By the end of October, Shitou and Little Chen had been in Beijing City for almost a month.
Today, He Lang was paying them their wages.
"We moved a lot of inventory this month, and you two have worked hard. Here are your wages."
He Lang handed each of them a stack of money.
"Three hundred each. It’s not much, but please take it."
"Third Uncle, this is too much. I didn’t sell as much as Uncle Shitou, so a hundred is enough for ." Little Chen had never seen so much money before. He felt a mix of excitent and panic.
Shitou, on the other hand, accepted it gleefully. He counted the money in his hand, the corners of his mouth curling up uncontrollably.
He put his arm on Little Chen’s shoulder and gave him a little shake. "If Third Uncle is giving it to you, just take it. You may not have sold as much as I did, but you’ve done just as much work. Take it, Little Chen. Just keep working hard now that you have the money."
He Lang nodded. "That’s right. Once we scale up, we’ll earn even more." He Lang had already thought it through. ’We can’t just stay in one place. We’re not the only ones in the market anymore. I think going through the streets and alleys would lead to faster sales, but we also need soone at the market stall. Splitting into two groups might be better.’ He just hadn’t told them about this idea yet.
Little Chen stared at the thick stack of money in his hand, his eyes turning red. The young man was barely an adult, yet he had long shouldered the responsibility of caring for his family. He never complained because he felt it was useless, but that didn’t an his burden wasn’t heavy. This three hundred made him feel confident that he could truly support his mother and younger brothers.
"Third Uncle, I want to send this money back to my mother so they can buy new cotton-padded jackets for the winter. They could also get an iron stove, so they won’t be cold."
"It’s up to you. The money is yours. You can spend it however you want or give it to whover you like."
Shitou grinned. "I’ll send so back to my mom too, to make her happy."
He Lang chuckled. "I’ll go with you two."
He Lang also had to send money to He Yun and the others.
That evening, He Lang reported the month’s sales figures and profits to Xue Yue.
"We earned twenty thousand, six hundred and thirty-two in one month?"
He Lang nodded and placed the money bag on the bed. "I gave Shitou and Little Chen three hundred each. I also took out thirty-two for Daya tomorrow, so she has so spending money. This is twenty-eight thousand, including the profits from before that we used as principal. It’s all here. Go ahead and count it."
Xue Yue opened the bag, glanced inside, then zipped it up and pushed it back to He Lang. "I’m not counting that. Just put it away safely. We’ll need it as principal for next ti."
He Lang pushed it back to her. "We only need to keep ten thousand for principal. You can put the rest away, or deposit it in the bank."
He Lang still preferred the money-grubbing side of Xue Yue. Seeing her so calm and unfazed by this much money felt a bit strange.
Xue Yue looked up at him. "You insist on holding it?"
He Lang raised an eyebrow. "Mhm. Otherwise, what’s my motivation for earning money? I just love watching you count it."
Xue Yue laughed out loud. "Then I’m really going to count it?"
"Count it!"
Xue Yue sat cross-legged on the bed. She first took out the ten thousand He Lang ntioned for the principal and set it aside, then began to slowly count the rest.
She muttered to herself, "I never expected the profit from selling clothes to be this good."
He Lang watched the money. "Yeah, a month of exhausting work finally paid off. Tomorrow’s Sunday. Let’s call your brother and his family and go out for a nice al at a restaurant. I wonder if Uncle Zheng is working. We should invite him too if we can."
Xue Yue nodded. "My brother and his family are moving over in a few days anyway. I’ll call and ask tomorrow."
The next day, when Xue Yue called, it was Xue Xingzhou who answered.
"He’s not here, so don’t worry about him. I think I heard him ntion last night that his work unit has a reception today. He probably won’t be back until very late."
"Alright, then you and Sister-in-law should co over."
"Okay."
At noon, they found a restaurant that looked quite nice from the outside. Once they entered the main hall, they discovered the decor inside was even more beautiful.
"Beijing City really is sothing else. Even the restaurants are this luxurious," Shitou marveled.
This place was different from the roasted duck restaurant; its decor was more modern.
A waiter led them to a private room on the second floor. After they sat down, a few of them huddled together to look at the nu. Shitou took one glance and imdiately pushed it to He Lang. "This is too expensive, I can’t even bear to look. You’re treating, so you should order."
Xue Xingzhou chuckled and took the nu. "Let see."
It was actually alright, just a bit more expensive than a state-run restaurant.
Xue Xingzhou ordered a few dishes that Zhang Qian liked, then passed the nu to Xue Yue.
Ruanruan and Shiyi both stood in front of Xue Yue, craning their necks to see.
The nu was very novel—a thick book with a picture accompanying each dish’s na. Xue Yue flipped through a few pages.
"The owner of this restaurant knows how to do business. This nu makes everything clear at a glance. You can just order by looking at the pictures."
"Mom, I want this one," Ruanruan said, pointing to a picture of a dish.
Xue Yue nodded. "Okay."
He Lang just leaned over for a look. "Not bad."
The food arrived quickly. They had ordered a full table of dishes, plus drinks.
"So extravagant. Did He Lang strike it rich?" Zhang Qian asked Xue Yue in a low voice.
Xue Yue smiled, pressing her lips together. "Just a small windfall. Don’t worry about the cost, just eat your fill."
The al cost nearly two hundred.
After dinner, as their group was coming down from the second floor, they happened to run into Wang Qiming and Li Wanqing coming in through the entrance.
Li Wanqing and Wang Qiming glanced up inadvertently and saw Xue Yue’s group as well.
He Lang and the others didn’t know Li Wanqing and Wang Qiming, but when they saw Xue Yue and Xue Xingzhou stop in their tracks, they followed their gaze.
Wang Qiming glanced at Xue Yue, his eyes sweeping over their group before settling on Xue Xingzhou’s face. He narrowed his eyes but said nothing.
Li Wanqing looked at their group, and a faint, mocking smile appeared on her lips.
"You see your aunt, yet you don’t even co over to say hello?"
Xue Yue didn’t speak, but her fingers curled slightly.
Xue Xingzhou gave a slight smile and said lightly, "It seems we have no proof that we’re your relatives, so there’s no need to go around randomly claiming connections. We wouldn’t want people to think we have ulterior motives."
Li Wanqing glared at Xue Xingzhou, then turned to Xue Yue. "Are you also refusing to acknowledge as your aunt?"
Xue Yue lowered her gaze. "My brother is right. Poor relatives like us shouldn’t invite ridicule. After all, we country folk are practically bandits."
Wang Qiming’s eyes twitched. "So you hold a grudge. But you certainly lack refinent."
Xue Xingzhou looked at him. "Who are you saying lacks refinent?"
Their gazes clashed. Four eyes t—one pair sharp and fierce, the other upturned at the corners, full of disdain.
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