Chunmei: "Auntie, you are so lucky to have such a capable and filial granddaughter."
“What can we do? We earn a penny and spend it all, and they won’t even let us manage the money. It’s really worrying. Chunmei, if you need anything, just call this number.”
"OK……"
Before she could finish speaking, Chunmei heard a snap, and the phone line went dead.
Chunmei always felt that the old lady was deliberately showing off.
After hanging up the phone, Grandma He asked He Wenlin to help her dial her great-uncle's number.
"Younger brother, this is your older sister. I'm in Shaocheng. This is Linlin's shop's phone number..."
Immediately afterwards, Grandma He dialed the phone number of her other younger brother.
Grandma He repeated the exact same words to her two great-uncles.
He Wenjun whispered to He Wenlin, "This is the first time I've realized that Grandma loves to show off so much."
He Wenlin smiled and said, "Grandma isn't showing off, she's just happy."
I'm so happy that my granddaughter has become successful, and that she's earned money to buy me clothes and gold jewelry.
"Grandma doesn't like to show off now, she just didn't have the means to do so before. I'm very happy to be something Grandma can boast about."
The second brother seemed to be infected by this sentiment as well, and firmly declared, "I also want to become something Grandma can brag about!"
"Then let's work hard together, brother and sister!"
"Yes, let's work together!"
~
Customers who came to pick up their lunch at noon discovered that He Wenlin's shop had installed a telephone and exclaimed that it would be much more convenient to make and receive calls in the future. They immediately copied down He Wenlin's phone number, and two people even called home to leave He Wenlin's phone number.
Long-distance calls cost 50 cents per minute, and He Wenlin charged each of them 2 yuan for the call.
After a lively midday rush, Lin Fei's mother, He Lanying, arrived with two boxes of blood-tonifying powder and a large bunch of bananas, clearly gifts for Grandma He.
In her hometown, when visiting relatives and friends, the gifts given were almost always blood-tonifying powders.
"Lanying, you've come at the right time. We were just about to eat. Linlin, hurry up and cook another dish." Grandma He welcomed them into the house. "You're welcome. Don't bring anything. We're all family."
"Auntie, thank you for taking care of my Xiaofei. I'll definitely need your help in the future."
"Xiaofei is a good kid, he's been a great help to us."
"I heard from Xiaofei that the apprenticeship process needs to be notarized, is that right?"
"This is Linlin's idea. This shop belongs to her, and we all listen to her."
While stirring the stir-fried pork in the wok, He Wenlin explained, "Auntie, let's be frank. Brother Lin Fei is learning his craft from me. I didn't charge him tuition; I even provided him with food, lodging, and a salary. I cover all the materials he wastes during practice. So, the time and money I invested in training him must be worthwhile, right?"
He Lanying nodded: "Yes, that's right."
"So I asked him to work for me for six years. After six years, he will still be young, just over twenty. By then, he will have accumulated enough experience with me. If he wants to go solo, I will support him."
He Lanying: "What you said makes sense, but isn't it too troublesome to have it notarized? Auntie, Linlin, I can guarantee that my Xiaofei will never learn it and then run away."
He Lanying understood that He Wenlin wanted to sign a contract and have it notarized because she was afraid that Lin Fei would learn it and then run away.
“When doing business, you have to sign a contract. Neither Lin Fei nor I are adults, so after both sets of parents sign, we have to go to notarize it. Actually, after Lin Fei learns it, he can run away if he wants, as long as he pays me 10,000 yuan for the tuition.”
After He Wenlin finished speaking, she took out the prepared agreement, in triplicate, and handed it to He Lanying.
"This is the agreement, please take a look."
Grandma He: "Eat first, then look at it. Let's eat first."
The stir-fried pork was ready. He Wenlin turned off the heat, ladled it out, placed it on the table, and said, "Let's eat first, we'll talk about it after we finish eating."
He Lanying put down the agreement, looked at the dishes on the table, and said with a smile, "Linlin's cooking skills are really superb. I've been thinking about the meal Linlin made here last time, and I'm so glad to have it again today."
There is no doubt that He Wenlin is a skilled cook.
In particular, they served their favorite Sichuan and Hunan cuisine.
He Lanying had to rush back to work, and He Wenlin and the others were busy delivering meals to other factories in the afternoon, so they all wanted to get this matter settled as soon as possible.
He Lanying acknowledged the contents of the agreement with He Wenlin, but felt that notarization was unnecessary and a waste of money.
Unable to persuade He Wenlin, He Lanying tried to persuade Old Lady He and Father He, but Old Lady He listened to He Wenlin, and Father He... Father He had been fired and felt that his words carried no weight, so he didn't say a word.
In the end, Lin Fei readily agreed to have it notarized. He Lanying had no choice but to go to the notary office together with He Wenlin and her son.
After the notarization was completed, He Lanying went straight back to the factory where she worked. Before leaving, she repeatedly told Lin Fei to study hard, be diligent, and be sweet-talking.
Lin Fei was impatient to listen.
It was already 3:30 when I got back to the store.
Grandma He and the others were preparing the ingredients.
This afternoon's fast food consisted of dry-pot cauliflower, shredded pork with eggs and mushrooms, and stir-fried bean sprouts.
He Wenlin washed her hands, tied on her apron, and quickly got to work.
He Wenlin quietly leaned closer: "Little sister, why didn't you ask me to sign that contract? Aren't you afraid I'll learn it and then run away?"
“You’re my brother, we grew up together. If you learn how to run away, there’s nothing I can do but accept it. After all, you’re my brother.”
He Wenjun chuckled: "Don't worry, I definitely won't run away."
“Study hard. If you don’t have the talent, make up for it with hard work. When I said I would support you going solo, I wasn’t just saying it for fun.”
“Little sister, sometimes I feel like you talk like an adult.”
Am I not an adult myself?
She's a woman in her thirties.
"Good sister, I'd like to get an advance on my salary."
"An advance on your salary? What do you want to do with it?" He Wenlin asked.
"I don't have any money on me right now, and I want to go online tonight."
"You still have time to go online? Your task right now is to practice, brother," He Wenlin said. "Even if you don't practice, you still need to catch up on sleep, otherwise how can you keep going?"
"I'll just go play for a while."
"You can't end up like my dad, or don't blame me for being ruthless."
"Don't worry, I won't. I definitely won't let it interfere with my work. I'll just play for an hour, and I promise I'll be back to practice after that."
“Then I’ll give you two hundred yuan. You’ll have food and lodging provided for now, and there won’t be any other expenses. From now on, I’ll only give you two hundred yuan of pocket money every month. Grandma will save the rest for you to use when you buy a house.”
Young people don't know how to plan their spending; it's like water flowing away. Sometimes they can't even figure out how they spent their money. He Wenlin should keep an eye on him and at least help him save up for a down payment as soon as possible.
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