Reborn in a small village in the 1990s

Chapter 309

Cheng Ran shook his head with a sigh, recalling the time he was used to working at a restaurant in town. He realized that working for someone else would never earn him much money; he had to start his own business to make money, but that also carried great risks.

Zhou Tianfu couldn't help but say a few words, "At the time, not only my aunt was shocked, but I was also shocked. I had to mentally prepare myself for a long time before I went with Da'e to sell boxed lunches. I think Da'e is born to do business and make big money. If Da'e makes a lot of money, don't forget our whole family."

Everyone was chiming in, making Zhao Da'e feel embarrassed. She quickly said, "Don't worry, everyone, we'll all make money together. I'll lead you all to get rich!"

Zhou Chunhong shouted excitedly, "Get...rich!"

Cheng Rongguo was still a little doubtful when he asked, "Big Goose, I heard you were in the water selling business before. How's the business going? Are you making money?"

After hearing this, Cheng Jinxi said directly, "She only earns a few hundred yuan more than us each month. I heard that Xiangzi can earn three hundred yuan a month. Zhao Dage earns about the same as Xiangzi when they sell water together. But Dage is much smarter than us. She actually came up with the idea of ​​selling water. However, selling water is tiring. Xiangzi said that she has to go to the county town every day to find customers. It's very cold now, and it must be hard to run around outside every day. Making money is really not easy. Dage has to go to the county town with Xiangzi several times a day. I see how tired she is. She deserves to earn money."

Cheng Rongguo sighed, "Making money is indeed not easy these days, but Da'e is really amazing. At such a young age, he can earn money to ease the burden on his family."

Cheng Jinxiang laughed and said, "Da'e gave me several hundred yuan this month, saying it was money she earned from selling water. I think she gave me all her money. That kid is really something, she doesn't even keep a penny for herself."

However, these few hundred yuan did improve Cheng Jinxiang's life a bit; at least she could wear new clothes.

Cheng Jinxiao couldn't help but say, "Second sister, Da'e is a filial son. You'll have a good life ahead of you."

Cheng Jinxi felt a little envious. She couldn't help but sigh, wondering why her daughter wasn't like her goose, who could both save her trouble and help her make money.

The whole family was enjoying themselves, much better than when they had their New Year's Eve dinner yesterday. Zhao Da'e guessed it was probably because they had taken a family photo. Everyone was quite happy, and the conflict over who should pay for the family photo was gone. Zhao Da'e sighed, "Money can indeed solve most problems."

However, things really did develop beyond her expectations tonight. She didn't expect that everyone would talk about Zhao Da'e's situation so quickly, but most of what they said was wrong.

Zhao Da'e earned not just a few hundred yuan a month from selling water, but several thousand yuan. She didn't use the money from selling boxed lunches to hire a photographer; instead, she used the money from selling water to subsidize the business.

But Zhao Da'e didn't correct them. Instead, she thought it was good to let them misunderstand. It would save her a lot of trouble. If they knew that she earned several thousand yuan a month, even if she asked them not to tell anyone, such a big money-making secret would eventually be revealed. Zhao Da'e believed that within a month, someone would definitely be secretly following her to see how she made money and then imitating her.

In the days following the first day of the Lunar New Year, Zhao Da'e followed Cheng Jinxiang to visit relatives everywhere.

One day at noon, Wu Shanhe brought a basket of eggs and some cured meat to Zhao Da'e, wanting her to accept these gifts. Zhao Da'e was a little flattered and asked in confusion, "Uncle Wu, what do you mean by this? Why did you bring me so much food?"

Wu Shanhe smiled happily and pushed the gifts in front of Zhao Da'e. "Da'e, these are all for you. I have to thank you so much for helping my youngest son find a wife. My youngest son, Wu Er, and Zou Xiaohua are a couple. If you hadn't told me that Xiaohua and my son were destined to be together, I wouldn't have thought of going to propose marriage. Although there was a little hiccup in the middle, I thought Wu Da and Xiaohua would be a couple. But I didn't expect that I was just playing matchmaker. It was clearly Wu Er and Xiaohua who were a couple. Then I proposed marriage again, and guess what? They actually hit it off! I have to thank you, Da'e. If you hadn't reminded me, I would have really made a mistake in matchmaking."

Zhao Da'e immediately understood. It turned out that she had mentioned to Wu Shanhe that Zou Xiaohua could marry into the Wu family in the future, and Wu Shanhe, half believing and half doubting, asked someone to go and propose marriage.

Since that's the case, Zhao Da'e accepted the gift from Wu Shanhe without hesitation.

"Uncle Wu, you're too kind. I haven't been able to help you much. It's just that Second Brother and Sister Xiaohua already had some contact. I noticed that Sister Xiaohua seemed to have some feelings for Second Brother Wu, so I said that Sister Xiaohua might marry into your Wu family in the future."

Wu Shanhe chuckled and said, "Big Goose, you're so observant. But you're so accurate. When will you help me find out when my eldest son will get married?"

When talking about his eldest son, a look of struggle flashed in Wu Shanhe's eyes. Logically speaking, the eldest son should get married first in the family, and it is rare for the younger son to get married first.

Moreover, Wu Shanhe originally thought that Zhao Da'e was referring to his eldest son marrying Zou Xiaohua in the future, so he asked a matchmaker to come and propose marriage. However, he was embarrassed to be rejected. Later, after Zhao Da'e pointed it out, he realized that he had mistaken the person. His youngest son and Zou Xiaohua were the real couple.

But this also embarrassed his eldest son, Wu Da, and Wu Shanhe felt extremely guilty, as he was not someone who could keep his feelings to himself.

"Big Goose, let me put it this way. If Xiaohua and Wu Er get married first, and Wu Da is still unmarried by then, I plan to divide the family property early and give Wu Da the most fertile plots of land as compensation. As you know, I originally intended to find this marriage for Wu Da, but things got awkward. Xiaohua doesn't like my eldest son, but she likes my youngest son. Although Wu Da didn't say anything, I can feel that he still cares about this."

Wu Shanhe felt guilty towards his eldest son and wondered how he could make it up to him. After thinking for a long time, he decided to give his eldest son the most fertile plots of land in the family to cultivate, and the profits would belong to Wu Shanhe.

Zhao Da'e was somewhat surprised to hear this. She hadn't expected Wu Shanhe to be considering dividing the family property early, giving the most fertile and profitable plots of land to Wu Da. However, Zhao Da'e didn't approve of Wu Shanhe's decision. She said, "Uncle Wu, you need to think this through. If you want to divide the family property, you should treat everyone equally. Otherwise, there will be many family conflicts later. Besides, the younger one might get married before the older one, which is something no one can predict. You can secretly give Wu Da some money in private. If you openly give Wu Da the most profitable plots of land, have you considered how Wu Er would feel?"

Wu Shanhe disagreed, saying, "What could Wu Er possibly feel? I found him a wife and spent all that money on the dowry. I've been good enough to him. If he dares to cause trouble, I'll beat him to death! Besides, this is something he owes his older brother. Who told him to get married first?"

Looking at Wu Shanhe's seemingly agreeable attitude, Zhao Da'e could only shake her head helplessly. Sometimes family conflicts arise so easily. To be honest, Zhao Da'e felt that Wu Shanhe was being a bit biased towards Wu Da, but in the end, she didn't say anything. She was just a child and couldn't persuade Wu Shanhe. Only when he tasted the bitterness would he perhaps regret his decision today.

A short while later, Cheng Jinxiang went out. She was slightly surprised to see Wu Shanhe's arrival. "Shanhe, why did you come here? Why don't you stay for lunch before you leave?"

Only then did Cheng Jinxiang notice the basket of eggs on the ground and the cured meat that Zhao Da'e was carrying. She immediately realized that it was sent by Wu Shanhe.

"Hey Shanhe, why did you bring all this stuff? Take it back quickly." As she spoke, Cheng Jinxiang tried to stuff the eggs and cured meat back into Wu Shanhe's hands, but Wu Shanhe waved his hand and refused.

"Jinxiang, this is food for Da'e as a thank you gift. Let me put it this way, we have to thank Da'e for this. She said that Zou Xiaohua would marry into our family in the future, so I found someone to propose marriage. As a result, my youngest son and she hit it off, and they might get married in a few months. Da'e is practically a matchmaker for the Wu family. Matchmakers get paid, so what are these gifts I gave Da'e? I'll bring some more good food from home for Da'e another day."

Cheng Jinxiang couldn't help but laugh when she heard this. She ruffled Zhao Da'e's hair and said, "You, how are you so capable? Not only do you know how to make money, but now you're even acting as a matchmaker."

Zhao Da'e scratched his head and chuckled, "Mom, there's a lot you don't know."

Wu Shanhe couldn't help but tease, "Jinxiang, you've given birth to a wonderful daughter. Why don't you consider giving me the goose as your daughter? I'm sure I can take good care of it. I'll be counting on the goose to take care of me in my old age."

Cheng Jinxiang was not happy about it. "The goose is my daughter, and no one can take her away. I think what you really want is for the goose to take care of you in your old age."

After chatting for a while, Cheng Jinxiang noticed that it was almost lunchtime and thought about inviting Wu Shanhe to stay for dinner, but he declined, preferring to eat at home.

However, before leaving, Wu Shanhe couldn't help but say a few words to Cheng Jinxiang, "Jinxiang, you've been living outside the Zhao family for a month now. Don't you really want to consider going back? It's almost Chinese New Year, and you're a daughter-in-law of the Zhao family. It's not good for you if you don't go back."

When the topic of returning to the Zhao family came up, Cheng Jinxiang's expression darkened. She shook her head and said, "Let's talk about returning to the Zhao family later. I'm quite content here. Apart from my own children, no one in that large Zhao family is on my side. If I go back, I'll just get scolded by my mother-in-law, and Tiesheng will only stand by and watch. I'd rather stay at my parents' house and live a comfortable life."

Seeing this, Wu Shanhe knew he couldn't persuade Cheng Jinxiang. He glanced at Zhao Da'e, then at Cheng Jinxiang, and said, "Jinxiang, you have to think about the children. Da'e is only seven years old and can't be without his father's company. And the baby you just gave birth to is only a few months old and can't be without his father's company either."

Children need their father's company, and for the sake of the children, Cheng Jinxiang should return to the Zhao family.

Zhao Da'e was a little annoyed after hearing this. Everything was for the sake of the child. Did the lack of a father mean a lack of food or clothing? The world would still turn without a father, and she wouldn't have to see her grandmother who only beat and scolded her every day. Both she and her mother were in much better spirits.

However, Cheng Jinxiang didn't think that way. She frowned, clearly very conflicted. Was she really wrong? Wu Shanhe was right when he said that the child was still very young, especially Xiao Juan. Her life couldn't be without the role of a father, and there should always be some trace of a father in her life. Staying at her parents' house all the time wasn't a good solution.

Wu Shanhe noticed Cheng Jinxiang's hesitation and continued, "And Jinxiang, think about it. You can't stay at your parents' home too often. After all, it's your eldest brother Cheng Rongguo's home. The real home is the Zhao family's. Only when you, Tiesheng, and your two daughters are together there can it be considered a home."

Cheng Jinxiang's eyes were somewhat moved. Speaking of home, she rarely felt what home truly meant. When she was young, she lived with her parents. Back then, her mother was healthy, her father was still alive, and her siblings were not yet married. That was what she considered a home.

But in the end, her older brother got married, her sister-in-law married into the family, and she got married and left. When she returned to the Cheng family, she didn't feel as comfortable as she did when she was a child. If she had to use one word to describe it, it would be that she felt more like a guest.

At the Zhao family home, her mother-in-law often berated her. She was responsible for most of the work, whether it was in the fields or in the house. Tiesheng never helped her with anything. She felt that in the years she lived with the Zhao family, she was more like a maid.

But she had no choice, because she had nowhere to go except for the Zhao family and her own family.

No matter where she went, Cheng Jinxiang always felt like she was living under someone else's roof, and she had no sense of belonging anywhere.

Cheng Jinxiang fell silent. Zhao Da'e could sense that Cheng Jinxiang was sad. She held Cheng Jinxiang's hand and comforted her, "It's okay, Mom. We'll build a new house when spring comes. That way, we'll have a home. It's okay that Dad isn't here. As long as we have a house and a place to live, that's a home."

Cheng Jinxiang felt comforted, but she said helplessly, "I still don't know when the new house will be finished. After all, building a new house costs a lot of money."

Wu Shanhe was shocked by Zhao Da'e's words. What did she mean by "It's okay to not have a father"? What did she mean by "Having a place to live is a home"?

Wu Shanhe wanted to correct Zhao Da'e's mistaken idea, but he didn't say anything when the words were on the tip of his tongue.

He doesn't like to get involved in other people's affairs; he's not good at saying anything, whether it's too much or too little.

Besides, why should he argue with a child? It's normal for Zhao Da'e to be seven years old and not understand these things. In addition, he came here today to thank Zhao Da'e properly with a gift.