RGL – Chapter 25

After signing the lease, Su Changrong and Sun Hai didn’t go out to set up their stall the next day. Instead, they went to the lumber mill, brought back wood, and started hammering away inside the house—renovating it themselves.

When Zhu Qiang came back from work in the evening, he also came to lend a hand.

“Why didn’t you just hire some workers?”

Su Changrong handed him a hand-rolled cigarette. “Hiring workers costs too much money. We’re all familiar with this kind of work from back home. It’s not a big deal. Me and Xiao Hai can finish it in a couple of days.”

Zhu Qiang looked at the already repaired windows and the roof. It was clear Su Changrong wasn’t exaggerating. “Old buddy, you’re the real deal,” he said, giving him a big thumbs-up.

Su Changrong grinned from ear to ear.

After a few days of work, the house was all fixed up. Not just the roof, windows, and doors, but even the kitchen had a new roof, and the stove inside had been rebuilt.

With the leftover wood, Su Changrong casually made some small stools and tables. They weren’t as refined as those made by real carpenters, but they were usable.

Once the repairs were done, Su Changrong and Sun Qiufang started preparing to move. When they told Sister Chen about the move, her eyes turned red. “I was just about to bring it up too. Our family’s situation isn’t what it used to be. I doubt we’ll be able to keep this place for long.”

Sister Chen was a pretty decent person. Although she had been cold and a bit prejudiced toward them in the beginning, she warmed up over time. Whenever she had something tasty at home, she’d bring a little over for Su Min to try.

Since they were leaving, both Sun Qiufang and Su Changrong felt they should do something to show their gratitude.

There wasn’t much at home, so Sun Qiufang simply bought some tonic supplements and gave them to Sister Chen’s family. After having a heartfelt conversation with her, they began the move.

The new place they rented was quite spacious—four rooms in total. One for the couple, one each for Sun Hai and Su Min, and the last one used as storage.

Whether in the village or the city, this was the first time the whole family had lived in such a big space. Thinking back to how they used to squeeze into a small, dark room in the countryside, both husband and wife felt this new life was simply amazing. If there was only one regret, it was that the house wasn’t theirs. No matter how nice it was, it was still rented. But now that the family’s circumstances were improving, there was hope for the future. They both firmly believed that one day, they’d have a house of their own and truly settle down in the city.

Once everything was tidied up, the family decided to celebrate with a meal at a restaurant.

Normally, the household was always busy—especially during holidays. Apart from their first meal out when they moved to the city, they hadn’t eaten out again. This time, Sun Qiufang also wanted to thank Zhu Qiang for helping them find the house, so she invited his whole family to join them for dinner.

When Zhu Qiang heard about the dinner invitation, he looked a bit embarrassed. “That’s too polite—I was just lending a hand.”

Sun Qiufang smiled and said, “Don’t say that. Both Changrong and I remember the help you gave us. No matter what, you have to come eat with us. Bring Zhang Hui and the kids too. The more, the merrier.”

Zhu Qiang finally smiled. “Alright then. Just give us a shout when you’re ready, and we’ll head out together.”

Sun Qiufang laughed and quickly went to get things ready.

As soon as she left, Zhang Hui said, “You guys go ahead. Xiaobing isn’t back yet—I need to stay home and wait for him. Otherwise, there won’t be anything for him to eat when he gets home.”

Zhu Qiang’s expression darkened at the mention of his son. He said with frustration, “That rascal, always so restless. When he gets back, I’m going to give him a good beating.”

Zhang Hui quickly interjected, “Why hit him? He lost his mom at such a young age. It’s only natural for him to be like this. Even though I’m just his stepmother, I need to treat him well. If we teach him properly, he’ll turn out okay.”

“You’re always so good to him, but he still acts out. Sigh…” Zhu Qiang thought of how his son always nitpicked at his wife and felt a wave of irritation. He realized that he hadn’t been strict enough in the past. But since that boy was his only child, he couldn’t just ignore him either.

“Well, if you’re eating out tonight, I’ll be home early,” he said.

Zhang Hui smiled. “Don’t worry about me. Just go enjoy yourself.”

After that, she went to find Liao Zhaodi and told her to go out with Zhu Qiang later.

“Mom, why aren’t you going? It’s not like Zhu Xiaobing’s coming home—why do you care?”

Hearing this, Zhang Hui immediately got upset and scolded her, “What kind of thing is that to say? He’s your brother. How can you talk like that?”

“I’m telling the truth. He always hits me and yells at you, yet you’re still so good to him. Why weren’t you like this with me and sister before?”

As soon as she said it, Liao Zhaodi regretted it deeply. She didn’t mean to hurt her mother with her words, but she was too upset to hold it in.

Seeing Zhang Hui’s eyes redden, she quickly added, “Mom, I’m sorry, it’s my fault. I won’t say things like that again.”

Zhang Hui sighed. “Zhaodi, I know Xiaobing usually treats you badly, but we’re living at the Zhu family’s place now. Uncle Zhu was kind enough to take us in—we should be grateful. No matter what, Xiaobing is still our family. I’m his stepmother, and everyone’s watching. If anything goes wrong, people will criticize us.”

Liao Zhaodi felt suffocated by her words, unsure of what to say.

She wanted to ask why her own children were treated worse than someone else’s, but seeing her mother’s troubled expression, the words got stuck in her throat. Even the auntie next door often said that it wasn’t easy for her mom to raise her alone—she couldn’t become a burden.

When night fell, Su Changrong’s whole family went out and dropped by to visit Zhu Qiang’s family as well.

Seeing only Zhu Qiang and Liao Zhaodi, Sun Qiufang asked, “Why didn’t Zhang Hui come?”

Zhu Qiang smiled. “One of the kids hasn’t come home yet, so she stayed back to watch them. Anyway, we live close by—there’ll be plenty of chances later.”

Sun Qiufang understood she was staying back to take care of Zhu Xiaobing and didn’t say more. Being a stepmother is a tough job. If you do badly, people curse you; if you do well, you just end up sacrificing yourself.

Now that the family had money, Sun Qiufang and Su Changrong were more generous and picked a well-known restaurant in town. They didn’t skimp when ordering dishes this time.

After the table was full of food, the adults started drinking.

Su Min noticed that Liao Zhaodi looked down. “What’s wrong?”

Liao Zhaodi glanced at Zhu Qiang talking with Su Changrong and shook her head. “I just miss my sister and them.”

Su Min knew she wasn’t telling the whole truth, but didn’t press her. She smiled and said, “Don’t think too much. You’ll have a chance to visit them someday. Oh, remember I told you we could make money this summer? Are you interested in doing it together?”

“You weren’t joking? I thought you were just playing around.”

“Why would I joke about that? I’ve been counting on earning money in this heat. Now that we live close to each other, it’s perfect for working together.”

Liao Zhaodi looked worried. “But I don’t have money… I can only do manual labor.”

Su Min patted her on the arm. “Don’t worry. Just leave everything to me.”

Talking about making money lifted Liao Zhaodi’s mood a lot. She couldn’t help but ask what exactly they’d be doing. But Su Min kept it secret, saying, “You’ll find out soon enough. Eat up—how often do we get to eat at a restaurant like this?”

Hearing that, Liao Zhaodi smiled with squinted eyes and happily joined in eating.

Looking at her, Su Min sighed silently to herself. If only someone had helped her out like this before, maybe things would’ve been better for her too.

They didn’t leave the restaurant until it was about to close.

Zhu Qiang and Su Changrong had both had quite a bit to drink and kept talking the whole way home. Once they got back, Su Changrong kept chatting with Sun Qiufang.

“Qiufang, our life is so good now—it feels like a dream. And it’s only going to get better from here.”

Sun Qiufang couldn’t be bothered with him. She just shoved him onto the bed, covered him with a thin blanket, and brought him hot water to wash his face.

Su Min didn’t bother with them either. She went straight to her room to check her money box.

Since moving to town, she had some pocket money. She kept whatever was left over from grocery shopping, and now had over thirty yuan saved up.

She wanted to earn money on her own, so she didn’t want to ask Sun Qiufang for more.

After putting the money away, she did some quick mental calculations, then washed up and went to bed.

Even though she slept late, everyone in the family got up early the next morning. Sun Qiufang cleaned the whole house, inside and out. Then she made the first breakfast on their new wood-burning stove.

“This kind of stove with firewood feels like a real home,” Sun Qiufang said, looking at the spacious kitchen, extremely satisfied. She felt the money had been well spent.

Su Min said, “Mom, I’ve made plans to go out with Zhaodi. We’re leaving after breakfast.”

“Out for what? It’s so hot! You should stay home and rest. After summer, school starts again. If you get tanned, your classmates will make fun of you.”

“Mom, it’s fine. Nobody stays home all summer nowadays. I’ve already made plans with Zhaodi. You and Dad just don’t worry.”

“Alright then. I’m going out too. Your dad and your uncle are going out to set up the stall. I’ll stay at home and see if we can get some business going now that we’ve put up the sign. If we can make money at home, your dad and uncle won’t need to go out anymore.”

After breakfast, Sun Hai wrote “Su Family General Store” in big characters on a wooden board with a brush, and Su Changrong hung it up outside the house. Sun Qiufang also used chalk to write prices for various goods on a small wooden sign, placed them in a sack, and set them out on a wooden board at the door. Seeing the setup, she was pleased. “Doesn’t matter if people come to buy or not—just setting it up feels good.”

When Su Changrong and Sun Hai went out, Su Min also headed out with her old cotton-padded jacket and a cardboard box to find Liao Zhaodi.

Sun Qiufang saw her carrying a jacket in the summer heat and laughed. “What are you doing with that?”

“It’s useful! I’m heading out!” Su Min replied hurriedly and ran off to find Liao Zhaodi. She was sure that if her mom knew she was going out to make money, she’d be forced to stay home and watch the stall instead.

Thirteen years old—really couldn’t afford any more heartbreak.

Once she met up with Liao Zhaodi, she pulled her along and headed straight toward the factory area.

Zhaodi was excited. “Su Min, what are we doing exactly? How are we going to make money?”

Su Min didn’t keep it a secret anymore and smiled. “It’s hot now, right? We’ll get some popsicles from the factory and sell them around town. We make two cents per popsicle—if we work hard, we can earn a few yuan a day. Over a month, that’s dozens of yuan!”

Zhaodi’s eyes widened. “We can really make that much?” To her, dozens of yuan felt like a fortune.

“Of course! There’s only one summer a year—who wouldn’t want something cold to eat?”

“You’re right.” Zhaodi nodded, then looked down, worried again. “But I don’t have money…”

Without money, she couldn’t do the business.

Su Min grabbed her hand. “I’ve got the money. You just do the work. After we take out costs, how about we split it 60-40?”

Even though she wanted to bring Zhaodi along to earn money, Su Min didn’t plan to overly pamper her. People are complicated. If you’re too nice for no reason, they’re grateful at first, but later they just take it for granted. Better to be clear from the start—it prevents future resentment.

Zhaodi didn’t feel like she was getting the short end of the deal at all. In fact, she felt Su Min was being incredibly generous. After all, without her, she wouldn’t be able to earn a single cent.

“Su Min, thank you.”

Su Min smiled with her lips pursed, full of spirit, and said, “Let’s make money together—eat well and drink well!”

But Liao Zhaodi took it seriously and said earnestly, “Even if we earn money, we can’t spend it like that. Once we make some, I’ll treat you to a soda.”

Hearing that, Su Min couldn’t help laughing and replied, “Alright! I want an ice pop too, the most expensive kind.”

Although the ice pop factory didn’t sell individual pieces, they allowed bulk purchases like Su Min’s—buying fifty at a time. There weren’t many flavors back then, and the quality was rough. They weren’t wrapped in plastic, just a layer of paper. Su Min spread her cotton coat inside the cardboard box, packed in the ice pops, and sealed it tightly. Then she and Liao Zhaodi carried the box to a crowded area.

Once they got to the plaza, Su Min and Liao Zhaodi found a shady spot near the mall entrance and began shouting to attract customers.

The weather was hot, and many people were out shopping. Spending a few cents on an ice pop was nothing, especially when they saw two young girls selling—they felt sympathetic and wanted to help. People with small change would often buy two.

By noon, only about twenty ice pops were left. Su Min decided not to stay in the plaza any longer—people usually went home for lunch around that time, and the crowd was thinning. Checking the big clock in the plaza, she saw it was already 11 a.m., so she grabbed Liao Zhaodi and headed to the county middle school.

“What are we doing at the school?” Liao Zhaodi asked as she looked at the tightly closed school gates, her eyes full of longing. This middle school looked way better than the one in town.

Su Min set the box down and said, “School’s letting out soon, and the students here all have pocket money. If we stay here, we’ll definitely get more sales.”

Sure enough, before long, the school bell rang.

Students began pouring out of the gates, all dressed in matching uniforms. The girls wore blue pinafore dresses, making Liao Zhaodi stare in awe.

Su Min nudged her, and she snapped out of it. The two began shouting together, “Ice pops for sale! Cold and sweet! Just five cents each!”

Kids are always tempted by snacks, and soon a crowd gathered. Unlike younger kids, these students had real spending money. Some came from well-off families and carried fifty cents or even a whole yuan. They had no problem buying.

In no time, the remaining ice pops were sold out. Some students who didn’t get any looked disappointed.

Su Min quickly said, “I’ll be back this afternoon. If you want more, come back, and I’ll save some for you.”

Whether she really would or not didn’t matter—her words hit the mark. Students, easily moved, waved happily and headed home for lunch.

As they packed up, Liao Zhaodi said, “Su Min, you’re amazing. I wish I could talk and do business like you.”

“You’ll get better with practice. No one’s born knowing how to talk—we all learn. As long as you’ve got the will, nothing’s impossible.”

By the end of the morning, after subtracting costs, they made a net profit of one yuan. Based on their agreement, Liao Zhaodi got forty cents.

It wasn’t much, but she was thrilled. Adults made only a few dozen yuan a month, which, spread out, didn’t amount to much daily. Earning a whole yuan in one day felt like a lot to her.

Su Min, on the other hand, thought it wasn’t enough.

She reflected on it—the initial batch was too small. There was potential to sell both at the market and the schools. She and Liao Zhaodi could split up after the first stop. Also, besides ice pops, they could sell soda. The only issue was that soda bottles were heavy, and neither of them had the strength to carry much.

At lunch, Su Min thought about it and decided to tell her uncle about her business plans.

“Uncle, don’t tell my mom yet. Wait until I’m making good money. Otherwise, she might not let me go out anymore.” Now that the family had income, her mom wouldn’t approve of her working hard for just one yuan a day.

Sun Hai was surprised, “You’ve started doing business too? Isn’t school starting soon?”

Su Min had expected that reaction. “I’ve already reviewed all the textbooks. I just want to try earning something over the summer.”

Compared to her mom, Sun Hai was more open-minded. At her age, having ideas was a good thing. “Alright, I’ll help you move supplies this afternoon. But listen—if anyone bullies you, come find us at the stall, okay?”

“Got it! Who’d dare bully me?” Su Min replied with a grin.

That afternoon, Sun Hai made up an excuse to go with Su Min to the ice pop factory.

With his help, Su Min managed to bring back over ten bottles of soda. Though heavy, soda had the advantage of not melting like ice pops—so even if it didn’t sell, it wouldn’t go to waste.

Before classes resumed, Su Min returned to the middle school to set up. Students trickled in, some stopping to buy an ice pop to take with them.

Seeing her business in action, Sun Hai chuckled. “No wonder your uncle said you’ve got a business brain—you really do. What gave you the idea?”

Su Min smiled, “I love these treats myself, so I figured others would too. Worst case, if they don’t sell, I’ll eat them all myself.”

Sun Hai shook his head with a smile, then, watching the stream of students entering the school, had an idea.

“Minzi, what if we sold snacks near the school—what do you think?”

He no longer saw his niece as just a little girl.

Su Min’s eyes lit up. “Uncle, are you thinking of opening a small shop?”

“A shop?”

“A concession stand.”

Sun Hai nodded. “I just think—with so many students here and snacks being cheap—it could be good business if they like it.”

Su Min grew more excited. She’d heard before that running a small shop near a school could be really profitable. Even if individual items didn’t earn much, volume would make up for it.

“Uncle, if you really want to do it, you can also sell school supplies—pencils, erasers, notebooks.”

“Minzi, you’ve got a sharp mind,” Sun Hai laughed. He’d been looking for a business of his own since helping his sister and brother-in-law—something he could manage independently. Now he had a real idea to run with.

Watching her uncle leave happily, Su Min sat down and grinned. Sure enough, as long as you’re willing to work, you’ll always find a way to earn a living. Her uncle had a good head for business too—if he followed through, he’d definitely succeed.

That afternoon was hotter than the morning. Just after classes resumed, they’d already sold most of the soda and ice pops. Su Min didn’t want to move around anymore and decided to stay at the school gate.

After two class periods, everything was sold out. Carrying the empty soda bottles, Su Min headed to the elementary school to meet Liao Zhaodi. But halfway there, she ran into her.

Business had been good on Liao Zhaodi’s end, too. Elementary school kids loved ice pops even more. They didn’t have much money, but they could still spare a few cents.

In just one afternoon, after deducting the costs, they made three yuan—much better than the morning.

Having earned some money, both girls were full of motivation. Regardless of the heat, they set up their stall on time every day.

In the month before the summer break officially began, each of them had already made dozens of yuan.

Su Min suggested that Liao Zhaodi save all her money and not tell anyone. That way, if she ever wanted to go back to school, she could use it for herself.

Liao Zhaodi clutched the money tightly and nodded. “I’ll use it for my sister and the others back home. I want them to be able to study too.”

Su Min noticed that Liao Zhaodi’s eyes were no longer timid—they now carried confidence and hope.

As Su Min went out more and more, Sun Qiufang eventually found out about her running a stall.

At first, she wanted to stop her daughter from working in the heat. But when she heard that her daughter had earned fifty yuan in a month, she was simply stunned. In her eyes, if their family business only made fifty yuan a month, that would be considered a small amount—but for a child to make that much on her own? That was impressive.

With Sun Hai also talking to her—and since nothing had gone wrong during that time—Sun Qiufang didn’t say much more. She just reminded her daughter not to stay out too long each day, especially during July and August when the heat could be intense.

Now that everything was out in the open, Su Min felt much more at ease and happily agreed to her mom’s conditions.

While Su Min was busy with her little business, Sun Hai had also shared his plans with Su Changrong.