1
In July 1998, After graduation from university, I entered this large state-owned enterprise with over 10,000 employees. The company is located in a small city in the west of Inner Mongolia, and it has more than ten subsidiaries. I worked as a financial officer in one of the companies and lived in a dormitory dedicated to employees. That year, there were more than a dozen finance graduates from all over the country. Zhang Lun is my roommate, the only junior student.
“My parents are all businessmen and earn tens of thousands of yuan a year,” Zhang said as we chatted about our families. At that time, our monthly salary was 510 yuan. Since Zhang Lun was a junior student, he got 20 yuan less. Tens of thousands of family income a year is not small, he said lightly.
Zhang Lun’s habits and hobbies are different from ours. We both like to read Titan Sports and Southern Weekend, while he likes to read how Fortune Was Made and How to Be a Multimillionaire first. On the weekend night, we were watching Serie A live at the staff home. Every time there was zidane’s marseille swing or Batty’s violent volley, everyone shouted excitedly, but Zhang Was already snoring in the dormitory.
A group of young people who had just joined our company would get together and play basketball shirtless. On such occasions Zhang Lun would go out alone, his shoes always highly polished, he could hardly stand a fly, he wore a sharp suit, and he wore his hair combed back to the company dance floor.
2
By mid-October of that year, Zhang was staying out two or three days a week, once even after 2 a.m. Every time I opened the door, he reeked of alcohol, staggered and sometimes got muddy and probably fell. The next day, when he was sober, I asked him where he had been. But he opened his eyes wide and said to me with a serious face, “I was working overtime!”
At that time, Zhang Lun was working as a cost accountant in the finance department of a garment factory. During that time, they were in time for a big tax inspection. Their director Ma and his colleagues in the finance department often had dinner with the leaders of the tax bureau. At the end of the evening of the tax inspection, Liu section chief wu stomach, with a big smile, carefully said: “Leaders, today I have a stomachache, do not drink, sorry ah.” Then he picked up the bowl and prepared to fill it with rice.
Behind him, the director shouted, “What’s wrong with your finance department? I am to let you toasts to each leadership, is not to let you accompany the meal!”
Liu section chief listen to, all over a tremble, bowl almost fell on the table, the face immediately rose red.
At this time, in the side of the quiet zhang Lun quickly stood up, rob Liu section chief that bowl. Ma factory director see form, fly into a rage: “you also want to accompany meal yao?”
Zhang Lun hurriedly say: “factory director, you don’t misunderstand.” Then he grabbed the bottle beside him and poured a full bowl. Bending over, he raised his hands above his head and said, “On behalf of Liu Section Chief, I salute all the leaders of a bowl!” He threw back his neck, wiped his mouth, and was dry. He again slightly slow slow, poured a bowl again, the face does not change color ground to say: “again wish each leadership good news into double!” His neck fell back again.
Zhang Lun told me about the scene at that time, a face of ecstasy, said that everyone at the table for a moment to see the gape. At the end of the banquet that day, he also sang a piece of his hometown’s “mountain song” (a folk tune popular in northwest Shanxi, northern Shaanxi and western Inner Mongolia), the song was sometimes loud and inspiring, sometimes sad, won full applause, everyone said Xiao Zhang is versatile, really a talent. Later, the bank loans, industrial and commercial quality inspection, or came to a big customer, ma factory director will take Zhang Lun.
From then on, Zhang Lun got a very popular nickname “Two bowls of Zhang”. Every weekend, he never slept late or went to the dance floor any more. Instead, he always went to the horse factory owner’s house to buy rice noodles, change light bulbs, clean the glass and wash the car, doing everything. Gradually, he became a favorite around the horse factory owner.
3
At the beginning of November, the group built an internal pager. According to the system, leaders above the deputy section level should each be equipped with a “Hanxian” pager. Each driver and cashier will be equipped with a digital pager based on job attributes. Paging station 8 staff members are all little girls, most attractive, the local people called “fine female female”, can type often wrong, the professor called “beast”, the manager called “koi”.
Originally equipped with pager conditions, Zhang Lun is not enough, but ma factory director or gave him a “Han Xian”. At noon every day, in the cafeteria, where thousands of people sit, you can always hear the “beep” of the Chang pager, its shrilly sound. “Still let not let a person eat a hot meal!” He complained loudly and deliberately, but his face was full of pride.
After dinner, he would go first, Shouting at us as usual, “Call me if you need anything! My number is 1524, ‘Hanxian’ ah!” His voice was so loud that people around him often looked askance at him and whispered with their tongues: “How promising it is to be a minor at such a young age!”
Quickly in 1999, after the New Year, ays to pursue a miss call, called beautiful, also known as “jin-gang zhang”, eight people, the only person who is not beautiful, tall and strong, the skin is black, heavy, love the perm hair into fan shape, after the head is pulled high, wear a deep red sweater, like king kong in the temple.
Zhang Lun often says that his dream lover is actually Yang Dan, a hostess of the CCTV weather forecast. He chased Zhang Meili, and we didn’t believe him until he brought zhang Meili to the party. Later, we would often see them eating in the canteen. Once, when Zhang Meili didn’t buy Zhang Meili pork and pickled cabbage, Zhang would scold her coyly and beat Zhang’s chest with her huge fist. Zhang had to grin and look at us in embarrassment.
Later someone said, Zhang Meili’s third uncle is the group leader, other pager girl background is bigger, even if zhang Meili, Zhang Lun or beat several rivals to catch up.
After hearing this, we all despised Zhang Lun and called him “Julien”. He began to be puzzled and went to see “Red and Black”. When we saw him again, his face became dark and gloomy.
4
One night in early March, 1999, at about 7 o ‘clock, it was already dark, blowing the north wind, I went back to the dormitory after work, just opened the door, I heard some grumble zhang Lun said: “Dad, why don’t you say 1 came over?” Only then did I see sitting on the bed an old man of sixty or seventy, a pair of dusty appearance, like a withered old tree. He had a towel over his head, and black coat and trousers, over which he wore a sheepskin vest of no colour. The old man had a tanned complexion, deep furrows in his face, and veins in his hands as blue as vines. In front of the old man’s hand lay a large, old-fashioned green leather bag full of walnuts that weighed an estimated 50 kilograms.
Zhang Lun saw me and pushed me out of the door. Glancing around to make sure no one was there, he whispered, “You heard me. My father came to see me from his hometown. But just now the director of the horse factory called me and said it was urgent. Do me a favor and put my dad in the Downwind hostel. Oh, yes, he hasn’t had his supper yet.” He went back into the room, stayed for a few seconds, ran out, and stomped downstairs.
I was busy with the old man, first to do the accommodation procedures, out, along the street to find a small restaurant, to a plate of chicken fried cake, a bowl of noodle soup.
The old man insisted that I return the soup: “There is hot water in the hotel. What soup do I drink?” Then continue to say earnestly, he is very clear, although we are college students, can make money is not easy, “our family Zhang Lun, more than four years have not come home. Walnut is the hometown of the mountains, very brain, young people work hard, you and Zhang Lun are eating more!”
After dinner, I took the old man back to the hostel. On the way back, I unexpectedly saw Zhang Lun, who was with Zhang Meili, hailing a taxi under the street lamp.
At more than 11 o ‘clock in the evening, Zhang Lun just crept to the door and came in. I shouted at him in the face: “You can really true, lie his mother did not take a draft, also said that the director of the ma factory has something urgent, in fact, I see is you and Zhang Meili have something urgent, also take a taxi, is really a bag! Pity your father, he can’t bear to drink a bowl of powdered soup!”
Hearing this, Zhang Lun did not refute, but hung his head, zheng for a long time, fang and I talked about his family.
Zhang’s hometown is 200 kilometers away from the town in the countryside, where desertification is serious and ravines criss-cross. Each family has hundreds of mu of land, but after a year, they only have enough food and clothing. Zhang Lun had two elder brothers. His mother was ill and needed to take medicine all year round. As a child, there was no meat in the family during the Spring Festival. Before going out to pay a New Year visit, his mother would smear lard all over his son’s mouth. Once Zhang Lun’s family went to pay New Year’s call to the new neighbor, the host said politely, let the children eat dumplings, the three brothers wolfed down a basin, the neighbor’s little sister injustice, crying, the father blushed, immediately they shouted home. He thought he was going to be hit, but his father raised his hand and slapped it hard in his face.
From an early age, Zhang’s dream was to make a difference and have a good day for his family. He went to university, with an annual tuition fee of 500 yuan and a monthly living allowance of 150 yuan, all earned by working as a tutor and a waiter in a restaurant during holidays, so he always had no time to go home. After working, clings to horse factory director, the Zhang Meili that caters to horse factory director introduction, it is to be promoted. Ma factory director’s father-in-law is a retired old leader of the group, he promised to Zhang Lun, after marrying Zhang Meili, he transferred to the office, good cultivation.
On the same day, his old father, whom he had not seen for four years, came to see him suddenly. He was really very surprised, but that day, he had already made an appointment with Zhang Meili to see a movie. He was worried that Zhang Meili could not wait to come to the dormitory and find his father.
After listening to the explanation, I felt a little sorry for him, but I still felt that it was not a thing to leave his dusty old father behind and go to see a movie with my girlfriend. Later, I gradually do not want to answer zhang Lun, he also know better, before long, moved out of the dormitory, with him in the same company to help the director drive the small high moved in.
Before leaving, Zhang Lun asked me again and again, do not reveal his story, forced to give me three or four pounds of walnut, said this is his father’s meaning.
5
In August 1999, the first day was payday. At that time, the factory paid salaries in cash. There were thousands of people in our factory, and the monthly salary was between 400 yuan and 600 yuan. When sending salary, finance branch can lock big iron door back, open the two small Windows on the wall only, director of personnel section and the deputy factory director that is in charge of production sit in town, the worker must wear badge, get salary in window sign. After all the salaries have been paid, the staff of our finance department can go out for dinner.
Around 1 o ‘clock at noon, Zhang Lun suddenly appeared near the small window, his face anxious, his shirt soaked with sweat. He seemed to want to see me, but I was in the middle of payday and couldn’t get away. Zhang lun saw this and had to run out. After an hour, he ran to the small window, I still can not get out, work is work. Until more than 3 o ‘clock in the afternoon, the salary was not paid, I knew That Zhang Lun must have something urgent to find me, the department dinner did not go, so I hurried to his dormitory, but no one inside.
In the evening, I went to Zhang lun’s dormitory again. When I pushed the door open, I found him slumped on the floor with a pale face, like a shrimped shrimp. When I asked him what was wrong, he stared at the ceiling for a moment. “I have been cheated,” Fang murmured, “what shall I do?”
That day when Zhang Lun came back from a business trip, he met a group of swindlers on the bus. One of them pretended that his father was ill and he had just come back from the United States. He did not have RMB, so he was willing to exchange 1:1 ratio for US dollars (the exchange rate was about 1:8 at that time). In a moment of greed, Zhang Lun changed 800 yuan, of which 400 yuan was his salary and the rest was public money.
Get off sober hind he just discovery is wrong, the day is anxious to come to me, want to discuss a method namely, later he went to the bank to look for the university classmate that makes cashier first, the other side saw that a few “dollar”, one face is dignified, end, square said 1: “report to the police!”
As an accountant, should not have been so careless, should have seen the uniformed “shill”, I blamed him. Zhang Lun listened, low head, a long time long square say: “I fainted at that time, this is zhang Mei li force of! “
Zhang Lun and Zhang Meili contact half a year later, Zhang Meili asked him to buy a house, and said: “do not buy the house fall in love, that is to play rascal, the end of the year do not buy, break up. At that time, the state had just abolished welfare housing, and the average price of commercial housing in small cities was more than 700 yuan per square meter.
This matter, Zhang Lun again and again told me, do not say out, afraid of losing face. He sent me two or three pounds of walnuts, this time, I resolutely did not want, I hope he can eat more, good brain tonic.
6
Between the end of 1999 and March 2000, a major event occurred within the group: Zhang Lun embezzled 60,000 yuan of public funds and was sentenced to six years in prison. The cause and effect of the matter, internal circulation of four or five versions, but there is no consensus, two years later, the finance Liu section chief resigned when we drink, and then told a version:
One day in late November 1999, Zhang handed him an application form for a 60,000 yuan business hospitality fee and stood by him. Liu section chief see the bill has ma factory director’s signature, and “horse” or traditional characters, in the heart understand – special expenses, ma factory director sign traditional characters, this rule, Liu section chief, treasurer and Zhang Lun know. But in the past, these documents, Zhang Lun is directly dumped on the desk, and then walk away, because liu section chief’s signature, is just an unimportant process.
But that day, Zhang Lun not only did not clap buttock to walk, return initiative to liu ke long hot water in the teacup. This surprised Mr. Liu, who had been less attentive to Mr. Zhang ever since he was criticized by Mr. Ma for being a “liu companion.” He used to wipe the table and pour water every morning, but stopped doing so.
Liu section chief slightly smile took a teacup, just think why zhang Lun abnormal today, Zhang Lun unexpectedly said 1 again: “you sign, later ma factory director will give you explanation.” Liu section chief heart clunk: he knew this kind of document, ma factory director is absolutely not to talk with him, the leadership decided things, do not need to explain with him. Liu section chief examined the document carefully again, although signed, but he always felt uneasy in the heart – today’s Zhang Lun, too abnormal.
I watched him grow into an embezzler
By the beginning of December, as usual, Liu section chief needs to report the financial situation of last month to Ma factory director. Whenever he reported, director Ma would recline comfortably in his leather chair, dozing in the sun with his eyes closed, listening to him read out tedious numbers. That day when he read to “Business entertainment expenses in November reached 100 thousand yuan”, see ma factory director is still closed eyes rest, deliberately clear voice repeated three times. The director woke up with a start: “What did you say? 100,000. Did you make a mistake again? !”
When director Ma saw the bill of 60,000 yuan, his eyes widened. After a long time, he muttered, “This is not the letter I signed. This little zhang, really eat bear heart leopard boldness!” “This is not a question of courage,” Liu said darkly. “This is corruption. This is a crime. Director Ma gave him a significant look: “What do you do?” Liu section chief a face respectfully answer: “everything listens to you.”
that night, Zhang Lun was liu section chief on the grounds of emergency overtime, called to the finance section, when he came in, Liu section chief will lock the big iron door. Ma factory director face sink as water, the paper will be thrown out of the 60 thousand. Zhang Lun collapsed on the ground, covered with chaff and pale, unable to say a word.
Ma sighed. “I don’t want to hear any more explanations. Within three days, you return the money to Mr. Liu, then write a letter of resignation, and I’ll approve it. It will rot in the stomachs of the three of us.” Then he walked straight away.
But three days later, the last thing Mr. Ma wanted to see still appeared: Mr. Zhang knelt in front of him and Mr. Liu, emotional and even hysterical. He said that he had given Ms. Zhang 60,000 yuan to buy a house, but Ms. Zhang now denied it. After Liu section chief listens big frighteningly, favour ask him: “did you at that time let her dozen borrow money yao?” Zhang shook his head. The director of the factory looked on and sighed: “What about your parents? Didn’t they raise any money for you?” Zhang Lun was babbling, unable to speak for a long time.
Ma director before leaving, did not look at Zhang Lun a glance, just to liu section chief, said coldly: “business is business!” Then I went out of town on business.
7
Liu said that after calling the police that day, he went straight to the deputy factory director’s office and reported in detail zhang Lun’s corruption matters. After listening to the deputy factory director, has been surprised from ear to ear.
It wasn’t long before the police arrived, and as is their custom, they first notified the plant’s manager, Ma, to return quickly from a business trip, as well as Zhang’s parents. The police then took Zhang to his dormitory, various banks and post offices, looking for the 60,000 yuan, but nothing happened.
Shortly before noon, the police returned with Zhang to the factory’s conference room. At this time, the horse factory director also rushed back, a face of pain and distress. At this point, the group’s internal management and financial system colleagues, all know Zhang Lun corruption was caught, have rushed to the past. Wait until the horse factory director they accompany the police to have lunch in the staff canteen, Zhang Lun’s old father also finally stumbled to come.
The old man, dressed in a sheepskin jacket and a white turban, appeared in front of all but me. Everyone was shocked: In Zhang lun’s description, his parents were successful businessmen and should have been well-dressed.
In the meeting room, the old man lowered his head, his eyes clouded with tears, and simply kept saying, “It’s my son, I’m ashamed!” With that, he raised his hand and hit himself hard in the face. Zhang Lunli looked on, tears rolling down his face. The policeman stopped the old man and said, “Don’t do that. If I really want to spend a few days in jail, I will quickly return the embezzled money to the public!”
Zhang Lun’s father raised his head: “60,000 yuan! I earn two or three thousand dollars a year farming and herding sheep. Where can I find so much money? If I this old bone hit can sell money, you now hit it, can hit, also no one want!”
Zhang Lun suddenly in the side angrily shouted: “I gave all the money to Zhang Meili, the money in her there! She said she wanted to buy a house!”
But he did not provide any direct evidence. After the lunar New Year in 2000, Zhang was sentenced to six years in prison for corruption.
after Zhang Meili met people in the group will say, Zhang Lun is a liar, bloodshot, the money is more serious than life. She also helped Zhang calculate his account, saying that he only earned more than 500 yuan a month, 60,000 yuan, so he would have to earn 10 years. At the end, she never forgot to hit him hard: “Can the court judge him for 10 years?”
A year later, Zhang Meili resigned from the group, Do not know where to go. That was embezzled 60 thousand dollars, after all where, finally turned into a Rashomon.
8
After 2003, when coal prices began to rise, the coal industry around the town boomed. In the autumn of 2005, Zhang Lun’s hometown also began to be demolished on a large scale, and his family was reportedly compensated with millions of yuan in cash alone.
Zhang was released at the end of 2005 after serving his sentence. Xiao Gao told me that ma had called him into his office that morning and told him that Zhang had written to him saying that he was getting out of jail today. “You get in the car and go pick him up.”
xiao Gao was deputy director of the office and factory director driver, and zhang Lun relations before, he said that the horse factory director has been hanging in his heart, “afraid of Zhang Lun in the inside disorderly bite”.
The sun was like a frayed mirror in a snowy, leaden sky. Zhang’s parents, brother and Xiao Gao were waiting, and Zhang walked out of prison with his eyes narrowed and a faraway look on his face. His father had put on his new mink coat, and the gold chains round his brothers’ necks were as thick as little fingers.
Set off firecrackers, on the way to the hotel, Zhang Lun suddenly called to stop a car, he wants to buy a pager, want to contact with a few people immediately. He laughed and said, “No more of that stuff now! I already bought you a new phone.” Then he put a brand – new MOTOROLA into his hand.
Zhang Lun took the phone carefully and felt it again and again. After a while, he asked gently: “Is this from Hanxian?”
(Zhang Lun is a pseudonym)
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