In the past, the concept of doing business was something people dared not mention openly. After all, it wasn’t until the last two years of the 70s that free entrepreneurship was completely allowed. Before that, ordinary people engaging in business was illegal. However, in recent years, things have changed, and there are people doing business in the town.
Gradually, people straightened their backs, and going to the town to conduct business became more and more accepted. It became routine for people to load up a cart with goods and go to the town to sell. It wasn’t uncommon anymore. Even a young girl like Yin Yujiao dared to go to the market, set up a stall with a few pairs of well-sewn shoes, and exchange them for a few coins as a household subsidy. The times had indeed changed.
Moreover, with Yin Yue’s confident and resolute statements, as if only one person had the courage to venture into business, and the heavens would shower them with wealth, Qin Mao started to believe it too.
The two of them agreed instantly and decided to open a store and start a business in the city. But starting a business required capital. Where would they get the money? The Qin family was poor, and their house didn’t even need to be locked up at night because thieves wouldn’t bother with them. So, the only option was to get the money from the Yin family.
The Yin family wasn’t naive. The couple in the main house, along with the old lady, had worked hard over the years and managed to save up a considerable sum of money. Unlike the head of the Qin family, who had squandered everything on gambling, the Yin family had some savings put aside for a purpose. With a family member preparing for the university entrance exam, whether they succeeded or not, the money would naturally be reserved for the aspiring student. The remaining funds were designated for Xiao Bao since it was time for him to go to town for further education after completing primary school.
It was a given that Xiao Bao would continue his education beyond primary school. Regardless of his aptitude, Grandma Luo assumed he had the potential. The abacus was clattering away, considering the expenses for the prospective university student and factoring in the future plans for Xiao Bao, who was supposed to go to the city for acting, earning money, getting married, and eventually supporting them in their old age. All these plans required funds, and the entire family would have to contribute.
Therefore, Grandma Luo couldn’t possibly allocate these funds to Yin Yue. After all, daughters were expected to marry one day, and providing a generous dowry was considered sufficient. Besides the share for her granddaughter, the partiality-prone old lady wanted every brick, every tile, and every blade of grass in the courtyard to belong to her grandson.
It was something quite common in those times, and in some cases, families didn’t even provide a dowry for their daughters, selling them off for a lump sum of money. However, Yin Yue couldn’t tolerate it. She erupted, accusing her family of favoring the grandson over the granddaughter and even went as far as calling Grandma Luo heartless.
Grandma Luo’s face instantly darkened. “I’m heartless? Saying such things, aren’t you afraid of divine retribution? If the family is willing to provide you with five or six hundred yuan as a dowry, that’s already generous. What more do you want? If you’re planning to marry that Qin Mao, I won’t even give you a dowry!”
For the Qin family, they couldn’t even afford the basic items for a wedding ceremony. It was a clear loss-making deal. Moreover, five or six hundred yuan was not a small amount; it represented almost two years of the family’s hard-earned income. However, Yin Yue still found it inadequate.
“How can you do this? Grandma, this is about my lifelong happiness!” For a daughter to be married off without a dowry, she would be looked down upon in her husband’s family. And a few hundred yuan? How could that be enough? It wouldn’t even cover the capital needed for their business venture.
When it comes to money, Yin Yue once again had thoughts: “Mr. Fu before, as a thank you, gave Xiao Bao some money, right? I saw that you took it. How much money was it exactly? Give my sister and me a little share. My sister will get married sooner or later and will need money too.”
The old lady grumbled, “That was someone thanking Xiao Bao for saving their life. What’s it got to do with you? Are you the one providing assistance or meals? Even the money of your 8-year-old brother, you’re eyeing. I think you have no conscience! You want money for yourself, yet you shamelessly drag Yujiao into this. Yujiao is a future college student, maybe even the state will help allocate her a partner. You have no shame. And that Qin Mao doesn’t even want to give a dowry. What face do you have asking for anything in the village?”
Yin Yue was unhappy and instinctively defended Qin Mao: “Qin Mao doesn’t not want to give, you also know that the Qin family is poor, so he has the intention but not the means. He can’t afford that dowry. It’s okay; these days, dowries and betrothal gifts are just formalities. He’ll give that money in the future when he succeeds. Make our dowry more generous, consider it an early investment in Qin Mao.”
The old lady wasn’t fooled. She grabbed the broom from the ground and scolded, “I don’t believe a word you say. Anyway, if Qin Mao doesn’t provide a dowry, don’t even think about marrying into that family. Go away and stop bothering me while I work.” Talking to this granddaughter, she always felt like it could shorten her life by three years at any moment.
Yin Yue was swept out of the house like this. She was so angry that she stomped her feet. As she left the courtyard, she was still muttering in discontent. But after a while, her eyes lit up with a plan.
The Yin family forbade her from marrying Qin Mao, saying that if she married him and didn’t even get a dowry, she wouldn’t have the capital to start a business, thus delaying her money-making plans. The Yin family’s stance was firm. Since the soft approach didn’t work, she decided to go the other way, to be tough, and force the Yin family’s hand.
So Yin Yue went to Qin Mao to negotiate, whispering in his ear for quite some time.
“Are you saying we act first and report later?” Qin Mao blushed; he was well aware of his family’s poverty. In the village these days, the three essential items for a wedding were a radio, a bicycle, and a sewing machine. If a family had a radio playing famous storytelling or dramas, almost half the village’s elderly and children would envy them, huddling by their windows to listen.
However, most rural youth couldn’t afford all three items and could only buy one or two. The rest of the items were complemented by everyday necessities, like the bride’s family buying bedding while the groom’s family bought a large wooden bed, and so on. But the Qin family couldn’t even gather one item. So Qin Mao had always thought that he would be like those single men in the village, marrying only when he turned thirty. He never expected that a girl would actually favor him.
She didn’t mind the lack of a dowry, ignored the objections of her family, and insisted on marrying him. Even though this might make her seem less reserved and serious, Qin Mao was still deeply moved.
Especially when she took care of his dignity as a man, sacrificing the grandeur of her wedding, and earnestly spoke in reverse, saying things like, “What’s the big deal about the three items? Radios, these outdated things, should have been eliminated long ago. I don’t know how to sew, so buying a sewing machine would just take up space and waste money – not necessary! Bicycles are slow and clunky; we’ll have a small car in the future. Who cares about those so-called three items; we don’t need them at all.”
So, the two of them became intimately involved that night. The next day, hand in hand, with blushing faces, they went to the old lady to show off. The way they walked with the wind at their feet didn’t escape the eyes of the villagers. Everyone stared in disbelief.
It was evident that the deed was done, and there was no turning back. This made Grandma Luo’s vision go black, and she almost fainted.
How could one force the bride’s family to willingly send their daughter over and even compensate for the dowry money, accepting their misfortune? It was either the daughter had already moved into the groom’s house or the groom had already taken possession of the daughter, and the whole village knew about the sordid affair. Yin Yue’s move was indeed ruthless. The Yin family had no choice but to reluctantly accept, considering the mess involving their daughter. The entire village, from the older aunts to the dogs by the river, knew about it. Yin Yue herself wasn’t particularly charming or virtuous, so if the Qin family didn’t marry her, unless she married into the next town, nobody nearby, aware of the rumors, would be willing to take her.
Grandma Luo was furious but had no choice but to send her granddaughter over. Once she did, the connection between the two households was instantly severed, as if she never had this granddaughter. Even on the third day when they were supposed to return the visit, the front gate remained tightly shut. No matter how hard anyone knocked, the house pretended to be sick and lay still inside.
The couple in the main household was also furious. Their well-behaved daughter had lost her self-respect, and they saw what the Yin family brought to the wedding—hundreds of yuan in dowry, eight new quilts, each weighing seven or eight catties, enough to last for more than a decade. There were also various colors of red and green satin purchased from the town, exceptionally festive. Everything from curtains, tablecloths, to cooking utensils was complete. In contrast, the Qin family gave just over thirty yuan as dowry, which was dug out from the wall bricks. After passing through the bride’s hands, it was immediately taken back, as if it never left.
The whole village was watching this scene, and they all knew that their granddaughter was eager to pay for herself. What a disgrace! The old couple wished they could find a hole to crawl into, regretting how they ended up with such a troublesome child.
Not to mention, after the wedding, there were people secretly inquiring, asking whether the two sisters had similar personalities, fearing that the sensible older sister was secretly similar to the younger one. This younger sister’s behavior had tarnished the older sister’s reputation as well! The couple was extremely angry.
Furthermore, in subsequent visits, after the girl married into the Qin family, she often returned to her parents’ home to eat, but every time she opened her mouth, it was about needing money. She claimed that she and Qin Mao wanted to start a business in the city and needed a sum of money for “entrepreneurial capital.”
Initially, the eldest daughter-in-law, being a woman herself, understood the challenges of being a daughter-in-law better than her husband. She wasn’t as heartless as him. However, after giving some money to her daughter several times, totaling more than a hundred yuan, and receiving no gratitude in return, her heart turned cold.
Regretfully, she slapped her forehead, thinking she could have used this money to buy educational materials as dowry for her elder daughter or saved it for Xiao Bao’s future marriage. After all, the elder daughter was reaching the age for marriage, and their nephew Xiao Bao would be the one to take care of them in old age. The younger daughter didn’t do anything but ate their food while receiving subsidies from her maternal family. Why bother with her?
So, despite the younger daughter’s eloquent persuasion, the she remained silent. If the topic of asking for money came up again, she would say, “Your sister is about to go to college, and we need to save money for her education.” People said that college students received subsidies, but no one knew the exact amount. However, the expenses for going to the city to study would undoubtedly be significant, and the elderly couple had to start planning.
“You’re too nosy. In the end, I’m the one going to college, and the money given to my sister will eventually be mine.” Yin Yue silently scoffed at these thoughts but didn’t dare to say them out loud. Otherwise, she would definitely be beaten to death.
Unable to extract money from her maternal family, Yin Yue shifted her focus to the white and tender child at home, the nine-year-old little tycoon whose value had doubled after saving someone.
She witnessed it herself.
Early one morning, a line of black cars drove into the mountains, turning their wheels along the bumpy dirt road, all stopping at the entrance of the Yin family. It was then that the neighbors and villagers realized the identity of the city person saved by Xiao Bao. He turned out to be a wealthy man from the capital, and apparently, he was the son of some influential figure.
He had been kidnapped, tied to a raft upstream from the river, with the intention of drowning him. Luckily, the raft didn’t capsize due to sheer luck, drifting downstream until it flipped in the middle and happened to land in their village, where Xiao Bao fortuitously found it.
The village folks were a bit bewildered hearing about kidnapping and ransom. Their lives mostly revolved around toiling in the fields, and their discussions at home were about daily necessities and their children. These matters were too remote for them. They didn’t even dare touch the shiny cars, afraid of scratching off a layer of paint.
They only knew that Xiao Bao’s unintentional act had made a significant contribution. The people from the Fu family were particularly grateful to him.
Yin Minglu genuinely didn’t realize that he had saved such an influential figure in the future. With a puzzled little face, after shaking hands with the row of Fu family bodyguards, he didn’t know what to say except for the childish “you’re welcome.” After all, he was just a kid and couldn’t come up with any impressive lines.
Perhaps his innocent and adorable demeanor appealed to the young master of the Fu family. The young man smiled and, before leaving, handed a large red envelope to the old lady. The weight of the envelope indicated a considerable sum, and it made Yin Yue’s eyes light up.
She thought that with this money, she and Qin Mao could start their business in the city without having to rent someone else’s store. They could directly acquire a well-located shop and begin their entrepreneurial journey.
Unfortunately, the old lady guarded her like a thief, fearing that Xiao Bao wouldn’t understand and might be deceived. As a result, she never allowed her grandson to handle more than a dime of the money. Additionally, the young master from the Fu family didn’t send money but instead sent various essential items every month from the capital to Wenshui Village. These included seafood, dried scallops, fish, meat, biscuits, sugar, cigarettes, alcohol, health products, as well as some high-quality books and toys for the children. They were practical and considerate gifts.
Despite the generous gifts, Yin Yue found it challenging to convert them into cash, leaving her both envious of Xiao Bao’s good fortune and helpless.
Whenever she had a moment, she took the opportunity to criticize Xiao Bao. Seeing Yin Minglu happily enjoying the snacks sent by the Fu family in Beijing, her expression turned sour, and she sternly said, “Xiao Bao, you need to understand. You are you, and Brother Fu is Brother Fu. When you saved him, you indeed didn’t think about being repaid. But gradually, you’ve changed. You’ve become a bad kid, starting to enjoy their repayments!”
“You should know, Brother Fu is an outstanding person. If we keep accepting things from others, constantly taking their good stuff, we, who were originally equals, will gradually become unequal. They might express gratitude and occasionally repay us ordinary people. However, if we keep greedily demanding, asking for their good things all the time, they won’t be grateful to us anymore.”
“…” Yin Minglu silently stuffed a piece of candy into his mouth. Clearly, the gifts sent every month by the Fu family were meant to repay the Yin family’s life-saving favor. However, in Yin Yue’s mouth, it turned into the Yin family being shameless, constantly seeking to take advantage of the life-saving favor, always asking for more.
“Brother Fu said he wants to take me to shoot a movie.”
“Shoot a movie? Xiao Bao, do you think you can become a big star?” Yin Yue let out a scoff, “Becoming a star these days is tough. Do you know that person with a background in martial arts? Hanging from wires every day, and now, not even thirty, his bones are falling apart. Doctors say he won’t live past fifty. Being a star is quite hard. Don’t daydream. You just saved Brother Fu’s life out of kindness. Wealthy people like him are busy; how could they favor ordinary people like us? Saying he’ll take you to shoot a movie is just talk; don’t take it seriously. Why don’t you put the money with your sister? When your sister makes big money in the city, she might even be able to get you a role in a film, even if it’s just a minor one, fulfilling your ‘big star’ dream.”
As she finished speaking, Yin Yue expected to see the little guy with a face full of tears, satisfied with the impact of her words. However, suddenly, she heard a series of jingling sounds.
The village chief appeared at their doorstep, parked his bicycle, and gasped for breath, saying, “The letter has arrived, the Fu family has sent another letter to your Xiao Bao. No one from your family went to the post office to pick it up, so I brought it for you. I didn’t take the things that came with the letter, a few large bags of dried meat, several large buckets of snacks, several large packs of cigarettes and alcohol, three to five boxes of bird’s nest and cordyceps supplements, well, I can’t remember them all. These are probably early New Year’s gifts for you. Here’s the list. Xiao Bao, you should keep it safe and remember to bring someone to pick up the items another day. Don’t let them go bad, or let the postman take fewer things.”
“Yes, okay, thank you, Uncle Village Chief,” Yin Minglu obediently took the list and the letter.
After seeing the child nod, the village chief sighed and advised, “After opening the letter, don’t throw away the stamps. Those stamps are valuable. By the way, Mr. Fu sends you seven or eight letters every month, but I haven’t seen you reply to any of them.” Are you being aloof? It’s just a child’s nature, probably only thinking about playing and not understanding how to handle relationships properly.
As soon as she heard that the stamps were valuable, Yin Yuer immediately leaned over to take a look. She couldn’t help but exhale deeply, wishing she could tear the beautiful stamp off the pristine envelope. Although the face value of this “Shanhe Hong” stamp was only eight cents, it was extremely rare in the market. She remembered that in the early 10s of the future, at a Jardine auction, it fetched a staggering four million, breaking the record for the highest single stamp transaction at that time.
Although they might not be as valuable now, stamps can appreciate in value through time and are considered collectibles. As time passes, their prices will only rise.
Upon hearing that Fu Peian sends at least seven or eight letters to Little Bao each month, and if each letter has valuable stamps like this, Xiao Bao would undoubtedly become a millionaire in the future. Yin Yue covered her heart, unable to conceal her envy and jealousy. She never expected that the Fu family would be so generous to Xiao Bao.
Taking a deep breath, she realized the immense value of saving a person’s life. If only it were her… she would have become wealthy long ago.
“But I don’t know how to write,” Yin Minglu said with a bit of grievance, tugging at his clothes. After all, he hadn’t started school yet.
“You don’t know how to write, and your two sisters don’t know either?” The village chief scolded Yin Minglu, frustrated, “Mr. Fu has clearly said that he knows you can’t write. Whether you draw or scribble, he would be happy to receive a letter from you. Look at how proactive and positive he is in repaying you. He wants to build a good relationship with you. Now look at your family, why are you all so indifferent to your friends? It’s really unacceptable. Since I’m not busy today, why don’t you write it now? Think about what you want to say to him, and I’ll write it for you.”
So Xiao Bao repeated exactly what Yin Yue had just said.
Village chief: “…”
He took a deep breath and stared intently at the embarrassed Yin Yue, wondering why this girl was playing such a “sow discord” role in the communication between her brother and Mr. Fu. With her sarcastic tone, it’s no wonder Xiao Bao didn’t like to reply. If he replied, he would be accused of flattering or daydreaming. Moreover, it seemed that even if he wanted to reply, his sister wouldn’t allow it.
It’s often said that a married daughter is like spilled water, and now he believed it. Yin Yue’s behavior was really out of line. Talking to her brother without any mercy and immediately asking for money, it seemed like she was dealing with an enemy.
After Xiao Bao finished reciting the letter, the village chief, not trusting Yin Yue’s intentions, decided to stop by and inform the old lady. The old lady was utterly shocked to learn that her granddaughter was trying to deceive for money. Outraged, she immediately kicked Yin Yue out and forbade her from having any further contact with Xiao Bao.
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