Back in the store, there were many customers and it was very busy. Zhou Xinglian and Guan Jinyue didn't even have time to sit down and rest.
The aunt came over to help. Being new to the industry, she could only help collect money and make change. Even so, it was a big help.
Fortunately, as the Chinese New Year is approaching, there are fewer people calling to place orders. After all, things are expensive, and if you have trust, it’s better to go downstairs and come to the store to choose for yourself.
There is an endless stream of customers in the store.
At the beginning of the new year, every household prepares new year's goods, chicken, duck, fish and meat. It's a big deal at the farmer's market. Everyone comes back with big and small parcels.
The residents who live in Anshun Street are blessed because they don’t need to buy their fruits and vegetables outside.
The prices are almost the same, and I am a regular customer at 'Xianshiguang'. I can also choose some newly opened ones, and take them home after buying them. This saves me from having to buy a lot of plastic bags at the farmer's market in the winter.
There are many people in 'Xianshi Time', but there are more goods. You will find that you can't buy all kinds of must-have dishes for the Chinese New Year, and you don't have to ask someone to unbox them. Almost every time they are put on the shelves, they are newly unboxed. The little bit left over from the selection was not carried by Xiao Zhou and her son. They directly reduced the price and put it in a separate pile, so that those who wanted to buy bargains had room to wait.
After Wei Tao came back, he took the electronic scale he just bought to the door. There were so many customers coming and going that the glass door was closed. When he came back, he opened it directly, took two chairs, sat on one, and put a digital scale on it. There was no need for everyone to go inside to check out after buying. With more people, the store seemed smaller, and it was inconvenient for everyone to get crowded.
I put an electric heater under my feet, so I lit it up without worrying about wasting electricity. Wearing a down jacket, I sat at the door and weighed everyone and checked out, making the whole process faster.
How much money did you make in the past few days?
On the morning of New Year's Eve, after the goods in the store were sorted into categories, Zhou Xinglian couldn't wait any longer. She happily sat at the 'simple bar' formed by a table and started checking money.
With a total of more than 26,000 yuan, Zhou Xinglian was so happy that she let Guan Jinyue look at the store, and took her son to make a deposit of 20,000 yuan while the bank was not closed before noon.
When they came back, Guan Jinyue had already sorted everything out. According to Zhou Xinglian's instructions, she put some of the selected unsold fruits and vegetables into boxes and took them to her brother's house for consumption during the Chinese New Year. After all, her family To do this, I didn’t ask my family to prepare similar New Year’s goods.
The three of them organized some unpacked goods and continued to sell them after the opening on the third day of the Lunar New Year. Zhou Xinglian wanted to rest for a few more days. During the Chinese New Year, relatives at home gathered together, but she had been hungry for a long time and had no time to go. After playing mahjong, I finally had a rest and was ready to play hard for a few days.
Wei Tao didn't like going to his uncle's house very much, so he told his mother that he could play for a few more days. On the third day of the junior high school, he could open the door alone.
"Xiaoyue, just come with us. I'm not worried about you being alone at home." Zhou Xinglian invited Guan Jinyue for the nth time to take her to her brother's house to celebrate the New Year. Guan Jinyue still declined with a smile, saying that she was alone. It's okay, just use it for studying.
"Okay, Mom, I won't stay there after the reunion dinner. It doesn't matter if you have me, so don't force it. She doesn't know anyone, and it will be awkward to go there, just like at home." Wei Tao stopped his mother. , let alone Guan Jinyue, he was unwilling to go, let alone her.
Seeing her son saying the same thing, Zhou Xinglian didn't insist, but just told her a few more words not to wrong her at home, and to eat all the fish, meat, chicken, and fruits and vegetables she brought home.
Guan Jinyue smiled brightly: "Don't worry, Auntie, I won't lose my money."
Zhou Xinglian took out a red envelope with five hundred yuan in it. It was not just New Year's money. These days, she was busy from morning to night every day. Even though she was the one who was kind to others, she still needed to use practical actions to express gratitude.
Guan Jinyue hesitated for a moment, then took it with both hands: "Thank you, auntie, for wishing you New Year's greetings in advance."
Men have gold under their knees, and daughters even more so. It has long been out of fashion to kneel down and kowtow to pay New Year greetings. But at this moment, Guan Jinyue knelt down on her knees. Zhou Xinglian was startled. She tried to help her, muttering: "Child, get up quickly. Get up, what are you doing..."
………………
After loading vegetables and fruits and sending Guan Jinyue home, the mother and son set off for their uncle's house in the countryside dozens of kilometers away from the city. Before going, they went to the aunt's mother-in-law's house, and after going through the formalities, they went to their mother's house every year as usual. The aunt who was celebrating the New Year picked me up. On the other side, the fourth aunt's family went to Uncle Wei Tao's house to celebrate the New Year every year because the fourth uncle's parents were gone. Their family set off by car early in the morning.
A typical northeastern rural area.
Wei Tao's grandfather is no longer alive, and his second aunt died early before getting married due to illness. The remaining three uncles and third aunt have all settled down in nearby villages.
Wei Tao's father passed away when he was young. For a period of time, his grandma helped to bring him up. He had a deep relationship with her, but he had no relationship with his three uncles and three aunts who lived in the nearby area. He even had some arrogance in his heart. Resistance and the feeling of being looked down upon by others made Wei Tao never go back after his grandma passed away before his rebirth except to pay homage to her grave.
Although the blood relationship is close, the accumulation and origin of this emotion cannot be based on blood relationship alone, so after arriving here, Wei Tao sat next to his grandma and chatted with her.
What actually matters in rural areas is that each small family celebrates New Year's Eve by themselves. Here, because several sisters are in the city and rarely get together a year, they do not follow the "convention" and get together every year to celebrate the New Year.
Zhou Xinglian took back a lot of fruits and vegetables, including some high-end fruits. But even so, his uncle and aunts were still mumbling why they didn't come back earlier. Many people had the New Year's Eve dinner before one o'clock. They, I guess The last in the village.
There is no specific explanation, just to seek auspiciousness. Because of this auspiciousness, the New Year's Eve dinner should be eaten in the evening. From four to three o'clock, some people even start eating before one o'clock in the afternoon to grab this auspiciousness. '.
This made Wei Tao feel very good. He came to the table and ate a few simple bites before leaving the table. He came to his grandma who couldn't eat much and secretly handed him the 500 yuan he had prepared for his grandma. The grandson was filial to the old man. of.
Wei Tao smiled, pressed his grandmother's hand that refused, and put the money into her hand, his eyes telling her not to shirk it or let others see it.
"Keep this money for yourself and buy something you like to eat."
In 2003, there are still a few hours before the real arrival according to Chinese people's habits. Starting from last year, Wei Tao, who is considered by adults to be eighteen years old, is no longer qualified to receive New Year's money, and he doesn't care. I feel uncomfortable, and I have to listen to other people's seemingly well-intentioned advice, but it is actually the nagging of "disdain and dislike".
Maybe he was a lost star in their eyes, dragging his mother down, or maybe they didn't like his deceased father, and they lacked recognition for him. Until he was reborn, he never really wanted to understand the truth. There was no need. It's just an act that embarrasses my mother. If we're not close or close, then we can just be fine.
After dinner, the mahjong game was set up, and the male and female warriors from the east and west rooms came on stage one after another. Wei Tao also said goodbye to his grandma, said a simple hello to everyone, and drove away.
My uncle and aunt said that a van was a waste. They finally found a way to make some money, but they just started enjoying it. Do you know how much it costs to keep a car for a year? It's both fuel and insurance.
Wei Tao did not defend himself. Even if there was no pleading look from his mother, he did not intend to defend himself. The real Wei Tao, who was seventeen or eighteen years old, would raise his neck to defend himself. Once he was born again, even for his mother, he would Too lazy to argue with them.
A mother can be strong for her children, but in front of her brothers and sisters who have taken care of her since she was a child, even if she is a strong mother, she is not willing to argue with her relatives about right and wrong over "little things".
Wei Tao left, and someone else muttered in Zhou Xinglian's ear: "This child has been spoiled by you, and he will do whatever he says. This is not okay."
"That's right, I heard from Xiaoju that he takes the money to purchase the goods. You can believe it, but that's not possible."
Zhou Xinglian did not defend herself. Firstly, she has been used to it for many years. She is always the one who listens to what others say. Secondly, she is not really sincere and knows that her wealth should not be exposed. Even if she is a biological sister, she should still maintain a certain level of wealth in terms of money. distance.
Is he a bad person?
No, at least they really take care of their sister. Wei Tao doesn't think it's a problem if they talk badly and look down on themselves, so they won't become enemies. Keeping away from each other is a way to make each other feel comfortable, keeping out of sight.
………………
At home, there are vegetables and rice on the Kang table, and a few bottles of beer on the floor.
The car drove into the courtyard, and Guan Jinyue stood at the door of the house wearing a cotton coat. She liked to lower her head, but only in front of this man, she could choose to look down unscrupulously, and the respect between them would be clearly felt. She didn't need to care about the embarrassing situation in front of her.
She knows that the other person can 'see' her future, and she will definitely be successful in the future, so she doesn't have to feel inferior in front of him for her current embarrassment.
"Drink?"
"Well, drink some."
There is no embarrassment or embarrassment in being alone together. The tacit understanding between the two has never been tried and has become natural over time.
Chicken stewed with mushrooms, cucumbers peeled, and a portion of cooked and sliced pork dipped in garlic sauce.
There was no TV at home, so Wei Tao turned on the radio, adjusted it to the court broadcast frequency band, and listened to the content synchronized with the court station.
On New Year's Eve, starting early in the morning, similar TV stations are full of the atmosphere of the New Year. You can feel the excitement even if you listen to the radio, including interviews from the backstage of the Spring Festival Gala, lively New Year scenes across the country, and some interviews with celebrities.
The sound of the radio also adds a sense of New Year to the house. It is no longer a lonely house with the sound of firecrackers outside.
"If you are celebrating the New Year, tie your hair up and comb it well, and don't squint your eyes on purpose all the time. Looking at you now, and thinking about what you said I am not good enough for you, I will feel very frustrated. By the way, New Year's gift , I gave it to you."
Wei Tao took out the gift bag in the car, a thick cotton coat that was not expensive, a light purple turtleneck sweater, one that was not tight but not as fat and big as the ones Guan Jinyue wore in the past. jeans and a pair of domestic brand sneakers.
Guan Jinyue also took out her own gift, a sketch of Wei Tao, and then walked into the hut carrying the gift bag.
Ten minutes later, Guan Jinyue walked out. When he no longer bent over on purpose, and when she put on a body-shaping sweater, some of the things she usually deliberately concealed were clearly revealed, let alone this era. Whether there is padding or not, Wei Tao knows that she will never have such luxury goods to support a certain part of her body. Being able to have good curves is her own hard power.
"You're right, I really don't deserve you."
