Jiang Qingqing nodded, tears in her eyes, "Good, very good."
This was the result she had always wanted to see.
Hua Bao was someone she had personally brought home. At the time, she had intended to raise her as her own child.
Although she knew she was wrong for not consulting Liunian's wishes back then, she couldn't just watch Hua Bao freeze to death outside.
For a newborn, being left in the snow and ice meant only death.
Fortunately, her husband had finally accepted Hua Bao wholeheartedly. It was truly wonderful.
From now on, their family could live a happy life!
In the blink of an eye, it was time to set up stall again. This time, Zhang Liunian carried seventy jin of shrimp.
Jiang Qingqing stood at the entrance of the main hall and waved to Zhang Liunian, "Liunian, be careful on the road."
Zhang Liunian instructed, "Don't run around. Wait for me at home."
After bidding farewell to his wife, Zhang Liunian began to quicken his pace. Just as he left Zhangjia Village, Zhang Liunian encountered the village chief, Zhang Laoshi, who was also heading to the county.
"Liunian, why have you been going to town every day these past few days?" Zhang Laoshi blurted out when he saw Zhang Liunian heading to town again.
Zhang Liunian stopped and turned, smiling, "I have some business in town."
Zhang Laoshi looked at him disapprovingly. Business? What kind of business could it be?
Every time he went to town, wasn't it to hang out with his friends?
"You're not going to see your friends again, are you! I advise you to live a stable life. Friends can't fill your stomach."
"Uncle Village Chief, you are absolutely right.
Hanging out with friends all day doesn't fill the stomach.
I've thought it through. My family's situation is urgent. I need to earn money to support us.
So, I won't hide it from you. I've been working as an individual operator these past two days.
I want to earn money to support my wife and daughter, and I also want to repay everyone's debts."
Zhang Liunian's words stunned Zhang Laoshi. The laziest young man in the village saying he wanted to go out and earn money to repay debts sounded so unbelievable.
"Are you serious?" Zhang Laoshi asked dryly.
Zhang Liunian smiled, "As serious as one can be."
Seeing that Zhang Liunian wasn't lying, Zhang Laoshi then remembered that his wife had mentioned yesterday that the whole village was talking about Zhang Liunian repaying two yuan to Tu Meili. Could it be that those two yuan were earned through his individual operations?
"I heard you repaid two yuan to Tu Meili yesterday? Is that true?"
"I earned it yesterday by operating as an individual."
Zhang Laoshi nodded, but his heart felt complicated when he thought that Zhang Liunian had earned the two yuan through individual operations.
The country allowed individual operations, and their village had also heard the news. However, no one had actually gone out and done it.
This was mainly because both in the city and the countryside, people looked down on individual operators, thinking it was shameful and dishonorable to engage in such a livelihood, and also not respectable.
"Individual operations are fine. Your situation is difficult, and as long as you can earn money, don't worry about what others think." As long as Zhang Liunian could work hard to support his wife and daughter and stop borrowing money from the villagers, then individual operations were fine.
A bad reputation was still better than starving to death.
"I don't care." Others might care, but Zhang Liunian did not.
He knew that nowadays, individual operations were almost synonymous with speculation and profiteering. Most people would not engage in such business unless they had no other means of survival.
But he knew even better that the spring breeze of reform and opening up was blowing, and at this time, even pigs could fly. He had to grasp this spring breeze tightly and go higher and further.
As they chatted, they arrived at the county town and parted ways.
Arriving at the construction site entrance, he happened to see the workers finishing their shift.
Zhang Liunian set up his stall, and people immediately came to buy. The seventy jin of shrimp was sold out at lightning speed.
However, as he was packing up to leave, two hoodlums set their sights on him.
They followed Zhang Liunian and found a secluded spot, blocking his path.
Zhang Liunian smiled when he saw the "god of wealth" coming to him.
His wife was worried about not having enough money to repay debts, and these two people showing up was simply perfect.
"What are you smiling at? We're robbing you!" The robber duo looked at Zhang Liunian and smiled, feeling a bit uneasy, sensing something was not quite right.
But thinking of their impressive achievements as hoodlums over the past year, they suppressed their fear.
"Robbing me? Come on then!" Although Zhang Liunian had only practiced for two days after his rebirth, he had practiced his entire life in his previous life. Now, facing two street hoodlums, he felt he could handle it with ease.
"Looks like we've met someone who isn't afraid of death!"
Zhang Liunian's confident demeanor insulted the two hoodlums. Without another word, they swung their fists and charged.
More than ten minutes later, Zhang Liunian stood up, holding dozens of yuan. Counting carefully, he found he had twenty-three yuan.
Adding the thirty-five yuan from earlier sales, it totaled fifty-eight yuan.
Zhang Liunian was in a good mood. Disregarding the howling hoodlums behind him, he walked home.
"Qingqing, it's not that I'm saying this, but my brother-in-law, apart from being good-looking, truly has no other commendable skills.
He's not like my own brother Xiangxiang, who is filial to elders and dotes on his wife. If you married my brother, you'd have a much better life!"
Wu Gudi stood in the sun, chattering incessantly at Jiang Qingqing.
The reason she started talking about this was mainly because her younger brother, after attending Zhang Liunian's wedding and seeing Jiang Qingqing's face, had been pestering them at home to marry Jiang Qingqing.
Even though he was married, he still had feelings for Jiang Qingqing. Last month, when his wife died, he started thinking about Jiang Qingqing again.
As a devoted and doting sister, Wu Gudi had no choice but to try her best.
Unfortunately, no matter how much she talked, Jiang Qingqing remained stubbornly devoted.
"Sister-in-law, please don't say such things again. In this life, I will only marry Liunian."
Jiang Qingqing stood in the courtyard, looking at her daughter playing with the lobsters, her brow furrowed, unwilling to hear such words.
In her eyes, the man she had chosen was the best in the world, unmatched by anyone.
"Why can't you be reasoned with? Look at your brother-in-law. He failed his college entrance exams four times. Now, everyone in the village laughs at him for being useless, saying he can't compare to your second uncle who passed on his first try."
"You are not allowed to speak about my Liunian like that. He is the best. Say one more word, and I will ask you to leave."
Jiang Qingqing's face flushed with anger, clearly showing she was upset.
Wu Gudi pouted and stopped talking, then moved on to the matter of repayment.
"Alright, alright, I won't talk about brother-in-law. Then let me ask you, did you repay Tu Meili's money?"
Jiang Qingqing was stumped by her question and remained silent.
Seeing her reaction, Wu Gudi was certain that Tu Meili hadn't lied. Did Zhang Liunian's family really have money now?
It was truly heartless. If they had money, why didn't they pay her, the eldest sister-in-law, first? Didn't she know her family had a large group of people to support?
"Since you have money now, why didn't you pay your elder brother's family first?
Our family is in much greater difficulty than Tu Meili's family. They have no elderly above them and no young children below them. Why are you so eager to return their money?
Also, how did you get money? Did you do something shady!"
As Wu Gudi finished speaking, Zhang Liunian happened to return.
"You don't need to worry about it, sister-in-law. When we have money, we will definitely repay you first." Zhang Liunian had no good impression of this woman who had abandoned her elder brother when he fell seriously ill in his previous life.
In his heart, this woman was no longer his sister-in-law.
"Money? Brother-in-law, you are such a lazy bum, sleeping all day after eating. You'll never have money, even if you live forever!"
Wu Gudi, like most villagers, looked down on Zhang Liunian.
Furthermore, Zhang Liunian was an obstacle to her scheme of eloping with Jiang Qingqing, which made her dislike him even more.
Zhang Liunian walked to Jiang Qingqing's side and said with an unpleasant tone, "Whether I have money or not has nothing to do with you. If you have nothing else to do, then leave. You are not welcome here."