Day One of Doing Business, Zeng Shuyi Was Full of Motivation but Also Very Nervous.
She first went to the cinema entrance to inquire about today’s showtimes, then bought a box of Ice Poles.
Using the foam box that Wang Chaoyang had given her, she headed to the cinema entrance to sell them.
“Green Bean Ice Poles, three cents each, five cents for two. Big brother, how about two sticks?”
“Wow, so refreshing! Just finished watching the movie, perfect time to try some!”
“Real Ice Poles here!”
At the cinema entrance, besides Zeng Shuyi, there were other small vendors too—some selling Qishui, others Fuling Paste, and so on.
But none of them called out as loudly as Zeng Shuyi did.
She didn’t feel embarrassed at all.
Whenever she saw people leaving the cinema after a show, she immediately hugged the foam box and ran over.
One box contained thirty Ice Poles.
After each show, on a good day, she could sell twenty sticks, and on a slow day, at least ten.
The cinema had five shows in total today.
When Zeng Shuyi returned home in the evening, she had sold two boxes.
Since she couldn’t bring the foam box home, she secretly hid it in Wang Chaoyang’s courtyard.
When she got home, her mother was cooking and called out, “You’re back.”
She went back to her room, closed the door, and started counting the money.
The Ice Poles cost two cents each, and she sold sixty sticks in total.
Zeng Shuyi’s profit was forty-eight cents.
Looking at the change on the table, she was overjoyed.
Suddenly, she felt that doing business wasn’t so difficult after all.
Wang Chaoyang had mentioned getting a permit, but she didn’t have the money to apply for one now, nor could she wait that long.
Zeng Shuyi didn’t believe every stall had a permit.
She thought that since she only had one foam box, if someone from the permit office came around, the worst that could happen was a little scolding.
“One day about fifty cents, fifteen yuan a month… huh, why does it still not seem like much?” Zeng Shuyi calculated and felt less excited.
While selling the Ice Poles, watching each one being sold, she was too happy to care, thinking she could earn a lot.
But now that she did the math, she realized she still had a long way to go before achieving financial independence.
At first, she thought she didn’t have enough capital to make food, nor did she have cooking skills or the money to buy ingredients.
Selling small things seemed best.
Passing the cinema entrance, she saw others selling snacks and thought she could do it too, so she decided to sell Ice Poles.
“No, I have to think of ways to sell more!” Zeng Shuyi muttered to herself. From the living room came the loud voice of her eldest sister-in-law.
“Mom, I’m back. Why isn’t dinner ready yet? Xiangping and I are starving,” Wang Xian called out, glancing toward the backyard.
Zeng Shuyue brought out a bowl of stir-fried pumpkin, “Sister-in-law, you’re back! Dinner will be ready soon. Go wash your hands first.”
“Pfft.” Wang Juan gave Zeng Shuyue a once-over, took her daughter to wash up, then put her bag back in her room.
But before entering, she caught a whiff of a stinky foot odor.
She asked Zeng Xiangping what was going on.
“I wasn’t home for two days, and you didn’t wash your feet?”
“It’s not me. It was Xiangmin who slept in our room last night,” Zeng Xiangping yawned. He hadn’t slept well and wasn’t going to night school today; he planned to eat and then sleep.
“Xiangmin? Why would he sleep in our room?” Wang Juan couldn’t accept it. She took off the bed sheet, grabbed scissors, and cut it up in anger, throwing it on the living room chair.
“Xiangmin, who told you to sleep in my room?”
Zeng Xiangmin was indifferent, “You weren’t home. What’s wrong with me and big brother squeezing together?”
“Besides, why do I have to keep sleeping in the living room? I’m a Zeng son too. Before you married in, I always shared a room with big brother. For fairness, I think you two couples should take turns sleeping in the living room.”
“Xiangmin, are you even reasonable?”
Wang Juan stomped her foot angrily and turned to seek help, “Xiangping, you’re the big brother. Aren’t you going to say something?”
“That’s enough. Now that you’re back, Xiangmin won’t sleep in our room anymore,” Zeng Xiangping said impatiently.
“Just change the sheets clean, what’s there to fuss about?”
Wang Juan got even angrier. “Am I the one making trouble?”
Just then, Zeng Shuyue came out, but before she could speak, Zeng Shuyi pulled her back inside.
“Let big sister-in-law wash her own sheets. Don’t go playing the good guy, got it?” Zeng Shuyi said plainly, already knowing what her second sister was about to say.
“But Shuyi, what if big sister-in-law keeps making trouble?” Zeng Shuyue felt involved.
If she hadn’t come back, her younger brother wouldn’t have had to sleep in the living room, and none of this would have happened.
“No worries. Big brother won’t let sister-in-law leave again. You’re kind to them, but they don’t necessarily think of you. Xiangmin has to teach them a lesson. With Xiangmin stepping up, Dad won’t be biased toward the big brother and sister-in-law,” Zeng Shuyi snorted.
Only after hearing silence from the living room did she open the door and step out.
Wang Juan flushed red, and when she saw Zeng Shuyi, she didn’t hesitate to order, “Shuyue, if you have nothing to do at home, help me with…”
“Sister-in-law, tomorrow is the weekend. You’re free too, right?” Zeng Shuyi smiled, “Second sister and I have plans to go out for work. You can wash your own sheets. After all, you didn’t pay the dowry for second sister, right?”
“Zeng Shuyi, mind your own business. Did I ask you to talk?” Wang Juan was upset.
Being sided with by mother-in-law for her little brother-in-law, she could only vent on others.
Before she could finish, Zeng Shuyi started nagging again.
Zeng Shuyi pulled her second sister to sit down for dinner.
“Of course it’s my business. I don’t like seeing you bully people. If you’re unhappy, we can settle this at Tangkou, or…”
She purposely paused, “Or you can go back to your parents’ home. Didn’t you say your family was so good? Perfect—if you go back, Xiangmin can keep living in your room.”
“You…”
“Enough arguing!” Zeng Qingliang slammed the table hard.
“Day after day, don’t you get ashamed?”
He reached out to slap Zeng Shuyi, but she dodged easily.
He turned his attention to his son and daughter-in-law, “Xiaomei, you too.
You’re not home often.
What’s wrong with Xiangmin staying a little while?
This house was assigned to me by the cotton mill.
It’s not your place to run the show!”
Both sons were his treasures.
He hoped the eldest would get into university and bring honor to the alley.
But the younger son was also his pride.
He couldn’t stand his daughter-in-law talking badly about him.
Wang Juan was furious but felt if she returned to her parents’ home, Xiangmin would really move into her room.
So she gritted her teeth and sat down to eat.
Lin Jiazhen saw her daughter-in-law holding her bowl and tried to make peace by offering her some food, but Wang Juan pushed her away.
The food fell on the table.
Lin Jiazhen was so shocked her hand froze mid-air.
This time it was Zeng Shuyi who slapped the table sharply.
“Hey, Wang Juan, don’t be shameless. Who do you think you’re throwing things at?”
“What did I do? What did I do?” Wang Juan shouted, put down her bowl, and ran crying back to her room. “None of you Zeng family are any good, all of you bully me!”
Zeng Yuling was scared and started crying loudly.
Lin Jiazhen hurried to hold her granddaughter and comfort her.
Zeng Xiangping just glanced at the room door but didn’t move a muscle, continuing to eat.
Before, Zeng Shuyi wouldn’t have openly confronted Wang Juan.
After all, she was her eldest sister-in-law, and living under the same roof, she tried to give her some face.
People being selfish was normal; everyone wanted a better life.
So Zeng Shuyi usually tolerated Wang Juan.
After the matchmaker incident, she realized Wang Juan wasn’t just selfish but also malicious.
People this bad were no easy match, and Zeng Shuyi was no pushover either.
Now that she had leverage over Wang Juan, she could argue and make a fuss as much as she wanted, unafraid of any real fight.
Better yet if she drove her big brother and sister-in-law away—that would make her happy.
From inside the house came intermittent crying.
Zeng Qingliang, irritated, started lecturing his daughter, “Shuyi, your sister-in-law is family too. Can’t you be a bit more polite to her?”
“I’ve been polite enough, but she’s never been nice to me,” Zeng Shuyi said, putting down her chopsticks.
“Dad, I don’t have a good temper. But if sister-in-law doesn’t provoke me, I won’t pick on her. Either she endures until I get married off, or she tails her tail and behaves. That’s what she owes me.”
After speaking, she took her bowl and went to the kitchen.
Not long after, her second sister came over.
“Shuyi, are you really going out with me tomorrow?” Zeng Shuyue asked quietly.
She wasn’t used to arguing.
“If you want to come, that’s fine. If not, just wander around on your own,” Zeng Shuyi said as she finished washing the dishes, pulled her second sister back inside, and showed her the money she’d earned today.
“Not much, but it’s the first day.”
Zeng Shuyue looked at her sister in disbelief. “You… you really made money?”
“Yeah, I’m telling you, making money isn’t that hard as long as you’re willing to swallow your pride…”
Zeng Shuyi recounted the day’s events, already planning how to sell more Ice Poles tomorrow.
At breakfast on the first day, Zeng Shuyi ran into Wang Juan again.
But Wang Juan didn’t argue; instead, she said with a sarcastic tone, “Shuyi, you’re no longer a student, right? You can’t just keep eating at home without contributing. We all pay living expenses. Shouldn’t you start paying too?”
“Of course,” Zeng Shuyi thought she should, planning to earn a bit more first before paying.
But to avoid giving sister-in-law ammunition, she went back and took five yuan.
Lin Jiazhen said, “Shuyi, this money…”
“Mom, you can’t be biased. Both Shuyue and I pay,” Wang Juan said. She’d thought all night and could only come up with this plan to corner Zeng Shuyi.
She knew Zeng Shuyi only had ten yuan and could last at most two months.
After that, if Zeng Shuyi couldn’t pay living expenses, she wanted to see how Zeng Shuyi would cope.
Lin Jiazhen had no words.
The daughter-in-law was right: both second daughters paid living expenses, and the third daughter had graduated over two months ago.
By rights, she should pay too.
But she knew her third daughter had no money and couldn’t help but worry.
“But Xiao Juan, Shuyi still doesn’t have a job…”
Wang Juan’s face turned sour.
“No job? Then find one. Others can endure hard work. I believe Shuyi can too. After all, she’s so virtuous. She wouldn’t just eat and drink at home for free, right, Shuyi?”
“Of course! Sister-in-law really understands me,” Zeng Shuyi teased Wang Juan. “Don’t worry, I will definitely support myself. If one day I can’t pay living expenses, I absolutely won’t eat a single meal at home.”
“Good. That’s what I wanted to hear!” Wang Juan got exactly what she wanted.
“Of course.” After finishing her meal, Zeng Shuyi took her eldest sister out.
Lin Jiazhen worriedly watched the children leave and sighed to Zeng Qingliang, “Why is Shuyi so headstrong? Jobs are hard to find. Even Shuyue can’t find one. How can she?”
“Qingliang, I told you to ask the factory leaders about it. Did you?” she asked.
“I did. The factory prioritized workers’ children first and told Shuyue to wait a bit longer,” Zeng Qingliang said.
He was too embarrassed to keep asking.
“Shuyue can’t wait that long,” Lin Jiazhen said, wringing her apron. “Today, Xiao Juan’s words were meant not only for Shuyi but also to push Shuyue out. My poor daughters… how come everything always turns out so badly for them?”
She started wiping tears.
Zeng Qingliang didn’t like to see women cry.
“Enough crying. The cart will find a way to the mountain. You have to trust the Dang, trust the Chengliang Policy. Do you think the state would let so many returned educated youth die like that?”
Bored at home, he took out his chessboard and went under the catalpa tree to find someone to play Xiangqi with.
Meanwhile, after stocking up, Zeng Shuyi took her second sister to the cinema entrance.
Yesterday, she had calculated that just selling at the cinema entrance, she could sell fifty or sixty Ice Poles a day.
But during the breaks between shows, she could also sell at the nearby Baohuo Cheng entrance.
“Shuyi, I… I can’t bring myself to call out to sell,” Zeng Shuyue said awkwardly to her sister.
“It’s fine. You don’t have to sell. I’ll do it,” Zeng Shuyi didn’t think her second sister could handle it.
Everyone had their own way of living.
Zeng Shuyi wouldn’t bring her second sister along for business.
“Later, I’ll go to Baohuo Cheng. You can go home then. Remember, don’t help sister-in-law wash clothes. She can do it herself. She knows you’re soft-hearted and will boss you around. If I find out you did it, when you go home, I’ll throw her clothes in the gutter. Got it?”
Zeng Shuyue said she got it and nodded seriously.
Then she smiled at her sister, “Shuyi, other places it’s always the elder sister protecting the younger. With us, it’s reversed. Thank you, Shuyi.”
Whenever the eldest sister spoke, she felt too embarrassed to refuse.
After working a day or two, sister-in-law naturally dumped all the housework on her.
Over time, she’d get tired but was too soft to say no.
“When I was a kid, Dad made me starve sometimes because I was naughty. You often secretly gave me food. We’re real sisters; it’s okay to help you vent. Enough, I won’t chat with you more. The movie’s over.”
Zeng Shuyi hugged the foam box and ran toward the crowd, “Ice Poles! Green Bean Ice Poles! Sister, have one!”
“Oh, you little girl really knows how to talk! I’m this old already, you should be calling me auntie.”
“Ah, I can’t tell. I thought you were only a few years older than me. You look so young, it’s enviable!”
“Ha ha, no special upkeep. How much for the Ice Poles? Give me two.”
“All right, coming right up!”