Chapter 75 Turning Point
The atmosphere of the Spring Festival is warm and lively, and the streets and alleys are filled with a strong festive atmosphere.
For Lin Qiu's family, the Spring Festival is nothing more than four words: eating, drinking and having fun.
Wang Xiuren would check in at the newsstand on time every day so that old customers could keep up with current affairs, and then he would close the shutter and go home quickly.
Then, just like the landlords in the old society, he sat on the recliner, swaying in front of the big color TV, with the coffee table next to him piled with snacks and fruits.
Wang Shan followed suit, lying on the sofa like Wang Xiuren, but occasionally shouting, "Dad, this is delicious!" "Dad, help me peel the skin!"
Wang Xiuren would have to go over, either open his mouth, chew the food a few times and comment on it, or take the orange or sugarcane from his daughter's hand and peel or tear the skin.
Lin Qiu was like a supervisor, sitting on the sofa watching the father and daughter act up and act weird, and of course he would be force-fed by them.
In fact, people from the same generation as Lin Qiu and Wang Xiuren all came from an era of food and clothing shortages, so they think any fruit snacks are delicious. Wang Shan doesn’t have the picky eating habits of other kids of this era. She eats whatever is given to her. But when she sees something she likes, she opens her mouth eagerly like a puppy: “More! More!”
As soon as she said this, the remaining Lin Qiu and Wang Xiuren would not move and would leave everything to her.
“What a delicious dog!”
"My little greedy cat!"
Every time this happened, Lin Qiu would tap his daughter's forehead or scratch her nose.
Wang Xiuren would answer in a defensive way: "Dogs bring wealth!" "Cats bring fortune!"
Wang Shan felt quite proud. She raised her chin and woofed or meowed, making her parents laugh.
I don’t know whether dogs bring wealth or cats bring fortune, but on the sixth day of the New Year, Ah Xing came to the door again with good news.
"Brother!"
Ah Xing held Wang Xiuren's hand warmly while carrying a bag of Lishi cheese wafer biscuits, "I have something good to tell you!"
Wang Xiuren invited Ah Xing into the living room, brought the tea that Lin Qiu had brewed and placed it in front of Ah Xing, "Ah Xing, drink some tea first!"
Wang Shan, who was sitting on the carpet playing with her doll, saw Ah Xing and happily called out "Uncle!"
She remembers this uncle, and every time she goes to this uncle's house or meets this uncle, there will be delicious food!
"The little sister is so good. She went to my house to play with brother Ahao that day!" Ah Xing rubbed Wang Shan's hair.
Seeing that Ah Xing and Wang Xiuren had important matters to discuss, Lin Qiu added some fruits and snacks to the coffee table and took Wang Shan into the room.
"Ah Xing, what good news have you brought me?" Wang Xiuren sat down next to Ah Xing and said with a smile, "Every time you come, there is good news. You are almost like a bird of good news!"
The bird that brings good news usually refers to the magpie, which has been a symbol of good luck since ancient times and is very popular among people.
Ah Xing was even happier after hearing this and told the good news all at once.
It turned out that today was the day when Director Huang's family was holding a Spring Festival banquet. In addition, they had just moved into the building that was renovated last year, so the people who went included not only people from the unit, but also his classmates and friends.
The design and decoration of the new house received everyone's praise. People kept asking Director Huang which decoration company he found, and Director Huang explained them one by one.
After dinner, Director Huang kept Ah Xing and another classmate of his. The classmate asked Ah Xing to help contact Wang Xiuren to help re-hang the ceiling and also to do some carpentry work such as the wardrobe at home.
"Then you just need to talk to Brother Man! He will arrange for me to do it! You should know him, you also saw him last time at Director Huang's place!" Wang Xiuren blurted out after listening.
"Brother!" Ah Xing was a little disappointed, "Director Huang is interested in you, not your boss. Why don't you understand?"
Wang Xiuren was a little slow to react.
"You are just a simple-minded person!" Ah Xing knocked on the table. "Director Huang took a liking to you and recommended jobs to you alone several times. Who knew that you would bring others with you every time."
Although Ah Xing admired Wang Xiuren's character and was willing to make friends with him, he did not expect that Director Huang recognized Wang Xiuren so much. Originally, I thought that Director Huang recognized Wang Xiuren's craftsmanship, but later I found out that the director repeatedly introduced private jobs to Wang Xiuren. In fact, Ah Xing didn’t understand why Wang Xiuren was so highly regarded. Maybe it’s because simpletons have good fortune!
"You have your own skills. Just do your best to handle the orders from Director Huang, and you won't have to worry about not getting any work! Think about it!" Ah Xing said to Wang Xiuren seriously, "Isn't this better than following someone else to work?"
Wang Xiuren remained silent.
"Okay, I've brought you the letter. It's up to you what to do!" Ah Xing stood up, patted Wang Xiuren on the shoulder, then opened the door and left.
Wang Xiuren sat on the sofa in a daze, not moving at all.
Lin Qiu came out and looked at her husband who looked like a statue, very puzzled, "What's going on? Didn't Ah Xing bring good news?"
Wang Xiuren moved his neck left and right and slowly told Lin Qiu what Ah Xing had said.
It would be a lie to say that I wasn't tempted, but it seemed a bit unkind to leave Brother Man and start my own business, especially since he lent me such a large sum of money last year. Moreover, I have never contracted a construction site on my own. If I don't calculate it correctly, I may have to pay for the working hours and wages myself. I have a family and I can't afford it.
Lin Qiu also felt torn, but Ah Xing's words were indeed very touching.
It seems that they can make a lot of money now by running the newsstand and Wang Xiuren working for others, but after a few years, the newsstand will have no business, and relying on only two people working, what will be the difference from the previous life?
Not to mention anything else, the speed at which prices are rising is staggering. After the Chinese New Year, the price of pork increased from RMB 5.5 per pound to RMB 5.8 per pound.
"Do you think you can make money?" Lin Qiu asked, looking into Wang Xiuren's eyes.
Wang Xiuren hesitated to speak, pursed his lips and said: "We owe Brother Man a favor!"
Lin Qiu thought about it and felt that it was true. One should not be ungrateful. The disappointment in his eyes flashed by and was quickly hidden. "Yes, we are grateful."
Lin Qiu hid his emotions quickly, but Wang Xiuren caught them.
He tends to be conservative by nature, but he also knows that if he can't make up his mind this time, he will miss the opportunity to make a fortune.
When Wang Xiuren felt his thoughts wavering, the answer suddenly came to his mind in an instant.
“In fact, you can still take the contract without setting up your own business.” Wang Xiuren suddenly said.
Lin Qiu didn't understand what he meant, "What about Brother Man?"
"It's not like I can always get to the construction site. I usually just work with Brother Man!"
This didn't sound like a problem, so Lin Qiu asked worriedly, "Will Brother Man have any objections?"
This can be considered as colleagues, and as the old saying goes, colleagues are enemies.
Wang Xiuren shook his head. "Brother Man has been working on construction sites for so many years. He has built a huge business. Mine is not even the beginning. Besides, Brother Man is not a stingy person."
"Then..." Lin Qiu opened his mouth.
"This..." Wang Xiuren said.
"I think you can give it a try!" Lin Qiu looked at Wang Xiuren encouragingly.
Wang Xiuren felt a little uneasy, "What if I don't calculate well and lose money?"
It doesn't matter to him alone, but his wife and children cannot suffer with him.
Lin Qiu pondered for a moment, "I think we should give it a try! After all, we have a house and a newsstand."
"We share the good times and the bad times! No matter how bad things get, we still have our skills!" Lin Qiu added fuel to the fire.
"Then I'll go talk to Brother Man tomorrow."
Lin Qiu nodded, "Do you want to send something?"
Wang Xiuren still understands the ways of the world. "Let's go to the mall and buy a bunch of wine tomorrow!"
The next day, Wang Xiuren carried a glass of wine and walked towards Yang Guiman's house.
Yang Guiman was watching TV with a cigarette in his mouth. When he saw Wang Xiuren, he said, "Hey, brother, you have some free time today, come and play with me. Come on, come on, I have some good cigarettes!"
"Not only are there good cigarettes, but also good wine!" Wang Xiuren raised his hand and showed the wine.
Wang Xiuren had already wished him a happy new year on the third day of the first lunar month, and now he was bringing wine over. Yang Guiman said bluntly, "If you have anything to say, just say it. There's no need for this kind of nonsense between us brothers!"
Wang Xiuren's move was indeed a bit like starting his own business. He told Yang Guiman the whole story and assured him: "I will definitely not delay the work assigned by Brother Man."
His own construction site really needed the support of carpenter Wang Xiuren, and Yang Guiman also trusted Wang Xiuren's promise. Besides, blocking someone's financial path was like killing his parents. Even if he felt a little uncomfortable in his heart, he did not show it on his face. He did not want the friendship of the past two years to be affected.
Besides, this matter is still good for Yang Guiman. He smiled and patted Wang Xiuren on the shoulder: "From now on, those small construction sites will be transferred to you!"
Yang Guiman originally only took on large construction sites, but some bosses would occasionally send him small construction sites, which was a waste of time and did not make any money.
Now that he had someone he could trust, he was eager to get rid of these small construction sites.
Although Wang Xiuren felt that he could take on a few construction sites, no one would complain about having too many construction sites.
He looked at Yang Guiman with gratitude, "Brother Man, I really don't know what to say. You are so good to me..."
Yang Guiman interrupted him directly with a wave of his hand, and said frankly, "Let me be frank with you. You still have to pay attention to the things that I should pay attention to! You can't just take care of yourself."
Wang Xiuren vowed: "Brother Man, I promise to be the same as before. As long as you can use me, I will do my best!"
Yang Guiman didn't think that Wang Xiuren was just talking nonsense. After all, he had been out for so many years and had been working on construction sites for so long. He had helped many people, but Wang Xiuren was the most grateful person he had ever met. Whether he was a subordinate or a friend, he was very loyal.
He laughed heartily and said, "Wake up, have a drink with me at noon today. I haven't drunk for a long time!"
Wang Xiuren certainly couldn't refuse at this time, so he agreed immediately.
He didn't say goodbye and leave until the afternoon when Yang Guiman sobered up.
After he walked out of Yang Guiman's house, he ran home like a gust of wind. He felt that the sky was blue, the grass was green, and even the dog shit was fragrant.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
