The Ups and Downs of the Commoners Page #3

This non-fiction novel tells the life of ordinary commoners in the middle of the 20th century in China, from the series of movements such as "Land Reform", "Great Leap Forward", "Cultural Revolution" and "Educated Youth Going to the Countryside" to the early days of Reform and Opening-up. The book has four volumes, and was published by Hong Kong Chinese International Publishing House in 2015. The protagonist of this book, Fang Zhengben, was born into a bankrupt family of landowners. Their family has lived in Taiqing Town for generations. When he was six years old, he left Taiqing Town with his parents and came to Longyun Mountain, where the mountains overlap. From then on, he began an unusual life: their family hard work, but they couldn't eat enough; he yearned for reading, but he has dropped out of school three times before graduating from junior high school; he is diligent and studious, with excellent grades, but the door of colleges is

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As soon as Fang Xinwen stepped into this opium dens, get into a deep hole and he can't get out of it. Due to his parents' strict control, he smoked opium without money to pay, and soon secretly ran up a lot of debts. Creditor Wang Peijiang is not in a hurry, he will come to a "arrangement long line, fishing big fish". He said to Fang Xinwen: "Young master Fang! It doesn't matter! That money, that's a small matter! Just come and put what you owe on the bill. It doesn't matter whether you pay early or late. When your parent dead and you are your own turn into the master, you will pay me principal and interest!" After hearing this, Fang Xinwen was greatly pleased. He was now free to be at ease smoke opium in the opium dens of the Wang Peijiang.
The cold and warm seasons many times alternate. Fang Xinwen got married, had children and both his parents died. He and elder brother Fang Xinheng divided the family property equally, Wang Peijiang also waited until this "harvest" time. This day, Wang Peijiang take out the bill, asked his housekeeper to calculate, at the high interest rate of 10 percent per month, plus the previous interest to produce the new interest, and mortgaged all the lands of Fang Xinwen's family. Should also pay some money give Fang Xinwen, but Wang Peijiang refused to give Fang money, saying, "You are sure to come back to me in the future. Why take away the money? Just leave it here and use it slowly!"
After a period of time, Wang Peijiang went to Fang Xinwen, took out the bill and said to him: "Young master Fang, the money you left on the account has overspent.    What do you think you should do?"    Fang Xin wen one face helpless, say: "I also don't know how to do, anyway I don't have money!"    Wang peijiang said, "I do have an idea.    I wonder if Young master Fang will accept it or not?"    Fang Xinwen had been addicted to drugs and was eager to get the money.    "What way?" he asked.    Wang Peijiang said, "Don't you have money by mortgaging the deed of your house to me?" Upon hearing this, Fang Xinwen broke out in a cold sweat.    But I am already addicted to opium and cannot quit.  I also need to pay for the money I owe others.  What should I do? After much thought, he thought it would be okay to mortgage the property.    Since there are not many debts now, with such a wide house, there is still a lot of money left over from the mortgage, apart from a small amount used for debt repayment.    I'll use the remaining money to buy a house in the provincial capital, it will be more comfortable! 
When he returned home, he did not dare to say that he was in debt, but said to his wife, Wang Qihui, who was spinning the yarn: "We have lived in this town for a long time, and we do not find it very interesting. If we can mortgage this house out, took the money to the provincial capital to buy a house will be good!" As soon as his words were out, Wang Qihui immediately objected to the. She said: "What to say the provincial capital to buy house?    You think I don't know that, you owe money of the opium again, and you want to mortgage the house to pay it off.    I tell you, you used to owe someone else's debt, mortgaged your family's lands, I don't want to say more.    But if you want to mortgage the house now, I will never agree!    We have no land now, but we can always rely on this house to sustain our livelihood, either by renting it out or by starting our own business.   If you do mortgage this house, where will my family live?  Besides, the money that mortgage comes out is to be spent very quickly, where can go to the city to buy a house!"    Fang Xinwen thought what his wife said was reasonable, also no longer mention mortgage house thing.
Wang Peijiang is eager to get the Fang family's houses. Seeing Fang Xinwen not reply, he prepared a contract written and said to him: "Young master Fang, have you thought about what I told you the matter? I'm ready. Now all you have to do is in this contract is to sign your name, and you'll be out of debt, and I'll pay you the extra money right away!" Fang Xinwen refused to agree.
Seeing Fang Xinwen's refusal to sign, Wang Peijiang rely on himself is the head of the township and having a backer in the county. He ordered the subordinates force to take Fang Xinwen to as a soldier. Then, on a rainy night, several men with guns were sent to drive Wang Qihui and her two children out of their home in an attempt to devour their entire houses. Wang Qihui knows, her fourth uncle's family was also because they borrowed 2,000 yuan from Wang Peijiang, after his repeated calculations, Even if they had lost all their property. Her fourth uncle refused to give in, and went to look for Wang Peijiang to reason with them. Instead, Wang Peijiang accused a "collude with bandits, collude with the Communist Party" and sent them to prison. Knowing that she could not argue with him in Lingjing County, she went back to her parents' home in Sanxi Town, Tuoyang County, told the Wang's Clan Association about his family's misfortune. The next day, the Wang's Clan Association sent eighteen prominent men to Taiqing town to talk with Wang Peijiang. On the day, palanquins and entourages blocked half the streets of Taiqing Town. Wang Peijiang knew that Sanxi Town in Tuoyang County did not belong to his own sphere of influence, and the Wang clan was another big clan there, whose   influence should not to be underestimated. He wants to get along in these tens of square kilometers, and it was inevitable that he would ask for help from them in the future, so he chose to give in temporarily. He treated them with good wine and food, and promised to return all the houses to Wang Qihui. Wang clan people left, Wang Qihui thought of their man is not in the family, afraid of being bullied, he returned to his mother's house with his two children. Wang Peijiang took advantage of the fact that there was no one at Wang Qihui's home and once again forcibly occupied some of her stores, renting them out to the public. Wang Qihui also has no intention to tube this matter again.
Fang Xinwen spent a few months in the Kuomintang army, giving up opium. At that time, the Kuomintang army was losing ground on the battlefield. He fell behind in an emergency retreat and stayed in the Shang County, Shaanxi Province ever since. A local town mayor found him well-educated and asked him to stay there as a teacher.
Three years later, when the Chinese People's Liberation Army came to Taiqing Town, Wang Peijiang in a panic left the salt factory in lianghekou and part of the Fang's house which he had forcibly occupied in Taiqing Town, and fled for fear of crime. Fang Xinwen heard the liberation of his hometown, quit the job in Shaanxi, and overcome many difficulties, and back to the Taiqing Town. With the support of the local government, Fang Xinwen took back the house forcibly occupied by Wang Peijiang, but the furniture in the house was no longer abundant. He went to his mother-in-law's home to pick up his wife and childrens and back. The whole family guarded the house left by their ancestors, and opened a steamed pork with rice flours shop. They worked hard to make ends meet. Wang Qihui works at   shop during the day and spins yarn and weaving cotton cloth at night to help pay for her family's expenses.

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