The Zhao Family of Datun Town: 1980

Synopsis:

Suburbs of Changchun, 1980.

Demobilized soldier Zhao Guoliang split from his family and struck out on his own. He didn't fight for the fertile land, taking instead a poor plot by the national highway that nobody else wanted.

His old father called him good-for-nothing, and the whole village waited to see him make a fool of himself.

He crouched in the snow repairing a Jiefang truck while his wife, Su Qingning, kept the books on the kang. One auto repair shop, two diners, and a steaming bowl of dough-drop soup in the middle of the night.

No overcharging, no adulterated goods, no bad debts. The sisters-in-law kept their accounts straight, and the brothers stood together.

It started with a two-yuan repair fee. Before long, truckers traveling the entire Beijing-Harbin route knew the Zhao family served a hot meal.

In a turbulent era, ordinary people could build a good life with their own two hands.

Alternate hook:

While others fought over good farmland, he took a poor plot by the national highway.

Ten years later, truckers from near and far all knew the Zhao family of Datun Town: honest repairs, hot food, and people you could count on.