The next day, the first day of the Lunar New Year in 1992, the Chen siblings paid their respects to their parents and received two lucky money coins from Chen Lao Er. However, they did not plan to go out today!
"Dad, we're not going to Grandpa's house today. You two go!" Chen Chunhua was a little guilty and scared, but as the eldest sister, she still stepped forward!
"If you don't want to go, then you don't want to go. I'll go by myself later!" Chen Lao Er already knew that Li Yumei didn't plan to go either, and he didn't care. He could go by himself. After all, as a son, even if he went to pay New Year's visits by himself, would his parents disown him? Or would they refuse to let him in? He wasn't worried at all!
On the second day of the Lunar New Year, it's time to go back to your parents' home!
Chen Jianhong, the younger sister-in-law of the Chen family, came to Chen Lao Er's house with her son and husband!
As soon as Aunt Chen entered the door, she greeted everyone warmly: "Second brother, second sister-in-law, Happy New Year! These must be my nieces, they're all so beautiful now. And Xiao Bao has grown so much, I remember seeing him as a baby last time. Xiao An, quickly say hello to your cousins!"
Ten-year-old Sun Haoan said shyly, "Hello, older cousins! Hello, younger cousins! Hello, younger cousins!"
Uncle Sun: "Second brother, second sister-in-law, Happy New Year! It's been a long time!"
The three Chen siblings and Aunt Chen greeted each other and sat on one side of the sofa, curious but not talking. They were not familiar with Aunt Chen's family. Sun Haoan was also very polite and quiet, staying next to his uncle.
Aunt Chen walked around the dining room: "Come here, Chunhua, come here. Aunt has prepared red envelopes for you six siblings."
After distributing the red envelopes, Aunt Chen walked over to Chen Lao Er and tentatively asked, "Second Brother, I just came from my eldest brother's house. I heard you opened a pastry shop, and it must be making a lot of money!"
Chen Lao Er chuckled, "It's alright, it's just a small business!"
"Second brother, I see your family is doing quite well now. Your brother-in-law and I have both been laid off, and we're thinking of going to Guangdong and Shenzhen in the south to buy some hot-selling goods to sell. We'd like to start a business!" Aunt Chen still hadn't gotten to the point!
"Isn't that great? Wait, you've been laid off?" Chen Lao Er didn't realize it at first.
"Yes, second brother, look, could you lend me ten thousand yuan to use first? We're a little short on capital right now!" Seeing her second brother's surprise at her being laid off, Chen Xiaogu casually asked to borrow money.
"Little sister, how did you get laid off? Weren't you doing so well in the performing arts troupe? You used to travel all over the country to perform during the Spring Festival, and we never saw you during the Spring Festival!" Chen Lao Er was a little surprised. His little sister was the best off. She was in the performing arts troupe, and her husband was an employee of the machinery factory in the next county.
Sun's brother-in-law is the youngest son in the family. Sun's parents are both senior technicians in a machinery factory. The family is well-off. Moreover, Sun's parents dote on their youngest son and treat their younger sister, their daughter-in-law, well too!
"Stop talking about it. Nowadays, it's mostly 18 or 19-year-old girls who are playing roles. I'm in my thirties and I'm not being appreciated anymore. I don't want to do it anymore!" Chen Xiaogu said somewhat willfully.
"You just quit your job at the cultural troupe? That's a job you have!" Chen Lao Er couldn't understand, his face full of disbelief. There was something he didn't want to do?
"It's no use saying anything now. A batch of workers from your brother-in-law's machinery factory were laid off last year, and he's unemployed now. We're thinking of starting a business, and we heard that goods are very cheap in Guangdong province!"
Chen Xiaogu said confidently that she had been to many places and knew that selling clothes was still very profitable, but she didn't have enough capital. "Second brother, can you lend me 10,000?"
"…Little sister, I'm sorry, I don't have any money to lend you right now. Why don't you ask our parents, or your older brother's family too!" Chen Lao Er suddenly felt fortunate that he had spent money on buying a house before the New Year, otherwise he would be wondering whether to lend the money or not!
"How could that be? Is it in my second sister-in-law's hands, and she refuses to hand it over?" Chen Xiaogu asked unhappily when she saw Li Yumei enter the kitchen, her voice a little shrill!
"No, I really don't have any money right now. I bought a house for a pastry shop and now I have to pay back the money. My five daughters also need money for school. Our family basically spends all the money we earn!" Chen Lao Er honestly confessed that he really didn't have any money right now, and he didn't even need to hide it!
"You spent it all? Second brother, your family doesn't know how to manage money! Everyone saves some money, how could you spend it all!" Aunt Chen didn't quite believe it. If her second brother didn't want to lend her money, he should have just said so!
"Second brother, how about lending me five thousand? I'll definitely pay you back!" Is it because ten thousand yuan is too much that her second brother is unwilling to lend her the money?
"I'll pay it back by the end of this year, and I'll also pay back the three hundred yuan I borrowed from you ten years ago!"
"Really, no. Can't you tell what kind of person your second brother is? If he were rich, wouldn't my family buy TVs, washing machines, and refrigerators? Your niece and nephew always go to the neighbors' houses to watch TV. Look at your second brother's family, they haven't bought any appliances!" Chen Lao Er didn't expect his younger sister to reveal that she had borrowed three hundred yuan from him ten years ago and hadn't paid it back.
At that time, it seems she came to her parents' home and said she didn't bring much money and wanted to borrow money to buy a newly released coat!
When Chen Xiaogu entered, she was also a little surprised. Her second brother and sister-in-law were too stingy. The living room was empty, and there wasn't even a TV. It was 1992 now, not more than ten years ago!
Could it be that my second brother's family really doesn't have much money? But Mom said that my second brother's pastry shop is quite profitable!
"Second brother, you haven't done anything wrong, have you? Even though your wife has five daughters, she still gave birth to Xiaobao for you, didn't she? You wouldn't be keeping a mistress outside..."
"Shut up! What nonsense are you spouting! If you can't speak properly, go back to your parents' house. You're not welcome here! I still want to borrow money from you!" Chen Lao Er suddenly burst into a tirade. He was never a good-tempered person, and his bullying behavior towards his own family was on full display!
"If you don't have it, you don't have it. Why are you yelling like that!" Aunt Chen was also a little unhappy. She had never been yelled at like that in her husband's family!
The children present were all startled. At first, the two siblings were whispering to each other, but suddenly they started arguing loudly.
Sun Haoan, in particular, was a little frightened. At home, his grandparents and parents would never raise their voices in front of him, let alone swear or argue!
"Jianhong, it seems that your second brother's family really has no money to lend. Let's think of other ways!" At this moment, Uncle Sun, being a good person, spoke up to persuade them, giving the two siblings a way out!
"Alright, we're leaving now, Xiao An, let's go back to Grandpa and Grandma's house!" Aunt Chen also felt it was pointless.
"Xiao An, this is a red envelope from your uncle's family! Little sister, brother-in-law, this is for you. Happy New Year!"
Li Yumei hurriedly came out of the room and handed over three red envelopes.
She can handle these social obligations well; her mother taught her these skills for a reason. It's just a matter of whether she wants to do it or not. Besides, her aunt gave her six red envelopes to her children. Having more children has its advantages!
After seeing Chen Xiaogu's family off, Li Yumei said to Chen Lao Er, "My sister-in-law is too willful. The job in the cultural troupe is so good, doesn't her in-laws have any objections?"
Li Yumei also wanted to audition for the performing arts troupe back then; those girls dressed so beautifully. But after getting married, pregnant, and giving birth, she gained weight, and she never had the chance to learn any singing or dancing!
"If she has any opinions, her brother-in-law spoils her and listens to everything she says!" My younger sister has been beautiful since she was a child, and after getting married, she still has her husband completely under her thumb. She didn't want to have any more children after having one son, saying it would affect her figure!
Seeing Chen Xiaogu today reminded Chen Xihua of something: more than a year after transmigrating, she has gradually forgotten many plot points from the original book!
Chen Xiaogu made a lot of money in the past year or two after going to Guangdong Province to purchase goods. She handed over the family business to Sun Gufu and became a housewife, which she felt was a blessing.
Unexpectedly, Uncle Sun, who was usually honest and obedient, had an affair and kept a mistress.
In a fit of anger, Chen Xiaogu got a divorce. She was not a person who could tolerate such things. She abandoned her son and went back to her parents' home alone.
Later, she opened her own small shop specializing in clothes! Then she would often go back to her eldest and second eldest brothers' houses to urge them on. She looked down on her uneducated nieces, but she would introduce them to people everywhere, saying that she had several beautiful nieces who could be introduced to potential husbands!
Chen Xihua doesn't want Chen Xiaogu to get a divorce. She'll definitely come back to Gaoyang County then, and they'll see each other every day.
For relatives with whom you don't have a very good relationship, visiting a few times a year is enough to maintain your feelings. Familiarity breeds contempt, and seeing each other every day can easily lead to dislike, especially since Chen Lao Er and his two siblings are not easy people to get along with!
"Dad, go and remind Auntie later! Tell her that she was the one who suggested going into business, and that she should keep a firm grip on the money from now on. She should manage the money herself. In our family, Mom manages the money. If you want to do something, you have to ask Mom. She can't do anything bad, can she?" Chen Xihua gave Chen Lao Er a meaningful hint!
"Go away, you brat, where did you hear that? What bad things could I possibly do? Besides, I can use money anytime!" Chen Lao Er felt a little guilty after Xiao Wu's words. Without money, he really couldn't do anything.
That's right. I should remind my younger sister. Who knows if her husband, that pretty boy, will betray her? He's heard that many men who make money in business keep mistresses outside the marriage.
Although my younger sister is not someone to be trifled with, she is still my own sister, and I can't let outsiders bully her.
Until the sixth day of the Lunar New Year, when the pastry shop reopened, no one else from the Chen family came to visit. Old Mrs. Li did not come to cause trouble again this year. Perhaps it was because Chen Lao Er had someone take two hundred yuan back before the New Year, or perhaps Old Mrs. Li knew that she could not get anything from her third daughter's family and was unwilling to travel far in the dead of winter!
After the Spring Festival, the second semester began. This year, Chen Meihua took the entrance exam for junior high school. However, her grades were not very good. She has the ability to learn, even better than her second sister Chen Jinhua. But she doesn't want to study. She just wants to play with her girlfriends and talk about who dresses the prettiest and how to style their hair.
Before we knew it, it was May. On the day of the Dragon Boat Festival, school let out half a day early. At this time, there was less than a month left before the final exams!
At noon, Chen Xihua was about to go home after school when she saw her third sister, Chen Meihua, being surrounded by several boys at the corner of the school's back gate. There was also a female classmate next to her, who seemed to be her third sister's good friend, Liang Jiaojiao!
A boy who looked to be in junior high school, around fourteen or fifteen years old, grabbed Chen Meihua's hand and declared, "You're my girlfriend!"
"Let go of me! I'm not your girlfriend!" Chen Meihua was terrified, her face turning deathly pale. She forcefully shook off the boy's hand and took a few steps back. As a twelve or thirteen-year-old girl, this was the first time she had encountered such a situation with a complete stranger, and she was extremely frightened!
"What? You've eaten all my snacks for a year, so you agree to be my girlfriend? My little sister Jiaojiao brings you snacks every day!" The boy was a bit smug, and had a cool and confident air about him.
This boy's name is Liang Jiale. He is sixteen years old and is in the second year of junior high school at the No. 3 Middle School in the county. A year ago, when he saw Chen Meihua, a female classmate who was very close to his younger sister, he liked her at first sight. She had braids, was a bit spoiled, and passed by his family's convenience store every day!
He knew many of his female classmates liked snacks, so he specially asked his younger sister to bring some snacks to school for Chen Meihua every day. Gradually, she agreed to be his girlfriend! These female classmates are the easiest to please!
"You're talking nonsense! Jiaojiao gave it to me, she didn't say it was from you, Jiaojiao, you tell me!" Chen Meihua was anxious and looked at her good friend next to her, Liang Jiaojiao!
"Mei...Meihua, I did say that...I said my brother asked me to bring her!" Liang Jiaojiao wasn't very good at pretending, but she didn't admit it directly either, and she stammered a bit!
"Why didn't you say so earlier? Even if your brother asked you to bring it, it was for you to eat yourself. You didn't say it was for me. I just thought you were sharing it with me. Who knew it was for me?" Chen Meihua was very anxious and her words were a bit incoherent!
"What? Young lady, you don't want to be Jiale's girlfriend? At No. 3 Middle School, countless girls have written love letters to Jiale, wanting to be his girlfriend!"
The few thuggish-looking boys behind them, with their hands in their pockets, stepped forward, looking very unhappy, and even pretending to threaten someone!
"Chen Meihua, I like you. Will you be my girlfriend?" Liang Jiale said confidently with a smile, and even fiddled with the hair on his forehead!
"No, impossible!" Chen Meihua was terrified. If she was dating someone at such a young age, her father would break her legs. Besides, she didn't like this person. He was ugly and looked like a hoodlum!
"Hmph, that's not up to you..." Someone started trying to intimidate Chen Meihua again.
"What, are you going to forcibly take it or coerce me!" Chen Xihua walked over and pulled Chen Meihua over.
"Here's thirty yuan, enough for my third sister to eat snacks for a year. Originally, you brought snacks for my third sister as a way for you and your classmates to share, but now consider it as us buying them from you!"
Chen Xihua handed the thirty yuan she had put in her schoolbag yesterday to buy stamps to Liang Jiaojiao, who was sitting next to her. Liang Jiaojiao was taken aback and didn't react for a moment, but instinctively grabbed the money!
Chen Xihua didn't expect that the stamps she failed to buy would come in handy at this moment. Stamps from this era are not very valuable anymore, and she couldn't find the legendary sets from the 1980s!
It's really hard to get rich overnight. However, she urgently needs to accumulate some initial capital. It's already 1992, and the 1,000 yuan her grandmother left her is still a bit too little!
"Oh, this little girl is pretty too. So what if we pressure her? What can you do about it?"
One of the boys said arrogantly, while the others, although startled by Chen Xihua's sudden appearance, still teased her without any restraint when they saw that she was a third or fourth grade girl!
"Third sister, let's go!" Chen Xihua didn't even glance at those cool-looking boys, a bunch of immature teenagers, and tried to drag Chen Meihua away!
"Chen Meihua, you can't leave! You have to promise to be my girlfriend!" Chen Jiale, seeing this, stopped trying to act cool and hurriedly tried to grab Chen Meihua!
Chen Xihua turned around and forcefully slapped his hand away. "What, you want to fight?"
"Little sister, you know how to fight!" Two more boys came forward and blocked Chen Xihua and her sister with ill intentions.
Chen Xihua remained expressionless. At nine years old, she was only slightly shorter than Chen Meihua, but her imposing manner was no less than that of the boys: "Get out of the way!"
"If we don't allow it, what can you do about it?"
Without another word, Chen Xihua kicked one of the boys in the stomach, sending him staggering and falling to the ground! The other boys were shocked, but they were also itching to fight back!
"Ouch, that hurts so much! Who is Chen Jinhua to you guys?" The boy who had fallen to the ground asked, his face pale. The girl's kick was too fast and swift, and it really hurt!
Upon hearing this, Liang Jiale and the other boys dared not move forward any further!
"What, you know my second sister? Are we still going to fight?" Chen Xihua didn't even turn her head, grabbing Chen Meihua and leaving!
The boys, including Liang Jiale, who remained behind, along with Liang Jiaojiao, watched helplessly as the girls left, exchanging bewildered glances.
"Brother, this thirty yuan..." Liang Jiaojiao asked cautiously.
"Give it to me, it's useless!" Liang Jiale snatched the thirty yuan and scolded Liang Jiaojiao with disdain!
"Chen Jinhua? That tomboy, the one with the super strong one?" one of the boys asked.
"Yes, I heard she learned some moves this year, and many boys are afraid to fight her anymore. Also, she's in the first year of junior high at the county's No. 1 Middle School, a key school with strict discipline. If you're caught fighting, you'll get a demerit or even be expelled. She basically doesn't fight anymore!" the boy who was kicked down continued.
Others: "What bad luck..."
On the way home, Chen Meihua followed behind her younger sister, looking like a timid wife, not daring to say a word. She was terrified and felt very guilty today!
"Third sister, have you lost your mind? Someone gave you snacks for a year, and you can just accept it without a care in the world? Did a free lunch fall from the sky? Who's that generous these days? Besides, is your classmate Liang Jiaojiao's family rich? Are you even close? Even if she's your best friend, and they're willing to share with you unconditionally, can you just take it all without a second thought?!"
"I'm your own sister, why don't you treat me to snacks every day?"
"Third sister, if someone gave you a hundred yuan, you wouldn't run off with them, would you?"
"No, that's impossible!" Chen Meihua said, her face a little awkward.
"What about a thousand yuan, ten thousand yuan, or a hundred thousand yuan?" Chen Xihua continued to ask.
Chen Meihua paused in astonishment for a long while, and then thought about it seriously, "No, that can't be!"
Chen Xihua thought to herself, thank goodness, this third sister isn't really stupid!
"How could anyone give me so much money?" Chen Meihua suddenly asked again!
"I'm so angry! Third sister, you're hopeless!" Chen Xihua was furious and speechless. "Someone offered you so much money, but you can't accept it. You can't accept something for nothing. Are you stupid? There's no such thing as a free lunch. You'll be sold out and still be helping the seller count the money!"
Chen Xihua walked faster ahead; she didn't want to pay any more attention to Chen Meihua!
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