Chapter 10 But standing in the shadows, Wang Xiaoya, in...
"Grandpa and grandma, this is 900 yuan. Nowadays, normal city workers only make 100 yuan a month. 900 yuan is their nine months' salary. For people around us, this 900 yuan is their total annual income. Some families don't even make that much money in a year.
With this money, you could definitely start a small business, or use it to renovate our house, like fixing up the windows and beams. You could even scrape together a little more and build three more rooms west of our house to turn into a street-side shop. But definitely don't use this money to buy anything heavy, like a washing machine or a refrigerator. It's not worth buying them right now."
Chen Pan spoke from the heart. Having lived for nearly thirty years, her biggest puzzlement was the price of appliances and cars in her country. As far back as she could remember, the cheapest items were around seven or eight hundred yuan and over thirty thousand yuan. And when she was about to die, regardless of how other prices changed, the cheapest washing machines and refrigerators seemed to remain around a few hundred yuan, while the cheapest cars still seemed to be over thirty thousand yuan. In this day and age, if you weren't incredibly wealthy, with only a few hundred yuan, spending several months' or even a year's income on a piece of metal was simply not worth it.
“…”
Chen Pan's reaction was too big. Seeing her excited and almost standing up, Grandpa Chen, who was wearing a dark red sweater, laughed out loud: "Child, I didn't expect you to think so much. But without a washing machine, you might have to continue washing clothes like this with us during the New Year in the future--"
"We wash clothes, that's all. We only wash clothes once a year. Normally, and in the hot summer, washing clothes isn't a big deal for us. And not buying clothes now doesn't mean we won't buy them later. What I mean is, neither a washing machine nor a refrigerator are essential for us right now. If you really want to do something with this little money, I think starting a small business or opening a shop would be better than buying a washing machine, which we don't particularly need right now."
If they had the money, buying a house in the city or town would be the most cost-effective option. But even if houses were cheap now, they couldn't afford one with just a few hundred dollars. So, Chen Pan said this was the option that best suited their family situation, and that her grandparents were capable and likely willing to do it.
"Old man, Panpan is telling the truth. The idea of a washing machine or not was just something I came up with without thinking clearly. Given our family's situation, we should really use the money to repair the house. Or, as Panpan said, we can build a few more rooms on the west side and open a shop in the future."
"We really should build a few more houses."
Chen Pan wanted to open a small shop at home to generate income. Grandma Chen was reminded by her granddaughter and also felt that it was inappropriate to use the family's only money to buy an iron lump, but Grandpa Chen thought very far ahead.
Looking deeply at Chen Pan, who was only fourteen years old, Chen Aiguo suddenly lowered his voice and said seriously, "Panpan, do you think we should build a few houses on the west side so that we can open a small shop in the future?"
"Well, we live on the edge of the village. In front of our door is the village road, and behind the west wall is the rural road built by the government connecting various villages. Living at such a crossroads, if our family money doesn't need to buy a house, and you don't want to run a small business outside, then opening a small shop is undoubtedly the best option."
"So what do you think we should sell?"
Chen Aiguo became interested and asked seriously.
Grandma Chen got off the kang and picked up a small aluminum pot that was hot on the stove. She also asked excitedly: "Yes, what should we sell? If we sell general merchandise, we definitely can't compete with the supply and marketing cooperative. Selling meat, soy sauce, vinegar, etc., we live on the edge of the village, and no one will come over."
"Wow, it's sauerkraut and blood sausage—"
Chen Pan exclaimed in amazement at the dinner his grandmother had served him. Then, after a short rest, he regained his energy and began to talk with his chopsticks. "If we open a shop here, the business we do won't be from our village, but from the villagers, students, and drivers passing through this road from other villages. Like soda popsicles in the summer, instant noodles and spicy noodles that students from other villages buy in our village, and cigarettes and beer that the workers need."
But these are just a side job for soliciting customers. If you grandparents don't mind, the best things to sell here are wreaths and burning paper. I've looked carefully, and no one in our village or the surrounding villages sells these. If we need to buy those things, it seems we have to take a bus to Chenjiabao, right? So if we must do business, I think this one is the most cost-effective at the moment. And most importantly—"
"What is it?"
Chen Aiguo had originally just been asking casually, but by this point his expression had grown more serious. When Grandma Chen handed over the blood sausage soup, he even placed the first bowl in front of Chen Pan.
"People in the countryside are superstitious about this. If you sell this, they basically won't bargain with you. Even if they do, they won't haggle like they would with other things. So as long as your price is right, the wreath business from several nearby villages will basically go to us in the end."
"Amazing! You're worthy of being educated. You have a very flexible mind."
Even though Chen Aiguo had agreed to buy a washing machine for his wife before, he was not 100% in his heart. At this moment, he completely changed his mind.
"Let's not talk about those nonsense things for now. It's so late. Let's eat quickly and then send the food in the pot."
Grandma Chen actually didn't like the business that her granddaughter and her husband were discussing. She said it subconsciously, and then she started to arrange how everyone would serve the blood sausage soup later.
"I'll go take my great grandfather and second grandfather home!"
In Qingshui Village, it's a tradition to treat the neighbors to a pig-killing feast when a pig is slaughtered. Although Chen Pan's family sold the pig to the Xue family, they took back the pig's blood and offal, and kept 50 kilograms of pork, so it counted as a pig-killing. According to village tradition, their family also slaughtered the New Year pig. So, even if they didn't hold a pig-killing feast, they should have served some pig-killing dishes to everyone. This was a long-standing tradition in Qingshui Village, and Chen Pan had been mentally prepared for it from the beginning.
"Then I'll send some to Yangyang and Xiaosi's family."
The great-grandfather and second-grandfather Chen Pan mentioned were Grandpa Chen's own brothers, while the Yangyang family and Xiaosi family Grandpa Chen was referring to were his two cousins. In their family, Grandpa Chen's two cousins were the oldest and most senior. They managed the family tree for all the Chen family members in their village, as well as all funeral and wedding arrangements. So, whenever the Chen family had something delicious, everyone in the family would subconsciously send some to the two elderly men, who were almost eighty years old. Whenever they encountered them in the village, everyone would instinctively invite them in for a meal.
"Then I will be responsible for delivering to the neighbors nearby—"
Knowing that everyone might be waiting tonight, Grandma Chen tilted her body to glance at the big pendulum clock in the main hall, and then immediately urged everyone to eat quickly again.
"Okay, got it. I'll finish it soon." Looking down at the blood sausage, pig heart and liver in the bowl, Chen Pan sighed with satisfaction. Finally, he simply picked up the big bowl and started to eat.
"It's okay, it's only eight o'clock, it's not too late, just let Panpan eat slowly!"
In the winter, it gets dark very early. When they come back at around 5:00, it's already a little dark outside. But actually, there's still a little time before everyone goes to bed at 9:00 or 10:00.
"I'm just worried that your two older brothers and sisters-in-law will fall asleep before nine o'clock, otherwise these things will be cheaply given to the younger ones in their family."
Grandma Chen, who was also enjoying her blood sausage and pig offal, slowly expressed her concerns.
"No, it's impossible for them to make such a good thing without telling the elderly at home."
Although he had a falling out with his two brothers and sister-in-law, Grandpa Chen still felt sorry for them. Upon hearing this, his eyes widened subconsciously, as if he would give anyone who dared to snatch the things he gave them a hard time.
Thinking of the elders who were the first to send them money in their previous life.
Chen Pan smiled lightly and said nothing more. He just ate his meal peacefully.
After dinner, Chen Pan immediately set off with two large plastic bags prepared by his grandmother.
It's unclear where her grandmother found the clean, thick plastic bags that Chen Pan carried with her. This time, she carried the sauerkraut and blood sausage rice in a large plastic bag, the same thick ones restaurants use for takeout. Besides a heavy bag of blood sausage rice for each family, her grandmother also chopped about a pound of pork, small intestines, and liver for each household. She packed everything meticulously and instructed Chen Pan on how to distribute it.
Chen Pan walked quickly, clutching the plastic bags tightly in both hands. He was afraid that if he walked too fast, the bags would burst. He was also afraid that if he walked too slowly, the blood sausage soup inside would get cold.
"Grandpa and Grandma——"
Chen Pan's great-grandfather and second-grandfather both lived above the supply and marketing cooperative. Although they also belonged to the upper village outside Qingshui Village, their location was only 300 to 400 meters away from the supply and marketing cooperative and the spring. So their location was much better than Chen Pan's, but also a little further away.
"Panpan, I heard your grandfather sold the pigs. Do you know how many pounds they weighed?"
The reason why Grandpa Chen and his two brothers had a bad relationship was because Grandpa Chen and Grandma Chen did not adopt their grandson at the time, and finally adopted Chen Pan, a child from outside.
Although the three brothers have been seeing each other less and less these years, and whenever they sit together, they are always at odds with each other, they are still very friendly to Chen Pan, their younger generation who has grown up.
Both of them opened the door for Chen Pan and brought their grandchildren to chat with her for a while. When Chen Pan finally left, the chubby Grandfather Chen asked his aunt to pack a plastic bag of walnuts for Chen Pan. At Second Grandfather Chen's house, he asked his wife to pack a plastic bag of egg cake for Chen Pan.
"Give it to your grandparents to try. They used to love sweet treats like this. Your aunt brought this over last time. We don't like it, and it's been sitting there for ages."
The skinny second grandfather spoke calmly.
"Yes, yes!!" The second grandma, who looked particularly thin and honest in her headscarf, nodded in agreement with one tooth showing.
"Well, okay, then I'll let my grandparents try this egg cake when I get home. They haven't eaten this in a long time."
Of all Chen Pan's grandparents, the second grandmother in front of him was the first to pass away. Looking at this honest, thin old lady with a face full of hardship and vicissitudes, Chen Pan felt sad and couldn't help but chat with her for a while.
Chen Pan delivered food to the homes of his grandfather's two brothers. When Grandpa Chen went to live with his two oldest cousins, Grandma Chen also delivered food to several nearby neighbors.
After delivering the food to several nearby neighbors, he looked at the sauerkraut and blood sausage soup left in the big pot and thought about the help the Wang family across the street had given him in the past.
Grandma Chen, who had scolded Wang's daughter-in-law before, hesitated for a long time, and finally washed the small aluminum pot and gritted her teeth to serve some to the Wang family across the street.
"Xiao Ya, don't blame me for being harsh about what happened last time. It was really—"
Everyone saw each other every day, and Xu Chunhua still wanted to maintain the most superficial harmonious relationship. She wanted to explain to the other party as a token of her gratitude.
But Wang Xiaoya, who was standing in the shadows, looked at her absentmindedly for a long time before finally unable to hold back and cautiously asked, "Auntie, why are you suddenly doing this to my family? Did you hear some rumors from somewhere?"
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