80s Transmigration: The Young Widow's Hustle to Riches

Chapter 337 - 334: No Rush, Take It Slow

After Duan Hongjun and the other two had eaten their fill, they went upstairs to wash up and rest. Li Xiangyang and Liu Da headed to Old Zhang’s warehouse to pick up the goods.

The moment Old Zhang saw them, he shook his head. "I’ve asked around in several places, but I haven’t heard anything about houses for sale. We’ll just have to keep asking around."

Liu Da smiled. "Don’t worry about it. Buying a house isn’t like buying cabbages. We can take our time. There’s no rush."

Old Zhang nodded, unlocked the warehouse, and started carrying out the merchandise.

By the time the three of them had finished loading the goods, it was already afternoon. Li Xiangyang drove to the guest house, went upstairs to wash his face, let Liu Da know he was leaving, and then headed to the wholesale market.

He went to the same stall where he’d bought stock last time. As luck would have it, he ran into Xu Huan and Qian Kun, who were also there trying on shoes.

The moment Xu Huan saw Li Xiangyang, her expression soured. She shot him a hateful glare, threw down the shoe she was holding, and stormed off.

Baffled by her glare, Li Xiangyang just shook his head and started picking out styles.

There were high-heeled leather shoes with small, rounded toes and black buckles. Some had a single strap running diagonally across the vamp, while others had T-straps or double-buckle designs. They looked quite chic when worn.

There were also spool-heeled shoes with rounded toes, featuring several lines of same-colored stitching on the uppers and a small leather flower on the side...

Li Xiangyang selected his preferred styles and gave the sizes to the stall owner to have the order filled. Then, he moved on to the next stall to continue purchasing stock.

The next day, Liu Da took the train back as usual, while Li Xiangyang, Duan Hongjun, and the others drove back.

*****

Starting on the tenth day of the new year, Lin Changyou, his son Lin Guoliang, and the other brothers made several trips to East Market. They moved all their family’s grain, oil, salt... everything of use, to their new place in Lexing.

They also went to the Banzhu Forest Bamboo Weaving Cooperative in Dashiqiao and bought two sets of steamers, one large and one small, along with some other kitchen stove supplies.

Lin Lan, along with Qiaohui and Tong Xinglan, got the house cleared out.

Tong Xinglan and Qiaohui moved into the upstairs apartment on Limin Street. For one, it was close to the pastry shop. For another, with Shuiqing and his wife living there, they would have someone to look out for them.

Both of them liked living on Limin Street. The upstairs apartment had its own private bathroom. The room, furnished with small floral curtains, two single beds, a wardrobe, and a writing desk, was neat, clean, and much brighter than their home in the countryside.

After Lin Changyou’s whole family arrived in Lexing, Lin Lan’s house instantly became a hub of activity.

Lin Guoliang told her that he had already found the fruit trees she wanted before the new year. As soon as spring arrived, they would go dig them up and plant them.

Lin Changyou told her he’d received a letter from Lin Guoqiang. He and Wan Jiao were writing to each other. They had secretly been seeing each other for half a year before he left.

Captain Wan had always been against their relationship.

He asked them not to take Wan Jiao to East Market to learn a trade. He also said that if his brother-in-law could get a TV, he should get one for her family. As for their relationship, they would deal with it when he returned home on leave.

Lin Lan didn’t mind either way. She just felt that a few months in the army had made Lin Guoqiang much more mature than before.

Little Douzi was the happiest of all. He grabbed Lin Jun, Lin Qing, and Lin Gang, insisting he wanted to share a room with them.

Lin Guoliang chuckled. "Once your Uncle Xiangyang gets back, you’ll all be moving to the house on Yucai Road. Are you going to stay here and live with us all by yourself?"

Little Douzi thought for a moment. "How about we have Lin Jun and the others come live at my house? It’s closer to their school."

Lin Lan thought that was a good idea. "Eldest Brother, why don’t you all just move over there?"

Hearing this, Zhao Xiaohui’s eyes lit up. ’Living in a modern house? Perfect!’

Wu Shufen shot her a look and shook her head repeatedly. "No. If we live here, we can help you with the fields. We’ll have a vegetable patch to grow our own food, a pigsty for raising pigs, and space for chickens and ducks."

As she spoke, she gently pushed Lin Lan toward the door. "Hurry along to the shop. We know how to get things settled here on our own."

"Alright, I’ll head out then! Little Jun, you all be sure to review your schoolwork at home." Lin Lan had no choice but to grab the children’s report cards and leave.

"We know, now go on." Lin Changyou also waved her away.

The moment Lin Lan was gone, Wu Shufen turned to her son and daughter-in-law. "We didn’t come to East Market just to visit relatives. We came to open a restaurant. We have to rely on Little Lan and Xiangyang for everything here. They’re being very good to us, so we need to be considerate and not take their kindness for granted."

Lin Changyou picked up where she left off. "Your mother is right. Among family, helping is a kindness, not an obligation. Nothing should be taken for granted."

Zhao Xiaohui nodded sheepishly. Lin Guoliang and the other brothers replied, "We understand. We’ll be mindful."

Seeing that they understood, Wu Shufen began assigning the rooms. "Little Lan already got the rooms ready. Your father and I will take the room on the right. Little Jun and the other two boys can have the east wing. Little Hong will stay with her aunt for a few days for now. Guoliang and Guodong, you two will stay in the back of the shop."

She paused for a moment. "Little Jun and the boys will stay here and help me organize the house. Old man," she said to her husband, "you take Guoliang and the others to the shop. Little Lan has hired carpenters to make the tables and benches."

Everyone agreed and set about their tasks.

When Lin Changyou and his sons arrived at the shop in the East City market, Xiang Qun was busy weighing out spices for a customer. Perhaps because hers was the only store nearby that sold bulk spices and local produce, business had been quite good since it opened.

Several local restaurants bought their spices from the shop. Between that and retail sales, after subtracting rent, labor, and other expenses, it was bringing in nearly two thousand yuan a month. She had already paid back Lin Lan for the initial stock and the money for the property.

Xiang Qun had initially worried that she would be fired once Lin Changyou’s family moved to the city. She feared losing her income and having to rely on her parents and other relatives for support again.

But Lin Lan found her to be a reliable worker and told her not to worry. Even if the produce shop became fully staffed, she had other places where she would need help.

Lin Changyou greeted Xiang Qun before leading his two sons into the back courtyard.

Tables and stools were piled up under the eaves of the courtyard. The shop spanned two storefronts, and they planned to fit eight square tables inside. They were also having two large, round tabletops made for customers who wanted to host banquets.

They would build a four-burner stove along the wall under the courtyard eaves, which would be sufficient for a small restaurant.

The carpenters making the furniture were the same ones who had done work for Brother Yong. Seeing the father and his two sons arrive, one of them smiled. "Boss Lin, it’ll be a few more days. Have you set an opening date yet? If the timing is tight, we can rush to get it done."

Lin Changyou smiled and waved his hands. "Master He, please don’t call me that. We’re planning to open on the nineteenth. Will that be enough time?"

Master He, the carpenter, smiled and did a quick calculation. "The nineteenth is still a little tight. How about this: you go buy some sandpaper to sand down the finished tables and stools, then get some tung oil and give them two coats. My brother can come tonight to apply the raw lacquer."

Lin Changyou nodded. "Alright, I’ll go buy them right now."

"Dad, let me go. I’ll be faster on the bike," Lin Guoliang said, heading for the door. Just as he was leaving, he ran into Lin Guozhu arriving at the entrance. "Third Brother, you’re off work already?"

"I was out running an errand and thought I’d stop by since I was in the area." Lin Guozhu parked his bicycle. "Are Mom and Dad here?"

"They’re here. You go on in, I’m going to buy some supplies," Lin Guoliang said, then hopped on the bike and rode off.

Lin Guozhu glanced at the freshly painted storefront before heading straight for the back courtyard. Seeing Lin Changyou and Lin Guodong cleaning up wood shavings from the floor, he walked over with a smile. "Dad, Second Brother, you’re here!"

He immediately moved to help them gather the shavings.

Lin Guodong quickly stopped him. "You’re still on the clock. Don’t get your clothes all dirty."