Chapter 46

“Great. Having electricity makes things much more convenient,” sighed Song Haowen. “Land contracting has already started outside; have we started here?”

“We’ve begun the registration. I estimate it’ll start next year after the wheat season However; our family might suffer a bit. Since you’re in college and not registered with the production team, they might not count you as part of our household,” Dad regretfully said.

“It’s okay. If the farmland allocation is limited, we can contract more barren land—100 or 200 acres will do,” replied Song Haowen.

“What’s the use of barren land? It takes several years for soil improvement to take effect, and we might end up at a loss,” Dad expressed concern.

“No problem. We have professors at the university dedicated to studying soil improvement. I’ll take care of that when the time comes. You just focus on contracting the land,” confidently said Song Haowen, recalling soil improvement methods from his past life.

“You talk easily. With only your mom and me as labor, ten or eight acres are enough to handle. Do you dare to contract more land?” Dad had obvious reservations.

“We can spend some money to hire help during busy farming seasons. After the New Year, I’ll leave some money for the family, and you can use it to buy a small tractor. If you want to operate it yourself, do it; if not, hire someone. Having a machine will make things much easier,” Song Haowen suggested.

“How much does a small tractor cost?”

“Only two or three thousand yuan. It’s okay; I’ll cover it. While studying, I did some small business on the side and made a bit of money.”

Mom worriedly said, “Third son, education is important. You can’t forget your main purpose for the sake of making money.”

“Mom and Dad, rest assured. Your son, regardless of other talents, is good at making money.”

“Mom, our little brother is so clever; you should trust him.”

“Trust? Trust what? I’m just afraid that his cleverness will backfire in the end.”

At this point, the fourth sibling ran over with a cassette player and asked, “Brother, want to listen?”

Song Haowen helped the fourth sibling set up the cassette player, and immediately, Teresa Teng’s “Small Town Story” started playing.

“Brother, does this tape have the song ‘Morning on Campus’? Our classmates in our class love singing it.”

“Do you know, little brother, the current hottest male singer in the country has the exact same name as yours? I often think, it would be great if he were my brother,” the second sister said regretfully.

“What’s so good about that? It won’t give you extra points for the college entrance exam,” Song Haowen said dismissively.

“Although he’s not you, hearing a name similar to yours feels something. I just haven’t seen his picture, so I don’t know if he’s as handsome as my brother,” the second sister said with a look of longing.

“He is just an ugly duckling, far worse than me,” Song Haowen disdainfully shrugged.

“Brother, you’re just jealous. I won’t bother with you; I’m going upstairs to listen to music,” said the youngest brother, and in a flash, went upstairs.

Song Haowen looked at his second sister and said, “Do you really like the songs of that guy?”

“Of course. Not only me, but our whole class likes him. His song ‘Grandma’s Penghu Bay’ even made many girls cry,” she replied.

“Is it that dramatic?” Song Haowen was taken aback. “I never thought a song could have such a big impact.”

“Tian Nana, who sings duets with him, is also very popular. Her songs are played on the radio every day. All the girls in our class can sing every one of her songs,” the second sister said with envy and admiration.

“Second sister, I know Tian Nana; she’s, my friend. If you get into the capital city, I’ll introduce you to each other,” Song Haowen said with a smile.

“Really? You’re not just bragging?” The second sister’s eyes widened as if they were continuously shining.

“Second sister, trust me. I’ll make it happen,” Song Haowen reassured, patting his sister on the shoulder.

“Hehe, I’ll take it as true, then…” The second sister made a funny face at Song Haowen.

“Alright, it’s getting late. Everyone should rest early,” Mom started urging.

The next day, after having breakfast, Song Haowen went to his grandparents’ houses to give New Year gifts. After finishing that, before he could return home, the fourth sibling and the youngest sister rushed over, saying that a bunch of people had come to their house, specifically asking to see him.

Surprised, he hurried home, and upon reaching the doorstep, he saw a group of people talking to his parents. In the distance, a minibus was parked along the village road.

Song Haowen was shocked and didn’t know what was happening at home. He quickly went over to find out. Before he reached his home, he saw Fat Wei Da and Skinny Han Dong, the two drivers, waving at him and coming over. He asked them, “How did you find this place? What happened?”

Wei Da approached and hugged Song Haowen as if afraid he would run away, happily saying like a child, “It’s great we found you.” Then, he introduced Song Haowen to the visitors one by one. It was only then that Song Haowen understood what had happened.

As it turned out, after Wei Da and Han Dong returned to the trucking company and reported the incident with Song Haowen to the company leaders, the company took it very seriously and immediately reported to the county committee.

Upon hearing that the brave young hero who captured four robbers was found and that this hero was also currently the most famous male singer in the country, the county committee secretary immediately informed the county propaganda department and the county public security bureau director, dispatching them to present the “Heroic Act” certificate and award money.

They also arranged for a county radio reporter to interview and report on Song Haowen, publicizing his heroic spirit and encouraging the people of the county to learn from him.

The leaders who came this time included the county propaganda department head, the county public security bureau director, the commune secretary, the county trucking company manager, and the county radio station director.

Seeing the county officials making such a fuss, especially on the night of the 29th of the twelfth lunar month when everyone was busy preparing for the New Year, Song Haowen felt guilty.

He repeatedly apologized to the guests, saying it was just a small matter, and it had been six months, not worth such a grand treatment.

The Song family was all bewildered. They never dreamed that their third son had the ability to capture four robbers with knifes and was also a sensational national pop star.

Before he returned, the family had been explaining to everyone that the authorities must have mistaken the person; their third son couldn’t possibly have such capabilities, otherwise, the whole family would have known.

What surprised most of the visiting leaders was that Song Haowen turned out to be a university student at the prestigious Beijing University, the top scorer in the province’s college entrance exam for science.

After the propaganda department head presented the certificate, awards, and cash prize, he tightly held Song Haowen’s hand, excitedly saying, “You are the pride of our county. After the New Year, I invite you to the county for a visit and to participate in a group reception.” Song Haowen politely declined, citing his plan to return to Beijing after the New Year.

Subsequently, the trucking company also separately issued a cash prize to Song Haowen. Although the amount was only a few hundred yuan, Song Haowen refused to accept it. In the end, he had no choice but to donate the prize money to the production team and asked them to distribute it to the poor households in the team.

After the leaders left, the county radio station reporter conducted a special interview with Song Haowen. Once everything was done, it was time for dinner, but the reporters, eager to meet their deadlines, refused to stay for the meal and hurriedly left.

People from the production team stayed at Song Haowen’s home for quite a while, expressing praise and amazement. For the local farmers, having such a famous person from their own village made them feel proud.

It wasn’t until it got dark that Song Haowen’s home finally settled down. Faced with the events of the day, the family felt a bit unreal. T

hey had never heard Song Haowen sing seriously, and they never thought he had any musical talent. How did he become a national pop star after a trip to Beijing? The fourth sibling found a box of cassette tapes from Song Haowen’s bag, containing all the songs he had sung.

After carefully listening to the songs, they discovered that the voice on the tapes did indeed resemble Song Haowen’s.

The entire family looked at Song Haowen with newfound respect, almost like strangers staring at him, making him feel uncomfortable.

He could only awkwardly say, “It wasn’t intentional to keep this from the family. I consider singing just a hobby; it’s not something to boast about. My main focus is still on studying, and I won’t be singing all the time.”

The second sister sighed, expressing infinite envy, “Who could have imagined six months ago that you were such a genius? Topping the college entrance exam, becoming a singer, and even earning so much money from hunting. Brother, tell us, what other talents do you have? Don’t surprise us in the future.”

Song Haowen understood in his heart that if he hadn’t crossed over, he would be an ordinary person, and he wouldn’t have achieved such remarkable results. However, he couldn’t explicitly state this and could only smile and say, “Where am I a genius? It’s just seizing opportunities. Everyone, as long as they work hard, you can became successful.”

The youngest sister exclaimed, “Third brother, when I grow up, I want to be a star like you.”

The fourth sibling also said, “Third brother, when I grow up, I want to learn from you and become a wealthy person.”

Song Haowen smiled and said, “As long as you study hard, you will definitely achieve your dreams in the future.” He asked the second sister, “What kind of person do you want to become in the future?”

“Me?” The second sister hesitated for a moment and said, “I want to be a writer, creating good works that reflect into people’s heart.”

“Great, that’s a good dream. However, for now, you need to work hard to get into college.”

…

The next morning, the production team leader came and told Song Huai-sheng that the people from the power supply bureau had arrived and were ready to install the electricity in their house.

The family was thrilled upon hearing the news and ran to the road intersection to wait for the electricians. They had prepared tea and sugar cubes specifically for them.

After about half an hour, two electricians carrying wires arrived. They pulled two wires from the cement pole in front, fixed them with brackets on the courtyard wall, and then installed them in every room of the house. Since their house was a multi-story building with many rooms, it naturally took some time.

The production team had a rule that the opening fees would be temporarily covered by the team and would be collected from the households after the New Year. The electricity cost would be shared evenly among the households, and the light bulbs would be standardized at forty watts each.

Afterward, when each household had installed an electric meter, the calculation would be done separately. Compared to the average member’s home, Song Haowen’s family was much better off, so they didn’t mind installing a few more light bulbs.

On New Year’s Eve in 1980, it was the first time in the history of Song Haowen’s family that they had electric lights. The whole family was bright and cheerful. Song Haowen thought that it would be even better if they had a television.

Before the sun set, firecrackers sounded from all directions, creating a continuous and deafening noise. This loud celebration continued until dawn, marking the pinnacle of the festive New Year atmosphere.