After Xu Mengyao deftly handed the freshly cooked noodles to her elder sister, she signaled her to carefully carry them to the inner room to Huang's mother.
Huang's father was sitting in the main hall eating, while Xu Mengyao sat opposite him calmly. She took out the red envelope that Huang's mother had given her earlier from her pocket, handed it to her sister next to her and said, "Xia, this is a red envelope from grandma and grandma, keep it for yourself."
Wenxia couldn't wait to take the red envelope, opened it excitedly and exclaimed: "Wow, there are several ten-yuan notes in this red envelope! One, two, three, four, five! Second sister has fifty! Hey, this red envelope contains a one-yuan note."
Huang Wenbin, who was standing by, quickly opened his red envelope upon hearing this. "Really fifty? All the New Year's money I've received over the years combined isn't as much as this year. That fifty-yuan red envelope, was it given by grandma? After all, our grandma's family isn't that well off."
Wenxia shook his head, looking confident, "I think the fifty was given by grandma."
Xu Mengyao's eyes flashed with curiosity, "How can you be sure that the fifty yuan wasn't given by grandma?"
Wenxia explained proudly, "That's easy. Grandma always favors her grandson. If she wants to give something to our family, she'll only give it to my eldest brother and never to me. But grandma is different. She gives everyone the same thing, no matter what it is."
Hearing this, Huang's father's smile froze a little. Xu Mengyao saw it and had already made up her mind. She took the opportunity to ask Huang's father, "Dad, I heard that grandma is coming to our house in a few days to take care of her?"
Huang's father put down his chopsticks and said unnaturally, "Yes, your grandmother is old and can no longer work in the fields, so we brought her here to enjoy a peaceful life."
Wenxia asked his eldest brother curiously, "Brother, who is older, our grandma or our grandmother?"
Huang Wenbin was stunned by the question, then quickly covered Wenxia's mouth and whispered, "Don't ask, Dad will be unhappy."
Seeing this, Xu Mengyao gently patted the back of Huang's hand and said, "Dad, don't be angry. I was just thinking about how we would stay when grandma comes."
Father Huang was silent for a moment and then said, "Let's see if we can add a small bed in your mother's and my room."
Xu Mengyao shook her head and said, "I have a good idea. Let me tell you. I'm thinking of renting a house near the school. Then Mom can focus on her student business and have more time to rest. Grandma can live with us, and you and Mom can eat dinner here every day and then move in."
After she finished speaking, she winked at her eldest brother. Huang Wenbin immediately understood what his sister meant and quickly agreed, "Dad, that's a great idea! Hu Zi's family has a yard right in front of the school, so it shouldn't be a problem for them to give us a room. I'll go discuss it with him tomorrow."
Father Huang saw that his son and daughter had settled the matter in just two or three sentences. After thinking about it, he felt that this was indeed a good solution, so he nodded in agreement.
The brother and sister suppressed their joy and found Hu Zi early the next morning. When Hu Zi heard their purpose, he patted his chest and said:
"Okay, why bother with rent? Just let Auntie live in my house. The money I earn from following you guys every day is much better than the rent!"
Xu Mengyao shook her head and said, "Brother Hu, we are embarrassed to live with you like this. If you don't want rent, we can only rent from someone else's house."
Hu Zi got anxious when he heard that and quickly said, "No, sister, just give me one dollar a month. I really don't want any more."
The brother and sister smiled at each other, nodded, and said, "Okay, it's one dollar a month. When the time comes, my mother will cook for you, but you are not allowed to pay for it."
Hu Zi was also happy when he heard this, and quickly said, "Then it's settled! I'll go back and tell my grandfather!"
After the house was settled, Xu Mengyao took out a piece of paper and quickly drew a simple blueprint for Huang's father. "Dad, follow this blueprint and have someone make Mom a metal cart with wheels. This side can hold the coal stove, and a square iron plate with an edge can be added on top. This way, Mom can cook while standing, which is both labor-saving and convenient. The other side should be covered with thin iron sheets to form a flat chopping board for kneading dough, and a small cabinet with a door can be made underneath for storage. You'll also need a small iron shovel and a round iron handle for pressing pancakes directly. This way, frying, stir-frying, and deep-frying are all possible."
Huang's father looked at the blueprint and listened to her plan, his eyes gleaming with approval: "Wenjuan, I really don't know what's wrong with your brain. Our whole family combined is not as smart as you. This stroller is really great. Your mother will definitely like it when she sees it."
The fifth day of the first lunar month was Huang Wenbin's birthday, and the ninth was Huang Wenjuan's birthday. On these two days, Huang's mother specially cooked longevity noodles for them, wishing them longevity and good health. After getting her household affairs in order, Xu Mengyao, armed with two thousand yuan, boarded the train to Pengcheng again.
This time, she brought not only her older brother but also her older sister. The three of them carried school bags filled with several large snakeskin bags, intending to buy more goods before the fifteenth day of the first lunar month and sell them for a few more days.
The moment he stepped into the small commodity market, Huang Wenrong couldn't help but be dumbfounded: "Juan'er, the goods here are really dazzling, much more fashionable than the shops in our mine!"
Xu Mengyao smiled and took Huang Wenrong's hand: "Sister, these are all goods from the south. The styles are novel and the quality is good. Follow me closely, let's start picking out the goods."
She took the two of them straight to the stall she had specially noted last time, pointed at an elegant plastic crane vase, and after a heated exchange with the owner, she carefully selected other styles of vases and artificial flowers, packing up a hundred pieces in one go.
Xu Mengyao stopped in front of a mirror stall. The stall was filled with mirrors of various designs. Hidden behind those mirrors were cute snow-white kittens, lifelike mandarin ducks playing in the water, and even phoenixes and Chinese characters for happiness meticulously pieced together from shells.
Huang Wenrong immediately fell in love with these mirrors, his eyes sparkling with excitement as he quickly said, "Wenjuan, these mirrors are so beautiful! They will definitely sell for a good price."
Xu Mengyao also nodded in agreement: "These mirrors are really good, exquisite and cute, with good meaning. They are suitable for weddings and can attract people's attention. People who are not married will also like these kittens when they see them."
So, they splashed out on mirrors. Then, they picked out fun wind-up toys—jumping frogs and mini tanks—as well as all sorts of girly hairpins, earrings, and scarves. And, of course, the must-have for the fifteenth day of the first lunar month—the colorful paper lanterns.
Finally, they returned to the glass vase stall they had visited the first time and purchased thirty vases of various colors. They evenly placed some of them in their backpacks, and then carefully wrapped the rest in soft scarves and placed them in small snakeskin bags.
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