Chapter 109 [109] Become bigger and stronger.
Zhang Lancao took her daughter to try out several more musical instruments, and finally Yuanyuan chose Taekwondo.
Pang Juan had never seen anyone teach their daughter this before, so she couldn't help but say, "Why would a girl learn to fight? Why not teach her a dance or something? It would improve her temperament."
Zhang Lancao didn't want to force her daughter: "She picked it herself. She's not interested in anything else."
Pang Juan didn't quite agree with this point of view. Her daughter was not interested in dancing, especially the back and bone exercises. She cried so much that her eyes were swollen. But she still made up her mind to do it. How could she have a bright future if she didn't endure the hardship?
Is her daughter good at dancing now? It’s all because she forced her to do it. If she were to choose by herself, she would just choose to play.
"The child is still young, how can she understand the truth? We adults have to know better and strike the right balance. This is all for her own good. You shouldn't spoil the child too much."
Zhang Lancao couldn't bear to be cruel to her daughter.
In my previous life, I was useless and my daughter suffered so much.
Now she has a lifetime more life experience than others out of thin air. This is God giving her the opportunity to compensate her daughter.
She didn't dare to imagine how much suffering and blame her daughter had endured in her previous life.
In this life, she is here to make money, and her daughter just needs to be an ordinary child. She can do whatever she wants.
Now the chili sauce business has far exceeded the noodle shop business. Zhang Lancao feels that her chili sauce business can be expanded and delivered to more grocery stores.
Then she needs a bigger place. The noodle shop is still too small and the amount it can make is limited.
She rented a two-story self-built building nearby, sold the noodle shop, and used the first floor to process chili peppers, while she and her daughter lived on the second floor.
Zhang Lancao came to Pang Juan to cancel the lease.
"I didn't expect that in just half a year, you've already opened your own factory," Pang Juan found it incredible. After all, many outsiders who came here to work were doing low-level jobs. This was the first time she saw someone doing so well. Although it wasn't a formal factory, it was still a career of their own, earning far more than she, a teacher. Moreover, Zhang Lancao couldn't read at first. "You're amazing!"
Zhang Lancao felt embarrassed by her praise, but she actually didn't think she was that outstanding.
Because her underlying complex is inferiority. She feels that she is illiterate and has little knowledge, and is just one of the thousands of ordinary fathers and daughters.
It seems that they are doing the most common things, such as chili sauce and noodle shops, which are things that intellectuals don't want to do.
Pang Juan pointed at her: "It's extraordinary to be able to do ordinary things well."
"Look, your noodle shop is always spotless, and you always greet customers with a smile. This is better than many noodle shops. You can even read in your spare time, and you are always striving to improve yourself. For example, there are many people in this building who can't read, but you are the only one who is willing to learn at your age."
Pang Juan saw that Zhang Lancao had actually suffered a lot. Once, when little Yuanyuan had a fever, she almost didn't sleep the whole night, yet she still opened her business as usual with a smile the next day.
She carried the heavy bags of flour and coal by herself.
Now it was time to move, and one person was running up and down carrying a heavy quilt, plus a bunch of scattered small things. After running seven or eight times, his clothes were soaked and he looked like he had been fished out of the water.
But she didn't complain at all and was even smiling. It wasn't a forced smile, but a happiness that came from the heart.
Pang Juan sighed that she always had endless energy.
How could Zhang Lancao not be happy? The tiny, north-facing, 10-square-meter room was damp in the winter and stiflingly hot in the summer. Little Yuanyuan suffered from constant prickly heat all summer, even with daily application of powder. Back then, she was content, for it was the first room in her life that was completely her own.
The house we moved into now is very spacious. When the windows are opened, the wind blows through the room and it is much cooler.
There is an exclusive yard here where my daughter can concentrate on playing after school. She no longer has to worry about being beaten.
She sewed and hung curtains and bought a special desk.
Xiao Yuanyuan has been a first-grade student for a month now, and now he has some homework every night.
Just like in her previous life, I don’t have to worry about my daughter’s studies at all. The first thing she does when she gets home is to do her homework, and she always finishes it quickly.
There is also a pomegranate tree in the corner of the yard, which is full of bright red fruits. The skin is broken, revealing the pomegranate seeds inside.
Now that she no longer runs the noodle shop, Zhang Lancao has all her evening time to herself. She makes her daughter's favorite braised pork and stir-fries a plate of crispy cabbage to remove the greasiness. They set up a table for dinner under the pomegranate tree and look up to see the round moon.
"Mom, our new home is so beautiful."
"The new house is so big."
Zhang Lancao also grinned happily. Actually, it was not very beautiful. It was just a simple cement building. But it was dirtier and worse than the tube-shaped building. Every day, there was either a quarrel among families or the shouting of some naughty children. Now her ears could finally be quiet.
But both mother and daughter are people who are easily contented. They liked their previous house, and they like this one too.
"Mom," Xiao Yuanyuan hadn't been able to hug her mother before going to bed for a long time. Every night he fell asleep alone on the recliner. His mother was either boiling noodles or washing dishes. He would lean into her arms, his short legs resting on her waist: "I'm so happy, let's sleep together."
The next day, Zhang Lancao was called to school by the teacher because Xiao Yuanyuan hit someone.
He also beat up a male classmate.
Xiao Yuanyuan: "Who told him to pull my hair? I've told him many times."
The teacher chose to give each of them fifty lashes and both of them wrote a self-criticism.
The next day, Zhang Lancao was called to school again, and Xiao Yuanyuan beat someone up again.
This time, she beat the boy even harder than last time and pinned him to the ground.
What was more troublesome was that there were several thin scratches on the surface of the other person's arm, and he bled a little. The parents asked Zhang Lancao to pay compensation.
Xiao Yuanyuan: "He pulled my hair first, so I hit him."
Teacher: "You can't hit him, but you can tell him not to pull your hair."
Xiao Yuanyuan: "Teacher, you told Guo Qiang yesterday not to pull my hair anymore, but he still did it."
The teacher didn't expect Tang Yuanyuan to talk back, so she said to Zhang Lancao, "How did you educate your child? She even talked back to you. It was your child who was injured by that child. Now Guo Qiang's parents want compensation. 50 cents, you should pay them quickly."
Although Zhang Lancao disagreed with the teacher's opinion, she still had to pay the money in the end. What else could she do? The child was in someone else's hands.
She was afraid that the teacher would make things difficult for her daughter.
Little Yuanyuan didn't walk side by side with her mother, but walked in her shadow: "Mom, I'm sorry."
She asked her mother to pay compensation and felt so guilty inside.
Zhang Lancao turned around, squatted down and asked, "Why do you want to apologize to your mother?"
Little Yuanyuan lowered his head and said, "Mom paid fifty cents."
Zhang Lancao: "When I was little, Mom was a very cowardly person. My brother, your eldest uncle, would hit me, but I didn't dare fight back because your grandfather said that as the older sister, I should give in to my younger brother. Later, I always gave in to him, but Mom was not happy at all because she was always bullied."
Her biological brother bullied her, her father bullied her, and she once thought that everything would be fine after she got married, but her in-laws also bullied her.
"You are better than mom. You are brave. You are the kind of person mom can't be."
"It's only fifty cents, that's five dollars. Mom can afford fifty. If he pulls your hair again, hit him back. Mom will handle the consequences. However, if you encounter someone older than you, you can't fight him. If you can't fight him, you will suffer. If you encounter someone taller and stronger than you, just run away and find a teacher."
Little Yuanyuan held up her small chest, her eyes lighting up again: "Yes! Yuanyuan won't let anyone bully her."
Perhaps because he beat her hard enough this time, Guo Qiang didn't dare to pull Tang Yuanyuan's hair again the next day, and he would take a detour when he saw her.
But after only two days of peace, Tang Yuanyuan beat another child.
Zhang Lancao was called to the teacher's office again. This time, it was Tang Yuanyuan who bravely stood up for justice. Hu Yue from the class was bullied, and she beat up the bully.
The teacher felt that Tang Yuanyuan, this troublemaker, was giving her a headache: "Tang Yuanyuan's mother, you really should educate your child well. Although it's good to be brave and righteous, it's not good for a girl to be so violent. She should be more gentle, don't you think?"
Zhang Lancao agreed honestly on the surface, but she was disdainful in her heart.
From that day on, Hu Yue became Tang Yuanyuan's little tail. He would come to do his homework with Tang Yuanyuan every day and share all the delicious food with Tang Yuanyuan.
My daughter is so cool!
She had not inherited her cowardice or stupidity at all, and she loved her daughter to death.
Of course, doing business will not always be smooth sailing. In the fourth year of selling chili sauce, Zhang Lancao suffered a major setback.
At that time, the foreigner's chili sauce was already well-known, and it was enough to sell it wholesale through a storefront.
The next door business was a wholesaler of underwear. On this day, Zhou Qing cried loudly.
The two families have a good relationship, and the shop here was introduced by Zhou Qing, so Zhang Lancao had to go and take a look.
"What's wrong? Did something sad happen to you? Aren't you going to negotiate a big deal?"
Zhou Qing: "Sister Zhang, our family is devastated! The Xinmei Underwear trademark has been registered by someone else."
In the 1980s, many businessmen suffered losses due to trademark issues.
Zhang Lancao heard about this thing for the first time: "What is it?"
Zhou Qing: "The Xinmei trademark was registered to someone else, so I can't use it anymore. They asked me for 80,000 yuan!"
Zhang Lancao found it absurd. "No, didn't you make this brand yourself? Isn't this a store registered with the Industry and Commerce Bureau? How can it belong to someone else?"
Zhou Qing: "That's what the law stipulates. A trademark is registered by someone else, so the brand belongs to them. If they don't sell it to us, we can't use it. This is considered counterfeiting."
Zhang Lancao was startled when she heard this. Her outsider had never registered a trademark before. "Where do I apply for this? Should I go to the Industry and Commerce Bureau?"
Zhou Qing, tears still streaming down her face, turned away, not wanting to look at Zhang Lancao and said, "Sister Zhang, you don't have to go. Your trademark has been registered."
Zhang Lancao's head suddenly went dark and she felt powerless all over.
"I have to go to the Industry and Commerce Bureau to ask."
Why did the brand she used become someone else's?
Zhou Qing said behind her: "My husband registered the foreigner trademark, and others asked me for 80,000 yuan. I have no choice. My husband saw your trademark and didn't register it..."
"Sister Zhang, I have no choice. I have to pay back all my money, 80,000 yuan."
Zhang Lancao felt that the blood in her body turned cold!
She was as if struck by lightning: "You want to ask me for 80,000 yuan?"
Zhou Qing still had his eyelids drooping, tears streaming down his cheeks. He whispered softly, "I'm sorry."
It's better for others to die than for yourself, so don't blame me.
Zhang Lancao refused to give up. She remembered seeing several law firms on the way and hurriedly closed the doors to consult. The answers she received were all the same. She didn't know how she got home and collapsed to the ground.
When I woke up again, I heard my daughter's anxious cry, "Mom, Mom, what's wrong with you?"
Tang Yuanyuan held her mother's face in her hands and patted it gently: "Mom, are you sick? I'll take you to the hospital."
She used all her strength to lift her mother up and knelt on the ground: "Mom, get on my back, I'll carry you to the hospital."
Zhang Lancao pinched her eyebrows. What should she do now?
She made this chili sauce by riding her tricycle from one grocery store to another, braving the cold wind and snow in winter and wading through the torrential rain in summer. The conditions were very difficult at the time, and she made the chili sauce by herself. The chopped chili sauce made her unable to open her eyes and her hands were swollen from the spiciness.
This is her four years of hard work.
The daughter grabbed her hand and pulled her onto her back. With her nine-year-old body, she tried to carry her, but she couldn't. She cried anxiously, "Mom, I can't carry you. What should I do?"
"Mom, please don't be in trouble!"
Zhang Lancao came back to her senses. She was her daughter's only support and could not just sit there and wait for death. "Mom is fine."
"Yuanyuan, Mommy is going to tell you something very serious now, so remember this."
Tang Yuanyuan nodded seriously: "Yes!"
Zhang Lancao: "Go to the market and find Aunt Hu. Tell her I'm dying and ask her to take me to the hospital. You have to keep bothering her..."
Hu Qing was so scared that the water cup in her hand fell to the ground. She just couldn't bear to part with such a large sum of money and never thought of killing anyone!
Will she go to jail?
She hurriedly pulled her husband and rode her bike to Zhang Lancao's house. Zhang Lancao had just lay down again, and was still holding a bottle of rat poison in her hand.
Eighty thousand yuan is too much!
She worked so hard over the years, but all she had left was 60,000 yuan. She could only earn 2 cents from wholesale a bottle of chili sauce, and this was all her hard work.
Of course, she didn't really eat it, she just wanted to scare Zhou Qing, betting that she still had a little conscience.
If she were gone, the trademark would be useless to her, as she couldn't make it herself. She personally oversaw the seasoning of the chili sauce.
Even if she has no conscience, anyone with a bit of common sense should know to give her some money.
Zhou Qing's hands were shaking as she held the rat poison. Could she have killed someone?
She didn't want to be shot, so she hurriedly helped the person up: "Sister Zhang, why are you so depressed? You still have a daughter. If anything happens to you, what will happen to your daughter?"
Zhou Qing's husband wanted to carry Zhang Lancao to the hospital, but Zhang Lancao refused to let him touch her and lay sideways on the ground.
He forced his eyelids open and said weakly, "You're forcing me like this. It's clear you're not going to give me a chance to live! I might as well eat rat poison and die."
Zhang Lancao's despair was not fake. She looked pale and really weak. Zhou Qing and his wife were really worried that something might happen to her.
What's more, Tang Yuanyuan slapped Zhou Qing's husband frantically: "Bad guys! You bullied my mother, you are all bad guys!"
Zhou Qing had no choice but to say, "I don't want that much. I just want 40,000. Is 40,000 okay? Don't be so unreasonable!"
Zhang Lancao: "Write me a receipt."
Tang Yuanyuan immediately took out a pen and notebook from her schoolbag. Zhou Qing took them and wrote down the receipt. It was a good thing to get half of it. It was better than risking someone's life. He signed his name neatly: "Sister Zhang, you are my ancestor. Let's go to the hospital now, okay?"
Zhang Lancao actually wanted to go to the Industrial and Commercial Bureau and get the trademark directly, but it was already off work at this time.
She had to trap Zhou Qing in the hospital, so she continued to touch her heart and pretended not to want to live.
Tang Yuanyuan wiped her tears and looked very sad. Zhou Qing didn't dare to leave, so he could only stay in the hospital, buying her dinner and comforting her. Zhang Lancao was not polite either, torturing her all night, and went straight to the Industrial and Commercial Bureau at 8 o'clock the next day to change the trademark to her own name.
Before, Zhou Qing was worried that he wouldn’t get a penny and would be involved in a murder lawsuit. Now he feels relieved because at least he got half of the money.
Zhou Qing's husband, however, regretted it. With the 40,000 yuan finally in his pocket, he only regretted that he had asked for less. He complained, "You cut too much at once. Now we're down 40,000 yuan! 40,000 yuan! I can't give all my savings to that bastard."
Zhou Qing: "Be content. If something really happened to Sister Zhang, we wouldn't even be able to get the 40,000 yuan, and we don't even know where it is now." She didn't know how to face people in the market in the future.
The husband said, "They want 80,000, what should we do? I say, forget it, give Xinmei to him, and we'll switch to another brand. Why should I give him 80,000?"
"If I can make Xinmei a success, I can also make another brand a success."
With ready-made supply and marketing channels at hand, the man felt that he would have no trouble selling his goods, so why should he give away his savings?
Zhou Qing hesitated a little: "Will this work?"
The husband said, “Yes!”
During these four years, various workshops have emerged, the market environment has changed, and consumers have more choices. The couple started their business by taking advantage of the favorable conditions of the times, but they didn't know that once the market was lost, they would never be able to get it back.
On the other side, Zhang Lancao finally got the trademark back. She felt relieved and her face instantly became rosy.
Tang Yuanyuan hugged her mother tightly and burst into tears, afraid that she would lose her again: "Mom, you're okay, you're okay!"
After all, she was still a child. Even though her mother told her in advance that she was pretending, she was still terrified all night long. She would feel her mother's nose to smell the breath when she woke up in the middle of the night.
"Mom, please don't leave me."
Zhang Lancao felt her daughter's fear, her little body trembling slightly, and she felt guilty.
She scared her daughter.
"Don't worry, Mom will never give up," Zhang Lancao's eyes were firm and clear. She had figured it out: "Mom's life can't be bought for 800,000, not to mention 800,000. Mom wants to make more money and open a proper factory."
She also needs legal counsel.
She wanted to open a proper chili factory, sell the chili sauce to more places, make it bigger and stronger, and never be bullied again.
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