Chapter 96: Lin Nanjiang marches forward with a heavy burden.
Liu Suqin was pleased with his display of loyalty, so she stroked his head again and consoled him, "After the New Year, my photography shop will open, and we can do business together. You can take a break and not have to work so hard anymore."
In a blink of an eye, it had been nearly three and a half years since she was reborn. At that time, she immediately pulled Lin Nanjiang out of the factory to start a self-employed business. Within half a year of setting up a stall, they successfully earned their first 200,000 yuan in their lives. They were so excited that they would look at the passbook several times every night.
After that, their savings basically remained at this level. Occasionally, the number would exceed thirty or fifty, but it was only a flash in the pan. By the end of the year or after the Chinese New Year, it would return to its original state.
After three years of hard work, I am still a rookie when I return.
She is clear about the future trend and believes that a house is more valuable than the cold numbers in a bank card.
But Lin Nanjiang didn't know that in the minds of these natives, even if they bought so many houses, they wouldn't be able to live in them all. How could that compare to the peace of mind that comes from having a six or seven-digit deposit in their bank account?
In short, he works so hard to make money every year, but he has a wife who is like a money-eating beast. The more he earns, the more she spends, and his savings decrease instead of increasing. Liu Suqin occasionally puts herself in Lin Nanjiang's shoes and feels a little guilty.
Although the family members are inseparable and achieve each other's success, striving to become the first generation of wealth, being a landlady, and collecting rent every month until their hands cramp, these are all her wishes in the final analysis. Lin Nanjiang's goal is very simple, to have a house, a car, savings, a wife and children, and a warm bed. He himself has no material desires. If it were not for taking her and the children out to experience a high-end life, he would be satisfied as long as he has enough food and clothes. He does not smoke or play cards, and he only drinks a little. So according to his lifestyle, if their family had bought fewer houses, they could have retired where they are.
He is now completely carrying the burden for her. In order to fulfill her wish, he fights on the front line without regrets. The distance between him and achieving his own small goal of retirement is getting farther and farther. When Liu Suqin thinks of this, she can't help but feel guilty, so she puts the plan of resigning and starting a business on the agenda.
All of this is for the sake of making their family's life better and better, but she can't always push all the pressure onto Lin Nanjiang alone. If the couple works together to make some money, they can get twice the result with half the effort and realize each other's small goals sooner.
So what Liu Suqin said was also sincere.
However, Lin Nanjiang was not as happy as one might have imagined about her initiative to share the pressure. He had a smile on his face, but the curve of his mouth seemed a bit bitter.
Liu Suqin didn't understand why. She saw him let out a heavy breath and asked, "Wife, when you make more money than me in business in the future, will you think I'm useless?"
She was shocked. "Why would you think that?"
Lin Nanjiang started talking and immediately poured out his heart. "Look, you're young, beautiful, smart, and capable. You learn things quickly, do everything to the best of your ability, and have a long-term vision. My only advantage in being with you is that I can earn money to support the family. But you're going to open your own shop soon, and earn more than me in the future. Then I'll have nothing left to offer. How can I be worthy of you?"
Liu Suqin hadn't expected that she was such a perfect and excellent existence in his heart. She immediately smiled and said, "Look at what you said. When we first got together, you were just a poor worker in the factory, not making much money, but I never despised you, did I?"
Lin Nanjiang: ...
What truth are you talking about? It hurts even more.
Seeing his droopy look, Liu Suqin couldn't help but burst out laughing. She cupped her hands around his face and rubbed it. "It was just a joke, but what I said is also true. We are a couple who have been through thick and thin together. When we first met, you were broke, and I was also a factory girl with nothing. Back then, neither of us looked down on the other. Now, life is getting better and better, and we have grown and improved together. We each have the capital to make a living in a big city. Where does the disdain come from?"
Lin Nanjiang was finally comforted, but not much, and his face remained gloomy. "You've grown and changed the most in the past few years. From your sensual temperament to your perspective and knowledge, it's like you've been reborn. Besides making a little money, everything else about me remains the same."
"But you used to be known as a handsome guy. When we were together, everyone praised me for my good taste, saying that aside from your average family background, you were excellent in every other way. And now, through your own hard work, you've made up for that disadvantage of your family background. You're tall, handsome, and can make money. It can be said that you have absolutely no shortcomings. If you're still not satisfied with that, how else do you expect to improve?"
"Really?" After hearing his wife recount his strengths, Lin Nanjiang couldn't hold back his smile any longer. He reached out and touched his face. "I've been exposed to the sun and wind over the past few years. No matter how much I take care of my skin like you, my face is still a lot rougher. Do you really think I'm still as handsome as before?"
"No, you're more attractive now. Although you can't compare to the delicate skin and tender flesh you had in the workshop, you're definitely not rough either. You're still very clean and fresh. Plus, your facial features are sharp, and you're tall and long-legged. You look so mature and steady."
Even though the man was coaxed into submission with a few words, she could clearly see that the lack of confidence he had just revealed was very real.
Liu Suqin didn't understand why he wasn't confident, but now that she had discovered it, she had to do her best to solve the problem. She also spared no effort in praising him. "And you said that apart from making money, everything else is the same as before. That's not right. Besides making fried noodles, you've also learned a lot of hard dishes from my mom and Aunt Zhang. You're arguably the best cook I know. Even Brother Quansheng can't compare to you. And you can also take photos and drive. With any one of these skills, you can support your family. Isn't that good enough?"
Lin Nanjiang was completely delighted by his wife's endless flattery. His mouth was almost stretched to the back of his ears, but he was still trying to act calm and composed. "I'm not that great. I'm still far behind you."
"No, why do you always want to compete with me? We are husband and wife, not rivals."
Lin Nanjiang was so frightened that he almost jumped up, and quickly denied it three times, "I'm not, I didn't, I..."
Liu Suqin waved her hand and interrupted, "Even if we have to compare, I should be the one with low self-esteem. You can make 50,000 or 60,000 yuan a month running a shop and setting up a stall, while I can only make 3,000 yuan a month, which is good. Have you ever looked down on me?"
Lin Nanjiang said firmly, "No, even if you don't work and have no income, I will never despise you! Besides, if you open a shop next year, with your ability, your income will sooner or later exceed mine."
"Income exceeds yours? You're overthinking it. With such a small shop, I'll be satisfied if the monthly profit can catch up to half of yours." These days, the catering industry is the one that makes the most profits, with low costs and high returns. The biggest disadvantage is that it is more labor-intensive for the boss.
If she wanted to surpass Lin Nanjiang, she had to at least double the size of her store, which would require double the investment. They didn't have a store that met the requirements, so they had to find another place to rent. Outside shops might even have to pay a transfer fee, so the investment in opening a store would more than double.
Yes, Liu Suqin has chosen the address for her store, which is the bungalow with a small courtyard under their name. It just so happens that the tenant said he will not renew the lease next year. She thinks the size and location of that house are more suitable. The most special thing is that there is a small courtyard. When the time comes, she will ask the designer to design the courtyard well and make it more beautiful and romantic. Maybe her store can become popular because of the environment.
Lin Nanjiang asked hesitantly, "Is your goal for opening a shop only half of my income?"
"What do you mean by just?" Liu Suqin couldn't help but roll her eyes. "Twenty or thirty thousand yuan a month is what so many people dream of. You're really making people hate you."
Lin Nanjiang listened to her expression, which was full of the extraordinary significance of 20,000 or 30,000 yuan. The last big stone in his heart finally fell to the ground, and he exhaled. "I thought you were in a hurry to open a store because I didn't make enough money. Now it seems that I was wrong."
Liu Suqin was stunned. "Why would you think that?"
Is it because she usually behaves particularly greedy?
Lin Nanjiang scratched his head, feeling a little embarrassed. "Maybe I'm too worried about losing. I'm always worried that my performance won't be good enough and that I'll disappoint you."
Liu Suqin reflected deeply for a second. Was she some kind of innate PUA saint? How could she make Kuku's money-making husband lose confidence without anyone noticing?
The next second, she dropped her joking thoughts and explained seriously, "It's the exact opposite. I'm planning to open a shop because I hope to share some of the financial pressure. You can also consider changing jobs. The profits from setting up a food stall are indeed quite considerable, but the rewards are proportional to the effort. Every penny you earn is hard-earned money. It's tiring and exhausting. Doing this for years on end will not take it on your body."
"I won't change, at least not in the next few years. Wife, you also said that the catering industry has considerable profits. Since I'm in this industry, and my noodle shop and night snack stall are doing well, how can I change my career so easily? As for hard work, making money is always hard. With Quansheng and I's physical fitness, we don't have to think about this problem at least before we are thirty years old." Knowing that his wife's starting point was all for his own good, Lin Nanjiang felt it was sweeter than eating honey. Liu Suqin's persuasion not only didn't make him listen, but instead gave him a boost in disguise.
Just as Liu Suqin was diligently preparing to stand her last shift, Lin Nanjiang also threw himself into his work with great enthusiasm.
I don't know how he convinced Lin Quansheng. The two of them, who were supposed to close down in the middle and early part of the twelfth lunar month, were busy until the 20th day of the twelfth lunar month just like her. Unexpectedly, the noodle shop business was quite good, with daily turnover maintained at around one thousand. The extra income during this period was enough to buy another brand-name bag for his wife in Hong Kong. Lin Nanjiang enjoyed his work.
Unfortunately, the urban village was almost deserted and business was very bad, so they stopped setting up stalls there a few days ago and focused on running the noodle shop, keeping busy until Liu Suqin officially went on vacation.
On the second day of the holiday, Liu Suqin and Lin Nanjiang, one driving and the other riding a three-wheeled motorcycle, personally took the whole family to catch the train.
She was still at work, and Lin Nanjiang continued to operate. The two elders, who could have taken a holiday early, refused to go back and insisted on waiting until they finished their work before leaving, even though Liu Suqin and her family did not plan to return to their hometown this year.
However, Liu Suqin's family of three was missing, but Lin Quansheng and Li Xiaoqing were added, and the team returning home was still huge.
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