Chapter Sixty-Two: All Is Ready

“All right, you don’t need to try to convince me anymore. It’s settled. I’ll take the bike back first, and I’ll come back tonight to talk to your grandfather about this.” My uncle had finally made up his mind. Even if it wasn’t for my aunt, it was for the sake of his own daughter—he had to give it his all.

“Oh, right, I almost forgot—there was something I wanted to ask you. After what you just said, it slipped my mind. Our bicycle repair business is probably not going to last much longer, just as you said. There are more and more bikes in the shops now, and a lot of workplaces are even giving out bicycle vouchers to their employees during the holidays. I’ve been selling these bikes out in the suburbs. Maybe you could think of something else for us to do? You come up with the idea, and I’ll do the work!” Just as he was about to leave, my uncle turned back and brought up his own concerns with me.

“I’ve got an idea, but it’s still a bit early. This business is going to be much bigger than repairing bikes or running a tailor shop. Actually, I was planning to discuss it with you once my aunt’s matter was settled. Are there any good carpenters at your workplace? The kind who can make furniture?” Since my uncle had brought it up, I decided to let him in on a bit of my thinking.

“There are! Quite a few, in fact, and they’re all pretty skilled. Why? You want some furniture made?” He was taken aback by my question.

“Not furniture for ourselves—what we’ll probably do is sell furniture in the future. When you get back, find one or two carpenters you’re on good terms with and get even closer with them—they’ll be useful to us later. Also, you’ll need to make a trip to Qinhuangdao for me, to look into getting glass. As soon as we have a reliable supply, we can start preparing to make some real money. Tell me, how much would you be satisfied with earning in a year?” I didn’t spell out exactly what we’d be doing, just gave him the general idea.

“How much would I be satisfied with? You have to tell me what we’re actually doing first! What do carpenters have to do with glass?” My uncle was even more confused.

“This is what we’ll sell—what do you think?” I cut to the chase, unlocking my little room and pulling two sheets of drawing paper from the desk drawer—one a watercolor, one a pencil sketch, both showing the same thing: a glass coffee table.

“It’s a coffee table?” My uncle recognized it at a glance.

“But the tabletop’s made of glass? And with patterns on it?” He soon noticed what set it apart from other coffee tables.

“That’s right. Do you think it would sell?” I asked.

“Judging by the look of it, I’d definitely buy this over those wooden ones—it would look so stylish in the house! But is the glass strong enough? What if it breaks—won’t people come looking for us? And what if someone gets hurt? We’d have to take them to the doctor! Not worth it.” I admired his insight—he always went straight to the heart of things.

“You don’t have to worry. This isn’t ordinary glass; it’s tempered glass—very tough. You could stand on top of it and nothing would happen. It’s heat resistant too, and even if it does break, it shatters into little pellets, so people usually won’t get hurt unless it’s on purpose.” I briefly explained the basics of tempered glass—a concept few had heard of in those days, unless they specialized in the field.

“There’s really something like that? If that’s the case, this could work. But how do you get the patterns on the glass? A plain sheet of glass would look too bland, but with patterns, it’s much more attractive. The only thing is, if the patterns wear off in a few days, that would be cheating people.” He’d cleared up his concerns about the materials, but still had some worries.

“That’s nothing to worry about either. The patterns aren’t painted on—they’re etched in. Even if the glass shatters, the patterns will still be there. As for how it’s done, I can’t say just yet. When the time comes, I’ll give you a live demonstration.” I gave a proud thumbs-up. After all, it’s always satisfying to have knowledge others don’t possess.

My uncle was quick to catch on, just as with the bicycle business—as long as he knew if the venture was viable and what his role was, he didn’t press for technical details. He pushed his bike out and left, and I packed my schoolbag, waiting for my group to come call for me. As for whether my aunt’s issue would really be resolved, that would depend on the conversation between my uncle and grandfather that evening. I’d only be supporting from the sidelines.

After dinner, I slipped into my grandfather’s room, carrying the radio I’d assembled myself, helping him tune in to Peking opera. Though the radio looked ugly—a simple wooden box—the performance was excellent, surpassing the old tube radio at my grandmother’s. It picked up more stations, had less static, and could run on batteries for portability. Now, whenever my grandfather went to exercise in Ditan Park, he’d bring it along, singing along as he walked.

“Dad, I need to talk to you about something.” Sure enough, my uncle soon arrived. Seeing me there, he didn’t beat around the bush, but relayed everything I’d told him that morning, using his own words.

“This is what Xiaotao asked you to say, isn’t it? He’s brought this up to me before. I’m guessing the savings book was filled for your aunt by Xiaotao, right? That child is righteous! Don’t try to fool me—I’m not senile yet. Yumei may be a girl and destined to marry one day, but I can’t just ignore her. I have to put together a dowry for her at least. Back when your wife was around, everyone was struggling. I wanted to help, but didn’t have the means. Things are a little better now, so I’ll do what I can for Yumei. Let’s do as you say. I’ll talk to your grandmother. Tomorrow, she’ll take the household register to see Director Feng. If the state says it’s allowed, it will be done, and if not, it will be done anyway. What’s this about hardship? Isn’t every family struggling? I’m supporting this whole family by myself—don’t tell me that’s not hard! If she dares to refuse, I’ll go eat at her place and see if her family is really struggling!” Grandfather was every bit the head of the family, speaking with a commanding air.

“Grandpa, what you say is true, but that’s not how things should be handled. If you push the director too hard, she might process it now, but she’ll find ways to make trouble for us in the future. In business, harmony means prosperity—we don’t need to antagonize her. Let’s let her have a bicycle as well—if she wants it for herself or for someone else, that’s her business. That way, we’ll keep things civil, and it’ll be easier to ask for help in the future. What do you think?” I affirmed my grandfather’s resolve and integrity, but I knew this wasn’t the way. You can’t offend the people in charge before you’ve even started; no matter the era, unless your father is a high official, you’ll always pay a price for it.

“Dad, Xiaotao’s right. We can’t get into a feud over this. If you don’t want to go, I can go myself—I even have to call her Auntie. There’s no shame in asking her for a favor.” My uncle quickly chimed in to smooth things over.

“Well then, Guangxing, you go deal with her. I don’t want to get involved with that old woman. But I want to make something clear to you both. We’re all family—whether it’s my grandson, daughters, or sons-in-law, it’s all the same to me. I don’t play favorites. But when it comes to money, family or not, accounts must be settled clearly, or the business won’t last. I’ve seen this sort of thing too often. Take Old Zhang’s family in the front yard—they ran a cab business before liberation. The three brothers split the family up, then tried to work together, but it all fell apart. They would have been better off selling their father’s business. In the end, the three of them nearly came to blows, lost the business, and now don’t even speak. You think that’s a good way to run a business? So, if a family goes into business together, money must be kept clear. Family is family, money is money—the two shouldn’t be mixed. Only then can you stay close. Do you understand what I mean?”

“I… I…” My uncle was caught off guard by my grandfather’s insight; we hadn’t considered this in our morning discussion.

“Grandpa, you’re absolutely right. Gratitude for a dou of rice turns to enmity for a sheng of rice—that’s how it’s always been. I think we should treat it as shares—I’ll lend the money to my aunt, and she can write me an IOU. Divide the shares into four: my aunt gets three, Big Sister Ling gets three, I get three, and you and Grandma get one. My aunt will keep the accounts, Big Sister Ling will handle the money, and we’ll settle up every month. No need for extra words. Does that work?” I’d already worked out how to run this family venture, but I hadn’t expected my grandfather to have such clear ideas himself. You really can’t underestimate the wisdom of elders—their lives are their classroom, their experiences their teacher. They may not know the technical terms, but the principles are the same.

“That’s good. But your grandmother and I don’t need a share. As long as you kids are doing well, that’s all the happiness we need. Money’s not worth a damn. When we’re gone, it’s all yours anyway.” Grandfather was pleased with my arrangement, but he didn’t want to take advantage of his children. In his view, so long as he could care for himself, he didn’t need their support.

“But you should take it. One day, Aunt and Uncle will get married, and who knows what kind of in-laws they’ll have? If you and Grandma keep the money in your hands, you’ll always have the upper hand. Isn’t that right?” There was no need to talk about filial piety with Grandpa—his idea of it didn’t necessarily match mine. It was easier to be direct; youth gives you that privilege. Even if you say something wrong, adults won’t hold it against you.