One was fat and the other thin, one tall and the other short-a match for the Fat and Skinny Tuotuo Arhats in Wei Xiaobao's story. They sat there chatting and boasting on and off, making quite a harmonious picture.
Ye Yaodong thought that although A-Cai was a slippery fellow, he really did know quite a lot.
A-Cai, in turn, thought that although Ye Yaodong talked utter nonsense and told one whopper after another, he was rather entertaining. Talking with him was addictive, never boring.
"Hey, you must've made plenty since reform and opening up started these past few years, right? Last year, when our village wanted to put forward a Ten-Thousand-Yuan Household, get a medal, and enjoy a bit of the limelight, why didn't they nominate you or A-Gui?"
Cracking melon seeds, A-Cai glanced at him. "I don't have any assets, just one rundown house. What would be the point of picking me? When they choose a Ten-Thousand-Yuan Household, they want someone who works hard, endures hardship, and diligently earns money-someone who can set an example for the whole country. Then they can promote the glory of labor, getting rich through hard work, and all that."
"How would people like us, sitting around all day doing easy work, be suitable? If I qualified, why would the country still be cracking down on speculation and profiteering? They might as well encourage it outright. Besides, I only earn a little money for my trouble. How could those few scraps qualify me as a Ten-Thousand-Yuan Household?"
"No boat, no money, no land, no assets-what the hell does it have to do with me?"
"Your Brother Hong only caught the county leaders' interest because your sister-in-law came barging into them in front of all those people. He didn't actually qualify either."
Ye Yaodong nodded.