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Chapter 171: We Both Owe Our Success to Our Younger Sister
Chapter 171: We Both Owe Our Success to Our Younger Sister
Longtan Street.
A small shop, filled with a variety of agricultural products, was bustling even though it wasn't market day. Customers came and went, indicating that the shop had a steady and loyal customer base.
At the moment, guarding the shop were none other than Zhang Xiuping's eldest and second sisters-in-law.
"Hello, would you like anything else?"
"Sure, that will be two yuan and sixty-four fen."
"I'll take two yuan and seventy fen, so here's your six fen change."
"Thank you for coming, and we hope to see you again soon!"
"..."
After the customer left, the second sister-in-law couldn't help but sigh, "Eldest Sister-in-Law, when I was a young girl, I always envied the female clerks at the supply cooperative. They worked in a cool, shaded environment, just selling things, and they earned such a good salary every month, with many hidden benefits."
"Back then, my biggest dream was to work at the supply cooperative and become a clerk."
Hearing this, the eldest sister-in-law laughed, "That wasn't just your dream; which girl in the village didn't want to become a clerk?"
The second sister-in-law nodded and smiled, "Exactly, being a clerk was so prestigious, and the benefits were so good. Unfortunately, given our family background and lack of education, it was impossible for us to become clerks at the supply cooperative."
The eldest sister-in-law had to agree. In those days, with little education and no connections, becoming one of the eight key positions, such as a clerk, was a pipe dream, an impossible goal.
"Even as young girls, it was a hopeless dream, let alone after we got married!"
Then, her tone changed, and she beamed, "But who would have thought that not only did we become clerks, but we also became shop owners! Truly, life is unpredictable!"
The eldest sister-in-law chuckled, "We owe it all to our younger sister!"
The second sister-in-law nodded vigorously, "Yes, we really owe it to her. If it weren't for her help, we'd still be farming and raising children in the village. How could we be sitting here, earning money so easily!"
The eldest sister-in-law said, "Now that Ping is pregnant, we should find some time to visit her."
The second sister-in-law agreed, "I was thinking the same thing. Why don't we discuss it with our parents-in-law this evening? We can plan a visit for a day when it's not market day. Closing the shop for a day won't be a big deal."
The eldest sister-in-law nodded, "That sounds good. We'll talk to them about it this evening."
Just as they were discussing, another customer came in, and they paused their conversation to greet the guest warmly.
...
In the afternoon, Zhang Shuoguo and Zhang Shoumin, the brothers, rode their bicycles back to the shop, loaded with a full load of agricultural products they had acquired from remote villages.
Since the shop opened, the division of labor had been clear. The Zhang brothers were responsible for sourcing goods from the countryside, while their wives handled the sales.
Their father and two younger brothers, when not busy, would help with farming at home. On market days, they would all come out to help with sales and deliveries.
Their mother, meanwhile, stayed home to take care of the children.
After unloading the goods, it was getting late, so the brothers closed the shop, each loading their wives onto their bicycles, and they all headed home happily for dinner.
When Deng Shirong returned home, his mother had already prepared the meal and was waiting for them.
Seeing the two large bowls of steaming stir-fried pork on the table, Zhang Dacao and Zhang Ercao exchanged glances, both surprised.
They had been married into the Zhang family for a few years and knew their mother-in-law’s character well.
In the past, when the family was struggling, it was no surprise that they couldn’t afford much. Even after the family opened a shop and started making more money, their mother-in-law remained frugal when it came to food. She usually bought only about a pound of meat at a time, just enough for the family to taste, but never enough to eat their fill.
Of course, now that they were making more money, things were a bit different. They used to buy meat once a month, but now they bought it at least once a week. Still, seeing two large bowls of meat, estimated to be around four or five pounds, was quite a shock.
Zhang Dacao couldn’t help but ask, "Mom, why did you buy so much meat today? Is there something to celebrate?"
Zhang Mother smiled warmly and said, "This meat wasn’t bought by me; it was brought by your brother-in-law."
Zhang Dacao and Zhang Ercao were immediately enlightened. No wonder there was so much meat on the table today; their brother-in-law must have come to visit.
Zhang Ercao laughed, "What a coincidence! When I was at the shop today, I talked with Dacao, and we were planning to find a time to visit Ping."
Zhang Dacao nodded, "We thought it would be nice for the whole family to go together. What do you think, Mom and Dad?"
Hearing this, Zhang Shouguo and Zhang Shoujun felt a sense of warmth. Their family’s current success was thanks to their sister, and now their wives were willing to visit her. As brothers, they were naturally pleased.
Their parents were equally delighted by their daughters-in-law’s initiative.
Zhang Mother smiled, "What a coincidence! Your brother-in-law came today specifically to invite us to their home the day after tomorrow for a celebration."
Zhang Ercao asked, "Mom, what are they celebrating?"
Recalling the news her son-in-law had shared, Zhang Mother exclaimed, "Xiu Ping’s younger brother, who’s in high school, got accepted into BJ University this year!"
Everyone, except Zhang Father who already knew, was taken aback. They might not fully understand the prestige of BJ University, but getting accepted into any university was a significant achievement.
And it was even more impressive that he was accepted into a university in the capital.
The shock on their children’s faces was exactly what Zhang Mother had expected. She then relayed the rest of the news her son-in-law had shared, concluding, "I’ve planned it this way: tomorrow morning, I’ll go with your father, Xiao Jun, Xiao Shan, and the children to Xiu Ping’s place. Shouguo and Shoumin, since you both have bicycles, you can wait until the shop closes in the afternoon and then ride over with your wives. What do you think?"
Zhang Shouguo nodded, "Mom, that sounds like a good plan. This way, we can keep the shop open tomorrow and only close for one day the day after tomorrow."
Everyone agreed with the plan.
Zhang Mother said happily, "That’s settled then. Your in-laws have also invited a county theater troupe to perform. I plan to stay a few extra days this time to watch the performance before coming back. When you return, you can figure out your own meals."
(End of Chapter)
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