Chapter 8: Striving to Become a Ten-Thousand-Yuan Household

“How much did you write to earn these two yuan?” Qin Man asked as she sat on the edge of the bed.

“About ten thousand characters. It took me two days to finish writing,” Jiang Cong answered truthfully.

With current technology, everything had to be handwritten before being finalized for typesetting and printing. Writing also required careful wording and organization. Managing to handwrite five thousand characters a day was already very efficient.

Plus, he had to take the bus to the county, which took three hours round trip. He also had to catch the last bus back at 4:30 PM, making time quite tight.

“That’s way too little!”

For Qin Man, two yuan was barely the price of a bun. But in this era, it was enough to be broken down and spent carefully. Still, she felt it wasn’t much.

“It’s not too bad. Slowly saving up—if I write for the entire month, I should be able to earn around ten yuan. By then, with a few dozen yuan, it’ll be enough to rent a decent small single room near the middle school in the city.”

Renting a small room close to the school would make commuting easier. A single room costing about ten yuan a month would be sufficient for him.

“A single room is too small, not enough space. At the very least, we should rent a one-bedroom apartment!”

Qin Man disliked cramped housing. At the very least, she wanted a private bathroom. She had no interest in using a shared one.

Jiang Cong raised his eyebrows slightly at her words.

“I’m just living alone—there’s no need for such a big place.”

Hearing that, Qin Man couldn’t help but laugh. Was she not being obvious enough?

“What I mean is, I want to go out and work with you. Now that I’m back to normal, I can’t just stay at home, eating and living for free, right? In a year, Jiang Li and Jiang Yu will have to start kindergarten. If we rely solely on your salary to support the entire family, how can we provide them with a good learning environment?

So, you can focus on being Teacher Jiang without worries. Meanwhile, I’ll find a suitable job. Together, we’ll work hard and strive to become a ten-thousand-yuan household as soon as possible, bringing the whole family towards a prosperous life!”

Qin Man’s goals were clear. People needed ambitions—being a ten-thousand-yuan household in this era was both rare and highly respectable. So, that would be her goal.

Jiang Cong chuckled at her serious expression, but he felt a wave of warmth inside.

He had thought she had no plans for the future, yet she had already thought far ahead, including not only their children but even his family in her vision.

Of course, for their current situation—barely considered a thousand-yuan household—the idea of becoming a ten-thousand-yuan household seemed distant. But he admired her determination.

“Why are you laughing?” Qin Man was puzzled by his expression, but she couldn’t look away from his gentle, refined face.

“Do you even know what being a ten-thousand-yuan household means?”

“Of course, I do. I know you might think I’m exaggerating, but listen—if a person doesn’t have a goal in life, how are they any different from a salted fish?”

Qin Man wasn’t joking. She knew how rapidly the country would develop in the coming years.

“I believe you!” Jiang Cong nodded in approval. He found Qin Man filled with vitality.

Before, when she was muddle-headed, she had been soft and adorable. Now that she had recovered, her true personality was just as vibrant and motivated.

Spending time with a woman like her, he could already feel the hopefulness of the future.

“In a few days, take me to the county with you.”

Qin Man suddenly made the request. Jiang Cong was puzzled and asked what she wanted to do there.

Qin Man then told him about her plan to sell persimmons.

“Aren’t you trying to save money to establish yourself in the city? I’ll work with you. That way, we can afford to rent a bigger place and live comfortably. We can buy our own kitchenware and cook our own meals. On holidays, we can come back to visit your parents and the kids.

By next year, once we’ve saved enough, we can bring the kids over and find a kindergarten for them. Let’s aim to raise two college graduates and bring honor to your family, okay?”

In her past life, she had been alone, with nothing but work. No matter how much money she earned, it was meaningless—she couldn’t take it with her in death. So, she had always believed in enjoying life while she could.

Now, through a twist of fate, she had everything—a family, a home. She just wanted to live well, to see the two children grow up safely. They were her own flesh and blood now. Even if she couldn’t fully experience the pain of giving birth to them, the bond of blood was real, and she would treat them as her own.

“Alright, we’ll do as you say!”

Jiang Cong smiled at her gently, his heart filled with contentment.

Looking at Qin Man’s beautiful face, he found it increasingly charming. Before, he had only thought of her as adorable, but now, an unfamiliar feeling stirred inside him.

The next day, Jiang Cong stayed home instead of going to the county. His side job didn’t require him to go every day, so he helped Qin Man pick persimmons instead.

With Jiang Cong’s help, they finished picking almost all the persimmons in a single day. They set some aside for the village children to snack on and filled up all the unused grain baskets at home—around eight dozen in total.

They would need to buy two more bottles of Erguotou liquor from the town’s supply and marketing cooperative to ripen the persimmons.

The walk from the village to town took about an hour. Qin Man and Jiang Cong set off early in the morning. By the time they arrived, the sun was high, and Qin Man was wiping away sweat from the heat.