"Of course three hundred and fifty isn't enough," the eldest boy muttered. "I borrowed two thousand from the third boy." He couldn't stop talking about his business acumen. "Business isn't that simple. Capital alone isn't enough; you have to use your brain, too. I was smart and asked Erniu to model next to my stall. Thanks to her presence, the goods are selling like hotcakes."

As soon as he finished speaking, Da Wa realized that he had gotten into trouble and slapped himself twice, "Why can't I control my mouth?"

Shen Lie had originally just wanted to be gentle, give Da Wa a few smacks to teach him a lesson, but when he heard that he'd actually borrowed money from San Wa and even used Er Niu as a model, he immediately became furious. "You're so good! It's not enough to be a profiteer on your own, you're dragging your younger siblings into it," he gritted his teeth and said, "Shen Da Wa, you've really come a long way."

The belt dance is vigorous.

The eldest child opened his mouth and yelled, "Mom, Mom! If you don't come soon, your precious son's bottom will be broken!"

Ning Tang slowly walked out of the kitchen, holding the last two dishes in her hands, and said, "How can I have a precious son? I have two sons, so I don't care about them."

If you don’t have a precious son, then you only have a precious daughter.

Erniu covered her mouth and giggled twice, then stepped forward to show her courtesy and said in a sweet voice, "Mom, I'll help you get it."

Ning Tang let her take the two dishes and glanced at them, "Tell me, what's going on?"

She was busy cooking in the kitchen and didn't hear the whole story. She only heard a few words occasionally saying that the eldest son had gone to work as a profiteer.

Chen Lie gritted his teeth and said, "I'll tell you later." He added, "Let me beat up this brat first."

Ning Tang squinted at him, "It's Chinese New Year, and on New Year's Eve, and you're really planning to hit the child."

Chen Lie said, "Don't even mention New Year's Eve. I'll finish beating you today and continue tomorrow. I'll beat you once a day until the end of the year." He then ordered, "Go get me the rolling pin from the kitchen. That one is handy."

The eldest boy was thick-skinned and was not afraid of pain. Not to mention being beaten once by Chen Lie, he would not be afraid even if he was beaten ten times or a hundred times. He just thought that he was so old and it was embarrassing to be beaten in front of his younger brothers and sisters.

At first, he was just yelling on purpose, but now that he heard that Shen Lie really wanted to hit him, he also got angry. "Go ahead, hit me, beat me to death. If I say a word, I will tell you... I won't be named Shen." He crossed his arms over his chest and said angrily, "What's wrong with being a profiteer? You just think I'm embarrassing you. After the New Year, when I return to Shanghai, I will set up a stall and be a profiteer again. I have hands and feet, I can make money on my own, it's not dirty at all."

Chen Lie sneered, "Not really." Pointing at Erniu, he said, "You're not really, but what about Erniu and Sanwa? You let Erniu be your model, and you even set up a stall in front of her school. Aren't you afraid of embarrassing your sister?" He pointed at Sanwa again, "And Sanwa, borrowing two thousand yuan at once? How will the people on his team look at him? They'll be thinking about Sanwa's future. Our whole family is a bunch of vampire locusts, sucking his blood."

The eldest was even more furious, "I borrowed it, but I made some money from setting up the stall and immediately returned it to the third." As for the second girl, she was indeed a little guilty. She said angrily, "...at worst, I won't let her be a model next time."

Erniu immediately chimed in, "Dad, I was the one who suggested being a model for your stall. I love being a model, and there are lots of pretty clothes to wear. It's great, isn't it?"

Sanwa also said, "We are brothers. There is no such thing as borrowing money or not borrowing money between brothers. What's mine is yours."

When the eldest child heard that the second and third children were both leaning towards him, his tail was raised to the sky. He glanced at Chen Lie and said, "Did you see that, Dad?"

Chen Lie snorted, "I see, I see you're itching for trouble. You can't just rely on your brothers and sisters to be on your side and act even more recklessly. If you want to avoid a beating, then you can. Just promise me you won't be a profiteer anymore."

Big Baby was even more unhappy, "Why? I like being a trader, I like setting up a small stall."

Money is exchanged for goods, and the pleasure and satisfaction of making money cannot be described in ordinary words.

Seeing that he didn't change despite repeated warnings, Shen Lie took a deep breath and grabbed his belt. This time he was serious.

Ning Tang quickly shouted, "Wait a minute!"

Chen Lie: "Don't wait any longer, I don't have time to beat this brat."

Ning Tang said, "If you want to beat him up, you have to have a legitimate reason."

Da Wa crossed his arms over his chest and said angrily, "That's right, I don't even know what I did wrong."

This made Chen Lie laugh. "You don't know what you did wrong. Okay, let me tell you. First, you set up a stall and competed with the people for profit. Second, you dragged your younger brothers and sisters into setting up stalls, leading them astray. Third, setting up stalls delayed your studies."

The third point is also the most important one.

Chen Lie thought for a moment and added, "I guess Da Hu is involved too. You two have been close brothers since you were little. I don't believe he wasn't involved in this." He sneered, "I'll talk to Captain Qi and his wife about this after the New Year."

The eldest boy frowned and scratched the back of his head as he listened. What does it mean to compete with the people for profit? Isn't he also a citizen? He even dragged Erniu and Sanwa into a 'bad path'. How could this be considered a bad path? He gave all the money he earned to them. They both had no shortage of clothes. Clothes were so expensive in Shanghai these days. Erniu's wardrobe of clothes was so enviable.

When Chen Lie said he was going to complain to Captain Qi and Zeng Xinlan, he quickly shouted, "Don't, if you want to complain, you, you are just a little kid, a snitch!"

Captain Qi and Zeng Xinlan are even more difficult to talk to. If they knew, who knows what would happen in the Qi family.

Chen Lie was amused. "Then I'll act like a little kid and tell tales."

As I said before, the eldest child was not afraid of being beaten, but was afraid of getting others hurt. When he heard this, his face turned blue with anger and he kept yelling, "Mom, look at Dad!"

Ning Tang glanced at Chen Lie and said, "I saw it."

Chen Lie also said to Ning Tang, "You have seen it too, this brat is 'full of evil', what do you say, should he be beaten?" He interrupted Ning Tang with another sentence, "Don't say you should beat him, but if you want to beat him, you have to wait until after the New Year. You are trying to buy time with me." It's still far from the right time.

Ning Tang took a chair and sat down, laughing, "You've already said it, what else can I say? Then go ahead and hit me." He added, "There's just one thing I'm telling you, I don't think Da Wa did anything wrong."

Chen Lie glared at him and said, "What hasn't he done wrong? He's done a lot of wrong things."

Ning Tang asked, "What did he do wrong?"

Chen Lie: "Just the three I counted just now."

Ning Tang took a deep breath, "Okay, let's talk about the second one first. Big Boy will ask Third Boy to borrow money to set up a stall, and let Second Girl be his model to attract customers." He glanced at Chen Lie, "You should be thankful for this."

Chen Lie frowned, "What are you celebrating?"

Ning Tang said, "It's a good thing that the three of them have such a good relationship. When things got tough in an unfamiliar place, the first person Da Wa thought of was Er Niu and San Wa. They were also willing to help Da Wa. Seeing the three of them have such a good relationship makes me happy."

Chen Lie wanted to say something, but it made some sense. Just as he was about to speak, Ning Tang stopped him and asked Da Wa, "Will you ask them for help in the future?"

Big Baby shook his head, "No need."

Now that I have made a lot of money from my business and have the capital, I no longer need to borrow money from Sanwa like I did when I first started.

His small stall has become famous in several popular places in Shanghai. Everyone recognizes his and Dahu's faces, so there is no need for Erniu to help them create publicity.

Hear what Da Wa said? Erniu and Sanwa don’t need to help him anymore, Shen Lie snorted coldly.

Ning Tang knew that Da Wa had passed the second rule when he saw Chen Lie's expression. He then said, "What about the third rule? It affects your studies." He asked Da Wa, "Where did you rank in your major in the final exam?"

Da Wa said without hesitation, "Professionalism comes first."

Ning Tang: "How many people are there in your department?"

Big Boy: "One hundred people." He chuckled, "Next year when the scholarship is awarded, I will definitely be one of them."

He knew that he couldn't hide the fact that he was setting up a stall and that he would definitely be held accountable. So he worked very hard in the month before the exam. He also worked very hard in other days. This time he got the first place in the exam, which was the result of his hard work.

If you get the first place among a hundred people, you can also get a scholarship.

Chen Lie loosened his grip on the belt and slowly fastened it around his waist. "You told me earlier?

If it doesn't interfere with your studies, then practicing martial arts in your spare time is really not a big deal.

What's more, Da Wa didn't lose money, he was able to make money, and he made a lot of money.

Once these two are gone, there is nothing much to say about the first one.

Shen Lie said, "Okay, I won't beat you today."

Da Wa curled his lips and said, "You are so merciful."

Chen Lie glared at him and said, "Of course not." He then added, "If you're itching for more, I can satisfy you."

Ning Tang said, "Okay, it's New Year's Day, stop scaring the children."

Chen Lie said, "Just spoil him." He muttered, "A loving mother often spoils her child."

Ning Tang was amused. "Is this called defeat?"

If this is called a defeat, then there are not many people who can achieve anything.

In the 1980s and 1990s, selling clothes at a stall was a lucrative endeavor.

I didn't expect Da Wa to be so smart. Ning Tang said to Da Wa, "Don't worry, son. Just do it boldly. Mom supports you."

The eldest child chuckled and said sweetly, "Mom, you're so nice." He then glanced at Chen Lie and said, "Dad, you're not as open-minded as mom. Learn more from her."

Chen Lie glared back, "You deserve a beating again, don't you?"

Ning Tang said, "Don't bluff him, just laugh secretly."

Chen Lie: "Why am I laughing? You're not concentrating on your studies at a good university, but are running a street vendor instead. I should be crying."

Ning Tang was amused. "Don't think that you don't have to do anything after attending university. University teaches everything except how to make money. Big Boy learned the most important subject on his own. You should be happy."

There are so many people going to college, but only Da Wa thought of starting a business of selling clothes at a stall. What do you call this? This is called being smart.

Shouldn't Chen Lie be happy? Shouldn't he be crying?

Chen Lie had already accepted it in his heart, but he still stubbornly pointed his index finger at Da Wa, "You...you should keep a low profile."

Ning Tang was happy and asked, "Are we still going to eat?"

Chen Lie wanted to say he was already full, what else could he eat? But when he looked at the food on the table, it was almost gone. His stomach growled in time, and he said softly, "Eat, eat, eat."

This year's New Year's Eve dinner consists of six dishes and one soup, including braised chicken with soy sauce, sweet and sour pork ribs, hot pot, braised duck feet, ants climbing trees, Yuanbao eggs, and a large pot of seaweed fish ball soup.

Dishes like braised chicken with soy sauce and sweet and sour spareribs are all home-cooked dishes, but this Yuanbao egg is a new dish that Ning Tang learned from Wu Xiuqin.

Boil the eggs, cut them in half, replace the egg yolks with minced meat, then deep-fry them and thicken the sauce.

Erniu and Sanwa kept talking, and the eldest boy successfully passed the test and was even more happy, eating with relish.

When the time came, firecrackers were set off outside and the TV was turned on to watch the Spring Festival Gala.

The Spring Festival Gala has been going on for several years and has become more and more exciting.

Nowadays, whenever Chinese New Year is mentioned, one thing that cannot be forgotten is watching the Spring Festival Gala.

Those who have a TV at home will squat down at the appointed time. If they don’t have a TV, several families will watch together.

Erniu and Sanwa were watching the TV without blinking, their ears filled with only the sounds of singing and dancing.

Chen Lie had no interest in the Spring Festival Gala. He just drank tea and watched it occasionally.

The eldest child rolled his eyes, picked up the peanuts and longans, and peeled them clean, leaving only the peanut seeds and longan flesh inside. He peeled a pile of them and put them on a full plate. He placed it in front of Ning Tang and said with a flattering smile, "Mom, you eat."

Ning Tang glanced at him, picked up the peanuts and longans and ate them.

The eldest child said again, "Mom, are you thirsty? I'll make you a cup of tea."

Ning Tang said, "Make a pot of longan and red date tea. The tea bags are in the chest of drawers."

Da Wa made some tea, poured it into a cup, and handed it to Ning Tang, "Mom, drink it."

Ning Tang took the cup in his hand, blew the steam off the surface, and was in no hurry to drink it. "Tell me, what's the matter? You're being polite for no reason. I don't need to say the next sentence, you already understand."

Da Wa chuckled and scratched his head. "It's not a big deal. It's just, it's about Da Hu. Can you help me talk to Uncle Qi and Aunt Zeng? Tell them?"

Chen Lie has discovered it, and Captain Qi and Zeng Xinlan are not wooden people. Even if they don’t discover it now, they will discover it sooner or later.

Now that their business is getting bigger and bigger and they are making more and more money, they buy things with the money and send them home. They definitely can't hide it. After all, Da Hu is a college student and his monthly subsidy is at most 16 yuan. Where does he get so much money?

Ning Tang thought it was something else, but it turned out to be this. He readily agreed, "Okay, I'll talk to your aunt Xin Lan."

Da Wa achieved his goal, but he didn't leave. He glanced at Ning Tang and stammered, "So what are you going to say, Mom? Ah."

"Just tell me the truth. Don't worry, Aunt Lan is not an unreasonable person." Ning Tang said.

After exchanging glances with Big Boy, Big Boy immediately understood.

Captain Qi is now completely controlled by Zeng Xinlan. Even if Dahu's stall business is exposed, as long as Zeng Xinlan cries in front of Captain Qi and says that when Dahu was a child, all the family money was used to support relatives, and the child suffered from material scarcity. He only started setting up stalls to earn money after entering college to supplement the family income, then Captain Qi will be left with nothing but frustration.

Da Wa was immediately satisfied and gave a thumbs up, "Mom, is this really you?"

Ning Tang was amused. "Okay? You're talking like it's free. Okay, go watch your Spring Festival Gala."

Da Wa said, "I'll go right away."

There were constant sounds of firecrackers outside and a happy atmosphere inside the house.

Another year has passed.

Compared with the lively atmosphere of the Shen family, the Su family was silent. Su Junyan and Ning Xue sat facing each other in silence.