Chapter 102: Junior Year Life

Since moving to Hai City, Wen Chun and Wen Xuan have been in awe.

When they arrived at the small Western-style building by bus, their eyes widened in amazement.

“Aunt, is this where we’ll be living from now on?” the two sisters asked incredulously.

Moving from a place surrounded by mountains and rivers to a bustling metropolis and from a bungalow to a Western-style building had a profound impact on them.

Wen Jiajia opened the door and said, “Yes, didn’t I tell you that you would be living here with me from now on?”

Wen Chun still felt reluctant: “Will we go back in the future?”

“I think we will,” Wen Jiajia replied, taking out the indoor slippers that had been prepared. “We’ll probably return when you graduate from elementary school.” By then, Wen Jiajia would also have graduated from college.

However, Wen Chun didn’t have time to dwell on this. Upon entering the house, the three sisters were captivated.

The exterior of the building was impressive, and the interior was even more astonishing.

Wen Chun remarked, “It’s just like the house in our hometown; it also has stairs.”

The two sisters immediately ran upstairs, and Xiaomei, the youngest, followed them using her hands and feet.

After exploring, they no longer thought about returning to the Linhe Family Compound and were excited about their new life.

Wei Dai stayed with them for most of the month but had to return at the end of August to prepare for the start of school.

Zhong Huisheng was also familiar with the area and adapted to city life better than Wei Dai.

She mentioned having lived in Hai City for about a year before and even taking her family to visit her previous residence, which brought back a flood of memories.

At that moment, Zhong Huisheng was moved to tears, feeling as if she saw her former self and family in the familiar building.

“If possible, I want to buy this place,” she said suddenly.

Zhong Huisheng was not short of money. She had gold, jade, jewelry, calligraphy, and paintings given to her by her parents. With the money she had earned over the past few years, she could afford to buy a whole house.

Wen Jiajia thought this was feasible since Zhong Huisheng’s previous home was a new-style Shikumen residence^[1] is a traditional type of housing found primarily in Shanghai, China. located in a bustling area of the city. If she didn’t buy it now, the price would only rise further.

She advised, “If you want to buy it, do it as soon as possible. We have time to inquire. However, the area is quite complex, so it might be challenging to purchase it in its entirety.”

If a house accommodates three families, the ratio is one to three.

Zhong Huisheng sighed, “Try to buy as much as you can. If you really can’t, then forget it.”

In the following days, Wen Jiajia was busy transferring schools for Wen Chun and Wen Xuan.

Fudan University has its own affiliated primary school, so Wen Jiajia had connections there.

Many families with children who experienced education in big cities thought of transferring their children to such schools.

When Wen Jiajia visited the principal of the affiliated primary school, the principal mentioned that he had handled four or five similar transfer cases in August alone.

Wen Chun and Wen Xuan are not Wen Jiajia’s direct relatives, but as their guardian and their closest relative, Wen Jiajia was able to navigate the enrollment process, despite it being somewhat cumbersome.

The affiliated primary school is conveniently located just south of the university. The two children sometimes go to school with Wen Jiajia, and other times they are dropped off by their aunt. Once they become more familiar with the area, they’ll even be able to go by themselves.

However, without the Sky Eye monitoring system of the time and with human traffickers prevalent, Wen Jiajia didn’t dare let the children go out alone, even in a big city.

Regarding Xiaomei, Wen Jiajia decided against sending her to kindergarten. Although she was quite verbal for her age, Wen Jiajia and her cousin both felt she was too young and that it would be too much for her to start kindergarten.

Moreover, the two families living next door to the Western-style building have children of similar age to Xiaomei. The aunt had already introduced Xiaomei to them, so she would have playmates nearby.

A month after school began, life began to settle into a routine.

Wen Jiajia moved out of the dormitory and enjoyed hot, delicious meals every day. She no longer had to worry about candles being lit in the dormitory or fighting for bathroom time. Her life was considerably improved.

The only downside was the heavy academic workload.

The college entrance examination had been reinstated, and everyone was studying intensely to make up for lost time.

Both teachers and students were keen to compensate for the eleven-year educational gap.

Furthermore, those who could be admitted to Fudan University in just two months of review were exceptional. These “exceptional” individuals, as a compliment, had superior intellects and were exceptionally gifted. If one didn’t put in their utmost effort, it was easy to fall behind.

Wen Jiajia, who used to work hard to stay in the top ten of her class, now had to exert herself even more to maintain that position. As an ordinary person, she understood the challenge.

Thus, her “career” had to take a backseat. Since she had already purchased a backup house, there was no urgency to earn more money.

Jiang Ruowang proved to be an excellent study partner. Her grades were outstanding, and she was both talented and hardworking.

Moreover, Jiang Ruowang had a remarkable ability to teach.

Some highly capable individuals struggle to teach others because they grasp concepts intuitively and may not explain them clearly. Their stream of consciousness often leaves others confused.

But Jiang Ruowang was different. Wen Jiajia felt she had not only a talent for learning but also a natural ability to teach.

In their third year, Wen Jiajia and Jiang Ruowang often studied together and were known as study partners.

With Wen Jiajia consistently ranking in the top ten of her class, her grades fluctuated between 89 and 90. As long as she didn’t give up and continued to visit the library five times a week, her grades remained stable.

Thus, studying with Jiang Ruowang was not like towing an aircraft carrier; they made mutual progress, which helped maintain their study partnership.

One day, while heading to the library, Jiang Ruowang asked, “Is Aunt Zhong’s son coming back? Is Aunt Zhong planning to leave your house?”

Since Wen Jiajia and Jiang Ruowang frequently traveled together, Wen Jiajia often brought Jiang Ruowang home. Over time, Jiang Ruowang had often stayed and eaten at Wen Jiajia’s house. The aunt’s cooking had won her over, revealing that despite being from the north, Jiang Ruowang had a taste for southern cuisine, especially Cantonese dishes.

Upon hearing that Zhong Huisheng’s son was returning, Jiang Ruowang felt anxious, worried that Aunt Zhong might return to her hometown.

Wen Jiajia reassured her, “Aunt Zhong is coming back, but she doesn’t want to leave our home. She prefers to stay in Hai City.”

Zhong Huisheng had a deep connection to Hai City, as it was where she lived with her parents and had only positive memories. The city brought her warmth.

Furthermore, Zhong Huisheng was considerate and worried about potential conflicts with her daughter-in-law. They had communicated long-distance and gotten along well, but living together might present challenges.

Additionally, Zhong Huisheng had developed a strong bond with Wen Jiajia’s three sisters, especially the youngest, whom she had cared for since birth. Their relationship was akin to that of grandparents and grandchildren.

So, Zhong Huisheng, who had previously thought about returning home to care for her children, now simply wanted to stay with Wen Jiajia and her family.

The family consisted of six people: five girls and one boy. Although Wei Dai was often away, Zhong Huisheng felt very content.

Jiang Ruowang responded with applause and a shy smile, “Aunt Zhong’s cooking is excellent. She could open a restaurant.”

“Yes, someone in her family used to be a chef… When the reform and opening up were proposed in December last year, I saw someone secretly selling tea eggs at the train station, and no one stopped them. The aunt said that when my Xiaomei starts kindergarten next year, she might also sell something. Don’t underestimate small businesses—they can be quite profitable!” Wen Jiajia remarked.

She knew that selling tea eggs could earn about forty to fifty yuan a month. During the two months of the New Year, sales could even soar to over 70%. 

Considering that most people’s salaries were around 40 to 50 yuan, with some making only 20 or 30 yuan, it was clear how lucrative this small business could be. Although the taste of the tea eggs was not particularly outstanding, it was still better than average.

Wen Jiajia continued, “Honestly, you should consider this for the future. I think it’s a major trend. If you start now, you might be able to capture the market before others do.”

Jiang Ruowang laughed, “What market? Selling tea eggs? I’m afraid Professor Huang would kill me if I tried that.”

That’s true. Jiang Ruowang is Professor Huang’s favorite student. He has mentioned several times that he hopes she will become a graduate student on her own.

Wen Jiajia said, “Don’t underestimate selling tea eggs as a small business. You could start with tea eggs, expand to a breakfast shop, gradually build a brand, and eventually open a chain of breakfast shops. Then it could become a big business.”

Jiang Ruowang shook her head. “That’s true, but it’s a one-in-a-million chance. It requires a lot of time, and the profit isn’t that high. It’s not cost-effective.”

Wen Jiajia twitched her lips. People were so naive back then.

Jiang Ruowang had planned for the breakfast shop to use freshly ground soy milk, handmade buns, and daily-made fillings. She would never consider “pre-preparing” them.

With this approach, a breakfast shop relies on small profits but quick turnover, so she felt it wasn’t cost-effective.

Honestly, if Jiang Ruowang had not decided to take the postgraduate entrance examination and planned to stay in school, Wen Jiajia would have considered involving her in opening a factory.

Jiang Ruowang has a good personality, excellent grades, and experience as an accountant. She works very hard, even harder than Wen Jiajia, making her an excellent partner.

Wen Jiajia had always envisioned opening a chemical machinery factory. She felt her talents were particularly suited for this field, and not starting one would be a waste.

She had even chosen a location in the provincial capital.

During a visit to Wei Dai last year, Wen Jiajia discovered that the provincial capital lacked competition in this sector and had good transportation links. The nearby cities had sizable markets, offering great potential for growth.

Wen Jiajia had everything planned out, starting with an oxygen generator factory. She managed to acquire a batch of related equipment, which fit perfectly with the booming oil industry of the 1980s.

Liquefied petroleum^[2]is a flammable hydrocarbon gas that is liquefied under pressure for storage and transportation. gas storage tanks, refrigerated trucks, and refrigerated boxes were all within reach.

The more Wen Jiajia thought about it, the more excited she became. She was eager to go home and continue planning.

It had been a while since she had worked, and she was really looking forward to it. It was a bit sad to think about it, but it motivated her.