Rebirth 1983: Building My Business Empire-Chapter 111 - 105 Home Cooking
Chapter 111: Chapter 105 Home Cooking
Lu Jiaxin and two others took a sleeper car back home. Compared to a hard seat, the sleeper car was of course much more comfortable, so Lu Jiaxin felt rather energetic when she arrived home. However, out of habit, the first thing she did upon returning was to take a bath.
After Xue Mao returned from Ancient Capital, he informed the neighborhood committee that he wanted to add a toilet to his home’s courtyard. Once he received permission from the committee, he immediately asked Lu Jiajie to find a contractor for the job. Unfortunately, the contractor was busy during that period, so in the end, the task of building the toilet was assigned to Ma Lili.
After her bath, just as Lu Jiaxin was about to dry her hair, someone outside called her to answer the phone. During her two months away, a small shop had opened at the entrance to the alley, and the family had installed a telephone.
Hearing the voice from the other end, Lu Jiaxin realized it was Gu Wenfeng. She asked with a smile, “Brother Gu, how are things going over there?”
Gu Wenfeng replied, “Liu Xiaoyue bought a bungalow near a small school in Ancient Capital for one thousand six hundred yuan. The house is well-located with a primary and a middle school nearby.”
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“Nobody suspects them—her and her son—right?”
Gu Wenfeng didn’t sugarcoat it, “The world is full of people who bully the weak and fear the strong. But Liu Xiaoyue has become feisty. Once, when Sun Dong was bullied, she went to the offender’s house with a kitchen knife in hand. Seeing how fierce she had become, some people started to introduce her to potential suitors, but all of them were unsuitable matches. Liu Xiaoyue declared she would never remarry and that anyone who came to propose would be beaten and sent away, which put an end to those people’s intentions.”
When he left Ancient Capital, he also worried that Liu Xiaoyue might be bullied due to her timid nature. As it turned out, when pushed to the brink, people would force themselves to change in order to survive.
“Remarry? She and Sun Xun got divorced?”
Gu Wenfeng affirmed with a sound, “They divorced during the second month after Sun Xun was imprisoned.”
Lu Jiaxin thought the divorce was for the best, otherwise that scoundrel would be leeching off Liu Xiaoyue again once he was released from prison, “And her buying a house, didn’t anyone suspect the money wasn’t acquired legitimately?”
Gu Wenfeng laughed and said, “No. She sold a Jade Ring that was left by Old Master Sun for two hundred yuan. She told others the Jade Ring belonged to a prince from the previous dynasty and that she had sold it for two thousand yuan. Since the Sun family was known to be wealthy in the past, no one doubted it. One thousand six for the house, plus the tricycle she bought for her stall and other stuff, almost the entire two thousand yuan was spent.”
“That’s pretty good.”
Gu Wenfeng thought so too, feeling his efforts hadn’t been in vain, “Jiaxin, the stall that Liu Xiaoyue runs makes her twenty yuan a day. I heard yesterday that she’s inquiring about shop premises. Buying a shop could lead to higher earnings. You don’t need to worry about them anymore.”
He felt that Lu Jiaxin, still a child, had a father like that and a spiteful stepmother. Every time he thought about it, he couldn’t help but feel pity for her.
Lu Jiaxin acknowledged with an “Mhm,” saying, “A mother becomes strong for her children. She should be able to raise all six kids.”
In her past life, despite the hardships, she had raised three children. Now, with a house, savings, and a business, she might well bring up all six children to be successful and enjoy her later years in comfort. The issues with the Sun family were now settled.
Gu Wenfeng mentioned the clothes and money and thanked Lu Jiaxin.
Lu Jiaxin’s reply was the same as before, telling him if he ever tired of his current job, he could come to her, “My family’s door will always be open to you.”
Gu Wenfeng thanked her with a smile.
After hanging up the phone, Lu Jiaxin bumped into Ma Lili, who had just returned from work. Ma Lili was very surprised and asked, “Jiaxin, you’re back? Jiaxin, how have you lost so much weight?”
People were moving about in the alley, so Lu Jiaxin didn’t say anything until she got home and closed the door; that’s when she simply explained the reason, “Once all the shoes are delivered, Fifth Brother and Master Jia will be able to come back.”
Ma Lili, who worked in a department store, immediately grasped the essence of the matter, “Jiaxin, Su Heyuan has taken a contract for all the shoes, which shows he sees potential in the shoes you made. He could very well end up making more money than you by flipping them.”
Lu Jiaxin understood her meaning and said with a smile, “Fifth Sister-in-law, even if Su Heyuan earns more than I do, that’s his capability. If I were to sell them myself, first, I’d have to figure out how to transport them here, and second, I’d need to establish a reliable and secure sales channel. All of that is challenging and taxing, and I physically can’t handle it.”
Ma Lili disagreed, “Your elder brother works at the railway bureau, and your father is the general manager of the department store. Jiaxin, the two issues you mentioned are very easily solved.”
Lu Jiaxin truly felt that like-minded people tend to be drawn together; Lu Jiajie and Ma Lili always depend on others rather than solve problems on their own, “Fifth Sister-in-law, I’m very content with how much I’ve earned.”
Ma Lili knew what she was getting at and thought she was being foolish, “You silly girl, why are you so stubborn? He’s your father, your own dad. You should use him, or else others will benefit instead.”
Lu Jiaxin replied with a furrowed brow, “Fifth Sister-in-law, I don’t want to know about his matters, and I hope you all won’t mention him in front of me again in the future.”
Ma Lili paused for a moment.
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To avoid awkwardness, Lu Jiaxin changed the subject, “Fifth Sister-in-law, Su Heyuan gave me an advance payment, so I’m more financially comfortable now. I’ll give you Fifth Brother’s wages and bonus first. Ah Qiang will be starting first grade next year, so it’s better to choose a house close to the school.”
At the moment, housing prices weren’t high, and a budget of seven thousand yuan should be sufficient to find a satisfactory home.
Ma Lili was tempted, but still said, “That doesn’t seem right!”
Lu Jiaxin said with a smile, “What’s wrong with that? Fifth Sister-in-law, go and have a look first. If you find something you like, go for it. If not, we can take our time to search. There’s no rush, as the New Year is still a while away.”
The underlying message was that they could stay until the New Year at most. It wasn’t that they couldn’t be accommodated but rather that she felt they would bring up Lu Hongjun in the future, which would affect her mood.
After thinking it over, Ma Lili decided to share her and her husband’s plans with her, “Your Fifth Brother and I have discussed it and are thinking about buying a house here. The elementary school across the way is quite good in all respects, and it would be convenient for the kids to go to school; living close to you also means we can look after each other in the future.”
In the past, the idea was to buy nearby so they could look after Lu Jiaxin, but now it seemed quite possible that in the future, they would be the ones benefitting from Lu Jiaxin’s success.
This was something Lu Jiaxin wouldn’t interfere with, “As long as you and Fifth Brother have agreed on it, it’s fine.”
Lu Jiaguang came over after work, and the two of them went straight to the study to talk.
Lu Jiaxin, fearing he would nag her, didn’t wait for him to start speaking and made it clear that she would take good care of herself and wouldn’t go anywhere, “Elder Brother, I’ll review the material myself first. After the New Year, I intend to hire a tutor for English and mathematics.”
The original person was good at liberal arts, and so was she, but it had been many years since she’d touched a book, and she had forgotten much. Liberal arts subjects were manageable: comprehension and memorization would largely suffice, and she could pick it up again with time. Mathematics, however, was a bit tougher, and she would need a tutor. Now that she had money, hiring an experienced and effective tutor wouldn’t be an issue.
Lu Jiaguang was pleased to hear this. He had been constantly worried about Lu Jiaxin running around, and with this promise, he didn’t have to worry about her disappearing one day.
