Exaggerating the amount of financing is an unspoken rule of the industry. Why? The competition in the industry is so fierce, once the amount is truthfully disclosed, the opponent will quickly calculate your lifetime, promotion expenses, and sales price...... And then you're in pain. Moreover, exaggerating the amount can strengthen my prestige and boost morale.

1. When you come out to mix, there are some rules that you still have to abide by

This successful financing has established Qin Fangyuan's solid position in Remembering Media. Qin Fangyuan also seems to understand what Chinese characteristics are and what localized thinking is. Under these mindsets, dwelling on the details seems redundant. Lao Yan later said a classic sentence to him: "Before investing, you should keep your eyes open, and after investing, you should turn a blind eye." This is the summary of 10 years of hard work. ”

Soon after the investment money came in, Zhang Jiahong began to recruit talents on a large scale, expand the team, and work fast, Zhang Jiahong lectured at the morning meeting, scolding Fang Xuan: I am the age of the post-60s, the heart of the post-80s, most of you are post-80s, younger than me, you want to learn from me, what to do when you come to finance a large amount of money?

That's when Tom was hunted by a headhunter.

That morning, Mr. Zhang called a bus to take everyone to the Dayuan Hotel, adjacent to the famous Beijing 101 Middle School, for a strategy seminar, and it was on this occasion that Tom appeared.

Dayuan Hotel was built in the early years of the Republic of China, adjacent to the west gate of Peking University in the south, the west gate of Tsinghua University in the east, the Summer Palace in the west, and the Old Summer Palace in the north. From the outside, it looks very ordinary, surrounded by walls on all sides, with only an ordinary vermilion gate, and if you don't pay special attention, people who often pass by there will think that it is nothing more than an ordinary courtyard house. Push the door in, there is no cave, pavilion and promenade, green trees, green bamboo. There is a lake in the precincts, and there are islands in the lake, so you can go fishing and walk around the lake. With a total area of more than 120,000 square meters, including at least 30,000 square meters of lake surface, the architectural style of the hotel integrates the southern waterscape garden and the Beijing courtyard house. It is said that the Dayuan Hotel is under the management of the State Council Administration of Organ Affairs, mainly for the reception of high-ranking officials and foreign-related affairs, and it is difficult to arrange it without a certain number of connections. He Jing said that this was made by Mr. Zhang to make an appointment with a relationship.

Zhang Jiahong convened the company's management and said: "Recently, a large number of senior executives will join to enrich the company's strength, and I hope everyone will have the courage to welcome them with a broad mind." I believe that through the joint efforts of everyone, the company will make great progress and strive to ring the bell on the NASDAQ within three years. ”

That's when Tom came to power. Tom is of medium build, dark shirt, jeans, more casual, bald, and wears black-rimmed glasses. He took the stage and said: "My surname is Gao, my ancestral home is Hunan, I grew up in Shanghai, engaged in the advertising industry for more than ten years, and used to do marketing in enterprises. The most admired person in this life is one person - Lin Biao. This was a military genius who fought two of the three major battles of the War of Liberation. I appreciate his consequentialism. Before attacking Lazikou on the Long March, the commander of the 1st Red Regiment assured Lin Biao: "If you can't take Lazikou, I'll come to see you." Lin Biao replied: "I don't want your head, I want Lazikou!" In the Tashan blockade battle, our army suffered heavy casualties, Cheng Zihua reported the damage to Lin Biao, after listening, Lin Biao said calmly: "I don't want casualties, I just want Tashan!" If we provide good performance programs, provide good outlets, and provide competitive prices, can't we win customers?"

Tom's last sentence is like asking everyone, and it is like taking an oath, the story is concise, the intention is clear, and the goal is consequential. Zhang Jiahong listened to it in the audience, and secretly cooled: It's so powerful! Zhang Jiahong took the lead in applauding desperately, and the management below applauded fiercely when they saw Zhang Jiahong.

Zhang Jiahong stood up and introduced: "Who is Tom? He is the creator of the mineral water 'Yefu Qingquan Tiantian', the marketing director of the cake 'Eat Well', and the COO (chief operating officer) of Taxi Media!"

The applause at the bottom was thunderous: "Awesome!", "Big guy!" "Awesome!", ......

When Qin Fangyuan cooperated with investors to do due diligence, he learned that he couldn't forget the media, although he was not a direct competitor of Mingming Media, he also belonged to outdoor media. Qin Fangyuan still remembers that at the dinner that he had just returned to China, Qian Feng also specifically mentioned this media to him, and when he heard that he was going to remember the way the media wanted to speak and stopped, he seemed to have something to say.

Zhang Jiahong said that this time the action should be loud, the voice should be loud, and the work should be magnificent. Tom couldn't forget that he was the COO of the media, and paid a lot of transfer fees to poach him Zhang Jiahong, and offered a salary and options more than 50% higher than that of his peers.

After officially signing the contract with Tom, Zhang Jiahong proudly said at the company's management meeting that Tom may bring more than 100 people this time, including development, sales and maintenance, and film and television production teams.

A few days after signing the contract with Tom, I can't forget that the media sent a lawyer's letter to me, saying that Tom's contract with the company had not been terminated, and that the media had signed an employment agreement with him without authorization, which violated the provisions of the labor contract, and hoped that the media could correct it in time, otherwise legal measures would be taken to further investigate.

Legal manager Zhao Yu was cautious, and he was nervous after reading the lawyer's letter, especially when he heard that Tom was going to bring more than 100 backbones, which is even a pot end, a taboo in the industry, so that it will completely anger the media, and it is not ruled out that there will be an industry earthquake, causing uncertainty trouble, and even not ruling out a lawsuit.

He first found Xia Tao, the human resources director who had just joined the company. Xia Tao was born in Huawei, and his appraisal opinion is that the matter is a bit serious, and the labor contract should be abided by.

Zhao Yu wanted to report this matter to Zhang Jiahong. He is generally reluctant to go to Zhang Jiahong alone, or if he can not look for it, he will not look for it, more things are better than less things, he can't stand Zhang Jiahong's mantra of opening "pig brains" and closing his mouth "brain is in water". He took the lawyer's letter from the media, and came to Qin Fangyuan, he knew that the company currently had some words from Qin Fangyuan that Zhang Jiahong could listen to, after all, Qin Fangyuan was the hero of this wave of financing. He said: "Mr. Qin, what should I do? From a legal point of view, they all have an agreement and have not terminated the contract, and if we accept it, there will be potential legal problems." ”

As soon as Qin Fangyuan heard this, he knew the seriousness of the problem.

"Let's go find Mr. Zhang. ”

"Okay. ”

They knocked on the door and went in, explaining their intentions, and Zhao Yu handed over the other party's lawyer's letter stamped with the seal of the law firm to Zhang Jiahong. Zhang Jiahong glanced at it a few times, and threw it in the air, the page floated a few times, and then turned sharply and fell in front of Qin Fangyuan.

Zhang Jiahong sneered contemptuously: "Talk to me about the law, what are you kidding? Talk to me about the law in this place, let them go home and talk to their families!

Zhao Yu was just about to open his mouth to explain, but was immediately stopped by Zhang Jiahong's eyes.

Zhao Yu looked sideways at Qin Fangyuan, and Qin Fangyuan signaled to go out.

2. Job-hopping executives have backbones

However, the matter of digging up the foot of the wall began to ferment. On the third day after the lawyer's letter was sent, Qin Fangyuan received a call from Qian Feng, and Qian Feng first said: "You can't let go of the media, Tom's gang can't dig it up." ”

Qin Fangyuan was very surprised: "How can you say this? How can you get involved in this matter, isn't this a matter of the two companies?"

"Ahem, I can't forget that this wave of media financing was invested by our fund, and I am the person in charge of this project. You say, can I sit idly by and watch such a big change happen to the company I invest?" Qian Feng said, "It's not the right time for you to dig Tom, we plan to go to the United States IPO next year, how can we tell a story to the capital market because of this huge shock? Think about it, a company with huge prospects, the COO ran away before going public, how can this be explained?"

Of course, Qin Fangyuan understood this dilemma.

Qian Feng said: "There is another thing I have to tell you, do you know who the boss of the media is? Hu Xiaolei's husband! You say, why is this so awkward!"

Hearing the words "Hu Xiaolei", Qin Fangyuan "chuckled" in his heart, and those sad eyes appeared in his mind, the dodgy, love-hate eyes he found at the moment when he stepped through the airport security line with one foot that year. This pair of tangled lovers has never been strangers ever since, one in the United States and the other in China.

That moment was an eternal pain in Qin Fangyuan's heart. The same two innocent girls who lost one when they went abroad and the other when they returned home. This is how life is always carried forward with guilt.

After returning to China, Qin Fangyuan found Hu Xiaolei's phone number through his classmates, and after dialing for the first time, as soon as he reported to his home, the other party cut off the phone. Several times after that, it was either pinched off or left unconnected for a long time.

Qian Feng said: "While the situation can be salvaged now, can you have dinner and chat with the boss who can't forget the media?"

Qin Fangyuan paused for a moment and said, "Okay." ”

Qian Feng is about in the southwest of Fangzhuang Bridge Piaoxiang Yipin Tea House, the owner of the tea house is from Wenzhou, providing tea drinks, but also providing Wenzhou meals, mainly light. Qian Feng said: "I can't forget that Zhou Yicai, the boss of the media, now pays attention to health and does not like to eat high-salt and high-oil foods, and he also suggested that we enter the health army in advance." ”

Qin Fangyuan knew what Qian Feng meant, that is, the place he made the appointment was in line with Zhou Yicai's needs. Qin Fangyuan didn't care about these details at all, what he cared about was who he had dinner with and what he was talking about.

Zhou Yicai entered the private room a quarter of an hour early, and Qian Feng waited downstairs for Qin Fangyuan to come over, and then went upstairs together.

Zhou Yicai is in his forties, slightly bald, his forehead is almost gone, and he is obese. In Qin Fangyuan's impression, due to the eating habits of Hainan people, the proportion of fat people is far inferior to that in the north, and perhaps Zhou Yicai is an exception.

Qin Fangyuan looked at him and felt awkward, not because of this incident, but because he was the husband of his first girlfriend. Maybe this old man didn't know, but the embarrassing thing was that Qin Fangyuan knew.

Zhou Yicai's dishes were mainly seafood and vegetarian food, and he apologized kindly: "Two young people, I am in charge of my own affairs, if you are not satisfied, add dishes." Qin is always Mr. Qian's classmate, and he is also my wife's classmate, that's a family, you're welcome. ”

Of course, Qin Fangyuan would not be polite. He didn't have the heart to talk to the businessman in front of him, to be precise, his ex-girlfriend's husband, he took the initiative to provoke the topic of this conversation, and said straightforwardly: "Tom, isn't this person the COO of you? This is a very critical position, how can you let him give up easily?"

Zhou Yicai sat on the sofa with his hands crossed over his chest, and a thick diamond ring was worn on the index finger of his right hand. Many years ago, students liked to discuss the meaning of rings, and it was generally believed that those who wore gold rings paid more attention to profits and often had shrewd business acumen; those who wore jade and jade paid attention to taste and quality, and handled things rigorously; and wearing them on the index finger meant that they had a more extreme and stubborn personality. When Zhou Yicai heard Qin Fangyuan ask this, he immediately sat up straight. He originally planned to talk about the twists and turns, which is a business habit formed over the years, and the things he wants to talk about are not specifically discussed, but knocked on the side, and the twists and turns in the curves not only achieve the goal, but also do not hurt the harmony, and even say that it does not affect the atmosphere, which is the style of traditional Chinese businessmen. He didn't expect Qin Fangyuan to go straight, and in his heart, he still liked this style.

Zhou Yicai also said frankly: "For Mr. Gao - oh, yes, you all call him Tom - this person, it is not that he gives up on us, but that we give up on him, there is an essential difference. ”

Qin Fangyuan behaved strangely: "You take the initiative to give up, it shouldn't be a pity, and you shouldn't be so aggressive!" He turned his head and glanced at Qian Feng.

Qian Feng said: "From our point of view, of course, we are not happy to invest in a company that has a high-level change shortly after entering the company, and even if it changes, it will have to adapt to the change over time, not to mention that when it comes to a key position such as COO, it is as sensitive as CFO (chief financial officer)." However, after Mr. Zhou explained to us, we no longer objected. ”

"We are very angry that Tom is leaving, and he has to pull away all the more than 100 backbones, isn't this a rebellion? Isn't this going to take a salary from us?" Zhou Yicai just took a sip of sour plum soup to reduce the fire, but scolded angrily.

Qin Fangyuan was just about to speak, but was stopped by Qian Feng's hint. Of course, Qian Feng understood what Qin Fangyuan was going to say—why did so many people follow and change jobs? There must be something wrong with the company.

Zhou Yicai also guessed what Qin Fangyuan meant, and he said: "Of course the company is responsible, and we will review it." Maybe I'm too eager to win, and I'm too demanding on performance, and I don't argue that the VCs are urging me too hard, and I review that there are problems with my own working methods. However, this person has taken away so many people at once, who is not in a hurry? I would like to ask you to tell you, Mr. Zhang, that if Tom pulls away a group from the company at once this time, maybe the same thing will happen to the media one day, and he is Wei Yan with a backbone!"

Qin Fangyuan was shocked when he heard it, he was surprised by Zhou Yicai's last sentence, will the future remembering media be the media that can't be forgotten today?

Qin Fangyuan asked casually, "How is Tom?"

"How is he?!" Zhou Yicai returned to normal, looked at Qin Fangyuan's young face, and said incomprehensibly, "Once you work together, sooner or later you will know." ”

After speaking, the corner of his left mouth twitched slightly, and he had an expression that seemed to be smiling but not smiling.

After the meal, Qian Feng called Qin Fangyuan on the way: "Just now you asked Tom how this person is, he is inconvenient to say, let me tell you my personal opinion." I've known him for more than half a year, and he always thought I was young, a child, and didn't have much contact. However, what I know is that there was a reason for his sudden departure, he made a serious mistake and the company was trying to figure out how to deal with him, who knew he slipped away faster. I think that once your boss takes him in, sooner or later he will regret it. ”

This made Qin Fang far puzzled: "In that case, why do you still go to such great lengths to keep him? I have read your lawyer's letter, and your attitude is very tough. ”

Qian Feng said: "Keeping him is temporarily giving the capital market a false impression." What's more, he wants to take away more than 100 people, how many people are there in the company, less than 600, and the result is 1/6 of the total, and they are all the backbone of the headquarters, isn't this forcing the company to self-palace?"

Qin Fangyuan said: "I'll go back and communicate with Mr. Zhang and give it a try." ”

When Zhang Jiahong heard that he was dissuading Tom from leading the team to jump ship, he shook his head again and again: "We are employing people, and he brings more than 100 people, which can save us a lot of recruitment costs." ”

"However, Mr. Zhang, Tom brought more than a hundred people at once, and the risk is very great. First, if he can bring a group over, maybe one day, he will also lead the team away overnight, and human resources are very risky. This is a timed **, which comes in a mighty way today, and may go away in a mighty way tomorrow. Second, I can't figure out how the COO of a company with three rounds of funding and about to IPO on the NASDAQ suddenly gives up on the lamb in hand. Have you ever wondered why? Why did you leave all of a sudden? Did you ask HR to do a background check?"

Zhang Jiahong listened carefully to Qin Fangyuan's words, but her philosophy is: "As long as you talk about the interest mechanism in the sales business, you will not change jobs casually." I'll think about it again. ”

In the end, more than 30 people followed Tom to Mingming Media, which was 70% less than the original list. Zhang Jiahong personally selected, there are marketing directors, resource development directors, and the others are salespeople. However, what makes the media more energetic than forgotten is that among the people who have been poached, there is actually a director of the film and television production center who is in charge of content, a kind of television media, without content, what kind of media can talk about? It is no less than losing his left arm and cutting off a leg at the same time.

The content director's surname is Li, a tall man, born in Shandong TV, sent to university, studied in Germany, and participated in the filming of Shanghai Shenbo films, with first-class technical level. The mantra of this Shandong man is "no problem", what he promised today will be replied to you tomorrow, with high efficiency, and his words must be done and his deeds must be fruitful, and he is very close to Qin Fangyuan.

After the Tom incident was properly handled, some senior executives were recruited through headhunting companies, including Wang Bingbing, who was the vice president of marketing at a pharmaceutical company in Zhuhai. Wang Bingbing served as vice president after he came over, responsible for the development of media resources. At once, he recruited a group of developers from all corners of society, who had been medical representatives and had excellent communication skills, which could help the company quickly expand across the country.

Qin Fangyuan's ideal position is CFO, but Zhang Jiahong did not give him this position. The investment company recommended a person to serve as CFO, which surprised Qin Fangyuan.

Qin Fangyuan went directly to Zhang Jiahong and said, "Mr. Zhang, I personally think that I can be qualified as CFO. ”

Zhang Jiahong did not answer directly: "You will have more important tasks and positions, and the candidate for the position of CFO has been recognized by investors, and they think that you are more suitable for another position." ”

Qin Fangyuan actually understood. He had communicated with investors before, and investors also believed that Qin Fangyuan was very suitable to be CFO, with a Wall Street background, and was more likely to be recognized by the NASDAQ capital market, and they were not willing to send CFOs over.

Qin Fangyuan called Shi Wenqing to consult the investor on personnel arrangements. Shi Wenqing said: "I have also heard some information, your Chairman Zhang has communicated with investors, and it is said that you will be appointed as the chief strategy officer (CSO). ”

Qin Fangyuan was unhappy in his heart, but what could he do? Zi said: "If you don't suffer from no position, you will stand if you suffer." Don't suffer from self-knowledge, seek to know. "In society, the only thing that will not be buried is people's talents, and the right to comfort yourself so much!

He is not the only one who is unhappy, most of the executives before this group of newcomers have been demoted, such as Xiao Qiang, the vice president in charge of sales, who was demoted to the director of the first department of key accounts, and Zou Huasheng, the vice president in charge of media resource development, was demoted to the director of media resource development in North China...... They dare not speak out. Monks from outside are good at chanting.

After the change of the industrial and commercial shareholder register was completed, the company quickly convened the first board of directors to discuss the list of senior executives submitted by Zhang Jiahong. Qin Fangyuan serves as the chief strategy officer and special assistant to the chairman.

The board of directors also approved a special fee of 3 million yuan for the celebration banquet proposed by Zhang Jiahong, which was actually a banquet to boost morale and thank key customers.

3. Take an American girl back to her hometown

Before the celebration banquet could be held, something happened to Qin Fangyuan's hometown.

It was early in the morning when I received the news of my aunt's death. Qin Fangyuan woke up at about 7 o'clock in the morning, habitually picked up his iPhone and prepared to look through Sina Weibo, since returning to China, he can't be on Facebook and Twitter, but fortunately, there is still Weibo. At this time, he saw two missed calls from the same number, both of which came from after 5 a.m., and the numbers were from his cousin in his hometown.

He called back and learned that his aunt had passed away at around 5 o'clock in the morning, and Qin Fangyuan was stunned. This aunt is Qin Fangyuan's only elder relative in his hometown, and she has already passed her old age. My cousin said on the phone, "You have to rush back to the funeral." ”

The date of the burial was set for the third day, and he was granted bereavement leave with Zhang Jiahong, and he also called Yu Yan, who knew that Yu Yan said: "I will also go." Qin Fangyuan hesitated a little: "What are you going to do? Besides, how can I introduce you when I go back?"

Yu Yan said: "Say whatever you want! I'm not your girlfriend? ”

Qin Fangyuan was indeed psychologically not ready to introduce Yu Yan to his relatives as a girlfriend. In the hometown, if a person takes a girl home alone, it is basically equivalent to announcing that this person is his fiancée, and it is a big deal for them to give gifts to relatives and friends. Therefore, the vast majority of young men and women who go out of these villages do not dare to casually bring the opposite sex home for the New Year or to spend the night. Although it is now the 21st century, and all kinds of ambiguous friends of the opposite sex are flooding the cities, these villages still cling to this clean "bad habit".

Qin Fangyuan knew that Yu Yancai didn't care about any stereotypes, bad habits, and precepts. She, like most American girls, fell in love too early, had sex too early, and having sex does not necessarily equal love, and having love does not necessarily lead to marriage in the end. Qin Fangyuan was also unsure in his heart whether he and Yu Yan had a future - a future of marriage, although they were crazy together.

Qin Fangyuan finally brought Yu Yan back to his hometown. A classmate who served as the head of the organization department of the county party committee in the neighboring county of his hometown said on the phone: "What age is it, and I still have scruples about this and that." You are still staying in the United States, why don't you look like a young man who has drunk foreign ink at all?"

Qin Fangyuan smiled bitterly. No matter how much ink you drink, in Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, and Manhattan, New York, you will be dressed in a suit and full of English, and you will not have to be a second dog when you return to the mountain village. Sages such as Hu Shi, such as Lu Xun, are ideological giants and literary giants outside, pointing out current affairs, and when they return home, they can only marry Jiang Dongxiu and Zhu An on the orders of their mothers.

Qin Fangyuan bought a flight at 7:40 the next morning, and flew to Wuhan Tianhe Airport at about 9:30, and the head of the organization department sent a driver to pick up the plane. It took more than two hours to reach my hometown, a once tree-lined village, but now a piece of yellow earth in front of me. The houses in the village were built on either side of a newly opened road, with two small towns at either end of the road. When he was a teenager, Qin Fangyuan heard that "if you want to get rich, you must first build roads", and now, roads are everywhere.

The Nissan sedan struggled to walk on the potholed path, kicking up puffs of dust, and passers-by on both sides covered their faces with their hands from time to time, showing disgust and helplessness. The original good land was requisitioned by ** and planned to develop and build a factory, which was told to him by his cousin before.

When his aunt died, Qin Fangyuan didn't have much sadness in his heart, he was 86 years old, and he was already a long life expectancy in the countryside, and Qin Fangyuan's parents were about 60 years old when they died. If it weren't for the implementation of student loans by domestic universities, Qin Fang would have almost not been able to go to university, and it is estimated that he would be working as a plasterer at a construction site now. Qin Fangyuan once made this kind of joke with Qiao Mei, Qiao Mei said: "My uncle is a contractor at a construction site in the suburbs of Beijing, if you don't go to college, and I am fortunate enough to know you, I suggest that he take you in, you are also a good housekeeper, what kind of coolie do you do!"

Thinking of Qiao Mei, Qin Fangyuan subconsciously glanced at Yu Yan who was sitting beside her, her eyes were glued to the car window, and she looked at the countryside of Eastern Hubei with great interest, patches of loess earth, scattered trees, and those mottled rape flowers and grasses that occasionally appeared and then disappeared.

Relatives came, brothers-in-law, sisters-in-law, cousins, and cousins, with sadness on their faces. Seeing Qin Fangyuan get out of the car and bring a beautiful girl, they all gathered around. Yu Yan got out of the car and saw the faces of young or old people who forced to smile, they surrounded her but did not dare to approach, she could feel the kindness and humility of these smiles.

The cousin said, "Fang Yuan, this is my brother and sister, right?" The cousin spoke in his hometown, which was quite different from Mandarin, and the speed of speech was fast, so Yu Yan naturally couldn't understand it. She looked at Qin Fangyuan, saw Qin Fangyuan's face blushing, and then a little embarrassed, as if she nodded her head, and seemed to shake it again, she didn't understand anything.

The children of the family laughed and rushed to carry Qin Fangyuan and Yu Yan's luggage and ran home. The two of them returned to their cousin's house surrounded by relatives. It is a small three-storey building, built next to the only dirt road leading from the village to the town, and it is also the only high-rise building in the village, which was built by the cousin's children who worked outside the home to earn money, and the children are said to have good craftsmanship and earn a lot of money. Standing on the hillside and looking down, he could also see some earthen houses, one of which was left to him by Qin Fangyuan's parents.

Yu Yan looked at all this very fresh. In the rural areas of eastern Hubei Province, there are many procedures for funerals, such as inviting a sedan chair driver. The invited band beat gongs and drums, blowing mournful trumpets, and the filial son, wearing a white filial robe, under the leadership of the old man in the village, knelt down at the door of the twelve palanquin men one by one. The sedan chair drivers are all from their own families, and most of them are in their fifties. Qin Fangyuan knew that young and middle-aged people had gone to provincial capitals or other cities to work and make a living, and only the elderly were left behind.

The mourning hall is located in the hall. Yu Yan saw a brown cypress coffin and thought it was funny, she circled around the coffin to admire, but when she heard that the dead aunt was lying inside, her face suddenly lost color, and she hurriedly stuck to Qin Fangyuan, her heart beating hard. Later, Yu Yan saw his relatives sitting around the coffin talking, and his mood gradually relaxed.

In the evening, the palanquin drivers rushed over to eat the feast of big fish and meat, which is a custom, and only when they are full can they have strength. They were all elderly people, and Yu Yan asked worriedly, "Can they afford to carry the coffin?" Why are they all elderly?"

Qin Fangyuan said: "This is the contemporary Chinese countryside. Young people have gone out to earn money, and most of those of our age are not in their hometowns, and most of those who stay in the countryside are lonely elderly people and children. On our way from the town to the village, you see abandoned farmland, most of which has been bulldozed by bulldozers and waiting for investors to develop and build factories, and a small part of the unexpropriated farmland that cannot be cultivated due to water damage. Listening to relatives, the villagers don't grow crops, so they wait for the ** levy to get compensation. ”

Yu Yan didn't seem to understand, she pestered and asked, "Can they carry the huge coffin, and how far do they have to carry it?"

"It shouldn't be far away, we'll have to go there after dinner to find our way. I'm worried, too. Qin Fangyuan also expressed the hidden worries in his heart. Yu Yan said, "Aren't you physically strong? Qin Fangyuan was happy when he heard this, rolled up his sleeves and stretched his arms, his strong muscles one by one. Yu Yan looked at Qin Fangyuan's naughty appearance and was also happy.

After the dinner, the palanquin bearers followed the Taoist priest to find the way, which was to find the final home of the dead. The filial sons cried on the road: "Mother, don't get lost halfway! "The palanquin bearer lit incense, lit candles, beat gongs and drums, played suona, and then the relatives cried and cried. Qin Fangyuan took over the job of setting off firecrackers, lit a small firecracker and threw it into the sky, and then heard a spring thunderous explosion. For the first time, Yu Yan, who was following closely, was so frightened that he quickly covered his ears, slowly adapted, let go of his hand, and rushed to set off firecrackers.

It took about half an hour, passing through half of the village, finding a tomb in a clearing, and enclosing a circle with lit incense and candles, which was regarded as marking a piece of underworld territory for the deceased relatives.

When I returned home in the evening and discussed accommodation, my cousin said, "Arrange a separate bedroom for both of you on the third floor." ”

Qin Fangyuan said in the words of his hometown: "The two of us, don't be like this! This is not good, we have not yet determined the relationship." ”

The cousin was surprised: "Such a good girl, you haven't decided yet? Didn't you bring it back, why haven't you been sure?" Everyone in the village is watching. ”

Qin Fangyuan hurriedly agreed: "You don't care so much, leave that room to us." ”

After speaking, he found Yu Yan and told her in English to go up to the independent bedroom on the third floor to rest after washing, and he had to keep filial piety according to the customs of the countryside. Yu Yan went upstairs as if he didn't understand.

Throughout the night, Qin Fangyuan played cards and kept filial piety with his cousins and cousins who he hadn't seen for many years.

Yu Yan was still full of curiosity about the entire burial ceremony the next morning, including the chanting of the sedan chair man when he carried the sedan chair, the mournful suona sound, and the Taoist priest's recitation. In the past two days, she has seen a different unpretentious world.

After the burial ceremony, Qin Fangyuan took Yu Yan through the village and saw the ancestral house where he lived when he was a child - a three-room earthen house, with mud walls and brown tiles. When Qin Fangyuan was a child, he ate and slept in this house, listened to his father's stories, and then walked out of this ancestral house, walked to the town, walked to the county seat, the provincial capital, and then went to the United States.

He stood at the door of his ancestral house, and the memories of his childhood were vivid, as if he was in a different world.