Chapter 17: The Tide Has Turned

Six hundred yuan was not a small expense in 1992. In fact, even the retirement pensions of the forestry bureau leaders were generally only a little over a hundred yuan per month. 

A coffin costing nearly half a year's savings was clearly something many people couldn't accept. So, when faced with Li Xian's asking price, the crowd erupted in chatter.

"Didn't you say that if we order ten or more at once, there's a group purchase price?" Facing a crowd of elderly people accusing him of being greedy, Li Xian quickly explained, or rather, guided them.

"How much for the group purchase?"

Li Xian grinned, "The group purchase price depends on the quantity. There are two tiers: if you order ten at once, each one will be 550 yuan. But if you order twenty or more, I can give you a price of 500 yuan each. The more you buy, the cheaper it gets, haha."

This way of selling was still uncommon at that time.

The crowd was momentarily taken aback. Although they thought 500 yuan per coffin was not cheap, some of them had already started to think about other things…

It was clear that deciding on the spot wasn't possible. After all, a coffin was quite different from walnut skins; in terms of price, it was considered a major item in that era.

Seeing that some of the elderly were whispering among themselves, Li Xian decided not to persist. He had said and done what he needed to, and now it depended on how much the crowd wanted the group purchase. Whether or not the sales policy would be effective was up to them.

After all his efforts, it was nearing noon.

Li Xian and Li Pi had gotten up early and, after loading the coffin onto the cart with the help of Gao Ming, were exhausted. Though it was still before meal time, their stomachs were already rumbling.

"Alright, everyone, take your time to think it over. To be honest, my brother and I haven't had any food since morning. We need to find something to eat. But I must tell you, once the busy farming season starts, our carpenter will be too busy, and it will be hard to get a coffin. So if you're going to place an order, you'd better hurry."

With that, ignoring the elderly and the displeased Wang Zhye, he and Li Pi got into the tricycle.

Just as Wang Zhye was glaring at the tricycle carrying the large coffin, the recently closed door of the cart opened again.

Li Xian popped his head out with a grin and said to the crowd with a sheepish smile, "It's not suitable for me to drive this thing into the city. Could I leave the cart here for now?"

...

The forestry bureau, which was supposed to coordinate production units in the forest farms, was quite large, similar in size to Bangye County due to its high national strategic importance, though it had fewer urban areas, resulting in a smaller population.

However, due to the large amount of timber exports every year, the Bangye Forestry Bureau was much better developed than Bangye County.

In fact, until the year Li Xian traveled back in time, the forestry bureau appeared far more glamorous than the neighboring Bangye County, which was only a street away.

However, at that time, the forestry bureau no longer had production tasks or timber industry support and lacked other commercial industries. The entire bureau had declined, leaving behind wide, flat streets and a residential area that looked like tofu blocks from above, devoid of vitality.

Now it was quite bustling.

Li Xian and Li Pi quickly grabbed two bowls of wontons at a small eatery near the bus station, amidst the bustling crowd of travelers.

The eatery wasn't great in terms of environment, but the wontons were actually quite good. The skin was thin, the filling generous, and the broth was rich and not just diluted with seasoning. Even the pepper inside was more aromatic than what Li Xian had tasted in later years.

At 80 cents a bowl, Li Xian felt it was a great deal.

Just as he was feeling satisfied and about to return to the retirement home to check on the "harvest," he suddenly noticed a commotion at the bus station where buses were stopping. The shouting and cursing sounded familiar.

Seeing Li Pi looking equally curious, he walked over.

Pushing through the crowd, Li Xian finally saw what was happening.

Old Zhou, the veteran driver who ran the route between the Eight-Nine Forest Farm and the forestry bureau, was arguing vehemently with a man wearing a bus station armband. The man, about thirty years old, wore a light blue uniform but had a rather surly demeanor.

Little Zhou was there too, with tears in her eyes, clutching Old Zhou's sleeve and repeatedly trying to dissuade him from fighting.

Old Zhou didn't care.

"Damn it, I've been running this route for ten years. Now you say it's being outsourced just like that? What am I supposed to do?"

The man being grabbed by Old Zhou remained calm: "Old Zhou, why are you being unreasonable? The buses and routes belong to the bureau, not to you personally. The bureau wants to outsource the route because of poor efficiency. I've already told you, if you're unhappy, you can take the money and buy the route yourself!"

Old Zhou was even angrier, grabbing the man's collar and glaring with eyes as wide as egg yolks: "Screw you! If I had 20,000 yuan, do you think I'd still be driving all day? Sure, the efficiency is bad now, but why don't you mention that during the winter logging season, the buses are always full? Xu Laosan, don't think I don't know what you're up to."

Old Zhou's attitude thoroughly enraged the man. He pushed Old Zhou away with his strength, saying, "Damn, you're being ungrateful. I've passed on the message. How you handle it is up to you!" He then ignored Old Zhou, took a long look at Little Zhou, who was now crying, and turned to leave.

Seeing this from afar, Li Xian sighed.

Since his rebirth, he had been focused on making money and hadn't realized another issue; it was 1992 now, and top-level instructions had likely been issued. The national reform and opening process was at a critical stage.

From this year onwards, many state-owned assets were being transferred to private ownership. A major wave of "state retreating and private advance" had begun.

In later years, this wave was mostly seen positively. The market economy had proven that a free and competitive market environment was the best for economic vitality.

However, the transition process was far from transparent or fair.

Decades later, many economists would comment that the entrepreneurs who made their first fortune during this wave carried a certain "original sin." Fundamentally, most people who rose during this era inherited or, to put it bluntly, stole state assets at extremely low costs.

Li Xian knew that the bus route contracting probably involved some dirty dealings. The Eight-Nine Forest Farm, being a major production unit in the Bangye Forestry Bureau, had significant traffic during the winter season, making the profits from the only bus route quite considerable. It was likely that someone was using the reform as an excuse to manipulate the situation.

But there was nothing he could do about it.

Looking at Little Zhou with her tear-streaked face and Old Zhou, who was still cursing angrily, Li Xian patted Li Pi's shoulder and said, "Let's go. We should take care of our own matters first."

...

While Old Zhou and his daughter faced their difficult situation, a group of elderly cadres in the retirement home was in a heated discussion.