After a week of continuous sales, all the Chinese cabbages in Taoyuanli were sold out. The remaining area was planted with tomatoes and green peppers, which were planted at different times. Some of them had already borne their first batch of ripe fruit, while others were only seedlings an inch tall.
The first batch of tomatoes and green peppers has already been harvested seven times, but it looks like new shoots are still sprouting. Zhang Guodong estimates that they should be able to harvest for another week. Planting once and harvesting for half a month is indeed much more convenient.
Within a week of selling, Zhang Guodong's vegetable brand became well-known in a small area. The vegetables were basically sold out before they even reached the fields, mostly by repeat customers.
According to the feedback, although Zhang Guodong's three kinds of vegetables were twice as expensive as those in the market, they were absolutely worth the price. Not only were they of excellent quality, but they also tasted ten times better than ordinary vegetables, which is no exaggeration.
Naturally, Zhang Guodong's income also increased significantly. Within a week, besides the 1,400 yuan he handed over to his mother, Ye Cuihua, he had another 8,000 yuan in his pocket, and he straightened his back. Zhang Zhengrong and Ye Cuihua knew that their son's business was thriving and that he was earning a considerable income every day, so their smiles broadened. Ye Cuihua, in particular, was delighted that her son dutifully handed over 200 yuan every day, which she saved, saying she would use it to help Zhang Guodong get married. Zhang Guodong was speechless for a long time, completely bewildered.
To be honest, he's over twenty-five, almost twenty-six, but he doesn't even have a girlfriend, let alone date anyone of the opposite sex. So now that he's settled down and has a decent income, his parents' worries have shifted to his marriage prospects.
The eldest brother, Zhang Guozheng, who works in another city, has a girlfriend, so his parents don't need to worry too much. The third brother, Zhang Guocai, also has a girlfriend and works in another city. That leaves Zhang Guodong alone!
When Zhang Guodong returned from selling vegetables that day, he heard laughter and voices coming from inside the house before he even entered. The voices sounded unfamiliar. When he entered, he found Zhang Zhengrong and Ye Cuihua there, along with a man and a woman, both of whom were elderly. Zhang Guodong vaguely recognized their faces.
Sure enough, as soon as Ye Cuihua saw her son return, she immediately introduced him: "Guodong, this is your aunt and your uncle!"
Zhang Guodong immediately shouted.
Ye Cuihua's relative Zhang Guodong was not very familiar with her. Everyone in Zhang Guodong's generation had gone their separate ways and had little contact with each other, so they seemed quite unfamiliar with each other.
However, many of her relatives from her maternal family have now left home and are doing quite well, establishing themselves in the outside world. Her aunt and uncle, in particular, are quite close to the Zhang family. Zhang Guodong could understand this; in the provincial capital, families don't visit each other, a stark contrast to the rural custom of visiting relatives and friends, which makes the closeness between them seem much stronger.
"This is your second son, Guodong? He's really handsome!" Aunt Ye Manhua was delighted to see her younger relative; he was indeed much more handsome than outsiders.
Zhang Guodong blushed slightly.
His condition is only considered a first- or third-degree disability. He is 1.7 meters tall and has an ordinary appearance, not handsome at all.
Upon hearing Ye Manhua's words, her uncle Zhao Delu smiled kindly and said, "Is Guodong's business going well? These young people these days are quite something!"
"He only makes a little money!" Ye Cuihua immediately said. "Big sister, if you find a suitable partner, you must talk to Guodong about it. Our Guodong is not young anymore!"
Upon hearing this, Zhang Guodong became anxious and hurriedly said, "Mom, your son is still young, it's not like no one wants him, it's not like you're in a hurry to get rid of him!"
"Haha!" Everyone burst into laughter.
It's rare for our house to be this lively. Only during Chinese New Year, when my eldest brother and third brother come back—especially my eldest brother, who tries to bring his girlfriend—does the house get busier. These past few years, we've mostly been worried about money.
Ye Cuihua laughed and scolded, and the matter faded away somewhat.
Thinking about it, it's true. Now that their son has his own business and it's quite profitable, he has money, so he naturally has to be selective about who he marries. Seeing that their son isn't in a hurry at all, the two elders somewhat agree.
Aunt Ye Manhua and Uncle Zhao Delu really wanted to see Zhang Guodong. After the two elders visited them last time, they felt a little guilty. If it were any other time, they would definitely be able to help. There was a shortage of cleaning staff at the hospital, but it was the end of the year and the hospital had no new recruitment plans until next year.
"Let's not look for a hospital job for now. Guodong is doing a small business recently. We'll wait until the weather gets warmer before making any moves!" Ye Cuihua changed the subject to business.
Listening, Zhang Guodong understood. The two elders hadn't given up on that idea, and he was getting anxious. Life would get better and better in the future; how could he let them go out to work at their age? Zhang Guodong was a hundred times unwilling.
So he said, "Auntie, Uncle, working at the hospital must be tough, right? Dealing with that hospital smell all day isn't good for your health. Mom, you can just relax and enjoy your life. I'll earn the money from now on!"
Uncle laughed and said, "Zhengrong, listen to Guodong, and you'll be able to enjoy the good life from now on!"
“Working at the hospital isn’t busy, it’s just that I don’t earn much money, but it’s around 1,200 or 1,300 a month. We’re getting old now, we don’t need to go anywhere else. Guodong, you have to work hard to earn money, and when you have enough, buy a house here. It’s best not to go back to that remote mountain village!” Ye Manhua said.
Zhang Guodong immediately chimed in, "That's for sure. A 100-square-meter house can definitely be bought in a good location for 400,000 to 500,000 yuan. The renovation will only cost 600,000 to 700,000 yuan. You can earn that much in two or three years!"
When Zhang Guodong uttered this boastful statement, his father, Zhang Zhengrong, frowned and said with displeasure, "Two or three years? You're just talking big. You still need to do your job steadily. Money doesn't come so easily."
“Dad’s right, hey!” Remembering he shouldn’t talk back to his dad, Zhang Guodong realized he’d slipped up a bit and immediately started flattering him.
When Aunt and Uncle chatted with the two elders, they talked about things in their hometown or their children. The old lady, Ye Cuihua, listened with envy. Aunt's children were all older than Zhang Guodong and his family, and they had all started their own families and had grandchildren. Their living conditions were much better than they had been seven or eight years ago.
When it was time for lunch, Zhang Guodong took a break and went into Taoyuan. He picked a few tomatoes and a few large green peppers. Although he had been selling vegetables for a week, he hadn't eaten any himself yet, so he decided to try them today.
The Ye sisters were busy cooking when they saw Zhang Guodong carrying tomatoes and large green peppers upstairs. They asked in confusion, "Guodong, didn't we already have tomatoes and green peppers? Why did you buy more?"
"This is different!" Zhang Guodong said. "Mom, these two are not the same as regular tomatoes and green peppers. They cost twice as much, but I heard they're delicious. Aunt and Uncle have come all this way today, so let's try them out!"
Sure enough, at the dinner table, not only did my aunt and uncle rave about the tomato and egg dish and the shredded pork and green pepper dish, but even my father, Zhang Zhengrong, exclaimed in surprise, "These two dishes are quite good! Your cooking skills have improved a lot!"
He thought his mother Ye Cuihua's cooking skills had improved a lot, but when she changed to other dishes, they tasted just average. He couldn't help but exclaim in surprise, clearly puzzled.
Ye Cuihua didn't explain, but glared fiercely at her son. This brat, where did he buy these vegetables? He made his old mother look bad. But these vegetables definitely taste different.
"Guodong, these must be the groceries you bought, right?" Auntie asked.
Zhang Guodong grunted in agreement. "I guess you could say I bought it? After all, seeds are money too."
"Do they sell them where we live? How much per pound?" The aunt was very interested in the delicious tomatoes and green peppers.
"Tomatoes are six yuan a pound, and big green peppers are eight yuan a pound—" Zhang Guodong mumbled, chewing on his rice. These were the prices outside, which were a bit expensive.
"It's too expensive, twice as expensive as outside! Ugh, we can't afford it!" Auntie immediately lost interest upon hearing this. Their monthly income is just over two thousand yuan, and it's just for the elderly couple. This meal cost them over ten yuan, and it only included tomatoes and green peppers—it was incredibly painful.
Ye Cuihua also said, "It's delicious, but it's too expensive. You could buy several kilograms of potatoes for that price. I think shredded potatoes are more cost-effective!"
Zhang Guodong was sweating profusely.
Actually, my mother is good at managing the household and is very thrifty. On the contrary, my father doesn't care about household affairs, but he still managed to get by his whole life.
Zhang Zhengrong and his uncle ate in silence. In this respect, they seemed to have something in common: in this family, the woman still had to keep things in order.
After dinner, Aunt and Uncle got up to go home. Zhang Guodong saw them off at the bus stop. As they boarded the bus, he watched his mother holding his aunt's hand and whispering something to each other, glancing at Zhang Guodong every now and then.
Seeing this, Zhang Guodong knew perfectly well what was going on. His mother was definitely nagging him about finding a partner again. In her mind, if he could find a local family with only one daughter, he would have a house and a local household registration, which would be much easier. Zhang Guodong thought about it and felt a chill run down his spine. His mother's plan was brilliant; it was a decisive move, killing two birds with one stone.
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