Perhaps due to their shared surname, Liang Hongmei and Liang Qian got along very well. When Hongmei learned that Qian was a single woman taking care of two children while trying to make a living, she immediately felt a sense of admiration.
In this era, everything is about state-owned enterprises, and they’ve hardly seen any private businesses. Especially at this time, most people look down on those in private businesses.
To be able to go out and do business despite others’ opinions takes a courage worth learning from.
"Big sister, please don’t laugh at me. I didn’t even graduate from elementary school, what could I possibly understand? My son and daughter need to go to college. I live in the countryside, barely getting by with a few acres of land, paying the public grain, and just having enough to eat. If we could have meat even once a year, it would be great. I simply had no choice but to listen to my daughter’s advice, come out and start a small business to support my son’s college education. My daughter is visionary; all these ideas were hers."
"You can’t say it like that. Now that the country is opening up and supporting this, with such good children you’ll have a lot of blessings to enjoy in the future, my dear sister."
"As long as the kids don’t resent me, that’s all I ask for."
"Our Old Mei is likely to be transferred to another city this time; otherwise, I would have really wanted to keep in touch with you more. There will be fewer opportunities to meet in the future."
"Next time you come over, come to the shop. I’ll make you some of our southern cuisine."
As they were leaving, Mei Lang Jun left ten dollars for Lin Wan again. No matter what Lin Wan said, she didn’t accept it. There were still eighty cents left from the thirty dollars last time. Lin Wan handed over the half-month delivery list to Mei Lang Jun and also the eighty cents.
Mei Lang Jun didn’t really care about this small amount of money. Seeing Lin Wan so earnest and having prepared so much, he chuckled lightly. He didn’t take the delivery list but accepted the eighty cents.
Lin Wan smiled knowingly at this. Mei Lang Jun’s actions showed trust in them.
After her brother returned to school, the hospital meal deliveries were all handled by Zhang Shuhua. She was quite strong, and now without the need to collect lunchboxes early, Zhang Shuhua worked from eleven to two, and then from five to seven in the evening.
The weather was gradually cooling, and more customers came to the shop. Lin Wan was busy at the store every day, leaving her no time to go shopping.
But occasionally, when Zhang Shuhua visited, she would tell Lin Wan about new and interesting things on the street.
With Zhang Shuhua around, Lin Wan wasn’t that lonely.
From the time the shop opened until now, it had been four months. Today, after paying Grandma Wang and Zhang Shuhua their wages, Lin Wan cooked a few dishes and bought a bottle of soda from outside. The four of them celebrated. It also counted as employee benefits.
Grandma Wang used to work at a match factory. Before retirement, her salary was more than fifty a month. Although it’s just twenty a month now, she’s really happy working here. The mother and daughter always treat her politely, the work is easy—cleaning vegetables, washing dishes—and it’s just a few hours’ work.
Zhang Shuhua didn’t really care about how much the wages were. Her purpose for working was to lose weight; the more tiring, the better. From her attire, Zhang Shuhua’s family seemed to be well-off. But she never mentioned it, nor did Lin Wan ask much. After all, everyone has their own privacy.
When she got home that evening, Lin Wan took out the money she earned that month, deducted the costs, and calculated the profit. Including the money made at the morning market, it totaled three hundred sixty-eight yuan and twenty cents. Some vouchers in hand she didn’t need were exchanged for cash at the mall. She kept a few she could use.
She had already deposited three times three hundred into the savings account. Counting this, they had more than one thousand in savings now. In this era, more than one thousand was a significant sum.
That wasn’t her initial intent. She didn’t just want to run a restaurant; she wants to create a chain of restaurants.