Chapter 277 Business License

How thick-skinned do you have to be to sit here and wait for your meal with a clear conscience?

She couldn't take it anymore, and suddenly reached out and slammed the table down!

Bowls and plates were overturned with a crash, soup was spilled all over the floor, chopsticks were scattered everywhere, and even the pot was tilted on one side.

"Cuifen just miscarried! Her four-month-old baby is gone! And now you still want her to cook for you? She's still in her postpartum period, she's even afraid of being exposed to drafts, and you're making her stand at the stove? Are you even human?"

Her voice was shrill, each word laced with fire, and her eyes seemed to spit out flames of rage.

Zhou Dajun jumped up in fright, his face pale: "Let's go out to eat! I'll drive! Let's leave now, we're not eating here, whoever wants to cook can cook!"

Xiao Shui immediately grabbed his hand, her body went limp, she clutched her stomach, her face deathly pale, her voice weak and trembling with tears: "The doctor said... you can't eat outside food when you're newly pregnant, it's not clean, it can easily cause a miscarriage... Brother Dajun, don't go, I... I'm scared... what if I eat something wrong outside and lose the baby..."

One second they're saying "eating out is so relaxing," and the next they're saying "you can't just eat anything."

Do you really think she's deaf and can't hear the contradictions?

Does she really think she can't tell this is acting?

Xiao Shui still thinks Song Yu'an doesn't know?

Last time, Song Yu'an secretly asked the doctor, and Xiao Shui was only a month pregnant, so it was not at all necessary to be so careful.

Even though she clearly saw Shen Cuifen lying in a pool of blood that day, writhing in pain, she pretended not to see it, only focusing on clinging to Zhou Dajun and acting coquettishly, afraid that he would leave, afraid of losing this support.

Song Yu'an suddenly smiled, a smile unusually gentle, but with a cold glint in her eyes. She approached Xiao Shui, bent down, and spoke in a voice as soft as if coaxing a child: "Xiao Shui, this isn't your first time being a mother, why are you so nervous? You had an abortion three months ago, and you weren't this scared then..."

Why does it feel like I'm holding a fragile porcelain doll?

She gently patted Xiaoshui's hand, her tone tender and almost indulgent: "You're a member of the Zhou family now. This meal is the only one you've ever cooked yourself—don't refuse, everyone's waiting."

Upon hearing this, Xiao Shui smiled even more sweetly, her eyes curving into crescents, and two shallow dimples appearing on her cheeks: "Mom, what you said is so funny. Even if you and Dad really get divorced, I'm still your daughter, and Da Jun is half your son. How could we not welcome you back for meals often? We'd be overjoyed if you came."

As she spoke, she naturally put her arm around Zhou Dajun's arm, their fingers intertwined tightly. The gesture was so intimate that it was almost impossible to ignore, and her tone was so sweet it seemed to drip with honey: "Besides, Dajun has been cooking all these years. He's a good cook, hardworking, and meticulous. All I have to do is sit at the table and wait for the meal to be served."

Since losing his memory, Zhou Dajun's life seemed to have lost its direction all at once, like a drifting duckweed, until he climbed up to Xiao Shui's big tree - not only did he have a stable life, but he also got a city household registration, and more importantly, he had a place to rely on and belong.

Now he has long since learned to bow his head and resign himself to his fate, but what else can he do?

If he doesn't follow Xiao Shui's lead and their arrangements, how can he gain a foothold in this city?

Song Yu'an sat to the side, listening to these words, and her heart suddenly felt heavy, as if a stone was pressing heavily on her chest, making it hard for her to breathe.

She suddenly felt that the men in the Zhou family might have an obsession deep down—that they could only feel secure and at ease if they found a woman who could uphold the family's reputation and support the entire household.

The eldest sister, Zhou Xiuli, is like this, as is her sister-in-law, Jiang Guifang, and now, even Xiaoshui is exactly the same.

Wasn't it precisely because of this in her past life that she worked so hard and gave everything for this family, only to end up heartbroken?

Since no one is willing to touch the spatula right now, let's just let this stalemate continue.

She had no intention of staying here for a meal.

As soon as the rain stopped, she got up and left immediately, not wanting to stay a moment longer.

She silently moved to sit down next to Shen Cuifen, leaning forward slightly, her voice low but carrying a barely perceptible sharpness: "Little Shen, what you just said was pleasing to the ear, and I was quite pleased to hear it. But do you really think I would dare to go to your door like this? If I did go, would you really be happy? I've seen right through you, all your schemes and calculations."

Xiao Shui's smile remained unchanged after hearing this, as sweet as a candied date soaked in sugar water. She gently raised the corners of her mouth and her eyes were bright: "If Sister Cui Fen is really willing to come, we will definitely prepare our best wine and dishes in advance to entertain you in a lively manner, so that you can eat happily and chat to your heart's content."

Song Yu'an slightly crossed one leg, his posture lazy yet wary, a half-smile playing on his lips, his tone laced with sarcasm: "That's so convenient. Your Phoenix Appliances store is right at the most conspicuous spot at the street corner, the signboard is so bright you can see it from far away, it's hard not to find it."

Zhou Jianguo, whose ears were always sharp, immediately perked up upon hearing the words "appliance store," his eyes lighting up as he eagerly asked, "Brother, you run an appliance store? What kind of things do you sell? What models are they?"

Song Yu'an answered before Zhou Anguo could, his tone somewhat arrogant: "Televisions, refrigerators, twin-tub washing machines, electric fans, tape recorders—we have everything! All the most sought-after items on the market at the time. If we didn't have all these things, could we be called a proper appliance store?"

Upon hearing this, Zhou Anguo's eyes widened in disbelief as he stared at Song Yu'an: "Brother, this shop of yours... you opened it yourself? It wasn't allocated by your work unit, nor is it affiliated with a state-owned enterprise? You really got the license, sourced the goods, and ran it yourself?"

Did you open your own shop in the early 1980s?

This is simply unbelievable.

Back then, you needed ration coupons to buy anything.

Especially the electrical appliance tickets, which were more precious than gold.

Even if you have a ticket, you might not be able to buy the goods, because the supply of goods is limited, and you have to wait in line or use connections.

Without connections or money, opening a shop was out of the question; even buying a radio was an impossible task.

If this story were to spread back to the village, no one would believe it; they would just think it was bragging.

Zhou Dajun glanced at Xiaoshui, and seeing her nod slightly, he smiled and explained, "Yes, Xiaoshui's uncle runs a small electronics factory in Guangzhou, specializing in assembling radios and tape recorders. My dad works in a government agency and is quite sensitive to policy trends. When we first heard that the policy was being relaxed and individual businesses were allowed, we rushed to the Municipal Administration for Industry and Commerce, queued up overnight, and got our individual business licenses."

Xiao Shui gently held Zhou Dajun's hand, her palm warm, and her smile deepened. She deliberately added slowly, "Actually, the legal representative of that store is my aunt. To put it bluntly, Dajun and I are just working for my aunt, helping her run the store, manage the accounts, and buy supplies. We're just earning a little money through hard work."