Lin Gao Qiming

Chapter 2849 Taking a Car
"There's also the famine of recent years." Uncle Huang shook his head stubbornly. "I've had bad luck these years. I owe more than 20 yuan to every household in the village. Your family alone owes 6 yuan. If you really become a farm worker, I'm afraid you won't be able to pay it back. Going to Southeast Asia is even worse. I can't just walk away and default on my debts."

If he agreed to the exchange, the resettlement fee of the Fu Bo Army alone would be 24 yuan, and the voluntary enlistment allowance would be another 10 yuan, plus the 100 yuan given by the Chen family. Not only could he pay off the land loan, but he could also pay off the village's debts. He could even have a little surplus.

"...I've thought about it. At this point, I have no choice but to give it a try," Uncle Huang whispered, "I've made up my mind. After paying off the debt, the land will be mine, and I can rent it out to the villagers to farm, and there will be a little income every year. I can still work, so it won't be a problem for me to support my grandson. If he can return from the army safely and take back the land, our family will have turned things around. If he has a bad fate..." He paused here, "With the pension and the money from renting the land, I can raise my grandson and leave him a family business..."

Tan Shuangxi couldn't think of anything to say to persuade him for a moment, so he could only say a few words: "You'd better think about it carefully," and then said "You can pay back the debt slowly." These were bland words.

After seeing Uncle Huang off, Tan Shuangxi suffered an inexplicable blow, and the joy of reuniting with his childhood friend disappeared without a trace.

From what Huang Bo said, it was very likely that the deal was done. In fact, he also understood that if he didn't do it, his family's land would have to be returned to the Tiandihui.

Farmers regard land as their life, and Tan Shuangxi understands the crux of this.

"Forget it, I'd better study first. Try to get the Class A diploma." He thought secretly.

Tan Shuangxi is not "smart". He has obtained a Type B diploma after many years in the army, but Type A is a big leap in the depth of knowledge compared to Type B. Students in Fangcaodi need to study for five years to get a high school diploma. Although the Type A diploma, which is equivalent to the academic level, is not as broad and deep as the high school diploma, it is still a big challenge for people who have not received formal school education.

Looking at the "Self-Study Series (Type A)" that he had borrowed from the Maniaobao Library, Tan Shuangxi sighed deeply: This thing is too difficult!
Math was the biggest headache for Tan Shuangxi. Chinese, natural science, and social studies were easy to learn, as they only required memorization. Math was not an option for him. He knew every word in the math book, but he could not understand their meaning when they were put together. In fact, the four arithmetic operations in the B-level diploma exam made Tan Shuangxi complain bitterly.

"I'd better sign up for a training course." After struggling to "study on my own" for a while, Tan Shuangxi finally made up his mind: spend some money to get the matter done, and go directly to Fangcaodi to sign up for a training course for equivalent academic qualifications.

The main educational institutions of the Senate, including the Women's College of Arts and Sciences, vocational schools, teachers' colleges, and the elementary, high, and middle schools of the national schools, and the learning academy, all have independent courtyards and strict access control systems in the Fangcaodi Education Park. They do not recruit over-age students, and it is not convenient to openly accept trainees. Therefore, the education department built an independent building not far from Fangcaodi a long time ago, setting up "equivalent academic ability" adult education classes, sharing teachers with national schools, vocational schools, teachers' colleges, and liberal arts colleges, for the backbone naturalized cadres and employees of various enterprises and institutions under the Senate to learn cultural literacy. Various indigenous aspiring young people are willing to sign up and participate, as long as they can afford the tuition.

The tuition fee is not cheap. The knowledge of the Senate is very valuable. Once you get a diploma of equivalent academic level, it means you have a ticket to work in the Senate "system". Even if you don't plan to eat Australian food, this diploma is very valuable. You can be a "Mr." in a big business.

He looked at the sun. It was just past noon. If he went to Bairen Town now, he could still make it back before dinner. Having made up his mind, Tan Shuangxi took his military ID, packed his belongings, and hurried out.

Changwai Village is within the radiation range of Lingao Metro. After walking for more than 20 minutes, Tan Shuangxi arrived at Maniao Station and took the train to Bairen Town.

The front of the train spewing black smoke slowly drove out of the platform and headed for Bairen Town. It was not rush hour, so there should be few people in the carriage, but now about 50% to 60% of the seats were occupied. They were all young and middle-aged men, some in military uniforms and some in casual clothes, but one could tell from their sitting posture that they were all soldiers returning for vacation.

Tan Shuangxi chose a seat near the window and looked at the passing scenery outside the window with a bit of boredom.

The soldiers in the carriage were in high spirits. Judging from their shaved chins and newly cut short hair, they must have just returned from the mainland not long ago. Their pockets were filled with silver dollar notes, and they were ready to have a good time in Bairen.

Tan Shuangxi had already fully tasted the joy of this indulgence, and now he only felt the fatigue after the indulgence. Many years of military career had made him tense physically and mentally, and he was always in a tense state. The relaxation after returning home made him feel a little uncomfortable.

He still had to adjust his state quickly. He thought that it would be difficult to pass the exam in one go within three months.

After signing up for the training course, should he rent a house in Bairen Town? His home is not far from Bairen, and there is a subway connection, so the transportation is very convenient, but living at home to study is always distracting. Villagers come to chat with him almost every day; Shuangqing's good things are approaching, and there are more people coming in and out of the house, and there are always people and things to distract him every day.

It seems that for a few dollars, it is better to go abroad to study. But this rare holiday, I have to be separated from my family again.

Sitting not far away, several soldiers were discussing whether leasing the land was considered buying the land.

"...I paid real money, does that count as buying it?"

"Brother, if you buy it, where is the title deed? Has the Land Department issued it to you?"

"Yes! What land business license..."

"Do you know what business rights are?" A soldier laughed, "It means that the land is not yours, but you can grow crops! The crops, cotton, etc. you grow belong to you..." "But I also pay the royal grain and national taxes."

"I've given you the land to farm, but aren't you the one who pays the taxes? Think about it, there's a time limit on the deed, right? It should be twenty-five years, right? What you call buying is actually renting the right to operate the business for twenty-five years!"

"So? This purchase is actually a pawn?"

"That's right, it's a mortgage. The land deed issued to you cannot be bought or sold!"

"That's so boring. You've been making such a fuss for so long that it's not yours!"

"It doesn't matter whether the land belongs to you or not. What matters is whether the fruits of the land belong to you or not."

……

Tan Shuangxi listened to the gossip in a disjointed manner. The light rail began to slow down. Tan Shuangxi knew that there were still three stops to Bairen Station where he was going to get off, so he didn't care.

Suddenly, a slender figure came in front of him and whispered, "Master... is there anyone here?"

There are very few people in the local area who call soldiers "General Master". Tan Shuangxi was quite surprised, but when he looked up, he saw it was a woman.

It is not uncommon to see women riding the metro in Lingao, but this woman is different. The dress she is wearing is called "Han elements", which is actually a mixture of Ming Dynasty clothing and Australian clothing. This style is very popular among local wealthy families, especially those with foreign immigrants, because it retains the style of traditional clothing and fully reflects the advantages of "Australian clothing" in tailoring and pattern.

Although it was just a quick glance, the woman's face had left a deep impression on him. He couldn't help but look at her a few more times. He saw that the woman in front of him was about thirty years old, with a beautiful appearance. She didn't have shoulder-length hair or braids like the common naturalized women, but a "modified" bun. Coupled with the clothes she was wearing and the small leather bag in her hand, she was definitely the wife of a wealthy family.

However, when such female relatives went out, they were usually accompanied by servants and maids, but she had no one by her side.

He immediately became cautious, subconsciously moved his body, and said, "No one is here, just sit anywhere you want."

The woman thanked him and sat down on the seat opposite. Tan Shuangxi couldn't help but glance at her a few times, only to see that she was frowning and looking down, as if she was worried about something.

A beautiful woman full of mystery is the most attractive, but Tan Shuangxi's inner rationality clearly told him that there was something wrong with this woman! So he just looked out the window and didn't look at the woman for fear that she would come to talk to him.

However, the more you fear something, the more likely it will come. I heard the woman next to me ask again: "Boss, Boss! Is this car going to Bairen?"

Now, it would be inappropriate for him to pretend that he didn't see it, so he turned around and said, "He's going to Bairen."

"Well, I want to go to Wanzi Pavilion," the woman said anxiously, "Which stop should I get off at?"

Tan Shuangxi didn't know what Wan Zi Pavilion was. There were at least hundreds of shops in Dongmen City, or Bairen Town, if not thousands. How could he remember them all? He immediately shook his head and said, "I don't know this place."

The woman was slightly disappointed. Bairen Town is now very large, and there is also a transfer station for the urban rail. There are four stations of different sizes. If you get off at the wrong station, you have to walk an extra mile or two. It's okay for ordinary people, but it's difficult for this woman who can be seen at a glance as a "liberated foot" woman.

Thinking of this, Tan Shuangxi, out of kindness, couldn't help but add: "If that's the case, you can get off at Bairen Station. There are rickshaws waiting there. It's not expensive to call one to take you anywhere."

"So...how much does that cost?"

Tan Shuangxi thought to himself, you still have to ask me this! But since he had already opened his mouth, he couldn't help but say, "If it's in Bairen Town, it's only a few cents at most..."

"How much?" The woman hesitated and looked at her purse again. He was surprised, thinking that this woman must be from a wealthy family, how could she not have a few cents in her purse?