National Tide 1980

Chapter 1097: One thousand and ninety-six

The funeral of Chang Yuling, the descendant of Putao Chang and a master of cooking utensils, was not very grand. It could even be regarded as quiet and a bit desolate.

However, this was not due to money, but was determined by San Yuling's social status and social contacts during his lifetime.

To be honest, Director Niu was very generous in dealing with Chang Yuling's death.

In view of Chang Yuling's contribution to Donghuashi Street Factory, 400 yuan was approved for funeral expenses alone.

In addition, the family members were given half a year's salary of Chang Yuling, which added up to almost 2,000 yuan.

This amount of money has already caught up with the pension benefits provided by large state-owned factories for those who die or become disabled on the job, and it can definitely be considered a preferential treatment.

Not to mention that Ning Weimin also had his own thoughts, and he also sent two thousand yuan to the Chang family.

The total inside and outside here is four thousand yuan.

These days, even if this money is used to make a big deal, it will be enough.

But the problem is that the Chang family's social relations are simple and they don't have many guests to entertain.

Chang Yuling himself, in order to keep the Chang family's secret recipe for making grapes, delayed himself when he was young. He never married and died alone.

Although the old man plays a very important role in the handicraft industry, he is indeed a representative figure in the material industry in Beijing.

But because he is a folk artist, he has never received real recognition in the industry, nor has he ever received any honors worthy of being on the stage.

On the contrary, because of looking down upon others in the industry, he has been deliberately ostracized and disliked by the "big official sources".

Therefore, relevant organizations in the art industry did not pay the slightest attention to the news of her death. Even if Director Niu reported it on behalf of the street factory, there was no splash.

As for Chang Yuling's relatives, although he still has a nephew and a niece.

But now these two families are ordinary people working at the grassroots level, and they are kind-hearted and honest people.

So one can imagine, who are the people who come to Chang's house to express their condolences?

Apart from Chang Yuling's neighbors in the courtyard, there are only a handful of relatives and friends.

Not to mention that this day is unlucky. Everyone is celebrating the Mid-Autumn Festival. Now almost everyone in the capital is full of expectations and preparing to reunite for the festival.

Who can be happy when encountering such depressing things at this time?

Even if people don't complain, the Chang family can't help but worry about being disliked by others.

How come you have the nerve to come to the door and act as a mourner to cause trouble for others?

Then some relatives and friends with whom we have only a moderate relationship can be exempted from notification, so we will not be notified.

It was Ning Weimin, even though he felt extremely aggrieved for Chang Yuling, he tried his best to help, and he very much hoped that Director Niu would organize a collective condolence at the street factory.

However, Director Niu repeatedly weighed and considered the specific situation from a humanistic perspective, but he did not dare to comply 100%.

At most, the arrangements and information about the Chang family's funeral were posted in the factory, and whether they wanted to express condolences or not was entirely up to the employees' volition.

So there is no need to rent a mourning hall in the Babaoshan People's Cemetery and put chrysanthemums on it for visitors to pay their respects.

To put it bluntly, money has no effect on this matter!

Ning Weimin could not go beyond his own family, and it was indeed beyond his ability.

In the end, he could do nothing but watch with guilt and helplessness as Chang Yuling's body was sent away indifferently.

Moreover, the Chang family was not willing to delay this matter any longer. Based on the principle of getting it done early, it was done quickly and easily.

The coffin only lasted one night, and in the early morning of the Mid-Autumn Festival the next day, the funeral home's vehicle was sent to take the old man's body to Babaoshan. Then after a very simple farewell ceremony, the person was burned.

The burned ashes were collected in an urn and buried in a small cemetery.

The tombstone was short and inconspicuous, with cursory handwriting and no name engraved on it. It was lost among the densely packed tombstones.

As for the foreign guests from the Chang family who participated in the entire delivery process, except for Director Niu who represented Donghua City Street, the union chairman who represented the factory, and Ning Weimin who received the Grape Chang inheritance, there were only Kang Shude, Zhang Dashao, Jiang Sanchang, Zou Qingshan, Liu Yongqing, Ma Kaiyuan, Zhang Chongming, Wu Yukuan and Li Baoshan are just a few.

Speaking of which, even the nine of them didn't actually know Chang Yuling at first, and they didn't have much friendship.

We only got to know each other after attending several activities and gatherings organized by Ning Weimin in Tan Palace.

But just because they are basically old craftsmen and have almost the same life experiences, they have a special sympathy for each other.

So after learning the news of Chang Yuling's death, they all felt that they had to send Chang Yuling off for the last time no matter what, so they all came here.

For the Chang family, this is undoubtedly a face-saving consideration.

But don’t forget that these few are quite young. In such an occasion, it is inevitable that they will be reminded of themselves.

And this will undoubtedly make people feel sad that "the rabbit dies and the fox is sad, and everything hurts its own kind", making this day of separation and death even more sad and desolate.

But even so, in this incident, I am afraid that no one would be as mentally shaken as Ning Weimin.

From yesterday to today, Ning Weimin could be said to be in a state of confusion.

Since traveling through time, he has lived a contented life, becoming more and more confident that he will have a perfect life and will have no regrets in life.

However, life is not that simple, and he, a mere mortal, cannot fully grasp it.

He never expected that the most unacceptable regret would happen in his life, and he would feel unimaginable helplessness.

He has never experienced separation or separation, separation or separation, but he has experienced it this time.

He had never felt that someone wanted to take care of him but refused to be close to him, and he felt it this time.

Chang Yuling used his own quiet death to teach him that life is short and no matter how good the banquet is, it will eventually come to an end. It made him understand that the essence of life is just a welcome and a send-off.

Standing in front of Chang Yuling's soul, Ning Weimin silently searched for his soul.

There was a kind of touch, helplessness, confusion, and confusion that he had never experienced before, making him question his own happiness, his own satisfaction, and his own way of living again.

He thought he was already great and had done enough, but now he found that he had not done enough.

To be sure, money can buy you luxurious enjoyment and proud satisfaction, but it cannot keep those fragile treasures and those merits that should not disappear.

His obsession with material acquisition made him lost, and he lost his enterprising spirit. He missed the best opportunity to repay the old man Chang Yuling. He could not help but despise his own chaos and ignorance from the bottom of his heart.

The so-called lard deceives the heart, is this probably what it means?

Especially when I see that these old craftsmen who participated in the funeral are already old, I think that their lives may also pass in such obscurity.

He is even more aware of the opportunity that he should change. If he doesn't do something, he will let down more people.

He failed to live up to Zhang Dashao who devoted everything to him and taught him generously, Liu Yongqing and Jiang Sanchang who also trusted him and helped him, and even Kang Shude who loved his family and depended on each other...

All in all, Chang Yuling's sudden death had a great impact on Ning Weimin, and it was an enlightenment for him.

So after burying the old man, even if the Chang family did not arrange a funeral banquet, Ning Weimin had to go over his shoulder and find a restaurant near Babaoshan subway station to invite everyone to have a meal together.

Of course, eating must be secondary. His main purpose of retaining people is to talk things over.

First of all, on this day, for Chang Yuling's burial, Ning Weimin brought all the things that the old man had given him.

Although the old man secretly entrusted the things to him, he couldn't really be so ignorant about it, otherwise he wouldn't be able to tell where these things came from in the future.

And he also felt bad about treating the Chang family like this.

After all, it was something passed down from ancestors. He, an outsider, could get it for free. He couldn't accept it even if it happened to him.

It seems unreasonable no matter what, just like the kind of thing in the future where the nanny will receive an inheritance.

In addition, although Chang Yuling is gone, the material factory in Donghuashi Street still has to continue production, so we have to rely on him to provide the raw materials for frosting.

So the secret recipe of Changjia Grape is also a question that is impossible to avoid, and it must be explained clearly no matter what.

So it is necessary to deal with it today in front of the Chang family and everyone.

Ning Weimin had already thought about it. If the Chang family wanted to take all these things back, he would immediately return them to Zhao in person without saying a word.

If the Chang family agrees to give it to him, then he must also make certain financial compensation so that everyone here can nod in approval. This is the truth.

Maybe some people think that this is being taken advantage of. It is obviously something that can be taken as your own, but you still have to spend money to buy it back. Isn't it stupid?

It would be foolish to give up, but that is the secret recipe that will make people rich and prosperous in the future.

In fact, if I think so, I can only say that I have never seen money and my eyes are too short-sighted.

Don't forget, Ning Weimin is not an ordinary small businessman, but a big businessman with lofty ambitions.

He looked down upon the little fortune he could make from the Chang family's secret recipe alone.

Even now, there are too many ways for him to make money, and his industry is spread too widely.

Now that he has understood the secret of "harmony" and regards this as his first business creed, he will not be like the protagonists in most rebirth online stories who are all-consuming and do nothing, and want to possess it at all costs.

Not to mention that any industry or technology does not strive for progress. As long as it takes the lead, it can monopolize all the benefits and make money forever.

Therefore, what really matters to him is not whether he can swallow this little thing from the Chang family at no cost and permanently possess the patent of the grape frosting technology on the feeder.

Rather, it depends on whether he can win people's trust and establish a good reputation in the capital's industrial art industry, so that these top craftsmen can trust him more and continue to help him.

Only in this way can he occupy more market share in the industrial art industry in Beijing, continue to attract more talents, and obtain long-term benefits through a variety of high-end industrial art categories.

To put it bluntly, his appetite is so big that he wants to pursue the industrial arts industry in the capital, rather than a certain category of handicrafts.

In fact, his generosity is not for the Chang family, but for others to see. This is called the right way to help many people, and the unjust way to help few people.

On the other hand, it would be unwise and even worthless for him to lose his character for petty profits.

Even he only has one chance to fully show his openness. After this moment, it is no longer such a thing, and being unselfish becomes selfish.

Is there any need to think too much about where to go?

Regardless of whether it's emotional, rational or beneficial, he has to do this.

Sure enough, when Ning Weimin took out the things that Chang Yuling gave him in public and told how these things came into his hands, everyone was shocked!

Not to mention that the Chang family didn't know anything about this and were dumbfounded by the situation. No one else expected to witness such a thing.

Too strange!

No one expected that Ning Weimin had clearly received a gift from the old man, but when the old man really passed away, he would return it to the Chang family in person!

Isn’t this a strange thing in the world!

But precisely because of this upright and upright act, which was like an "act of a saint," Ning Weimin's character was immediately established.

No one believed what he was telling lies, no one thought he was trying to steal something.

On the contrary, the old craftsmen unanimously praised him for his kindness, and even the Chang family had no intention of asking for the things back.

After all, how Ning Weimin treated the Chang family during this funeral greatly exceeded their expectations.

Now that they took the initiative to bring it out in public, they have already occupied the high ground of reason.

However, under the unanimous praise of everyone, they wanted to extend their hands, but they seemed to be philistine and unreasonable, and they were clearly going against the wishes of the deceased.

Therefore, the Chang family did not want to face the crime of being greedy and repenting.

They all say that since my aunt has given me permission to go out, that’s it.

Anyway, the Chang family doesn't plan to do this business anymore. Their expectations for their children and future generations are that they are inferior in everything but good at education.

I hope the Chang family can have a few doctors and engineers in the future.

And if this happens, the next step will be easier.

No matter what the Chang family thinks is right or wrong, or whether there will be recurrences in the future, it is easy to reach a consensus now.

Ning Weimin once again laid out the material compensation conditions he had mentioned to Chang Yuling before, and paid 10,000 yuan for the jadeite ring given to the Chang family by the Queen Mother of the West.

And at the same time, he also patted his chest as a guarantee, saying that he would not forget the well digger, even if the Chang family gave him the secret recipe.

But as long as he was still selling Grape Chang's grapes, he would give the Chang family a dividend of 10,000 yuan every year on the anniversary of Chang Yuling's death.

With these two conditions, he once again won unanimous applause from everyone present.

You know, Ning Weimin promised this to be 10,000 per year.

At this moment, it seems that if he keeps his word, even if the Chang family does nothing in the future, they will be able to live a prosperous life without worrying about food and drink.

Who wouldn’t envy this? Who doesn't admire it? Who can choose?

Not to mention this, Ning Weimin then followed up with a move that looked most heroic to others, but was actually the most damaging move to calm the hearts of Chang's family.

He wrote down the document with pen and paper right in the hall, signed it with the Chang family, and asked other people present to be witnesses.

So all of a sudden, the black and white words fell into place. Not to mention the Chang family's tears of gratitude, there was no reason to disbelieve it, and there was no possibility of repenting or regretting it in the future.

Even Director Niu, the person in charge of the street factory, felt awkward when he saw this scene and felt that something was wrong.

But it’s hard to say anything more.

After all, he couldn't afford this price, and it was impossible for him to promise such conditions on behalf of the street factory.

And as for his character, even in his heart, Ning Weimin had a great and upright image.

After all, the two parties had been cooperating for so long, and he refused to believe that Ning Weimin would suddenly become selfish and do anything detrimental to the street factory.

In that case, wouldn't it be okay for Ning Weimin to spend money to buy the secret recipe? That's it...

In short, this matter is so dead.

For Ning Weimin, he spent a small amount of money in exchange for the most reassuring results.

Not only can he be worthy of the descendants of the Chang family, but he will also take full initiative in the secret recipe of making grapes from now on.

More importantly, this kid once again showed his innocence in public and won the hearts of the people.

So next, Ning Weimin came up with the second thing, a heartfelt suggestion that was even more selfless.

This move not only brought his prestige to its peak, but also won the sincere admiration and infinite emotion of these old craftsmen.

And since then, his name has become a code name for benevolence and selflessness, which is well known in the art industry in the entire capital.

Even Ning Weimin himself didn't expect how many obstacles his move today would clear for his future, and how many old artists and craftsmen with unique skills would be fighting for his reputation as a "sage" in the future. , took the initiative to join his subordinates and seek cooperation.

In short, all this stems from the touch he received in front of San Yuling today and his public statement.

"Director Niu, all the masters here. Master Chang Yuling passed away today. I am very sad, and so are you. I am thinking that Master Chang has a spirit underground. He must hope that all of us live well and get rid of this matter as soon as possible." The matter is over and we can continue to live happily. However, I have to say that there is one thing that I can't get over."

"A person as talented as Master Chang should not be so deserted and unknown. With Chang's contribution to the art industry in Beijing, she deserves the respect and attention of her colleagues in the industry. Master Chang's Skills and knowledge are valuable experiences accumulated by countless generations, and they should be learned and carried forward by all the younger generations in the industry. It is a pity that no one knows the goods. If the Chang family's craftsmanship disappears with Master Chang in the future, it will be worse than Master Chang's people. Passing away is undoubtedly more regretful and heartbreaking.”

"There are also everyone present here, the diligent Master Zhang, the craftsmen Jiang and Zou, the antique porcelain master Liu, the silk figure master Ma, the filigree king's descendant Master Zhang, the palace lantern maker Wu, the woodware shop Master Li, as well as my own master, which of you are not talented people with real talents? Almost all of your abilities are the crystallization of the wisdom and knowledge of our ancestors. Unfortunately, due to the changes of the times, in these days , our technology seems to be out of date, and it has not received the attention and recognition of society at all."

"To be honest, I really feel sorry for you. In my heart, this is not normal. So I'm afraid. I'm afraid that after so many years, society still fails to rediscover your value, and your knowledge and ability will be submerged. In the gap of time. Just like Master Chang. We have to leave something to future generations, right? So I thought, can I think of some way to leave your skills as much as possible. Even if it is just some photos and words , or audio-visual materials. All the expenses and publishing and distribution procedures are covered by me. I don’t know if you are willing to bear the burden of this or whether you will find it troublesome..."

After saying this, perhaps because it was too shocking, it did not receive any response for a while.

Instead, the old artists present looked at each other in confusion.

They all seemed unable to believe what they had just heard.

There is no doubt that this is probably a thankless task.

There may be no profit at all, but the money spent is not a small amount.

If we really get started on this matter, we don’t know how much time, energy and money it will cost.

Is Ning Weimin really willing to sacrifice so much blood and do such a big thing for everyone?

Isn't it just a momentary impulse?

So until half an hour passed, Kang Shude came to ask questions and confirm the matter.

"Weimin, you...are you going to erect monuments and biographies for all the masters?"

"Yes, you can understand it that way." Ning Weimin answered seriously and firmly.

"Then you have to think carefully. If everyone agrees to this matter, you can't give up halfway and let everyone be happy in vain."

"Don't worry, I am your apprentice, don't you understand me? I will never disgrace you."

And this sentence finally caused a commotion on several tables, until the whole restaurant roared.