Tercer matrimonio - Capítulo 11
On her maternal side, her siblings were all willing to help, but none of them were wealthy. Grandpa Zhang tried to persuade them to no avail, so he took out his life savings and lent them to his daughter. Her brothers also took out their only savings and even borrowed money from relatives to help.
Even so, we are still far from the ultimate goal.
Zhang Hongwei was so worried that she couldn't sleep or eat properly day and night. Whenever she saw someone, she would absentmindedly think about whether the person had money, how much she could borrow, and how much they still owed. In Qiu Jianguo's words, she had gone mad and was stuck in a money hole.
However, he couldn't say that Zhang Hongwei's business ventures were entirely without merit. At the very least, the house next to the outhouse was acquired at a cost!
The printing factory staff dormitory was indeed in short supply, with many people waiting in line for a room. Zhang Hongwei had some cash on hand and, with Shang Lin's intentional or unintentional hints, realized the importance of giving gifts and entertaining guests. He treated the factory leaders to a drink and gave them some gifts, which finally secured him a room.
For Qiu Jianguo, this house was an unexpected, unexpected gift. He was overjoyed and had no desire to be picky. He was also relieved that he would no longer have to get up early for work and could just walk home. Thinking about the kindergarten run by the factory and the nearby primary school, and looking at his daughter's sensible and quiet face, and then at his son obediently following his sister, he felt that there was hope for the future.
Qiu Xia Lin, needless to say, was a silly little brat who only knew how to eat and play. Although under his sister's guidance he knew he should be ambitious and studious, and support the whole family and protect his parents and sister in the future, that was just idle talk—his sister was so fierce, why would she need him to protect her! He didn't care much about where the new house was or whether it was next to the outhouse. His only worry was that there would be no friends to play with after moving to the new house. After Qiu Shang Lin carefully explained that there were many children his age in the factory dormitory and that he would have many friends to play with in kindergarten, all his worries were dispelled, and he even eagerly looked forward to a new life with many friends.
The two women in the Qiu family, a small household, have very different feelings.
Shang Lin originally thought that since she had been reborn, she would surely be able to change some established facts. After entertaining guests and giving gifts, shouldn't she be living in a better house? However, reality did not change, which slightly dampened her ambitions. But then she thought, what's a shabby house? The leader also said that there was a shortage of housing at the moment, and there were no vacant houses. He promised that as soon as a vacancy became available, he would immediately arrange a replacement for them!
Qiu Jianguo said privately that a family in the compound had bought a house outside and was planning to move—once they moved out, wouldn't that house belong to them?
She thought to herself, if all else fails, she'll send another gift and treat everyone to another meal. She figured she was bound to be swayed by what she received; she refused to believe that all officials were so impervious to persuasion!
Although living next to an outhouse was unsanitary, smelly, and the house was smaller, it's still a childhood memory! When I'm married and have children, I can talk about those days with great emotion, tears welling in my eyes: "Your mother suffered so much back then... We didn't have a house to live in when we were young, do you know where we lived? Next to the outhouse..."
Lost in thought, I found myself laughing so hard I was doubled over. My gaze fell on those short legs, and I suddenly realized I was only four years old. I couldn't help but chuckle. A four-year-old kid thinking about marriage and children… Look at how ahead of my time I am…
Seeing the carefree attitude of everyone in his family, Zhang Hongwei was furious!
She felt wronged, so wronged!
I've never given gifts or hosted a dinner party in my life. This is the first time I've ever done this. I've been hosting a dinner party, giving gifts, and asking someone for a favor. And this is the result—I ended up in the outhouse!
Is a latrine a place for humans to live? It's for maggots and flies!
After running her own business for a while and earning more than her husband, Zhang Hongwei had money in hand and her confidence grew. She gradually revealed the tough style she inherited from her father—and of course, she had always been tough before.
In her opinion, her husband was too soft-hearted and indecisive! Take the housing allocation for example. Qiu Jianguo initially refused no matter how much she pleaded, and only agreed after their daughter begged him. However, he still refused to go with her to ask the leaders for help—he felt ashamed!
He said, "Our Qiu family used to be a prominent family practicing medicine. When our family was prosperous, we were famous for hundreds of miles around. My great-grandfather was even a senior doctor who treated army commanders. In the past, which family in the surrounding villages hadn't received treatment and kindness from our Qiu family? Even now, when people mention it, they all give us a thumbs up and praise our good family traditions and good family values! The Qiu family members are upright and honest; how could they bow down and beg for a pittance!"
These words infuriated Zhang Hongwei, leaving him both amused and exasperated.
I can't stand his arrogant and conceited behavior! He's just a medicine box carrier, yet he's famous for miles around and even treated a military commander—what kind of military commander was he? He was a bandit who ruled the mountains in the past, and a minor warlord who roamed the area during the warlord era! Now, he's fallen on hard times and doesn't even have anyone to inherit his family business. I don't understand what this family is so proud of!
Zhang Hongwei roared in anger, and Qiu Jiajian, whose ancestors were famous, had no choice but to reluctantly follow. A local official is more powerful than a distant one; circumstances dictate his actions. His wife now controlled the family finances, his daughter sided with her, and his son—sided with his daughter. He was all alone, and life was difficult.
I got a few cartons of good cigarettes and a few bottles of good wine, and distributed them to several leaders who were in charge of housing allocations—Shanglin reminded me that gifts should be given according to the recipient's needs. They were all factory workers, so of course they knew what the leaders liked.
Speaking of which, I have to praise my daughter's intelligence. It hasn't been that long, and she can already read books using a Xinhua Dictionary!
He read mostly thick books—"Ten Thousand Whys," "Romance of the Three Kingdoms," "Cai Gen Tan," and oh, there was also a "Classic of Mountains and Seas" with flower illustrations.
Her dad was so happy when he saw it! When has our family ever had such a book-loving child?
I'm so proud, so pleased, so gratified! Our daughter knows all the "whys" out of the 10,000 questions. You've lived this long, how many "whys" do you even know?
Qiu Jianguo asked Zhang Hongwei directly, looking smug.
If a child can understand something and is willing to read, that's incredibly lucky! Not to mention that our daughter not only reads but also gleans wisdom from books!
They didn't think it was unusual for a four-year-old to be so smart, because Shanglin often looked through the Xinhua Dictionary, marked the pinyin in the book, and showed them the original words needed for giving gifts. Therefore, the parents had no doubts whatsoever.
Child prodigy? No, no, no, Shanglin is just a little smarter than others, and a little more diligent, hardworking, and studious—she often reads until very late! While other children are playing wildly, she is engrossed in reading a thick book.
We've gone off on a tangent. Sigh, as parents, we don't ask for anything else, we just hope our children will be sensible and successful. In these nearby villages, well, let's not even talk about villages, even in the towns, how many are better than Shanglin... cough cough, I've gone off on a tangent again.
When asked about the gifts and hospitality they had given, the leader said he would look into it and explain their difficulties. Although housing was indeed in short supply, they thought of the good cigarettes and alcohol they had hidden in their own kitchens and expressed their support. They all agreed that as leaders, they should care for and cherish their employees and subordinates. They believed that they must help Qiu Jianguo, a hardworking and conscientious "old ox," overcome his difficulties!
What if there's no house? There's a small room at the far west end of that compound, next to the outhouse, used for storing odds and ends. Make it available for Qiu Jianguo's family. The difficulties are only temporary, they promised. As soon as a room becomes available, Qiu Jianguo will be given priority—we can't let hardworking and kind people down…
Thinking back on the dishes they'd eaten at the best restaurant in town, the leaders unanimously agreed that Comrade Qiu Jianguo, since joining the factory, had been diligent and conscientious, a rare and excellent comrade. It would be a waste to keep such a good comrade solely in the workshop; wasn't the purchasing department still short of a purchasing agent? They'd heard that Qiu Jianguo's wife was running a business, proving that the whole family had a keen business sense! The leaders unanimously decided to transfer Comrade Qiu Jianguo to the purchasing department—if his wife could run a business, wouldn't the husband be even more outstanding!
Naturally, the size of Zhang Hongwei's "business" was not within their consideration.
One should always act with a clear conscience and not freeload. In this respect, they are far superior to the leaders of ten years or so later—those people of ten years or so later freeload and don't even do their jobs!
Qiu Jianguo's transfer was an unexpected surprise, something they hadn't anticipated.
Working in procurement in the late 1980s, although not as lucrative as it was in the 1990s, was still a very respectable job, with access to many people and a wide network of connections.
That's why Zhang Hongwei didn't storm into the leaders' homes and give them a good scolding.
Forget it, for the sake of them still having some humanity, let's just bear with it for a few months!
Fortunately, autumn has finally arrived, and the stench of the outhouse doesn't seem so unbearable anymore.
thugs and petty hooligans
In the easternmost house of the staff dormitory compound of the Red Star Printing Factory, the Peking Opera "Advising the King to Drink and Listen to the Song of Yu" was playing. The creaking and drawn-out singing style sounded unique and strange to everyone.
This generation was born and raised under the red flag. They experienced the Cultural Revolution and the revolution of destroying the Four Olds. When they had nothing to do, they liked to hum a song called "The Sun Is Red" and Chairman Mao was the best. Not many people still remember that Peking Opera is history and a national treasure passed down from our ancestors.
Once Peking Opera lyrics are sung in the courtyard, there is no doubt that Qiu Jianguo's eldest daughter is resting at home.
Speaking of Qiu Jianguo's eldest daughter, she is truly a miracle.
For such a young age, he is incredibly sensible.
Ever since she moved into the compound, her mother visited every household with a sweet tongue and keen eye, constantly addressing everyone as uncle, aunt, and uncle, and showering them with compliments. As a result, several adults, upon seeing her and then looking at their own mischievous children, wished they could send them to the Qiu family for a few days to help discipline them.
He is also very smart. Despite his small size, he knows more characters than many school children and can recite Tang and Song poems and read Romance of the Three Kingdoms.
She took care of her younger brother. With Qiu Jianguo at work and Zhang Hongwei busy, there was no one to look after the house. The little girl kept the house spotless, inside and out. Qiu Jianguo even made her a small stove. When he came home in the evening, the child had already cooked dinner and washed vegetables, waiting for him. She and her brother were always clean from head to toe. Even though Qiu Xialin was such a mischievous child, no matter how dirty or tired he got from playing, he would always reappear clean and neat, his face and hair washed clean, without a trace of odor.
What did you say? Poor children learn to be independent early, and rural girls are like that from a young age too?
Can children from rural areas go into business?
That Qiu family kid is truly exceptional. His mind is absolutely brilliant!
I bought pencils, erasers, knives, and notebooks wholesale in the city and sold them at the school gate. The novel designs attracted many children to buy them.
I heard she even gave her mother advice on her shop, and now they not only sell 'soda', but also radios and cassettes, and they've made a fortune!
Everything they knew was accurate.
For the entire summer, Zhang Hongwei was busy selling soda, and Qiu Shanglin, who came up with the idea, was not idle either. Ever since he discovered the strong purchasing power among the students, Qiu Shanglin turned his attention to the students.
The future trend is that the two groups of people whose money is easiest to earn are children and the elderly.
There are two groups whose money circulates most readily—students and women.
Even if parents themselves are reluctant to eat or dress well, they will still give their children the best. This is an age-old principle of parental love. Especially for her parents' generation, who suffered a lot in their childhood, when they had their own children and their economic conditions improved, they wanted to give their children all the good things, partly to compensate for what they lacked in their own childhood.
When Zhang Hongwei went to the city to inspect the machines and get a feel for the situation, Shanglin insisted on going with her. In the city's agricultural wholesale market, she found a shop that specialized in wholesaling student supplies.
At that time, shops generally only did business with schools, and private businesses near schools were far less developed than they are in later generations.
For example, in later generations, near the primary school where Shanglin's nephew and cousin's son attended, there were more than a dozen shops selling school supplies. Every shop was packed when school was over, with snacks, pencils, erasers, the latest pencil cases, and book cover stickers in high demand.
But now, there aren't even any stalls near the school, let alone shops!
The reason is simple: nowadays, the school provides all the stationery needed by students—of course, they have to pay for it.
For some unspoken but widely known reason, all school supplies, from notebooks to pencils, erasers, and pencil cases, are centrally procured and distributed by the school. Under this centralized management policy, all the children's stationery is identical, lacking variety and novelty. This doesn't align with children's desire for novelty.
Recognizing this, Shanglin approached a shop specializing in stationery.
Initially, the shop owner didn't take the words of a four-year-old child brought by a rural woman to heart. They were all connected to a certain school, specializing in school business; how could they possibly care about such a small amount of business? However, Shang Lin was very patient. She persuaded the shop owner to sell her the first batch of stationery at a price higher than the supply price to the school but lower than the retail price. These carefully selected stationery items by Shang Lin quickly sparked a buying frenzy in several schools in the town.
Pencils with cartoon designs, peach-shaped scented erasers, and a pencil case with Calabash Brothers designs!
What is Calabash Brothers? Some people know it, and some don't. According to Shang Lin, it's an animated series that's destined to sweep the nation. It's been popular for many years and remains so. Currently, many children in big cities love it. Small towns are too small, and some channels don't receive it, so it's not widely known yet. But soon, very soon, you'll all love it!
They don't understand what it means to be a nationwide sensation. But since Qiu Shanglin recommended it, it can't be wrong!
The first batch of goods sold out in just two days at the elementary school gate, so Shanglin pestered Zhang Hongwei to get a second batch. As she had discussed with the shop owner, the second batch was much cheaper, but Shanglin was also much more picky—she wouldn't accept anything of poor quality or with outdated designs.
Fortunately, the shop owner sourced the goods from the south, ensuring he always had the latest and most fashionable styles. The school couldn't accept all of these styles, and many had to be sold to private individuals, as they were a minority. Seeing Shanglin receiving more and more stock each time, the shop owner was overjoyed.
Soon, Qiu Shanglin's business was no longer limited to the elementary school gate; she began to work at junior high and high schools—the town may be small, but it has many schools! After all, it is a central town with many villages under its jurisdiction, located on the outskirts of the city, and also has several large factories.
Fortunately, although her money-making methods were easy to imitate, her business seemed too small for anyone to take seriously.
The adults thought, how much money can you make from a few pencils and erasers? Besides, how much money could a child possibly have? And even if someone really wanted to do business with a child, they wouldn't have the nerve to do so!
It must be said that people today are honest and simple, which is a rare find.
If this were in later generations, people would flock to make money without caring about saving face!
Several shops in town also sell stationery, but since they are not near the school, the styles and designs they offer are not as novel as those in Shanglin. Even if they are exactly the same, the children prefer to buy stationery from Qiushanglin.
She can tell a story about the origin of every piece of stationery! It's so captivating!
Today it's elementary school, tomorrow middle school, the day after high school, a complete cycle every day, weekends off, occasionally going to buy supplies. Qiu Shanglin has arranged her time perfectly.
Selling stationery at the school gate has one advantage: you don't have to stand guard all the time.
The children are all at school during class time and can't come out, only crowding around Shanglin during school drop-off and pick-up times. This always leaves her flustered and overwhelmed. But Shanglin has a solution: she arrives a little early, just before school starts, sets up her things, and prepares the change. Once the children are dismissed and swarm in, she stands on a small stool and orders them to line up—only after they've lined up does she begin selling!
Before the sale begins, we'll tell a story, and children who don't queue properly aren't allowed to hear it!
To this end, she bought a storybook and read one story every night, then told the story the next day.
Initially, everything went very smoothly, but not everyone was kind and gentle. One day, she was busy at the entrance of a junior high school—junior high students didn't listen to her stories, and their desire to buy things wasn't as strong as that of elementary school students.
Several boys pushed through the crowd, while the junior high students who were scrambling to buy a new type of eraser stayed far away in fear, watching with worry, but no one dared to step forward.