Chapter 25: I Hope You Understand

There was a department store nearby, and she wandered in for a while. Carrying a cloth bag, she made her way around and spent eighty-eight dollars plus twenty-seven industrial coupons to buy a popular brown-red clock.

Having a clock at home would be quite convenient, and besides, this type of clock would hold a lot of nostalgic value in the future.

When she got near her home, she found a deserted spot and took out a large bag of clothes and shoes that she had found for the whole family the night before.

Upon returning home, Zhao Yuanyi had not yet come back. When Sun saw Su Jinyan dragging a large sack of items through the door, her heart ached for the girl.

Even if this girl had money, she shouldn’t spend it like this.

Though she thought this, she hurriedly went out to welcome her.

“Yanyan, what’s all this? Why so much?”
The two of them carried the things into the house. After Su Jinyan took out the clock, Sun was utterly shocked. Watching the clock tick away, she couldn’t stop smiling.

“How much did this cost?”

“It must be very expensive, right? What are you thinking, buying all this? You all still have to study, and you should save your money. You can’t let others look down on you at school. And with two kids, the milk powder alone costs a lot.”

Although she spoke like this, the smile on her face didn’t fade; her hands were moving cautiously.

Zhao Zhengjun’s smile had increased, possibly because there was hope for his leg.

He half-heartedly chided, “The child is doing this out of goodwill for the family. What are you nagging about?”

Su Jinyan smiled slightly, “Yes, Mom, having a clock at home makes it a bit more convenient for you all.”

Then she took out clothes from the cloth bag, “Try these on. The old clothes should just be thrown away; after so many years of wearing them, they’ve become hard. Don’t hold onto the Harry oil and snow cream I bought for you.”

The two nodded, but Su Jinyan had no way of knowing what they were really thinking.

That night, Zhao Yuanyi still hadn’t returned by dusk. Su Jinyan cooked millet porridge made some scallion pancakes, and stir-fried some shredded potatoes and mapo tofu, saving some for Zhao Yuanyi, while she and Zhao Zhengjun and Sun ate first.

In this era, there was no entertainment; after putting the little ones to sleep, she told the older one a story about idioms before letting him sleep alone while she began reading.
The book was the medicinal cuisine compilation that ‘Queen Nala’ had asked her to study.

Su Jinyan didn’t expect it to be all in traditional Chinese characters, and furthermore, in classical Chinese.

She recognized a lot of the traditional characters and had memories of them, so although it was slower to read, she was able to get into it.

By the time Zhao Yuanyi returned home, it was already past ten. He reheated his meal, washed up, and climbed onto the kang.

Su Jinyan tidied up her notes and raised an eyebrow at him, “Comrade, was the capital fun?”

In her heart, she knew Zhao Yuanyi had something to bounce around about.

Perhaps he had a good haul that day; a deep smile lingered in his eyes as he reached out and pulled Su Jinyan into his arms.

“Let’s not talk about whether the capital is fun or not yet. First, let’s discuss you. You returned to the capital and abandoned your husband. Can you bear it in your heart?”

Su Jinyan gasped softly, wrapping her arms around his neck and smiling, “What’s wrong, are you missing me?”

With Su Jinyan’s heartfelt confession and change in personality, Zhao Yuanyi’s heart gradually relaxed.

He liked Su Jinyan now, someone who could freely express love and hate and was also bright.

“What do you think?”
As he spoke, he bent down and brushed his lips against hers.

Was it truly the sweetness of falling in love? Su Jinyan felt her heart flutter with happiness, wanting to soar.

Not knowing how long it had passed, only when she was out of breath did, she push him away, playfully scolding, “Are you trying to murder your dear wife?”

Zhao Yuanyi raised his hand and gently brushed her lips with his fingertip, smiling, with an affection in his eyes that left Su Jinyan’s heart feeling soaked in honey.

“Yanyan, the market situation has improved a bit. I want to continue working in the black market. What do you think?”

Su Jinyan slid off Zhao Yuanyi, thought for a moment, and replied, “Yuanyi, making money is a good thing; being able to earn more is even better. But I hope you don’t engage in the black market.”

“The black market in the capital is much more complicated than in a small county or even in Yan’an. It’s full of dishonest people. If you’re not careful, you could easily get in deep trouble or even be in life-threatening situations. I don’t want to live in fear every day. Do you understand?”

Zhao Yuanyi nodded, and Su Jinyan continued, “There’s another reason, and I hope you can accept it.”

“Our marriage is the union of two families; when one thrives, both thrive, and when one suffers, both suffer.”

“From my grandfather’s generation to my father, my uncle, and my three cousins, they all serve in the military. My aunt and uncle are in politics. If it gets found out that you’re involved in the black market, they’ll all be implicated.”

“I hope you understand.”
Zhao Yuanyi lowered his head and pondered for a while, “I hadn’t considered this aspect.”

The joy of finding business opportunities had disappeared, but he could accept it.

Su Jinyan grasped Zhao Yuanyi’s hand, “Don’t worry, I have reliable news.”

“The country will take major actions regarding the economy.”

“There are many opportunities to be had, and you can look out for them. Isn’t there anyone secretly doing small business in the market right now?”

“While the black market is chaotic, doing some small business secretly on the outside seems acceptable to me, as long as you don’t get caught, it can yield good returns.”

“And I feel that soon, we won’t have to do things secretly anymore.”

Zhao Yuanyi thought for a long while before nodding in agreement, “What do you think is the best thing to do?”

Upon hearing this, Su Jinyan smiled, “Historically, the easiest money to make has been either from women or children.”

“Women love beauty, especially in a wealthy city like the capital. Clothes, cosmetics, scarves—if they look good, they practically sell themselves.”

“As for children, unless they’re extremely poor, no matter how many kids a family has, they will want them to dress neatly. Children are also the pride of a family.”

“There’s currently a very good business opportunity. Do you want to hear about it?”

Su Jinyan raised her eyebrows and asked playfully.

Zhao Yuanyi raised an eyebrow, paused for a moment, then said, “Are you talking about the opportunities around the new year and the peak gift-giving season? Or are you referring to the spike in marriage during this period?”
Su Jinyan’s eyes widened in surprise as she exclaimed, “Zhao Yuanyi, you’re impressive!”