When they got home, Sun Yunmei was chatting with Zhang Qiao when she saw them return. Her face lit up with a smile. "Oh, did you catch something?"
"Mom, I caught a big fish. My second uncle and aunts are not as good as me."
“Yes, Leilei went down to catch the big fish, and he almost got eaten by it,” Mingliang teased.
Mingjing didn't have time to reply. She squatted down and started picking up the fish. "Mom, take this red snapper and that tilapia back to my sister-in-law and aunt to make soup. It'll help them get better."
Liu Feng and Zhang Qiao stood to the side, and Sun Yunmei couldn't very well refuse.
"No need, you guys have it tough. There's still a lot of leftovers today, I don't want any more." Zhang Qiao had ordered several fish from Mingjing last time, so she felt embarrassed to ask for more this time.
“That’s right, Auntie is right, you should keep it for yourselves,” Liu Feng also declined.
She's no longer a member of the Ming family, so how could she ask for things from them for no reason?
"Keep one of those red snapper, a small one, for fish soup at noon," Sun Yunmei said quickly, afraid that Mingjing would say something else.
Her daughter is educated, quick-witted, and polite. She gives away all sorts of things, and she has no objection to giving them to her sister-in-law, since Liu Feng isn't her daughter-in-law.
She didn't want to speak up, but now that Liu Feng herself said no, she had to stop her.
Mingjing knew that Sun Yunmei had a prejudice against Liu Feng, so she kept one small red silk fish and packed the rest up to give to Lao Zhao.
Ming Dahai frowned. "Old Zhao is such a rip-off. You should send him to town. That young Xie is quite good."
Since Mingjing improved, it has also affected Mingdahai's judgment. Previously, he was afraid of trouble and did not know anyone who would receive the goods, so he gave Lao Zhao a lot of money.
He's not stupid anymore; he'll give to whoever offers the most, even if it's a long way.
Moreover, he was convinced from the bottom of his heart that Xie Jun'an was a good kid, and the price he offered was higher than that of Lao Zhao.
"With so few fish, why bother asking someone to come over?" Mingjing thought it was too much trouble, and it was getting late, so she didn't want to go through the hassle.
"If you won't let them come over, I'll deliver it myself."
As soon as he finished speaking, a voice of dissatisfaction came from behind him.
"Third Aunt, you're lying! Didn't you say you'd let us go fishing and crabbing, and then you'd give us money? You big liar, I won't buy you a big villa anymore!"
Minglei crossed his arms, rolled his eyes with a defiant look, stretched his little feet out in front of him, and pointed his toes angrily.
"Weigh them, Dad. Bring the scale. Let's see how much these fish weigh. Time to pay wages." Mingjing went into the house and took out a wad of banknotes from under her pillow.
When Ming Lei heard that there was money to spend, he became especially energetic and followed closely behind Ming Jing, never leaving her side.
"Alright, alright, pay my precious grandson's salary. Let's see how much he weighs."
Ming Dahai brought out a steelyard balance, placed the fish on it, and weighed them one by one, praising Ming Lei's excellence from time to time.
Since there weren't many fish, everyone knew which ones they had caught, so there was no need to wonder if they were theirs.
"Ming Lei has the most. Including the crabs, here's five yuan for you. Go buy some candy," Ming Jing said, handing over a five-yuan note.
"Thank you, Auntie." Minglei took the money and turned to give it to Liu Feng. "Mom, this is what I earned. Take it and buy some good food for your little brother."
Liu Feng touched her son's head and tears streamed down her face.
"Sister-in-law, Leilei is sensible, you should take it." Mingjing originally wanted to tease Minglei, but she didn't expect him to do this. She secretly added some more, "Sister-in-law, you should take it. Leilei earned it. I miscalculated just now."
Liu Feng tried to refuse, but Mingjing stuffed the money into her hand and then turned to give money to Sun Yang and Mingliang.
Sun Yang refused the money Mingjing offered, saying, "What do I want? I don't want it."
"It's a deal, Uncle. You can keep it. It's not much, only forty yuan. If you don't take it now, it'll be worth about the same when you sell it later, so I have to give it to you."
Sun Yang smiled and took the money, putting it away. "Alright then, I really didn't expect to make money following you this time."
"Jiaojiao and Yanyan, you two get ten yuan together. Take it and buy some candy." Mingjing gave the twins another ten yuan.
"Auntie, let's go to the convenience store to buy some snacks. They have those crispy peaches and spicy strips, they're so delicious!" Minglei said, his mouth watering at the thought.
The Sun twins, who were only fifteen years old, were persuaded to take Minglei to the convenience store.
"Don't waste money, buy more school supplies," Zhang Qiao gently instructed, then glanced at Zhang Yunmei.
I was relieved to find out she had no objections.
Since Mingyue caught nothing, there was nothing left.
"Fourth Aunt is not as good as me, hehehe." Ming Lei made a face, then went back to his annoying look and pulled the twins away.
Mingyue had no interest in acknowledging the boy and turned to go inside.
"Alright, I'll go deliver it."
Since the bucket couldn't hold the big fish, Minghai put the fish in a water tank, placed it on a foot mat, covered the tank with a nylon fishnet to prevent the fish from jumping out, and finally tied it with a rope.
Ming Dahai rode his motorcycle directly to the town.
Watching Ming Dahai leave, Zhang Qiao said enviously, "Dahai is a reliable man. He has been honestly earning money to support his family for so many years."
"You make it sound like my brother is unreliable," Zhang Yunmei said with a smile while eating sunflower seeds.
“Your brother can make small money, but he can’t grasp big money,” Zhang Qiao remarked. “Look at the lives you two lead, you’re both good at making money.”
“Ever since I had my child, I’ve been working all year round, and my body is no good anymore. Now, whenever I do any work, my back aches and my waist hurts. Your brother even says I’m being lazy.”
Zhang Qiao couldn't help but shake her head.
“Aunt, the real estate market is really hot right now. Why don’t you become a real estate agent and earn commissions? It’s very lucrative,” Mingjing said, remembering something.
"Selling houses? Is that even possible?" Zhang Qiao had never heard of this job before and looked completely bewildered.
The real estate boom is just beginning, and several small real estate agencies have already emerged in coastal areas. As many people go into business, houses have become hot commodities.
"Of course you can. You're pregnant now and can't do heavy work. Selling houses is all about talking; as long as you can talk, you can make money."
"Who would want this house on the island? It's not worth much."
Zhang Qiao could tell Mingjing was serious, so she immediately asked, "Does this have any costs? Do we need a business license?"
"No need. When you have free time, go and ask who wants to buy a house, who wants to rent a house, and what their requirements are. Keep the resources in your hands first."
"Houses on islands may not be worth much now, but in a few decades, several million will be nothing."
"So, does that mean we should buy a few more properties and collect rent from them later?" Zhang Qiao's mind worked quickly.
Mingjing nodded, "That's right. But we need to build up the funds now. When you have time, go sit under the big tree at the village entrance and get along well with those old ladies."
"I know the platitudes, but where does this money come from?"
"Of course, we earn referral fees, property management fees, and the difference in rent. Right now, it's a business that doesn't cost us anything."
Hearing this, not only Zhang Qiao was tempted, but Liu Feng and Sun Yunmei were also tempted.
They are all housewives who do housework and take care of children all day long. They can't earn any money at all and are even disliked by their husbands.
Zhang Qiao and Sun Yunmei were doing alright. In the countryside, they could make a living by going to the beach, farming, and doing odd jobs like sewing. But it was barely enough to get by.
Zhang Qiao, in particular, was unable to work and had a child. Sun Yang couldn't earn any money by going out to sea, and the family of several people couldn't make ends meet.
Liu Feng is in an even worse situation. She is disliked by her teacher husband every day, and she is pregnant, so life is not easy at all.
"How about this, sister-in-law, aunt, you can do it whenever you have free time. It's not just on the island, but also in the town and the city."
Go to the most crowded areas and distribute information about buying and renting apartments, post small ads, hand out flyers, or set up stalls to collect rental information.
Mingjing remembered that in her previous life, she had used a real estate agent to rent a house. The agent was eloquent and could sell more than a dozen houses a month, and he had dozens of houses for rent.
She earned several thousand yuan in commission for each property, and every few days she would buy a new car or a new house. At that time, she happened to be looking to buy a villa by the sea, so I showed her several properties.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com