Chapter 63
There was the sound of a bicycle outside. Jiao Huilan parked her bicycle and came in with vegetables. When she saw Qin Xue, she smiled and said:
"Mom, are there guests at home?"
Qin Xue went up to him and asked, "You are my sister-in-law, right?"
Jiao Huilan was stunned for a moment, "You are..."
"Sister-in-law, my name is Qin Xue. Meng Daguo is my savior. From now on, I will treat you as my own sister-in-law. You can tell me to do anything, such as picking up the children, watching the store, and cleaning."
Only then did Jiao Huilan hear about Meng Daguo's heroic rescue of the damsel in distress, but she didn't think much about it. After all, people are kind-hearted these days, and doing good deeds is their due, so why should they ask for anything in return?
Jiao Huilan enthusiastically served Qin Xue a bowl of mung bean soup.
"Try the mung bean soup my mom made. It's icy and refreshing, and tastes pretty good."
Qin Xue said gratefully: "Thank you, sister-in-law, you are just like my brother, a very nice person."
Meng Daguo also followed in, wiped the sweat off his head, and was stunned when he saw Qin Xue, "Comrade Qin, why are you here? Didn't I tell you not to come?"
Qin Xue's eyes welled up with tears. She rubbed her hands awkwardly, "Brother Meng, I know you just moved, and I wanted to come and see if there's anything you can help with. Please don't be so formal with me."
"Comrade Qin, I've said it before, that's nothing. My house is a mess since we just moved in. I really can't entertain you. I accept your kindness, but you really don't have to come again."
Meng Daguo is a serious man. He feels uncomfortable getting too close to women, let alone a beautiful woman like Qin Xue. He wishes he could stay away from her.
Afraid that Jiao Huilan would think too much, he secretly looked at his wife's face, which made Jiao Huilan confused.
Zhen Zhen felt relieved when he saw Meng Daguo was like this and didn't seem to have any bad intentions.
Fortunately, Meng Daguo is a clear-headed person, otherwise it would be a real headache.
Zhen Zhen handed the can to Qin Xue with a smile, "Miss Qin, take this can home and eat it yourself. My family makes food, so we have no shortage of food. Daguo is right. We accept the kindness, but we don't need the gift."
Qin Xue had no choice but to leave with the can, looking a little sad.
Tao Aihong leaned over the window and looked out, whispering to Meng Eryong:
"Your elder brother is very lucky. Qin Xue is so cute and tearful. It looks strange."
Meng Eryong was also a simpleton, and he didn't think about it that way, "No way? My brother is just a country boy, and Qin Xue is from the city and has a job. How could she be interested in my brother?"
Tao Aihong sneered, "Why not? Your brother has a good figure, is tall, and is very manly. It's normal for a woman to be interested in him. Qin Xue must have some bad intentions. Only your sister-in-law is confused and really thinks he is a good person."
Meng Eryong originally wanted to go out, but after hearing this, he felt something was wrong.
He turned back and stared at her, the boss was unhappy, "What did you just say? My brother has a good figure, is tall, and manly? Tao Aihong, if you have the guts, say it to me again!"
Tao Aihong was stunned by his question.
"You are such a jerk, Tao Aihong. How can I be any worse than my brother in appearance? How dare you set your sights on my brother? I will beat you to death!"
Could Tao Aihong let him take advantage of her?
The two of them rolled together on the bed, and Meng Eryong only stopped when Tao Aihong held her stomach and complained of pain.
In the evening, Daya opened the drawer and took out a candle.
"Grandma, let me light a candle for you."
"Thank you, my eldest granddaughter," Zhen Zhen smiled and took out the account book to check the accounts.
Daya already knew how to add and subtract numbers within one thousand, and had also learned multiplication and division, so she brought a stool and sat next to Zhen Zhen's legs to look at the account book.
The orders were rather scattered, with this order costing 30 cents, that order costing 50 cents, and the largest order only sold for one dollar.
But small profits but quick turnover adds up to a lot. I sold a total of 45 yuan, which is a lot more than yesterday.
Customer satisfaction is quite high. We have some returning customers. They came back to buy again today after eating yesterday.
Good Mother-in-law Food Store was also a hit.
The whole family was in a good mood after making some money, and we made kelp grilled pork and braised chicken wings for dinner.
The weather was hot and both adults and children had poor appetites, so Zhen Zhen fried another pot of scrambled eggs with tomatoes. It couldn't fit on one plate and there was still some left in the pot.
Zhen Zhen asked the kids, "Who wants scrambled eggs with tomatoes?"
The four cubs raised their hands together, holding the plates and waiting for Zhen Zhen to feed them.
Each person took a spoonful of tomato scrambled eggs mixed with rice, then poured the broth of grilled meat with kelp, and ate it with meat and chicken wings. Looking at the cubs eating like squirrels, Zhen Zhen felt like he was playing a raising game.
Tao Aihong had a big belly and ate more than before, so Zhen Zhen served her a spoonful and put the rest in Jiao Huilan's bowl.
Which daughter-in-law would not be happy to be spoiled like this by her mother-in-law?
Jiao Huilan also felt sweet in her heart.
Before, there was no one in the grocery store in the morning. There were many people at noon when the employees got off work and the students got out of school. After a few days, the news that a grocery store had opened in the county town must have spread to the countryside, and many fellow villagers rushed to buy things early in the morning.
Although the unit price of things bought by fellow villagers is low, a little bit of accumulation can add up to a lot, right?
Some of the villagers were dressed in shabby clothes. When they walked in and saw the store was so nicely decorated and neatly arranged, they were even more nervous than if they had entered a supply and marketing cooperative. They were afraid that the store owners were as arrogant as their colleagues in the supply and marketing cooperative.
But not only did they not look down on them, they also took the initiative to give them things to try, and would not get angry if they didn't buy anything. They always had a smile on their face, as if they were treating them like the Jade Emperor.
When these fellow villagers go back, they can't help but tell others that this newly opened food store in the city is really special, even the melon seeds are displayed so nicely, the mop can be used as a mirror, the proprietress is friendly and makes money, and the business in the store is booming.
Now everyone in the city loves to go to this store.
As word of mouth spread, business naturally got better and better. Looking at the soaring business, Zhen Zhen was naturally in a good mood.
In the afternoon, Meng Daguo came over to pull the electric wires. This was also Zhen Zhen's idea. He wanted to get electricity to the store earlier so that if there were many people during the summer vacation and New Year, the store could open a little later in the evening.
Candles are inconvenient and harmful to the eyes.
"Mom, electricity costs too much money, so we'd better save some." Meng Daguo still held the old idea and felt that there was no need to waste electricity.
These days you have to pay for electricity, and the electricity bill is expensive. This money is enough for my children to go to school.
Although the family earns a lot, the daily expenses are quite large due to the large number of people.
"It still needs to be powered. Opening the shop is secondary. The main thing is that Daya is in school now. It hurts her eyes to light candles and do homework at night. It will be much better if it is powered."
Jiao Huilan came out with some dried sweet potatoes to dry, "Mom, you spoil your child too much. All children have gone through this. It's good enough to have candles to light. The children in my hometown don't even have candles."
Tao Aihong nodded, "Exactly, how much homework can't be finished before dark?"
There really isn't much homework these days, and parents don't discipline their children and really don't take their children's homework seriously.
As for the claim of eye protection, that is even less true.
However, rural children are not stressed about studying. They run around outdoors all day and are exposed to a lot of sunlight, so there are not many of them who suffer from myopia.
Looking around Batou Village, there are only two educated youth wearing glasses, and the others have good eyesight.
Zhen Zhen insisted on installing it, as it was really painful to be without electricity. She didn't want to install an air conditioner for the time being, as the current air conditioners have average cooling effects and are expensive, costing more than three thousand yuan each.
Fans are still affordable. She has wanted to buy two electric fans for a long time, otherwise it will be difficult to get through this summer.
Of course, it would be even better if we could buy a TV.
Isn't the purpose of making money to enjoy life? Whether there is a fan or not, whether there is a TV or not, that is a qualitative leap.
Second brother Zhen's family came to visit them and bought something worth two yuan. Zhen Zhen refused to accept the money, but second brother Zhen insisted on paying. Wang Ling also brought a few customers to her. This family is very particular about what they do.
On the weekend, Zhen Zhen went home to pack some things and took the opportunity to check out her small vegetable garden.
It has been Grandma Meng who has been watering the vegetable garden these days. Grandma Meng takes care of the garden very carefully and has a lot of experience. But isn't the joy of farming to grow the crops yourself?
What’s the point if others take good care of you?
Zhen Zhen picked a basket of cucumbers, a basket of tomatoes, and a pot of loofah and eggplant.
Zhang Cuihua gave her another jar of pickled vegetables.
She likes to stir-fry chili sauce and pickled vegetables. This time, the spicy pickled vegetables made with melon strips are so delicious that they make people cry.
Zhen Zhen tasted it and thought it was really good. "Your skill in making hot sauce is really amazing. It would be a pity if you don't sell it."
Zhang Cuihua originally wanted to go to the county town to support the shop, but she was unable to leave due to the busy farming season. In addition, her son-in-law would come to her house from time to time to make trouble, so she dared not take a step forward for fear that she would be bullied.
Zhang Cuihua smiled and said, "My cooking skills are nothing special. How many people are willing to spend money to buy chili sauce?"
"Why not? According to you, no one wants to spend money to buy melon seeds and chestnuts? Let me tell you, city dwellers have nowhere to buy these things, so they can only spend money to buy them. But there are only a few things sold in the supply and marketing cooperatives. For families with two working parents who have some extra money, wouldn't they be willing to buy some snacks? This is especially true for chili sauce. Those who like spicy food are willing to buy it."
The locals have strong tastes and love spicy food. Judging from Zhen Zhen's taste, Zhang Cuihua's chili sauce is no worse than the chili sauces in her previous life. She will definitely make money by selling it.
Zhang Cuihua listened to her analysis and nodded, "To be honest, I also want to make more money. First, my son is old enough to get married, and second, my daughter is divorced. I always want to make more money to settle her down."
Song Xiaoyu has reached the age to get married, but unfortunately she is not good-looking and has never found a suitable family.
Zhang Cuihua was also very worried about her eldest daughter being like this.
The eldest daughter doesn't know when she will get married again, so she will definitely have to live in her parents' home before then. She doesn't mind it, but she is afraid that her daughter-in-law will gossip about her in the future, so she wants to earn more so that life at home can be better.
Zhen Zhen also understood her difficulties and asked, "Is Chen Liu coming?"
"Every time he gets drunk, he comes to make trouble. He always threatens to kill our whole family with a knife. Last time, I fought him with a knife and scared him away. But I'm still afraid that he will do something bad. If he puts some drugs in my pot, our whole family will be in trouble!"
It's really troublesome to have such people in the stall.
"If you can't afford to offend, hide."
"Hide? Where to hide? We are all native farmers. Batou Village is just a small place."
Zhen Zhen smiled, "You had nowhere to hide before, but now you are free, right? Earn some money and go to the city to find a partner. Where can Chen Liu find you? Besides, he is not going to get married in the future. If he dares to make trouble again after marriage, you can tolerate him, but his future wife cannot tolerate him."
Zhang Cuihua originally thought that this matter would be very worrying, but after hearing what Zhen Zhen said, it seemed that it was not that difficult. However, how could it be so easy to find a partner in the city?
Zhen Zhen asked her to can the chili sauce and sell it in the county town.
"You can sell anything, whether it's vegetables from the fields, fish and shrimp from the river, or leftover rice or flour. As long as you sell it, there will be people buying it."
That was all she had to say. Nowadays, many people just can't change their mindset. No matter how much you persuade them, they are unwilling to do small business.
It is not known whether Zhang Cuihua heard it or not, but Old Lady Meng actually heard what she said.
"I can weave a bamboo basket, can I sell it? Your father can fish and catch loaches, can I sell it?"
Zhen Zhen smiled and said, "Why not? Yellow eels and loaches are very popular. If you two can catch them, you will definitely make a lot of money!"
Mrs. Meng: "I don't expect to make money, but I have nothing to do at home when I'm free, so I might as well make some money."
The old couple had worked on the farm all their lives, and they had basically used up all the money they received at the end of the year to buy food. They really had nothing left, so they wanted to earn some money to save for their old age.
Old Mrs. Meng was also a wise person. She felt that if a person did not have some money in his hands when he died, no matter whether he was his sons, daughters-in-law or daughters-in-law, no one would be willing to serve him. Although they seemed very filial in normal times, no one knew what kind of character their children were until the last moment.
After hearing what the second son's wife said, Old Mrs. Meng felt relieved.
After finishing this busy period, the old couple brought things to the county town. Old Mrs. Meng made ten bamboo baskets, and her father carried two loads of eels.
They seldom came to the county town, and felt a little awkward, so they didn't dare to call out to guests.
When someone came to ask a question, they both blushed and were speechless for a long time.
The man shook his head and walked away.
Fortunately, the stall was located right at the entrance of Good Mother-in-law Food Store.
When Daya saw someone coming, she shouted, "Selling eels and baskets! Wild eels, hand-woven bamboo baskets, fair trade, no cheating!"
This shout made passers-by laugh.
Aunt Qian from next door also came over and said, "What bamboo basket are you selling? My bamboo basket just happened to have a hole in it, I want to buy one!"
Old Mrs. Meng felt a little embarrassed. Daya took the money, gave the change, and gave a handful of melon seeds to Aunt Qian.
"Grandma Qian, take the melon seeds back for Chunni to eat! I'll go find her to do my homework after I help my old lady sell the bamboo baskets."
Chunni was the first good friend Daya made in the county.
Chunni’s mother is a teacher. When Daya has questions and Zhenzhen is too busy, she will ask Chunni’s mother.
Zhen Zhen was also very considerate and always asked her to bring some snacks over.
Bring melon seeds today, potato chips tomorrow, and candied dates the day after tomorrow.
It is said that courtesy is the most welcome, and Aunt Qian is also a warm-hearted person, so the two families have a pretty good relationship.
However, it was Daya herself who figured out the idea of giving an extra handful of melon seeds when selling a basket.
Aunt Qian was naturally happy and went back with the melon seeds in her hands.
The workers in this area all had their lunch in the factory cafeteria. Not many people went home, so I only sold two kilograms of eels. But more people came in the evening.
Although the policy has been relaxed, there are still not many people setting up stalls in the county town. It is quite rare to see eels being sold right at your doorstep.
Many workers came over pushing their bicycles.
There are eels weighing two or three kilograms. Although the price of this eel is not cheap, each eel weighs several taels and looks very lively.
Soon the eels were sold out.
Some people who got the news and rushed here were a little disappointed when they didn't buy any, and asked when Grandma Meng would come next time.
Yellow eels are delicious only during this period of time. Seeing that selling them is more economical than farming, Old Lady Meng quickly said that he could come over tomorrow afternoon.
That will make the customers happier.
After the sale, Mrs. Meng found a few fat eels from somewhere and said to Zhen Zhen:
"I caught them a few days ago. They have already spit out the mud. I made some for you and the children to nourish your body."
The old man also misses these children very much, and misses his daughter-in-law even more.
In the past few years, the second son's wife often asked people to send delicious food to her. Suddenly, the whole family was gone, and Grandma Meng felt quite lost.
Zhen Zhen also noticed it, so he asked Meng Daguo to deal with the eel.
For dinner, we had braised spare ribs, braised eel, and stir-fried leeks with shredded pork and green bean sprouts.
Old Mrs. Meng likes to eat tofu, so Zhen Zhen asked Daya to buy a piece of tofu, added some duck blood and garlic sprouts, and made a dish of duck blood and tofu.
Old Mrs. Meng's chopsticks never stopped eating. Ever since the second son's wife came to the county town, the couple haven't had a good meal for a long time.
This meal was very satisfying.
After dinner, Daya helped Old Lady Meng to check the bill, and found that there was a total of four yuan.
This is quite a lot. The eels were caught in the river and the bamboos were found in the mountains. The old couple have done physical labor all their lives, so carrying the goods from Batou Village to the county town is like a piece of cake for them. They don't feel tired at all.
They earned four dollars a day just by running errands, and the old couple were so happy that their wrinkles were filled with joy.
Old Lady Meng wanted to give Zhen Zhen two yuan to spend. "You have worked hard to run the shop. When I make money in the future, I will give you more."
Can Zhen Zhen ask her for money? She laughed and said, "After a while, more people will catch eels, and we won't be able to catch so many eels. When everyone knows that eels can make money, it will be hard to make money. But it's still okay to earn some money for the family."
However, even though everyone knows that eels can make money, there are not many people willing to come to the county to sell eels, let alone eels. There are even fewer people selling eggs.
This is how it is these days, and people’s mindsets haven’t changed yet.
Old Mrs. Meng doesn't have high demands. She would be happy even if she could earn 50 cents, let alone a few dollars a day.
Zhen Zhen originally proposed to give them ten yuan a month for their old age support. After all, they are old and cannot compare with young people. If one of them catches a cold, he might not be able to get up. But they disagreed and insisted on earning it themselves.
The old couple are both over 60 years old, but they still refuse to admit their age. They just want to earn more money so as not to burden their children. It is a blessing for anyone to have such hardworking old people in the family.
After the old couple returned home, they told everyone in the Meng family that they had earned four yuan today. Everyone was quite surprised. Eels are not rare. Why would anyone spend money to buy them?
Can't it?
If you make money now, will your property be confiscated later? No one dares to work hard.
Mrs. Meng said, "Could it be that the second son's wife saw that you couldn't sell your stuff and deliberately gave you some money?"
The old couple believed what she said and wanted to go to the county town to sell it again.
The two went to the fields that night and worked until late at night, catching more than 20 kilograms of eels. After finishing their farm work, the two old people carried their baskets to the county town, just in time to catch the workers getting off work.
Yesterday the employee came early on purpose, and Mrs. Meng allowed her to sell at a lower price, charging only 20 cents for two and a half kilograms of eel.
More than 20 kilograms of eels were sold out in an hour, and I earned almost three yuan.
It can't be that the second son's wife is taking care of them now, right?
After the old couple returned, they showed the four yuan to Meng Dazhui and Meng Dajian.
The whole family was silent. In fact, they all knew that they could make money by doing business, but they did not dare to do it and were too embarrassed to take this step.
On Monday, someone came to help Zhen Zhen's house get electricity. It was a hassle to get electricity at that time and it took a long time to debug. Fortunately, it was connected before dark.
Meng Daguo stood on a stool, holding the light cord and feeling a little nervous, "Mom, did I really pull it?"
Zhen Zhen smiled and said, "Pull it! Pull it and see if the light turns on."
"Brother, if you don't pull, get down. I'll pull!" said Meng Eryong.
Meng Daguo pulled the rope to the bottom, and the light came on when he pulled the rope.
The light bulbs Zhenzhen bought were high-wattage, making the room extremely bright and making the kids laugh.
Meng Eryong pulled his brother down and tried it himself. It was truly magical. The light came on as soon as he pulled the rope, just like magic.
It was much more convenient after installing the electric light. Zhen Zhen had asked Zhao Meilan to buy her a fan a long time ago. Fans were in short supply in the summer, and even Zhao Meilan couldn't get one. She asked her husband to get one from Yangcheng and two from Haishi.
Zhen Zhen bought them all at once. Although the price was a bit high, an electric fan cost an extra twenty yuan, but if she didn't buy it now, she would have to endure the heat all summer. She had no choice but to spend money to buy convenience.
Every family has an electric fan. Once the fan is put on, the children will block in front of it, opening their mouths to catch the wind.
Tao Aihong was afraid of heat during pregnancy, so now she will feel more comfortable in the late stages of her pregnancy.
She had no pregnancy reactions from beginning to end, and was able to eat and sleep well. She must be a caring person.
These days, Zhen Zhen has been thinking about adding some new products. She tried several snacks, but the taste was average and they were not worth selling.
I wanted to make some seaweed or something, but I didn't have the raw materials. There was no way. Supplies were really scarce these days, and chestnuts and dates were often out of stock. If Zhen Zhen hadn't stored a lot of them in the space in the past two years, I would have nothing to sell now.
But there was no shortage of peanuts, so Zhen Zhen had to work harder on them. She wanted to try the frosted peanuts from her previous life. The peanuts were ready, but how was the frosting made?
Is it coated in flour or something?
Zhen Zhen tried several times but failed. She then took out a bag of corn starch from the space, and this time it worked. Unfortunately, she couldn't buy corn starch, so she had to try another method.
Just as I finished, Meng Daguo came in. He had just tidied up the warehouse and was sweating all over. He took off his shirt and threw it aside, then scooped up the bath water heated by the sun and splashed it on himself.
Tsk tsk! Zhen Zhen took a look and found that the eldest son had really nice muscles and good proportions, a dog waist with long legs, and wheat-colored skin. He looked like a rough man.
When Meng Daguo saw her mother looking at him, he deliberately chuckled, which made Zhen Zhen laugh.
Just after splashing two scoops of water, the door creaked and Qin Xue came in with a backpack.
She called Meng Daguo's muscles and blushed. He exclaimed in surprise, and glanced at the towel on the clothesline beside him. He closed his eyes and looked over, saying softly, "Here, Brother Daguo!"
Meng Daguo felt a little uncomfortable, so he hung a towel around his neck and went in.
Qin Xue brought a bag of candy. Although there were many snacks in the Good Mother-in-law Food Store, the children didn't want to eat anything sold at home, but they had a special liking for candy.
Several little ones rushed over, but Daya held the candy in her hand and looked at Qin Xue strangely, "Auntie Qin, why are you giving us candy?"
Qin Xue's face was still red. "Because your father saved me, I want to repay him and be nice to you."
Daya patted her chest and said, "I was so scared. I thought you wanted to be my stepmother! Sister Chunni said someone wanted to be her stepmother, but she scolded him. It would be great if you are not her stepmother."
Qin Xue's face turned green.
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