Chapter 365: FromFrom today onward, even the poorest families in the clan will have at least a few D

Chapter 365: FromFrom today onward, even the poorest families in the clan will have at least a few Dabulu savings!

Afternoon.

At the entrance of the new Ye Deng Clan Ancestral Hall.

On the podium, a stack of brand new banknotes was neatly arranged.

These were no longer the old ten-yuan notes, but the new hundred-yuan notes, which were part of the fourth set of Renminbi issued on May 10, 1988. These new notes were not only visually different but also much much convenient to handle, making them desirable despite their being no major circulation yet.

.

Because the notes had a larger denomination, even though the total amount on the table was nearly 30 million yuan, it didn’t look much more substantial than the previous dividends from the passenger transport company.

After the armored car from the bank left, the clan members began to murmur among themselves.

“Why do these notes look different from before?”

“They look different, not the old ten-yuan notes, but the new hundred-yuan notes. I’ve seen them in the county.”

“The state has issued new hundred-yuan notes? When did this happen, and why don’t I know about it?”

“This isn’t a new thing, many people already know about it!”

“With the hundred-yuan notes, it will be much more convenient to handle large sums of money, even a couple of ten thousand yuan can be carried in a pocket easily.”

“…”

Amid the clan members’ chatter, Deng Shirong stood up andannI now announce, the food company’s dividends will officially begin. Those whose names are called will come on stage to receive their money.”

The Ye Deng Clan had already established a mature system for distributing dividends, having done this multiple times before.

At this point, several clan members responsible for distributing the money would take ten of the new hundred-yuan notes and use one as a binder for the other nine, making a bundle of one thousand yuan. Each share was worth two thousand yuan, so this made the process very straightforward.

Then a clan member with a record of the shares began to read out the names:

“Deng Changbao, 12 shares, 24,000 yuan.”

“Deng Changsen, 14 shares, 28,000 yuan.”

“Deng Yunxing, 15 shares, 30,000 yuan.”

“…”

Each clan member whose name was called went up to receive the money, and none received less than 20,000 yuan. Holding the bundles of hundred-yuan notes, the clan members all wore broad smiles.

The further down the list, the more shares the clan members held, and the more money they received.

The atmosphere on the scene grew increasingly heated.

“DengY, 120 shares, 240,000 yuan.”

“Deng Changyu, 120 shares, 240,000 yuan.”

“Deng Yunqiang, 130 shares, 260,000 yuan.”

When the names of the clan’s top economic contributors were called, the high dividends they received made the common clan members envious.

The one who most impressed the clan members was the food company’s general manager, Deng Changyu. Previously, he was an unremarkable figure in the clan, but when the clan head initiated the food company, he was not only appointed as the general manager but also took 120 shares, an unexpected move that placed him above those with better economic conditions, making him a standout.

This first dividend from the food company made him extremely wealthy, and others were genuinely envious.

In the crowd, Lu Guiying watched her husband, Deng Changyu, go up to receive his money, unable to hide her joy.

Her family’s success in acquiring so many shares was due to the Ninth Ancestor’s encouragement and support, as well as the help of her brothers, who had mortgaged their family’s assets and helped her husband secure a bank loan, allowing them to acquire so many shares.

Now, with this dividend, her family had become rich overnight.

Lu Guiying quietly calculated, what kind of gift she should give her brothers when she returned home.

Soon, the dividend distribution was nearing its end.

“Deng, 260 shares, 520,000 yuan.”

“Deng Changbao, 280 shares, 560,000 yuan.”

These two were the second richest in the Ye Deng Clan, receiving over 500,000 yuan in dividends, far surpassing other clan members.

At last, the clan member responsible for reading the names loudly announced: “Clan Head, 2000 shares, 4,000,000 yuan.”

Upon hearing this, the entire crowd erupted in cheers.

If other clan members received high dividends, there might be jealousy, but no one felt that way about the clan head receiving such a high dividend, genuinely glad for him.

After all, without the clan head, most clan members would still be poor, unable to afford meat even once a month.

Now, even the poorest families in the clan had at least a few Dabulu in assets, all thanks to the clan head.

Unless they were heartless, who wouldn’t be grateful to the clan head?

Therefore, no matter how much the clan head received, they were all delighted, and there was no trace of jealousy.

Deng Shirong put the money into a sack and looked at the clan members below, saying, “Clan members, the road in the village is almost completed, and it has taken up some clan members’ farmland, homesteads, and even houses.

Now, I plan to turn this dirt road into a cement one, and plant beautiful landscape trees on both sides and in the middle.

IfIf we include the compensation for the farmland, homesteads, and houses, it will be around 2.2 million yuan.

Aside from the 10-yuan per capita, the rest of us can donate voluntarily!

”

Deng Changyu was the first to respond, “Ninth Ancestor, I will donate 20,000 yuan, to set an example.”

This time, the food company’s dividend, excluding the initial investment, still earned him 120,000 yuan.

As the general manager of the food company, he naturally knew how substantial the profits of the instant noodle factory were.

Therefore, the future dividends would only increase, and he would never be short of money again.

Therefore, for the clan's public construction, since Ninth Ancestor had an idea, he naturally had to support it enthusiastically.

Deng Yunqiang, who had the same number of shares in the food company as Deng Changyu and even more shares in the passenger transport company, naturally didn’t want to be outdone. He immediately said, “Ninth Ancestor, I will also donate 20,000 yuan.”

Deng YunGui smiled and said, “I will donate 30,000 yuan.”

Deng Changxiong, who had earned more than 200,000 yuan this time, was not stingy either. He said directly, “I will donate 50,000 yuan.”

Deng Changbao, who had earned the second-highest amount after the clan head, smiled and said, “Then I will donate 60,000 yuan.”

With their lead, the clan members, who were more financially comfortable than ever before, were also very generous.

In less than ten minutes, the total donations had already exceeded 1.8 million yuan, which made Deng Shirong very satisfied.

The enthusiasm of the clan members in donating was closely related to the clan's cohesion. The more proactive they were in donating, the higher the cohesion. If everyone was afraid of spending money and worried about losing out, such a clan would naturally have no cohesion.

The clan members' current performance showed that the cohesion of the Ye Deng Clan had become very strong.

Deng Shirong then waved his hand and said, “Alright, I’ll cover the rest. After the New Year, we will start building the road and dredging the village river. Once the road is built and the river is dredged, we will raise funds to build a cluster of villas.”

Deng YunGui said, “Uncle Ninth, if we are to lay a cement road, we will definitely need sand and gravel. Since there are still more than ten days before the New Year, everyone is idle anyway. We might as well start preparing some sand and gravel now. That way, we won’t waste time after the New Year.”

The other clan members also agreed, showing a high level of enthusiasm for the work.

Seeing this, Deng Shirong nodded and said, “Alright, then from tomorrow until the 28th of the month, those who are idle can go and dig sand or transport gravel. We’ll continue after the New Year.”

The clan members all agreed, and thus the dividend distribution meeting came to an end.

After the clan members handed over their donation amounts to the responsible clan members, they each took their share of the money, ranging from tens of thousands to hundreds of thousands of yuan, and happily returned home with their families and relatives.

Some of this money would be used to repay debts to relatives, friends, and the bank. Some families preferred to keep cash, while others wanted to deposit it in the bank. Deng Shirong left it up to them to decide.

The reason for distributing cash dividends now was not to show off but because, in this era, it was not as simple as transferring money to a bank card as it is in modern times.

In this era, people used passbooks. To deposit money into a passbook, one had to go to the bank to handle it.

Another way was to send a remittance.

In this era, remittances were generally handled through the post office, which offered two types: telegraph remittance and ordinary remittance.

Ordinary remittance, or "Pu Hui," involved the postal department mailing a draft by letter and paying the remittance to the designated recipient.

Telegraph remittance, or "Dian Hui," involved the remitting office sending a telegram to the paying office, which would issue a telegraph draft and notify the recipient to come and collect the remittance. Telegraph remittance was faster than ordinary remittance, but users had to pay extra for the telegram, and if there were any additional messages (which were usually limited in length), they would have to pay extra for those as well.

The reason for this complexity was simple: in this era, computers were not widespread, and bank branches were not networked. They had to use these methods to handle remittance services. It wouldn’t be until a few years later, when banks were networked, that this would no longer be necessary.

Therefore, if someone’s child was working in Guangdong, their parents would often receive remittance slips from Guangdong.

These two methods of remittance were extremely troublesome and unsuitable for distributing dividends.

Thus, the clan chose to distribute cash dividends, with the bank’s armored car helping to transport the money, ensuring its safety.

Once the money was distributed to the clan members, it would also be safe.

After all, despite the chaos of this era, the rural areas of Bobai County were relatively safe compared to the cities, where the mix of people made it normal to see strangers at one’s doorstep.

In the countryside, everyone in a village shared the same ancestry, and a stranger stood out like a firefly in the dark.

Most importantly, guns were not banned in this era, and the village still had homemade guns and cannons. Although the village militia had been disbanded, they still had combat capabilities. A few ordinary people trying to rob a village might succeed if the village was not united, but if they encountered a united village, they would be in big trouble.

Given the current cohesion of the Ye Deng Clan, a few robbers trying to raid the village would be courting death.

...

Deng Changyu and his wife returned home with 220,000 yuan in cash.

After his wife hid the cash, Deng Changyu said, “Wife, let’s go to your hometown together tomorrow to repay the debts. Last year, we owed a lot to your brothers for helping us borrow money. Otherwise, we wouldn’t have the harvest we have now!”

Lu Guiying said, “Husband, we owe them a lot. I think we should give them some gifts. What do you think?”

Deng Changyu nodded repeatedly and said, “That’s right. Do you have any ideas about what gifts to give?”

Lu Guiying said, “I want to give each of my four sisters-in-law a gold bracelet and each of my four brothers a watch. What do you think?”

Deng Changyu waved his hand and said, “Let’s also prepare something for your parents.”

Lu Guiying smiled and said, “Alright, let’s do that. We’ll prepare the gifts first, then take the money to repay the debts.”

Deng Changyu nodded and said, “Okay, I’ll go back to the county to handle this tomorrow.”

...

Similar conversations were happening in other families of the Ye Deng Clan.

Last year, when the food company was established, most of the clan members borrowed money from their relatives and friends to acquire more shares. Now that they had the money to pay back their debts, many clan members were thinking about what gifts to give to their relatives and friends as a token of gratitude.

Of course, cases like the Deng Changyu couple were relatively rare.

Their situation was special because Lu Guiying not only borrowed money from her brothers but also had them help secure a bank loan, which created a significant debt of gratitude.

Other clan members only borrowed money from relatives and friends, so they didn’t need to give such expensive gifts. Bringing a hundred or a few hundred yuan worth of gifts when paying back the money was already considered very generous.

...

Afternoon.

In a residential area in Wuhan.

In the study, Gu Caiwei was still working on her unfinished embroidery of a flower and bird design, while her mother was practicing her calligraphy.

Mother and daughter had returned the day before, and this time they didn’t take the train but flew directly.

Given the status and position of Gu Caiwei’s grandfather, even though he had retired, it was still a simple matter for him to buy them plane tickets.

Due to her father’s high status, Gu Caiwei’s mother was content to be a housewife, holding only a nominal position at the provincial women’s federation. She spent most of her time cooking, practicing calligraphy, and occasionally going to work, leading a very leisurely and comfortable life.

As for Gu Caiwei, she had no intention of working. She was currently focused on embroidery, and as her skills improved, her works could fetch a good price in the market, providing her with a substantial income, better than most working people.

This allowed her to do what she loved and earn enough to support herself, which she found very satisfying.

Soon, her mother finished writing a poem and put down her pen, asking, “Caiwei, what would you like to eat today?”

Gu Caiwei looked up, thought for a moment, and said, “Let’s steam a Wuchang fish. I haven’t had it in a while, and I’m feeling a bit hungry for it.”

Her mother nodded and said, “Alright, I’ll go out and buy it.”

Gu Caiwei hummed in agreement and continued working on her embroidery. The piece was nearing completion and would likely be finished by the next day.

Time passed quickly when one was engrossed in work. After some time, her mother’s voice came from the kitchen, “Caiwei, come here for a moment.”

Gu Caiwei put down her embroidery, stood up, stretched, and walked to the kitchen, asking, “Mom, what’s up?”

Her mother said, “I’ve never let you into the kitchen before, but you’ll be getting married in a year or two. As a wife, you’ll need to take care of your husband, who will be busy with work. If you can’t cook, what will your family eat?

We can’t always eat out, can we?

So, I’ve decided to teach you some simple dishes so that you can take care of your family when you get married.”

Gu Caiwei was a bit surprised but understood her mother's point. In this era, it was common for women to do the cooking, unlike in the future where many men handled the kitchen duties.

“Alright, what should I do?”

Seeing her daughter’s agreement, her mother became enthusiastic and said, “Since you’ve never been in the kitchen, you can’t start cooking right away. Today, you’ll watch me, and I’ll explain as I go. Once you’ve memorized the steps, you can try cooking them yourself. After a few attempts, you’ll get the hang of it.”

Gu Caiwei nodded and said, “I understand, go ahead!”

Thus, her mother began the lesson.

Since her father had a dinner engagement and wouldn’t be home for dinner, the mother and daughter only prepared a Wuchang fish and a vegetable dish, both relatively simple to make.

Her mother explained each step as she prepared the dishes.

Although steaming a Wuchang fish was relatively simple, it was still quite complex for a beginner.

Fortunately, Gu Caiwei was a quick learner. She had mastered the intricate art of embroidery, so cooking was not much of a challenge. By listening to her mother’s explanations and watching her in action, she got a good grasp of the process.

Next time, she could follow the steps, and with a few more attempts, she was confident she could match her mother’s skill.

Soon, her mother finished preparing the dishes.

As they served the food, her mother asked, “Do you remember the steps?”

Gu Caiwei replied, “Yes, it looks quite simple. I’ll try it out and see if I can make it successfully.”

Her mother smiled and said, “Alright, we’ll have these dishes again tomorrow. This time, you’ll do everything, and I’ll watch. If you make any mistakes, I’ll correct you immediately.”

Gu Caiwei, feeling confident, said, “I won’t make mistakes with the steps, but I’ll need a few more tries to get the seasoning right.”

As they began eating, Gu Caiwei remarked, “This steamed fish is truly best when it’s a Wuchang fish. The flavor is exceptional, no wonder the leader wrote such a poem: ‘After drinking the water of Changsha, I eat the fish of Wuchang.’”

Her mother smiled and said, “The Wuchang fish has been famous for over a thousand years. In the Tang Dynasty, Cen Shen wrote, ‘In autumn, I yearn for the fish of Wuchang, my soul wanders along the path of Balin.’ And in the Song Dynasty, Su Shi wrote, ‘The Yangtze River encircles the city, and the fish is delicious; the bamboo mountains connect, and the bamboo shoots are fragrant.’”

Her mother, a calligraphy enthusiast, could recite these famous poems effortlessly.

As they ate and praised the dishes, her mother reminded her, “Caiwei, keep an eye on your mail these days. I suspect Deng Yunheng has already written to you, but I’m not sure when it will arrive.”

Seeing her mother’s enthusiasm, Gu Caiwei laughed and said, “I know, Mom, I’ll keep an eye out.”

Gu Caiwei’s mother was right. Deng Yunheng had indeed written a letter to Gu Caiwei and had already mailed it.

Deng Yunheng had a great deal of trust in his father’s judgment. Since his father had emphasized over the phone that this was an excellent girl and advised him not to miss the opportunity, he naturally took it seriously and put a lot of thought into writing the letter.

This was the first letter, so of course, it did not contain any flirtatious language or hastily expressed love, which would be too frivolous.

Writing letters was a process that required gradual progression. As the number of letters exchanged increased, the topics would naturally delve deeper.

When both parties started looking forward to receiving each other’s letters every day, the relationship would likely be on a good path.

If, after receiving a letter, there was no urge to reply, it would be a clear sign that the two were not a good match, and it would be best to seek other suitable partners.

As the New Year approached, Qiu Yongnian, who had returned from Beijing, once again invited Deng Yunheng to spend the New Year at his home.

Deng Yunheng did not decline the invitation but accepted it.

...

Before they knew it, it was New Year’s Eve again.

This year, Deng Shirong’s family did not return to their hometown for the New Year, nor did they stay in the county. Instead, they went to Nanning to celebrate.

The main reason for going to Nanning was to follow local customs, which dictated that the first New Year after moving into a new home should be spent in that home.

Despite the absence of his second and third sons, and the fact that his eldest daughter had already married, Deng Shirong still had four of his children with him for the New Year. This was the advantage of having many children; if he had only one child, the house would be very quiet if that child did not return for the New Year.

Every New Year’s Eve, Deng Shirong would personally cook a large, sumptuous meal, and this year was no exception.

As they started eating, the children began their annual summaries.

Deng YunTai reported first, “Dad, this year, the supermarkets in Bobai and Nanning made a lot of money because you advised us to stock up in advance. When customers rushed to buy supplies, our supermarkets earned a lot. The profit for the year exceeded 2 million yuan, making it the most profitable year in many years.”

Deng Shirong asked, “How is the supermarket in Liuzhou coming along?”

This year, his eldest son had not been idle. He had traveled to several cities and finally found a suitable location for a supermarket in Liuzhou, which was a disused factory. Deng YunTai had invested in buying the land and the factory, planning to convert it into a supermarket.

Although this was not as good as the self-built buildings in Nanning and Bobai, it saved a lot of money and time, which was beneficial for accelerating the development and layout of the supermarket chain.

In the future, once the chain reached a certain scale, buying land to build or purchasing existing buildings would be simpler.

Deng YunTai replied, “It’s almost ready. We should be able to open by the second month of the lunar calendar.”

Deng Shirong nodded and looked at his youngest daughter, “Aizhu, how about your situation?”

Deng Yunzhu said, “I can’t compare to my brother and sister-in-law. This year, the hotpot restaurant made about 500,000 yuan in profit. However, the monthly turnover has been increasing, indicating that business is getting better. Next year’s profit should be better than this year’s.”

Deng Shirong smiled, “That’s not bad. Hotpot is considered a high-end dining option for most people, and families with average economic conditions can’t afford it. Fortunately, more and more people are becoming wealthy, so it’s normal for the hotpot restaurant’s business to improve.”

Seeing that his father was looking at him, Deng Yunhua scratched his head and said, “Dad, I made about 30,000 yuan this year.”

Deng Shirong nodded and said, “That’s not bad. Your electronics city opened relatively late, and the recent rush to buy supplies has emptied many customers’ pockets. Making 30,000 yuan is quite lucky.”

Deng Yunhua said, “I was able to make this money mainly because I didn’t have to pay rent for the shop, and my brother and sister-in-law’s supermarket and my sister’s hotpot restaurant helped promote my business by distributing discount coupons to attract customers. Otherwise, making money would have been much harder.”

Deng Shirong said, “The difficulties are temporary. As more people become wealthy, the electronics industry is bound to thrive. Don’t be impatient; just focus on steady and solid operation, and your business will definitely become very successful in the future.”

Deng Yunhua nodded obediently, “I understand, Dad.”

After the fourth brother finished, Deng Yunheng reported on his studies, “Dad, my academic performance is still acceptable. It’s unlikely I’ll be able to get into Tsinghua or Peking University like my second and third brothers, but I have a good chance of getting into a key university.”

Deng Shirong said, “As long as you do your best, that’s fine.”

Seeing that her father, aunt, fourth uncle, and full uncle had all reported their achievements to her grandfather, Xiaodong’er also reported in a similar manner, “Grandpa, my academic performance is also good. I got third place in the class on the final exam!”

Deng Shirong laughed and praised her, “Getting third place in the class is a great achievement. But Xiaodong’er, you need to keep working hard. Next semester, try to get first place in the class. If you can do that, Grandpa will give you a big reward.”

Xiaodong’er’s eyes lit up, “Grandpa, what kind of reward?”

Deng Shirong smiled, “I’ll keep the reward a secret for now, but it will definitely be something you like.”

Dongzi couldn’t help but interject, “Grandpa, I want a reward too.”

Deng Shirong laughed, “Sure, if your sister gets first place in the class, I’ll prepare a reward for you as well.”

Xiaodong’er asked curiously, “Grandpa, why doesn’t he have to get first place himself?”

Zhang Xiuping couldn’t help but laugh, “Because Dongzi is still in kindergarten and doesn’t have exams yet!”

Xiaodong’er realized this and glanced at her brother, “You’re so lucky.”

Dongzi asked eagerly, “Sister, can you get first place?”

Xiaodong’er clenched her fists, “Next semester, I’ll definitely get first place.”

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end