Chapter 76
There is a reason why Zhang Cuihua always says Song Xiaoyu is ugly.
At that time, Zhang Cuihua was only 20 years old. She married into the Song family and gave birth to two daughters. Zhang Cuihua's mother-in-law disliked her for not being able to give birth to a son and was unwilling to take care of her during the confinement period. Poor Zhang Cuihua had to get out of bed and cook, wash clothes and farm after giving birth. Her mother-in-law fed pumpkin bean cakes to the pigs at home, but gave her corn paste for a month.
The grudges incurred during the confinement period will be remembered for a lifetime.
Zhang Cuihua and her mother-in-law had been arguing for many years, to the point where they would spit at each other whenever they saw each other on the street.
However, these are all old matters and have nothing to do with Song Xiaoyu.
The bad thing is that Song Xiaoyu and her grandmother are exactly like two peas in a pod.
They all have green eyes, flat noses, and thick lips, and they look at people as if they are staring at them.
Every time Zhang Cuihua saw Song Xiaoyu, she felt like she was looking at her own mother-in-law. She felt so sour that she couldn't even utter a word of praise.
Speaking of appearance, among all the women Zhang Cuihua had ever met, Zhen Guizhi was the most beautiful.
Even though Zhen Guizhi had given birth to four children and was not young anymore, she had long legs, a slim waist, and big breasts. Not only did she have a sexy figure, she also had a beautiful face. Otherwise, she would not have been chosen by Daguo's father and taken home as his wife.
Even if Song Xiaoyu changed her head, she would still be a world away from being like Aunt Zhen.
But Song Xiaoyu's original appearance was only 20 points. Now with her double eyelids, a padded nose, and a narrow face, she can at least score 70 points.
If I dress up better, I can get at least 80 points.
Zhang Cuihua patted Song Xiaoyu on the shoulder and said with emotion:
"Xiao Yu, you have two birthdays in this life. One is the day your mother gave birth to you, and the other is today. You don't need to mention your mother's kindness in giving birth to you. After all, she finally gave birth to you, but she didn't give birth to you well, making you ugly for so many years. If you want to thank someone, you should thank your plastic surgeon. Remember, he is your second parent! In the future, you should burn incense for your second father every New Year and festival to thank him for giving you a second life."
Song Xiaoyu trembled with pain, "Mom, how many concubines does my second father have?"
Song Xiaoyu recovered quickly, the swelling disappeared within a few days, and there was no sign of plastic surgery at all.
She had plastic surgery and many people turned their heads to look at her when she walked on the street. When she returned to her hometown, no one in the village recognized her. They thought she was a relative of Zhang Cuihua's family and asked her if she was married and wanted to introduce her to someone.
Song Xiaoyu had never been popular since she was a child, so how could she have enjoyed such treatment? She woke up laughing in the middle of her sleep, got up, knelt on the bed, and kowtowed three times in the direction of the hospital.
She is a lazy person who only likes to eat and does not work as hard as Song Xiaohong. Zhen Zhen was unwilling to use her in the past, but now she has become a completely different person after plastic surgery. If she perms her hair and puts on some makeup, her score can be further improved.
It just so happened that Jiao Huilan's clothing store needed help, so Zhen Zhen decided to keep her.
Beautiful people are popular. Song Xiaoyu used to come to the store to help, but she was not good-looking. Some customers clearly wanted to buy a piece of clothing, but as soon as Song Xiaoyu put it on, they would definitely not buy it.
The situation is different now. After plastic surgery, perming her hair and putting on makeup, Song Xiaoyu can sell out even the hardest-to-sell clothes by just putting them on.
Her confidence grew greatly, and she became sweeter than before. She could earn one or two yuan a day as commission, which made Zhang Cuihua very happy.
Jiao Huilan's shop is doing particularly good business, and there are workers helping to make clothes, so it can be considered a small processing factory. Zhen Zhen is thinking that he should sell some different clothes this year.
She had always wanted to make pajamas, but summer pajamas didn't make money, so she planned to prepare winter clothes in advance.
Stock up on extra goods and sell them in the winter. If you can’t sell all the clothes, you can wholesale them to others.
Zhen Zhen found a pen and started writing and drawing in the notebook.
Jiao Huilan came over holding Si Ya and saw the picture Zhen Zhen had drawn. She asked curiously, "Mom, what are you drawing? Is this a cotton quilt?"
Zhen Zhen put down the pen and couldn't help pinching his eyebrows. As he got older, his eyesight wasn't as good as before, and he would feel tired if he used his eyes too much.
"They are thick velvet cotton pajamas."
Cotton pajamas? Plus velvet?
Jiao Huilan was stumped by what her mother said. She really couldn't imagine what thick velvet cotton pajamas were.
From the picture, it looks similar to a cotton jacket, but it is looser than a cotton jacket, and has a layer of fleece inside and outside, so it looks quite warm.
"Mom, everyone likes tight cotton blouses. Your pajamas are too loose and definitely won't keep you warm in winter."
Zhen Zhen wanted to make the provincial clothing of future generations, a thick cotton coat on the outside with a layer of flannel inside, which would keep warm and comfortable.
Not everyone can afford down jackets these days, and mink coats are even more of a luxury item. Zhen Zhen thought about making some down pajamas to sell. They are cheap, thick, dirt-resistant, and warm. You can wear them when you cook at home, take care of your kids, or go out to buy groceries.
In the era when down jackets were not yet popular, cotton pajamas could be everyone's warm uniform.
Zhen Zhen explained it to her.
"Pajamas can't be too tight. Think about it, you wear them when cooking and taking care of the kids. If they're too tight, it's inconvenient to move. They can't be too loose, because if they're loose, air will leak out. They should probably be made into a straight-tube style like the one I drew in the picture. You can wear a few more clothes inside and do whatever you want without feeling constrained."
Jiao Huilan understood. "I have never heard of the coral fleece you are talking about. Where can I find such a plush and warm material?"
Zhen Zhen also knows that it is not easy to find fabrics these days. If it is really impossible, just go to Vancouver. There are a lot of fabrics in Vancouver and the materials are updated quickly. Even if you can't find coral velvet, you can find alternatives such as velvet.
Just use whatever fabric you have. There are always more solutions than problems.
"Huilan, you should go to the south and look for the fabrics we need. We will try to make winter cotton clothes and sell them as soon as winter comes. It would be even better if we can ship in large quantities and monopolize the cotton fabrics in the market."
Jiao Huilan understood what Zhen Zhen meant. She had never traveled far away since she was a child. The last time her mother-in-law went to Guangzhou, she also wanted to go with her, but was held back by the children. Jiao Huilan and Meng Daguo had discussed it and decided to spend the rest of their lives taking care of their three daughters and not pursue their son.
Jiao Huilan can also focus on developing her career and expand her clothing factory, so as to set a good example for other ladies.
After the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law finished talking about winter clothes, Jiao Huilan brought a stool to Zhen Zhen.
She came here with a mission today.
The mother-in-law seemed to be fine these days, but Jiao Huilan was afraid that she was upset, so she squatted beside her and asked with a smile:
"Mom, Meng Hua found a wife from another place and let the child take the woman's surname. Are you unhappy about this?"
Zhen Zhen glanced at her and said with a smile, "Why should I be unhappy?"
Jiao Huilan said nothing.
Jiao Huilan's thoughts were transformed by her mother-in-law, but not completely.
Judging from her own experience, Jiao Huilan felt that if her son married into the girl's family, she would not be able to accept it in her heart, and she would always feel that people would gossip about her.
Meng Hua is the most educated college student in the village. He is handsome, smart, and has a good family background. Why can't a young man like him find any woman? Why does he have to marry someone else and let his child take the woman's surname? If this matter gets back to the village, who knows how people will scold the mother-in-law and the Meng family!
Although Jiao Huilan listened to her mother-in-law, she felt that this approach was not appropriate.
It is a rare and good time for the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law to chat about family matters.
Zhen Zhen asked with a smile: "You feel that you didn't give birth to a son, and the third child let the child take the woman's surname, which would be difficult to explain to the deceased father Daguo?"
Jiao Huilan did not deny it. Her mother said that it didn't matter whether she had a son or a daughter. Meng Daguo was good to her, so Jiao Huilan didn't plan to have another child.
The problem is, the Meng family has three sons, and the third son is the mother-in-law's favorite. Not only did the youngest son fly away and never come back, but he also found a wife from another place and his child will take the woman's surname. What's the difference between that and marrying into a marriage?
Jiao Huilan was afraid that her mother would feel upset, so she wanted to talk to her.
Jiao Huilan poured a glass of water for his mother. Zhen Zhen took the warm water and felt the temperature at the bottom of the teacup before saying:
"Huilan, remember, there is nothing you have to do in life. For example, you have been instilled with the idea of having a son by the people around you since you were born. You would rather listen to me and take the reincarnation pill to give birth to a son for our Meng family. But after taking that medicine, a girl can be turned into a boy, but the boy will have both male and female organs, and will be a true hermaphrodite. Just think about it, if you really did that, how painful it would be for the child after it was born."
The mother-in-law and daughter-in-law had never talked about these things, and Jiao Huilan had never known that taking the sex-changing pill would have such serious consequences.
If a child really has two organs, his life will be ruined.
He lived in pain all his life.
And all of this was caused by her pedantic and backward feudal ideas and her obsession.
"For example, in the case of Meng Hua, if I am too obsessed and don't agree with him marrying Tan Wenyin, there will definitely be a lot of trouble. In the end, I will suffer, Meng Hua will suffer, Tan Wenyin will suffer, and everyone will suffer. So why do I have to do this? If I change my obsession, I can have a different ending, so why should I make myself suffer?"
Jiao Huilan was silent for a long time and finally understood what her mother said.
Her mother seemed to be talking about Meng Hua, but in fact she was talking about her and Meng Daguo.
They are obsessed with having a son. Even if they have changed their mind and say that it is better to have a daughter, they have not reconciled with themselves from the bottom of their hearts.
It's nothing more than giving birth to three daughters and no son. I can only comfort myself that daughters are also good.
Zhen Zhen took a sip of water and said:
"You have to let it go, no matter if it's this thing or that thing, you have to let it go of everything. No matter how big the problem is, you can live a relaxed life if you don't take it to heart. Otherwise, if everything weighs on your mind, you won't be able to breathe as smoothly as others. You're going to be so hard on yourself for the rest of your life just because of this little thing, why bother?"
Jiao Huilan found it funny. She wanted to comfort her mother-in-law, but in the end it was her mother-in-law who comforted her.
However, her mother-in-law's words touched her heart. She tried to change her mindset and let go of her obsessions. There were many things that she had been stuck on and couldn't figure out for her entire life. But once she changed her perspective on the problem, the problem was easily solved.
In fact, what does it matter whether she has a son or not? She works so hard to give birth to a child, but the child doesn't have her surname, and no one will write down her merits. She still has to raise the child. She works so hard all her life, but what is she really trying to achieve?
Many times, Jiao Huilan could not answer herself, for example, why she wanted to have a son. But once people learn to think, they will plant a few seeds in their hearts. It is hard to predict what kind of fruit these seeds will grow into after they take root and sprout.
Jiao Huilan knew that finding the answer would take time, experience, and nourishment to the seeds in her heart, but she was willing to spend time looking for the answer.
At that moment, all the burdens that had accumulated over the years were swept away, and she felt her heart open up like never before.
Jiao Huilan looked at her mother-in-law with a gentle smile on her face: "Mom, I understand."
"That's good to know. You and Daguo have more good fortunes to come."
"Mom, your blessing is also coming."
Zhen Zhen choked. It had only been a short time and her daughter Huilan had already learned bad habits and started to tease her.
She couldn't help but touch Jiao Huilan's soft head.
Jiao Huilan squinted her eyes and smiled, "Mom, I'm not stupid, I just need time."
"You need time, and I will give you time. You can think slowly and find the answer slowly, but remember that you only live for yourself in this life. Children and men are not the most important. What is important is you."
Zhen Zhen bought two train tickets to Vancouver for Jiao Huilan and asked her to bring Tao Aihong with her.
Zhen Zhen wanted to let this cunning, lazy and cunning Tao Aihong go out and see the world so that she wouldn't be busy thinking about trivial matters.
Tao Aihong was worried about Jiao Huilan going out to buy fabrics. First, she was afraid that Jiao Huilan would falsely quote prices and secretly enrich herself. Tao Aihong had been watching under the nose of her mother-in-law and had never gotten any advantage. If Jiao Huilan secretly got a big advantage, she would be vomiting. Second, she was also afraid that Jiao Huilan was not smart enough and made a mistake in the calculation.
Tao Aihong felt that those fabric merchants were cunning and cunning, and would definitely cheat people. Jiao Huilan was too stubborn to deal with them. If she, Tao Aihong, didn't take action at this time, when would she take action?
Seeing her full of fighting spirit, Zhen Zhen also gave her some encouragement:
"I asked you to go because I think you have a good brain and are good at math. If Huilan gets cheated or makes a mistake in the calculations, you can give her a heads up."
Tao Aihong immediately felt that she was very useful. "Don't worry, I'm here to make sure my sister-in-law doesn't make a mistake!"
"The fabric is hard to find this time. Aihong, you have many crooked ideas. If the right way doesn't work, try the backdoor route. Anyway, you must get the fabric back."
Tao Aihong patted her chest and agreed, determined to buy back the fabric and make her mother-in-law look at her with new eyes.
Jiao Huilan suppressed her laughter and said, "Then let's make a deal. We pack our own luggage and leave at night."
They had to catch a train at night, so Zhen Zhen simply carried the child to her bed and laid him horizontally on the bed like a carrot, with a hole in each.
Since the bed was occupied by the children, she spread a mat and slept on the floor.
The ceiling fan was whirring overhead, and Zhen Zhen was sitting with his legs crossed, thinking.
Meng Huaru suggested that the child take the woman's surname, and Zhen Zhen had no objection at all.
Why should a child born by a woman take the man's surname? It is only natural for a child born by a woman to take the woman's surname.
But she was worried that Meng Hua had bad intentions. This kid was smart, sober, and open-minded. He was able to give up his obsession with Cheng Su and marry Tan Wenyin, which was a step forward.
Zhen Zhen was happy that Meng Hua could deviate from the plot of the original book.
But Meng Hua's feelings for Tan Wenyin are full of calculations. He puts weights on both ends of the scale and calculates clearly how much he will pay, how much profit and how much benefit he will get from this marriage.
If Tan Wenyin could really help him, Meng Hua would be able to live a stable life, but what if Tan Wenyin couldn't help him?
Can we still live like this?
This is exactly what Zhen Zhen is worried about.
She was really afraid that Meng Hua was a bastard. If the Tan family lost power one day, Meng Hua would kick Tan Wenyin out and find a wife who could help him. That would be endless.
But Meng Hua's marriage has already been decided. What will the girl's family think if he regrets it now? Tan Zheng is not an ordinary person. Will he let a family like them play tricks on him? He can only wait until he goes to Beijing to see Tan Wenyin, and then slowly think of a way to see if he can make the relationship between the two more solid.
The food factory has recently added some new equipment, and Zhen Zhen is thinking about making some new products. Recently, melon seeds and peanuts have been on the market and the purchase price is cheap, so she is thinking about doing something new with peanuts and melon seeds.
She plans to make some candied cakes to sell.
Stir-fry sugar and egg white into sugar liquid, simmer over low heat, and sprinkle peeled melon seeds evenly on top.
The method of making this melon seed crisp is really simple, but it always breaks easily when you cut it into pieces after letting it cool down. Zhen Zhen tried several times before she figured out the trick. It turns out that the crisp should be cut into pieces before it has completely cooled down.
The sugar crisps cut in this way will not fall apart at all, and will have a crispy texture, sweet and fragrant.
The melon seed candy crisps had not yet been put on the market, but Meng Hua followed the smell and sneaked into the food factory and ate the wasted sample.
Meng Hua was quite surprised, "Mom, where did you learn this? I really heard about this taste, crispy and delicious, full of sweetness, very satisfying after taking a bite! But it's not easy to peel the melon seeds, right?"
That's right. Nowadays, people peel melon seeds by hand. At least Zhen Zhen doesn't have any electric melon seed peeling machines.
Fortunately, the average wage is not high these days, so the cost can be controlled by hiring a few ladies in their 50s and 60s to peel the melon seeds. However, they have to wear masks and gloves during the peeling process, and the workers have to be closely watched to prevent any hygiene violations.
"If the cost is high, then it's sold at a higher price. You can tell at a glance that this thing took a lot of effort to make. Anyone who loves to eat it will understand."
Zhen Zhen never engages in price wars, but her grocery store has always had good business because of its high standards, cleanliness, and frequent new innovations.
After the melon seed crisps were launched on the market, they sold very well.
Of course, it didn't sell as well as other cheap snacks, but it had the advantage of being priced high. Workers from several large factories nearby came in groups to buy it, and Zhen Zhen made a lot of money.
In the evening, the melon seeds were not peeled in time and the melon seed crisps were slow to come out of the pot. A long line formed in front of the food store. Meng Hua came back from Meng Daguo's pig farm and saw the long line in front of the store. He couldn't help asking Meng Daguo.
"Brother, has the family business always been so good?"
"That's right. Don't underestimate this food store at home. It may look small, but it makes a lot of money. Do you know how much money our mother made before the New Year?" Meng Daguo gestured a number. Meng Hua's eyes changed slightly. He was really surprised.
Meng Hua made money doing jade business, but he had to go to the Construction Corps to inspect and bargain with people at the jade factory. He also had to have a good eye. After finding the stones, he had to find someone to process them and bring the processed goods back to sell.
His business was profitable but cumbersome.
His mother's business doesn't make as much as he does, but she makes stable money. Meng Hua may lose money and go bankrupt, but his mother's food business will still make money after twenty or thirty years.
Meng Hua suddenly felt strange, "Brother, where does our mother get so many ideas? I remember that it was her idea to sell melon seeds, and she also supported you to raise pigs. She opened a food store and factory, and my sister-in-law made clothes. These were all her ideas. Even the clothes in my sister-in-law's store were designed by her. But she has never traveled far except to visit relatives in the army and to Guangzhou. How can she have the vision to do so many things?"
Meng Daguo was stunned by his question, "Hasn't our mother always been so amazing?"
Meng Daguo blindly worships his mother and thinks she has always been amazing.
Widowed women are all strong, and his mother makes money for the family. Meng Daguo doesn't think there is anything strange about it.
"No," Meng Hua shook his head.
Selling melon seeds was fine, but opening a food store, a fabric store, and designing clothes were not things an ignorant rural woman could accomplish.
In fact, his mother was the first person in the county to try something new.
When it was first opened, the news was so intense that no one dared to be the first to try it out, for fear that they would not get to eat the crab and get themselves involved.
Meng Hua could see the business opportunities because he was in Beijing and heard a lot of things, but what about his mother? What supported her to do these things?
Thinking carefully, my mother has changed a lot in the past few years. Meng Hua has always had a good memory. He didn't think about it before, but once he thought about it, he found many details that he hadn't noticed before.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
