Chapter 11 The Exciting Moment of Money Distribution
"Okay, I'll make you some water to drink later. Xiaxia is so thoughtful. Are you hungry? Auntie will make you some dumplings."
A moment later, Wu Lifang brought over two bowls of steaming dumplings, filled with cabbage, bean curd, and minced meat, savory and delicious, with a unique chewy texture.
"Eat slowly, don't burn yourself. If you're not full, Auntie will make more."
The dumplings they made themselves had thin skins and generous fillings, and were huge. Ten dumplings could fill a bowl. Yunxia shook her head slightly, "Aunt Wu, no need, these are enough."
After washing the dishes, Wu Lifang told the three of them to keep an eye on the door, then picked up her cloth bag and rode her old bicycle to work.
The factory will have a year-end holiday and pay wages tomorrow, so we have to do a big cleaning today. That's why it was already dark when I got off work and went home.
He rushed into the kitchen and saw a large iron pot filled with fragrant pork stew with vermicelli. His eldest son, with a stern face, was adding firewood to the stove.
Beside the cutting board, the little girl pressed the rolling pin and vigorously rolled out a large pancake.
"Xiaxia, let Auntie come!" Rolling out the flatbread requires a lot of effort, and Wu Lifang was worried that Xiaxia would get tired, so she hurriedly said.
The little tabby cat with a white dot on its nose turned its head to look at the doorway and replied with a smile:
"Aunt Wu, no need, this is the last one. Just flip the one in the pot over, I'm afraid it will burn."
Upon closer inspection, it was discovered that a small iron pan was being used to cook flatbread. Wu Lifang washed her hands, picked up a spatula, and flipped the flatbread over.
Because of the open flame, the kitchen wasn't cold, and the three of them happily cooked dinner together. The warm family atmosphere made Yunxia's lips curl into a smile.
After dinner, they bolted the door and the four of them sat around the table. Jiang Chao took out stacks of banknotes and rolls of coins from his cloth bag.
According to the records in the notebook, read out the daily income and expenses of the "hair tie" business.
"...After calculation, the current funds are 123.74 yuan, the initial capital is 10 yuan, the wages are 0.2 yuan for half a day and 0.4 yuan for a full day, and the remaining money will be split equally among the investors."
After counting the cash, the exciting moment of dividing the money arrived...
The small business of hair ties and hairbands took 11 days from conception to successful completion.
After get off work, Wu Lifang would help out in her spare time, just like An'an, which counted as half a day's work. However, for the first three days, the little girl was busy all day, which counted as a full day's work.
Yunxia suggested giving each of the two workers a bonus of 3 yuan, which was approved by Jiang Chao. As a result, Aunt Wu received 5 yuan and 2 mao, and Jiang An received 5 yuan and 8 mao.
The remaining money was split equally between Yunxia and Jiang Chao, with each receiving 51.37 yuan.
With saliva-covered fingertips, he counted the bills one by one, smiling like a flower, looking every bit the money-grubber.
"You made over 100 yuan in just over ten days? Are hair ties and hair bands really that easy to sell?"
"Mom, of course not. At first, everyone was curious and there was nothing else to do, so business was booming. But it only lasted a few days. Look at the street, every few blocks you can see rubber band stalls with similar styles to ours."
"Once more people sell it, it's no longer a rare item. The uncle who always works with me and Xiaxia sells 10 a day, which is considered the best."
Thinking about it carefully, the eldest son's words made sense. In the past few days, many people have also asked the leaders to give them scraps of cloth. At first, it was cheap, two yuan a bag, but now it has risen to three yuan a bag, but people are still coming in droves to buy it.
"That's true. It's almost the end of the year. After we get our salaries and bonuses tomorrow, I'll take you guys to buy new clothes."
"Mom, I don't need it. The clothes aren't worn out and can be worn for a long time. Just buy them for Xiaxia and An'an."
Upon hearing this, Wu Lifang frowned and pretended to be angry, saying, "Everyone needs a new outfit for the New Year. This matter is settled, so let's not talk about it anymore."
"Brother, here, take this money. Buy yourself a new outfit to keep warm in winter."
The little girl with starry eyes, holding up a brownish-red 5-yuan banknote, with a proud little expression, successfully shattered the gloomy boy's facade.
"An'an, put the money away. Your brother has his own money to buy new clothes."
When Jiang An got stubborn, he still held the banknotes high. When he saw that Jiang An didn't move, he stuffed them directly into Jiang An's pocket and patted them a few times to make sure the money wouldn't fall out.
"Alright, An'an is still young, and I'm worried about her holding such a large sum of money. Jiang Chao, you can accept it for him first. It's getting late, go back to your room and get some sleep!"
"Wait, here, these are snacks for you two."
Jiang Chao lowered his eyes, staring intently at the reddened spicy strip, his brows furrowed slightly. "What kind of garbage is this? Even a dog wouldn't eat it!"
Yunxia, who deeply loves spicy strips: ...
"Sister Xiaxia, An'an also wants spicy strips. How about I trade you some plum powder for a pack?"
"An'an, your brother has some spicy strips, ask him for some. Jiang Chao, just a reminder, eating too many spicy strips is bad for your stomach!"
After saying that, he glared at someone, took Wu Lifang's hand, and left the main room with small, quick steps.
Spicy and numbing bean products are Xiao Jiang'an's favorite.
A fair little hand quietly pressed down on a corner of the spicy snack packaging bag and pulled it little by little to the left.
Snap!
Jiang Chao pressed down on the red packaging bag, staring menacingly at the feigning innocent little baby.
"You don't learn the good things, but you pick up the bad ones so easily, Jiang An, are you itching for a beating?"
An'an pouted, gave him a pitiful look, picked up the plum powder from the table, and ran out of the main room.
To put an end to Jiang An's hopes, the boy ripped open the packaging bag with a ripping sound, pulled out a spicy strip, and took a bite out of half of it.
The combination of numbing and spicy flavors intensely stimulates the taste buds, and upon closer tasting, there's a hint of sweetness. It's surprisingly addictive.
Before long, there was only one left in the bag. Jiang Chao wiped the red oil stains off his lips, got up and went back to his room.
"An'an, eat!"
One spicy snack was enough to appease Xiao Jiang'an, and he didn't throw it away until he licked all the chili oil out of the bag.
"Jiang An, wipe your mouth clean before you get into bed, or I'll beat your butt until it's bruised and battered."
"Yes, brother!"
On the 27th day of the twelfth lunar month, at the farmers' market, apart from Jiang An who absolutely refused to go out, Wu Lifang, Jiang Chao, and Yun Xia all came out, just because... today was a big day to buy New Year's goods.
"Jiang Chao is in charge of the seasonings, Xia Xia is in charge of the fruits and snacks, and I'll take care of the meat and vegetables!"
The factory manager was quite conscientious; in addition to basic wages, he gave each person a bonus of 20 yuan and 10 jin of grain coupons. However, as the reforms gradually spread to the local area, some daily necessities no longer needed to be purchased with coupons.
Yesterday, Wu Lifang took charge and bought everyone a new set of clothes. She also had the roof repaired by workers. This morning, she led them to the market to buy New Year's goods.
Yunxia, carrying a shoulder bag, wandered around the market for a long time before finally finding the seed shop.
"Boss, what kinds of fruit and vegetable seeds do you have?"
The laid-back shopkeeper sat motionless on a stool, pointing to the brown paper bags on the shelf. "The types... are written on the bags. The prices... small bags are 20 cents, large bags are 40 cents. They're from the research institute, so they can't be bad!"
After saying that, he covered his mouth, let out a huge yawn, leaned his head against the wall, squinted his eyes, as if he could fall asleep at any moment.
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