The road was still covered in snow, so the tractor drove very carefully, and the round trip took three hours.

Around noon, Quanjude's purchasing manager personally visited the restaurant.

"Mr. Su, you'd have to lend me a hand today!"

The manager said, wiping his sweat.

"We've booked fifty tables for New Year's Eve dinner, but we don't have enough vegetables!"

Without saying a word, Su Jianguo had Su Jianjun move out the premium vegetables that had been reserved in advance from the warehouse.

The manager looked at the crisp cucumbers and bright red tomatoes and nodded repeatedly.

"Great! Great! This quality is worth the price!"

By 2 p.m., the second truckload of vegetables had almost sold out.

Su Jianguo glanced at his watch, gritted his teeth, and said to Su Jianjun.

"Make one more trip! Be back before dark!"

Without saying a word, Su Jianjun jumped onto the tractor and headed towards the village.

This time, he brought Zhang Dazhu and Wu Ermaitai with him. The three of them sped along the road and finally brought back the third truckload of vegetables before four o'clock in the afternoon.

In the market, other stalls had already started to pack up, but there was still a long queue in front of "Su Ji Vegetable Shop".

Many residents came from other areas specifically because they heard that there were fresh vegetables here.

"Don't worry, everyone, there's enough for everyone!"

Su Jianguo's voice was hoarse from shouting, but he couldn't hide the smile on his face.

As dusk fell, it was almost seven o'clock when the last batch of chives was sold.

Su Jianguo closed the shop door, and the whole family slumped into chairs, too tired to even move a finger.

"Today... was really..."

Wang Xiulan rubbed her aching back, barely able to speak.

Su Jianguo mustered his strength, took the heavy money box from under the counter, poured it on the table, and began to count it.

Great unity, steelworkers, female tractor drivers...

Banknotes of various denominations were piled up like a small mountain.

The abacus beads clattered for a while before Su Jianguo suddenly stopped and stared wide-eyed.

"How many?"

Wang Xiulan leaned closer and asked.

Su Jianguo swallowed hard, his voice trembling slightly.

"Five thousand...five hundred and twenty-seven yuan and eight mao..."

The room became so quiet that you could hear a pin drop.

Everyone stared wide-eyed, unable to believe their ears.

Five thousand yuan!

What did this mean in 1980?

A decent courtyard house in Beijing costs about this much!

An ordinary worker would have to work for ten years without eating or drinking to save this much money!

"My God..."

Wang Xiulan plopped down on the stool, clutching her chest.

"Just one day... just one day..."

Su Yufen suddenly burst into tears.

She recalled the hard times she had spent with her alcoholic husband, but now, her family could earn five thousand yuan in just one day.

Among these earnings was the more than three hundred yuan she made selling tofu. Earning three hundred yuan a day, Su Yufen never knew she had this skill.

"tomorrow..."

Su Jianguo turned around, his voice firm.

"Let's work even harder! Let's try to get a TV for our home before the Spring Festival!"

Cheers instantly filled the entire store.

After the Little New Year on the 23rd day of the twelfth lunar month.

Su Ji Vegetable Shop's business is booming every day.

The Dongdan Market was bustling with people, and the sounds of vendors calling out their wares filled the air. There was always a long queue in front of "Su Ji" store.

The shouts of people buying groceries could be heard from morning till night.

Su Jianguo stood behind the counter collecting money, his fingers calloused from counting the money.

Wang Xiulan and her three female workers were so busy that they didn't have time to rest. They were weighing, packaging, and greeting customers. They didn't even have time to drink water.

"Jianjun, go and fetch another truckload!"

Su Jianguo looked at the rapidly dwindling vegetables on the shelves and shouted to his younger brother, who was covered in sweat.

Without saying a word, Su Jianjun wiped the sweat from his face and ran outside.

His canvas shoes were covered in mud and snow, and the back of his cotton-padded jacket was soaked with sweat.

Since the beginning of the twelfth lunar month, he has been making four or five round trips between Sujiatun and Sijiucheng every day. His tractor keeps churning from morning till night, almost without stopping.

It was the 26th day of the twelfth lunar month.

The store is really short-staffed.

Su Jianjun hasn't been home to get a good night's sleep for several days.

He went home before dawn that day and dragged his wife, Wang Guixiang, out of bed.

"What are you doing? It's not even dawn yet!"

Wang Guixiang rubbed her sleepy eyes and complained.

"Hurry up and get dressed, come with me into town to help!"

Su Jianjun said anxiously.

"The shop's incredibly busy. The boss said he'll pay you ten yuan a day!"

Upon hearing that there was money to be made, Wang Guixiang immediately perked up and quickly got dressed.

They jumped onto the tractor without even having breakfast.

When Wang Guixiang arrived at the store, she was stunned by what she saw.

The line stretched from the shop entrance all the way to the end of the market, with at least fifty or sixty people in it.

The four girls in the shop were so busy that their faces were flushed. Wang Xiulan's voice was hoarse from shouting, and Su Jianguo's fingers were trembling slightly from counting too much money.

"What are you all standing there for? Go help!"

Su Jianjun gave his wife a push.

Wang Guixiang is a quick and efficient person, and she got the hang of it very quickly.

She was in charge of serving food to customers, and she was quick and accurate. She also had time to chat with the elderly people in line, making them smile.

"This wife is sweet-talking and quick-witted, not bad!"

Su Jianguo saw this and nodded to himself.

And so, Wang Guixiang joined the busy team.

I leave home before dawn every day and don't return until late at night. I'm exhausted and my back aches, but I feel great looking at my wallet, which gets fatter every day.

The 29th day of the twelfth lunar month.

Last day of business before the Spring Festival.

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