The summer vacation of 1991 finally came to an end. Summer vacation in the south is like staying in a furnace for two months. School started in September, and Chen Xihua was in the fourth grade.

Chen Chunhua and Chen Jinhua started their commute to the county's No. 1 Middle School by sharing a bicycle!

Chen Meihua has been feeling a bit off lately. Chen Jinhua, that tomboy, has been quite busy since starting junior high school, so they haven't been arguing much.

The fourth sister in the family is a bookworm and doesn't talk much. Before, you couldn't get a word out of her even if you hit her three times. As for the fifth sister, you can't argue with her.

She should go play with her classmates instead. Liang Jiaojiao has been getting along quite well with her lately and even brings her snacks every day. It's great that her family owns a small shop. Although her family also has a pastry shop and she has pastries to eat, her mother rarely brings them back!

Three months passed in the blink of an eye, and it was the end of the year. After the final exams, Chen Xihua spent several days wandering around the county, wanting to see how the county was developing!

I spent a few days exploring the northern part of the county and even saw Zhou's Private Kitchen, which seemed to be doing quite well. It seems the Zhou family will soon open their second private kitchen in Jiang City.

In the private restaurant, Chen Xihua only saw Zhou's father working alone, with a helper. Zhou's mother, Zhao Yuqing, was probably still a teacher and had not gone into business.

Many small residential complexes have been built in the northern part of the county. According to the county's plan, the northern part will be the county's economic center, and the other three areas will not undergo large-scale changes, gradually forming the old town culture.

That evening after dinner, Chen Xihua walked up to Chen Lao Er and asked in a low voice, "Dad, do we have 20,000 yuan left at home?"

"Xiao Wu, what are you doing! You have a little over 20,000!" Chen Lao Er was a little startled, looked around, and whispered, but he was also a little smug!

"Dad, let's buy a house! A commercial apartment!"

"Buy a house? I want to too! But it's not enough. I've inquired, and a three-bedroom, one-living room house with a kitchen and a bathroom, about 80 or 90 square meters, costs 40,000 to 50,000 yuan!" Chen Lao Er looked worried.

“Twenty thousand is enough. We can pay the down payment first, then take out a bank loan and pay it off slowly. I went to the sales office in the northern part of the county to ask!” Chen Xihua paused for a moment, and seeing that Old Man Chen seemed a little tempted, she continued, “It’s forty or fifty thousand now, but in two years it might be sixty or seventy thousand. The sooner we buy, the better. Spending less money is making a profit!”

Chen Xihua knew that although there was no such thing as a mortgage loan for buying a house at the moment, there were still ways to borrow money from the bank to start a business or something, since her family did own a pastry shop!

"Really? Will the loan have any impact? What if I can't repay it? Also, can I borrow from a bank?" Chen Lao Er asked worriedly.

"It's alright, we still have our pastry shop! The bank will lend us the money. Otherwise, in another two years, you might not be able to afford it at all!" Chen Xihua tried her best to persuade him. Having too much money could cause trouble, especially with Chen Lao Er and Li Yumei! One of them gets carried away with money, and the other is easily fooled by someone!

"Oh yes, our family owns a pastry shop, and now people are asking me if I'll sell it, and that it can fetch 18,000 yuan!" Chen Lao Er seemed to remember something, and asked happily, yet uncertainly.

"So, are we really going to buy a house? Should we borrow money from others again this time?" Chen Lao Er had gotten used to asking Chen Xi Hua's opinion; Xiao Wu's vision was truly exceptional!

“If we really want to buy, we don’t need to borrow from anyone. Borrowing money would be harder to explain. Now others can see that our pastry shop has made some money, so we just borrow directly from the bank.”

"Go and buy it secretly. It's not about buying it from someone else now. Just go directly to the sales office and find a time when there aren't many people!"

"Our family doesn't need to move there now. We can stay in the staff quarters. It's close to school for my siblings and me, and it's also convenient to go to the pastry shop!"

Hearing this, Chen Lao Er, who was already itching to go, felt much more at ease: "Alright! I'll go check it out tomorrow!"

"No top floor, and no first or second floor..."

For the next few days, Chen Lao Er was out running around. When he returned home that day, he pulled Li Yumei into the room and asked her for money, "Baohua's mother, get me 20,000 yuan tomorrow!"

"Twenty...twenty thousand?" Although it wasn't the first time her husband had asked her for money so blatantly, the amount was always increasing, and Li Yumei was still so frightened that her hands trembled and her eyelids twitched.

"Yes, 20,000. I'm planning to buy a commercial apartment in the northern part of the county! I've already found one. The total cost is 48,000, with a down payment of 20,000. It's a three-bedroom, one-living room apartment with a kitchen and a bathroom!"

"No need to pay in full at once?" Li Yumei now knows that it was better to buy the house early. The pastry shop is now worth 18,000 yuan, but she didn't know she could afford the down payment!

"We need to pay the full amount at once. We'll borrow 28,000 from the bank. The sales office and the bank are very familiar with each other. We have a pastry shop, so the bank agreed to lend us the money. We'll then pay the bank 500 every month for five years!"

"Then, let's buy it!?" After considering that the pastry shop was now worth 18,000 yuan, Li Yumei finally agreed!

Soon, two days before Lunar New Year's Eve, Chen Lao Er received the property certificate for his new house and walked back home with a swagger!

This year, Grandpa Chen invited Chen Lao Er's family to come over for the New Year's Eve dinner! So, on the morning of New Year's Eve, Li Yumei took her eldest daughters over to help!

Although Grandpa and Grandma Chen live with their eldest son, the whole family gets together for New Year's Eve dinner every few years!

Actually, in the first year or two after Chen Lao Er got married, they would get together every year for a family reunion dinner. But after Li Yumei gave birth to several daughters, the two elders stopped liking their family and wouldn't let them come every year!

Chen Xihua was writing couplets at home, and Chen Lao Er was helping to paste them up. Chen Baohua was "instructing" the work from the side. What was originally pasted straight was pasted crookedly, so they had to paste them up again!

Around 4 p.m., Chen Xihua dawdled but eventually took Chen Baohua to Uncle Chen's house.

Chen Lao Er went over there as soon as the couplets were pasted up. Chen Xi Hua tried to avoid it, using the excuse of taking Chen Bao Hua: "If we go there so early, the place is small and there are many people. There will be nowhere to stay, and we will only make things worse!"

The New Year's Eve dinner for the whole family, more than a dozen people, was finally ready before six o'clock. It was mostly Li Yumei and her sisters from the Chen family who helped, with Aunt Wang Fen only lending a hand. The men were all chatting in the dining room!

When the meal began, everyone sat around a large round table, and the Chen sisters were seated on the outer edge.

Grandpa and Grandma Chen are in the main seats, Uncle Chen and his wife are sitting to Grandma Chen's left, my eldest and second cousins ​​are to Grandpa Chen's right, and the second son's family is sitting opposite Grandpa and Grandma Chen!

Originally, Chen Baohua was arranged to sit next to Grandma Chen, but he refused and insisted on sitting next to Chen Xihua on the side.

The Chen sisters had to stand up to pick up food, and they could only reach one or two dishes in front of them. Moreover, the dishes in front of them were all vegetarian dishes, without salt or oil, like chewing grass!

Chen Xihua finished her rice, ate a few bites of vegetables, and then stopped eating!

"Second son, is your pastry shop hiring? Look at Penghua, he didn't get into high school after the middle school entrance exam, and he's been idle at home for the past six months. Now the factory isn't hiring either!" Grandpa Chen seemed to be asking a question, but his meaning was clear!

“Yes, second brother, your eldest nephew can do any kind of work!” Aunt Wang Fen quickly added!

“Dad, there’s not much work at our pastry shop. Yu Mei and I can manage on our own. Sometimes I’m quite free. We only get busy when customers come to buy pastries! Peng Hua can’t even get into the county’s high school?” Upon hearing this, Chen Lao Er stopped chewing his food and swallowed it whole!

Seeing that his father had stepped forward to ask first, Uncle Chen began to explain, "This high school in the county admits all kinds of bad students, you can't learn much, and the tuition is expensive. If you can't get into a high school in Jiang City, what's the difference between going and not going at all?"

"Yu Mei, let your eldest nephew go help out. That way you can have an easier time. Just pay him less, ten yuan a day will do!" Grandma Chen chimed in.

"Dad, is ten yuan a day really that little? That's three hundred yuan a month! You used to make about three hundred yuan a month at the textile factory, didn't you?" Chen Xihua asked, pretending not to understand.

"What are you doing, you brat, interrupting when adults are talking!" With a slam, Grandpa Chen slammed his chopsticks on the table, his eyes wide with anger. His second son was about to agree; he knew his youngest son was a bit proud, and besides, even his own father had asked him!

Chen Xihua didn't even look at Grandpa Chen, nor was she afraid of him. She then spoke to Chen Lao Er...

"Dad, you don't need to ask my eldest cousin to work as a helper anymore. You can just give the pastry shop to him, and you and Mom won't have to do anything!"

"You...you get out of here right now!" Grandpa Chen was so angry that he stood up and pointed at Chen Xihua!

"Dad, Mom, I'm full. I'll leave now. Our pastry shop doesn't hire anyone!" Upon hearing Wu Yatou's words, Chen Lao Er realized that the pastry shop was about to be given away. He thought, "Oh no, I'd better get out of here!"

He's a bit reckless, but not stupid!

Moreover, the pastry shop currently only earns an average of fifty or sixty yuan a day, and the family has bought a house and still owes twenty-eight thousand yuan!

The eldest brother and sister-in-law both have jobs and organizations, so why would they want to take money from their younger brother?

My nephew is only fifteen or sixteen, and he's already stopping him from going to school. Meanwhile, his daughter says she'll go all the way to university. If he doesn't support her, my fifth nephew will cause a huge uproar!

My parents are so biased! They made me go to the countryside back then, and now they're helping my older brother and sister-in-law steal his family's shop!

Li Yumei remained silent, not because she didn't want to, but because she always felt inferior to her in-laws. Even after giving birth to her son, the two elders still didn't treat her well.

Just now, she was thinking to herself that if Chen Lao Er agreed, she would make a scene for him when she got back, since he would never agree!

Chen Lao Er's family ate their meal hastily, got up and left, as quickly as if they were being chased by wolves!

Grandpa Chen and Grandma Chen were so angry that they stopped talking, while the two brothers, Chen Penghua and Chen Jianhua, continued to eat by themselves.

Mr. and Mrs. Chen also looked displeased. They had thought that the old man's suggestion to let their eldest son work at the second son's pastry shop would go smoothly, and that he could also learn how to make pastries. However, they did not expect that the second son's family would even refuse the old man's suggestion!

On the way home, Chen Jinhua said indignantly, "Dad, my uncle's family went too far! They even want our family's shop!"

Chen Meihua chimed in, "That's right, Dad, we can't invite our eldest cousin. When we were little, he used to bully us and tease us with treats!"

"Dad, does my eldest cousin make pastries, or is he just in charge of collecting money?" The fourth son, Chen Xiuhua, rarely saw things so clearly, and boldly voiced his opinion!

"But Grandpa and Grandma have both spoken, Dad, will they cause you trouble again later?" The eldest son, Chen Chunhua, was a little worried!

"Father, Fifth Sister said that the family pastry shop is mine, and no one can give it to me!" Chen Baohua didn't quite understand, but he knew that the pastry shop belonged to him, and that's what his Fifth Sister said!

Chen Xihua had previously told Chen Baohua: "Xiao Liu, the family's pastry shop is yours. If you want to run it well, you must first learn to cook and make delicious food. Then, when you earn money, share it with your sisters!"

It's not wrong for him to use it like this now!

"Alright, your parents will take care of things at home, so you don't need to worry about them. Your task is to study. If you don't do well on your exams, you'll end up like your older cousin, with no school to attend!"

Chen Lao Er realized that having a daughter wasn't so bad; she knows how to care for people! Look at that brat Chen Xiaobao, all he thinks about now is the family shop—we've spoiled him for nothing! And those two nephews of his eldest brother's family, they can still eat their meals without a care in the world!

If Chen Xiaobao knew what his father was thinking, he would say: "Dad, it was Fifth Sister who said it, and you listen to Fifth Sister too!"

"Chen Lao Er, let me tell you, our family's pastry shop doesn't need to hire anyone. Even if we need to hire help, I won't hire anyone from your eldest brother's family. If you dare to use your uncle's family, I won't make osmanthus cake or water chestnut cake anymore. If you're so capable, make them yourselves!" Li Yumei finally exploded, finally letting out the anger she had been holding in since making dinner!

Chen Lao Er, being a bit obsequious, said, "Baohua's mother, what are you saying! How could I know how to make pastries? The pastry shop listens to you!"

The pastry shop mainly relies on Li Yumei's skills. There are already osmanthus cakes sold outside, but the taste and flavor are not as good as theirs. Chen Lao Er knows that the secret recipe left by his mother-in-law is the best, and the proportion of ingredients is very important!

"Hmph, good to know!" On New Year's Eve, at this very moment, Li Yumei's face showed a rare hint of interest. What bad luck on New Year's Eve! She wouldn't go to her uncle's house for New Year's Eve dinner next time. Let the old man and woman say what they want; why didn't she have the courage to speak up like Fifth Sister today?

Back home, the six siblings of the Chen family took turns showering before going to their rooms. Chen Baohua followed them into his sister's room.

"Xiao Wu, do you think Grandpa and Grandma will force Dad to agree to let my eldest cousin work in our family's pastry shop?" Chen Jinhua asked first. She had disliked her two cousins ​​for a long time and wanted to beat them up for a long time. When they were little, she often said that they were a money-loser and that even their family would belong to the two brothers in the future. At that time, Xiao Bao was not even born yet!

"No, how would you be so forceful? Would you disown our parents or something? They still have their pride; they wouldn't disown their son for the sake of their grandson. They'll just make all sorts of demands behind the scenes!"

Chen Xihua felt that Grandpa Chen was a typical feudal patriarch. He was concerned about his reputation and thought he was the head of the family. He believed he had to have authority and that everyone in the family had to listen to him. He was unwilling to lose face and thought that if he said one word, everyone would have to listen to him!

“Grandma might come over and make a scene again, but Grandpa won’t!” Chen Xiuhua analyzed.

“That’s right, Fourth Sister is right! Let them make a fuss, haven’t our parents been made a lot of fuss by others?” Chen Xihua felt that as long as you have thick skin, it’s not a big deal. In the original book, Chen Lao Er and his wife were known for their troublesome behavior!

Chen Chunhua felt relieved and said, "That's good, otherwise it would be difficult for my parents!"

Chen Meihua scoffed, "Chen Penghua is really something else. He only cares about eating, leaving his grandparents and uncle to do everything for him!"

"Fifth sister, I'm sleepy!" Chen Baohua's eyelids were already drooping, but he still pretended to be a little adult and wanted to hear his sisters talk about the family's pastry shop, which was an important matter that he needed to take care of. However, he had fallen asleep!

Chen Xihua: "Go to sleep, go to sleep, I'm sleepy too!"