"Uncle Wang, bring me two erasers and two pencils."
Old Wang went inside, grabbed two white erasers and a pencil, and handed them to Mingjing. "Two cents."
"Uncle Wang, now that you've become the deputy village chief, what will happen to the small shop?" Mingjing took out two cents and handed it over.
“I was just about to tell you this. I’ve been very busy lately and I’m almost unable to take care of this little shop. I was thinking of finding someone to help me watch the stall.”
Mingjing thought for a moment and said, "If you have someone you like, just find them. This convenience store is doing good business, and it's convenient for people who are short of food and clothing to come here."
“I think Zhao Dali is a good guy. That kid is really lazy. There’s not much work to do at this shop. I talked to him about it, but he didn’t want to do it. Could you talk to him for me?”
Old Wang recalled that Zhao Dali used to love following Mingjing around, but now he rarely saw that scene anymore.
“I’m not going. But I suggest you expand this little kiosk because it’s been open for too long. You should open a supermarket and hire someone to help you.”
"Pay me a salary. Stop always thinking about freebies, otherwise who'll do it?"
Old Wang thought about it and agreed. His little kiosk had been open for many years, but the things he could buy were limited. Opening a large supermarket seemed like a good idea.
“Okay, Mingjing, you're quick-witted. This supermarket is yours. You can do whatever you want with it. I'll pay the villagers a salary, so someone will be willing to do it.”
Mingjing was taken aback. She didn't actually want to get involved in the supermarket's construction. Even close brothers keep clear accounts, let alone neighbors.
If the money isn't divided fairly, who knows what kind of trouble might arise.
“Mingjing, I’m the deputy village chief now. There are a lot of things to do in the village. My son works abroad and can’t come back. The convenience store can’t function without someone to come up with ideas.”
Mingjing's eyes lit up and he said, "Uncle Wang, how about this? You can ask the village chief to get you a piece of land to rebuild a supermarket, or you can use your old house as the foundation."
“I’ll go to Zhao Dali and offer him a monthly salary of fifteen yuan. I guarantee he’ll agree.”
Mingjing nodded, picked up a spicy snack from the table, gave it to Minglei, paid him one cent, and left.
Passing by Lao Zhao's house, Mingjing still chatted with Lao Zhao. Hearing that a large supermarket was going to be built and that Zhao Dali would be the cashier, Lao Zhao was extremely excited.
In the 1980s, sales clerks and cashiers were highly sought-after jobs, so desirable that even offering gifts and entertaining guests couldn't guarantee them a position. Of course, things were different in the 1990s.
For Zhao Dali, who is lazy and loves to eat, this is a very good job.
He readily agreed, regardless of whether Zhao Dali agreed or not. Mingjing was now a hot commodity in the village, and many people wanted to do business with her and go overseas.
If the villagers find out about this, the cashier's position will change hands before tonight.
Since she subtly stirred up the matter between Lao Zhao and Yu Daniu last time, she still felt somewhat apologetic towards Lao Zhao, and this time she could be considered to be paying back her debt.
The next morning, Mingjing was awakened by the sound of raindrops outside.
The wind rattled against the glass, accompanied by a light rain, and dark clouds loomed overhead as if they were about to crash down.
Mingjing rolled over, opened her eyes, and checked the fishing tackle shop. Her points hadn't changed, but her luck value had been steadily increasing, reaching a whopping two hundred. What pleased her most was...
The progress bar for the chicken farm on the farm page is 150 points away from starting to raise chickens.
Mingjing sat up excitedly; she could raise chickens soon.
150 points are easy to get. Mingjing rolled out of bed. There were still a few small green lobsters and eels left from the last time she caught them. She could simply make some lobster noodles.
The little lobster had already died and was lying in the refrigerator. Mingjing removed the shrimp heads according to the recipe instructions, leaving the shrimp tails. She boiled water and cooked noodles in it, while frying chili oil in another pot.
Chop dried chilies and throw them into the oil, add scallions, ginger, garlic, and some white sesame seeds.
Boil the lobster tails in a pot until cooked, then remove them, cut them into pieces, and add them to the noodle soup. Drizzle with chili oil and sprinkle with chopped green onions. The lobster noodle soup is ready.
[Congratulations, host, for completing the lobster noodles! 200 points awarded]
Mingjing set out the bowls and chopsticks, and the family sat down at the table to slurp their food.
"The wind outside is getting stronger," Ming Dahai said, eating while looking outside.
"Dad, let's go out for a walk later, it's so boring."
Mingjing was eating when she looked towards the door.
She used to love doing nothing but curling up in bed and watching TV shows, but now that she's idle, she can't stay still.
"A clear mirror!"
Zhang Ping stood at the door with an umbrella, followed by Ming Xingwang.
"It's awful cold outside, come in and have a seat."
Mingjing pulled the two into the house, and Mingdahai poured tea for them.
"Mingjing, here's 100,000 yuan, take it." Zhang Ping took out a plastic bag from his pocket, which contained a stack of banknotes.
"Fan Yuliang asked me to deliver this; he's too embarrassed to see you."
Mingjing accepted it with suspicion, but before she could speak, Mingxingwang spoke up, "Mingjing, count it."
"No need, I trust you."
Mingjing placed the money on the table. She had just glanced at it when she took it out; there were ten stacks in total, all consecutively numbered, clearly from a bank withdrawal.
"Mingjing, I have to thank you for this. I really wouldn't have made it out without you," Zhang Ping said with an embarrassed smile.
Mingjing waved his hand, "It's just a matter of each taking what they need."
"Mingjing, there's something I need your help with. You must know that the higher-ups aren't happy with me lately. I know you have connections, so could you put in a good word for me?"
After saying that, Zhang Ping took out another wad of money and stuffed it into Mingjing's hand.
"Village Chief Zhang, I can't accept this. I can talk about it, but I don't know if it will work out or not. I can't control the leader's decision either."
Mingjing quickly refused.
If she takes the money but fails to get things done, she'll be in big trouble. Besides, she doesn't have any connections; she's just fooling Zhang Ping.
"That's good, that's good." Zhang Ping reluctantly accepted the money, then continued, "Look at the video of the ship being damaged..."
"I threw that away a long time ago, don't worry, I won't take it out again."
When Zhang Ping heard that it had been thrown away, he didn't believe it at first, but there was nothing he could do about it. After exchanging a few polite words, the two left.
Ming Dahai was overjoyed as he looked at the 100,000 yuan.
"Our boat only cost us about 50,000 to 60,000 yuan. The rest was lost wages, so we still lost money."
Mingjing didn't dare ask for too much, firstly because she was afraid of gossip, and secondly because she didn't want to go too far and incur Fan Yuliang's retaliation; it wasn't worth making a mortal enemy.
A moment later, the door outside was pushed open again, and Mingliang, wearing a raincoat, came in.
"Son, how did the exam go?" Sun Yunmei went up to Mingliang and took off his raincoat.
"It's pretty simple, I should be able to pass this time."
Mingjing was very confident. Sun Yunmei cooked another bowl of noodles and gave the lobster in the bowl to Mingliang.
After the meal, the wind outside picked up a bit more, and the rain lessened considerably.
Mingjing lay in bed, having finished reading the comic book. With no TV or phone to watch videos, she was really bored, so she simply closed her eyes and went to sleep.
Sun Yunmei slept until after 7 p.m., when she called them to get up and have dinner.
Dinner was braised eel. The eel meat was tender and had a sticky, chewy texture. Locals prefer a light and sweet flavor, which Mingjing didn't quite like.
"Eating and sleeping all day, it's so boring," Mingliang said, stretching after finishing his meal.
"Sis, our boat is destroyed, are we just going to let this go? Otherwise, let's go smash their windows, it'll be fun," Mingyue said, still feeling nostalgic about the last time.
Mingjing gently poked her head. "Don't talk nonsense. Let's talk about it when there's a suitable opportunity."
After finishing her meal, Mingjing lay on the bed. Suddenly, her phone rang, and a woman's voice came through the line, "Fan Yuliang is at Ming Xingwang's house."
Mingjing sat up, put down her phone, and got out of bed. "Brother, come with me for a moment."
After saying that, she took out the camera from the drawer and sneaked out.
"What are you doing? Sneaking around like this?" Mingliang asked, puzzled.
"Stealing someone's life."
"Mingjing, who are you having an affair with, and why do you have to drag me into it?"
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