“Brother…” Shi Ting looked at Shi Zhen with teary eyes.

Today, Guan Baiyu told him a lot about Shi Zhen.

Shi Zhen embroidering at home was a minor matter; compared to that, other instances of Shi Zhen's arduous struggles were more distressing to her.

So her brother is so pitiful!

Zhao Qiujuan only heard Guan Baiyu's last words, but she couldn't help feeling apprehensive—after Shi Zhen handed over the stall to her, he went to do embroidery.

This...this...

She felt this stall was a bit too hot to handle; actually, she was capable of embroidery...

Shi Dalin, Zhao Meiyun, and others, having nothing else to do, sat nearby, equally distressed by what they heard. Zhao Meiyun said, "Azhen, why don't you run the fried food stall instead..."

They just need food to eat; they don't need a whole stall.

Shi Zhen said, "Aunt Zhao, you can set up the stall. I'm planning to do something else."

Shi Dalin and Zhao Meiyun both felt embarrassed.

Shi Zhen felt a sense of relief.

He managed his family for too long in his previous life. Although he brought them out in this life, to be honest, he doesn't plan to take on as much responsibility as he did in his previous life.

His parents aren't actually that old. With the fried food stall, they can definitely support themselves, which would allow him to focus on his own business.

Before it was time to eat, Shi Zhen told them some things about doing business: "Mom and Dad, and sister, when you're receiving money, you have to be careful. If someone comes to you with a 100-yuan note to buy something, just say you can't make change and don't accept their money, lest you receive a fake."

"Some people are very meticulous when buying things, but you shouldn't take it too seriously."

"Don't overwork yourself while running your stall, and pay attention to your food... Eat some meat with every meal, eat some eggs every day, and eat less sweet and oily food."

...

Shi Zhen slowly revealed his parents' story.

"Ah Zhen?" Shi Dalin thought there was nothing wrong with what Shi Zhen told him at first, but as Shi Zhen became more and more detailed, he felt that something was wrong.

Shi Zhen said, "Dad, I found a job. I'm just taking wool sweaters and distributing them to the villagers to embroider. I'll be keeping an eye on the job in the village, so I won't be coming over for meals anymore."

In the future, he'll probably be surrounded by people asking him for sweaters every day, giving him their embroidered sweaters... He'd better stay there all day.

And... he doesn't want to stay here.

When his stepmother came to his house, he was already nine years old, so there was a certain distance between them. Moreover, his stepmother and Zhao Qiujuan were traditional women who had been brainwashed. When he was little, it was fine, but in the past few years, as he grew older, they started to fawn over him.

This time, when he brought them out of the mountains, they were even more apprehensive, and he himself was also a little unaccustomed to it.

As for his father, he was always the kind of person who only knew how to bury himself in his work and rarely communicated with them. The two of them, father and son, didn't talk much in the past.

Zhao Dongjuan goes without saying; nobody likes being targeted.

Now that he has an income at home, the money from his stall is in his hands on the same day... so he doesn't have to look after everything.

Shi Zhen said, "Dad, I'm too busy. I can't keep coming over."

Shi Zhen mentioned that he would no longer come over for meals, and then emphasized the importance of diet: "Dad, eating too much sugar is bad for your health, you must be careful..."

Shi Dalin was puzzled: "Why is eating candy considered a bad thing?"

“Eating too much will make you sick,” Shi Zhen said.

Shi Dalin found it a bit unbelievable.

But he always felt that he was uneducated, so he was willing to listen to his children and thought he should eat less.

Shi Zhen didn't explain anything else. His parents were so old, they didn't need him to raise them like children.

They may be reluctant to spend money on food and drink now, but once they set up more stalls and earn more money, they will be more willing to spend on food, clothing, housing, and transportation.

After finishing his meal, Shi Zhen left with Guan Baiyu and Shi Ting.

He planned to have Shi Ting go to their area and take classes with Guan Baiyu from now on.

Keeping Shi Ting under my watchful eye will always give me more peace of mind.

After Shi Zhen left with Shi Ting and Guan Baiyu, Zhao Meiyun said to Shi Dalin, "I wonder where A-Zhen lives, how far away is it? It shouldn't be too far, right? In the future, if we cook anything, I can send him some. I don't have much to do during the day."

Zhao Dongjuan retorted, "Do you think people care about this little thing of yours?"

"Dongjuan!" Zhao Meiyun shouted angrily.

“You guys can earn twenty-something yuan a day from your stalls, and the older sister’s rice ball stall can earn about ten yuan a day, right? She used to earn a thousand yuan a month, but she kept it a secret from us. We don’t know how much money she secretly hid away,” Zhao Dongjuan said.

Zhao Meiyun was surprised by Zhao Dongjuan's words and looked at Shi Dalin worriedly, afraid that he would be angry.

Shi Dalin didn't say anything, but Zhao Qiujuan mustered up her courage and said, "After he came out, did he immediately have the capital to set up a stall? Renting a place and buying ingredients all cost money. The two big pots in my stall cost a lot of money! Xinghuo also said that the mud-digging job was initially given to him by Azhen. With the money Azhen earned from digging mud, what could he buy? He probably borrowed money to buy many things, and he'll have to pay it back later, right? Besides, the gas stove, rice cooker, and the tricycle Azhen rides at home are also big items!"

Zhao Qiujuan had also secretly done the math. The rice ball stall that Shi Zhen gave her, along with several pots, a rice cooker, and this cart... it must have cost several hundred yuan!

She was worried that Shi Zhen wouldn't have any money to spend.

Zhao Dongjuan choked and had nothing to say.

Zhao Meiyun said to Shi Dalin, "Dalin, Dongjuan is so immature..."

Zhao Meiyun was very afraid of making Shi Dalin angry, and she also relied heavily on him. Shi Zhen was certain that as long as his father was willing to come out, Zhao Meiyun would definitely come out as well, precisely because of this.

This dependence has nothing to do with feelings.

Over there, everyone works very hard. After delivering their grain each year, there isn't enough food left to eat. They always have to find a place to reclaim wasteland and plant potatoes or sweet potatoes so that their families won't go hungry.

When life has exhausted everyone, people stop talking about feelings and focus more on practical matters.

Zhao Meiyun didn't divorce her first husband because she had four daughters; she divorced him because she couldn't have any more children.

Back then, there was no one-child policy. If she could still have children, no one would want her no matter what.

I don't know how much it will cost to marry another wife.

As a woman who couldn't have children and had two daughters, it was really difficult for her to remarry. It was by chance that she met Shi Dalin.

But she and Shi Dalin didn't have any children. When Shi Dalin's children grew up, he could easily kick her out... Others might say she was pitiful, but for Shi Dalin, it would be advantageous.

Zhao Meiyun had previously wanted to marry Zhao Qiujuan off to someone from their village, hoping that someone could take care of her.

As a result, Zhao Dongjuan was always causing trouble for her at home.

Shi Dalin finally spoke up: "Dongjuan, you're an adult now, right? You've had your ID card for a long time. You should think of a way to find a job."

Zhao Dongjuan's expression froze.

Shi Dalin didn't say anything more.

He didn't want people to say he was mistreating his stepdaughters, so he usually kept quiet about any problems his two stepdaughters had.

They would beat and scold their own son if he was disobedient.

However, his son was obedient from a young age, so he didn't need to beat or scold him... Both his son and Zhao Qiujuan were hardworking people. They would do any chores around the house without hesitation. It was Zhao Dongjuan who would dodge and avoid doing any work.

Over the years, Zhao Dongjuan had been acting strangely at home, which annoyed Shi Dalin. After finishing his meal, he went inside and said to Zhao Meiyun, "Azhen told me before that I shouldn't give Tingting any money, lest she go astray. Don't give Dongjuan any money either. If you don't give her any money, she'll always have to find a way to do something."

Zhao Meiyun readily agreed.

Shi Dalin doesn't manage the household accounts. He counts the money he earns from selling fried skewers, but he lets Zhao Meiyun hold onto it and oversee the household expenses. He adds, "We're doing alright, so let's listen to A-Zhen and eat well."

Who doesn't want to eat well? Although he had been enjoying good food and drink for only a few days, he wouldn't be willing to drink mixed grain porridge again.

Zhao Meiyun agreed and turned to find her eldest daughter, avoiding her youngest daughter to ask her about the rice ball stall.

Zhao Qiujuan, of course, had nothing to hide from her mother and told her everything.

"You can earn twenty yuan a day selling rice balls?" Zhao Meiyun was a little excited. When Zhao Qiujuan was being asked to marry, she hoped that the man would treat her daughter well and the bride price would be only eight hundred yuan, and she was even thinking that six hundred yuan would be acceptable. But now, Zhao Qiujuan herself can earn the bride price in a month.

"What did your brother say about this money?" Zhao Meiyun asked.

Zhao Qiujuan didn't hide anything and told Shi Zhen about how he had told her to give some money to the family for food expenses and save the rest to buy a house.

Zhao Meiyun was also tempted when she heard about buying a house.

If her daughter buys a house, she can certainly move in!

"Ah Zhen is such a good person, thinking so much for you! Let's do it this way, you give me 100 yuan every month, and I'll talk to your dad and save the money for you." Zhao Meiyun said happily.

"Mom, that's for food expenses."

Zhao Meiyun said, "You're not married yet, so there's no reason for you to pay for meals at home. Besides, your sister doesn't pay either, does she?"

She couldn't possibly mistreat her eldest daughter.

Thinking this, Zhao Meiyun said in a low voice, "Qiujuan, Mom has saved some money in secret before, but it's very little, only a few dozen yuan in total... I should be able to save some more in the future, and when you buy a house, Mom will give you the money."

She used to have no income and no money, but now that so much money passes through her hands every day, it's not a problem for her to save some money on the side.

If they could buy a house for her eldest daughter, then her eldest daughter would be a city dweller.

Zhao Meiyun turned to Shi Dalin and said that after Zhao Qiujuan set up her stall, she planned to send 100 yuan home every month.

She deliberately didn't mention that it was for food expenses.

Shi Dalin didn't know how much Zhao Qiujuan's rice ball stall earned in a day, but he figured that two hundred yuan a month would be pretty good.

Zhao Qiujuan was willing to pay 100 yuan to her home; she was quite honest.

However, he didn't want to take advantage of his stepdaughter, since she wasn't his biological daughter.

Shi Dalin said, "Then you should keep it for her and use it as her dowry later."

Zhao Meiyun had guessed that Shi Dalin would say that, and smiled in agreement.

Meanwhile, Shi Ting arrived at Guan Baiyu's village.

Shi Ting grew up in the countryside, but the countryside she lived in was completely different from the countryside around Anshan Town.

She was stunned by everything around her.

The people here have a great spirit. The cement roads are so smooth, and every household has a spacious and flat cement drying yard in front of their door.

She thought the fence in front of their door was particularly beautiful.

There are even bricks used to build mud walls... How much would that cost!

When Shi Zhen arrived at Guan Jian Guo Guo, there were already some women chatting there, waiting to hand over the wool sweaters they were carrying to him.

Ignoring Shi Ting, Shi Zhen opened the door and began to examine the sweaters they had brought.

Some people embroider very well and pass the test directly, while others embroider poorly and don't match the sample at all.

Shi Zhen then made them redo the work.

Fortunately, very few parts needed to be reworked. Since it was the first time they had taken on the job, everyone worked very hard. At most, they just didn't notice that they had made some mistakes.

When Shi Zhen registered them, they all wanted to take some more clothes with them, but Shi Zhen didn't have any.

"The clothes are gone now, but they'll be back tomorrow."

"Please take your time and wait in line."

"This part of your clothes doesn't look good; it needs to be altered."

...

Looking through over a hundred pieces of clothing one by one takes quite a bit of time.

Shi Ting watched as her brother mingled with a group of middle-aged women, discussing with them how to embroider wool sweaters.

Her brother could even point out where people were wrong and why. If someone was missing a petal or something, her brother would take a needle and fix it for them!

Shi Ting's eyes were opened.

Her brother is amazing! He can do everything!

I just feel like something's not quite right.

Guan Baiyu also felt that something was wrong.

Shi Zhen is over 1.8 meters tall, but the older women in his village are generally only around 1.5 meters tall and very thin. Shi Zhen now gives off the feeling of an old hen leading a flock of chicks.

No, he can't think like that!

His brother is clearly outstanding!

While Shi Zhen was registering, people came one after another to hand in their wool sweaters.

The person who took the clothes from Shi Zhen yesterday has already finished embroidering them all.

Shi Zhen's contract with the factory stipulated that he would be paid monthly, and that's what he told the villagers as well.

He spent a full hour writing down the quantity and price of everyone's embroidery in his notebook.

The main problem was that some people made mistakes in their embroidery and had to redo it... Fortunately, people around them who knew them were willing to help them, and the redoing was completed in an hour.

The women in the village finally dispersed. Shi Zhen looked at the clothes and thought for a moment before saying, "Xiaoyu, you and Tingting stay here. I'll make a call and ask them to send some more clothes over today if possible."

He had previously arranged with Mr. Zhou to come over tomorrow to pick up the clothes and bring some new ones.

But now that the clothes are all finished, and President Zhou has left him his phone number... Shi Zhen thought about making a call.

There is still a gap between the rich and the poor in Guanbaiyu Village.

Guan Baiyu's adoptive father's family was considered poor, while Guan Jianguo's family was considered quite well-off; of course, there were also wealthy families.

Some households have even installed telephones.

This is a huge sum of money. Shi Zhen had asked about the price of installing a telephone before and learned that it would cost three thousand yuan to install one.

Shi Zhen found a family that had a telephone installed and asked if he could make a call. The family agreed and didn't even want any money from Shi Zhen.

The old lady from that family just delivered a sweater to Shi Zhen, and Shi Zhen fixed the missing embroidery on it for her.

Shi Zhen called General Manager Zhou and said that the clothes had been embroidered. General Manager Zhou immediately said that he would bring people to pick up the goods and deliver new ones to him at the same time.

Shi Zhen naturally agreed, and after they finished speaking, they hung up the phone decisively.

While Shi Zhen was on the phone, the old lady watched the whole time. When she saw that Shi Zhen had only been on the phone for about fifty seconds, she breathed a sigh of relief, went back to sit by the door, and continued sewing shoe soles. She even asked, "Brother Bai Yu, will the clothes be here soon?"

Shi Zhendao said, "Yes."

Then he saw the old lady move a stool and follow him to Guan Jian Guo Guo, where they sat down in the alleyway separating Guan Jian Guo Guo from the neighbor's house.

There are houses on both sides, so you won't get sunburned here, and there's a cool breeze through the room. It's a good place to sit and chat, and... wait for work to get done.

That wasn't all; she also invited some people she knew over, and soon the alley was packed with people.

Shi Zhen: "..." Everyone is really obsessed with making money.

Shi Zhen found it quite interesting, but didn't think much of it. However, President Zhou, who came here in a truck, was immediately surrounded by a group of middle-aged women and was a little taken aback.

However, seeing that all the middle-aged women wanted to take the clothes to embroider, Mr. Zhou, who had brought 500 pieces of clothing this time, felt relieved and was no longer afraid that Shi Zhen would take the clothes and run away.

Mr. Zhou unloaded the clothes from the car first. While Shi Zhen was distributing them, he went to look at the clothes that everyone had embroidered yesterday.

Previously, when he was working at the factory, he would outsource the work to people outside the factory, and the clothes he handed in always had various problems. But the clothes that Shi Zhen was working on were actually... all embroidered quite well.

Mr. Zhou said, "The people here are all quite skillful!" Usually, the first time you embroider, you can't do it well.

“I gave each of them a sample, and I checked them afterwards. I made them redo any embroidery that wasn’t done well,” Shi Zhen said.

Mr. Zhou's eyes lit up: "That's it! That's perfect!"

After briefly inspecting the two hundred pieces of clothing, Mr. Zhou was very satisfied. He then left some samples and five hundred pieces of clothing that had not yet been embroidered, as requested by Shi Zhen, before departing.

As soon as he left, Shi Zhen was surrounded by the women in the village.

"I want fifteen!"

Give me ten.

"I want twenty!"

Shi Zhen got busy distributing clothes to them.

Seeing this, Guan Baiyu quietly counted out twenty items and placed them aside.

He can embroider twenty pieces!

Seeing this, Shi Ting said, "Brother Bai Yu, give me a few too, I can rust them too."

Shi Ting lived in the mountains, and her living conditions used to be quite poor. She didn't have a penny of pocket money. After thinking for a moment, she asked again, "Would embroidering one... cost seven mao?"

Can I give her money? Even 50 cents would be fine!

She has so many things she wants to buy!