TL: Etude
"Alright, that's quite a bit you've got there, you better hurry along!"
After packing up the radio, Chen Jianghai waved his hand.
"Okay, Brother Hai, just wait for my good news!"
Fang Aiguo waved his hands excitedly, obviously ready to embark on a significant endeavor.
Chen Jianghai nodded, "Mhm, strive to earn enough money for you to get married, so your parents don't have to worry."
Fang Aiguo's face turned red. "Brother Hai, why do you always bring up these random things!"
After saying that, he pedaled away on his tricycle as if escaping from something.
After Fang Aiguo left, Chen Jianghai mounted his bicycle and headed towards Pozijie Street, planning to inquire about the shop first to have a clear understanding.
There was also another matter; he would visit Lin Wanqiu's house in a few days, so naturally, he needed to buy some gifts.
Arriving at the small grocery store, Chen Jianghai parked his bike and called out to the counter: "Boss, give me a pack of Daqianmen!"
The boss handed over the cigarettes and upon seeing Chen Jianghai, paused before saying, "Oh, it's you!"
"Boss, it's me." Chen Jianghai cheerfully paid and took the cigarettes, then tore open the package and handed one to the boss.
The boss was quick on the uptake, and before Chen Jianghai could ask, he said, "I haven't seen the landlord these past two days, sorry about that."
Chen Jianghai felt a bit disappointed upon hearing this, but didn't show it; instead, he struck a match and offered it saying, "Hey, no problem, thanks for your effort!"
"Don't mention it."
The boss lit his cigarette and took a drag, chuckling with a grin.
After exchanging a few inconsequential pleasantries, and once his cigarette was finished, Chen Jianghai left.
Renting a decent shop seemed not as easy as he thought.
Well, no need to rush, he thought to himself, take it slowly!
Following this, Chen Jianghai went to the county's first food store and bought two packs of cigarettes and two bottles of wine for his father-in-law.
Aside from smoking and drinking, Lin Wanqiu's father had no other vices.
Of course, he couldn't forget gifts for his mother-in-law either; buying some quality fabric was a must.
Having purchased his items, Chen Jianghai wandered near Pozijie Street and, finding no suitable shop fronts, he headed home.
Chen Jianghai parked his bike and carried his big and small packages towards his house.
This scene was just witnessed by the neighbor next door.
"Yo, Jianghai, what did you buy in those big and small packages?"
The neighbor couldn't help but come over and asked curiously.
Chen Jianghai glanced at her.
Her name was Qiu JinFeng, and her family was relatively well-off. She liked to show off to others.
"I'm visiting my mother-in-law soon, so I obviously can't go empty-handed," Chen Jianghai replied indifferently.
Hearing this, Qiu JinFeng's voice held a hint of envy, "I heard your family installed a TV yesterday? And now you've bought so many things; looks like you've made a fortune."
"Not really."
Chen Jianghai smiled slightly, "It's just enough to live on, it's not so easy to make a fortune!"
In his eyes, he was indeed only making small money at the moment. Aiming for a big fortune would come only after laying a solid foundation in various aspects.
"I heard people saying Jianghai has made it big. I didn't believe it at first, but now it seems true," another neighbor joined in, her tone somewhat flattering.
She lived diagonally opposite to Chen Jianghai's home; her name was Mo Xinmei, and her husband, Fu Qiang, who was seen at Chen's doorstep yesterday.
Chen Jianghai certainly didn't intend to pick up on that, and he laughed, "Hey, I just repair things, it doesn't make much money."
This was not an exaggeration.
After all, fixing a radio earned him only a few bucks, hardly worth mentioning.
Upon hearing this, Qiu Jinfeng felt even more aggrieved.
Unable to hold back, she said in a somewhat sarcastic tone, "Jianghai is really making something of himself now, isn't he? Unlike our deadbeat at home, who spends all his days in the factory and barely brings home four or five hundred a month."
At first, there was a hint of sourness in her words, but then it was just an undisguised brag.
Indeed, upon hearing Qiu Jinfeng say this, Mo Xinmei's face instantly soured.
Her husband only earned a little over two hundred a month, less than half of what Qiu Jinfeng's husband made.
"Jianghai, can you tell us how much you make in a month?" Qiu Jinfeng asked with a face full of pride, glancing at Mo Xinmei and then asking with curiosity.
Chen Jianghai said offhandedly, "I've been at it for less than a month and only made a little bit, nothing worth mentioning, really."
Seeing Chen Jianghai reluctant to share, Qiu Jinfeng seemed somewhat disappointed.
Then, her eyes swiftly turned, fixing on the items in Chen Jianghai's hands.
"I say, Jianghai, what have you bought there? Let us also broaden our horizons!" she said, and without waiting for Chen Jianghai to respond, Qiu Jinfeng stepped forward, eager to see what was inside Chen Jianghai's bags.
Chen Jianghai was about to give way, but the quick-handed Qiu Jinfeng had already snatched it away, opening the bag.
The first things Qiu Jinfeng saw were the tobacco and liquor that Chen Jianghai had bought.
Two packs of cigarettes and two bottles of liquor.
The cigarettes were Hongtashan, but the liquor was actually Maotai!
Seeing these items, Qiu Jinfeng didn't even know what to say.
The cigarettes were still acceptable; a pack cost just over sixty yuan, which her man could afford to smoke, nothing extraordinary.
But the Maotai liquor, that was not cheap at all, costing over a hundred per bottle.
Just these few items amounted to her husband's monthly wage.
Chen Jianghai, with a smile, pulled the bag closed: "That's enough looking; I'm going home."
After saying this, Chen Jianghai turned and entered his house, then closed the door behind him.
"Hmph, look at him, acting all high and mighty!" Mo Xinmei said with a hint of jealousy, staring at the closed door and pouting.
Normally, Qiu Jinfeng would have agreed and joined Mo Xinmei in gossiping about Chen Jianghai.
But this time, Qiu Jinfeng frowned and said nothing.
Seeing Qiu Jinfeng silent, Mo Xinmei asked curiously, "What did you see just now?"
"It looks like this Chen Jianghai really has struck it rich," Qiu Jinfeng murmured softly.
Mo Xinmei grew even more curious.
She stared wide-eyed and pressed, "What exactly did you see? Hurry up and tell me!"
...
In the evening, as soon as Lin Wanqiu returned, she headed straight for the TV.
Soon, the lyrics from the television drama filled the room: "The cold wind howls, the snow drifts, the road is long, I tread singing along..."
Chen Jianghai saw this and couldn't help but smile wryly.
Well, she's gotten hooked on "Snow Mountain Flying Fox" again.
"Time to eat, time to eat," said Chen Jianghai, as he went to turn off the television.
Lin Wanqiu quickly pleaded, "Don't turn it off! Jianghai, don't worry, I will eat properly, I promise."
Chen Jianghai had never seen Lin Wanqiu act coquettishly before and was momentarily stunned.
Lin Wanqiu, feeling a bit embarrassed under Chen Jianghai's gaze, blushed and asked, "Why... are you looking at me like that?"
"You're beautiful," Chen Jianghai exclaimed without hesitation.
Hearing this, Lin Wanqiu bashfully buried her head into her chest.
The compliment was too much for Lin Wanqiu to handle.
Just as the atmosphere in the living room turned a bit ambiguous, there came a knock on the door.
Chen Jianghai's brows furrowed, and he asked irritably, "Who is it?"
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