Tomorrow is the day the chili sauce company will distribute its first share of profits. Zhang Hongyan and Xia Heping were so excited that they couldn't sleep most of the night and chatted quietly in bed.
Zhang Hongyan kicked the man's shin: "Heping, how much money do you think we'll get tomorrow?"
"Based on the total amount of chili sauce we made, it should cost at least one or two hundred yuan," Xia Heping said after a quick mental calculation.
It's been over a month since they started making the chili sauce. Because they agreed to split the profits monthly and they weren't responsible for sales, neither of them has seen a single penny yet.
“One or two hundred is not bad, it’s more than what workers in the city earn,” Zhang Hongyan is easily satisfied. In the countryside, farming for a whole year might not even earn 200 yuan.
Xia Heping nodded in agreement and said in a relaxed tone, "Yes, if the two of us can earn a hundred yuan a month, we can live a pretty good life in the city."
Their biggest worry about coming to the city is not being able to make money. If they could make money, who would want to suffer in the countryside farming?
"I can still save up some money. I need to prepare a dowry for my daughter when she gets married in two years, and I also need to prepare a bride price for Gou Dan when he gets married in the future," Zhang Hongyan pondered her plans for the future.
The two talked about things that drifted further and further away, and gradually Zhang Hongyan couldn't resist the drowsiness and fell asleep.
As Xia Heping listened to his wife's steady breathing in the darkness, a relieved smile appeared on his lips, and he slowly drifted off to sleep.
The next day, because they had talked until late the night before, Zhang Hongyan and Xia Heping both woke up late.
When Gou Dan got up, he found the house quiet. He couldn't see his mother in the kitchen or the main room, which was quite unusual, and he was a little surprised.
After glancing at the closed door, Gou Dan didn't wake anyone up, but instead turned and went to the kitchen.
He quickly cooked a pot of sweet potato porridge and then took out four eggs from the cupboard and cooked them as well.
When Zhang Hongyan got up, the sweet potato porridge on the stove was almost cooked.
When Gou Dan saw his mother come into the kitchen, he called out with a grin, "Mom, you're up!"
"Did you cook this porridge?" Zhang Hongyan asked in surprise, pointing to the porridge on the stove.
"Yes, when I got up I found that you were all still asleep, so I cooked a pot of porridge and boiled four eggs," Gou Dan said, looking at his mother expectantly, hoping to get her praise.
Zhang Hongyan did not disappoint him. She smiled and patted his little head, saying, "My son has really grown up. He can even make his own breakfast. That's amazing!"
Even in the countryside, it's rare for boys to go into the kitchen to cook; these tasks are mostly done by girls.
Although Zhang Hongyan usually doesn't let her two children cook, she doesn't believe that men can't go into the kitchen. She is very gratified that Gou Dan is so sensible.
"Hehe, cooking porridge and boiling eggs are very simple, I learned them in no time," Gou Dan said with an undisguised pride.
Seeing his expression, Zhang Hongyan praised him a few more times, making Gou Dan feel quite flattered.
My mom usually scolds him more often at home, so it's rare for her to praise him like this.
This made Gou Dan instantly fall in love with the feeling, and he happily started to boast: "Mom, I'll make breakfast from now on, so you and Dad can sleep in a little longer."
Zhang Hongyan didn't expect him to say that, and said with a mix of amusement and exasperation, "No need, you're still growing. If you don't sleep a little longer, you might not grow tall."
"Okay then, when I grow up I'll get up early every day to make breakfast," Gou Dan started making empty promises to his mother.
Hearing this, Zhang Hongyan felt as refreshed as if she had drunk a bowl of ice water on a hot day. She smiled so much that the crow's feet at the corners of her eyes crinkled together: "Then when Mom gets old, she can look forward to enjoying the blessings of her son."
Gou Dan was so flattered that his eyes were practically popping out of his head: "The porridge will be ready soon. I'll go call Dad and my sister to come eat breakfast."
When Xia Qingqing and Xia Heping woke up and heard that Gou Dan had made breakfast, they praised him profusely.
Xia Qingqing gave Gou Dan a thumbs up: "Our Lele will definitely be a warm man when he grows up. If he keeps it up, he will definitely get priority in choosing a partner."
"What is the right to choose a spouse first?" Gou Dan looked at his sister curiously. He knew what "first" meant, but he had never heard of the right to choose a spouse first.
"Well, how should I put it? It means that when you're looking for a partner in the future, you'll have an advantage that others don't have. You'll find it easier to find a partner and be more popular with girls," Xia Qingqing explained in simple terms.
Dog Egg gave a curt "oh," showing no interest in finding a partner.
"I don't care about this priority in choosing a spouse. I don't plan to get married in the future."
He felt that the happiest time for him was now, with his family of four living together, and he didn't want to bring a wife back to ruin this happiness.
Although he is only 10 years old, he has already witnessed countless conflicts between mothers-in-law and daughters-in-law in the village. What if he gets married and comes back home and argues with his mother every day? Life will definitely not be comfortable.
In his mind, the purpose of marrying a wife is so that she can sleep with him. He's already such a grown man, it's actually quite nice for him to sleep alone.
Xia Qingqing was amused by Gou Dan's bold words: "Alright, I respect your opinion, but I hope you won't regret it later."
Dog Egg put his hands on his hips and raised his head slightly: "I won't regret it, I don't want to get married."
Zhang Hongyan didn't take the child's words to heart. He was too young to know how good a wife was, but when he grew up, he would probably dream about finding one every day.
Zhang Hongyan was unaware of Gou Dan's worries. If she had known, she would have only told him that he was overthinking things, and that she had already decided to separate from her son in the future.
Seeing that the two siblings were still chatting and laughing, Zhang Hongyan patted the table and reminded them, "Qingqing, stop teasing your brother and hurry up and eat. Xiao Song will be here soon."
"Okay," Xia Qingqing immediately sat down obediently and drank her porridge.
Seeing that his sister was ignoring him, Gou Dan picked up his bowl and started slurping his food.
Not long after breakfast, Song Ze arrived at the door. He was mainly there to deliver the dividends.
When Zhang Hongyan saw Song Ze arrive, she smiled even more broadly than usual: "Little Song is here! Have you had breakfast? If not, you can have something at home."
"Auntie, no need to trouble yourself, I've already had breakfast at home," Song Ze said with a smile, declining Zhang Hongyan's offer.
“Okay, then you and Qingqing go sit in the main room for a while. I’ll go to the kitchen to make a cup of tea,” Zhang Hongyan said, and then headed towards the kitchen.
Song Ze had just ridden his bicycle all the way here and was covered in sweat. He couldn't possibly have hot tea, so he quickly said, "Auntie, do you have any cooled boiled water at home? I'll just have some cooled boiled water."
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