Chapter 8, Chapter 203...
Chapter 203
Leqian came to the modern world with his father when he was six months old. By the time he was nine months old, Wen Shi had fully adapted to and become familiar with modern life.
That day, Chen Yuxuan returned home from get off work and Wen Shi brought out the meal that had been prepared in advance. During the meal, he talked about his plans.
"I want to go out and earn money."
Chen Yuxuan was taken aback. To outsiders, the two of them seemed to be in a somewhat reversed relationship, but in modern society, men and women are equal.
As long as they feel there's nothing wrong with it, then there's no problem, and there won't be that much social pressure.
What should we do about our son?
The small bed has now been fitted with a safety railing, and the room that Chen Yuxuan is currently renting doesn't have enough space for the child to play.
The most convenient place is still the bed.
He usually plays with toys on the bed, or I take him to the park when I smell him.
“It will take at least two years before he can go to school, and then we'll have to pick him up and drop him off. It's not realistic for him to go to work. Besides, although you are strong, construction work is very hard. Right now, my salary can cover the living expenses of our family of three, so you can stay home and take care of the child.”
"When he grows up and goes to school, let's go back to our hometown then."
This is Chen Yuxuan's current plan.
The family of three lives together now. She saves a little money on food, clothing, housing, and transportation each month, and she can still save more than a thousand yuan from her salary.
The rent is 2,000 yuan, and the child's monthly expenses are 1,500 yuan, with milk powder being the biggest expense. There's no way around it. We give Wen Shi 800 yuan a month for groceries. In big cities, the only expensive thing is the rent. If we cook for ourselves, it's much cheaper than ordering takeout. Chen Yuxuan eats at home every morning and evening.
The remaining thousand yuan is her monthly commuting and lunch expenses. When the child is older and turns one year old, he won't need to drink that goat milk powder anymore, and switching to regular cow milk powder wouldn't be a problem.
It's unrealistic to raise children in luxury without money, Chen Yuxuan knew this perfectly well, but life hadn't reached the point where they couldn't make ends meet.
"After that, you can decide what kind of business to start; that would be best."
Wen frowned slightly.
“I saw that a nearby construction site is hiring people to carry bricks and build houses. They pay 800 yuan a day, which is a lot of money.”
Before he became successful, during the early years of the Great Qi Dynasty, he had worked as a porter, carrying goods at the docks. He was a man who could endure hardship.
Deep down, he is still quite traditional. Now that he can adapt to the times, he wants to go out and earn money so that his wife can support the whole family on her own.
“You can certainly earn a lot on construction sites, but it’s very hard work.”
“I took him to the mall before, where there was a childcare center. They said that you could send him there once he was three months old. It cost five thousand a month and the hours were from eight in the morning to seven in the evening.”
"The house is a bit small. Once I make some money, we'll move to a bigger house."
On the bed, the child babbled and held onto the bed railing. He was able to stand for a few seconds before sitting back down.
He was very happy. Chen Yuxuan looked at Wen Shi's determined expression. Once a person makes up his mind, he will definitely go.
Given the current situation, even if they return to their hometown, they won't be able to bring back much money. They can only save a very limited amount right now, and they can't go without food and drink.
"Maybe I should change jobs?" Chen Yuxuan thought, then shook her head. It wasn't realistic. Her family couldn't afford any more trouble right now. Quitting her job was easy, but finding a new one wouldn't be so easy. She'd have to consider things like commuting.
"Here's what you're going to do: ask around tomorrow and ask if you can work part-time for two days this weekend. I can stay home and take care of the kids while you go out and earn money. That way, you'll have eight days off a month, and as you said before, you can earn some extra money to help with household expenses."
Arguing won't solve anything; we need to discuss it.
Chen Yuxuan finally suggested a compromise.
The child is so young and can't speak yet, so it's best to take care of him/her yourself.
Wen Shi looked at his wife and nodded.
"As for houses, let's look at them when he's a bit bigger."
The minimum rent here is one month's deposit and three months' rent in advance. It's not good to live in the village with children. It's better to live in a sunny apartment complex.
"Alright then."
In modern society, he has become accustomed to it and knows what kind of work he is capable of doing.
Wen Shi was not afraid of hardship or fatigue, and he had not forgotten the words the immortal had spoken when he was brought here.
One thing cannot be ignored: to live, you need money.
Realistically speaking, the child will need money for education, marriage, and other future pursuits.
Even if you don't help him buy a house or a car, at least give the child some money. Otherwise, without any savings, he will have a hard time in the future.
The construction site was certainly short of manpower, especially young people. After Wen Shi took his child to ask around, the foreman at the construction site looked at his fairly strong physique and was quite satisfied with him.
“Taking care of children is a woman’s job. We’re short-handed right now. Why don’t you go back and talk to your wife and ask her to stay home and take care of the children? You can come with me. It’ll be hard work, but you’ll definitely earn a good amount.”
Despite the foreman's earnest invitation, Wen Shi shook his head without hesitation.
To some extent, his wife was right. The child is definitely the most important thing. Unless absolutely necessary, the child should not be out of sight. Better safe than sorry.
"I can only come on weekends. If that doesn't work, then forget it."
In addition, he has another job option. He used to stay at home taking care of his children and he can cook. Sometimes when he takes his children out for a walk, he will meet some elderly people.
Some people gossip, saying he's a freeloader who lives off women, but others see that he takes good care of his children and cares about them quite a bit.
He had previously revealed his desire to make money.
Immediately, an elderly person told him that they could introduce him to a part-time job at a breakfast shop, where he could make steamed buns and prepare fillings, which wouldn't interfere with taking care of his child.
From 3 a.m. to 7 a.m. the next morning, these are the hours when the breakfast shop prepares breakfast. If he is willing to help out, he can be paid 20 yuan per hour. He does odd jobs and gets paid as soon as he finishes.
You can earn 100 yuan by working five hours a day.
Wen Shi naturally knows the prices in shopping malls and supermarkets.
He doesn't mind this job; as long as it earns money, it can help supplement his family's income.
At the same time, it doesn't affect his ability to take care of his child.
At this time, the children are sleeping at home, and the wife is also there.
But compared to the higher pay on construction sites, this wage is rather low, so he hasn't told his wife yet.
Seeing that Wen Shi was about to leave, the foreman immediately grabbed his elbow.
"Okay, let's add each other on WeChat, and you can come and work on the weekend."
A new shopping mall has been built here, and it's quite large. Some workers have left, and some new ones have come.
Wen Shi took out his phone; he was now proficient at using it.
"It's settled then, I'll come over this weekend, and we'll take it one day at a time."
"good."
On construction sites, many jobs are filled by experienced workers mentoring newcomers.
When he got home that day, he told his wife the news, and Chen Yuxuan nodded.
I work eight days a month out of thirty, as long as I get paid.
Wen Shi is doing well, and he even wants to earn money to supplement his family's income. He's not unrealistic or unrealistic. To put it bluntly, some people wouldn't be able to do it.
"There's something else I've been thinking about. I think I should go. There's a breakfast shop downstairs. An old man there told me I could work there for 20 yuan an hour. It's just helping out with things like making steamed buns. It's not tiring. I'd like to go."
Chen Yuxuan put down her water glass and stared straight at Wen Shi.
“This won’t interfere with me taking care of the child. I’ll just go there at 3 a.m. every day and come back to take care of the child at 7 a.m. the next morning. You can go to work.”
Aren't you tired?
Wen Shi shook his head upon hearing this.
“My child is getting older, and he usually wakes up at 10 a.m. He gets up at 7 a.m., has milk, and then goes back to sleep. I go to bed at 8 p.m., so I get plenty of sleep.”
He doesn't stay up late looking at his phone, which is definitely an advantage.
“You said we’d go back to our hometown when our child grows up, because he needs to go to school. But we can’t just go back empty-handed. We don’t have a house or a car. We’ll have to buy those things later. When he grows up and gets married, we’ll have to pay for the bride price and all that will cost money.”
Hearing this, he explained his words directly.
After a while, Chen Yuxuan sighed.
"I won't stop you. If you want to go, then go for it. You have an ID card now, and you're an adult."
As for Wen Shi's age in modern times, he is the same age as Chen Yuxuan.
"Be sure to pay attention to safety. If you feel too tired, don't do it. Your health is important."
"good."
Wen Shi was quite excited when he heard this.
Next, he actually went and did it.
He works part-time at a breakfast stall from Monday to Friday.
On weekends, I work at a nearby construction site. It pays 800 yuan a day. The construction is in a rush, so normally workers are only paid after the work is finished. Some workers have a hard time getting their money back.
However, at present, due to some policy reasons, workers' wages are guaranteed to some extent.
Wen Shi also asks for money, and he wants to be paid on the same day the job is done. He doesn't accept being paid once a month, otherwise he'll just leave it at that.
He had at least seen the news.
Fortunately, this was a collaboration between a large developer and a construction company, so the payment was quite prompt and the funds were sufficient.
He worked like this for a month and actually made some money. Although it was tiring, he gradually got used to it.
Every afternoon, he has to hold his child and sleep for two or three hours. He doesn't go to the construction site every day; frankly, he only goes two days a week.
It's a breakfast shop where everyone sits and makes steamed buns. The owner treats him fairly well; there's not much to do, as long as he does his job well.
Every day after he finished his work, he would transfer money to him via WeChat before leaving.
After receiving the money, he would save it up first. At the end of the month, he would only keep 500 yuan for himself to buy groceries, and transfer the rest to Chen Yuxuan in one lump sum.
With her income suddenly increasing, Chen Yuxuan was less anxious than before.
On Saturday, Chen Yuxuan heard a knock on the door. Holding her child, she thought it was Wen Shi, but when she opened the door, it was her friend Yu Sisi.
Whose child is this?
Seeing the child in Chen Yuxuan's arms, Yu Sisi, who was holding strawberries, was also stunned.
"You, you come in first, I'll explain it to you slowly."
The little guy wasn't shy at all when people came to visit, even though Wen Shi used to take him out often.
When Yu Sisi entered the house, she thought it might be a relative's house, but she was shocked when she saw the milk powder cans and toys on the bed.
"Don't tell me this is your child?"
"It's mine."
Yu Sisi suddenly yelled. She sat on the sofa, unscrewed an unopened bottle of mineral water, and drank more than half of it in one go.
"Tell me, how did you get here? Tell me why I haven't been able to get in touch with you lately. So you've been staying home taking care of the kids? If I hadn't suddenly come over today, how long would you have kept this from me?"
"Wait a minute, you weren't pregnant before."
Despite her work commitments, Chen Yuxuan still had a vivid imagination. She first put the child on the bed, gave him a new toy, and then, holding Yu Sisi's hand, began to explain.
"Is there anyone who doesn't know they're pregnant?"
After hearing what she said, Yu Sisi thought it was ridiculous.
"I really didn't know. I wasn't showing, and my period was still coming. Then my stomach started hurting, and I gave birth right away."
"Who's his father? Is he your ex-boyfriend who's practically dead?"
"Of course not. It was a handsome young man I met later. He was a very reliable person, but unfortunately he was an orphan."
What does he do?
Her friend seemed determined to get to the bottom of things, knowing how shocked she was, but Chen Yuxuan could only try her best to smooth things over.
After she finished speaking, Yu Sisi shook her shoulders vigorously.
"Are you crazy? Why are you following a man who has nothing?"
“Well, here, even though we have children, they didn’t just leave.”
Looking at the baby crying loudly at her on the bed, Yu Sisi gestured for Chen Yuxuan to bring the baby over.
"Since things have come to this, there's nothing more I can say to you, sister."
“His dad is a very good person, and he's currently working and taking care of the child.”
That's the truth. It's hard work to make money, but he didn't give up. His strengths outweigh his weaknesses; he's very pragmatic.
"Come here, son, let your godmother give you a hug."
Yu Sisi glared at Chen Yuxuan.
"You're hopeless, with a love-struck and maternal-obsessed mindset. But this apartment is too small. Once you have a child, you'll be busy making money. We should move to a one-bedroom apartment with a living room so the child has more room to play. This place is too small."
If it's a one-bedroom apartment in a nearby residential complex, the price starts at 3,800 yuan. This is an older complex. If it's a newer one, the price is over 4,000 yuan.
When Chen Yuxuan first came to rent the house, she had already inquired with the real estate agent.
"I didn't plan to stay here permanently. He'll definitely have to go back to his hometown for school in the future."
“If you go back to your hometown, your salary will be half less, not to mention your husband, who is probably not as well off as you.”
“There are regular private schools here. If it doesn’t work out, you can let your child go there first. There are fewer and fewer children now, so it won’t be too competitive.”
"When he's in elementary school, you can consider whether he can work hard, earn more money, and go back to see if he can start a business or something."
Yu Sisi accepted the reality that her friend had become a mother. Fortunately, her friend didn't have much contact with her family, and their relationship was mostly superficial. Otherwise, if she hadn't done this, her parents would have been furious.
"Two more years, then we'll see how I do my job."
There's a saying that's true: "When you're poor, you have to leave your hometown."
She herself doesn't have a Beijing household registration, and she can't settle down here with her child. Considering the future, she will definitely have to go back eventually, sooner or later.
"Now that you've got your marriage certificate, it's too late for me to say anything. From now on, take better care of yourself, get the kids ready, and let's go out for a stroll."
This time, Chen Yuxuan did not refuse.
"Come here, sweet baby, let your godmother hold you. It's a pity your mother is heartless. You're so good-looking now, you must have been even better-looking when you were little."
"Send me some photos of the kids later."
There aren't many photos of the child, and when Chen Yuxuan saw him, he was already six months old.
There are some photos of him afterward. Sometimes he is very cute, and Chen Yuxuan will take pictures of him with her phone to record it.
"When he turns one, we'll take pictures of him together."
"Alright, let me see your man then."
The two walked side by side. Yu Sisi really liked the child; he was fair-skinned, cute, chubby, and even smiled at her.
Chen Yu-hsuan simply carried the diaper bag and occasionally said a few words to her.
The two went to an old shopping mall nearby and found a restaurant.
"I was planning to order takeout for lunch."
Can the baby eat now?
Chen Yuxuan isn't very good at taking care of children, so she mostly searches online. Now he's eating complementary foods, but he basically has a bowl of millet porridge every morning.
Before bed, I eat a small steamed bun, but I still mainly drink milk.
"Then let's get him some plain porridge."
"Alright."
"This child is really good-looking."
The two ate beef hot pot. The little guy was very well-behaved when drinking porridge, and Yu Sisi helped feed him, which she found amazing.
"I also want to have one."
"Let it happen, it's only a matter of time."
"Let's wait a few years. In the next few years, let's focus on making money. If you need more money later, just let me know."
“It’s enough. I can’t take hardship. If I really can’t make it, I’ll immediately take him to your house and beg to be taken care of.”
"Ha ha."
In the afternoon, after Yu Sisi went home, Chen Yuxuan took the child home and carefully looked around the house; it was indeed a bit small.
When the lease expires, I'll see if I can change it. Either I'll rent a bigger master bedroom, or I'll just get a one-bedroom apartment.
When Wen Shi returned in the evening, he was visibly exhausted, but he changed his clothes as usual.
He can accept this; making money is never easy.
After finding work outside, he fell asleep as soon as his head hit the pillow.
Having spent more time with him, Chen Yuxuan no longer stays up late. Now, the family of three can go to bed no later than nine o'clock at night. Before, at that time, Chen Yuxuan would still be exploring the canyon.
After the child came to live with Wen Shi, her life gradually became healthier.
Once I really decided to move, things became much easier. Winter was fast approaching, and in the north, adults could live without heating, but children couldn't.
After thinking it over, I still think a one-room apartment is the best.
In the end, they rented a small one-bedroom apartment in the same neighborhood. It was a little over 40 square meters and the rent came to a little over 4,000 yuan. Just in time for paying the heating bill, Chen and Xuan paid the money together.
Heating is essential this year; otherwise, if the child gets sick and has to go to the hospital, the heating costs will be much higher than this.
Not long after winter arrived, the construction site was completed and the work was over. The weather got cold, so Wen Shi stopped going there. For the past two months, he had worked on the construction site for about 20 days, earning 800 yuan a day, and had made a total of more than 10,000 yuan, nearly 20,000 yuan.
This amount of money is just right for renting a place.
Even after arriving in modern times, he wasn't very materialistic. His main concern was food, which he could cook at home. Moreover, after watching the news so much, he didn't like eating out too often and mostly cooked at home.
I still go to the steamed bun shop as usual. After a month, I get more than two thousand yuan, which helps supplement my household income.
Winters in the capital are bitterly cold, with frequent winds and snow. The child doesn't go out and plays alone in the living room. Wen Shi spends the day with him, and he is very happy.
For the New Year, Chen Yuxuan didn't plan to go back home and eventually found an excuse to stay in the capital.
On the eve of the Lunar New Year, Wen Shi was preparing the New Year's Eve dinner in the kitchen. Renting a whole apartment would indeed be more convenient with the children.
The Spring Festival Gala was playing on TV, and the child sat on the sofa with Yingxiang to watch it, laughing happily.
The room in the rented house isn't big, but the living room is okay. We only let him watch TV during the Chinese New Year; otherwise, we don't.
Wen Shi followed the recipe on her phone and made six dishes and a soup, a very satisfying meal with meat and vegetables.
Chen Yuxuan picked up her phone and saw a transfer.
"Here's the New Year's money for my godson, hurry up and take it."
Chen Yuxuan did not refuse.
Unfortunately, the child can't speak yet.
She could only reply on her behalf, thanking her godmother.
Previously, Wen Shi wasn't making money, and she didn't save much money during those months. But now that Wen Shi has started making money, she has saved some more in the past two months.
There will be a year-end bonus after the New Year. If I don't spend it recklessly, my daily income will be enough to live on.
Although rents have increased recently, there's also another person making money.
She only hoped that she could get a raise after the New Year, which would be even better.
When the child turns one year old next spring, we can switch to regular milk powder. Gradually, he will be able to eat solid food and won't need to rely on milk powder to grow.
Chen Yuxuan looked out the window; every household had its lights on.
Life isn't without hope. In today's society, the lives of ordinary people aren't so difficult that they can't survive. As long as they work hard, they won't be unable to afford food.
As expected, we didn't finish dinner, so we ate dumplings for breakfast and then had another meal.
When Leqian turned three, he was old enough to go to school.
Wen Shi discussed future matters with Chen Yuxuan.
After discussing it, the two decided to stay in the capital for three years. There were affordable private kindergartens there, and Chen Yuxuan's salary also increased.
Wen Shi hasn't been idle either. In the past two years, he has always taken time out on weekends to do part-time jobs and has been making money, although it's just not stable.
After his child started school, he had more free time and naturally started thinking about doing other things to make money.
He doesn't have many job options, so his salary is naturally limited.
He never gave up on the steamed bun shop. If he wanted to buy a house back in his hometown, the capital city was still the fastest place to make money.
Ideally, the couple should have enough money to make a down payment on a house before the child starts elementary school.
There's no need for a brand new, existing house. With a child, buying a small two-bedroom apartment that you can move into right away is the most suitable option.
After the child started school, the monthly expenses were 1,500 yuan, but there was no longer any money for formula or diapers. We only needed to buy clothes for daily use. He was in good health and had completed all his vaccinations. He was able to attend a private, affordable kindergarten near where they lived.
Yingxiang can pick them up and drop them off at school in the morning and evening. Sometimes she'll pick them up a little late, but it's only a ten-yuan late fee per hour, which the couple can accept.
When I had some free time, I quit my job at the steamed bun shop.
He contacted the foreman again and decided to go work on a construction site, where he could earn more money. Of course, he only went to reliable ones.
Three years passed like this. During the summer vacation when Wen Leqian graduated from kindergarten, the two packed their things and took their child back to their hometown.
They currently have nearly 300,000 yuan in savings, which is enough for a down payment on a small house back in their hometown.
When Yingxiang left, she also withdrew her housing provident fund accumulated over the past few years.
It's better to buy a house in your place of household registration. Before going back, Chen Yuxuan sent a message to her father and, unsurprisingly, was scolded for a few days.
Later, things got a little unpleasant, but she had to live her own life, and even without her parents' help, she could manage just the same.
They took their child and money back to their hometown. In the sweltering summer, the couple looked at houses for several days and finally paid a down payment of 250,000 yuan to buy a small two-bedroom, 60-square-meter second-hand apartment. They will pay off the remaining amount slowly with monthly mortgage payments.
The advantage of buying a second-hand house is that you can move in with your children immediately.
Chen Yuxuan later found a job with a monthly salary of nearly four thousand.
After that, they rented a small shop nearby for 4,500 yuan a month and opened a small store for Wen Shi.
He can run the business on his own, and it's an easier way to make money. Physical labor isn't a long-term solution, and for now, the two of them are at least homeowners.
The mortgage is for ten years, and the monthly payment is two thousand, so the pressure won't be too great.
The convenience store business gradually stabilized. After deducting all costs, the monthly income was about five or six thousand yuan. During holidays, the sales of gifts could bring in even more money. In a small town, that was quite good.
As the child grew up, life improved, and the hardship only lasted a few years. Leqian was very hardworking, and the couple didn't hold back too much, arranging various tutoring classes for him.
When Leqian was nine years old, Wenshi and Chen Yuxuan used most of their savings from the past few years to pay off their mortgage.
More than a year later, they bought a car.
Seeing that Wen Shi was a down-to-earth, hardworking person who could manage a good life, Yu Sisi's opinion of him changed greatly after she had more contact with him.
In Yangcheng, prices are not high. They have a house to live in, a job to make a living, and a car. Their children are growing up and everything is progressing steadily.
Life is getting better and better.
Author's Note: End of Extra Chapter 2
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