Chapter 108: Give me some ideas
After buying a few packets of instant noodles at the store, Yang Guoen and his father returned home: "Are Xiaoshu and Xiaohe asleep?"
"How could that be? I went to Jiangang's house to play with Mingyuan."
"Have you finished your homework?" Feng Lanlan asked.
“I finished it on the mountain.”
"Dad, is there anyone watching the kids' homework?" Yang Guoen asked curiously. He and his wife Feng Lanlan both worked in an electronics factory outside. They got off work at around eight or nine in the evening and often called home. They knew everything about the village, but they didn't expect that this old man and two children not only had their meals at someone else's house, but also did their homework at the doorstep.
Yang Hong was very confident, "My eyesight has been blurry for a long time, but I can't watch my children do their homework. Let them go to the mountains to do their homework with other children in the village. If they don't understand something, they can ask the older children. Isn't it better than doing it while watching TV at home?"
Feng Lanlan and Yang Guoen looked at each other, not knowing what they were thinking.
When they got home and there were no outsiders around, Yang Hong said with a stern face, "You two, tell me what's going on. Why are you back now and not working or earning money? There were a lot of people outside just now. Tell me honestly, you haven't done anything wrong, have you?"
Yang Guoen was speechless. "Dad, I'm your biological son. Don't you know who I am? What could I possibly have done wrong? Why do you always think this way?"
"You don't know, there was a young man in Dongtiao Village who suddenly came back like you two last month. Not long after, the police came and said he was stealing things outside. He was sent to jail. His parents almost cried themselves to death."
Feng Lanlan nudged her man with her elbow and signaled him with her eyes.
The two of them were hesitating and hesitating, pushing each other. Yang Hong was furious. "What are you two doing? Do you think I'm blind? If you have something to say, just say it quickly! You useless things!"
Yang Guoen was already in his thirties, but he was still afraid of his own father. He had no choice but to tell the truth: "Dad, Lanlan and I don't want to go out to work anymore. We want to find a job at home."
"What!?" Yang Hong's eyes widened, and he slammed the table. "You two lazy bastards! If you don't go out to work, how can you expect to earn money at home? It's just the two acres of land at home. Xiaoshu and Xiaohe don't want to go to school? Xiaoshu won't get married when he grows up? You two only know how to enjoy yourself, and you don't know how to think about the children at all!"
Feng Lanlan saw her father-in-law getting anxious, so she quickly explained, "Dad, we came back for a reason. I heard from the village secretary that vegetables can be sold in the village, and we can make a lot of money from the vegetables we grow on our few acres of land. We can find something else to do, which is just as good as working outside, and we can also spend time with you and the children. You're getting old..."
"Don't bring this up on me. I'm in good health, and you two don't need to worry about me," the old man said, his tone softening. Children need their parents' education and companionship. The village has a precedent. Yang Mingyuan used to be a troublemaker, but this year his mother stayed home and worked for Xiao Wu, earning two to three thousand yuan a month and getting to look after the child. Seeing Yang Mingyuan's grades improve so much that he can even teach the village kids homework?
The elderly all hope that their children can study well. Yang Guofeng also often says in the village that children grow up better when their parents are around.
Xiaoshu and Xiaohe have not had much time with their parents since they were born. They are so envious when they see Yang Mingyuan snuggling up to his mother.
Yang Hong, as a grandfather, saw it all and could do nothing about it. He could only be a good grandfather, but he could not replace the role of parents.
If everyone can find a job right at their doorstep, who would want to go out to work?
Yang Hong thought about it and decided to ask first.
"What are you two planning to do?"
There is no shortage of people on Xia Wu’s hill, especially two young men in their prime.
Yang Guoen hurriedly asked, "Dad, do you agree?"
Yang Hong glared at him. He didn't even say anything. What did he agree to?
His son's brain wasn't working very well, so Yang Hong turned to look at his daughter-in-law, "Lanlan, tell me, what are you two planning to do?"
Feng Lanlan said, "Dad, Guo'en and I have had this idea for a long time. We've saved some money from working part-time over the years, and I asked Guo'en to learn a skill after get off work. The community there is training on making snacks. I can make pancakes, and Guo'en can barbecue. We thought, why don't we get a food truck and either do barbecue or breakfast? We don't have to pay for setting up a stall here, so we can invest a little upfront. As long as we're willing to work hard, we'll definitely make a profit."
Yang Hong obviously trusts his daughter-in-law more than his own son, and his eyes are full of admiration when he looks at her.
Making breakfast or barbecue sounds good, but Yang Hong didn't make a decision immediately. He planned to ask someone.
Not long after, Yang Hong took his son and daughter-in-law to the home of village secretary Yang Guofeng.
"Uncle Hong, please sit down. When did Guo'en come back? Why didn't you even call me so I could drive over to pick him up?"
Yang Guofeng was not arrogant. He welcomed the people into the house with a smile, poured tea for the three of them, and sat in the yard to chat.
There are two pear trees in his yard, which are full of fruits. He put a stone table under the trees and sit under the trees to drink tea and read books when he has nothing to do. He is quite leisurely.
Yang Guoen looked up at the fruit and said, "Secretary, your pear tree has produced quite a lot of fruit this year."
"Haha, the weather is good this year. The pears will be ripe by Mid-Autumn Festival. I will deliver some to every household in the village."
"Well, I guess I can taste it too. Thank you, Secretary."
Yang Guofeng was a little surprised. He thought Yang Guoen and his wife had come back to see the children. "From what you said, you are not planning to leave?"
"Guofeng, this is what happened." Yang Hong was afraid that his son couldn't explain it clearly, so he simply told him the whole story for him.
"Do you think their idea is feasible? Is it a barbecue or breakfast?"
Occasionally, people come back to the village, such as Zhao Jing and Wang Minping during the Chinese New Year, Yang Shuhua later, and now Yang Guoen and his wife. This is a good sign. Their willingness to come back shows that the development of Yanggou Village gives people hope.
Only with people can there be a future. Yang Guofeng has always believed in this concept.
So when he heard that Yang Guoen had returned and didn't want to leave and wanted to find something to do, he immediately applauded. He wanted to come back and be with his children. The next generation is hope and the future. What a wonderful thing.
But we can't say that people have nothing to do after coming back and can't make money, so they will leave again after a while.
Yang Guofeng thought for a moment. "Both of these ideas are good. Personally, I think a barbecue stall is better than a breakfast stall. Think about it, we're not a big city. People eat breakfast at home, not many people eat out. There are a few breakfast stalls in town, but they don't just make breakfast; they make three meals a day. They've been doing it for years. You two might not be able to compete with them."
"There's not much nightlife here, so not many people do barbecue, but the audience should be large. Think about it, it can be done in front of the school, and we adults can eat it too. I think it's better than making it for breakfast."
Yang Guofeng's analysis made Yang Guoen a little excited: "That's right, Lanlan and I think so too. Besides, if we grow vegetables at home, we can save some money on vegetarian skewers. Summer is coming soon. What do people eat outside like crayfish and fried snails? We can make them too!"
After hearing this, Yang Hong asked, "Guofeng, do you mean this can be accomplished?"
Yang Guofeng didn't dare to guarantee anything. He scratched his head and said, "I've never been out of the village. If you ask me to come up with these ideas, I'm definitely not as good as Xiao Wu. How about you go to her house tomorrow and ask her to come up with some ideas for you?"
Yang Hong thought this was feasible.
Feng Lanlan also agreed. Her elderly and children had been eating at Xia Wu's mountain for a long time. She had originally said that she would thank them well when she came back this time, and she even bought a gift for Xia Wu.
So the next day, Yang Guoen and Feng Lanlan took gifts and went to Yang Guojun's house.
When Yang Guojun saw them coming, he also warmly welcomed them and introduced them to Xia Wu: "This is your grandfather Yang Hong's son and daughter-in-law. You can just call them brother and sister-in-law."
After a few pleasantries, Feng Lanlan gave Xia Wu a gift. It was a few meters of moon-white silk she had bought from outside, perfect for young people. "Sister, I don't know if this gift suits your taste. We are not cultured people, and I'm afraid you won't like it if it's too vulgar. Cheongsams are popular where we work, so I bought some cloth and asked Auntie to make you a dress."
Liu Guizhen's needlework is well-known in the village.
Xia Wu accepted the gifts and invited them to sit in the aisle. She learned from Yang Guofeng last night that Feng Lanlan would come to visit her today and ask for her advice.
After Feng Lanlan explained her purpose, Xia Wu said to her, "Just listen to Uncle Guofeng and open a barbecue stall. Don't open it too far away. Just open it at the intersection of our village and Haotang Village."
Yang Guoen was a little confused. He thought they were going to open a stall in the town. "Will anyone come if I set up a stall there?"
Xia Wu nodded. "Don't worry, there will definitely be some. Summer is almost here, and the lotus flowers in Haotang Village will be blooming soon. There will be a lot of tourists visiting by then. You two can set up a stall there. Find a way to connect electricity to it, build a tent, turn on the lights, and business will be good."
Yang Guoen wanted to say something, but Feng Lanlan patted him and said, "Okay, let's do this. We haven't been back for many years, and we are definitely not as familiar with the village as you are. It's right to listen to you."
Xia Wu smiled and could see that Feng Lanlan was a straightforward person and very smart.
Xia Wu also liked the gift she gave him. Thinking that this was the first couple of villagers to come back to start a business, he simply gave them another suggestion, "Last time when the village had barbecue, a chef came and left a barbecue recipe with Sister Yuexia. I'll ask her to bring the recipe down later so you two can try it."
The recipe was kindly left by Xu Li, and it doesn't require any technical skills, but for ordinary people like them who are not very proficient in cooking, it is already top-notch and delicious.
Yang Guoen and Feng Lanlan were men of action. After learning from the experience, they quickly took action, bought barbecue grills, hired people to set up a barbecue stall, bought tables and chairs to set up a tent, and made it look presentable.
Liu Guizhen took out the silk that Feng Lanlan had given her and looked at it carefully. The more she looked at it, the more she liked it. "This fabric is really nice and big. I can make you a cheongsam and a skirt. The remaining fabric can also be used to make pajamas."
Xia Wu clung to her mother's shoulders and asked, "Mom, can you make clothes?"
"It's not difficult. Clothes used to be expensive, so everyone just bought their own cloth and made their own clothes. I can also knit sweaters and sew soles. I made all your brother's clothes when he was little."
Liu Guizhen was a little proud.
Xia Wu was speechless for a moment.
She found a photo album in the room, which contained photos of Yang Wei when she was a child. The clothes she wore should have been made by her mother, right?
Are only things bought with money worth fighting over and admiring? Xia Wu felt jealous and hugged Liu Guizhen even tighter, whispering aggrievedly, "I've never worn clothes made by my mother."
Liu Guizhen was stunned for a moment and felt sad.
Xia Wu quickly regained her composure, "But it doesn't matter. Mom can do it for me now, and only for me from now on, okay?"
Liu Guizhen was about to cry. She tried to hide her sadness with a smile and nodded repeatedly, "Okay, Mom will only do it for you."
Two days later, the cloth Feng Lanlan sent had become a cheongsam. Liu Guizhen cut and sewed it herself, and it fit Xia Wu's figure perfectly. After she put it on, she stood in front of the full-length mirror and looked at herself again and again. She liked it very much.
"Mom! It's so beautiful!"
Liu Guizhen looked at her lovely daughter, and the maternal love in her eyes almost overflowed. If Xia Wu was there when she was a child, she would have made so many new clothes for her daughter. How could they be so beautiful?
"As long as you like it, I'll cook for you if you like it. My daughter is really pretty and looks good in anything she wears. Come, sit down and let me put your hair up."
Liu Guizhen was very skillful. She tied up Xia Wu's hair, leaving only a few strands of hair on her temples that could not be tied up. The moon-white cheongsam set off her beautiful figure even better. With her hair tied up, she looked like a gentle Jiangnan woman who had been raised in seclusion since childhood.
Xia Wu was so beautiful after putting on her new clothes that she just wanted Ji Yunzhou to look at her. She said something to Liu Guizhen, and then she barely found a pair of cloth shoes that matched her clothes and went out wearing them in a weird way.
If it were in the past, she would definitely match it with a pair of pearl white shoes, but now she can only make do with it.
After expressing her feelings to Ji Yunzhou, Xia Wu went to Bailou more frequently. When she was busy, Ji Yunzhou would come to see her. When she thought about their separation tomorrow, Xia Wu felt melancholy.
However, after seeing Ji Yunzhou, all of Xia Wu's bad emotions disappeared.
Knowing she was coming, Ji Yunzhou was waiting at the door early. Xia Wu jumped out of the car and ran a few steps happily. When she was still a few meters away from Ji Yunzhou, she suddenly remembered that she was wearing a cheongsam. She slowed down instantly, raised her chest and head, like a proud white swan: "Ji Yunzhou, do I look good?"
Ji Yunzhou smiled, his eyes fixed on her, unable to move away. "Beautiful."
"This is a new dress my mother made for me. It's my first time wearing a cheongsam. It looks so good, you're really lucky."
Xia Wu walked towards Ji Yunzhou with a proud step, and stretched out her delicate hand in front of Ji Yunzhou, "Since you are sensible, I will give you a chance to go out for a walk with me."
Ji Yunzhou smiled, shook his head, and looked back into the house, feeling somewhat helpless.
Ji Zhongyuan walked out of the room with a dry cough and greeted Xia Wu, who was already petrified with embarrassment: "Xiao Wu is here, it's okay, you don't have to worry about me, just do what you need to do!"
After saying that, he looked at Xia Wu with admiration and praised, "It's really beautiful! This kid is really lucky!"
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