Returning To 1980 To Enjoy Prosperity Chapter 230: Payday - Novel Cool

Chapter 230: Payday

Chapter 230: Payday

New Village.

The Zhang family’s home.

The family was sitting outside their door, enjoying the cool evening breeze.

It was already around 7:30 PM, but the long summer days meant it wasn’t dark yet.

The heat was still lingering, and Zhang’s mother fanned herself with a large fan, occasionally scolding her youngest son, who was digging into a sweet pineapple with his hands. "All you think about is eating. Save some for your sister, don’t eat it all at once."

Zhang Wendong, with his mouth full of the sweet pineapple, mumbled, "I know, I’ve already saved a piece for her."

His mother added, "Save a bit more for her; she loves this pineapple."

Zhang Wendong wanted to say, "I love it too," but he wisely kept quiet. He then quietly placed the piece of pineapple he had just started eating on a bamboo tray for his sister to enjoy later.

As he washed his hands, Zhang Wendong couldn’t help but sigh inwardly. Before his sister started working at the Shuifeng Restaurant, as the youngest of four siblings, he was always the one being taken care of by his older siblings. But now, everything had changed.

Zhang Wendong understood. His sister now earned 25 yuan a month, and the restaurant provided her meals, making her the family’s main breadwinner. Her status had naturally risen as a result.

When Zhang Wendong returned from washing his hands, he heard his mother say, "Jian hasn’t been back yet. She left before dawn and hasn’t returned. Working at the restaurant isn’t easy!"

Zhang’s father added, "Jian mentioned that they had a full moon banquet today with sixteen tables. It’s just her and Ying working there, so they must be very busy."

Zhang’s mother responded, "The Shuifeng Restaurant is the largest in the county, but only hiring two waitresses is too few. Mr. Deng isn’t short of money; he should hire more staff. Otherwise, how can they manage all those customers?"

Zhang’s father shot her a look. "What foolish things are you saying? Can you just hire anyone? The rules state that if a private business hires more than eight people, it counts as exploitation. Do you think Mr. Deng is as foolish as you?"

zhang’s mother was silenced, though she knew this rule, she had just momentarily forgotten due to the change in recent years.

Just then, Zhang wenqiang, the eldest brother, called out, "Jian is back!"

Everyone looked up to see Zhang Wenjuan walking home, a broad smile on her face.

Zhang wendong, surprised, asked, "What’s in all those bags she’s carrying?"

The rest of the family also looked on with curiosity.

Zhang’s mother, unable to contain her curiosity, stood up and walked over, asking, "Jian, what’s in all those bags?"

Zhang Wenjuan had been carrying all those leftovers for a long walk, her arms aching from the weight. She handed them over to her mother, shaking her arms, and said, "Mom, these are all the leftovers the boss packed for me to bring home. There’s roast chicken, roast duck, roast goose, meatballs, egg rolls, steamed pork, stir-fried liver, and stir-fried pork with green peppers, and stir-fried pork with bamboo shoots. They are all delicious dishes."

Hearing this, Zhang’s mother’s eyes widened.

zhang wendong jumped up from his seat, his face flushed with excitement. "Sis, are you serious? You brought back so many good dishes?"

Zhang’s father and elder brother also couldn’t stay seated and quickly walked over, their eyes glued to the bags in zhang’s mother’s hands. If they were from the future, they would say their tears were uncontrollably dripping from the corners of their mouths.

No wonder the family reacted so strongly. In the past two to three years, they ate meat only once or twice a month, and not much even then, just a few small pieces of pork each. In the years before that, they might not even have had meat once a month.

Now, not to mention pork, but chicken, duck, goose, and rare treats like meatballs, egg rolls, and steamed pork, such a variety of hearty dishes, even on New Year’s Eve, they wouldn’t indulge so much.

Under these circumstances, the Zhang family’s reaction was perfectly natural.

Seeing the reactions of her parents and siblings, Zhang wenjuan felt her efforts to carry all those leftovers had been worth it. She smiled brightly, "Of course, and they were all made by Uncle seventeen, the master chef. They taste very good!"

Wendong, hearing this, looked at his mother with eager anticipation. "Mom, I’m hungry!!!"

Though it had only been a bit over two hours since their last meal, the afternoon’s meal of vegetables and pickles had only been a light snack, and without much fat, hunger came quickly. Now, with all those delicious dishes right in front of him, saying he wasn’t hungry would be a lie.

Zhang Wenqiang didn’t say a word, but the longing in his eyes revealed his thoughts.

Even Zhang’s father kept smacking his lips.

Zhang’s mother swallowed a few times and nodded. "I’ll go reheat the dishes."

"Great!" Zhang Wendong was practically dancing with joy. He didn’t forget his second sister, the one who had made all this possible. He said very obsequiously, "Second Sister, we had a sweet pineapple this afternoon. I kept a lot for you. Why don’t you sit down and rest? I’ll go get it for you."

Zhang Wenjuan smiled and sat down, enjoying the rare service from her brother.

When her brother brought the pineapple over, Zhang Wenjuan found it sweeter than any she had ever tasted, as if the sweetness had seeped into her heart.

Soon, Zhang’s mother had reheated a portion of the dishes, and the family indulged in the feast, a luxury they might not even enjoy during the New Year.

At that moment, everyone felt immensely satisfied.

Happiness was that simple.

Meanwhile, a similar scene was playing out at Zhang Wenying’s home.

Even Zhang Guofu’s house was filled with laughter and joy.

And at Zhang Guoan’s place, it was like a New Year celebration.

As for Zhang Guangzong, he also shared the leftovers with his children.

...

Originally, Deng Shirong had planned to take his children, who were still in school, back to their hometown the day after the banquet at his restaurant.

But then he remembered that the next day was the 17th of the sixth lunar month, and their restaurant had opened on the 18th of the fifth month. It was almost a month since the opening, so he decided to stay a couple more days. First, to calculate the restaurant’s total profit for the month, and second, to personally distribute the first month’s wages to the employees.

So, Deng Shirong stayed in the county for two more days.

On the 17th of the fifth lunar month, after the restaurant closed, Zhang Xiuping had tallied the total revenue and profit for the month.

"Father, the restaurant’s total revenue for the month is 3,467 yuan, with a net profit of 1,490 yuan."

Deng Shirong did a quick mental calculation and nodded in satisfaction. "Not bad, a net profit margin of 43%. But don’t get too complacent. We’re currently enjoying a three-year tax exemption, and the cost of the property isn’t factored in. This profit isn’t something to boast about; we still need to work hard."

Zhang Xiuping nodded. "Father, we will."

At this point, all the outsiders had left, and only family and relatives remained in the restaurant.

Deng Shirong asked Zhang Xiuping to take out 130 yuan and called over Bu Dashishi and the other three employees. "Dashishi, you’ve all completed your first month. Do you want to keep your wages or have me bring them to your parents?"

Bu Dashishi said, "Uncle, keep 10 yuan for me, and bring the rest to my parents!" Among the four, his salary as a kitchen helper was the highest. His uncle paid him 50 yuan a month, so even after keeping 10 yuan, he still had 40 yuan to send home to his parents.

Deng Shirong nodded and counted out 10 yuan in change for him.

Seeing this, Chen Bangguo also chimed in, "Uncle, keep 10 yuan for me too!" As the restaurant’s purchaser, his uncle paid him 30 yuan a month.

Chen Bangli and Chen Bangfeng, the cousins, exchanged glances and then both requested to keep 5 yuan each, with the rest to be brought to their parents. Their salaries, like Zhang Wenjuan’s and Zhang Wenying’s, were 25 yuan a month. With food and lodging provided in the county, they didn’t need much money, and 5 yuan was enough for emergencies.

Deng Shirong distributed the money they wanted to keep and put the rest in his pocket. "Alright, I’ll bring the rest to your parents when I go back to the village tomorrow."

"Thank you, Uncle!"

"Thank you, Uncle!"

The four of them thanked him and counted their money over and over, each feeling a sense of accomplishment. Despite their ages, they had never had so much pocket money in their hands before. While they might have received similar amounts as New Year’s money, most of it was taken by their parents.

In later times, parents would claim they were helping to manage the money, but in this era, there was no need for an excuse; they simply had to hand it over.

Now, with this money they had earned through hard work, they felt a great sense of achievement.

The night passed without incident.

The next morning, after personally distributing the wages to Zhang Guangzong, Zhang Guofu, Zhang Wenjuan, and Zhang Wenying, Deng Shirong took his children, including Deng Yunheng, who were still in school, and boarded the bus back to their hometown.

Today's first chapter, 3,000 words, is here. Thank you for your support, and the second chapter will be updated at 8 PM.

(End of Chapter)

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