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Upon hearing his wife’s suggestion, Wang Zhenhe chuckled. “Dear, you underestimate my sister-in-law. If Minglin didn’t qualify for high school, it’s because she had no other choice but to send her young child to work at the production team. But if there’s a better opportunity, she’ll agree. Besides, car repair is a skilled trade, and we have capable individuals in our family. There’s no reason for her to refuse. Let’s go talk to them.”
Upon hearing Wang Zhenhe’s words, Wang Juan and her husband clapped with joy. “Brother, I knew you would think of your nephew first. My sister-in-law will definitely agree to this. You won’t have to pay much; just provide a living allowance enough for his expenses in the city.”
With excitement, Wang Minglin was thrilled at the prospect of moving to the city to work on car repairs. “Uncle, Aunty, don’t worry. Although I may be a bit slow sometimes, our family’s integrity is solid. I’ll make sure to run the repair shop successfully.”
After finalizing the plan to have Minglin learn the trade from his brother-in-law, the next day Zhang Lan took her nephew to Zhang Hua’s house. However, upon learning about the plan to open a repair shop, Zhang Hua was hesitant. “Sister, repairing bicycles won’t bring in much money. It’s better to raise chickens; it’s more profitable than fixing bikes.”
Despite Zhang Hua’s doubts about the viability of the repair business, Zhang Lan stood firm. She had to rely on Qu Cungeng to train Minglin. Luckily, Zhang Hua had bought a bicycle as a teaching tool this year, making the training arrangements more feasible.
“Sis, I heard that Zhou Ping keeps causing trouble for Mom. What if we go teach her a lesson?” Zhang Hua suggested, feeling the need to stand up for her mother against Zhou Ping, even though she knew she couldn’t handle Zhou Ping alone. Yet, after hearing how her niece had stood up to Zhou Ping before, she felt hesitant and thought about bringing her sister along to support Geng Lianhua.
Zhang Lan sighed, “Sis, even if we confront Mom, Zhou Ping will take it out on them once we leave. The situation last time was unavoidable. If it weren’t for Zuo He and the others helping us, we might not have been able to outshine them. Qianqian was pushed to her limit. Arguing won’t solve the root issue. Maybe I should bring Mom and Dad to stay with us.”
Upon hearing this, Zhang Hua shook his head firmly. “No way. I already spoke to Mom about this before. The elderly couple insists on staying to watch over those three houses for Weiguo’s marriage. It’s designated for their eldest son. It pains me to see Mom and Dad suffer at their age. It infuriates me just thinking about it.”
Zhang Lan also felt for her parents. “Sis, sometimes I wish I could get rid of Zhou Ping. Mom is such a good mother-in-law, and her willingness to help is a result of accumulated good karma from past lives. But Zhou Ping doesn’t cherish her. She not only fails to appreciate it but also causes trouble. Look at the eldest in the Zhang Wei family. I wish Zhou Ping wasn’t our sister-in-law. I’ve never seen such a mess. Zhou Ping’s constant conflicts stem from her desire to secure the house for her son’s marriage. Otherwise, she’d have no reason to stir up trouble.”
After listening, Zhang Hua cursed, “She’s so selfish. The house is meant for our younger brother. I now understand their constant bickering. The root of the issue lies in their relationship. I’ll have Qu Kai spend more time with Mom in the future to keep us informed.”
After Minglin learned from Qu Cungeng for a while, the Wang family’s bicycle repair shop in the city officially opened.
Keeping their business a secret, no one in the village knew about the Wang family’s new venture. Minglin often ate with Wang Xuan’s children, and sometimes he even helped with cooking if he returned early. Before leaving, Wang Juan gave her son a crash course in cooking skills.
As time passed, the winter break arrived. Wang Zhenhe had started selling goods in the city. With Qianqian’s valuable support from her storage space, the business thrived, and Wang Zhenhe was counting money happily every day.
“Daughter, if this continues, what do you think Dad should do with this money?” Wang Zhenhe asked, feeling overwhelmed by the sudden wealth. Qianqian couldn’t help but feel sorry for her father, realizing that he wasn’t accustomed to handling such a large sum of money, considering his past struggles with poverty.
As Wang Minglin excitedly exclaimed, “Uncle, I’ll ride my bike to Auntie’s place and show her who’s boss.”
Today, Wang Qian mentioned to her father that she wanted to go out for a bit. Wang Zhenhe didn’t think much of it; the town was relatively safe now, and Qianqian was familiar with the terrain, so he agreed without hesitation.
Putting the items she intended to sell in the shop, Wang Qian strolled around the streets. From a distance, she noticed some people engaged in secretive transactions. Upon closer inspection, she discovered it was a black market where people were buying food and other goods.
Excited about the opportunity, she realized she still had a significant amount of food in her storage space that hadn’t been sold yet. This resolved her worries.
After lunch, Wang Qian and Wang Zhenhe headed straight to the black market, where many people were wandering around, unable to find food.
Father and daughter worked together, selling most of the food from the space. Once they had the money in hand, Wang Zhenhe grabbed Qianqian and hurried off, constantly looking back, anxious about the possibility of being followed or robbed.
“Dad, no one is following us. Don’t worry,” reassured Qianqian.
Wang Zhenhe, still anxious, replied, “Daughter, holding this much money, I can’t help but worry. Let’s take a few more rounds before heading back.”
Years later, when Wang Zhenhe reminisced about this experience, he couldn’t help but chuckle. Back then, he had never handled such a large sum of money, which explained his cautious behavior.
Following her father’s lead, Wang Qian didn’t object. She didn’t want Wang Zhenhe to feel uneasy.
At the fruit shop, Wang Zhenhe sat down heavily and said, “Daughter, let’s count the money we’ve earned and see how much we made.”
After tallying up the earnings, Wang Zhenhe was dumbfounded. They had earned back the money spent on buying the house. “Qianqian, pinch me. Is this a dream? How did we make so much money in just one day?”
Amused by her father’s disbelief, Wang Qian chuckled. “Dad, you’re not dreaming. I’m right here in front of you. Do you think a dream could feel this real? By the way, Dad, let’s sell the rest tomorrow morning. The harvest in the space will be ready in a couple of days anyway.”
That evening, when they returned home, they were surprised to see Zhang Lan there. With her help, the couple divided the tasks: Wang Qian and Wang Zhenhe would sell the grain, while Zhang Lan would manage the fruit shop.
After successfully selling all the grain, they returned home in high spirits. Seeing their expressions, Zhang Lan knew they had made a profit that day.
Observing the money her family brought back, Zhang Lan couldn’t stop smiling. “Zhenhe, let’s keep this money in Qianqian’s space. It’s safer there. By the way, our annual bonus has come in. Can you guess how much we each received?”
Wang Zhenhe grinned, “Judging by your expression, I’d say it’s maybe more than last year, around 200 perhaps?”
“You’re good at guessing. Together, we received over 160. Not bad, right? It should cover our expenses for a while. I also plan to buy some clothes for Uncle Chen and Chen Xu when we go to town. Since their child came over, they’ve had minimal contact with him. I think his parents are upset he went to Uncle Chen’s place.”
As they hadn’t heard from Chen Xu about any letters from his parents since his arrival, the couple refrained from discussing his family matters in front of him.
“Wen, let’s also get some new clothes for Minglin. He’s been alone there, so it’s not easy for him,” suggested Wang Qian.
Zhang Lan gently touched her daughter’s hand and replied, “I’ll remember. I’ll buy clothes for all of you this time.”
Wang Qian shook her head, “Mom, I don’t need new clothes. There’s no one to pick out clothes for my eldest sister anymore, so I wear her clothes. I just need you to buy me a pair of cotton shoes. I’ve been wearing the same kind of clothes every year, and I find my sister’s old clothes more comfortable.”
With a sigh, Zhang Lan embraced her daughter. “Silly girl, now that we have money, there’s no need to be so frugal. Look at your classmates wearing new clothes during the New Year. It’s not good for you to wear old clothes.”