Chapter 12: Qin Ai Dang

  The next day, Jinshui Bridge, which had existed on Jinshui Creek for over a hundred years, became history.

  And for this bridge, Dashishi Township also has a legend about the builder that is unclear whether it's true or false.

  It is said that the builder of this bridge was a kind-hearted Liu Daoshan from Dashigou Village over a hundred years ago. At that time, Liu Daoshan was already over 60 years old and had no children to inherit his wealth. Later, a Taoist priest came to Dashigou Village, and Liu Daoshan sought his advice. The Taoist priest traveled throughout the mountains and waters of Dashigou Village and finally asked Liu Daoshan to donate 100 taels of gold to build this 10-meter-long double-arch stone bridge, which was named Jinshui Bridge, meaning "money is like water". However, the phrase "money is like water" has different meanings in different people's mouths. Whether it emphasizes the importance or unimportance of money has been debated for over a hundred years in Dashigou Village. Unfortunately, the Taoist priest only left behind the words "money is like water Jinshui Bridge", and because of these words, the originally unnamed small stream also got the name Jinshui Creek.

  Later, two years later, Liu Dasan's ninth wife, who was only sixteen years old at the time, gave birth to a son for him. As a result, this bridge was also called the Guanyin Bridge of Childbirth until now, and there are still young couples who come to worship the bridge in the middle of the night to pray for children.

  However, according to another legend, this Liu Dasan should be the biggest bandit king of Kaifeng more than a hundred years ago, Liu Dadao, and this is also the most important evidence that the people of Kaifeng left behind before they went up the mountain to become bandits.

  But now, the bridge is gone, and the legend about this bridge will naturally disappear soon.

  "What's Xiao Qin looking at?"

  Turning around, Qin Aimin only then discovered that Yu Changqing was already standing behind him.

  "Sister Moon, how come you're here so early? I thought you'd only arrive tomorrow morning. This must have caused a lot of inconvenience for you, and yet you're willing to do this."

  As soon as Yu Changqing heard Qin Aimin's teasing, her face turned red, and she laughed and scolded: "Get out."

  When the first month of the lunar calendar arrived, Qin Aimin's place was naturally liberated. Although Yang Dajing arranged for Qin Aimin to be in charge of the floating bridge, Yuan Changqing, who was also in charge of the financial department, was not bad either. Today is already the fifth day of the Lunar New Year, no matter what, he still has to go back and gather with his family, and some people who should visit during the New Year's greetings also have to make a round, otherwise someone might say that after graduating and becoming an official, he became arrogant. In these few days, doing accounts also helped him earn 3,000 yuan, believing that this year will also pass smoothly.

  As for this gray income, Qin Aimin, who has been in the township government for half a year, is no longer as disgusted as he was when he was in school. To be honest, working in the government, with that little salary, if you don't take some extra money, just buying cigarettes would cost half of it every month, plus various banquets at leaders' and colleagues' homes, the salary is simply not enough.

  Moreover, the consumption of cigarettes and alcohol, as well as red envelopes, is directly proportional to one's position. The higher the position, the greater the daily expenses. To illustrate, if one is just an ordinary staff member at a farm machinery station, they would only need to attend banquets hosted by the station head or deputy head, and maybe one or two deputy township heads or secretaries.

  But if it's a deputy township head, there will be more banquets to attend. The township head and secretary's home is definitely unavoidable, plus dozens of same-level deputy positions in the township, directors and heads of various departments. If social interactions are broader, making friends with several other township officials, county and city bureau chiefs, secretaries, county and city mayors, county and city party committee secretaries, there will be at least 50 or 80 people to entertain per year.

  There are still some officials who rack their brains all year round to make a big show, even if someone else is hosting an event, can they not attend?

  Of course, this thing has a going and a coming back, so everyone is thinking hard to ensure that they don't lose out, so the banquet naturally becomes more extravagant!

  Handed the account book to Yu Changqing, Yu Changqing was not surprised at all by the new account book and the data on it, after taking a look, he casually put it into his own bag. These things relied on tacit understanding, the two had been working together for half a year, these things naturally didn't need to be explicitly stated.

  After arranging all the things in his hands, he called the deputy township head on duty and informed him, although it was his turn to take a break, but still had to notify him. After that, Qin Aimin took a bus back to Kaihe, but after arriving at Kaihe, Qin Aimin did not rush home immediately. In short, when returning home, he would have to go through the gate of his elder brother and sister-in-law, some things are better solved earlier rather than later.

  He dialed the phone number Qin Song left for his older brother, dialing dozens of times and using nearly half an hour before finally getting through to Qin Song's pager.

  In this day and age, a city like Kaihe that is not very developed has a signal coverage area that is pitifully small. Once you leave the urban area, the signal disappears in no time. A small county town like Shilin is even worse off, where it's rare to have a full 24 hours of signal within the town itself.

  Half an hour later, a man in black, holding a big brother's hand, Qin Song riding a motorcycle finally stopped in front of Qin Aimin.

  "Uncle Ba, what's up?"

  He had just dialed Qin Song's pager and reported his current location when the signal was lost again.

  Looking at Qin Song's current attire, Qin Ai Min furrowed his brow but didn't say much. After all, although the other was younger than him in terms of generation, he was several years older in age. "Follow me to Third Brother's house."

  Qin Song's face immediately turned sour, "Eighth Uncle, I won't go to Third Uncle's house, you know the place."

  Qin Aimin's third brother, Qin Aidang, is 43 years old this year. He was an outstanding young revolutionary at that time, relying on the good name given to him by his father. Comrade Aidang was also a pioneering figure twenty years ago, but twenty years have passed and he still can't get rid of the habit of giving people political lessons, so much so that the younger generation in the Qin family gets a headache whenever they see him.

  "There are some things you need to help me figure out, after all, you know more about doing business than I do."

  Qin Aimin pretended to be muddle-headed, anyway today no matter what must drag Qin Song to go once.

  Park the motorcycle under Qin Aitang's house, the higher you go, the more bitter Qin Song's face becomes. When Qin Aimin knocks on the door of Qin Aitang's house on the fourth floor, Qin Song almost wants to escape downstairs.

  It's already 6:30 in the evening, Qin Aitang has long been off work. When he opened the door, it was unexpectedly Qin Aimin. Qin Aitang's face was filled with astonishment instead.

  "Lao Ba, how did you come?" Then he saw Qin Song hiding aside, and Qin Ai Dang actually frowned, "How did you come too?"

  The two came, but the tone was vastly different. The tone towards Qin Aimin was one of surprise and delight, while the tone towards Qin Song was stark naked displeasure, clearly showing that he was not welcome at all.

  Qin Aimin smiled and said, "Come over to pay New Year's greetings, and by the way, get a free meal. Lao Song is someone I invited."

  Qin Aimin was young, but his seniority was high. Although Qin Ai was already 45 years old, he was still considered a big brother. Compared to his nephew Qin Song, Qin Aimin had never been afraid of being scolded by Qin Ai since childhood.

  Qin Aitang couldn't help but laugh at Qin Aimeng's words and said, "Come in."

  Qin Aitang is after all a banker, and the house she lives in now was also allocated by the bank. In one place, no matter how poor you are, you can't be poorer than the bank. This building, built in 1989, may have some age on it, but with four rooms and two halls, an area of over 150 square meters, even in today's Kaifeng, it is absolutely a luxurious house type.

  As soon as he entered the hall, apart from Qin Aitang's wife, there were also his two children. Qin Aitang's wife seemed exceptionally happy about Qin Aimin's arrival. Before Qin Aimin had time to take off his shoes, he hastily greeted Third Auntie with a New Year's greeting. In such big families, one can be casual with one's own brothers, but must never neglect aunts or sisters-in-law.

  "Uncle Qi." Qin Aitang's two children called out to Qin Aimin in extremely soft voices, both of them twenty-one and nineteen years old. For someone like Qin Aimin who was only slightly older than them, they had never been able to call him with much enthusiasm since childhood.

  Qin Aimin smiled and responded with a "heh heh", also didn't continue to take advantage of the situation like in previous years.

  "Go cook some rice and stir-fry a few dishes." For his younger male cousins, no matter who was present, Qin Aitang did not intend to be careless. He hastily told his wife to go prepare the food, and only then did Qin Aimin realize that Qin Aitang's family had already started eating dinner.

  After exchanging a few pleasantries, Qin Aimin didn't say much either. Brothers of the same grandfather often don't need to be polite, and being too polite can make things awkward.

  "Lao Ba, I heard you're doing pretty well in Dashixiang now?"

  Qin Aimin smiled and replied with some modesty: "It's okay."

  Qin Song, who was on the side, obviously didn't agree with what Qin Ai Min said, and hurriedly added: "Third Uncle, Eighth Uncle is almost the deputy head of Dashan Township."

  "Oh!"

  Qin Aitang was shocked, while his younger nephews and nieces rushed around him. ?? The first official road sought 12

  "Eighth Uncle, really? You're going to be promoted?"

  My nineteen-year-old niece looked a bit reserved and said, "Eighth Uncle, how did you get promoted so quickly? You're much faster than my dad."

  Qin Aitang was choked by her daughter's words and glared at her fiercely, "Lao Ba, you've only been working for half a year, how can you be so quick?"

  Qin Aitang was a Red Guard twenty years ago and has been working in the banking system ever since, but he also has some understanding of government departments and is naturally not unfamiliar with the pattern of promotion.

  Qin Aimin did not hide or avoid his nephews and nieces, but directly told them about his situation over the past six months, especially around New Year's. After finishing, he warned his nephews and nieces who were listening with relish: "Don't go spreading this kind of thing around."

  Nephew, upon hearing this, rolled his eyes and said, "Eighth Uncle, do you think I'm still a kid? Of course, I know what to say and what not to say. Don't worry, it's just like when someone comes to my house with a gift - I'll pretend I didn't see or hear anything."

  As for his nephew's obvious lack of reverence for himself, Qin Aimin didn't mind and continued to ask Qin Aitang, "Third Brother, is it easy to get a bank loan now?"

  "For whom, for public or private?" Qin Aitang thought for a moment before suddenly asking.

  "Is there a difference between public and private?"

  "For public loans, it's more troublesome. The bank needs to send someone to investigate your loan project. If it's a private loan, the current lending policy is relatively relaxed. As long as there's collateral, it can be settled in half a month."

  "Mortgage?" Qin Aimin's eyebrows furrowed, his elder brother and sister-in-law had been working for many years, but over the years, coupled with young people not being good at managing households, and both having children to raise, both families were almost penniless. This was also a common problem brought about by the iron rice bowl policy in recent years. In Kaihe Coal Mine, young couples who saved money were few and far between. After all, according to the situation a few years ago, salaries were always paid on time and in full every month, and monthly expenses were well-planned. Therefore, if they didn't need to purchase big-ticket items, most young people in the mine wouldn't save money for emergencies.

  This has led to a situation where wages for miners have been in arrears since the beginning of last year, and large-scale famine has become a regular occurrence.

  "What are you going to use the loan for?" Qin Aitang asked, seeing that Qin Aimin was frowning and not speaking.

  "After some thought, I plan to vigorously develop the industry in our hometown this year, especially by building a few factories. However, our hometown is really too poor and will definitely need strong support from the bank."

  Hold on, "In addition, the coal mine in Heihe is not very profitable now. My brother and sister-in-law will be laid off this year, so I plan to help them find a way out in the countryside. The plan is to let them partner up to build a lime factory, but they only have one or two hundred thousand yuan in total, plus Lao Song is willing to put in three hundred thousand, which adds up to five hundred thousand, so I think we should borrow some from the bank."

  "Ah!" Qin Aitang was taken aback, then his gaze directly fell on Qin Song who was standing aside with a somewhat arrogant expression, "You little scamp have finally decided to take the right path?"

  Qin Song raised his head, "Third Uncle, you're already a bank manager, how can you still have such outdated views? What is the right path? I'm doing something different now that makes money, no matter if it's a black cat or white cat, as long as it catches mice, it's a good cat! Making money is the right path!"

  As soon as Qin Song said this, Qin Aitang frowned, but when she saw Qin Song's behavior, Qin Aitang really had nothing to say. She simply stopped paying attention to him. After all, if Qin Song could be educated well, he wouldn't be like this now. She had already said enough about Qin Song. Besides, even talking about Qin Song was annoying, not to mention himself.

  "Lao Ba, how much do you need roughly? If it's not too much, I can spare some."

  Qin Aimin smiled awkwardly, "Third Brother, of course the more money the better. You need a lot of capital to do big business."

  Qin Aitang shook her head, "You all have no experience in this business. In my opinion, it's best to invest a little less first and learn how to do business. If the situation is good, I'll help you get a loan."

  Qin Aimin didn't speak, Qin Aidang's cautiousness was well-known in the Qin family. This might be a habit he developed when he was a Red Guard, doing everything with caution and careful consideration. In his words, he absolutely couldn't repeat the mistakes of his youth; he had to think things through clearly before acting.

  Qin Aitang suddenly continued: "I don't know much about your sister's husband, but as for Lao Wu, it's hard to say whether he can do a good job with the business!"

  Qin Aimin didn't know what to say, but to be honest, he actually had similar thoughts as Qin Aitang in his heart. Whether his elder brother Qin Aiguo was suitable for doing business was indeed a big question.

  "Alright, I'll lend you 30,000 yuan first. With this 80,000 yuan, building a lime factory shouldn't be a problem."

  Qin Aimin also thought that Qin Aidang's words made sense, but he didn't agree to borrow money from him. After thinking for a moment, he nodded and said: "Third brother, why don't you just take a share in this as well? I believe the lime factory won't lose money no matter what."

  Qin Aitang shook his head, he was obviously unwilling to take over the shares, but before he could refuse, his wife who happened to be passing by with a dish suddenly chimed in: "This is good, I've been thinking of doing something lately, and this lime factory can also help me keep an eye on it."

  Qin Aitang's wife, although only with a junior high school education level, was brought into the Kaifeng City Industrial and Commercial Bureau by Qin Aitang many years ago. Several months ago, when Qin Aitang was promoted to deputy director-general, she also rose to become the deputy director of the Dongcheng District Agricultural Trade Market Administration from being an ordinary industrial and commercial cadre in the Dongcheng District of Kaifeng.

  With her experience of staying in the Industrial and Commercial Bureau for over a decade, she is absolutely the most suitable person to help take care of the lime factory.

  Before Qin Aitang, who had already furrowed his brow, could speak, Qin Aimin hastily responded: "With Third Sister's help, I can rest assured. My elder brother and I have no experience in doing business, so please, Third Sister, spend more time looking after things in the future."

  "How can this be, Old Eight, three hundred thousand..."

  Qin Aimin knew Qin Aitang's thoughts, knowing that he was unwilling to take advantage of his own interests. With his position as deputy head of Dashiqiao Township and the current situation, after this limestone plant is built, there will only be a share of making more or less money. At least, as long as there are no major mistakes in decision-making, there will never be a loss.

  However, Qin Aimin did not want to let Qin Aitang lose out either. These 30,000 yuan, if borrowed, would have been lent interest-free by Qin Aitang, who had always emphasized the importance of family ties and would never charge his own brother interest. Now, without even mentioning the high interest rates on private loans, even the annual fixed deposit interest rate at a bank is over 10%, meaning that this 30,000 yuan would have earned an interest of over 3,000 yuan if deposited in a bank for just one year. Qin Aimin would never agree to let Qin Aitang lose so much money.

  "It's settled then, Third Brother."

  After dinner, Qin Aimin did not stay overnight at Qin Aitang's home despite the latter's invitation, although Qin Aitang's study had always been his residence after opening up the river.