novelraw Chapter 2399 - 1518: Luck
Chapter 2399 - 1518: Luck
"Brother Fang, here you go."
Taking advantage of the time while the soup was simmering, Jiang Huazi took a moment to entertain the guest and slipped Fang Weiguo a pack of 1916 cigarettes, which cost a hundred per pack on the market.
"What’s this for? I haven’t smoked in years."
Fang Weiguo immediately declined.
"I know. But it’s the proper etiquette."
Jiang Huazi insisted on giving it, "Brother Fang, if you don’t smoke, you can always gift it to someone else."
"You should just accept it."
Pan Hui smiled and said.
So Fang Weiguo put the cigarettes in his pocket.
"Xiao Chen, your aunt won’t give you any."
"Giving it to me would be a waste."
Jiang Huazi joked, "You guys, really, not contributing to the national defense fund. If no one smokes, where will we get money to build aircraft carriers?"
"Huazi, since you became a business owner, your awareness has really increased." Fang Weiguo teased.
"Brother Fang, you’re teasing me again. What kind of a boss am I? I’m just working for the landlord. Business is getting harder and harder."
"Even your convenience store is affected?" Pan Hui asked.
"Of course. When the general environment is bad, the impact is comprehensive. Like with these cigarettes, people who used to smoke 1916 now switch to Soft Chunghwa to save money, and those who used to smoke Soft Chunghwa switch to Hero with a Soft Heart. How could we not be affected?"
"That’s not the right analogy. For your store, expensive cigarettes don’t necessarily have higher profit margins than cheaper ones. The key is the market popularity of the brand."
"Brother Fang knows the business."
Jiang Huazi laughed, "Let’s not talk about cigarettes. The most important thing is alcohol. With cigarettes, us distributors just earn a meager hard-earned income, but when the economy’s bad, our alcohol sales plummet. And recently there’s been a ban on alcohol, which makes things even worse, sigh, let’s not talk about it..."
"The state has its considerations. If civil servants can’t drink, it can curb corruption to some extent and change the atmosphere within the system, which, for us ordinary people, is more beneficial than harmful overall."
Jiang Huazi nodded, "That’s true. What can we ordinary folks do? We definitely support the state’s policies."
"Where’s Hong Ou?"
Fang Weiguo asked.
"He’s watching the store. I’ll call him up once the meal is ready."
"If possible, you should hire someone. It would make it much easier. Running a convenience store seems easy, but you’re open all year round. Now that Xiao Yu has graduated, you two should consider lightening your load." Pan Hui suggested.
"Yeah, Mom, you and Dad don’t need to work so hard. Hiring someone to help wouldn’t cost too much."
"You child."
Jiang Huazi smiled at her son, "Even if it doesn’t cost much, you’d still have to pay them at least three thousand a month, right? Do you think making three thousand is easy? You’ll still need to get married, buy a house, pay a bride price, all of which require money."
Fang Weiguo and his wife shook their heads with a smile.
As parents, they completely understood Jiang Huazi’s feelings, even though ordinary, they would do everything they could to provide the best conditions within their capabilities for their children.
This is also why they never complained about Aunt Jiang.
After the passing of Old Jiang and his wife, this sister had been busy helping out, even provided money to help Jiang Chen, although not a large amount, she also had her own mortgage, shop rent, and son to care for, so one shouldn’t demand too much.
A nephew definitely isn’t quite the same as a son, it’s human nature, beyond reproach.
Hong Xiaoyu hesitated, obviously wanting to say something but held back.
But no worries, Jiang Chen spoke for him, "Aunt, Xiao Yu has grown up, and the things you mentioned, bride price, a house, he can handle them himself, right?"
Facing his cousin’s gaze, Hong Xiaoyu, naturally shy, nodded quickly, "Right! Mom, I don’t need your money."
"What nonsense are you talking about?"
"I’m not talking nonsense. If Cousin can, I can too!"
Jiang Huazi, momentarily taken aback, looked at her nephew with a wry smile, "How can you compare to your cousin..."
"Huazi, you can’t say that. Isn’t Xiao Yu currently interning at Jinhai Industry? That’s a reputable big company, the future’s bright for this kid."
Upon hearing that, Jiang Huazi couldn’t help but show a proud expression; if she were in front of someone else, she’d definitely boast because when the son is excellent, why shouldn’t the parents show off?
But look at the kids who came to visit today.
Not to mention the nephew.
In the words popular on the internet, he started from rock bottom but managed to defy the odds and achieve incredible success, a seemingly unreplicable miracle in his aunt’s eyes.
And that quiet Fang girl sitting next to him.
Wow.
Though not so mythical, she too represents the pinnacle of realism.
Being excellent, like being wealthy, is comparative.
In front of these two kids, how could she brag about Xiao Yu? She couldn’t bring herself to do it.
"Aunt Jiang, I don’t think you need to worry about Xiao Yu. The house prices are dropping drastically, and they won’t rise again in the future. Plus, the down payments and mortgage interest rates keep lowering, so buying a house shouldn’t be a big issue. As for the bride price... maybe the girl won’t require one?"
Fang Qing joined in, her objective yet humorous words immediately amused everyone.
Jiang Chen was no exception, chuckling, and as he casually glanced over, he caught Xiao Yu secretly laughing and sneaking a peek at him, prompting him to glare back.
"Haha, if it really turns out that way, I’d be thanking the heavens. But Qing Qing, you’re also a girl, would you not want a bride price?"
"I don’t need one."
Fang Qing replied softly, without hesitation, quite straightforward.