Tercer matrimonio - Capítulo 16
Just before the dishes were served, Zhang Hongwei finally noticed something was wrong. He quietly pulled his daughter aside and asked:
"What's going on between your Hua Ge and Yin Yeyao? Why does he seem to be constantly looking at Yin Yeyao's every move?"
Shang Lin chuckled: "Oh dear, you only just realized that?"
Zhang Hongwei's mouth dropped open in astonishment: "He's the one in charge?"
Seeing her daughter nod slightly in agreement, she couldn't believe it: "How old is he... to spend seven thousand like that!"
Shang Lin turned her head slightly; Yin Yeyao was busy getting close to Qiu Xia Lin and hadn't noticed them. Hua Zi was also having a serious diplomatic meeting with Qiu Jianguo, who had just gotten off work, and had no time to pay attention to them, so she said softly:
“His family is wealthy, so you don’t need to worry.”
Even if I've never eaten pork, have I never seen a pig run? Having a bodyguard by your side, looking tough, imposing, and shrewd, is something that any ordinary family can afford or would need.
Zhang Hongwei hesitated, "Why would he lend it to us...?"
Seven thousand yuan is an astronomical figure for a farming family.
With this seven thousand yuan, not only was the factory equipment secured, but there was also no need to worry about recruitment and other matters later on. If Zhang Hongwei hadn't recently gained some experience outside, and if Shang Lin hadn't strongly encouraged her, she wouldn't have even dared to think about it—borrowing seven thousand yuan, how many lifetimes would it take to pay it back on Qiu Jianguo's salary?
Shang Lin said softly, "Who knows what he's up to? Anyway, his money is in our hands, so what's there to be afraid of!"
Zhang Hongwei thought about it again and realized that it made sense.
He lent money to his own family, not the other way around, so why worry about being poor?
With a weight lifted from his heart, he urged Shanglin to go out and buy some cold dishes. Feeling a little ashamed, he served the dishes and invited the group to eat.
The room was a bit cramped, and the table was a bit small. Yin Yeyao was initially very curious about how such a small table could accommodate six dishes. When he saw Qiu Jianguo deftly pry open a hidden piece of tabletop from underneath, his eyes widened in astonishment.
This is the most popular folding round table right now – a replica creation!
The idea was proposed and provided by Qiu Shanglin, and Qiu Jianguo did it by hand, spending only the price of a few screws.
Dinner was both grand and plentiful, yet simple. It was grand because Mr. and Mrs. Zhang repeatedly expressed their gratitude; plentiful because there were six dishes; and simple... braised eggplant, stir-fried chili peppers, stir-fried garlic sprouts with meat... all home-style dishes.
Even if you gave Zhang Hongwei sea cucumbers and abalone, she still couldn't make it!
She repeatedly expressed her apologies for the simple menu and said that next time they come to visit, she will definitely go out for a proper meal.
Qiu Xialin had absolutely no liking for Yin Yeyao and said irritably, "He lives far away and won't be coming again!"
Yin Yeyao looked at Qiu Shanglin with a half-smile: "We'll be moving to town soon."
Putting aside Hua Zi's reaction, Shang Lin was baffled by his expression—"Qiu Xia Lin said it, why are you looking at me like that? Still looking? I'll gouge your eyes out if you look again!"
As Hua Zi left the compound, the family who had been so attentive in seeing him off gradually disappeared into the distance. He asked solemnly:
"You really intend to stay in town?"
Yin Yeyao was in a particularly good mood today, and being in a good mood naturally made her easier to talk to and more patient in explaining: "The transportation in the village is inconvenient—the tutor my mother found for me should be arriving soon, right? Are you planning to have them live in the same yard as the chickens and ducks?"
To become the future heir of the Yin family, not just any incompetent person can be competent. He has wasted a lot of time here, so much so that Xu Mi is already anxious. However, the situation at the mansion is still unresolved, and they are not comfortable taking him back, so they have to hire a tutor to come and provide special guidance.
Hua Zi remained silent for a long time.
After walking quite a distance, he said, "Since you've already made up your mind, I'll ask your wife for permission tomorrow before we come back to look for a room."
Yin Yeyao walked ahead of him, her tone light: "No need, I've already found a house I like today and reached an agreement with the owner. I'll come over in a few days to sign the contract."
Hua Zi was startled, and after a long silence, he finally responded softly.
Qiu Xialin's Rebellion
Time flies, and another two months have passed.
As yellow leaves hung from the branches and fallen leaves covered the streets and alleys, the baskets that the Qiu family used to collect fallen leaves could no longer hold them all. In the Qiu family's ancestral home, Zhang Chunhua looked at the courtyard full of fallen leaves, feeling lonely and no one was sweeping them. She missed the days when Qiu Shanglin lived there. Autumn in 1986 was coming to an end.
Zhang Hongwei's popsicle factory started operations smoothly and has been in production for over a month, with business booming beyond everyone's expectations. It not only supplies popsicles to the town and a dozen or so nearby villages, but also attracts people from neighboring towns who come specifically to wholesale popsicles because of her quick thinking and generous use of ingredients.
The name 'Xinglong Popsicle Factory' had long been something Shanglin had scorned. Although she understood the older generation's desire for a prosperous life, she still couldn't accept such a blatant and unadorned expression.
Her strongly suggested name, "Jie Jie Gao" (meaning "rising higher and higher"), was rejected by everyone. To comfort her, Zhang Hongwei, at her suggestion, named the popsicle "Jie Jie Gao," meaning that life would get better and better.
Xinglong Popsicle Factory currently mainly produces two types of popsicles – Jie Jie Gao and Little White Rabbit.
"Rising Step by Step" is pure ice crystals; "Little White Rabbit" contains a little bit of creamer.
Although the product range was pitifully limited in Shanglin's eyes, it created quite a stir in the small town.
Asking for a white rabbit popsicle is a reasonable request from children. Parents are happy to oblige; it only costs a few cents, satisfies their children's wishes, and is good for their health, so why disagree?
Although it was late autumn, the town's tradition was to sell popsicles even in winter, so Zhang Hongwei wasn't worried about sales.
The stationery business in Qiushanglin gradually slowed down.
Firstly, students only use a limited amount of stationery each year. An eraser and a pencil can last a long time, and no one will buy an eraser for no reason. The demand in each school is already close to saturation. Secondly, some people have followed suit and set up small stalls near several schools.
They sell not only stationery, but also snacks, fruits, and dates. Although their stationery is not as novel as that of Shanglin, it still attracts many students.
She started going to her stall every day, then every other day, and finally once a week.
Yin Yeyao went to the Qiu family's house for the umpteenth time to freeload a meal, and shamelessly stayed on Shang Lin's bed, asking curiously, "Why give up? If you had managed it seriously, none of them could have been your match."
Shang Lin held a copy of the Romance of the Three Kingdoms, with a Xinhua Dictionary beside him, its pages worn and frayed. Without even looking up, he said irritably, "I have lofty ambitions; how can I indulge in petty, despicable schemes?"
Qiu Xialin sat to the side, practicing calligraphy stroke by stroke with a bitter face. Hearing this, he looked up at his sister with a resentful gaze, trying to move her with his melancholy eyes. His sister didn't even need to look at him; she could feel his gaze even with her head down. She coldly said, "Shoulders level, back straight, head upright, focus your energy, concentrate! Look at your handwriting, it looks like a dog's scribbles!"
Yin Yeyao chuckled, then, receiving Xia Lin's pleading gaze, explained on his behalf, "Xia Lin is only three years old."
Shanglin finally looked away from the book and onto his face, asking, "You're only eight years old, yet you've already mastered the Four Books and Five Classics. I heard you've recently been studying Thick-skinned and Black-hearted Theory—can you understand it?"
He paused for a moment, then found himself speechless.
This time, Shang Lin smiled enigmatically: "Why is it that you can be well-versed in the Four Books and Five Classics from a young age and receive an elite education, while my brother and I can't?"
Yin Yeyao suddenly realized that Qiu Shanglin was a real piece of work!
He was just making a casual remark to smooth things over, so how did it come across as something else entirely in her mouth?
It's neither sweet nor sour, and it seems like I look down on them... Heaven and earth bear witness! Even though he initially looked down on his family's poverty, as he got to know them better, he dared not underestimate Qiu Shanglin in the slightest!
Even Brother Hua said that she already has the demeanor of a great leader at such a young age, and her future is immeasurable. It's just a pity that she was born into such a family... The implication was that he felt sorry for her family.
If she had been born into an environment like the Yin family, she would definitely have been the undisputed successor in the old man's eyes.
Seeing his sister and brother Yin arguing, and since it was all his fault, Xia Lin timidly said, "Stop arguing, I'll write it, okay?"
After speaking, he lowered his head, sobbing pitifully as he dipped his wrist in ink and began to trace and write large characters.
This is yet another new trick his sister came up with to deal with him.
Their mother was so busy at the popsicle factory that she had no time to look after her two children, and their father always trusted and indulged them in their upbringing. Some time ago, Qiu Shanglin was busy with his small business and didn't have time to supervise him, which had terrible consequences—Qiu Xialin and his sworn brothers were running around wildly, climbing on roofs and swimming in rivers, causing quite a stir for a while.
When Shanglin came to her senses, she realized, "Huh? Why has my little brother, whom I've been scolding so well, reverted to his old ways?" He was even more outrageous, running around the yard like a crab. The adults didn't mind because they were just children, but the slightly older kids, seeing their potential, deliberately tried to win them over, smashing windows here and breaking flowerpots there, causing everyone to complain.
She wanted to teach him a lesson, so she ran away as fast as she could, not only running herself but also calling out to her gang of brothers as she ran: "Big brother, second brother, third brother, my sister is going to beat me again!"
He and his gang were never usually seen hiding anywhere, but as soon as he shouted, a few mischievous boys suddenly jumped out, blocking Qiu Shanglin's way, who was wielding a large broom and looking menacing, and righteously declared:
"Hey, where did this huge female tiger come from? Why is she humiliating my brother!"
Shang Lin, panting heavily and leaning on her broom, paused for a moment upon hearing this, then sneered and coldly addressed Qiu Xia Lin, who was hiding behind the group and making faces at her:
"Wow, you're obsessed with storytelling."
They've all figured out the routine, just copying what they've learned. They're waiting for her here!
Holding a broom, he didn't waste any more words with them, tossed out a sentence, "I'm selling the radio tomorrow," and turned to leave.
Qiu Xialin panicked and shoved the brothers blocking his way, trying to chase after his sister: "Hey, sister, sister, I was wrong, I was wrong, please don't sell her!"
Their eldest son, who was also the workshop foreman's youngest son, stretched out his arm to stop him, disgruntled: "Fourth brother, don't beg her. The radio belongs to your family. Do you think she'll just sell it because she says so?"
According to this logic, he even wanted to sell his sewing machine to buy a color TV!
Xia Lin pushed him aside and explained anxiously, "You don't understand, my sister is the one who calls the shots in our family!"
At least she has the final say on this radio—the radio she bought with the money she earned, if she doesn't have the final say, then who does?
As the saying goes, even a penny can bring down a hero. Qin Shubao, a great hero, still had to sell his yellow horse with tears in his eyes! Qiu Xialin, who already deeply feared his sister, obediently went home to apologize after this threat. He stood beside her like a submissive wife for a long time, but she didn't even glance at him. Realizing the seriousness of the situation, he hurriedly grabbed the broom from behind the door and went to ingratiate himself.
"Sis, why don't you just hit me?"
Shanglin was busy with his own things.
After a while, he rummaged through drawers and cupboards until he found a rolling pin, and asked, "Are you going to hit me?"
A little while later, he grabbed a kitchen knife and said, "Go ahead and hit me."
A moment later, he took his dad's belt and said, "Go ahead and hit me."