Chapter 126: I Am a Good Person (Bonus Chapter for 270 Monthly Votes)

"Isn't that obvious? I'm building this for my organization, for the state, not for some private family. There's no credit to take; it’s simply my duty! Oh, right, I’ve already called the district office. The steel and cement will arrive this afternoon, so don't worry, your schedule won't be delayed. Let me tell you something else—keep this to yourself for now—the district is planning to build an office block, and I’ve already recommended your design rendering for it. Don’t let me down when the time comes! This is for the district, mind you; not only will the district head be working there, but the deputy mayor and the mayor will be frequent visitors for inspections!" Director Zhou lowered his voice halfway through his sentence.

"That might be difficult. Our institute is conducting a major pre-monsoon building inspection starting at the end of this month. By the time we finish this small section, we won't even have time for the finishing work before we have to head back. The workers here aren't just from our institute; some are borrowed from others, and they all have to return to their regular jobs." My uncle-in-law wasn't unwilling, but he truly lacked the time.

"Pah! Those are minor details. It's still in the preliminary planning stage. By the time it’s finalized, it will be well past summer, so it won’t interfere with your work! Besides, when this place is completed and the ribbon is cut, the district head might even show up. If you give him a good introduction to this place then, I’m sure you’ll be the one to handle that office building. Honestly, if I were the district head, I’d rather work in a building like this than spend my days sitting in an urn!" Director Zhou waved his hand with a laugh, signaling there was no need to rush.

Just as my uncle-in-law had said, the two-story building wasn't actually finished. Aside from the two rooms on the first floor in the south which had been decorated according to Hong Tao’s wishes, the remaining rooms only had doors, windows, and glass installed; the interior walls were still bare concrete. The flooring, plumbing, and heating hadn't been touched. These tasks would wait until the northern section of the building was completed, at which point the work would be done collectively to save money and consolidate manpower.

The southernmost room was a tailor shop. It was no longer just a tailor shop, however; the large wooden plaque above the entrance bore four shimmering gold characters: "Jinmei Fashion." The entrance featured a pair of cypress doors. The upper half was glass, while the lower half was solid wood finished with clear varnish, showcasing the natural grain. Inside, to the left, was a fixed corner sofa with a large coffee table, serving as a customer lounge. Further in, there were three small, enclosed cubicles separated by thick wooden boards that reached the ceiling. These were changing rooms where customers could try on clothes.

Beyond the partition wall lay the production area, equipped with several electric sewing machines, overlock machines, and a steam ironing station. There was also a solid wood cutting table larger than a double bed, where paper patterns were drafted and fabric was cut. On the other side of the production area stood a large rack of tall clothing hangers and several wooden dress forms, used for displaying semi-finished and finished garments.

To the right of the entrance stood a large counter, separating the lounge and changing rooms from the production area. General customers could only interact with staff from outside the counter. Only those seeking high-end custom tailoring were allowed into the small room behind the counter to have their measurements taken by the master tailor. At the junction of the counter and the partition wall was another rack with storage compartments, serving as the display and retail area. Customers could freely browse and try on ready-to-wear items; if they wished to purchase one, staff would retrieve the appropriate size from the storage cubbies or the wardrobe behind the rack.

As before, a small door remained between the tailor shop and the hair salon. However, this door could only be opened from the salon side into the tailor shop’s lounge. It was no longer an open passage but featured two swinging half-doors—wooden in the middle, with a fabric curtain above and a twenty-centimeter gap at the bottom. Next to this door was the staircase leading upstairs. Hong Tao had already reserved the room at the top of the stairs. Once renovated, it would open as a shop called "Thingy," though no one knew what kind of "thingies" would be sold there.

Next to the tailor shop was the hair salon, now renamed the "Lidu Beauty and Hair Center." Its facade was a completely different style from the tailor shop. The entire wall facing the street was essentially open; the glass panes were as large as possible, and the wooden frames in between were kept as thin as possible. The main entrance followed the same style, though it used a sturdier grid pattern.

Inside, the walls on both sides were lined with floor-to-ceiling mirrors. To the right were three rows of booths commonly seen in later years, and to the left was a row of four fixed swivel chairs. Further in was a meter-high wooden partition, behind which sat three electric hooded dryers. Beyond that was a floor-to-ceiling partition with a single door leading to the shampooing area, where two reclining chairs sat side-by-side in front of two sinks. Opposite the hooded dryers was an eight-door wardrobe serving as customer lockers, equipped with hidden locks.

The lockers were located right under the staircase. The upstairs area was also part of the beauty center, though it was intended for aesthetic treatments and had not yet been renovated. At the very back of the salon was a small door leading not to the courtyard, but to a small storage room containing a washing machine, spare towels, styling tools, and chemicals. An identical room existed behind the tailor shop.

Furthermore, the girls working in the shops no longer had to sleep on folding beds inside the premises. Behind the courtyard was a row of small, one-story rooms that had previously served as the enamel factory's warehouse and offices. A couple of these could be cleared out and tidied up as dormitories, and another could be used as a kitchen. Since the rooms were currently empty and unassigned, they could be used at will.

Hong Tao had picked one of these small rooms for himself, slowly moving his belongings from his uncle’s house—including his bicycle parts—into this space, which would serve as his temporary warehouse and workshop. He had even added an extra lock to the door.

Just as Hong Tao had envisioned, by utilizing the advantage of his rebirth, he had accurately grasped the pulse of the era and taken the first step ahead of the rest. However, not everyone in this day and age was a follower of convention. Since some had realized that doing business could lead to wealth, and with the state now allowing—and even encouraging—individual entrepreneurship, there were those willing to step forward, or at least take a half-step, to test the waters.

Families who were getting by comfortably likely lacked the courage or the need, but poverty breeds change. Those struggling to make ends meet had already begun to act, especially the "educated youth" who had returned to the city. Having endured almost every hardship imaginable, they had nothing left to fear. Since the state allowed it, why wait?

Starting in the spring of 1981, small private shops began to sprout like bamboo shoots after a spring rain on the streets of Beijing. There were restaurants, barbershops, tailors, appliance repair shops, grocery stores, and more—nearly every type of business permitted for individual operation was being tested. On the street of Beixinqiao alone, there were several. The largest was a restaurant specializing in tripe soup, boiled tripe, and fried liver. The owner was a Hui Muslim, and the shop was located at the entrance of Fangjia Alley, not far diagonally across from the hair salon. They could see each other from their respective doorways.

This was a good thing for Hong Tao. He didn't fear competition; the more shops, the better. Only then would the market thrive, which would naturally drive up the rent for storefronts. Although both sides of the street were lined with storefronts, few could actually be used for business due to housing management policies. At this time, most buildings—except those owned by specific organizations or a few private owners—were managed by the Housing Management Bureau and designated for residential use.

However, when applying for a business license at the Administration for Industry and Commerce, one had to provide proof of a business location. That was where the trouble began. Housing Management Bureau properties were, in principle, not to be used for business because they were residential. Changing this status wasn't impossible, but it was extremely difficult; without the approval of the district-level housing authorities, there was basically no hope.

Even if you got approval, you had to pay a substantial fee to change the building's usage status. The amount of this fee was inversely proportional to how close you were to the officials in charge. For an average family, it was nearly impossible to come up with such a large sum at once.

Want to do business? But no shop? Perfect!

Hong Tao had been waiting for this exact moment. This little rascal intended to sublease the two-story building he had built at a high price, so that even if he didn't run a business himself, he could count money at home every day.

There was one complication, however: in principle, the building didn't belong to Hong Tao or his uncle, but to the neighborhood office. While the contract didn't explicitly forbid subleasing, who dared to challenge the neighborhood office over contract terms in this era? So, it couldn't be a simple sublease; he needed a high-minded excuse to embellish the act and divert attention.

Hong Tao had thought of this excuse long ago, back when he first decided to rent the land and build the structure: renting out stalls. But he couldn't put it that way to the public. He had to frame it as a way to solve the employment problem for the city's unemployed youth, providing them with an opportunity for self-reliance and hard work, without waiting for or relying on others!

"Excellent! Old Jin, your political consciousness is growing by the day! This is the spirit of 'when drinking water, don't forget those who dug the well'! This is one person achieving prosperity and leading the entire neighborhood! No need to ask the district for permission on this; I’ll give the final word. Let’s do it! To be honest, I’ve been running my legs off for over a year trying to find jobs for those educated youths. You know how the kids are—they don't want to be temporary workers, they don't want menial jobs, and they don't want jobs too far from home. But they won't just sit quietly at home either! They spend their days hanging around in groups, looking for trouble. With your idea, we can arrange work for at least a dozen people. That’s a huge burden off my shoulders. These aren't just a dozen people; these are a dozen 'young masters' we're dealing with!"