Chapter 71 : The banker got rich

Zhuang Er noticed that something was amiss and quickly winked at his mother. “Sister-in-law, what are you saying? Mom, come over here quickly!”  

Zhao Xiangyu took a deep breath and said, ” Fourth daughter-in-law, please stop making trouble…”  

Before she could finish, Zhuang Guoliang interrupted impatiently, “What do you want? Just say it!”  

Jiang Hongmei’s heart skipped a beat, but she was thrilled inside. “I don’t want much. First, I won’t do any housework from now on. Second, my dowry of ten yuan was stolen, and you have to compensate me. Third, I will be in charge of the fourth room, and all the money must come through me.”  

“You’re dreaming!” Zhao Xiangyu jumped up and slapped Jiang Hongmei on the forehead. “Why don’t you make yourself the Empress Dowager while you’re at it? No work and yet you want to manage money? You troublemaker! Just beat her up! Fourth son, why are you still standing there? Your wife is out of control. Beat her!”  

Zhuang Guoliang didn’t move. He knew Jiang Hongmei wasn’t joking. It had only been two months since their marriage, but compared to her previously plump figure, her trouser legs now hung loose, and there was a crazed glint in her eyes.  

He leaned over and whispered a few words to Zhao Xiangyu, who reluctantly said, “Fine, I’ll have you take turns with the housework from now on. But as for money, I’ve already spent it all on pigs, and there’s no money left at home. I’ll give you five yuan now. The rest will have to wait until the pigs are sold.”  

Jiang Hongmei’s tightly furrowed brow relaxed slightly, and her hands trembled as she accepted the five yuan.  

She couldn’t believe it, she had actually succeeded. From now on, Zhao Xiangyu wouldn’t dare cross her in the Zhuang family.  

But just as she was basking in her triumph, a shovel was thrust into her hands. “Go shovel the pig manure. Since you’re the boss now, you need to contribute to the pig farm. Everyone is working, don’t just sit around.”  

Jiang Hongmei was pushed into a pile of pig manure. Several old pigs surrounded her feet, pawing at the ground. The manure pile was thick from days of neglect.  

She worked until late into the night. By the time she returned home, she was exhausted and fell asleep immediately.  

At noon, Jiang Li was awakened by shouting and cursing from the neighboring yard. She dressed and stepped out, where Chen Xianyun, who had been listening for some time, waved her over.  

“Lizi, come here. Things have been strange next door these past few days. The men of the Zhuang family are barely seen and aren’t going out to work. Zhao Xiangyu used to be so frugal that she’d send them to the fields before dawn.”  

Jiang Li frowned as she thought about the situation. This wasn’t yet the time when Zhuang Guoliang rallied his brothers to start a pig farm together, it should have happened after the resumption of the college entrance examination.  

But then she remembered the report she and Qin Xiaoting had submitted to the Revolutionary Committee and the state-owned restaurant about diseased pork. Could it have prompted an investigation that led to the pig farm in Xiaoxingling?  

If that were the case, it made sense for Zhuang Guoliang to start raising pigs ahead of schedule.  

Chen Xianyun continued, “And that Jiang Hongmei, who’s usually so unwelcome in the Zhuang family, dared to yell at one of their kids today.”  

Jiang Li’s unease deepened. What could give Jiang Hongmei such confidence?  

Jiang Hongmei had no support from her family and little money. The only possibility was that the Zhuang family needed her or she had something on them.  

It seemed likely the Zhuang family was indeed raising pigs together.  

“Mom, when things seem off, something must be going on. Stay away from the Zhuang family for now, and don’t get involved with any of them.”  

Chen Xianyun nodded. “Don’t worry. I know the kind of people they are, full of bad intentions. I’ll steer clear of them!”  

“Lizi, are you going into town today or taking a day off?”  

Recently, their braised meat business and Jiang Li’s hairband sales had stabilized. With a steady stream of customers, they agreed to go to town every other day.  

This schedule gave Jiang Li time to make hairbands and allowed Qin Xiaoting to prepare for the college entrance examination.  

When Qin Xiaoting first suggested the exam, she encouraged Jiang Li to take it too.  

Jiang Li was tempted. They had visited the county scrap yard to look for study materials but could barely piece together half a set.  

Qin Xiaoting started studying with them and wrote to relatives working in schools, asking for help finding resources.  

“I just went yesterday, and there isn’t much left. I’ll stay and make more first before going again.”

“Lizi, I think this isn’t too hard to make. Teach me, and I can help you next time,” said Chen Xianyun with great interest as she examined the newly bought sewing machine. She was the kind of person who couldn’t sit still and wanted to try her hand at it after observing for a while.  

Jiang Li was, of course, happy to teach her. To avoid wasting fabric, Chen Xianyun practiced on some rags at home first. Once she got the hang of it, her first attempt turned out quite well.  

“Mom, your skills are amazing!” Jiang Li praised generously, making Chen Xianyun beam with delight.  

Lately, Jiang Li had been busy running back and forth to the county to sell goods. It was tiring and risky, and there wasn’t much Chen Xianyun could do to help. If she could make hairbands well, it would take some pressure off Jiang Li.  

“Did my work pass the test?”  

“Absolutely!”  

Chen Xianyun smiled and said, “Then I’ll make a few whenever I have time.”  

“Mom, I won’t let you work for free. I’ll pay you five cents for each one.”  

“Why would I need money? There’s food and drink at home. Just keep your money,” she replied.  

“No, that won’t do. This is money you’ve earned through your hard work. You must take it,” Jiang Li insisted, immediately taking out a dime and stuffing it into her mother’s hand.  

Chen Xianyun grinned from ear to ear. Earning money like this felt too easy.  

During the Mid-Autumn Festival, Jiang Li finally got to enjoy the braised pork trotters with soybeans she had been craving, while Chen Xianyun prepared some tofu. Along with the stewed crucian carp with tofu, there was also braised pork with bean curd sheets on the table.  

The mooncakes came as a benefit from Qi Shaoqiang’s factory. Made with a new batch of rabbit-shaped molds, the mooncakes were filled with five-nut paste and were as beautiful as they were delicious.  

In addition, the factory distributed pork, several cans of meat, two kilograms of apples, two kilograms of dates, and one kilogram of hawthorn.  

Jiang Li was in high spirits. She made candied haws with the hawthorns and devoured one without experiencing any toothache.  

In her previous life, she could eat whatever she wanted, but it didn’t bring this kind of genuine happiness.  

After the Mid-Autumn Festival, Jiang Li resumed her trips to the city to sell her goods. Surprisingly, she ran into Jiang Hongmei twice.  

The first time was near the grain seller, where Jiang Hongmei inquired about prices before buying two kilograms of flour.  

The second time was at the supply and marketing cooperative. She was holding the hands of her two children, who were clamoring for some fruit candies.  

“Mom, give me the candy!” Zhuang Xiaobao couldn’t wait and tried to grab it, but Jiang Hongmei only smiled at him indulgently.  

With ten yuan in hand, she had been buying candies and snacks to appease the children, and it had worked. Their attitudes toward her had noticeably improved.  

Even Zhuang Guoliang no longer dared to raise his voice at her. Life seemed to be looking up for her.  

Now, she wasn’t as timid in public. Deliberately shaking out her flour bag in front of others, she even sparked curiosity among the team members, who began questioning her about it.