Chapter 325: 325 Once a Legend

Feng Jun had not been home for almost two years; since the Spring Festival the year before last, he hadn’t returned to this county town.

However, this time he returned in much greater style than the previous time, bringing with him two cars, a Passat and a Phaeton.

Accompanying him were his classmates Li Xiaobin and Mou Miao, and Liu Xiaoxuan came along with Mou Miao.

Feng Jun’s hometown was located at the junction of two provinces, in a small county called Chaoyang, under the jurisdiction of Yunyuan City. It had a population of over two hundred thousand, its economy relatively underdeveloped, mainly focused on agriculture and forestry.

The Feng Family home was in the county town where Feng Jun’s grandfather was registered as an urban resident. His grandmother had given birth to five children, with three surviving: Feng Jun’s father, Feng Wenhui, was the eldest son, followed by a younger brother and a sister.

Their home was in the old city district of Chengguan Town. The streets were not too wide, but the old supply and marketing cooperative, department stores, textile factories, and printing factories were all there; forty years ago, it was the undeniable center of Chaoyang.

But now, it seemed rather twilight-stricken. There were many slapdash buildings, a dense weave of various pipes overhead, and sewage overflowed on the streets. The drainage system, built fifty years ago, could no longer meet the needs of the increasingly developing city.

Feng Jun’s family lived in a large courtyard off the side of the road. They initially had three bungalows, but after demolishing the side facing the street for redevelopment, they built a small two-story building. One of their rooms was torn down, and in compensation, the government provided them with a two-story storefront room.

In a small county town, running a storefront on the second floor was not practical, so their small store was a mile away, across the street.

Feng Jun first dropped off Li Xiaobin at her grandmother’s house.

After a long journey, compounded by wet and snowy weather, his car was filthy. However, in such a small county town, having such a car was still quite presentable.

Li Xiaotong’s eldest uncle came over to help move things and warmly invited Feng Jun to come inside and sit for a while, his eyes filled with curiosity, probably thinking that his niece had finally found a partner.

However, Feng Jun and Li Xiaotong voiced in unison that they were just classmates, returning home for the New Year’s together, both Chaoyang people.

Then… there was no follow-up. In her uncle’s view, although the Passat was a decent car, there were quite a few people in Chaoyang who could afford one.

More distressed than her uncle was Feng Jun’s father, Feng Wenhui. Lao Feng somehow got the impression that his son had brought back a Santana and remarked, “Son, you can’t squander money just because you have some, this Santana must cost two hundred thousand, right?”

Hearing this, Feng Jun’s mouth twitched, “Dad, my car costs a bit more than a Santana.”

“What?” Lao Feng jumped in shock, “What exactly are you dealing in? Generators and cars?”

“It’s definitely legitimate business,” Feng Jun didn’t go into details, “With my two degrees, isn’t it easy to make money?”

He was always like this, rarely giving his family any concerns about his studies. When he got into trouble outside, he always took responsibility on his own and didn’t tell his family, so his parents were relatively at ease with him.

Feng Wenhui looked at him deeply, “Since you can make money, remember to come home, don’t be like last year.”

This was purely bringing up a sore subject. However, Feng Jun could vaguely sense that the old man must have guessed that things weren’t easy for him; parents protect their children’s dignity, especially when the children are grown up.

Knowing that his son had brought back a car “more expensive than a Santana,” Feng Wenhui ordered him to park the car properly by the roadside and placed two concrete bollards next to it to prevent scratching from others.

After doing all this, Feng Jun dutifully went into his family’s small store to help his parents with the business.

County town small stores involve meticulous work; even a single pencil has to be sold, as well as weighing half a piece of salty pickle, so much petty detail. Many customers, after buying something, expect a little something extra—buy a pound of peanuts, why not throw in a piece of chewing gum?

That isn’t the worst of it. The crux is that most of the people who come to buy are known faces, and many ask to put it on their tab.

Of course, there are few who deliberately run a tab maliciously. Owing once or twice is no issue, but if it becomes prolonged, they simply won’t do business with you anymore.

The crucial thing about tab is you can undercharge, but you absolutely must not overcharge—if you do, and someone finds out, your reputation is ruined.

This isn’t to say that the store would be very frustrated at missing an opportunity. The key is that you have to keep track of each account meticulously, and you also must be careful when calculating, you can’t afford to make a mess.

This is already quite torturous. When people come to settle their accounts, they will often say “Let’s round down the change.”

Therefore, this line of work really earns hard money. In an industry with little technical content, how else to make money if not with hard work?

As the year-end was approaching, the store stocked up more on firecrackers, couplets, incense, lanterns, balloons, fruits, and gift boxes, etc., making it even more trivial.

Feng Wenhui and Zhang Junyi weren’t bothered by the fuss at all; instead, they counted their blessings, “We only make money at this time of the year. It’s a bit hard before the New Year… After that, we can’t sell anything until after the fifteenth.”

Feng Jun had thought he would have time to hang out with friends. But seeing his father’s hair had turned much whiter in two years, almost fully white at the temples, and the wrinkles on his face had increased somewhat.

So he stayed obediently in the small store, assisting his parents.

His mother, Zhang Junyi, was considerate of him, “You’re just in the way here. Go, meet with friends. If you don’t socialize now, you’ll drift apart.”

Feng Jun smiled dismissively, “Favors, you know, ‘A distant relative is not as good as a near neighbor’… as long as my son is self-reliant, that’s enough.”

He hadn’t returned for two years and had no clue about the prices of the various goods in the convenience store. However, helping to weigh items, move things around, and greet customers, he still managed to play a part.

He had only been there for about ten minutes when numerous people came up to greet him, “Top Scholar is back?”

Feng Jun had a certain reputation on this street. As a child, he was a mischievous troublemaker but had a sudden turnaround in junior high. With the second-highest score in the county on his middle school exam, he got into Yuyuan No.1 High School and then exceeded the college entrance cutoff points by a wide margin when he got into university.

After entering the university, his legend continued. The locals didn’t understand what a double degree meant. They took it to mean that Feng Jun managed to complete his master’s degree in four years.

Then, as he didn’t return to his hometown, almost everyone felt it was not a surprise. “A true man aspires to travel far and make his mark.” How could he confine himself to a small place like Chaoyang? What was that worth?

One could imagine, with his reputation at home, how could he have the face to return if things hadn’t gone well for him?

So when he drove a car back today, the old neighbors were somewhat surprised, but no one thought it was abnormal. At most, they would ask what brand it was, how much it cost.

In front of his parents, Feng Jun couldn’t exactly say it was a Phaeton. He had to vaguely imply, “It’s from the same factory as Santana, just a bit more expensive.”

He had arrived at around four in the afternoon, and after busying himself for a while, it was already getting dark.

The convenience store was the busiest during this time leading up to the New Year. Feng Jun was suggesting they buy some food from the restaurant to bring over for his parents when a Jetta stopped by the roadside. A man in his thirties got out, “Busy, Brother Hui?”

Feng Jun recognized the fellow, Liu Jiagui, a former vice director of the county government office. Whether he still held that position, he didn’t know. This person was also a distant relative of his mother.

The moment he opened his mouth, the smell of alcohol rushed out. Feng Wenhui glanced at him, “I say, Er Gen, that smells like this afternoon’s drink, how much have you had?”

“Not much,” Liu Jiagui waved his hand dismissively, still smiling, “It’s close to the New Year, you know… Eh, Xiao Jun is back?”

Feng Jun acknowledged with a smile, “Hello, Uncle Jiagui.”

Liu Jiagui sized him up, nodding with a smile, “You’ve done well for yourself, and you’ve grown taller.”

He made small talk for a bit before pulling Feng Wenhui aside to whisper softly.

Feng Wenhui’s face gradually darkened, then he decisively shook his head, “No can do, Er Gen, we’re tight on money ourselves right now.”

Overhearing this, Feng Jun glanced sideways at his mother, giving her a look—Need money? I have some.

Zhang Junyi had been to Zhengyang and knew a little about her son’s capabilities. She gave him a look, subtly shaking her head.

Feng Jun, preferring to avoid complications, thought it best not to lend money if possible. His main consideration was that Liu Jiagui was not only a distant relative of his mother but also a government official, suggesting he should have the ability to repay.

Liu Jiagui grew anxious when he heard this, “Come on, Brother Hui, I’m tight because it’s the end of the year. I’m selling you something, not borrowing money.”

Feng Wenhui pointed to the makeshift stall, “Look at how much stock I’ve got in. Where would I get the money to buy your stuff?”

Liu Jiagui glanced at the fireworks and crackers, “Well then, how about I leave my stuff here for you to sell on consignment? That’s okay, right?”

“We can’t handle it,” Zhang Junyi said this time, speaking coolly, “There are so many other convenience stores on the street; you can choose any one you like.”

“Junyi sister, you…” Liu Jiagui’s eyes widened, about to erupt, but then his gaze swept over to Feng Jun and he smiled again, “Hehe, never mind, Xiao Jun is back today, and I know you’re busy. I won’t bother you.”

As he spoke, he cast another glance at the dirty car nearby, “Hey, Zhengyang license plate… this Passat, did Xiao Jun drive it back?”

Feng Jun stayed silent, with his parents present, he didn’t feel the need to speak.

“Xiao Jun drove it back,” Feng Wenhui mumbled gruffly in response, “Is there anything else, Er Gen?”

“Alright, then carry on,” Liu Jiagui turned around, got into his Jetta, and drove away.

After watching him leave, Feng Jun looked at his mother curiously, “What’s with Liu Jiagui?”

Zhang Junyi sighed, looking at him, “The guy is now the director of the Family Planning Commission, got promoted so his rank is higher, but his power is smaller, and he’s gotten irresponsible, even scamming his own relatives…”

Apparently, after leaving the government office, Liu Jiagui saw a reduction in overt and covert revenue. Though he received many gifts at home, more than he could use, he needed to sell them to turn them into cash.

That’s why he approached the Feng’s convenience store for help. But what angered Zhang Junyi was that, last year, he brought in a batch of high-end goods to sell, and a substantial portion turned out to be counterfeit!

(Updated, calling for monthly tickets.)