline, stepping onto a new, unexplored path.

This road seemed wide, long, and full of promise...

“Tonight, I watch snowflakes drift in the cold night.”

“With a heart cooled and drifting far away.”

“In wind and rain...”

Humming a tune, Yu Yang returned to his courtyard.

The 10,000 red bricks ordered from Han Gai Brick Kiln had arrived.

His elder and second brothers had already built the fire pit with refractory bricks and were now reinforcing the smoke channel.

With the help of his third, fourth, and fifth brothers, they expected to set up the plastic sheeting tonight, light the kiln, and start baking the new heated bed.

By tomorrow, the pea shoot planting area would multiply by dozens.

Suddenly, Uncle Six’s voice came from the front courtyard rooftop.

“Sanyuan, come eat!”

“Another feast?”

“Your big color TV, the DVD, and home theater you gave me work great. Come on, let’s watch a movie. I bought some Hollywood and European blockbusters from the video store.”

Yu Yang’s house had been converted entirely into plastic greenhouses, and those electronics probably wouldn’t last long before dampness ruined them.

Having grown used to 4K Blu-ray, high fidelity, and ultra-high 192kHz sound quality from another timeline, the electronic products of this era felt quite inadequate.

So he gave everything to Uncle Six.

Out with the old, in with the new.

“What are you standing there for? Come on, your aunt made braised beef. Let’s have a couple of drinks.”

“No thanks, I’ve quit drinking,” Yu Yang declined.

Just then, a farm tricycle noisily pulled up at the yard gate.

Yu Yang turned and called out, “Who’s looking for?”

“Do you wholesale pea shoots here?”

“Yes, wholesale.”

“What’s the price? When can you load the truck?”

Before the vendor finished speaking, another farm tricycle arrived, followed by a farm four-wheeled trailer.

Soon, the entire Yu family village seemed illuminated by the vehicle lights.

Faint voices could be heard:

“Those monks are so rich!”

“Yeah, I sold a whole big basket at just some random temple.”