"Your son is really filial." Zhan Aiping told Gu Sheng about this matter, "My son is saving money to buy a car for his parents."
Gu Sheng said, "Your son has loved cars since he was young. Have you forgotten? He still has a bunch of car models. He cares much more about cars than the two of us."
Gu Sheng likes cars, but he often comes into contact with cars. There are all kinds of cars in the army, and many cars are originally used primarily for military purposes. As an officer, he just cannot be a driver.
Gu Chen has fewer opportunities to ride in a car, so if he wants to see cars up close every day, it would be best if he has his own car.
"Yes." Comrade Xiao Zhan remembered that her son Xiao Guobao had liked cars since he was a child, but he was not obsessed with buying a car for his family.
"You and your son are the same, both want to buy a car... I remember when he was a kid, I wrote a suggestion to the tin toy factory, making a simple gas station toy. At that time, ordinary people couldn't buy cars. Only the army and state-owned units could drive. Now you talk about buying a car for the family every day, and the child is also interested."
Gu Sheng patted her shoulder and said, "Wife, when are you going to buy a car?"
Zhan Aiping said, "Wait another two years. My two male compatriots surnamed Gu, our family's plan to buy a car has been put on the agenda. Comrade Zhan estimates that it will be in 1984. She is not just talking nonsense. You should know that it takes time to get a driver's license."
Zhan Aiping put her hands on her hips and said, "Now I am the only one in the family who can get a regular driver's license."
"It takes time and procedures to get a driver's license. Wait a minute, comrades, wait a minute."
It is very troublesome to get a driver's license in this era, and you have to go through an affiliated unit to get it done. Of course, there are not many people who check driver's licenses... But they run a legitimate store, not an unlicensed black car dealer, so they must get a legitimate driver's license.
Gu Sheng couldn't help laughing: "Comrade Zhan, keep working hard and get your driver's license. The hope of our whole family is in your hands."
Zhan Aiping wanted to get a driver's license. When Mrs. Luo heard about it, she also said that she wanted to get one together.
"My old Luo has also been talking about buying a car. I also think it's good to have a car. It's too cold to ride a bicycle in the winter. I bought a small jeep to protect me from the wind and rain, and I won't feel tired when riding."
Mrs. Luo has seen a lot of the world now. Her small building has been built, and she is about to open a branch. She is full of hope for the future. A car that costs thirty or forty thousand yuan sounds very far away from her, but if she saves for a few years, she may be able to buy one.
"Now that I have built my building, I have to collect rent and open a small hotel. When I save enough money in the future, I will also get a car." Mrs. Luo laughed.
"Xiao Zhan, is it difficult to drive? Our Lao Luo is worried that I can't learn it."
Zhan Aiping said: "It's not difficult, driving is very simple, let's learn together, I will teach you."
Zhan Aiping took Mrs. Luo to learn how to drive. She had a smooth learning process, but Mrs. Luo was not so lucky. She couldn't remember many things and found driving complicated.
The practice for the driver's license test at this time is similar to the later ones, including starting on a slope, S-turns, reversing into a garage, etc. The requirements are more stringent. Of course, there is no automatic transmission at this time, only manual transmission.
Although Mrs. Luo learned to drive slowly, she studied very seriously. She found Zhan Aiping and asked her to write down all the actions of getting on and off the car, and she memorized them word by word at home.
Luo Zhiguo supports his wife's driving practice. The couple even made a steering wheel to practice at home. Because of driving practice, the couple's relationship has improved a lot.
Since they couldn't get in the car to practice, they fantasized about driving.
The more he fantasized, the more he wanted to drive. Luo Zhiguo: "I really want to buy a car!"
A man's ideal is to own a car of his own.
Mrs. Luo said, "I heard from Xiao Zhan that many foreign families have cars. In the future, cars will be like refrigerators and televisions. Everyone in our family will have one."
Luo Zhiguo: "How long do we have to wait?"
"Save more money, and we can buy it when we have money."
Luo Zhiguo worried: "You still need to get a driver's license. The way you are now, my child and I are afraid to ride in your car."
Mrs. Luo stepped on him.
"Xiao Zhan, I heard that you are learning to drive. I want to learn with you. Our magazine publishing house should also have a car. We should buy a car when we have money." Shen Liqing heard that Zhan Aiping was learning to drive, and she also wanted to get a driver's license. Her family could not save enough money to buy a car, so she drove the government and company cars.
"Who says women can't love driving?"
Zhan Aiping said: "That's right, if you want to learn how to drive, let's learn together."
"Okay, Xiaozhan!" Shen Liqing was very excited. She rubbed her lips and couldn't wait to touch the car.
Who knew that Shen Liqing was also a poor driver, just as bad as Mrs. Luo. She couldn't steer the wheel properly, and her feet would loosen as soon as she turned the wheel - even so, the three of them enjoyed learning to drive.
Shen Liqing: "I just like the speed at which this car flies!"
Although ordinary cars at that time could not drive fast, and the car they were practicing with was the smallest of the broken cars, any broken car was still better than a bicycle. A bicycle could only go at a speed of about ten kilometers per hour, while this car would be extremely comfortable even if it did not reach the speed of fifty or sixty kilometers, but only twenty or thirty kilometers per hour.
With the car window open, the breeze blows in gently, making me feel as happy as a god.
Mrs. Luo, Shen Liqing, and Zhan Aiping started learning to drive. Gao Jingmei also wanted to join, but she couldn't pass the driving test, so she could only watch the three of them chattering about driving.
Gao Jingmei said: "Why drive? Let's play mahjong."
"Let's play mahjong while talking about how to drive."
Gao Jingmei: “…” It’s so infuriating.
The women were very happy to learn how to drive, but Wang Youli was a little sweaty. He saw his wife's driving learning process with his own eyes. He was very worried: "Will I hit a tree when I get in my wife's car in the future?"
Gu Sheng raised his eyebrows: "Why are you worrying so much? Isn't it better to have a car to ride in?"
Wang Youli said coldly: "You are just lucky. I have been cheated by several driver soldiers."
Gu Sheng said: "Women are more careful and are less likely to get into accidents while driving."
Wang Youli: "I'm afraid she'll do something wrong."
Gu Sheng smiled: "What do you have to worry about? If your wife drives, she will have to sit in the back seat. Buying a car is already on the agenda for my family."
Wang Youli chuckled: "Do you think it's an honor to ride in a car driven by your wife?"
Gu Sheng: "If we drive to a small road with no people, I will drive."
Wang Youli: “…”
"In fact, you can also discuss it with the young drivers you usually work with. Just tell them that you want to try driving. You don't have to buy a car yourself. If you want to drive, you can drive. It's not like you can't drive."
Gu Sheng: "Don't I have any face?"
I even secretly discussed with others whether I could drive. How can I save my dignity
Wang Youli: “…”
You don't have to care about your face in front of your wife.
*
After completing the required procedures, Zhan Aiping should be able to get her driver's license smoothly, and then their family will need a car to meet production needs.
At the end of the year, another house in my family was built, and I planned to renovate it the following year. There was no rush to renovate it, and I still had a place to live.
After the house was built, the small hotel on the second, third and fourth floors of the train station was about to open. Because it was a small hotel next to the train station, and Zhan Aiping didn't have much money to invest, she just made it a low-cost hotel. The investment was only in beds, and she also provided mattresses worth one or two hundred yuan.
The investment in the entire small hotel is not large, and there are four types of rooms. One is 50 cents a night, which is a mixed room, a large room with all beds and a shared bathroom; the slightly better one is one dollar a night, which is a smaller room. Although there are many beds, there is a black and white TV; the better one is three dollars a night, and the best one is fifteen dollars a night. The fifteen dollar one is a small single room with a private bathroom and a TV, but there are not many of them.
At that time, the minimum price for an ordinary guesthouse is three yuan a night. The basic conditions of a guesthouse are better, with a bathtub, cabinets, beds, and sofas. Comrade Xiao Zhan does not have that much money to invest in these, and it is next to the train station, so it doesn't need to be too good.
Fearing chaos due to too many people, Zhan Aiping recruited four retired soldiers to help her look after the inn. The leader was called Chen Rong.
That house that costs fifty cents a night really has no problems with being empty. It is almost full every day. It is so cheap, what else is there to be picky about
Zhan Aiping bought a lot of washing machines. Although other conditions cannot be met, basic disinfection and sanitation work must be passed.
Zhan Aiping told Chen Rong: "You must pay close attention to hygiene and disinfect regularly. Cleaners must not be lazy or slack off. If you do a good job, you will get a bonus..."
Nowadays, many employees in guesthouses are slacking off. One person sweeping the floor, one person cleaning the windows, just become lazy after finishing their work... It's not just guesthouses, many factories are like this as well. Because they won't be fired, they feel safe and secure, and their efficiency is low.
The current reform of state-owned enterprises is all about efficiency, quality, and strict rewards and punishments. Many people have realized the problems of state-owned factories. In the past, state-owned factories were very likely to produce a large number of defective products. That was because the defective products could be bought by workers at low prices, which led to workers deliberately making defective products. The production quality can be imagined.
These are problems in many places. Zhan Aiping doesn't want anything to go wrong in her store, so she would rather make less money.
The train station has a large flow of people. The hotels that cost 50 cents or one yuan a night are almost always full every day, while the hotels that cost 15 yuan a night are seldom occupied. This small hotel brings Zhan Aiping a large amount of income every month.
Of course, the greater source of income is the increase in traffic, which has led to the booming business of grilled fish restaurants and oil tea houses.
After the small hotel opened, Zhan Aiping calculated their family's monthly income and realized that buying a car was no longer a dream.
*
It was the end of the lunar year of 1982, and New Year's Eve was in February of 1983. That winter was still chilly, and snow fell in many places. Gu Ze'an and his wife had retired a long time ago and lived in a retirement home for cadres. They did not visit any of their children for the New Year, but went to Qiongzhou Island to celebrate the New Year.
They went there with a bunch of veteran cadres. Traveling was becoming popular at that time, and most of them were domestic tours. A group of old men and women were happily wandering around, and Gu Ze'an and his wife also joined the tour.
They wander around during the day, and in the evening they call to harass their children: "It's so comfortable here in the winter. It's not cold at all, but the wind is a little strong. The air is very fresh. How heavy is the snow over there, second child?"
"We old guys plan to stay here until March. It's really comfortable. If you have time, come over!"
"When I go home, I'll go to Lao Wu's place. It's close, in the next province. Lao Wu, do you want to come and celebrate the New Year? There are coconuts here and we can see the sea. Our grandchildren are on winter vacation, so we can come together. It's not far..."
Gu Yuan and his sister were very moved by what he said, especially Gu Yuan: "Grandpa, I want to see the beach, I want to drink coconut juice!"
Gu Ze'an was happy: "My dear granddaughter, Grandpa will take a picture of you, come here."
"Ask your mother to bring you here. Isn't it winter vacation? Come out and play."
Zhan Aiping was also very excited because she was afraid of the cold no matter how long it had been. It would be comfortable to spend the winter there. She could also see the sea, sunbathe, soak in the sea water, and eat some seafood.
"Mr. Gu, what do you think? Why don't I take the children over there?" Zhan Aiping asked Gu Sheng with excitement.
Gu Sheng sulked: "…You guys can go if you want, I have to be on duty."
"Seeing how resentful you are, forget it, let's just stay home with dad."
Gu Yuan and the others could only feel regretful, and the family agreed to go to the beach again during their next vacation.
Gu Ze'an and his wife came to Guicheng to visit them in March and April and brought a lot of gifts. They bought some pearl jewelry and gave a set to each daughter-in-law. Zhan Aiping took a fancy to a pair of pearl ear hooks and she liked them very much. The white pearls were 11mm in size and looked particularly warm and unobtrusive when worn on the earlobes.
Pearls always exude a gentle flavor. As for pearl necklaces, they are suitable to be worn with sweaters in autumn and winter, and with skirts in summer. It depends on the outfit, otherwise it will look old-fashioned.
If it is well matched, it will appear elegant and beautiful.
Gu Yuan envied: "Mom, you look so beautiful in pearl earrings! I want to get my ears pierced too."
Gu Mian: "Mom, mom, I want to too!"
Zhan Aiping said: "You are still young, let's talk about it when you grow up."
It’s true that wearing jewelry really makes people feel good. Zhan Aiping also wanted to buy some jewelry for the children. She found Gao Jingmei and asked her to ask Lu Ming to help her buy gold jewelry on Zhongying Street. She bought gold bracelets for herself and the two girls, and gold gourds for the men.
At this time, the price of gold is dozens of yuan per gram, and the specific price depends on the store. The quality of gold jewelry on Zhongying Street is relatively high, and many people like to buy it here.
Lu Ming was a reliable person and he sent the person back quickly. He also bought gold jewelry for his wife and children.
Gao Jingmei held up the big gold bracelet and complained to Zhan Aiping: "How tacky!"
Look at this tacky golden color, it's really blinding.
Gao Jingmei: "This gold bracelet is so shiny."
Zhan Aiping put on a gold bracelet, which made her skin look white. "Do you think it's tacky? If you don't like it, give it to me. I'll give one to each of you."
Gao Jingmei: "I don't wear it myself, so I have to leave it to my daughter-in-law."
"This is a big gold bracelet. Do you think it will leave teeth marks if you bite it?"
Zhan Aiping: "… Then try biting it. When your daughter-in-law gets this bracelet in the future, there will be her mother-in-law's teeth marks on it."
Gao Jingmei: “…”
Comrade Xiao Gao thought about it and decided not to bite.
The gold bracelets given to the two daughters were smaller. Zhan Aiping showed them to them and asked the two little girls to try them on. After Gu Yuan put them on her hands, she was reluctant to take them off. She was a vulgar person like her mother.
"Mom, this is so pretty, can I take it to school?"
Zhan Aiping shook her head: "That's not possible. Wearing a gold bracelet at such a young age would be too eye-catching. Mommy will make you a silver bracelet, okay?"
"The gold bracelet is hidden at home."
Gu Yuan regretfully said, "Well, then I can only wear it at home for fun."
Having a gold bracelet, but not being able to show it off, made Gu Yuan feel itchy. She wore the gold bracelet and ran to Lu Cheng to show it off, secretly showing him the gold bracelet on her wrist: "It looks good, doesn't it??!!"
Lu Cheng nodded reluctantly: "..."
Lu Ming bought him a large gold bracelet with a dragon and phoenix pattern, but Lu Cheng was too embarrassed to take it out.
"You like gold?"
Gu Yuan said: "I like everything that looks good, jadeite, Hetian jade... I heard there are gemstones abroad."
Lu Cheng: "Didn't you say you wanted to apply to a military academy? Aren't you going to be a soldier? Female soldiers can't wear jewelry."
Gu Yuan said: "Female soldiers can't take leave, can't female soldiers have their own private time? Who cares if I wear jewelry in my private time? I'm happy and I want to take pictures."
Lu Cheng shook his head: "..."
He didn't quite understand what these girls were thinking.
Gu Yuan and Gu Mian had a silver bracelet on their wrists. Zhan Aiping had specially gone to the Yao village to find a special craftsman to make these silver bracelets. They were very beautiful. She also made one for herself. The disadvantage of silver bracelets is that they are easily oxidized.
When a silver bracelet is worn on the hand, it will remain in its original shape and will not easily be oxidized; but once the silver bracelet is left aside, it will oxidize and turn black after a while.
Unused silver bracelets must be sealed in packaging bags to isolate them from air so that they will not easily oxidize and turn black.
The disadvantage of gold bracelets is that they are too soft and easily deformed. Comrade Xiaozhan wears her own gold bracelet every night. Her mother also left her a gold bracelet, and now she also leaves a few more gold bracelets for her daughters.
Zhan Aiping has great ambitions: "When my children get married in the future, I will prepare a few sets of gold jewelry for them!"
In the end, you still have to work hard to make money. Once you have the desire to consume, you will want to consume more and more.
Gu Sheng: "... When will our family buy a car?"
"Wouldn't it be nice for each of the children to have a car when they get married?"
Zhan Aiping: “…” Cars, cars, cars, always thinking about buying a car.
"My driver's license is about to be issued. I have to wait for the approval. Do you think buying a car is so easy? You still have to wait."
This is not a first-tier city, so buying a car is a bit more troublesome and needs to be ordered in advance.
In 1984, the family was preparing to buy a car, but were delayed by other things. Zhan Aiping and her family flew to the capital. Comrade Lao Gu went to attend the military parade, so Zhan Aiping asked for leave for her four children and took them to watch the parade.
Finally, I can live in the courtyard I bought! Zhan Aiping flew there alone with her four children. As soon as she landed, her younger brother Zhan Mingzhao and his wife came to pick them up with their children, saying that they would go to a time-honored restaurant to eat roast duck in the evening.
"Sister, you are finally here."
"Yuanyuan and Xiaomianhua have grown taller. Our Yuanyuan is so beautiful!"
Gu Yuan was particularly concerned about the food: "We are going to eat roast duck! We want to eat a time-honored roast duck."
Gu Xiangyi said: "Eat, definitely roast duck!"
In the past few years, the capital's time-honored brands were the first to revive. Now, a large number of time-honored brands have been revived like mushrooms after a rain, and time-honored brands from all over the country have regained their reputations.
Zhan Aiping said: "Not only should we eat roast duck, but we should also eat shabu-shabu mutton and drink mutton offal soup."
"Take your time eating these few days." Gu Xiangyi and his wife took them to the courtyard. Knowing that Zhan Aiping's family was coming, they had already cleaned and decorated the place.
Lu Cheng didn't want to go with them, he wanted to go to his grandfather's house.
(End of this chapter)