Chapter 103: University Graduation

Wen Jiajia graduated from the university in 1981.

At 28 years old, Wen Jiajia’s wards, Wen Chun and Wen Xuan, were already 13 years old. They had graduated from elementary school and entered junior high school two years prior.

They were considered fortunate because, that year, Hai City began implementing a six-year elementary school system. Although they escaped the extended primary school years, they still had to face the extended middle school years. Wen Jiajia had hoped to graduate with them, but unexpectedly, she had to study for another year.

The two siblings were now attending the affiliated high school and were still closely connected to Wen Jiajia’s university circle.

Since they entered junior high, the aunt found things easier. The children could commute to school on their own, and Xiaomei had started kindergarten, leaving the aunt with fewer responsibilities and more time to focus on earning money.

Zhong Huisheng had chosen not to make money from food. She rejected Wen Jiajia’s idea of starting a braised food business because she lacked a specialized kitchen and was concerned about potential food safety issues.

Additionally, Zhong Huisheng preferred not to stay in the kitchen all the time, so she opted for a different way to make money.

What did she choose? Making clothes.

Wen Jiajia was surprised to learn that the aunt was skilled in making cheongsams, and she did it very well. Many older residents of Haishi appreciated Cheongsams, so her handmade garments became quite popular. Initially, her sales were modest, but once her reputation grew, she could earn nearly 100 yuan a month, sometimes even over 120 yuan.

Although Zhong Huisheng was not overly busy, making clothes was still a significant commitment. It took her about four hours a day, highlighting the high labor costs involved.

After saving money for two years, Zhong Huisheng successfully bought the Shikumen house without touching her savings. However, she was concerned about the house’s condition and decided to delay renovations since there was no rush to move in.

Currently, they are considering whether to return to Linhe. Zhong Huisheng said, “Chun’er and Xuanxuan will be in their third year of junior high soon. It’s not ideal to transfer schools at such a crucial time. They are already younger than their peers and have more challenging studies. Transferring now could greatly impact them.”

Since the reinstatement of the college entrance examination, Zhong Huisheng has been closely monitoring the children’s studies. Wen Jiajia had also kept an eye on their progress, and thanks to this supervision, the two children maintained their top-three positions in class.

Wen Jiajia sighed, “You’re right. Xiaomei is still young and won’t be affected. Wen Chun and Wen Xuan are at a critical point. I’ll discuss it with Wei Dai. He writes to me every week asking about it.”

Wei Dai was eagerly waiting for Wen Jiajia and her family to return to Linhe.

Before Wen Jiajia could make inquiries, Wei Dai sent a message asking them not to return just yet. He had been promoted and transferred to the provincial capital military region.

With many tasks awaiting him in his new role, Wei Dai requested that Wen Jiajia and her family stay in Hai City until he had settled in before moving there.

Wen Jiajia was delighted. She had prepared to travel between Linhe and the provincial capital, but she didn’t expect Wei Dai to be transferred to the provincial capital as well.

This development saved her a lot of trouble.

However, the yard in Linhe remained unrepaired. Wen Jiajia did not have the funds for repairs, as building a garden was costly.

In 1981, Hai City had not yet entered a period of rapid development, but individual shops had started appearing on the streets.

There was a clothing store near her house that even sold jeans. Wen Jiajia couldn’t resist buying a pair to try.

Years later, putting on jeans again felt quite ordinary—stuffy and hard.

There were also food restaurants, especially breakfast spots, where Wen Jiajia could indulge her cravings.

One month after graduation, Wen Jiajia enjoyed wandering around Hai City, as everyone else was busy working.

In this era of guaranteed job assignments, students aspired to be placed in good units, reflecting the common belief that a secure job was akin to “eating the emperor’s food.”

Guaranteed job assignments come with their own set of drawbacks. While being assigned to a good unit is certainly cause for celebration, being placed in an unsuitable unit in a remote location… well, you can only hope for the best.

This is when daily study performance and relationships with teachers and class leaders become crucial.

For students like Jiang Ruowang, who had excellent grades and were registered with a tutor, they were directly recruited into the institute by Professor Huang, leveraging her connections to secure a spot for their master’s studies.

As for Wen Jiajia, her grades were good but not outstanding. She struggled more as time went on and was clearly not a theoretical talent. Huang had a lower opinion of her. She didn’t publish any papers during her studies or participate in many activities. After all, Wen Jiajia had spent much of her time maintaining her grades, managing household finances, and raising her children.

Thus, Wen Jiajia wasn’t seen as an activist, and barring any unexpected changes, she would likely end up working at a factory in Hai City.

It wouldn’t be a small factory but probably a large one, akin to Linhe Medical Glass, affiliated with the Industrial Bureau.

For example, a subsidiary of the Instrumentation Bureau was a first-class factory and quite reputable, but Wen Jiajia wasn’t keen on that option.

Returning to Linhe would be preferable to working at the Instrument Bureau’s factory. After all, Linhe’s Director Shen had offered her a directorial position last year, and she was familiar with the environment there. Wen Jiajia had briefly considered accepting the offer.

However, her ambition to become a factory director meant that accepting a position in Linhe would feel like “usurping the throne,” which increased the difficulty significantly, so she declined.

Thus, Wen Jiajia rejected both Director Shen’s offer and the job assigned by the school, becoming an unemployed graduate for the first time since Fudan University resumed enrollment.

Among her classmates, the most unfortunate were those assigned to schools in the suburbs. She was the first student at her college to be unemployed right after graduation.

At that time, the counselor looked at her as if she were a fool. Even when Wen Jiajia mentioned wanting to try her luck in the south, the counselor couldn’t understand.

When Wen Jiajia expressed her intention to go south, she was serious about it.

In September, after Wen Chun and Wen Xuan started school, Wen Jiajia planned a trip to the south.

She told Wei Dai, who had come to visit, “I’m considering opening a clothing store. We need to invest our money to make more.”

Wei Dai, familiar with policies and current events, didn’t think opening a store was too simplistic.

He nodded and said, “I’ve been to the south, and the clothes there are indeed better than ours. Have you found a store? If not, let’s go look together in the next couple of days.”

There was no need for Wei Dai to help find a store; Wen Jiajia had already purchased real estate two years ago.

Not only that, but she had also bought two courtyards in Pudong, holding them for demolition, which would solve the housing problem for the three sisters.

Thus, buying property early was advantageous, as waiting would have been too late.

The store Wen Jiajia bought was located in a central area, not very large, only about 40 square meters. She didn’t do much renovation since it was a time when people’s material desires were beginning to rise.

There were wealthy individuals, but they were not Wen Jiajia’s target market. She aimed to cater to ordinary people and adopted a strategy of small profits but quick turnover.

Of course, clothes have low costs and high profits, so she could still make a good profit even with a low profit margin.

Wen Jiajia and Wei Dai went back to the south together for the first time.

Wei Dai said, “Lao Bai is over there. If you need to visit him next time, just find him directly.”

Wen Jiajia was surprised: “Doesn’t Lao Bai run a restaurant in his hometown? Why did he go there?”

Wei Dai explained, “He’s opening a new restaurant there. The market is huge. It’s right next to the train station and is quite large.”

Wen Jiajia thought Lao Bai was very smart and ahead of the times.

His restaurant was indeed very large.

Wen Jiajia and Wei Dai finally arrived in Guangzhou after a long train journey.

Wen Jiajia first went to Lao Bai’s restaurant and met him after nearly ten years.

Lao Bai had become much heavier, and his deep laugh echoed: “How come my sister-in-law hasn’t changed much?”

Wen Jiajia smiled and said, “Lao Bai, you look even wealthier than before.”

“He’s fat, so what? He’s as big as a truck. I was shocked when I last saw him.” Wei Dai remarked with a touch of sarcasm. “How did he eat so much? It shows he’s had a good life recently.”

Lao Bai’s life had indeed been good, especially in the past two years. His family was well-off and well-supplied, so he had gained nearly 200 kilograms. In that era, few people in the city were as heavy as him.

He was also a bit disappointed: “Oh, I have such a good physique, but the doctor told me to lose weight because I’m too fat and not in good health. I never thought I’d need to lose weight one day. This is the meat I ate bite by bite.”

Indeed, Lao Bai’s comfortable life made even Wen Jiajia and Wei Dai a bit envious.

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The next day, guided by Lao Bai, the couple visited the clothing factory.

At that time, there was a crackdown on “speculation and profiteering,” which had been effective for two years. However, with the reforms and opening up, everything was focused on economic development. Private transactions and factory operations were allowed, and importing clothes from the south and selling them elsewhere was no longer a problem.

The profiteers who were arrested were typically large-scale “private profiteers” and “official profiteers” involved in corrupt practices. Wen Jiajia’s small business wasn’t a major concern, and even Wei Dai didn’t advise her to stay out of it.

For safety, Wen Jiajia opted to use trucks for large goods and trains for smaller items. Although this was more expensive, it was safer.

Additionally, dealing directly with manufacturers and avoiding middlemen was more efficient.

Wen Jiajia had a keen eye for fashion and chose styles that appealed to young people. She focused exclusively on women’s clothing, which simplified her business operations.

After spending a week in the south, Wen Jiajia and Wei Dai returned to Hai City with four large bags of goods. They not only purchased three new outfits for each family member but also brought back a new radio and a camera.

The two sisters were especially excited about the camera and immediately took it to the yard for pictures. Xiaomei, who was still at the stage where she disliked cats and dogs, didn’t engage with her older sisters. However, she enjoyed listening to stories and took the radio to her room.

With no one willing to try on the new clothes, Wen Jiajia felt lonely while shopping for them. She reflected that, despite the improved living conditions, the new clothes didn’t seem as significant anymore.

Wen Jiajia also sent several additional sets of clothes home, including one for Jiang Ruowang, the dormitory manager who had been kind to her during college, and one each for Professor Huang and his wife.

Professor Huang had been a demanding mentor during Wen Jiajia’s exams over the past four years. Wen Jiajia felt a sense of obligation to visit him more often in the future.

She also sent clothes to Sha Yue and others in Linhe by mail. Sha Yue was teaching at Linhe No. 1 Middle School, Hao Qingying was working in the Linhe government department, and Lin Yunfei was still in Yibo. They received their packages in one shipment.

Wen Jiajia had sent the mail in batches when she discovered that one of the four bags she had brought back was missing.

Half a month later, the shop was renovated, and a new batch of clothes arrived by truck. This marked the first step in her business venture, and Wen Jiajia was eager to open the store.

She hired two young women as sales clerks, offering them a high salary of 50 yuan plus commission. She chose an auspicious day to open the store, setting off firecrackers to celebrate.

Standing at the store’s entrance, Wen Jiajia looked at the shop packed with customers and considered hiring two more employees. She also pondered whether she should open a clothing factory before starting a chemical machinery factory.

The clothing business was highly profitable. Once she opened a few more stores, she wouldn’t need to rely on loans anymore.