After entering the last month of the lunar calendar, the atmosphere of the New Year became stronger day by day. The morning market in the oil field was packed with people, and even the road leading to the Zidi Primary School was occupied by many stalls.

There were people selling clothing fabrics, various pickled New Year goods, candied haws, people making cotton candy, and there was even a tractor that came from nowhere, loaded with many large fish.

Except for the workers who were working normally, everyone started to get busy. After working hard for a year, shouldn't they wear something nice and eat something nice for the New Year? Women holding their children, sizing up clothes on the stalls, choosing at the stalls selling pickled meat and sausages, and many people gathered in front of the tractor selling fish, shouting at the top of their lungs in the fishy smell.

"This one is too small, I want the big one over there!"

"Five dollars is too expensive. These are children's clothes. Children grow fast and they will become too small after a few days. Please make them cheaper."

"Mom, I want to eat candied haws."

…

After the children had a holiday, Qian's mother took Qianqian back to the match factory. Now her eldest daughter's vermicelli factory was on track, and her youngest daughter didn't need much help. Before leaving, she made a batch of chili sauce and planned to sell it in the market outside the oil field.

Now Qian Mu's chili sauce business is also booming. Lin Xiaohui buys 100 bottles a month steadily, for her own consumption and for friends. I don't know if she makes any money from reselling. People in the compound have also developed a habit of going to the canteen to buy more after finishing a bottle. There are also several stall owners in the night market, especially the salty stall owners, who sell chili sauce with their own products. Qian Mu can make hundreds of dollars a month just from chili sauce. She was too busy before the New Year, so Zhou Hao said that he would register Qian Mu's chili sauce and Qian Qing's clothing brand after the New Year.

In the first half of 1983, the country issued the Trademark Law. Many people are not aware of this now, but Zhou Hao thinks it is the key. The style can be counterfeited, but the brand is yours once it is registered. In this regard, Zhou Hao even suggested that Qian Yu also register his own vermicelli.

Speaking of Qian Yu's vermicelli factory, Qian Qing originally thought that if Qian Yu's situation was not good, she would help her get in touch with the oil field canteen. As a result, now, it is the person in charge of the canteen who has tasted the vermicelli and asked Qian Qing for goods. Unfortunately, Qian Yu can't supply much. He can only promise to supply the oil field canteen with vermicelli next year.

Ding Jie no longer had to set up a stall in the town to sell vermicelli. The vermicelli from Qianyu Vermicelli Factory was usually sold out directly at the door the same day it was shipped out of the factory. Not to mention Y City, people from the neighboring city also drove tractors to pick up the goods.

Reform and opening up have been going on for several years, and these years have also spawned many ambitious talents. The Ram Yue Market is a good time for many people to watch. As long as the purchase price is cheap enough and there is profit to be made, these people dare to buy any goods. Vermicelli is in great demand and can be stored. Even if the Ram Yue Market cannot sell out, it can still be sold after the New Year. So those who come to buy goods can be eager to buy.

Qian Qing's business is also good. Her goods are not suitable for selling at the morning market, so she still sets up a stall at the night market. Xiaomi, who bought a beige coat before, came twice later and brought many friends with him.

Zhou Hao placed the sign with the two big characters "晴月" (clear moon) high up, and tied a wire under the sign, connecting a large battery behind the board. This way, even if you are far away at night, you can still see the lighted sign.

Among the young women in the oil fields, the Sun Moon brand is now synonymous with fashion. No matter how monotonous the clothes are, you can find the most suitable outfit for yourself by just visiting the stalls.

Qian Qing can always recommend suitable clothing combinations to them, generous, gentle, bright... Even if they can't afford the clothes on Qian Qing's stall, they can always buy a beret, right?

A twenty-dollar beret, with your hair down, will give you a fashionable look no matter whether your hair is long or short.

When she got home in the evening, Qian Qing counted the money and found that this small hat had earned her no less than two thousand yuan.

By the 25th or 26th of the lunar month, most of the clothes Qian Qingjin brought back had been sold out, and all the hats were also sold out. Because the Chinese New Year is also the golden period for young men and women to go on blind dates, many young women made up their minds to buy themselves nice clothes. Whether the blind date is successful or not is another matter, the most important thing is not to be the one who is rejected. Besides, after working hard for a whole year, can't you dress better?

Qian Qing counted the money on the night of the 26th of the lunar month. She made a lot of money from this batch of accumulated clothes. The purchase price was 20 to 30 yuan, and the cost of altering the clothes was not much, so the selling price was 70 to 80 yuan. All in all, Qian Qing made more than 10,000 yuan from this batch of winter clothes!

Qian Qing was very satisfied and officially announced that she would start to close the business for the holiday and prepare for the New Year.

Zhou Hao was still working hard. The nature of his job was there, and during the New Year period, the team members took turns to rest. No one was given more than ten days off all at once.

Qian Yu was busy until the 28th. The profit of the vermicelli factory exceeded everyone's expectations. Huang Laoer and his wife each received 6,000 yuan in dividends!

Qian Yu paid the dividends. Because the two parties were now in a cooperative model, the labor and costs were all paid from the public account, which meant that Huang Laoer and his wife made a net profit of 6,000 yuan!

Qian Yu told them that they would start making vermicelli after the New Year, and then hurried back to the city. Qian Qing kept saying that he would take her to get her hair permed, saying that it would be too late if he delayed any further.

Huang Laoer and his wife still felt dazed after Qian Qing left. Huang Laoer pinched his thigh and it hurt so much!

After he came to his senses, he was extremely excited. Six thousand yuan! When had he ever seen so much money in his life?

Liu Ertao was the same. She was very grateful to the Qian sisters at this moment. If Qian Qing had not asked her to help her sell cloth, she would not have discovered that the world outside Huangjia Village was so big. If they had not split up the family, the couple would probably still be arguing with brothers and sisters-in-law over trivial matters of the Huang family, arguing over why you ate an extra piece of meat and I bought an extra pen.

Liu Ertao's son, Xiaojun, has also been busy at the vermicelli factory. He is now wearing rubber shoes and cleaning the yard. Liu Ertao's little daughter has also been helping since the winter vacation, picking sweet potatoes on the sweet potato mountain every day.

Liu Ertao's nose was sour. Qian Yu was right. People who have never experienced sweetness will not regard hardship as hardship. Only after experiencing sweetness and seeing the outside world, will they know that the past days were too bitter and difficult.

"Let's go! Let's go home and change our clothes and get together!"

She wanted to buy some nice clothes for her son and daughter! She also bought two pig hind legs and asked her son to carry them to his in-laws' house to make a bet. It was a rare relaxing time during the Chinese New Year, so she wanted to seize the time to arrange her son's marriage.

As for the wedding house? Liu Ertao was full of confidence. She planned to look for houses for sale in the town. When the time came, the four of them would live in the town, and their lives would surely get better and better.

Huang Laoer was happy but also a little worried: "What should we do during the Chinese New Year?"

Qian Yu's vermicelli factory was so prosperous that Mrs. Huang couldn't have been unaware of it. The couple didn't know what was going on, but they only knew that Mrs. Huang had asked her third son to come to the vermicelli factory some time ago.

However, Qian Yu was still busy at that time, so Liu Ertao stepped forward and drove the man away.

"Third brother, I'm not saying anything to you, but you agreed to the divorce, right? Mom also said that no matter how good or bad Qian Yu's life is in the future, she won't come to look for him. So why are you acting like this now?"

"Or do you think you're going to come back and live off my money now that you're doing well? Did our mom ask you to come?"

"It's not that sister-in-law is saying something unpleasant, it's just that Qian Yu doesn't lack a good partner right now. Unless you have a millionaire, you are not worthy of him."

"Go back, third brother. When our mother asks you to do something in the future, think carefully about it. If not for others, consider your daughter as well. Don't let Qianqian disown you as her father."

…

Liu Ertao was annoyed when she thought of this. Her mother-in-law was really ungracious. She threatened to divorce her first, and then asked her son to curry favor with her.

"Who cares about them? We have separated. Who can say anything? Just cut two pieces of cloth for the old lady at the market and take a few dozen yuan as filial piety money... Huang Laoer, I'm warning you, we have separated. You can give filial piety money, but you have to compare it with the fourth brother's family. In recent years, the old lady has been partial to the eldest family, and now she has said that she will live with the eldest family in her old age. We all have to show filial piety to each other. If you learn from the third brother, be careful that I will divorce you!"

Since Qian Yu's vermicelli factory started to take off, people in the surrounding villages also started making vermicelli. Huang Lao Si, who had been favored by Huang Lao Tai for so many years, came out and said he wanted to split the family. He also didn't want to partner with the eldest wife, thinking that his family would suffer losses. So this month the Huang family was divided again, and Huang Lao Si's family was also separated.

Now only Huang Sanping lives with Huang Lao Da and Huang Lao Tai.

Huang Lao Er would not learn from his younger brother. He had already understood that his wife was smarter than him, just like their daughter was smarter and more educated than their son. It was destined that the yin would be stronger than the yang, so he still followed his wife's instructions. He could only eat his fill if he listened to his wife. Otherwise, look at the third brother, who had angered his wife, the God of Wealth, and now stayed at home to work like a slave for the first wife.

******

On the other side, Qian Yu and Qian Qing reunited and went to the barber shop together. They had their hair curled and connected to the machine while they chatted.

"We have prepared all the New Year's goods. Now we just need some couplets and melon seeds. We will go to the supply and marketing cooperative to buy some later."

"My mother told me not to worry and not to prepare too many things for the New Year. She will make some fried fish and chicken and fried buns in the frying pan tomorrow and send some to me then."

"My mother has prepared several sets of clothes for Qianqian."

Qian Yu sighed: "Although I used to work in the fields, at least I could see my daughter every day. Now I am so busy that I have to work every half a month or a month. The one I feel the most sorry for is Qianqian."

Qian Qing waved her hands: "What are you afraid of? Just make money. We are just starting out now. When we are stable, we can buy a house and a car for Qianqian. Qianqian will be a nouveau riche since she was young. Isn't this better than you being around her all day?"

A few hours later, Qian Yu looked at himself in the mirror and could hardly recognize himself.

Qian Qing suggested that she curl the ends of her short hair slightly, and then part it on the side and let it fall on her shoulders. With this arrangement, the originally bloated hairstyle suddenly became more gentle. She has lost a lot of weight recently, and looks a little old. But the hairstyle covers her cheeks, which makes her look several levels more beautiful than before.

Qian Qing's hair is long, so it is curled into crisp waves. Her long and thick hair hangs down behind her waist, which is very different from Qian Yu's charming style.

The shop owner walked around the two sisters again and again, wishing he had a camera to take pictures. These two heads are his most proud perm works! If he had photos, he could make a living from these two hairstyles for years!

Qian Qing and Qian Yu looked at the excited and incoherent shop owner.

"I won't charge you any money, just come with me and take two photos. Just two photos! I'll give you free haircuts when you come to me in the future!"

Qian Qing took Qian Yu and put down 50 yuan and ran away. They could have their hair cut, but they didn't need to be models. They didn't need money, so why should they let others point fingers and make comments? The shop owner couldn't help but sigh in regret. What a good advertisement, but they just let it go.

Qian Qing dragged Qian Yu home and gave her the clothes she had prepared in advance.

Yes, it was that dark green coat. Qian Yu was tall, and he seemed like a completely different person after putting it on.

Qian Qing kept another hooded coat for herself. Like the dark green coat, it was also the most frequently asked item at her stall. The cuffs were trimmed with wool and there was a sheepskin belt around the waist.

The two of them looked at themselves in the mirror for a long time. Suddenly, Qian Yu remembered something and took out a wad of money from his bag and handed it to Qian Qing.

"Here, this is your dividend."

Qian Qing took it and weighed it. It was at least five thousand.

"...Sister, is that too much?"

Qian Yu didn't care: "This is the money for clothes, just take it."

After saying that, Qian Yu hurriedly said goodbye with a few other pieces of clothes. She had only a short time before the New Year, and she still had to buy some things for Qianqian and the two elders.

After seeing Qian Yu off, Qian Qing stuffed the five thousand yuan into her own little piggy bank and planned to save it after the New Year.

However...

Qian Qing touched his chin. Now that the storefront has been booked, it won’t cost so much money even if he purchases goods after the New Year.

Maybe...she could think again and buy a house?

****

When Zhou Hao returned home in the evening, he saw that his wife had changed her appearance. She had long wavy hair and was wearing a sweater with pompoms. She had just finished a shower and looked pink and tender, with her long black hair. She was so beautiful that he was speechless.

"Zhou Hao, you're back. I bought some sausage today. Do you want to eat some steamed rice with sausage?"

Zhou Hao had no intention of eating at this moment. He buried his head in his wife's neck, and his hands and feet became unruly.

Qian Qing had something important to say, so she grabbed his arm.

"Have a seat. I have something else to discuss with you."

Zhou Hao was not serious at all at this time. Qian Qing's force was so small that he didn't feel any pain. He hugged his wife and said distractedly: "What's the matter? Tell me."

Qian Qing managed to regain her thoughts: "Why don't we take advantage of the New Year to look for a house outside the oil field? I feel like I'm a little short on cash now, and it's useless to keep it all the time. And you mentioned inflation, right? Money will slowly become less valuable. Wouldn't it be a loss if we keep it in the passbook? I think we should either buy a house or buy land. It won't hurt to put the money into a house or land."

Zhou Hao thought for a moment and said, "Then let's go to the Drum Tower and look for a store if possible. Since we want to build a brand, it's not enough to just be in the oil field, it would be nice to have two more stores."

Qian Qing counted the money he had. Now he had the five thousand yuan given by Qian Yu, plus his previous savings, which was about thirty thousand yuan. Thirty-five thousand yuan, he would keep fifteen thousand yuan for purchasing goods, and the remaining twenty thousand yuan should be enough to buy a shop and a house.

"Okay! Then you accompany me to get the money tomorrow."

Zhou Hao hummed and hugged his wife's shoulders: "Wife, why did you perm your hair?"

Qian Qing frowned: "Why? Doesn't it look good?"

Zhou Hao said in a hoarse voice: "It looks good."

Qian Qing was satisfied. Zhou Hao's greatest strength was that he didn't tell her what to do. She could do whatever she wanted with her hair and clothing style. Even if Zhou Hao was jealous, he would only ask for some "benefits" but he would never say something like "I don't like your hairstyle, you can't cut it".

Zhou Hao had a deep sense of crisis at this moment. His wife was so capable and getting prettier day by day. However, he had just become the deputy captain of the maintenance team. This progress seemed to be far behind his wife.

But speaking of the deputy captain, Zhou Hao remembered something.

"Wang Hua resigned."