Chapter 124: Back home in the county town, Ma Lijuan finished her day...
In her hometown county, Ma Lijuan finished her business for the day. After closing the glass door of the shop, she pulled down the roller shutter door above it, took out the key to make sure it was locked, and then carried her bag and walked home.
Along the way, Ma Lijuan calculated today's sales and thought about which clothes in the store were selling well so that she could buy more and which ones were not selling well so that she could promote them more tomorrow. If they were not selling well, she could sell them at a discount.
She had a satisfied smile on her face, and when she passed by a roast chicken shop, she stopped specifically to buy two chicken legs for her son.
"Oh! The boss is busy! Your Zhang Yun hasn't finished get off work yet today?" Ma Lijuan said with a smile to a man with ordinary looks and an ordinary figure.
This person is Zhang Yun’s husband, an ordinary man. Now he looks fat and wears an apron in the store.
Ma Lijuan didn't originally know the family, but her sister-in-law was good friends with the woman. Sometimes, Jiang Dong would have someone send back clothes that Xia Li had brought specifically for this woman, and Ma Lijuan or Jiang Erdong would find time to deliver them.
But Ma Lijuan deeply despised Zhang Yun's husband, a sentiment shared by Xia Li. If Zhang Yun was there when she brought something, she'd undoubtedly give her a chicken or something else to take away, smiling broadly and without a hint of reluctance. Even when she didn't bring anything, Zhang Yun, seeing her at the store, would come out to say hello and offer a few treats for her children to try.
Ma Lijuan wasn't the type to take advantage of others. If Zhang Yun came to her store, she would definitely give her a discount. Besides, Xia Li was her sister-in-law. The things she gave were also things given by the Jiang family, and also things given by Ma Lijuan. How much of a bargain did their family take!
As for the man in the shop, he was as cunning as a needle. Did he just turn his head away and pretend he didn't see her when he saw her? He didn't look like a business person at all. Ma Lijuan even doubted that he could attract customers with such a face.
Zhang Yun's husband looked a little uneasy when he saw this acquaintance coming to his house. Then he heard her ask if Zhang Yun had finished work yet, so he had to force a smile and said, "Zhang Yun has been getting off work late lately. Isn't it almost the end of the semester?"
"Oh! Your Zhang Yun is going to be on vacation soon, right? She can help you out when she comes back. You can't handle everything in the store by yourself!"
Ma Lijuan said good things, but in her heart she felt that this man was useless and not as capable as his wife. She, Ma Lijuan, ran a clothing store by herself and made a lot of money easily. He only had the skill of making roast chicken. Otherwise, it would be strange for a man like him to marry a wife. He would definitely starve to death.
"Zhang Yun can't come even during the holidays. Her friend in Guangzhou called and asked her to open a cram school and recruit students. She has to help them during the holidays!" Zhang Yun's husband beamed as he spoke. He used to think it would be better for his wife to help out in the shop with him, since being a teacher wasn't a formal job and the money wasn't much. But now Zhang Yun's cram school is booming. She teaches students after school and during holidays, and she's already making quite a bit of money. He figures that his son's future marriage will be much less stressful.
Ma Lijuan didn't know about this yet. She didn't know Zhang Yun was so capable! Suddenly, she thought of something and asked about the effectiveness of Zhang Yun's tutoring class.
Zhang Yun's husband is now living a comfortable life and is happy. "It's pretty good. Many parents have come to say that their children's grades have improved. Zhang Yun said that when we become more famous, we will probably be able to take on more students."
Ma Lijuan looked at the rosy-cheeked man and felt like he was lucky, living a good life thanks to his wife. But she still flattered him a bit before saying, "Then you have to tell Zhang Yun, my daughter Mingming will be here to attend the class. My daughter calls Xia Li 'Auntie,' so we have to call your daughter Zhang Yun 'Auntie' too. You have to tell her, don't forget."
Zhang Yun's husband then understood Ma Lijuan's purpose. He couldn't refuse and could only grunt twice.
Ma Lijuan was very satisfied. Finally, she walked back and forth and looked at the cooked food on the counter and said, "Okay, give me two, no, four, four chicken legs." Seeing the person inside hesitating, Ma Lijuan urged, "Hurry up, hurry up, don't hesitate, give me the change, it's too late to go home." She took out a bill and handed it over.
Zhang Yun's man then sped up his movements, causing Ma Lijuan to frown again.
When Ma Lijuan returned to the rented house in the county town, she saw that her son had already arrived home.
Jiang Mingming, now in his 8th year of middle school, still looked as sturdy as he did when he was little, thanks mainly to Ma Lijuan's kindness. Back then, Jiang Dong and Xia Li's lives were improving, and they happened to move into a larger house with plenty of space and a yard, so they decided to bring Grandma Jiang Zai back home.
Not long after the call came home, before Jiang Dong's mother had decided whether to go over to give it to him, Ma Lijuan started to feel reluctant.
She didn't say whether she was willing or not, she just said she wanted to have a second child. The Jiang family had too few descendants now. Xia Li and Jiang Dong had already made it clear that Jiang Yi would be the only child in the family. She and Jiang Erdong only had one child, Jiang Mingming, so the family was too small. She said she was afraid that Erdong would be too embarrassed to see his deceased father-in-law after his death. This made Jiang Dong's mother speechless, and Xia Li and Jiang Dong were speechless too.
All right, then go ahead and give birth! They have no objection.
But Ma Lijuan still had something to say. She said she would not give birth at home. She wanted to go to Guangcheng with Erdong and her mother to prepare for pregnancy and childbirth. Her reason was that the family planning policy in her hometown was too strict and it would be easy for the family planning officials to catch her if she got pregnant. It would be better to go to another place.
As soon as these words came out, everyone knew what Ma Lijuan was planning. She wanted Jiang Dong and Xia Li to move her family to Guangcheng to settle down.
Finally, Jiang Dong came up with an idea. He funded Ma Lijuan to open a clothing store in his hometown. He would be responsible for the initial purchase of clothing, and Ma Lijuan would just focus on selling clothes.
Ma Lijuan was indeed a natural at this business, quickly picking up the skills and her business was booming. Every day, as soon as she opened her shop and a customer came in, she would earn money for every piece of clothing she sold. Her daily good mood began with receiving money from a customer. As she earned more money, she became less bothered by Jiang Erdong and her son, Jiang Mingming, and she never mentioned going to Guangcheng to give birth again.
Ma Lijuan is not stupid. She can rely on Jiang Dong to get a cheap and stable supply of clothes here. Her business is long-lasting and stable. She is so happy every day that she doesn't want to go to other places to live under someone else's roof and suffer.
Now, there are only three of them here. Jiang Dong's mother was taken away and only comes back once or twice a year. They simply moved directly to the county, and their son also transferred to a school here, living a city life.
Jiang Erdong still worked at his old job, unwilling to change, and still lacking ambition. But now, Ma Lijuan stopped complaining about him. She was the one earning the money, and with only one child, they could make more than they could spend. Besides, if something really happened in the future, there was always the eldest brother's family to take care of. There was no need to panic.
But her son's academic performance is a headache, always in the middle and lower ranks. After listening to Zhang Yun's husband's words today, Ma Lijuan thought about letting her son go to cram school as well.
But this kid.
At the dinner table, Ma Lijuan picked up a piece of chicken leg for her husband and son respectively, and told Jiang Erdong about her son's cram school. "Please persuade him. This child is very difficult to manage now. I am doing this for his own good."
Jiang Mingming begged his father, "Dad!" His eyes were full of reluctance.
Jiang Erdong also tried to persuade him, but the target of his persuasion was his wife, "Why are you so anxious? Your son's grades are not bad. He will improve slowly if he studies hard. There is no need for him to go to cram school. If he doesn't want to, it will be useless even if he goes!"
Ma Lijuan was so angry. What a man with no ambition.
This is just a small episode in their ordinary but happy life, and life will go on.
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