When the mother and daughter arrived in Beidaihe, they learned that Xiao Hu had already gone south for recuperation. Upon hearing this news, Qi Zhifang burst into tears, "How old is he? And his health isn't good either! How could you let him go so far away! What if something happens to him...?" Damn it, I came all the way from Beijing, where would I get the money to go south to find you! You really want to break up with me! Why are all men so stingy! So materialistic!
No matter how much they argued, it was useless. The mother and daughter came back just in time to start a small business, but together they only had seven yuan and fifty cents left. There was no other way but to sell sunflower seeds outside the movie theater! The locals in Beijing had worked so hard that they didn't even have a house in the end. Their lives were truly miserable.
The two of them didn't care about saving face. Not to mention they earned three yuan that day. If they worked hard, they could earn ninety yuan a month.
This has caused another commotion. It's true that relying on men is not as good as relying on oneself. With the reform and opening up, street businesses have sprung up like mushrooms after rain. But people don't know exactly how much they can earn from doing business. They only know that rents have risen sharply, from five yuan to seven yuan, nine yuan, and now to ten yuan.
When the average worker's wage was around forty yuan, Zhao Jiaguang was already making over one hundred and ninety yuan a month just from rent. But Zhao's father was itching to open his own restaurant. This idea was quickly dismissed by the whole family. Zhao Dahu shook his head and said, "Dad, you've spent your whole life working around the stove since you were a teenager. You've finally retired, so take a break. Our family isn't short of money, and besides, you have a pension. Enjoy your retirement!"
Wei Shuqing nodded and said, "Yes! Dad, you're over sixty years old, almost seventy. Don't overdo it. I've worked in the canteen before. I can't afford to work in the early morning or late at night."
Zhao's mother didn't say anything, but Zhao's father patted his chest and said, "I'm in great shape! Besides, if I don't exercise, these old arms and legs will rust!" Then he looked at Aiguo and said, "What about you, kid? You don't agree either?"
Zhao Aiguo immediately shook his head, then, receiving murderous glares from Zhao Dahu and Wei Shuqing, quickly changed his tune, "What I meant was, it's normal for Grandpa to want something to do! But opening a restaurant is really too tiring, it's not suitable!..."
"You've been in officialdom too long, and now you're spouting nonsense! Talking to your family like that?" Zhao's father was displeased. Zhao Aiguo immediately raised his hands in surrender. Since Liu Man came to the family, Zhao Aiguo's status had declined. He quickly said, "Grandpa, why are you getting so worked up? I mean, the restaurant isn't suitable, it's too tiring. But let's do something else! We can collect rent, buy that row of houses at the alley entrance, and open a general store at the front. You'll have something to do, you can chat with people, and collect rent from each house on the day of the rent collection. It won't interfere with your chess playing, will it?"
Zhao's mother covered her mouth and laughed, glancing at Wei Shuqing. This daughter-in-law had always suspected that Zhao Aiguo had intellectual problems and wasn't smart. But tell me, how fast does this little brain of his work?
He nodded in agreement. This was exactly what he had in mind. Now things were much better; things were more relaxed. With more businesses opening up and rents rising, he realized how tight housing was. Having this money to buy more property was a good thing! This was something he had personally trained him to be flexible!
Mr. Zhao thought it was a good idea. He could braise some large intestines and tendons and sell them at the door. The more he thought about it, the more feasible it seemed!
Wei Shuqing thought of that strange dream. The current environment was the same as in the dream. If this was the case, buying a house would be a good thing. With house prices soaring rapidly in the future, buying a house would be the safest option. Although she roughly knew the trend, she still didn't dare to do business. A person's vision and experience are ultimately limited, and she knew her own limitations.
She quickly turned back, took out four savings books, and said that in the twenty years since she married into the Zhao family, she and Zhao Dahu had saved a total of more than seven thousand yuan. Because they didn't have many expenses, they didn't spend much on food and lodging, and they only spent on clothes. The family members weren't cheap either. In addition, Zhao Dahu would take on some side jobs every now and then. That's all they had saved. She handed the money to Zhao's mother and said, "Mom and Dad, we'd like to do our part in this matter. You should take charge of the important things. Listen to Aiguo, let's buy a house! I think collecting rent is feasible! It's not too tiring! As for what kind of daily necessities to sell, or maybe we can keep a room. You can sell whatever you want!"
Zhao Aiguo didn't say anything; where would he get money now? Before he had a girlfriend, all his money went to his grandmother. Now that he had a girlfriend, his salary was barely enough to support her! Zhao's mother quickly declined, "My husband and I have it; you can take it back!"
Zhao Dahu waved his hand and said, "Mom and Dad, this is a family matter. You take it! I reckon the house price will continue to rise. Let's buy as many houses as we can while we can still afford them. Anyway, it's all part of their assets!"
Zhao's father said, "Take it! I'll go to the neighborhood committee tomorrow!" Then, looking at Zhao Aiguo, he said, "Anyway, it'll all be yours in the future. Otherwise, with your meager salary, I'm really afraid you won't be able to support your wife and children!"
Zhao Aiguo felt a pang of sadness when he thought about his meager salary of forty yuan and fifty cents! If it weren't for his precious son, he would have quit that stifling job long ago!
When Li Qiuxiang received 28 yuan in rent for the month, she suddenly thought of something. Saving money in the bank doesn't yield much interest, but if she bought a house, the returns would be much greater. With less than 6,000 yuan in hand, it would be enough to buy a three-bedroom house.
The chubby girl was actually quite good at studying, so she was quite ambitious. She went looking for apartments near Tsinghua and Peking Universities, and it was during this trip that she discovered a business opportunity. She boldly went to buy some celebrity posters wholesale! After work, she sold them outside the movie theater. After half a month, she didn't realize how much she had earned – more than fifty yuan a month!
This earns way more than working a regular job! At the same time, I'm already brewing a plan in my mind…
Everyone's lives were moving forward, but Wang Hong was getting more and more anxious. When Dai Shiliang first left, he would call Wang Hong for more than ten minutes every night. Wang Hong felt sorry for the phone bill and always urged him to hang up. But when he hadn't returned for seven days as agreed and hadn't called, she panicked, fearing that something bad had happened to Dai Shiliang outside.
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