Was There More to Come?

For the moment, there was no need to worry about how to deal with the villagers. The whole family was joyfully gazing at the 260 yuan on the table.

This made them even happier than getting their share of the money when the production brigade settled their work points at the end of the year.

They had worked only two or three days for this money, and the drying afterward hardly counted as work at all.

Mother Chen picked up the money on the table again, counted out thirteen bills, and set them aside. Then she looked at Chen Haichao.

"You found this opportunity, so it counts as your business. You should get half, just like Sitian. The whole family helped too, so the half you turn over can be their share for the labor, while the half Sitian turns over is for her household expenses and rations."

Chen Haichao grinned and hurriedly put his hand on the bills. He had been thinking of asking for a share himself, but he hadn't expected his mother to be so open-minded and offer him half.

But before he could put the money away, she slapped his hand.

"Did I say you could keep it yourself? You're not married yet, so you can't go throwing money around. I'll save it for you to take a wife later..."

Quick as a flash, he grabbed the bills and tucked them into his pocket. "Sorry, but you don't have to trouble yourself. I'll save my own money, and when the time comes, I'll get myself a wife."

Mother Chen glared at him. "You think you're capable of getting yourself a wife?"

"Of course. Getting a wife on my own is what I call real ability."

"Ability, my foot. What do you need all that money for when there's nothing to spend it on? You eat and drink at home, and I even make you new clothes. I'll save it for you, and of course I'll get you a wife later."

"I'll save my own money for a wife. You need coupons for everything outside. Are you really afraid I'll spend it recklessly? Even with money, I can't spend it without coupons."

Mother Chen thought about it and saw his point. "Fine, you can keep it yourself, but you mustn't waste it. Even without coupons, you can trade money for them, or pay extra and still buy things. Don't take me for a fool."

"It's money for a wife, so of course I'll keep it safe. Don't worry, I'm not like the twins, always thinking about food."

Now that he had gotten his share of the money this time, next time he could simply keep his own share and turn over half.

Chen Haichao was delighted. He finally had a little capital to start a business, but the road ahead was long, and he still had to keep up the effort.

"If he wants to keep it himself, let him. When it's time to take a wife, he can pay for it himself. Let's eat first. We're all starving," Father Chen said.

"I haven't asked yet, why did you get back so late? I waited for hours, and the sun had already gone down. I was worried sick, thinking you couldn't sell it..."

Mother Chen dished out the food as she listened to them describe the wait.

Chen Panpan went to the door to call the twins back for dinner.

Dinner tonight was sweet potato rice as usual, but everyone found it especially delicious.

"We've had one happy occasion after another these past few days. Tomorrow's New Year's Eve, so we should prepare a proper feast and celebrate. A new year, a new beginning." Father Chen was beaming. He had never had such a relaxed and happy New Year before.

"Of course. Sitian still isn't back, and who knows what time she'll get home. It isn't safe after dark. Haichao, after you finish eating, walk along the road and see if you can meet her."

"Okay."

Chen Sitian could now be said to have completely escaped her fate. She had become a worker and gotten the job she wanted. Whether or not she got into college, she now had a job to fall back on.

If she did get into college and had better prospects, it would be even better to give the job to Chen Panpan. Then both of them would have something to look forward to.

Chen Haichao looked again at Chen Panpan, who had a smile on her lips and was peeling shrimp for her younger brother and sister from time to time. A child in the middle tended to be less noticeable, and was also especially considerate.

Just as he finished eating and was about to take a flashlight to meet Chen Sitian, she came back in high spirits. Before she even stepped through the door, she was already calling loudly for their parents from outside.

"Dad, Mom, I'm back!"

"Why are you so late? You didn't come back for lunch either."

"There was only an hour's break at noon, and there wasn't enough time to walk back and forth, so I bought a steamed bun at the canteen. I didn't have time to tell you either. For now, I'm on the day shift for the first half of the month and the night shift for the second half. On the night shift, I start at six in the evening and work until six in the morning. I have to get up early for work tomorrow. The leaders understood that it was our first day and we weren't familiar with things, so they were a little more lenient about the starting time this morning."

"All right. It's a rare chance to earn money. I'll pack you a meal to take with you tomorrow morning."

"Okay! I'm starving..." She dug into the meal they had saved for her. Seeing that the twins had already finished eating and run outside, she hurriedly asked with concern, "Did the dried shrimp sell today?"

"We sold it all for 260. Mom and Dad said it was all thanks to me because I opened up the channel, so I got half and turned the other half over to the family. After all, everyone helped."

Chen Sitian's eyes widened. She opened her mouth in a perfect circle before she had even swallowed her food. "You really sold it?"

She swallowed the food in her mouth as she spoke, then said excitedly, "That's as much as I make in a whole year! That's so much!"

"It's only a measly year's worth for you."

"Measly, you say! Amazing. If you sell yourself a few more times, our family could buy the three rounds and a sound!"

She made it sound as though he were a duck, telling him to sell himself a few more times.

Chen Haichao tapped the table in front of her with a finger. "Eat your food. There's no telling how many times they'll want it. We'll just try to get more next time."

"What a shame. I have to go to work from now on..."

Mother Chen hurriedly said, "Your job is more important. Who knows how many times we can sell dried shrimp? You need to work hard and make sure they still want you after a month."

"Mm-hmm. The factory director said that if we do well, they'll keep us on after a month, and told us to work hard."

Mother Chen's face bloomed with a smile again. "Then make sure you do well and be diligent."

Chen Haichao paid no attention to their scene of maternal affection and filial devotion. He went into the room first and locked his 130 yuan in the drawer, where he also had a few scattered yuan and jiao.

That was everything he owned. He was too poor...

Just as he was thinking about the tides today and tomorrow, wondering whether he could go scoop up a little more, a commotion came from outside. He hurried out to take a look.

Zhao Guilan? Wang Zhiwen?

"Panpan, Zhiwen was only muddled for a moment and was bewitched by that old woman... Please forgive him this once. He can divorce that old slut Liu Chunlan..."

Mother Chen burst into curses. "Is your family sick in the head? The blind date didn't work out, and now you're trying to latch onto us? What does this have to do with our Panpan?"

"As long as your family agrees, we'll pay 300 yuan in bride price..."

"We wouldn't take 500! Get out of here, and don't dirty the ground at our home. Get lost..."

Mother Chen picked up the broom in the corner and drove them away.

The mother and son jumped and dodged as they were chased out, but they still stood at the door shouting.

"Su Hongmei, my Zhiwen really likes your Panpan. He was only muddled for a moment and couldn't control himself. Won't 500 yuan in bride price be enough? You said 500, so 500 it is..."

Mother Chen deliberately dabbed the broom in the chicken droppings in the corner, then smacked Zhao Guilan right in the face with it.

"Your mother's dog fart! Can't you understand human speech? I said we wouldn't take even 500. Our family doesn't sell daughters. She has nothing to do with Wang Zhiwen. Right after the blind date, we said they weren't suited. Don't think you can latch onto our Panpan and ruin her reputation."

"It was just a blind date, and your family is already trying to latch onto us. Is your family descended from toads?"

"Liu Chunlan is your daughter-in-law. You should take your daughter-in-law home for New Year and have a family reunion. Stop hanging around our door."

Zhao Guilan refused to give up. Dodging the broom, she kept shouting, "He was only muddled for a moment. The one he likes is Panpan..."

Father Chen was so angry he stamped his feet. "Your mother's dog fart! Don't ruin my daughter's reputation. My daughter is honest and respectable, and she has nothing to do with him."

Mother Chen swung the broom without holding back. "I'll beat you to death, you filthy-mouthed thing! Liu Chunlan! Liu Chunlan? Come take your mother and your man home..."

The neighbors had just finished dinner. Hearing the commotion, a large crowd came out to watch. Everyone was stunned. Who would have thought there was more to come, right at their doorstep?

P: I've added a post in the readers' forum. Anyone who wants to suggest a name for a minor character can leave a comment there. You can also note down what character traits you'd like.

The book happens to need some minor characters, and the automatically generated names are too hard to choose from. I'm also afraid of accidentally picking a problematic one.