Volume 1: Reborn in the 1980s, selling lunch boxes with my mother Chapter 149 Stay for the New Year
The family is not short of money now. Logically speaking, it is not impossible to return to the village during the Chinese New Year and spend a happy New Year in style.
But after discussing it, the two uncles decided to stay in the provincial road to celebrate the New Year.
My uncle had learned how to build a house from someone else before, so he had a lot to say about this. He proposed a reason that neither family could refuse:
Both families just moved into their new house this year. Logically speaking, a newly built house cannot be left empty during the first New Year, otherwise it would be unlucky.
Grandma Hu nodded: "I think so too, but we can't not live in the village for a day."
"Well, tomorrow we will close the stall in the afternoon, go back to the village, sweep the house, put up the couplets, visit your grandparents' graves, and then come back here to have the New Year's Eve dinner."
"After the Chinese New Year, you will all go back to your parents' homes on the second day of the New Year. Fangfang will also come back for two days. After the fifth day of the New Year, you can go back to the village to visit relatives."
Once Grandma Hu made the final decision, the two families immediately got busy.
The things for the New Year had already been bought at the market before the New Year. That night, Hu Qiongfang discussed with her daughter and decided to make only two buckets of glutinous rice the next day, sell them out early, and then come back to clean the new house.
There are many things to do during the Spring Festival in the countryside. The two hired helpers, Hu Cuizhi and Zhang Xiufen, settled their wages two days ago and returned to the village to celebrate the Spring Festival. Only Yao Huifen and her daughter never mentioned going home for the Spring Festival.
Hu Qiongfang knew the difficulties faced by the mother and her two daughters. After the divorce, they definitely could not go back to their husband's family. Some families in the countryside were poor and particular, and they thought it was unlucky for their married daughter to go back to her parents' home for the New Year.
Moreover, Yao Huifen's fractured bones have not yet fully healed. Even if she can go back to her parents' home, it will be difficult for her to move at the moment.
Hu Qiongfang had an idea in her mind, but she had to ask her daughter whether she could do it.
"Mom, do you want Chunling's family to help run our store during the New Year?"
After hearing what Hu Qiongfang said, Jiang Tian looked at her mother with new eyes.
Hu Qiongfang had originally planned to close the store during the New Year holidays and reopen it after the eighth day of the first lunar month. But then she thought that He Chunling's family of three had nowhere to go, so it would be better to let them stay in the store during the New Year holidays.
Since someone is already looking after the store, and I’m just sitting there doing nothing, I might as well buy some things in bulk and sell them.
"During the Chinese New Year, every family is having a reunion dinner, but the three of them, mother and daughter, have nowhere to go. It's really pitiful. I think it's better to find something for them to do."
"I saw other people's stores bought a lot of things for the New Year and put them in front of their doors for sale. Since we run a restaurant, it's not appropriate to sell anything else. Let Chunling and her mother make some dumplings and freeze them. It would be best if they can sell them. If they can't, they can eat them themselves."
Jiang Tian thought her mother's idea was a good one. To be honest, it didn't matter how much sales they could make during the Chinese New Year. What was important was that their restaurant would remain open during the Chinese New Year, which would immediately make it better than all the other restaurants near the provincial road.
The mother and daughter found He Chunling and her mother and told them about this. He Chunling was very tempted, but her mother Yao Huifen was so anxious that she kept waving her hands:
"No, no! My mother and I are living in your house. We have a place to stay during the New Year. I don't know how to repay you. How can I occupy your store and make money for myself?"
It turned out that what Hu Qiongfang meant was that the family had no plans to open for business during the New Year holidays anyway. In addition, since it was their first year opening the store, they didn't know if restaurants along the provincial road would have business during the New Year holidays, so they decided to just lend their store to Yao Huifen for ten days.
From the 28th day of the lunar year to the 9th day of the first lunar month, she didn't ask for rent, and of course she didn't pay Yao Huifen and her daughter a salary. She just let them sell noodles, dumplings and other things in the store.
Anyway, during this period, the mother and daughter have also helped to make dumplings, and their skills are not bad.
"If you're worried about losing money if you make too much, then make less in the first two days. When you have nothing to do at night, make a hundred dumplings and freeze them."
"If you can't sell it the next day, you can treat it as New Year's Day and improve your food."
"If we don't make enough dumplings, there's still fresh meat frozen. We can roll out some dumpling wrappers and sell them right away."
Hu Qiongfang really wanted to help Yao Huifen and her two daughters, but Yao Huifen was unwilling to take advantage of her. Hu Qiongfang had no choice but to take a step back and promised Yao Huifen that during the New Year holidays, the store would continue to operate as usual, and all the proceeds would belong to Hu Qiongfang.
"Then I'm going to pay you and Chunling wages. Sister Huifen, don't refuse. If you keep refusing, I'd rather close the store for a few days and let you three rest in the backyard."
Seeing that Hu Qiongfang was about to get angry, Yao Huifen could only nod and agree.
After Hu Qiongfang and her daughter left, Yao Huifen couldn't help wiping away her tears. She called her son and daughter to her side and told them to remember the kindness the Hu family had shown them.
During the time she was lying in the hospital, Yao Huifen really thought about jumping off the building to end it all once and for all and avoid burdening her children.
But the doctors and nurses in the hospital were so kind to her and even donated money to her. If she died in the hospital, what would happen if the doctors and nurses were implicated?
After she was discharged from the hospital, Hu Qiongfang took her directly to her own store. Yao Huifen lay in bed like a useless person every day, watching the Hu family busy without even having time to drink water, but she could not help at all. She hated herself for being useless, but she did not dare to die now.
Sister Qiongfang has no husband and has two children. She finally opened this restaurant and the business is just picking up. If she dies in someone else's restaurant, wouldn't that be harming others?
Just like that, Yao Huifen suddenly had a strong desire to survive.
She can't die in Hu Qiongfang's restaurant!
Not only must she not die, she also has to get better quickly so that she can help with work in the store.
With motivation, Yao Huifen's overall mental state is much better than before. In addition, her wounds have recovered well. Although she cannot do any strenuous exercise now, she has no problem sitting there and helping to make dumplings.
After arranging matters in the store, Hu Qiongfang took the brother and sister Jiang Tian and Jiang Cheng to their godsister Wang Chunjuan's house first.
Wang Chunjuan and his wife definitely helped Hu Qiongfang to open a shop safely on the provincial road. Thinking of the relatives of the Jiang family, they used to say that relatives should help each other, but when the three of them really needed relatives to help, they ran away faster than the other!
Hu Qiongfang did not blame the relatives of the Jiang family. She just withheld all the New Year gifts that were originally given to those relatives of the Jiang family, and then gave them to the few families who were really willing to help her.
The first one is Wang Chunjuan’s home.
Hu Qiongfang prepared a salted goose, a salted duck, and two salted fish as long as an adult's arm, as well as two bottles of wine, two cans of malted milk, a basket of pork belly dumplings, and a basket of fried hairtail.
