Chapter 208: A Pleasant Surprise
Chapter 208: A Pleasant Surprise
Deng Shirong didn’t have much to do in the county town, so he stayed just one night and returned to his hometown the next day.
Relieved to hear that their house in the county town had not been hit by hail, his children and their spouses all breathed a sigh of relief.
Seizing the opportunity, Zhang Xiuping said to her father-in-law, “Dad, I have something to discuss with you. Ah Hua is due to give birth next month. She plans to go to the county town for her delivery at the end of the month. I want her to stay at our house there. Is that okay?”
Lending out their house was a common practice in those times, so Deng Shirong smiled and replied, “Of course, it’s fine. It seems that Ah Yuan is about to become a father. Who will go up to the county town to take care of Ah Hua?”
Zhang Xiuping explained, “Her mother-in-law should be the one to go up and take care of her, but given her mother-in-law’s personality, she would inevitably complain a lot. So, Ah Hua decided to have her own parents come up to take care of her, which would be less troublesome.”
Deng Shirong nodded, recalling how much Ah Hua’s parents cared for her. “It’s a good idea to have her parents take care of her. But what about Ah Yuan? Shouldn’t he go up to help his wife?”
Zhang Xiuping shook her head. “From what Ah Hua said, she doesn’t plan to have Ah Yuan go up to help. If Ah Yuan were to go, he would have to take at least ten to fifteen days off work, which would cost over a hundred yuan. That’s a lot of money to lose.”
Every family had different circumstances, and Deng Shirong couldn’t judge others by his own standards. He said, “In that case, at the end of the month, you and Yun Tai should go up to help with cooking and taking care of your friend and her parents.”
Zhang Xiuping beamed with happiness. “I understand, thank you, Dad!”
...
Not long after the Qingming Festival, early-maturing lychee varieties like San Yue Hong started to hit the market.
Of course, the taste of San Yue Hong wasn’t great, but anything that was rare was valuable. As the first lychee to ripen, it could fetch a good price regardless of its taste.
Compared to the early-maturing San Yue Hong, Gui Wei lychees would take at least two more months to ripen.
However, even though it was still two months away from the harvest of Gui Wei lychees, they could already sign a purchase contract with the supply and marketing cooperative.
Deng Shirong didn’t need to handle this himself, as Guan Yongying’s Uncle Man worked at the cooperative and could secure a higher purchase price for their three families’ Gui Wei lychees within his authority.
In the end, the cooperative offered an unprecedented price of 50 cents per pound, which delighted Deng Changfu’s family and his in-laws.
After all, in those times, the normal purchase price for lychees was around 20 to 30 cents per pound. Getting 50 cents per pound was truly exceptional. Without the help of Guan Yongying’s Uncle Man, even with the top-quality Gui Wei lychees, they might not have secured such a high price.
On the day the contract was signed, Guan Yongying’s mother-in-law slaughtered an old hen to make a soup, celebrating the good news in advance.
This year, their lychee yield was estimated to be around 2,800 to 3,000 pounds. At 50 cents per pound, that would bring in 1,400 to 1,500 yuan, which would be the largest income their family had ever seen. It was definitely worth celebrating.
In addition to the lychee contract, Deng Shirong also signed a contract for watermelon sales. The purchase price for watermelons was 8 cents per pound. Given the scale of their watermelon planting this year, if they had a good harvest, the income would far exceed that from lychees, another pleasant surprise.
...
End of March.
County Town Street.
Zhang Xiuping, supporting her pregnant friend Ou Guohua, was showing her around the two-story building. She pointed to a room with a wardrobe and said, "This is my sister-in-law's room. I've already spoken to her, so you can stay here for a few days!"
Ou Guohua looked around the fully furnished room with electric lights and couldn't help but exclaim, "This county town is really different. You don't even need to light a lamp at night; just pull the string, and the light comes on. It's so convenient!"
Zhang Xiuping smiled, "Living in the county town is indeed convenient. Everything you need is just a step away, and there are even night snacks available late into the night!"
Just then, Ou Guohua's parents also climbed up to the second floor. Zhang Xiuping quickly pointed to another room and said, "Uncle, Aunt, you can stay in this room for a few days. The bed and bedding are all new."
Ou's mother quickly replied, "Sister Ping, any place to sleep is fine. We don't need new beds and bedding!"
Zhang Xiuping laughed, "Aunt, it's no problem. You'll only be staying for a couple of weeks. Don't worry about wearing out the bed and bedding."
Ou's parents had watched Zhang Xiuping grow up and, seeing her sincere hospitality, accepted her arrangement.
After Ou's parents had settled their luggage, Deng Yuntao said with a smile, "Uncle, Aunt, it's getting late. Let me take you out for a meal. We can buy groceries and cook in the afternoon."
Ou's father quickly responded, "Yuntao, how can we let you treat us? It should be the other way around."
Deng Yuntao laughed, "Uncle, you know the relationship between us and Sister Guohua. It's just one meal, so don't be so formal."
Zhang Xiuping added with a smile, "That's right, Uncle, Aunt. You rarely come to the county town, so let Yuntao have this chance to show his hospitality!"
With that, Ou's parents stopped insisting on treating them.
So, the group went out for a hearty lunch.
After the meal, Ou Guohua asked, "Sister Ping, where is your family's restaurant? Since we have nothing to do, can you take us to see it?"
Zhang Xiuping laughed, "What's the rush? We've been busy all morning. Aren't you tired?"
Ou Guohua shook her head, "I feel great, not at all tired. Take me to see your family's restaurant right away!"
"Since you're not tired, I'll take you to see it then."
Zhang Xiuping led the way down Xicheng Road and said, "The restaurant is still under construction, so there's not much to see yet."
Ou's parents knew that after the May Festival, Deng Yuntao and Zhang Xiuping would be opening their restaurant in the county town. They were very curious about it.
After all, Deng Yuntao had given up his job as a master potter, which paid over 200 yuan a month, to open the restaurant. This clearly showed that it wasn't a small operation but a genuine large restaurant.
A few minutes later, they arrived at the People's Cinema on Xicheng Road.
The first floor was already completed, with wooden supports inside and a scaffolding of wood and bamboo around the outside. The thousand-square-meter building looked impressive, and Ou's family was visibly shocked.
They knew the restaurant wouldn't be a small operation, but they never imagined it would be on such a grand scale.
Compared to this massive building, the state-owned restaurant in Longtan seemed insignificant.
(End of Chapter)
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