"How can the Zhao Family be like this? Clearly, there’s no engagent, yet they insist they’ve given the betrothal gift. This family has absolutely no boundaries."
Luckily, with Chunya and Lin Xiang’s reminders, she saw through Zhao Chunshui’s true nature. Otherwise, being forced by her mother to marry him ant she’d have to deal with such a family her whole life, and that would drive her insane.
"The world is vast, full of wonders, and peculiar people are innurable. So, in the process of interacting with others, you must be vigilant in recognizing people."
Chen Ruqi failed to see people clearly and lacked decisiveness, leading to her almost ruining her life.
She looked at Lin Xiang as if seeing a lifesaver, "Comrade Lin Xiang, when will you and Comrade Lin Chunya have ti? I’d like to invite you to a al."
"Thank you." Lin Xiang thanked Chen Ruqi for her kindness, "But recently, we’ve been busy selling spicy noodles, so probably won’t have ti in the short term."
"Selling?" Chen Ruqi’s face changed slightly, she glanced around to ensure no one was paying them attention, then pulled Lin Xiang to the corner and whispered, "Comrade Lin Xiang, you must be careful with your words. There’s a strict order prohibiting speculation and profiteering. If the Red Armbands find out, you’ll be taken away."
Chen Ruqi thought Lin Xiang was from the countryside and didn’t understand the rules.
Lin Xiang felt sorry for Chen Ruqi—even though her family’s conditions were not bad, she was overly protected, leading to a delayed and narrow view of things.
Being overly protected was Chen Ruqi’s fortune, but also misfortune, for once she left her parents’ protection and lived independently, she might face setbacks.
Both felt sympathetic towards each other.
"Although there’s no clear regulation allowing free trade currently, big fairs are allowed, and trading at big fairs is completely compliant."
"But don’t big fairs rotate once every half month?" Chen Ruqi didn’t understand, only when Zhao Chunshui coaxed her to attend, did she go once.
Lin Xiang explained again, "Generally, a brigade rotates every half month, but here in Mianyang Town, there are so many communes, and each commune oversees several brigades. So, there’s a big fair every day, just at different brigades."
Lin Xiang’s explanation was straightforward and easy to understand, causing Chen Ruqi to quickly have an epiphany and exclaim, "So you have to go to different places for big fairs every day?"
Lin Xiang nodded, "That’s right."
"It’s manageable when nearby, but aren’t the farther ones a long journey?"
"The longest single trip takes about two and a half hours."
However, such situations are rare, occurring maybe once or twice a week, with most trips under two hours.
"That’s still pretty tough."
Lin Xiang maintained a nonchalant deanor, "Everyone living in this world has it tough. The difference is so people are physically tired, worrying about basic survival, while others are materially abundant but psychologically stressed."
Living one’s life, no one has it easy.
Chen Ruqi seed contemplative.
She felt like Lin Xiang was referring to her, yet not at the sa ti.
The corner of her eye caught sight of Mrs. Chen approaching, Lin Xiang said, "I have things to do, so I’ll head off first. Comrade Chen Ruqi, let’s et again if fate allows."
She rode off on her bicycle, leaving swiftly.
Mrs. Chen approached, seeing only Lin Xiang’s departing figure.
"Who was that lady speaking to you? Haven’t I told you not to associate with those unsavory people outside, lest they lead you astray? Have you forgotten how Zhao Chunshui approached you before?"
Mrs. Chen poured out her rant, and several tis Chen Ruqi wanted to explain but found no chance to speak.
Finally, once Mrs. Chen finished, Chen Ruqi quietly said, "Mom, the lady speaking to was Lin Xiang. You should know her."
"Is that the Lin Xiang who pulls foreign exchange orders for the cotton spinning factory?"
Chen Ruqi nodded, "That’s her. Zhao Chunshui’s forr fiancée, Lin Xiang’s sister. She and her companions were the ones who exposed Zhao Chunshui’s true colors at the big fair last ti."
Mrs. Chen seed indifferent about the previous fair’s events. She gazed towards Lin Xiang’s disappearing direction, murmuring, "It’s different once you’ve earned a bonus, even riding a new bicycle."
"Mom, what are you saying?" Chen Ruqi thought her mother spoke to her but hadn’t heard clearly, so she asked again.
Mrs. Chen looked down at her own bicycle, ridden for years with half the bell fallen off, "Nothing, let’s head ho first."
In the afternoon, Mrs. Lin returned ho, imdiately catching a whiff of an enticing aroma.
"Did soone make stew today?"
"Yes. I went to withdraw money this morning and bought so at and vegetables on the way back." Lin Xiang poked her head out of the kitchen, "Fifth Uncle, have dinner at my house today. Let Chunya call Fifth Aunt and Dong Sheng over."
"No need to trouble yourself, dear, your Fifth Aunt has already cooked."
"Then let Fifth Aunt bring the al over, we’ll eat together."
Fifth Uncle couldn’t refuse Lin Xiang, so he let Chunya call them over.
After dinner, it was already late. Fifth Uncle’s family didn’t linger, so Fifth Aunt helped tidy up the kitchen, then they left.
Lin Xiang heated water for Mrs. Lin to soak her feet.
Mrs. Lin took Lin Xiang’s small satchel off herself, "This is the money from today’s sales, I didn’t dare take it off all day."
"Business wasn’t great today, only sold a little over sixty bowls, half of what we sold previously." Mrs. Lin frowned, "Today, another stall started selling spicy noodles. They learned from us, offering buy five get one free and giving out porridge, so many went to eat there instead."
Following the last ti a new spicy noodle stall started a price war, today another new stall erged.
This one only cos out occasionally, Lin Xiang only saw them twice, selling spicy noodles for eight cents a bowl, clearly not as good as her stall, but still selling twenty or thirty bowls a day, earning a bit less.
"Mom, I told you this is inevitable. We can’t be the only dominant stall."
"But half our business was taken away." Mrs. Lin pointed to a pile of small bills on the table, "Count it, we didn’t even earn five yuan today!"
They still had to pay one yuan in protection fees, and give fifty cents each in wages to Fifth Uncle and Chunya, plus thirty cents for the person buying cigarettes, and various miscellaneous costs, leaving possibly less than one yuan in net profit.
"When we first started the stall, we could only sell fifty-so bowls a day. Sixty bowls is not too bad."
"But for a while now, we’ve stabilized at over a hundred and twenty bowls!"
If we dropped down to only fifty-six bowls it’d be acceptable, but now it’s directly cut in half, who could bear that?
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