Chapter 274: Do You Believe I'll Have Your Father Hang You Up and Beat You? [6000 Words]

Chapter 274: Do You Believe I'll Have Your Father Hang You Up and Beat You? [6000 Words]



Baoshan Village.

The Deng Shilan family began planting sugarcane.

Ever since listening to his younger brother Deng Shirong’s advice, the Deng Shilan family leased over 600 acres of communal hillside land from the village collective to grow sugarcane. With the help of some of their brothers and nephews, they spent over a year clearing the land, finally turning all 600 acres into arable fields.

Before last year, Baise County mainly planted spring sugarcane, which was typically sown in February or March. However, starting this year, many people began promoting autumn sugarcane, planted in September or October and harvested the following winter.

The timing was perfect, so the Deng Shilan family decided to follow the trend and plant autumn sugarcane.

The choice of sugarcane variety was also critical. There's a farming proverb in Baise: "Frequent crop rotation is better than manure."

Before the liberation, Baise County mainly planted low-yield varieties like bamboo sugarcane and wildflower sugarcane, yielding only about 1.5 to 2 tons per acre.

After liberation, in the 1950s, they introduced Indian 290 and Javanese 2878.

In the 1960s, they introduced Taiwanese Sugar 134.

In the 1970s, they introduced Guangxi Sugar 1, 2, 7, Minxuan 703, and Guangdong Sugar 63/237.

By the 1980s, they introduced 71/210, Guangxi Sugar 11, 832, 833, 80/25, 80/29, New Taiwanese Sugar 1, and Guangxi Sugar 12, achieving yields of about 3 tons per acre.

The Deng Shilan family now planted Guangxi Sugar 11, 12, and New Taiwanese Sugar 1.

Planting sugarcane was not a difficult task for the people of Baise. After the land was distributed to households, many villagers would plant sugarcane on their sloping land, selling it if they could, or keeping it for personal use if they couldn't. These slopes were unsuitable for rice, so they were mostly used for growing miscellaneous grains and sugarcane.

Now, the Deng Shilan family needed to plant over 600 acres of sugarcane, which they couldn't manage with just their family and relatives. So, they went door-to-door, calling on the entire village to help.

The villagers were more than willing to lend a hand. The Deng Shilan family was now one of the most respected in Baoshan Village.

Their eldest daughter and son-in-law helped manage their uncle's orchard, earning several dozen yuan a month.

Their eldest son and daughter-in-law worked at their uncle's large restaurant in the county town, earning close to a hundred yuan a month.

Their second son was even more impressive, having taken out a loan to buy a large truck. While his monthly income was unknown, it was clear he was making a good profit. Even his friend, Bu Dajun, had transformed into a respectable figure.

Now, the family had leased 600 acres of hillside to grow sugarcane. Whether they would make a profit or not, the villagers were impressed by their ambition, which no one in the village could match.

Moreover, everyone knew that Deng Shilan's younger brother was the wealthiest person in Shuangwang and the head of the Deng clan. He was both rich and influential, so no one would refuse him.

With this background, when Deng Shilan personally visited each household to ask for help, no one declined. They were only asked to lend a hand in planting sugarcane, a small favor compared to the respect and status the Deng family commanded.

Thus, with the help of the entire village, the Deng Shilan family managed to plant all 600 acres of sugarcane in just ten days.

After finishing the planting, Deng Shilan had a large pig slaughtered and invited the entire village to a feast.

...

While the family was hosting the village feast at home, Bu Zhongshi was on the road with Bu Dajun and another villager, Bu Dajiang, delivering a load to Zhanjiang. After ten months of hard work, Bu Zhongshi and Bu Dajun had become competent drivers.

During those ten months, they had driven to countless places, learning from the experienced driver Deng Changrui. Their practical experience and repair skills had significantly improved. Now, unless there was a major issue, they could handle most minor repairs on their own.

Seeing their growth, Deng Changrui no longer accompanied them on trips. Instead, he used the money they had earned to start a small business.

At this moment, the three were discussing the sugarcane plantation at Bu Zhongshi's home.

Bu Dajun said, "Zhongshi, with all the sugarcane you planted, when it's time to sell next year, we won't need to do long-distance runs anymore. Just hauling your sugarcane will keep us busy for months."

Bu Zhongshi nodded, "That's true. With several thousand tons of sugarcane, if we don't hire additional trucks, even if we work non-stop, it will take at least a month or two to transport it all."

Bu Dajiang added, "Brother Zhongshi, if your sugarcane has a good harvest next year, you'll make a lot of money."

Bu Dajun laughed, "Definitely. We helped bring back the seeds, and you know what they say. Normally, the yield is about 3 tons per acre. With 600 acres, that's around 1800 tons of sugarcane. Even if we make just 10 yuan per ton, that's 18,000 yuan in profit. And how could a ton of sugarcane possibly only make 10 yuan?"

Upon hearing the simple calculation from Bu Dajun, Bu Daqiang couldn’t help but gasp in shock, his face filled with amazement. "That means Brother Zhongshi’s family will earn at least a few ten thousand yuan next year, right? Good heavens, growing sugarcane is so profitable!"

Bu Zhongshi laughed. "It’s not that growing sugarcane is profitable. It’s that no matter what you grow, as long as you plant enough, you can make money."

Bu Dajun chimed in, "This initial investment is several thousand yuan. Who in our village, besides your family, would dare to do this?"

Bu Daqiang nodded in agreement. "Brother Dajun is right. Several thousand yuan is a lot of money. Not only can no one in the village afford it, but even if they could, they wouldn’t have the guts to put it all in. Only your family, Brother Zhongshi, would dare to do something like this."

Bu Zhongshi explained, "If my parents were to make the decision, they wouldn’t dare to invest so much money in sugarcane. It was my uncle’s idea, and with his support, my parents were brave enough to lease the village’s public hills and start this venture.

"Even I, if my uncle hadn’t backed me, do you think I would have dared to take out a loan from the credit union to buy a truck and run freight?"

Hearing this, Bu Dajun and Bu Daqiang were envious. If only their uncles were as capable!

---

Bai Bo High School

It was evening study hall, and in the classroom of Class 1, Grade 1, Deng Yongsong was diligently studying English. Among all his subjects, English was his weakest, though for someone who had made it into Yu High, his weakness was still something most of his classmates aspired to. In terms of English grades, he was still in the top ten of his class.

Deng Yongsong had only been studying for a short while when he heard two classmates behind him chatting incessantly. They were both locals from the county town, speaking in their local dialect and laughing loudly.

Studying requires concentration, and the noise from these two classmates not only disrupted Deng Yongsong but also affected other students.

As the class president, Deng Yongsong had to take action. He turned around and said, "Li Donghai, Zhang Wenlong, it’s study hall now. Your constant talking is disturbing the other students."

Li Donghai and Zhang Wenlong glanced at Deng Yongsong and sneered, ignoring his warning and continuing their conversation, completely disregarding the authority of the class president.

Deng Yongsong took a deep breath and repeated, "Li Donghai, Zhang Wenlong, I’m saying this again. It’s study hall. If you don’t want to study, that’s fine, but please don’t disturb others."

Li Donghai, impatient, retorted, "What’s wrong with us talking a bit? Are you going to boss us around?"

Zhang Wenlong mocked, "Just because you’re the class president, you think you’re someone special, huh?"

The commotion caught the attention of the entire class.

Deng Yongsong frowned and said calmly, "If you don’t listen to me, I’ll have to report this to the homeroom teacher."

Zhang Wenlong glared at Deng Yongsong and threatened, "You dare to report us to the teacher? Try it!"

Li Donghai added menacingly, "Deng Yongsong, if you tell the teacher, we’ll beat you so hard you’ll soil your pants."

Deng Yongsong’s face darkened. "You two are quite bold. I don’t think you’re the kind of people who lack brains, are you? Don’t you know the country is cracking down on crime? The police are arresting people every day. And you think you can beat me up? Try touching a single hair on my head."

His words carried a strong threat. If this were a less prestigious school, some hot-headed young men might have charged in without thinking. But this was Bai Bo High, the best key high school in the county, where all the students had excellent academic records and relatively high IQs. It was especially true in Class 1, the top class, where no one would dare to start a fight at school, especially when they were in the wrong.

However, young people value their pride. Just because they wouldn’t fight at school didn’t mean they wouldn’t make threats.

Zhang Wenlong stared at Deng Yongsong and warned, "You just wait. We won’t fight you at school, but once you’re out, someone will take care of you."

Li Donghai sneered but said nothing.

Deng Yongsong wasn’t intimidated, but he knew better than to stand in the way of danger. Since the situation had escalated, he needed to resolve it thoroughly to avoid any future problems. He looked at Zhang Wenlong and Li Donghai and taunted, "Threatening me, huh? You two seem pretty tough. Why don’t you tell me which village in the county you’re from?"

Zhang Wenlong boasted, "What’s there to be afraid of? I’m from Xincun."

Since the conflict began, the other students had been quietly observing. It was early in the school year, and most students were still getting to know each other. Some hadn’t even memorized the names of all their classmates, and the good students were generally more cautious about trouble.

So, the classmates just watched, and no one dared to speak up for Deng Yongsong, the class president.

At that moment, when Zhang Wenlong mentioned he was from the New Village, some of the classmates who were more familiar with the county's situation couldn't help but change their expressions.

"So Zhang Wenlong is from the New Village, no wonder he’s so cocky."

"What's the deal? Are people from the New Village that tough?"

"Yeah, I heard from someone from our village who studies in the county that people from the New Village are the ones you can’t mess with. They’re very united and good at fighting."

"I've heard that too. My cousin told me not to provoke anyone from the New Village when I came to study in the county."

"Oh, I see. So the class president is in for some trouble!"

"At school, it might not be a big deal, but I'm worried about what might happen outside of school."

"He shouldn't have to worry. The class president is such a good student. Haven't you heard the head teacher say that he’s the top student in the school? If the head teacher finds out about this, he’ll definitely intervene."

"The head teacher is only powerful within the school. He can’t do much outside of it."

"..."

Deng Yongsong didn't pay attention to the classmates' discussions. When he heard Zhang Wenlong mention the New Village, he smiled.

The New Village, what a coincidence!

"No wonder you’re so arrogant. So you’re from the New Village, huh!"

"Looks like you know about our village. Since we’re classmates, if you apologize to me, I can pretend this never happened."

After hearing this, the classmates who had been watching were stunned.

Is their class president that brave? Who gave him the courage to say such things?

Zhang Wenlong was also amused, giving a thumbs-up. "Deng Yongsong, you’ve got guts. We’ll see how this plays out."

Deng Yongsong knew he needed to show some muscle to convince him, so he calmly asked, "Zhang Wenlong, since you’re from the New Village, do you know Elder Zhang Guangzong?"

Zhang Wenlong was a bit surprised. "Oh, I didn’t expect you to know about my great-uncle. Impressive."

Deng Yongsong looked at Zhang Wenlong with a half-smile. "I not only know about your great-uncle, but I can also have him tell your father to beat you up. Do you believe me?"

Zhang Wenlong sneered. "Deng Yongsong, have you read yourself silly? Having my great-uncle tell my father to beat me up? Who do you think you are? Do you know who my great-uncle is?"

Deng Yongsong replied coolly, "Papa Zhang is always drinking with my father. Do you think I wouldn’t know who he is? In fact, I don’t even need to involve Papa Zhang. Once I get home, I can just give a call to Uncle Zhang Guoan, who works at the court, and I bet your father will give you a good beating when you get home."

Hearing this, Zhang Wenlong couldn’t sit still. If Deng Yongsong had only mentioned his great-uncle, he could have dismissed it as bluffing. But now that he mentioned Uncle Zhang and his job, it seemed he really knew them.

And they seemed to be on good terms.

Thinking about this, Zhang Wenlong couldn’t care less about losing face and whispered, "Class president, who is your father?"

Deng Yongsong didn’t want to boast, but to establish his authority in the class and prevent similar incidents, he gave a vague answer, also lowering his voice. "You know the Sufeng Restaurant, right? My father owns it."

Hearing this, Zhang Wenlong immediately understood everything!

Even though he was just a student, the name Sufeng Restaurant was well-known to him. Especially since his great-uncle had personally told the village that no one should cause trouble at Sufeng Restaurant. He even spread the word to other villages not to cause trouble there.

In short, Sufeng Restaurant was under the protection of his great-uncle.

And the class president was the son of the owner of Sufeng Restaurant. No wonder he wasn’t afraid of their threats.

Most importantly, the class president’s words weren’t a joke. If the class president told his great-uncle about tonight’s incident, and his great-uncle told his father, it was possible his father would beat him up.

Realizing this, Zhang Wenlong’s face turned red as he apologized, "Class president, I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have disrupted the class's study."

Li Donghai had heard the entire conversation. Seeing that even the formidable Zhang Wenlong was apologizing, he didn’t dare to be stubborn either and also blushed as he apologized, "Class president, I’m sorry!"

What seemed like a long story actually took only a couple of minutes.

Seeing the arrogant Zhang Wenlong and Li Donghai apologize to Deng Yongsong, the class president, the classmates were all stunned!

At their age, they valued face above all, especially in front of girls. They would rather get beaten up than apologize in front of the whole class. But the two most "dominant" classmates had done just that, leaving a lasting impression on everyone.

I estimate that in twenty or thirty years, every classmate will still remember what happened tonight.

As the classmates gaped in shock, Deng Yongsong nodded and said, "I accept your apologies!"

He then glanced around the room and added, "Let's all stop talking and focus on our studies!"

With that, Deng Yongsong returned to his seat and resumed studying his English textbook.

Although the classmates were itching to know what the class monitor had said to Zhang Wenlong, they obediently quieted down.

At that moment, Deng Yongsong's authority as class monitor was firmly established!

...

In the following days, Deng Shirong stayed in the county town and didn't return to his hometown.

Back home, his youngest daughter, Deng Yunzhu, was in her third year of junior high, and his fourth son, Deng Yunhua, was in his second year. They only came home once a week, leaving only his fifth-grade son, Deng Yunheng, at home. With his niece's help, it didn't matter whether he returned or not.

In the county town, he enjoyed drinking a little wine with Zhang Guangzong every day, teasing his increasingly adorable granddaughter, and occasionally visiting the bus company. Life was very leisurely.

The bus company's progress was also rapid. After the National Day holiday, they had purchased ten large buses, and the hiring of bus drivers was well underway. The routes to the cities Deng Shirong had mentioned were already established.

Given that it was a blank market, establishing these routes was not difficult.

Because the Longfeng Bus Company offered higher wages, ten experienced drivers were quickly hired.

At the same time, Deng Silong and others, whom Deng Shirong had sent to the agricultural machinery school to learn driving, had completed their training and were ready to start working.

"Grandpa Jiu, everything is ready at the company. We can start operations at any time," Deng Changyu said with a smile in the general manager's office.

Deng Shirong nodded in satisfaction. "Since everything is ready, let's officially start operations in three days. Initially, there won't be many passengers, so you need to be mentally prepared. Our goal is to familiarize ourselves with the routes. The real money will come during the Spring Festival travel rush."

In the future, bus competition would become more intense, and many people running bus services would only earn enough to cover their costs and maintenance. The real profits would come during holidays, especially the Spring Festival.

Deng Changyu nodded. "Alright, we'll officially start operations in three days."

This was the Yan Deng Clan's bus company, and it was about to start making money. Naturally, they needed to inform the clan members.

So, Deng Shirong sent a message back, asking the clan members if they wanted to come for the opening ceremony.

The clan members' reaction was even more enthusiastic than Deng Shirong had expected. The day after receiving the message, a group of clan members arrived.

This first group included Deng Changbao, Deng Changxiong, Deng YunGui, Deng Yunqiang, Deng Yuntian, Deng Yunfa, Deng Changshou, Deng Yunfei, Deng Changming, Deng Changji, Deng Changqing, Deng Changli, and Deng Changnian. They were all the village leaders and the more affluent clan members, and they held the second-largest shares in the bus company after Deng Shirong. Naturally, they were very concerned about the company's operations.

Lunch was at the Sui Feng Restaurant.

Although most of the clan members were relatively wealthy, with over 90% being ten-thousand-yuan households, they were still amazed by the size of the restaurant their clan head had opened.

Deng Changbao exclaimed, "Grandpa Jiu, I've heard about this restaurant, but hearing about it and seeing it in person are two different things. It's really huge!"

Deng YunGui nodded. "Yes, I've traveled a lot in the past few years selling pottery, and I've seen many big restaurants in cities, but I've never seen one this large."

Deng Changxiong sighed, "No wonder you invested over 300,000 yuan. Only you have the courage to do something like this. I definitely wouldn't have the nerve."

The others also praised Deng Shirong, truly admiring him as their clan head.

Deng Shirong humbly said, "Don't praise me. I've invested a lot of money into this restaurant, and it's not clear how long it will take to recoup the costs."

Deng YunGui laughed, "Uncle Jiu, don't be modest. When I came in, I saw the restaurant was doing very well. I bet it won't take long to recoup the costs!"

At that moment, the waiters began serving the dishes, and Deng Shirong changed the topic. "Alright, enough praise. Try the poached dishes from our restaurant and see how they taste."

The other clan members turned their attention to the poached dishes being served.

Most of them had only had two bowls of congee before coming, and they were quite hungry. Seeing the delicious poached dishes, they couldn't resist and started eating.

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end