"What, open a stationery store?"
The next morning, when Zhou Huiru was cooking, her daughter came into the kitchen and suddenly asked her to open a stationery store near the middle school.
"No, I don't know how to open a store." She shook her head and rejected it without even thinking.
"Mom, what's wrong with you?" Liu Meiyu patiently advised her, "I asked Brother Ding to find a shop. It's on the street in front of the Teachers' Primary School and close to our home. Aren't you bored at home? Open a stationery store and sell things during the day when students go to and from school. If no one comes, close the store and go home. You can make money and find something to do. How great is that."
When Zhou Huiru was a girl, she was a daughter of a capitalist family. Her family also had a business in Shanghai. Even though her family fell into poverty later, she still had a job after marrying Liu Yongnian. Even though it was just an administrative clerk job, she felt that her life was fulfilling.
But after a few chaotic years, they moved from the bungalow to the farm, and from the farm back to the university. Liu Yongnian continued to be his math teacher, but she had to stay at home unemployed. After staying there for a long time, she couldn't help but feel that life was hard.
"And you don't have to worry about getting the goods. I'll have someone deliver the goods from Guangzhou, and you can just ask Brother Ding to pick them up at the train station. Selling notebooks, pens, pencil cases, and snacks, you'll definitely make more than my dad's salary."
What Liu Meiyu said was true. Riding on the favorable trend of the 1980s, those who set up stalls as individual business owners earned much more than those who were paid a fixed salary every month. The turnover of her clothing store in Beijing in just one day during holidays could catch up with Liu Yongnian's annual salary, not to mention organizing some events or something.
When Zhou Huiru heard her daughter say that she earned more than her husband, she hesitated and was obviously tempted.
Although the family conditions are good now, her son is studying abroad at public expense and will definitely have a bright future with a job provided by the government, she doesn't have to worry about her daughter, and her husband has a decent job with a good income. The money in the family's account increases every month, but who would complain about having too much money?
Besides, it was really stressful to have nothing to do at home every day, so she had no choice but to complain to her husband and entered the menopause early as her daughter mentioned.
"But opening a store requires money. The savings of the family over the years, plus the salary your father gave him when he returned to the city, only add up to a little over a thousand. I'm afraid it's not enough to open a store, right?"
After being persuaded by her daughter, Zhou Huiru became worried about the money problem. However, she did not want her daughter to pay for the business. Her daughter was running her own shop and would definitely need more funds for turnover.
"Mom, the gold bars you gave me haven't been touched yet. I brought them all back this time."
Liu Meiyu took out a box of heavy gold bars and felt the sweet weight.
"This gold bar is for you. You can keep it for your own business. You can keep it. It will definitely be more valuable in a few years."
Deep down, Zhou Huiru didn't want her daughter to exchange her gold for gold bars. It was okay in the first few years when they were short of money, but now that life was better, if she exchanged them for gold bars now, what if the price of gold rose sharply in the future, she would suffer a loss.
"Mom, I've inquired about it. The prices outside are pretty good right now. We can sell all of this at a discount and use the money to invest in business. The money we make will definitely be much more than if you wait for the gold bars to appreciate in value."
Not sure, but very sure.
The gold market in 1980 was extremely volatile. At the beginning of the year, the gold price reached a high of $850 per ounce, but it immediately continued to fall, reaching a low of just over $100. The first gold bull market ended abruptly in 1980, and lasted for 12 years.
If the gold bars are cashed in now, 20 gold bars can be sold for tens of thousands of yuan, which can be used to open a stationery store for Zhou Huiru. If a little more money is left, she can even buy a house in Shanghai.
Her daughter has always been someone with her own ideas and she seems to know a lot. Seeing that she was insistent, Zhou Huiru said nothing and just followed her daughter's arrangements step by step.
It only took an hour to view the house and sign the contract.
The lease was for five years, and Liu Meiyu felt that the landlord did not seem to be a difficult person, so she felt more reassured about Zhou Huiru opening a stationery store in front of the Normal School.
"Mom, just follow the drawings I drew for you. The main thing is to find a craftsman to make the shelves. If you are too busy, hire someone to look after the store. You just need to count the money every day."
Liu Meiyu asked Zhou Huiru to open a stationery store in front of the middle school. Making money was secondary. The main purpose was to provide her with a fulfilling life. If she got tired out, it would be a loss.
"Why do we need to hire anyone? I run this shop by myself, so why should we hire anyone?"
Zhou Huiru held the key in her pocket, with a long smile on her face.
She also started to be a self-employed person like her daughter. She didn't realize it at first, but once she rented a shop, she instantly regained the sense of accomplishment and expectation she had when she was working, and she would walk home with a breeze.
Liu Yongnian did not dare to express any opinion about his wife suddenly opening a shop at the persuasion of their daughter. Even if he did not want to, he had to show his sincere support.
"You're opening a shop, so what are you going to do with cooking?"
Liu Yongnian took advantage of the fact that his daughter and son-in-law were still around and asked cautiously.
Zhou Huiru was writing down her daughter's advice in a notebook. She raised her eyes and said in a tone that did not allow for rebuttal: "Doesn't the school have a cafeteria? Can't you eat there?"
"I'm talking about you." Liu Yongnian put on a flattering smile.
"There's a place to cook at the back of the store." Zhou Huiru wasn't worried about this at all. One could eat anywhere. The alley at the back was so wide that one could just buy a coal stove and cook a few dishes.
"Or you can get your meals from the cafeteria and bring them to me. It's just a few steps away, so you can stretch your cold legs." Zhou Huiru thought this was a good idea. Now that she had something to do, she didn't want to continue to revolve around three meals a day.
“…”
Liu Yongnian dared not refuse.
After arranging everything for Zhou Huiru to open a stationery store, Liu Meiyu and the others had to hurry back to Beijing.
The triplets took leave and Liu Bowen had also scheduled a date to go abroad, and Lu Changzheng had to return to the military academy.
"Bowen, you must take care of yourself when you are out there. You can't just study and not eat. Take the meat sauce that mom made for you. Your sister said that foreign food is not tasty. Don't run around. I heard that it is very chaotic out there. You must contact your family every week, otherwise I will be worried..."
When Zhou Huiru and her husband said goodbye to their children at the train station, they couldn't hold back their tears.
The daughter and son-in-law were fine, they just went back to Beijing. But the outstanding youngest son was different. He had grown up so much that he didn't spend much time with them. Now he had to go to study in such a faraway place abroad alone. The couple was so worried that they didn't sleep well during this period.
Zhou Huiru was afraid that her son would not be used to living abroad, so she secretly prepared a lot of things, including clothes, shoes, insoles, scarves, canned food and a lot of homemade foods. Many of them could not be put on the plane. To reassure them, Liu Meiyu did not say anything. Anyway, they were all going back to Beijing first, and what her brother could not take away would be theirs.
"Dad, Mom, don't worry. I'll call or write to you as soon as I get there. I'm old enough now, so don't worry."
Liu Bowen has been with his sister since he was young and has had enough nutrition. After entering high school in the past two years, his height has increased rapidly day by day. Now, he is not even 18 years old, but he has already surpassed his father Liu Yongnian. Moreover, his genes are there, and wherever he goes, there are girls who steal a glance at him. He is much more popular than Lu Changzheng when he was young.
"Study hard, but don't work too hard. If you don't understand, ask the teacher. Don't hang out with bad people and don't show off. If you don't like life abroad, finish your studies early and come home." Liu Yongnian patted his youngest son on the shoulder, his face full of pride and melancholy.
"Okay, Lao Liu, stop being sentimental. Your family has a genius who was sent abroad to study before he even graduated from high school. I don't know how many people in school envy you. Bowen is already a grown man, not a baby. There's nothing to worry about."
Principal Zhang, who came to see them off with his wife and daughter, also had a look of envy on his face.
I don’t know what blessings Liu Yongnian and his wife had accumulated in their previous lives. They went to the farm together, and their original family and wife separated them, but Liu Yongnian’s sons and daughters all became successful, and he also had three grandchildren.
It's really true that comparing yourself with others makes you feel thief.
With great difficulty, Liu Meiyu and her friends boarded the train back to Beijing, carrying their large and small luggage, as well as their endless concern for Liu Yongnian and his wife.
After returning to Beijing and dropping off the triplets at school, two days later it was time for their younger brother Liu Bowen to go abroad with the team.
Liu Meiyu didn't prepare anything else, but she had enough money.
"Don't run around at night. It's different abroad than at home. Safety comes first. If you need anything, just call home and I'll send it to you. Don't worry about the hassle."
Liu Meiyu knew her brother's character best. He had a very high IQ and was very stubborn.
"Sister, I'm going to study, not to enjoy life, why are you giving me so much money?"
Liu Bowen brought a lot of foreign currency with him when he went abroad this time, but he felt that he would not need so much.
The government provides food and accommodation, as well as living expenses. It's not safe to carry so much money.
"This is not called enjoying life, it's called investing." Liu Meiyu pulled her brother and said patiently, "You went abroad this time with a study mission. Saving is a virtue, but time is money. Since you are going abroad, you should think about how to bring back more skills and knowledge, and don't think about other things."
“Money can sometimes save you more time, which you can use to learn knowledge and then create more wealth in the future. This is a value cycle. If you waste the opportunity to learn more new knowledge or get in touch with new technology just to save a little money, the loss in the end may be far more than what you saved.”
Working part-time to earn money for study is a good thing, but since Liu Meiyun has the ability, she doesn't want her brother to go abroad and waste time on the market. Wouldn't it be better for him to use that time to fill his head with more knowledge?
"Thank you, sis. I understand."
Liu Bowen thought quickly and soon understood what his sister meant.
Liu Meiyun felt the most accomplished when she talked to smart people. She stood on tiptoe and rubbed her brother's head, smiling and saying, "The knowledge I talked about is not all from books. You are so smart, you must understand it. If you have time, you can go and get a driver's license when you get there. Second-hand cars are very cheap there. Go to safe places and walk around more. Knowledge and vision can be learned from other places besides books."
"Well, I understand, sister, I will definitely not let you down."
Liu Bowen bent down slightly, hugged Liu Meiyu with red eyes, and his voice was full of nasal tone.
"Okay, let's go, the teacher is urging us, the plane you've been dreaming of is right in front of us."
Pushing the person away from her, Liu Meiyu waved her hand in a nonchalant manner, urging the person to check in and board the plane.
Only after everyone passed the gate did she sniff and couldn't hold back her tears.
Lu Changzheng felt so distressed watching his wife that he held her in his arms, not knowing how to comfort her for a moment.
In all these years, I have never seen his wife shed tears for any reason. She is always strong and rational in front of others, but once she sheds tears, it is very painful to watch.
"If you miss Bowen, you can go see him next year."
These were the only words of comfort that Lu Changzheng could think of.
He is a soldier and cannot go abroad easily, but Liu Meiyun can. It's just a round-trip ticket. As long as people are happy, it's fine.
"I am willing. Is your son willing?"
Liu Meiyu recovered after a while.
When they go back to Shanghai, the three boys at home stick together. If they have to take the three brothers with them when they go abroad, she should stay at home.
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