As the bell of the new semester rings, the old outer wall at the junction of the two schools has now been completely renewed, and the most eye-catching thing is the new red brick buildings next to the school gate.
Xu Mengyao and Huang's mother stood at the school gate, clutching the keys they had just received from the principal. They gazed at the shops, their eyes gleaming with anticipation and longing. Mother and daughter smiled at each other, their faces filled with the same joy.
"Mom, don't you think this place is nice? We can do some small business here in the future." Xu Mengyao said excitedly.
Huang's mother also smiled, "Yes, that's great! If your father knew, he would definitely be very happy too."
After returning home, Xu Mengyao couldn't wait to tell her father the good news.
"What? You have already got the key?" Father Huang was surprised but more happy.
"Yes, Dad, I want to find someone to renovate the house. Do you know where I can find a decorator?" Xu Mengyao asked.
Father Huang laughed heartily: "Why waste that money? I brought a few skilled workers from the mine who are better than those hired from outside. Let's do it ourselves!"
Every weekend, Huang's father would bring a few workmates to the storefront, working from morning till night. They had a clear division of labor: some applied cement, others laid the floor, and still others worked on the electrical wiring and plumbing, ensuring every detail was perfect. Xu Mengyao would often find time to help out, too. Although she didn't understand the technical aspects of the work, she was always there to hand over tools and occasionally offer small suggestions.
After several weekends of hard work, the basic decoration of the storefront was completed. Huang's father patted the dust off his body and looked around at his masterpiece with satisfaction.
"Let it air out for a few days, let it dry in the shade, and then paint the walls white. It will look more spacious," he said to his daughter.
"Well, Dad, do you have any ideas about our shop? I'd like to give it some advice." Xu Mengyao asked.
"You should focus on your studies. As for business, just think about it slowly. You'll be able to come up with an idea before summer vacation." Father Huang replied with a smile.
During this time, Xu Mengyao added another important item to her home: a telephone. In order to install the phone smoothly, she discussed the matter with her father as early as the Chinese New Year when Chen Chen returned.
"Dad, I want to install a telephone at home so that it will be more convenient to contact relatives and friends in the future." Xu Mengyao suggested.
Huang's father frowned when he heard this. "This phone is not easy to install. We have to ask an acquaintance to treat us to a meal to get a phone in the office so we don't have to wait in line at the telephone bureau. If we go there ourselves, we will have to wait in line for at least a month and we don't know if we can get it."
Xu Mengyao didn't know that installing a phone at this time would be so difficult, so she suggested:
"Dad, why don't you ask Director Sun? He's going to pay New Year's greetings anyway, so why not bring it up then?"
Huang's father nodded in agreement. When he went to visit Deputy Mine Manager Sun at his home to pay New Year's greetings with gifts such as roast chicken and white wine, he mentioned the matter of installing the telephone.
Upon hearing this, Deputy Mine Director Sun burst into laughter:
"Old Huang, you're so lucky! Our mine is planning to add a few more telephones after the New Year. If your Huang family wants to install them, then we can do it together. I'll take care of it!"
When Mr. Huang heard this, he was overjoyed and thanked him repeatedly. A big stone in his heart finally fell to the ground.
When the telephone installers showed up at the Huang family's door after the Lunar New Year, the entire compound erupted in excitement. Children curiously circled around the utility poles and the installers, while the adults gathered together, discussing the matter.
"Oh my! The Huang family is really capable. They installed a phone so quickly!"
"Yeah, I heard it's really expensive to install a phone, over five thousand."
During the installation process, Huang Wenrong and Wenxia stood by, watching the busy masters, asking from time to time how to use the phone, their eyes flashing with curiosity and yearning for the unknown world.
Finally, with the connection of the last telephone line, the red rotary dial machine found its home firmly in the corner of the living room. Father Huang carefully placed it in the matching iron box.
After seeing that the Huang family’s telephone was installed, neighbors came to congratulate them and expressed their expectations.
"Hey, Lao Huang, your phone is installed. From now on, if we need anything, we can come to your house." A woman said with a smile.
Huang's father looked at the neighbors' enthusiasm and felt embarrassed to refuse. Xu Mengyao smiled and said:
"Okay, from now on our phone will be everyone's public phone. However, calls and receipts will be charged by the minute."
When the neighbors heard this, instead of being unhappy, they all expressed their agreement: "Of course, of course, we have to pay for phone calls wherever we go!"
In order to better serve the neighbors, Xu Mengyao also specially prepared a small loudspeaker for Grandma Huang. Whenever the phone rang, if it was for a neighbor in the courtyard, Grandma Huang would pick up the loudspeaker and shout in her loud voice:
"XXX, there's a phone call coming, come quickly!"
Soon after the phone was installed, Xu Mengyao called the number Chen Chen had left. Chen Chen on the other end was surprised and delighted to hear the familiar voice.
"Huang Wenjuan? Why are you calling suddenly? Do you have good news for me?"
"Yes, Chen Chen, we have a telephone installed at home!" Xu Mengyao said excitedly, "It will be more convenient to contact you in the future. This is my home phone number, please write it down."
After hearing this, Chen Chen couldn't help but laugh out loud: "You're really fast. I admire you! Then we can talk on the phone more often from now on."
Meanwhile, the whitewashed walls of the shop were also given a brand new look thanks to the hard work of the workers. To express his gratitude, Huang's father invited them to his home. Huang's mother and grandmother began working early in the morning, preparing a large table full of delicious dishes.
Mr. Huang also took out his collection of fine wine to treat these hard-working friends.
"Today's meal is a gift from our whole family. Thank you all for your help during this period." Father Huang raised his glass to express his gratitude.
The fellow workers also said they were welcome to speak, and the atmosphere was very harmonious.
However, the good times didn't last long. The first month's phone bill shocked the whole family—it was over 300 yuan!
Apart from two phone calls between Xu Mengyao and Chen Chen, and one call between Huang's father and Grandpa Qi's workplace, only people from the family quarters occasionally called. Why would the charges be so high?
They carefully checked the call logs and found that one number was being dialed unusually frequently. After some questioning and investigation, the truth was revealed: Wenxia had seen the phone number on an anime TV show and called it out of curiosity, not knowing that doing so would incur a fee.
When Huang's father learned the truth, he was so angry that his face turned blue. He picked up a broom and hit Wenxia on the butt a few times.
"Kid, how can you be so ignorant! How can you just call the home phone casually?" he scolded sternly.
Wenxia was in so much pain that tears welled up in her eyes, but she knew she was wrong. Xu Mengyao and the rest of the family watched silently from the sidelines, not intervening. Although they felt sorry for the child, they also knew they had to teach her a lesson.
From then on, the phone was locked in an iron box by Huang's father, and the key was kept by an adult, and Wenxia was never allowed to touch it easily again.
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