Qin Xiangnuan placed all the dishes on the table, along with a bowl of rice.
She had already eaten, these were all for Jian Zhiqing.
Jian Zhiqing picked up the chopsticks, took some beef and put it in his bowl, I regret not coming back, otherwise, I could have a share too; you actually made so much food for them.
No matter how much, it’s all finished now, Qin Xiangnuan thought of how those few people ate, now she was scared, thankfully those in the military school were managed by the state, otherwise, she really feared that their families would be eaten into poverty by them.
One person needed two bowls of rice and that wasn’t enough, thankfully, she feared there wouldn’t be enough and steamed another pot, even this pot, divided among six people, only left this one bowl, otherwise, Jian Zhiqing would have nothing to eat.
Jian Zhiqing shook his head and continued eating, seeing that it was almost the end of the year again, this year had really gone by fast.
"Are we still going back for New Year?"
He asked Qin Xiangnuan, but that left Qin Xiangnuan at a loss for words.
"Going back," Qin Xiangnuan naturally wanted to return home, the only one at home was Granny Lu, it’s been more than a year since she last went back. During New Year, she and her older brother must return.
"Okay, I see," Jian Zhiqing added some more dishes to his bowl. "Then let’s go back, it’s just that it will seem quiet here."
Qin Xiangnuan had no solution for that, the year had passed so quickly, unknowingly, another year had gone by.
Right, she also needed to write more Spring Festival couplets to sell.
Jian Zhiqin lay on the table, his toes also tipped up, "Sister, your handwriting is so good."
"Very good," Taotao mimicked Jian Zhiqin, lifting his little feet even though he couldn’t see anything, but he repeated whatever Jian Zhiqin said.
Qin Xiangnuan freed her hands, picked Little Taotao up and put him on the table so he could see her writing, then pinched his little cheeks, "Sister will write more recently, you guys can sell them yourself, the money you make is yours, even though you are young, you should learn to be independent, got it?"
"En, Taotao knows," Taotao nodded his little head hard, even though he’s young, whatever Qin Xiangnuan said goes. Jian Zhiqin, who not only grew taller over the years but also grew wiser, his eyes brightened up at the mention of making money.
"Sister, are you really letting us sell these?"
He couldn’t quite believe it; selling Spring Festival couplets was very profitable. He had bought some with his mom before—a small one went for one yuan, but the large ones would cost two or three yuan. And he felt that the characters on those couplets were not even as good as the ones written by Qin Xiangnuan.
"Of course," Qin Xiangnuan switched the brush to her left hand and began writing with it, which fascinated both children watching.
Taotao still didn’t understand much, but Jian Zhiqin was even more astonished. Besides making delicious Conghua pancakes, his sister could write with both hands! He firmly memorized this scene, planning to boast to his classmates back home about how capable his cousin was, being able to write with both hands.
Of course, Qin Xiangnuan had no idea what this little guy was thinking. She originally planned to sell some of the Spring Festival couplets she wrote throughout the year through Teacher Wang, and give some to Jian Zhiqin so he could learn to make money himself and realize the challenges of earning money. Hence, he would think more when spending. Although Jian Zhiqin was great in many aspects, he was extravagant with money. It was essential to educate him now, before bad habits became ingrained and hard to correct.
As for Taotao, he was easy to handle. With his elder brother Jian Zhiqing around, it seemed that little Taotao wouldn’t go astray.
For the remaining part, she would take them home and let her elder brother, together with Hua Jun, sell them. After selling, half of the money would go to Hua Jun, allowing him to earn some money and boost his confidence through his own efforts. Although Hua Jun was slow, he was not insane. He was aware of things, and Qin Xiangnuan never treated him as if he were intellectually disabled; to her, he was just like anyone else, just ill and in need of proper treatment to recover.
She had almost figured out Hua Jun’s future path. She would discuss it with Granny Lu upon returning home, to prevent neglect from delaying Hua Jun’s progress. For those who seized the opportunity early, profits were typically assured, whereas those who did nothing would just guard their small plot of land, leading a life that was neither poor nor rich, merely subsisting from meal to meal, never advancing beyond others. Such a life was not what Qin Xiangnuan desired.
While writing, her thoughts were somewhat disjointed, yet the words under her brush never lost their order. Jian Zhiqin’s eyes whirled a few times, and he memorized some things. Seizing the moment when Taotao was eating, he swiftly finished his meal. Back in the room, he pulled out his schoolbag, fetched a small notebook and a pen, and began writing.
"Spring Festival, selling Spring Festival couplets."
"One yuan for a small one, two yuan for a bigger one, and three yuan for an even larger one, buy two get one free. Oh, let sister add a ’Fu’ character, give away a ’Fu’ character," he saw others selling them this way, and a lot of people were buying.
Upon hearing Jian Zhiqin’s words, Qin Xiangnuan pinched his little face hard.
"You really know how to do business."
Jian Zhiqin smiled so wide his eyes nearly disappeared. Look, he knew he was a smart kid. He was the smartest child in their family.
After Qin Xiangnuan finished writing here, she would work overtime in the system at night, writing Spring Festival couplets and ’Fu’ characters. She planned to write at least seven thousand couplets, giving one thousand to Jian Zhiqin, three thousand for Teacher Wang to sell on consignment, and keeping three thousand at home. By reducing the quantity slightly for each, there was no pressure.
She also casually wrote quite a few ’Fu’ characters, all small and ideal as gifts. Of course, there were also large ’Fu’ characters which were sold for money, 50 cents each. While one household only needed one Spring Festival couplet, ’Fu’ characters were different; each door in a house needed one, so the demand was higher.
This was much simpler to write than Spring Festival couplets; just one character per paper sheet.
An Ran, Taotao and Jian Zhiqin were not just freeloaders; they helped cut the paper and roll the couplets. Of course, they also agreed to help Qin Xiangnuan maintain cleanliness everyday. Sometimes, when Qin Xiangnuan saw little Taotao, not even tall as a broom, sweeping the yard, she couldn’t help but laugh.
Children these days were indeed shrewd,
just like Little Taotao, not knowing how he became so cunning. Whenever he saw Qin Xiangnuan take out paper and brush, he looked as if he had seen a gold ingot. In reality, this was all the result of Jian Zhiqin’s teachings, as he almost daily reminded Taotao that they were going to sell the couplets his sister wrote when the New Year approached. Then, all the money would be theirs, without needing to hand it over to their parents, and they could buy whatever they wanted.