Chapter 186: Human Relationships
Peking University.
Cafeteria.
When Huang Shengjun saw the appetizing stir-fried farm-style pork in his bowl, he felt an indescribable sense of gratitude.
This dish had been given to him by his classmate Deng Yunheng, who had taken it from his own bowl. Deng Yunheng had used a rather unconvincing excuse, claiming that he only liked the chili in the stir-fried pork and didn't care for the meat itself. To avoid wasting it, he asked Huang Shengjun to help finish it.
Such an explanation wouldn't fool even the least intelligent person, let alone a highly gifted student at Peking University.
This scenario repeated itself every few days, with Deng Yunheng using similarly flimsy excuses each time.
Huang Shengjun understood perfectly well that Deng Yunheng, his kind-hearted classmate, was trying to help him without making him feel embarrassed.
In truth, the conditions for studying at Peking University were quite favorable. Aside from providing sufficient meal tickets, the school also offered a monthly subsidy of 21.5 yuan. With such support, it was more than enough to afford meat regularly, as long as one didn't indulge excessively.
Logically, as a Peking University student, Huang Shengjun shouldn't have been in such a difficult situation that he needed his classmate to make excuses to help him.
But everyone's family circumstances are different.
Huang Shengjun came from an ordinary rural family in Sichuan Province. His family had many children, and his father, the main breadwinner, was in poor health. Life was already a struggle, and the burden of supporting his siblings' education made things even harder.
Over the years, the family had accumulated significant debt because of this.
Now that he had been admitted to university and had a steady "income," he naturally wanted to give back to his family and ease his parents' burden.
Therefore, after arriving at Peking University, he sent 20 yuan of his 21.5 yuan monthly subsidy back home, leaving only meal tickets and 1.5 yuan for emergencies.
With most of his money sent back, Huang Shengjun had to live frugally. When he ate grains, he rarely ordered additional dishes, and when he had rice, he would at most buy the cheapest vegetable dish available.
After about half a month of living like this, his classmate Deng Yunheng noticed his situation.
From then on, Deng Yunheng became unusually picky about his food. He would claim not to like certain dishes and would offer them to Huang Shengjun every few days. Though the portions were small, Huang Shengjun was deeply moved by the gesture.
In less than two months, Huang Shengjun had come to regard Deng Yunheng as his closest friend.
Huang Shengjun was a grateful person. Though he never expressed his thanks verbally, he silently vowed to repay this kindness in the future.
Deng Yunheng, of course, had no idea what Huang Shengjun was thinking. When he first started school, his father had advised him to use his free time to build friendships with like-minded classmates and alumni. These connections, his father said, would become invaluable assets in the future.
Deng Yunheng wholeheartedly agreed with his father's advice. In the nearly two months since starting school, he had made many friends, and Huang Shengjun was just one of them.
...
Bobai County.
After having dinner outside, Deng Shirong and his group went for a stroll around the county town.
Except for Deng Shirong, the others were visiting the county for the first time and were naturally curious about everything.
They walked from Prosperity Road to East Sun Street, where they had bought vegetables earlier in the afternoon, then continued to Culture Road before circling back to the main street. The "high-rise buildings" along the way—though only six stories tall at most—left Deng Yunzhen, Zhang Xiuping, and Mrs. Zhang in awe of the county's prosperity.
In their eyes, these buildings were towering and impressive, a stark contrast to the rural landscape they were used to.
Upon returning to the two-story building, Deng Shirong said to his eldest son, "Yuntai, you'll have some free time until Ah Ping gives birth. Take this opportunity to look around and see if there are any unused buildings suitable for opening a restaurant. If you can find one to rent, it'll save us a lot of trouble. If not, we'll have to talk to the authorities about allocating a piece of land to build one ourselves."
Deng Yuntai nodded. "I'm not tired right now, so I'll go out and take another look."
Deng Shirong cautioned him, "Be careful when you're out. The county town is different from our village. There are idle young people who might cause trouble. If you see any troublemakers, stay far away from them."
"Got it," Deng Yuntai replied. After saying goodbye to his wife, he headed out alone to continue his search.
A week passed in the blink of an eye.
During this time, the energetic Deng Yuntai scoured almost every corner of the county. Unfortunately, he couldn't find a suitable location for the restaurant. The places he liked either had no available stores for rent or were too small to meet his needs.
Deng Shirong wasn't surprised by this. Even in later years, when stores were abundant, finding the right one for a business was challenging, let alone in these early stages of economic development.
"Yuntai, don't worry if you can't find anything. Wait until next year, and we'll talk to the authorities. It would be ideal if we can get the land. If not, we'll buy it ourselves. Once we have the land, we can build the restaurant however we want. It's much better than renting someone else's store. The only downside is that it'll require a larger investment."
Deng Yuntai felt a bit nervous about approaching the authorities. "Dad, we're just opening a small restaurant. Wouldn't it be inappropriate to bother the leaders with such a minor matter? They have so many important issues to deal with every day. Would they really have time for us?"
Deng Shirong smiled. "Leaders are here to serve the people. We won't know unless we ask. Even if it doesn't work out, we won't lose anything. A big leader like that wouldn't hold a grudge against ordinary folks like us."
Deng Yuntai hesitated. "That's true, but…"
Deng Shirong cut him off. "No buts. I'll handle it when the time comes. I'll take care of opening the restaurant, and you'll manage it afterward."
Deng Yuntai scratched his head. "Dad, why are you so confident in us? What if we end up losing money?"
Deng Shirong smiled confidently. "Even if we lose money temporarily, as long as we have the store and the land, we'll eventually make it all back and more."
(End of this chapter