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On the second day of the Lunar New Year, the courtyards were bustling with activity again.
Guan Yuehe and Lin Yiku went to the No. 3 courtyard to "go through the motions" and were surprised to find that their elder brother and sister-in-law, a family of five, were still living at home.
Upon closer reflection, my sister-in-law's family lives nearby, so it would be more convenient for them to stay an extra day and go directly there today.
Early in the morning, my little nephew Yangyang had tears on his face, my older brother and sister-in-law looked unhappy, and my parents frowned.
Guan Yuehe glanced around and found that Guan Aiguo's door was closed. She guessed that there must have been a fight at home.
She pretended not to notice and pointed to the things Lin Yiku was carrying, saying, "Mom said not to buy meat, so I just bought it. Dad and Mom, you can keep the milk powder and malted milk powder for yourselves."
Guan Canghai and Jiang Guiying's expressions improved somewhat. Just as they were thinking how considerate their daughter was, they heard their youngest daughter say, "You're getting on in years. Eat and drink what you should eat and drink, and get more nutrition."
Guan Canghai was amused by her, "How can you say you're so old? I can still work at the barbershop for another ten years!"
"Come on, when you're old enough, you should retire early to make room for younger people. I even heard my second aunt say she's going to complain about the hair salon because they ruined her hair with a perm."
"What does getting a perm have to do with me?" Guan Canghai felt wronged.
Guan Aiguo suddenly opened his bedroom door and protested, "I didn't ruin it; the new hairdresser did it for her!"
"Anyway, it's a problem with your barbershop."
"...Sit down and have some fruit." Jiang Guiying glared at the three of them, young and old, all of them so talkative. But then she changed her expression and chuckled as she gestured for Lin Yiku to sit on the sofa. "I'll go cut some apples for you."
Guan Yuehe told her not to bother, "It's not like we only come back once in a while, don't be so polite, we'll cut it ourselves if we want to eat. My sister and the others haven't arrived yet?"
No sooner had she finished speaking than Gu Yu's voice called out to her grandmother came from the front yard.
This chubby little girl acted like she was at home as soon as she entered courtyard number three. She greeted everyone she met, from the front yard to the back yard. She's just like her dad in that respect; he can chat with anyone.
The adults in the house stuffed red envelopes into Gu Yu's pockets, while the two youngest insisted on going out to buy toys. Gu Yu even knew to give the money to her father for safekeeping, and only held the red envelope given to her by her uncle.
Weiwei and Jingjing were assigned the task of taking the children out to buy things.
"Does Weiwei plan to apply to a vocational school or a high school this year for his high school entrance exam?"
Weiwei was the son of a factory worker in an automobile factory, but when he went to junior high school, he went to the junior high school affiliated with a machinery factory.
The entire Gu family works in a machinery factory.
Lin Yufeng quickly replied, "We'll see when the time comes. We'll study whatever we can get into."
"Oh." Gu Mannian was a shrewd person; he could tell from his words that his elder brother and sister-in-law already had plans, but seemed unwilling to discuss them for the time being. So he didn't press further.
"Things will work themselves out. Let's talk about it after he graduates." After saying that, Guan Jianguo invited the others to eat apples, adding that they were brought back by his junior from another province and tasted different from the apples grown in Beijing.
The others quickly changed the subject, talking about how some large manufacturers are now having more autonomy, and wondering when the pilot program will end and be rolled out to Wuxing Automobile Factory.
Guan Jianguo was very envious, "The pilot units implemented a profit retention system, and I saw that the workers' wages increased a lot as a result."
"It's time for a raise. The purchase price of agricultural products is rising, and if it keeps going up, the wages we receive will probably only be enough to eat."
Guan Yuehe spent most of her time at school, and only during the holidays did she stay at home. She hadn't really noticed the price increase of things outside. She thought it was because it was the end of the year and things that didn't require coupons were in high demand and that's why they were more expensive.
Lin Yufeng joked, "I saw someone set up a repair shop outside the family compound, and their income is much higher than that of an ordinary worker with a regular job."
“It’s all because there are too many educated youth returning to the city. There aren’t enough jobs to settle them. If we don’t let them find a way out, it will drive people to their deaths.” Jiang Guiying glanced at Lin Yufeng and said meaningfully, “Jianguo’s salary is equivalent to that of two ordinary workers. It’s enough to support his family.”
Lin Yufeng smiled awkwardly, "Mom is right."
It's permissible for unemployed individuals to set up a repair shop or a clothing alteration shop under current policies, but the scale is limited, and they are not allowed to engage in reselling.
It's reasonable for family members of factory workers to help with alterations and charge a small fee. However, if they expand their operations, they might be reported to the factory. As for buying agricultural products from the countryside and reselling them in the city, that's considered speculation and profiteering, and if caught, they could very well be executed.
Guan Yuehe reminded Xu Chengcai yesterday not to partner with others just to make more money, because she felt that they would be easily reported for doing so.
As they were talking, the children who had gone out to buy things returned.
But Yangyang is crying again.
"My uncle gave my little sister a bigger red envelope than I did, so she can buy a tin frog, boohoo..."
While coaxing her youngest son, Lin Yufeng complained, "Aiguo, you really are something. Your older brother and I used to give you plenty of New Year's money."
Guan Aiguo scratched his head and said matter-of-factly, "My eldest sister's family only has one child, Guyu, so it's not wrong to give her more."
He gave one yuan to each of his elder brother and sister-in-law's three nephews and nieces, so giving three yuan to Gu Yu is treating everyone equally.
Why are you giving him the cold shoulder again?
"Stop talking." Jiang Guiying slapped the back of his head. He was really clueless. Who gives red envelopes to children on a household basis and then lets the children divide them among themselves? Even if he wanted to give more, couldn't he have slipped it to them quietly?
"Yangyang, don't cry. Grandma will give you a red envelope. You and your sister can go buy a tin frog." Jiang Guiying treated all four children equally, giving each of them an extra red envelope, regardless of age.
These few then ran out again.
Jiang Guiying turned her head and saw Guan Yuehe reaching out to her with a serious expression, "Why don't we have any children? I want one too."
"..." Jiang Guiying's eyes widened in shock. Just as she was feeling the joy of becoming a grandmother again, the thought that Guan Yuehe still had a semester before graduation turned her joy into fear. Would having a child at this time affect her graduation and her job at the foreign trade department? Before she could even close her mouth, she saw Guan Yuehe giggling and asking for a red envelope again, and she knew that she had been overthinking it.
"I think you're asking for a scolding! You're terrifying!"
Guan Yuehua also secretly breathed a sigh of relief and echoed, "When doesn't she get scolded?"
The bigger it is, the more infuriating it will be.
But Guan Yuehe's lighthearted banter stopped the adults in the room from thinking about the commotion over the size of the red envelopes.
Guan Yuehua was quickly angered again.
Gu Yu came bounding back, holding a tin frog in each hand, which gave Guan Yuehua a headache. "You bought another one... Aren't the several tin frogs at home enough for you to play with?"
"This is a new frog." Gu Yu said with certainty that the tin frogs bought at different times and places are different tin frogs.
—
After spending the morning in Courtyard No. 3, Guan Yuehe went straight to the kang (heated brick bed) at home and sighed, "The one-child policy is so good now. If there were more than one, it would definitely be unfair."
Lin Yiku pulled the blanket next to her over herself and asked curiously, "What's going on between Guan Aiguo and your older brother and sister-in-law?"
"Yangyang stayed at home for two nights, insisting that Guan Aiguo had taken over his parents' room. Guan Aiguo said a few words to him. It wasn't a big deal."
Guan Yuehe withdrew her outstretched arms and legs to make room for him. After he lay down, she leaned over and whispered to him, "My brother-in-law has a spot at the technical school of the machinery factory. My brother-in-law's nephew has good grades and wants to go to university. Many people have come to ask about the spot he has."
“My brother-in-law’s family felt that Gu Yu was always left to be raised by her maternal grandmother, so they wanted to give this spot to their family. Wei Wei is also about to graduate from junior high school, and he’s going to junior high school at the machine factory. Giving the spot to him would shut others up.”
Ever since they learned that Weiwei had enrolled in the junior high school at the machinery factory and usually ate at his aunt's house, the Guan family knew that it must have been Lin Yuzhen's in-laws who had helped.
It's nothing shameful, but my older brother and sister-in-law insist on keeping it a secret from the family. My older sister and brother-in-law probably figured it was pointless, and seeing that they didn't want to talk about it, they gave up and didn't bother to continue.
Meanwhile, Guan Yuehua, who had just left Ginkgo Alley, was also talking about this, angrily saying, "They don't want us to get involved, so don't waste your good intentions. You could use this spot to do favors and still get some good results."
Guan Yuehua sneered again, "Do you think no one can guess what those two are thinking? When my sister-in-law's job was transferred to Lin Yuzhen, it was probably already arranged that Lin Yuzhen would use her in-laws' influence to get Weiwei a good job in the future."
Gu Mannian waited until she finished speaking before saying, "It's alright. Since they have their own plans, we won't interfere. But, is this spot really being cancelled? Jingjing is going to the junior high school near the car factory this year, right...?"
Weiwei's future is settled, but Jingjing's future is still uncertain. These days, vocational schools are highly competitive, as everyone is scrambling to get in, since graduation guarantees a job, which is much more secure than going to high school and taking the college entrance exam.
Guan Yuehua said impatiently, "Her parents haven't even made any plans for her, how can I, as her aunt, be expected to take care of her future job?"
After saying those angry words, Guan Yuehua made a decision: "This spot might not be available for two years. Let your family decide to transfer it out. We'll talk about what happens in two years."
—
After taking a nap, Guan Yuehe prepared to go to the banquet at Courtyard No. 2.
"We ate hearty dishes for three consecutive days during this year's Spring Festival."
Luo Guifang and Wu Erni decided to host a dinner together, so that the neighbors wouldn't have to worry about which table to sit at.
Even Lu Chang and Lu Yan, a couple who don't usually hang out with everyone, were invited.
Lu Chang glanced at Lin Yiku and Song Gong'an at the same table. While everyone was toasting each other, he specially picked up a glass of wine and said to Lin Yiku, "I'd like to toast you too. My wife and I were not very kind about the house issue before. We're sorry."
Lin Yiku also picked up the wine bowl next to him and replied, "We didn't take it to heart. We've been neighbors for so many years. What's done is done."
Police Chief Song also said, "That's right, it's nothing serious. Old Lu, you two shouldn't overthink it."
"Oh, that's good." Lu Chang sat back down, smiling.
The others at the table were still wondering: Did Lu Chang's family have any ancestral treasures?
Wu Jiawang from the next table asked for help.
"Does your family really have a family heirloom?" In another room, Aunt Zhao asked Lu Yan the same question, adding, "Tell me about it. We're not gossipy people here, so we definitely won't tell anyone."
Lu Yan almost snapped back: "You're the most talkative person in this house!"
“If we really had a treasure, we would have bought a yard outside long ago and moved out to live in our own separate house.” Lu Yan smiled, glanced at Guan Yuehe who was focused on peeling melon seeds, and added, “We heard that Ding Laowu from the next yard wanted to buy a house, and we only want to buy one house as well. We don’t have the money to buy them all.”
There were no fools in this courtyard, and soon someone said in a strange voice, "Buying one room must cost more than two thousand, right? You two are really good at saving money."
"It's only been in the last two or three years that I've saved up this much. Lao Lu has been taking on a lot of jobs repairing cars and appliances for others on the side. I've already bought the big-ticket items I needed. I was thinking of buying a TV, but I haven't been able to get the voucher yet. When I heard that I could buy a house, I thought I'd buy one."
At this point, Lu Yan sighed and continued, "As you all know, Lao Lu and I don't have any children. We were thinking of buying a house so that even if the factory doesn't take care of us in the future, we'll have a place to stay."
"And then there's that ancestral treasure... Lao Lu and I are both from out of town. When we first started working at the factory, we didn't have a single penny in our pockets. We only moved out of the factory's dormitory after we got married and were allocated a house."
The older women believed most of it. They then remembered that when Lu Chang and Lu Yan moved in after getting married, they had inquired about the couple's situation and they didn't seem to have any family heirlooms.
Lu Chang and Lu Yan on the other side said something similar, and most people believed it.
Only Lin Yiku and Song Gong'an exchanged a glance, and like the others, nodded in agreement: "Ding Laowu is indeed not a good person."
Ding Laowu was unaware that he had been collectively scolded by the people in the No. 2 courtyard because his eldest nephew was insisting on following him. He looked down on the brainless nephew, so he came back, packed his things, and moved out completely.
When he passed by Courtyard No. 2 and ran into Wu Jiawang, he spat out angrily, "Another brainless idiot, what bad luck!"
Because Wu Jiawang made irresponsible remarks while collecting recyclables, he lost many opportunities to make money. He approached Wu Jiawang and offered to pay him a higher referral fee than Hai Ban'er, but Wu Jiawang completely ignored him.
—
"Finally, I'm going back to school!" Guan Yuehe said, feeling both excited and reluctant to leave.
After finishing her final semester, she should say goodbye to "studying" for the rest of her life. But staying at home, she still has quite a few people and issues coming her way.
My aunt's family, who were supposed to come to the city for a few days, didn't come. They said the Fengshou Brigade was going to implement a contract system this year, and there was a lot of commotion in the brigade.
It was the people she disliked who came more frequently.
My aunt and uncle came to visit under the guise of checking out the new house, and as soon as they arrived, they started plotting about her job at the Zhuoyue Garment Factory. Both my aunt and uncle have younger cousins who were sent to the countryside but have now returned to the city and are unemployed.
Since she was already confirmed to be assigned to the foreign trade department, transferring her factory job to someone else would be making the best use of her.
It would be strange if Guan Yuehe agreed.
She was a deputy section chief at Zhuoyue Garment Factory. If she's reassigned to another unit, she should theoretically be promoted from her original level. What if the job transfer affects her chances of promotion?
Zhang Desheng transferred his son to a different job because he was just an ordinary teacher at the car factory's affiliated primary school, and it was unlikely that he would be assigned to a primary school as a teacher after graduation.
Besides them, there were also strangers from the car factory who came with gifts to try and get on their good side.
Guan Yuehe said to Lin Yiku with a worried look on her face, "Isn't it scary? I haven't even become an official yet, and they're already trying to corrupt my will with sugar-coated bullets."
Lin Yiku helped her roll up her bedding and said with a smile, "Comrade Xiao Guan is a good comrade with a firm will. I believe in you."
"Comrade Lin Yiku! You should use even bigger sugar-coated bullets to guide me onto the right path!"
"For example?"
"Make braised pork ribs tonight."
Lin Sitian, standing outside, clicked her tongue several times, thinking that even after getting married, these two idiots couldn't say anything romantic.
But she also wanted to eat her brother's braised pork ribs, so she knocked on the door and said, "I want to eat them too."
Lin Yiku was helpless; someone had come to get in her way.
Lin Sitian seemed to have read her brother's mind. She pulled out a thick envelope from her pocket, shook it, and deliberately said, "I'll leave after I deliver the things. I won't get in your way."
"What should I give as a gift?" Lin Yiku changed the subject.
Guan Yuehe also stopped folding clothes and looked up at Lin Sitian.
"Ding Xuewen said he promised you the translation fee. He and Chen Lizhong are about to start school, so the temporary winter vacation tour group they set up has also been disbanded. After deducting costs, you can have 20% of the profits."
"Let me finish speaking first," Lin Sitian told her not to speak yet.
"Ding Xuewen also said that your translation fee will be paid in one lump sum. You won't get any of their profits after that, so you don't need to think about refusing."
After delivering the message, Lin Sitian immediately shoved the envelope into Guan Yuehe's hand and urged her, "Quickly check how much money is inside! I'm dying of curiosity!"
The envelope was thick; if it was full of ten-yuan notes, it must have contained two or three hundred. She carried it back in fear, terrified that someone would jump out and rob her.
"You didn't ask?"
"Oh? I forgot to ask. I was thinking I'd find out if I came back and saw you dismantling it."
Guan Yuehe gave her a meaningful look, and inwardly snorted loudly.
The message she conveyed was from Ding Xuewen, but the person who asked her to transfer the money was definitely not Ding Xuewen!
But Guan Yuehe also really wanted to know how much money was inside.
"Four hundred and twenty, and three more US dollars."
After counting, the three people in the room fell silent. Finally, Lin Sitian broke the silence, "Damn it, they earned two thousand in one winter break?!"
No, that's just the money they earned from organizing tour groups. They didn't include the money they earned as tour guides themselves. If you include the extra money they earned on their own, especially Ding Xuewen who speaks better, they could save up enough to buy a 10-square-meter bungalow.
Lin Sitian murmured again, "No wonder they say there's a golden house in books... Is it too late for me to go to university now?"
Guan Yuehe was amused by her words, snapping out of her daze at receiving the huge sum of 420 yuan, and shattering her "get-rich-quick dream".
"No, now the age requirement is that candidates must be no older than 25 years old, but in special circumstances, it can be relaxed to 28 years old."
Lin Sitian looked regretful. "I shouldn't have let Ding Xuewen do my homework for me!"
"You can still walk on other roads now, would you like to learn English with me?"
"..." Lin Sitian sighed and resignedly said, "Some money should be earned by others. I'll wait for the year-end performance review and try to get a few more dollars in salary."
Guan Yuehe took out the change from the money and gave Lin Yiku and Lin Sitian each a US dollar.
"Rare things are for everyone who sees them."
"Ahhh, I knew that if I followed Yuehe, I would live a good life sooner or later!"
Lin Yiku felt she couldn't bear to look. She lifted the US dollars she had received and examined them closely through the window. She took them to the bank to exchange them. One dollar could be exchanged for one dollar and fifty cents. If she had taken them to the black market, she estimated she could have gotten two dollars.
Guan Yuehe wasn't finished yet. She quickly counted the bills, took out twenty large ten-yuan notes, and put the rest back into the envelope and handed it to Lin Sitian.
"I'll take two hundred, and you can return the rest to them. We've been friends for so many years, I'll give you half price."
Lin Sitian hesitated for a moment, "Why don't you give it to Ding Xuewen yourself?"
Guan Yuehe raised an eyebrow, forcefully stuffed it back into her pocket, and said meaningfully, "Whoever gave it to you, you can just give it to them. Besides, I'm very busy in my last semester, I don't have time to go see Ding Xuewen."
Realizing she had been seen through, Lin Sitian chuckled awkwardly, "I'll return it next time I see someone."
With this unexpected two hundred yuan, Guan Yuehe took out another hundred from her family savings, making a total of three hundred yuan to repay Aunt Fang.
They repeatedly assured her that she and Lin Yiku had money before they finally convinced Aunt Fang to accept it.
When Lin Sitian came over for dinner that evening, she suddenly had a whimsical thought and said, "Working in tutoring classes, being a tour guide for foreigners, making clothes for others, or roasting melon seeds can all earn more than a factory manager. Do you think everyone will be thinking about making money outside in the future?"
She added, "I heard from Aunt Xie that Wu Jiawang makes a lot of money collecting and selling scrap metal."
Guan Yuehe thought for a while, "You need to have skills and abilities to make money, right? That's only a small percentage of people. Besides, without a work unit, there's no housing allocation, and medical expenses can't be reimbursed, which is quite a lot."
Although the wages of employees in a company are not as high as those of those who collect recyclables, they receive many benefits. At least they have housing and don't have to worry about not having money when they get sick.
“That makes sense,” Lin Sitian nodded. “Never mind, it has nothing to do with me anyway. I can’t exactly go out and practice medicine on my own, can I? Haha.”
Guan Yuehe laughed along. Between making big money and going to the Ministry of Foreign Trade, she would still choose the Ministry of Foreign Trade.
After paying off the debts, the family's financial situation improved again.
Guan Yuehe only took two months' living expenses, leaving the rest for Lin Yiku to keep.
"After May Day, find someone to clean up the house," Guan Yuehe emphasized. "Make sure the kang (heated brick bed) is built back to its original size!"
I really can't sleep comfortably on this little kang (heated brick bed).
Lin Yiku agreed to everything, thinking he would visit her at school on his day off, and they could discuss it then. But she kept pacing around the room, giving him instructions, and he didn't interrupt her.
"Four more months!" Guan Yuehe gritted her teeth and encouraged herself. "Four more months and I can live at home every day!"
Anyone who didn't know better would think she was terrified of going to school.
The next day, Guan Yuehe had lunch at home, then, carrying large bags and small packages, rushed to school excitedly. As soon as she arrived at the dormitory, she greeted her roommates and classmates one by one with a Happy New Year.
The food brought from home was put together with the food brought by the roommates, and they chatted happily about the interesting things that happened to them during the Spring Festival.
—
Since the start of this semester, Guan Yuehe has frequently been asked by her teachers, "Yuehe, have you finished your paper yet?"
The teachers were as if they were afraid she wouldn't be able to finish writing it and wouldn't be able to graduate.
But she wasn't bragging; she felt she was very reliable and never failed to complete tasks assigned to her!
"So, you've finished writing?" Cheng Shuang turned to another page of math material. "Mine is done. After I finish the rest of my classes, I'll start teaching freshmen next semester."
Guan Yuehe said sourly, her face expressionless, "Oh! You're really something. Should I call you Teacher Cheng in advance?"
Cheng Shuang waved her hand, "Hey, with our relationship, if you call me Teacher Cheng, then I'll have to call you Minister Guan from now on?"
Guan Yuehe gasped, "You really dare to dream! You directly appointed me as a minister?!"
"With your abilities, I think it was only a matter of time."
Cheng Shuang was the most serious braggart she had ever met. "Alright, you can do whatever you want, stop interrupting my train of thought."
"I'll say one last thing," Cheng Shuang reminded her, "The junior sister who treated you to dinner is here looking for you."
Guan Yuehe followed her gaze and saw Ye Zhiqi walking quickly towards them. She quickly grabbed the empty seat next to Guan Yuehe, leaving the other classmates who came with her to sit opposite them.
Guan Yuehe thought they came to ask her questions, but these people just greeted her and started taking out books to read.
When it was time for lunch, Guan Yuehe got up to pack her books, and the others followed suit, saying they wanted to go with her and Cheng Shuang.
Guan Yuehe decided to leave a good impression on her junior brothers and sisters. She slowed down her pace, for once, and didn't rush to the cafeteria with Cheng Shuang.
Speaking of which, it won't be as easy to get into the cafeteria after I go to the foreign trade department. Thinking about it, I'm a little reluctant to give up the opportunity to get into the cafeteria now.
"Run!"
Guan Yuehe suddenly said something and then took off running. Cheng Shuang was used to it and immediately followed. Ye Zhi Qiu and her classmates were stunned for a few seconds, completely confused, but they still ran after their senior sister.
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