Chapter 158

Since resigning from the textile factory, Bi Chunliu has started to run his own pastry shop business seriously.

Store 1 is the original store. After learning from the experience of store 2, she would visit store 1 before going to store 2 every day.

"Zhao Di, have you thought about what I told you last time?"

Zhaodi has worked with Bi Chunliu for several years. She wanted to sell the second store to Zhaodi after she had sorted it out, and use the first store as the base camp, and then go to develop the market in the provincial capital. Moreover, from the perspective of Nian Nian and Sui Sui's education, it would be better to go to the provincial capital.

Bi Zhaodi had been working outside for a few years and was now much different than before. She knew her elder sister was trying to help her, so she clenched her fists and said, "Sister, I'll do it!" If she couldn't even do this, then she was really useless! The shop and the goods were all bought by her elder sister. Aside from the replacement of the two people, there was basically nothing else for her to worry about in the second shop.

"Okay, then we'll go and handle the formalities another day."

Bi Chunliu considered setting up a franchise, a common practice in later generations, but she worried that the scale of her business would be too large for her to manage. Never mind, she didn't have the brains for it. She'd better play it safe. She didn't aim for a spot on any wealth list. She simply hoped that once Nian Nian and Sui Sui grew up, they wouldn't have to worry about food and clothing, so she could freely pursue what they truly wanted.

"Okay, thank you, big sister!"

Bi Zhaodi was very grateful to Bi Chunliu. When she was in trouble, it was her elder sister who brought her to Nanshan to help her with her medical treatment. Later, when she gave birth to children one after another, her elder sister did not despise her for not knowing anything, and did not mind her for being clumsy and awkward in speaking and doing things. She patiently taught her how to make various pastries, which gave her a skill.

The money they'd saved in recent years hadn't been enough to buy a house in Nanshan, but they'd all left the countryside. The man, though unskilled, could make a living by hauling goods. The three children could go to school in Nanshan, and their lives were surely better than hers. Bi Zhaodi felt that every step of her life now depended on her eldest sister's help, and sometimes, in her dreams, she wondered if this was the life she'd be living.

"What's the big deal?" Bi Chunliu waved her hand. "I won't be polite to you, elder sister. You can give me the money from selling the shop over two years. Work hard, and in a few days you can change the sign, and the shop will be yours. Don't worry, your brother-in-law can't leave for a while. If you need anything, let the second brother go to his house to find him."

"Yeah!" Bi Zhaodi wiped away her tears with emotion.

Although Bi Chunliu felt that she hadn't said anything sentimental, she felt like crying when she looked at Zhaodi. She wondered if Zhaodi in her previous life knew whether she was satisfied with her current life...

"And..." Bi Chunliu opened and closed her mouth. She wanted to tell Pan Di that you don't have to worry too much, that girl is much more thoughtful than you, but they are sisters, so she should not say anything too much. "It's okay, you can go back. The day after tomorrow is Monday. Let's go to handle the paperwork."

"good."

…

After selling the second store to Zhaodi, Bi Chunliu had resolved another major issue. She had originally planned to take the two children to the provincial capital to study, but Nian Nian and Sui Sui were reluctant to leave, wanting to wait until they started junior high school before going to the provincial capital. Bi Chunliu respected their wishes, so she went to the provincial capital first, leaving the two children at home with Xing Fei.

Bi Chunliu was not alone in the provincial capital. His two younger sisters were also there, and Xia He had already started working at a high school in the provincial capital.

Bi Wangdi also taught at a junior high school in the provincial capital. This girl truly understood life and knew what she wanted to do with her life. She graduated from a junior college, even before Xia He and Qiu Guo. While still in school, she had a close relationship with a teacher and, upon graduation, married the son of that teacher's brother. The teacher's brother and sister-in-law had passed away a few years earlier. The nephew was seven years older than Wangdi, but he was a good person. Both of them were junior high school teachers, earning good salaries, and with the two houses left behind by their parents, they knew they would have a good future.

“Big sister!!”

As Bi Chunliu emerged from the station, she saw Xia He and Liu Jiang waving at her. Liu Jiang had once again joined the Commerce Bureau after graduation, this time in the provincial capital. Their relationship was stable, but Xia He didn't want to get married yet, so she was still dating.

Liu Jiang took Bi Chunliu's luggage and asked, "Sister, should we go eat right after putting down the luggage, or should we take a break and eat tomorrow?"

"Let's go eat after we drop off our luggage. I'll go check out the shop afterward." Bi Chunliu had just been thinking about opening a shop in the future. She was planning to open a fried food shop in addition to her pastry shop. There was no consensus that frequent fried food was unhealthy, so she wanted to see if she could carve out a niche before fast food restaurants from abroad caught on.

"good!"

…

Bi Chunliu is a man who gets things done as soon as he says he will. Since his two children are not around, isn't that the perfect time to focus on his career?!

During the two years without her children and husband, Bi Chunliu was kept busy, save for a couple of days of respite during her two-week trip back to Nanshan. Fortunately, her efforts paid off. In 1984, when Nian Nian and Sui Sui came to the provincial capital to attend junior high school, Bi Chunliu didn't expand her pastry shop, maintaining only two. However, she opened three fried food shops. Each was small, either one large or two small rooms, but business was brisk. Long lines formed in front of their doors at mealtimes.

There were several times when Bi Chunliu was busy working in the store and was urged to open another store. If that didn't work, a small cart would be fine. They said that there were many people in her area who liked to eat her fried food.

On National Day in 1984, Xia He and Liu Jiang were finally getting married. They planned to hold the wedding in Nanshan, and then invite colleagues and friends to dinner after returning to the provincial capital.

Taking advantage of Xia He's wedding, Bi Chunliu took a few days off and returned to the slum after a long absence.

The compound remained the same. Aunt Liu wasn't home, so the three sisters, Bi Chunliu and her husband, went back to their own home. The two rooms had been unoccupied, so a thin layer of dust had accumulated. Bi Chunliu opened the windows to get rid of the dusty smell, then cleaned up with Xia He and Qiu Guo. The three sisters prepared to sleep in the compound for the night.

When Aunt Liu came back in the afternoon, Bi Chunliu learned about the current situation of her neighbors from Aunt Liu, who was still well-informed, while eating melon seeds. It can only be said that it was another eye-opening day for her.

Qi Dashan passed away last year. Qi Chao and his wife, always feeling ashamed of him, held a simple funeral and cremated him. The Qi family's two daughters were both academically proficient. Qi Yalan was admitted to university and has since been assigned a job elsewhere. Qi Chao and his wife plan to retire in two years and then go back to their daughters.

Zhang Jianyuan and his wife saved money and bought two rooms near the machinery factory. Usually, the couple lives there with Zhang Haohao. Aunt Zhang usually chats with the old sisters and sends her grandson any delicious food she buys.

Aunt Lei has retired. Tian Xiuxiu and Tong Mei, the daughter of Lei Xiuying from the Third Hospital, are selling clothes together. The two sisters are busy every day. They might have done it!

Chen Dali still works in the textile factory. His wife Jiang Mingming rides a tricycle to sell small items like socks and toe flowers. They have only one son, who is not very good at studying but is considerate of his parents. After school, he goes to help Jiang Mingming sell things.

Lv Jinjin is living a good life with her son. Xiang Wencheng graduated from university this year and has been assigned a job. According to Aunt Liu, Lv Jinjin has finally made it.

Of all the children in the family, the Xue family was the most chaotic. Back then, the Xue couple found a job for the eldest son, while the second son, Xue Yong, went to the countryside. Even after the college entrance exams were reinstated, he still wasn't accepted. Two years ago, after returning from the countryside, he'd been staying home. When Xue Zhi brought his girlfriend over, she, upon seeing Xue Yong's behavior, didn't agree. In short, the two brothers were constantly at odds.

The Bi family in the Second Hospital lived a good life, needless to say. Grandma Zhang was still in good health. She had always been fond of Liuliu, and surprisingly, through Liuliu, she and Wu Sanmei became increasingly close, and even became godparents. The two of them signed an agreement in front of the neighborhood committee, which stipulated that Wu Sanmei would take care of Grandma Zhang in her later years, and when she died, her two rooms would be given to her.

The agreement between Grandma Zhang and Wu Sanmei made the Nie family regret it, as if they had missed out on a lot of wealth!

Nie Xuesong and Bai Xingzi came back, but Nie Xuesong's health deteriorated and he died the second year after he came back. Bai Xingzi was still very energetic and quarreled with Liu Qingqing every day. Since learning that the old couple of the Nie family were coming back, Nie Xiangxi sold the house that had been divided among the brothers, and then he and Lou Cuicui took their son and never came back. Liu Juan was also loyal. She didn't know what happened to her first love, but he came back to her. Then Liu Juan divorced Nie Xiangbei with the child. It was also at that time that Nie Xiangbei found out that he had raised his son for many years with someone else, and he began to drown his sorrows in alcohol. The one who had the best life among the four Nie family members was Nie Xiangnan, but she had cut off all ties with the Nie family.

Li Musheng's family in the third courtyard couldn't fit in the house, so with the help of his father-in-law, they bought another small courtyard and moved in with his wife, children and Aunt Wang, and rented out the room here.

Lei Xiuying and her husband are still working in the factory, Tong Mei is busy with her clothing business, and Tong Jun was admitted to a technical secondary school and now works on the railway.

Yan Shuang from the Chen family likes Xia He very much. She once told Bi Chunliu that Xia He could choose either of her two sons. However, the twins and Xia He were not destined to be together, and now they are all married and have children.

After talking about the neighbors, Aunt Liu was quite emotional. "Look, I was always chatting and laughing with Lao Zhang, Lao Qiu, and Lao Wang who came later. It was so fun! Although there were some conflicts in between, we weren't the kind of people who held grudges. Lao Qiu was in poor health and seldom went out. Lao Wang moved somewhere else with his son and daughter-in-law. And you, Aunt Zhang... well, she reaps what she sows. She treated Pan Juan badly back then, so it's only natural that she doesn't pay much attention to her now. This courtyard is pretty boring now."

Bi Chunliu hummed, "Aunt Liu, things will be interesting in two years. Liu He has a partner, right? When Xia He and Liu Jiang get married and have a child in two years, they'll be counting on you to help take care of the child. My sister Xiaoyue and I didn't have time before, but look at how well you've raised Liu Jiang and his two brothers. They're all honest, filial, and promising!"

"Hahahaha...you little girl, you only know how to coax me!" Aunt Liu's disappointment was swept away, and she smiled happily and said, "Chunliu, why don't you say that I like talking to you."

Bi Chunliu raised his head and put his hands on his hips proudly, "Isn't that right? Oh, I can't hide my excellence anymore!"

Xia He and Liu Jiang’s wedding was grand and lively. Although Liu Jiang did not change his surname, he was his grandson after all, and the wealthy grandfather insisted on giving his eldest grandson a grand ceremony!

The Xia He couple had three sets of clothes: one Western-style, one Chinese-style, and one set for toasts, showcasing Xia He's full charm. Nian Nian and Sui Sui were envious, telling Bi Chunliu how beautiful their Third Aunt looked and how they wanted to wear them too! Zhen Zhen was also captivated by her aunt's beauty, running around behind her two sisters. When she saw her father, she ran to him and told him she wanted to get married, too. Bi Weiguo was furious.

After Xia He's wedding, the two children who had been running around all day said they were very tired and wanted to lie down and sleep right away. Bi Qiuguo said that the slum had not been cleaned up yet, so the three of them could stay there for one night and go home tomorrow.

Bi Chunliu felt relieved that the child was being looked after by her aunt. She took Xing Fei's arm and went home. On the way, she passed by the state-owned restaurant where she and Xing Fei had had a blind date, where not many people were eating, and smiled.

Xing Fei turned his head and knew what she was laughing at. He jokingly asked, "What's the matter? You were stunned when you saw me back then. Were you mesmerized by my heroic appearance back then?"

Bi Chunliu glanced at him and snorted twice, "I see you're the one who's been charmed by me. I still remember how tightly you clenched your hands when you were holding those two bottles of drinks. You were so nervous that you forgot your last name, right?"

"Nonsense!" Xing Fei denied it.

"Hahaha, you're talking nonsense. Let me see if Director Xing is feeling guilty." Bi Chunliu let go of his hand, stood in front of him and twisted his face to see his expression.

Xing Fei deliberately turned his face away from her, then retreated and ran away with a smile. Bi Chunliu shouted, "Don't cheat!" and ran after him...