Chapter 62
Mrs. Meng and her family came to help before the business opened.
"You treat us as outsiders. You don't even ask for help when we need help. We can't really help you, but we can do some chores for you," said Mrs. Meng.
Zhen Zhen smiled and poured her some water. "Dazhu and Dajian have helped me so much, and I haven't had time to pay them yet. How can I ask you to help me?"
Zhen Zhen went in to get his wages. According to the wages offered in the countryside, he could earn fifteen yuan a month, and the employer would provide food and lodging.
Zhen Zhen didn't treat them badly at all when they came to work this time, but they were really dedicated and helped day and night, otherwise it would take more than half a month to complete the repairs and decoration of the house.
Zhen Zhen also remembered their kindness and planned to give them twenty-five yuan each, so he took out fifty yuan from the box.
Mrs. Meng also knew that she had given too much. Neither of them had worked for a full month. Besides, how much would it cost to eat in a state-owned hotel every day? It could only be said that the second son's wife did not treat her son as an outsider and gave real money.
Of course, her son did not bring shame to the first wife and he did a great job.
Mrs. Meng was planning to repay the favor to the second wife. After all, building the house and Meng Zhaodi's college entrance examination were all thanks to the second wife. What's a little help?
"You can't accept this!" Mrs. Meng said directly, "If they dare to ask for it, I will be the first one to not let them off!"
Zhen Zhen still had to give it. The eldest wife's family had split up now, and two grown men needed money to support their family. It would be unreasonable not to give them money.
Meng Dazhu and his brother also came in. After pushing each other for a long time, Meng Dazhu said:
"I borrowed money from you to build the house, and I still have more than twenty dollars left. Why don't you just use it to offset the debt? Don't give us any more money."
When the big house was being built, Zhen Zhen lent them 100 yuan, and Mrs. Meng allocated her work points to this place. They haven't had to spend any money on food in the past two years, and there are still 28 yuan left to be repaid. If this offsets the debt, Zhen Zhen won't suffer any loss.
Zhen Zhen just smiled and said, "How can this be so embarrassing? I can't take advantage of someone like that."
"What's the point of taking advantage? Dazhu and Dajian are your nephews. Why should you ask them for money to do something for you?" said Mrs. Meng.
Zhen Zhen had no choice but to agree.
Mrs. Meng originally thought that Zhen Zhen was just making trouble, but when she saw the store filled with dried fruits, she was so surprised that she was speechless.
At a glance, there are more than twenty kinds, mainly melon seeds and peanuts. In these days of material shortage, melon seeds and peanuts are the most common, and farmers can get them. Chestnuts and dates are not easy to get, so it is normal to have less.
Mrs. Meng thought her sister-in-law was really capable. She managed to run a decent business without making any noise. But if she prepared so many things and no one bought them, wouldn't she lose a lot of money?
"Guizhi, will it be possible that we can't sell it?" Mrs. Meng was a little worried.
This shop must have drained all of the second wife's savings. If it can't be sold, the second wife will be left with nothing.
Zhen Zhen thought that it would be possible to sell them. The fact that people had made millions by selling melon seeds in the past ten years proved that there was a market for them.
Many people can't afford to buy food, but they don't have tickets. She doesn't require tickets, so how come she can't sell the food?
Zhen Zhen is quite confident.
There are no firecrackers or flower baskets; it’s not a big deal these days. When you open the door, there’s a sign on the left that says “Welcome to Shop” and on the right it says “No Tickets Needed”, and the shop is now open.
Zhen Zhen specially asked someone to move the pot of roasted melon seeds to the door to attract people with the aroma of roasted melon seeds.
I have to say, this trick of hers is still effective.
Passersby stopped to look, wondering where this "Good Mother-in-law Food Store" came from and what it sold.
"A food store sells food? This is what the newspapers call a self-employed person, right?"
"He's still a self-employed person! How can he be safe eating royal food? It's shameful. Just wait and see! This guy will be arrested and reformed sooner or later."
"I earned my money through my own labor, I didn't steal or rob anything, why is it shameful?"
"If it's not shameful, why don't you quit your job and become a self-employed person? How much money can you make by selling melon seeds?" The voice was full of disdain.
Zhen Zhen doesn't care what others think. People at that time look down on self-employed people, but in a dozen years, there will be a wave of people going into business.
A couple walked in, apparently going to see a movie. The girl asked Zhen Zhen to weigh out half a pound of melon seeds for her and bought some candied fruits.
The boy looked around and saw this kind of store for the first time. He said to his target generously:
"What else do you want to eat? Buy it."
He was a regular employee, working in a good company, earning twenty-five yuan a month, so treating his partner to a snack was no big deal.
The girls were a little embarrassed to spend their partner's money, so Zhen Zhen took out some potato chips and asked them to try them.
The boy didn't expect the store owner to be so generous. He was surprised and moved. He thought that this store owner really knows how to do business. He offered free samples. How could he not buy after trying them?
But to be honest, these potato chips are really delicious.
The boy asked Zhen Zhen to get him a pack.
There were quite a few customers in the morning, but they were all just hanging around. I only made one dollar and twenty cents from this one deal, so it was a bit quiet.
Old Mrs. Meng was anxious, fearing that the shop would go bankrupt, but the second son's wife was not in a hurry at all. She asked the younger generation to bring out a plate each, put a little of each dried fruit on it, and let passers-by try it for free.
Meng Daguo, Meng Eryong and others were all experienced, so it was natural for them to carry the plates out.
Meng Dajian and Meng Dazhu were a little restrained. Zhang Qiaohong also felt restrained. Zhou Shufen wanted to do something, but she became nervous when she saw strangers and could not speak clearly. She did not attract any customers in the whole afternoon.
Fortunately, Meng Daguo and Meng Eryong brought in several groups of guests. Although Tao Aihong was not good at other things, she was very good at eating and was good at giving recommendations, so she brought in quite a few guests.
This was something Zhen Zhen had not expected.
Zhen Zhen smiled at Meng Dazhu and his brother, "Everything is difficult at the beginning. It is definitely not easy to do it for the first time, but once you take this step, the rest will be much easier."
The Meng Dazhu brothers gritted their teeth, thinking that they could not lose to Tao Aihong, and went out.
This time the two of them had a small gain. They brought two customers into the store, and the customers placed orders. The two of them became more confident and went out to recruit more customers.
Zhang Qiaohong felt a little embarrassed and was unwilling to go out on the street to solicit customers.
Zhou Shufen was a little shy at first, but with Zhen Zhen's encouragement, she was able to muster up the courage to say a few words.
Daya is nine years old this year. She eats either eggs or milk or soy milk every day. She has enough protein. She has grown very tall and doesn't look shorter than other children in their teens.
She no longer had the timid look she had before, and now she was generous and cheerful.
Daya took her younger brothers and sisters to the street, and she actually used the children's enthusiasm to attract many adults.
"These kids are really good at speaking," the guest exclaimed.
Zhen Zhen also let them gain experience. After all, it is not good for children to stay at home studying all day long. They must learn to do things.
When the children are on summer vacation, she plans to let a few of them look after the shop and teach them how to do the math, adding and subtracting. Wouldn't that give them a basic foundation in math?
Business was good in the afternoon, and they could only eat when no one was around. Zhen Zhen asked Jiao Huilan to stew pig's trotter soup, roast pork with kelp, a plate of water spinach, and a plate of scrambled eggs with leeks.
Because there are many people at home, each dish takes up most of the pot and the portion is quite large.
We ate at two tables, one for the adults and one for the children. There was no room for everyone in the house, so we just put the tables in the yard.
As soon as Meng Laidi sat down, he looked around, then brought the pig's trotter to himself and scooped a few spoonfuls of sugar into the soup.
Meng Pandi frowned, "Lai Di, I don't want to eat sweet pig's trotters, why don't you just have your own bowl?"
Meng Laidi didn't listen at all and finished half a bag of sugar. The others took a bite and were about to vomit. So she was the only one who could eat the whole plate of pig's trotter soup.
Meng Yingdi was unhappy, "Sister Lai Di is always like this, so selfish!"
"Who are you calling selfish?" Meng Laidi glared at her unhappily. "Who can you blame if you don't eat?"
"Who can eat it when you add so much sugar? Aren't you deliberately trying to be mean to people?" Meng Xiangdi said.
Meng Lai Di said angrily: "Okay, you three sisters are ganging up on me, I'll tell my grandma."
Meng Pandi and her two sisters glared at her, but they didn't dare to make a big deal out of it, otherwise they would bring shame to the whole county.
In the afternoon, they were about to go back, and Zhen Zhen packed a bag of melon seeds and a bag of candied dates for their family as a way of thanking them for their help.
"Children, feel free to take whatever you want to eat," Jiao Huilan said politely.
Chaowa and a few other boys grabbed a handful of potato chips, Meng Xiangdi took two chestnuts, and Meng Pandi grabbed some peanuts. None of them felt comfortable taking more.
Meng Laidi, on the other hand, was very rude. He picked up an unused coat and stuffed handfuls of things into it, including peanuts, potato chips, chestnuts, melon seeds and everything else. He didn't care whether it was disgusting to mix them together or not. He just took as much as he could.
Zhang Qiaohong was so embarrassed that she hit her with the sole of her shoe. "You stupid girl, do I need you to eat or wear clothes? You come here on purpose to embarrass your mother! I will beat you to death!"
Meng Laidi beat her up and she cried loudly, then ran away with the snacks.
Meng Pandi felt that she was a disgrace. In the two years since Zhaodi left, Meng Laidi had become more and more outrageous.
Not only was she a lazy glutton, she also went out to flirt with men every day. Several times Meng Pandi saw her fighting with boys next to the haystack.
Meng Laidi always looks shy when she is with boys, which makes Meng Pandi uncomfortable.
As soon as they left, Tao Aihong got angry. These were all her family's things, and Meng Laidi dared to take advantage of her. Did he think she, Tao Aihong, was dead?
The following evening, Zhen Zhen counted the sales. On the first day of business, he only made 23 yuan. The dried fruits had a big profit, so he could earn at least half of it.
A dozen yuan a day, more than three hundred yuan a month. As word of mouth grows, the turnover will surely increase. Add to that the New Year and summer vacation period, making five thousand yuan a year is not a problem.
In the evening, after get off work, Meng Li and Jiang Dongping came to her place to see how things were going. They had never expected that her store was running so well.
This is the first one in the county. Meng Li heard in the afternoon that a dried fruit shop had opened on Jianguo Road. Some people were optimistic about it, some were pessimistic about it, and some were jealous, but at least the shop had become famous.
She estimated that things would only get better and better in the future.
Meng Li brought her two pieces of cloth and wanted Jiao Huilan to make clothes for her. Jiao Huilan was doing what she liked, and her smile became much brighter.
She sat down with the cloth, asked the other party what they needed, and then started to stitch the cloth skillfully.
"Auntie, look at my sister-in-law, she's becoming more and more like a great tailor!" Meng Li joked.
Zhen Zhen smiled and said, "Isn't it? My Huilan will sooner or later leave Batou Village and go international! Sooner or later she will sell clothes to foreigners!"
Jiao Huilan was so embarrassed by what her mother-in-law said. Her mother-in-law was getting more and more outrageous. She was just a small seamstress. How could she sell things to foreigners? She wouldn't even dream of doing that.
Jiao Huilan was still quite touched. Her mother-in-law always trusted her unconditionally, which made her feel warm in her heart.
The next day, a girl wearing a dacron shirt and carrying two cans stood at the door, knocked on the door and asked:
"Excuse me, is Brother Meng at home?"
"Which Brother Meng? Who are you looking for?" Zhen Zhen asked.
The girl smiled warmly when she saw her, "You are Aunt Zhen, right? My name is Qin Xue, and I'm here to look for Meng Daguo. Isn't he at home?"
Zhen Zhen enthusiastically poured her a cup of tea and said, "Daguo is not here. I didn't expect that Daguo still has friends in the county."
The girl was a little embarrassed. She took a sip of tea and then looked at Zhen Zhen with a red face. "We are not friends. To be precise, we have only known each other for seven days. But I am very grateful to Brother Daguo for saving the beauty. Otherwise, I really don't know what I should do."
Qin Xue still felt uneasy when she mentioned this.
It turned out that a week ago, Meng Daguo came to the county town to help Zhen Zhen renovate the house. When he went out to buy materials, he encountered a group of thugs bullying Qin Xue.
He saw injustice and knocked down the gang of thugs and rescued the girl.
To thank him, Qin Xue often came to the shop to bring him water and dry food. She calculated the date and knew that the Meng family would be moving in soon. Someone happened to say that a Good Mother-in-law Food Store had opened here, so she came to take a look.
Unexpectedly, although Meng Daguo came from the countryside, his house was very clean and his yard was elegant.
Zhen Zhen didn't expect Meng Daguo to be a hero and save the beauty.
"Daguo's father is a soldier. Influenced by his father, he has never been used to seeing others being bullied. Helping you is just a piece of cake. You don't need to take it to heart."
Qin Xue shook her head, "Auntie Zhen, I can't be that ungrateful person! Brother Daguo was a hero and saved the beauty. I will never forget this kindness. If you don't mind, I want to recognize you as my godmother and Brother Daguo as my godbrother. Isn't your shop short of people? I will come to help you with work in the future."
Zhen Zhen looked at her face. Qin Xue had a fair complexion, was gentle and affectionate, had a slender waist, and spoke softly, which made her easy to like.
But she still refused, "Qin Xue, right? I'm afraid I'll disappoint you. I have no plans to adopt you as my daughter for the time being."
Qin Xue's eyes darkened. "Auntie Zhen, I am really grateful to Brother Daguo. He is my savior. If it weren't for him, I would have been abused by someone now."
"Girl, it's not that I'm unsympathetic, it's just that Daguo is married. You know this, right?" Zhen Zhen asked.
Qin Xue nodded with tears in her eyes, "Auntie Zhen, Daguo has told me that I will not destroy the relationship between Daguo and his wife. I just want to repay the favor."
Maybe Zhen Zhen has a dark side, she thinks it is better to have less trouble than more.
Jiao Huilan is an honest person. If she really wants to bring Qin Xue in, what if Qin Xue has bad intentions in the future? How can Jiao Huilan be her match?
As a mother-in-law, she has to be on guard.
"After all, your foster brother is not your biological brother. When men and women get along for a long time, there will inevitably be gossip outside. Daguo is fine, but you are an unmarried girl, why should you let others gossip about you?" Zhen Zhen said earnestly, "Auntie Zhen did it for your own good. Daguo didn't save you because he was a hero, but because he was brave enough to do what was right. If it were someone else, he would do the same. You, don't take it too seriously."
Qin Xue felt upset when she said that. How could Aunt Zhen talk about such a great favor so lightly?
She really wanted to repay her gratitude and really wanted to be nice to Brother Daguo.
She didn't want to destroy other people's families, so why didn't Aunt Zhen recognize her?
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