Shi Zhen smiled and said, "It's late, let's go back."

It was already dark, but not very late, and Shi Dalin didn't want to leave so early.

Although others are trying to steal his business, sausages and ham sausages are sold at the same price, so his business won't be completely taken away.

But his son came specifically to tell him to go home...

Shi Dalin eventually packed up his stall.

Wang Zugen's parents watched all this with smug satisfaction.

All day long, they pushed their stalls and followed Shi Dalin, going wherever he went.

Shi Dalin was bad at talking and didn't know how to promote his business, but they did, and the two of them worked together to take away 60-70% of Shi Dalin's business.

The more they grabbed, the more excited they became—by the end of the day, they discovered that setting up a fried food stall could actually be quite profitable.

It's a bit embarrassing. When they set up their stall, many people they knew came to see them, and some people who didn't get along with them came up to them and made sarcastic remarks.

The day before yesterday, almost everyone they knew knew about their daughter-in-law's running away because she disliked their son.

After Shi Zhen and the others left, Wang Zugen's parents happily continued setting up their stall.

But after setting it up for a while, they looked at each other and felt a little regretful.

If they had known they would end up marrying such a daughter-in-law... they wouldn't have caused such trouble when their son was looking for a girl!

After Shi Zhen and the others had walked a distance, he said to Shi Dalin, "Dad, let's sell this fried food stall to Uncle's family."

Shi Dalin asked, puzzled, "Why?"

"Didn't I tell you? I want you to open a small shop," Shi Zhen said with a smile.

"So fast?" Shi Dalin thought that a store would take a long time to prepare, and it might not be able to save enough money to open until next year.

"Of course not so fast, but opening a shop requires stocking up on goods, so Dad, you can sell the stall first and then come with me to run around."

Upon hearing Shi Zhen's suggestion, Shi Dalin agreed: "That works too."

"By the way, Dad, don't tell Aunt Zhao about opening the shop yet," Shi Zhen added.

He asked Shi Dalin to give the stall to Shi Dashan and kept Shi Dalin's plan to open a shop a secret. In Zhao Meiyun's view, it was because the Wang family had prevented Shi Dalin from setting up his stall.

If it weren't for this incident, Zhao Meiyun might have felt sorry for Zhao Dongjuan someday.

But after this incident, no matter how good-tempered Zhao Meiyun was, she would still hold a grudge against Zhao Dongjuan.

If Zhao Dongjuan causes trouble again, Zhao Meiyun should stand firm and not get implicated.

Shi Zhenlai came to town by tricycle.

On the way back, he gave the tricycle to Shi Dalin so that Shi Dalin could learn to ride it, while he pushed the fried food stall.

He already has a tractor and a bicycle, so this tricycle isn't very useful anymore. He plans to give it to his dad in the future to make it easier for him to buy goods. The same goes for the freezer; his dad will definitely be selling cold drinks and popsicles when he opens a shop, so having a freezer will be more convenient.

For Shi Dalin, learning to ride a bicycle was a bit difficult, but he quickly got the hang of the tricycle. He rode in front of Shi Zhen, and after riding for a while, he would stop and wait for Shi Zhen. The more he rode, the more he loved the tricycle: "Ah Zhen, this vehicle is really good. Before, if I wanted to come see you, it would take half an hour to walk. Now that I have this tricycle, isn't it enough for ten minutes? Then I can come to see you whenever I want."

Guan Baiyu's house is about a half-hour walk from the house Shi Jia rented, but only a ten-minute bike ride away, which is quite a difference.

"Hmm." Shi Zhen smiled.

Shi Dalin added, “I’ve seen some grandparents in town who use tricycles to pick up and drop off their children. I can help you pick up and drop off your child in the future.”

“I reckon my sister will give birth before me,” Shi Zhen said.

Shi Dalin chuckled: "Her children have their own grandparents to pick them up."

In the eyes of people like Shi Dalin, once a girl gets married, she belongs to another family, and the children she gives birth to also belong to another family, and are not the same as their own.

This idea has long been deeply ingrained in people's minds.

However, it doesn't necessarily mean they didn't love their daughter's children. In their previous life, Zhao Qiujuan lived with them. Zhao Qiujuan's two children were frail and sickly, and Shi Dalin took care of them a lot. He developed feelings for them and loved them dearly. Back then, when he chatted with Shi Zhen, he mostly talked about these two children.

When he was young, he had little contact with Shi Zhen and Shi Ting, and he rarely held the children. But now that he's old, he dotes on his grandchildren.

When the two returned to Guanjia Village, Zhao Qiujuan also came because Zhao Meiyun had not returned home for a long time.

Upon seeing Shi Zhen and Shi Dalin return, Zhao Meiyun, with tears in her eyes, asked, "Dalin, have they been stealing your business?"

On the way, Shi Dalin was in a good mood talking to Shi Zhen about opening a shop, but when Zhao Meiyun brought up the matter of his business being stolen, he got angry again—Wang Zugen's parents were too much!

Shi Dalin grunted in agreement. Zhao Meiyun glanced at the items and saw that they were wrapped up and placed aside, unsold.

She knew exactly how much stuff Shi Dalin prepared to sell each day, and now that she saw most of it was left, she felt even worse.

Zhao Qiujuan also felt very guilty—this whole thing was caused by Dongjuan.

Not only did Dongjuan let the Wang family run the same business, but she also made them follow her father around, stealing his business.

"It's all my fault..." Zhao Meiyun wiped away her tears with her hand.

Shi Dalin couldn't bear to see the person next to him cry: "It's nothing..."

Comforted by Shi Dalin, Zhao Meiyun felt even more like crying.

For Zhao Meiyun, Shi Dalin was the best husband imaginable, far better than her previous husband.

The man in front of her was always self-centered and loved to drink. Even though his family was very poor, he would take grain from home to exchange for alcohol.

After she finishes drinking, I'll beat her when we get home.

She couldn't give birth to a son, and she was put through a lot of hardship. She had to do all the chores and wasn't even given any decent food.

She was also afraid when she remarried Shi Dalin.

Shi Dalin's village is located in the mountains and is known to be poor, at least much poorer than the village of the man before her.

She was terrified that if she married him, her life would be even worse than before.

However, it didn't happen.

She was in her forties when she married Shi Dalin, while Shi Dalin was only in his thirties, strong and healthy, but Shi Dalin did not look down on her.

Perhaps because Shi Dalin's ex-wife was frail and sickly, Shi Dalin had always taken care of the heavy housework. With Shi Dalin, she didn't have to work as hard as before.

While the food and clothing were indeed a bit lacking, Shi Dalin never hit anyone, let her manage all the household affairs, and her stepchildren were easy to get along with. There were no elders or meddling relatives in the family... She felt that this life couldn't be better.

That's why she was afraid that Zhao Dongjuan would anger Shi Dalin, and that Shi Dalin might abandon her one day.

Over the past six months, her life had been getting better and better, and she didn't want things to change. But then her youngest daughter caused her in-laws to steal Shi Dalin's business.

When her youngest daughter ran home after getting a divorce, Shi Dalin initially stood up for her, telling her to return the betrothal gifts, sever ties with the Wang family, and find a new partner.

It was because her youngest daughter was unhappy that they had no choice but to cut off contact with her.

Now that her youngest daughter has reconciled with the Wang family, how could she still do something like this?

Zhao Meiyun felt extremely guilty.

Zhao Qiujuan also said, "Why is Dongjuan like this... There are other people in town selling rice balls like me, but they don't sell them next to me! She..."

“Let’s not talk about her anymore,” Shi Dalin said. “Let’s go back.”

Shi Dalin took Zhao Meiyun and Zhao Qiujuan home, but left the fried food stall behind.

“This mess…” Zhao Meiyun hesitated.

Shi Dalin said, "I'll set up a stall tomorrow, but people will definitely still be watching me. I'll stop for a few days first."

Zhao Meiyun sobbed, "It's all my fault..."

Shi Dalin was also a little helpless, and could only comfort him once again: "It has nothing to do with you."

Shi Dalin was also unsure about opening the shop.

The main problem is that he doesn't have much capital right now.

Once home, Shi Dalin took out his bankbook to look at it.

When Zhao Meiyun saw him looking at his bankbook, she assumed he was worried about not having enough money in the future, and she felt even more distressed.

That night, Shi Dalin tossed and turned, unable to sleep well...

The next day, Zhao Meiyun mustered up her courage and went to find Zhao Dongjuan, asking her to talk to her parents-in-law and tell them not to steal their business and to find another place to set up their stall.

However, Zhao Dongjuan felt pleased when her mother came to her pleading, but was unwilling to agree: "That place wasn't bought by him. If he can do business there, why can't others go?"

"Dongjuan, you're putting me in a difficult position."

"Didn't you say you didn't want me as your daughter?" Zhao Dongjuan started rambling, basically saying that Zhao Meiyun wasn't helping her own daughter and that she would definitely be in big trouble in the future.

When Zhao Meiyun returned home, she didn't dare tell anyone about it, but she immediately fell ill.

She had suffered from severe health problems in her early years, and although she had been well-nourished and pampered for the past six months, she still couldn't bear the constant fear and anxiety.

Shi Zhen originally wanted to take Shi Dalin to Changxi City to look at various goods, but Zhao Meiyun fell ill, so the matter was postponed. He first strolled around the town, thinking about renting a house.

In a few years, many families along the street in the town will rent out their homes to others to open shops.

But at that time, there weren't that many shops in town; many small shops were located in the homes of some residents.

Near the primary school, there are many low-rise houses with a wooden main structure, which look similar to the houses that Shi Jia rents. These houses are all for living, and very few are open for business.

Shi Zhen asked around, but no one was planning to rent out the house. However,... someone wanted to sell the house.

In front of the elementary school, there is a small cement road. After walking along this road for more than a hundred meters, there is a fork in the road. The house that is to be sold is located at the fork in the road.

This is a dilapidated house that has been around for a while. It's only one story and occupies about 30 square meters, making it perfect for opening a small shop.

The people who want to sell this house are an elderly couple. They are actually from a nearby rural area. The house was left to them by relatives. Now they want to build a house in the countryside, but they don't have enough money, so they want to sell this house that they can't live in at all.

This house is really dilapidated, with only a small door and a small window. Probably because of this, no one thought that its good location could be renovated to open a shop.

The elderly couple plans to sell this house for eight thousand.

This is practically a sure-fire way to make money!

In his memory, this area would be demolished soon.

It's eight thousand yuan...

Shi Zhen has always been very frugal with money, but his expenses are also high. For example, recently when he was building a house for Fang Changming, he had to provide all kinds of tools himself, which cost him a lot of money.

Therefore, even embroidering sweaters and such has always brought him income, and now all his savings are only about eight thousand.

He originally only wanted to rent a house for his father, and even planned for his father to pay the rent himself.

If his father didn't have enough money to buy the goods, he could lend him some.

He has many expenses ahead of him, and he's already planning to give the tricycle and freezer to his dad; he can't let his dad subsidize the entire store.

But now...

Shi Zhen gritted his teeth and immediately decided to buy the house.

Saving money can be done slowly, but there are many advantages to buying this house.

Even disregarding the possibility of future demolition, buying this house would be a sure win. Just look at the present... If they were to rent a place, and their business were to improve, they would likely face rent increases from the landlord, and they wouldn't be able to easily alter the landlord's property.

Buying a house means you won't have to worry about these things anymore.

Shi Zhen has always been the type to do what he sets his mind to, and once he decided to buy it, he didn't hesitate any longer.

Actually, when he went to talk to the elderly couple, someone else had already expressed interest in buying the house. That person probably also wanted to use the house to open a shop.

However, the man thought eight thousand was too expensive and kept pestering the other party to lower the price. When it came to Shi Zhen, Shi Zhen agreed to buy it for eight thousand without saying a word, and also said that he would bear all the transfer fees and so on.

In this era before the real estate market was developed, and this was a small, dilapidated house with a broken roof... the family agreed without thinking and even felt they had gotten a good deal.

Shi Zhen quickly took them to transfer the house to his name.

He bought his first house when he was just nineteen years old.

A dilapidated house that is uninhabitable.

Shi Zhen did not consult with anyone else about buying the house; he only went to Shi Dalin after he had made the purchase.

Shi Dalin has been taking care of Zhao Meiyun at home these days.

Shi Zhen's mother was bedridden for a long time in the last part of her life, and her health had not been very good before that.

Shi Dalin learned how to take care of people back then. During breaks from work, he would go home from time to time to check on his wife, help her go to the toilet, and do chores like washing and cleaning in the evenings.

Shi Zhen recalled waking up in the middle of the night one time and seeing Shi Dalin squatting behind the house, smoking a pipe and wiping his eyes.

Zhao Meiyun's illness this time was mainly due to headaches, fever, and a persistent cough. She was so weak that she couldn't get out of bed. After going to the hospital for a checkup, no serious illness was found, so she could only rest and recover.

Shi Dalin took great care of him.

When Shi Zhen arrived, Shi Dalin had Zhao Meiyun lie on the bed with her head resting on the edge of the bed while he washed her hair.

In her past life, Zhao Meiyun broke her leg. At first, her father took care of her. However, later, her father ate too much meat and sugar every day at home, which made him sick. So, he hired someone to take care of the two of them, and asked Zhao Qiujuan to keep an eye on them.

Shi Zhen was not surprised to see this, but Zhao Meiyun felt embarrassed when she saw Shi Zhen and tried to get up.

Shi Zhen said, "Aunt Zhao, you should lie down."

Zhao Meiyun breathed a sigh of relief.

These past few days, she has been being taken care of by Shi Dalin. Despite her fear, she is actually quite... happy.

Shi Dalin didn't look down on her at all!

Especially today, when she said her head smelled bad, Shi Dalin even offered to wash her hair.

She declined a few times, but couldn't resist agreeing.

She didn't know how others would feel if they encountered this... but she was extremely happy.

While happy, he also felt guilty—how long has it been since Shi Dalin earned any money?

Shi Zhen has already sold Shi Dalin's fried food stall to Shi Dashan.

Shi Dashan had always taken good care of their family. Shi Zhen sold the stall to them at cost price and even gave them a suggestion.

Now that the house has been bought... Shi Zhen said to Shi Dalin, "Dad, I bought a house. In a few days, I will transfer my and Tingting's household registrations to it, so that Tingting can take the high school entrance exam here... You can also use the house to open a shop."

Zhao Meiyun was stunned: "Buy a house? Open a shop?"

Shi Dalin was also stunned: "Buy a house? Where did you get the money?"

Shi Zhen smiled and said, "I have some savings. I made money selling the fried food stall to my uncle, and I also borrowed some from Xiaoyu."

In reality, he only used his savings; he didn't use the money from selling fried food stalls, nor did he borrow any money, but that's definitely not the right way to put it.