Chapter 225: Uncle Jiu is Our Role Model
Noon.
Thatchfield Village.
At Deng Yunqiang's home, the family was happily enjoying a meal of sweet potato soup.
In later generations, sweet potato soup was a common dish, whether in cities or rural areas. Anyone who wanted to eat it could have it, and it was nothing special. But in rural areas of this era, having sweet potato soup for lunch was still a rare treat.
Sweet potatoes themselves were nothing special—every rural household had plenty of them. The key ingredient, sugar, however, was considered a luxury in this era. The head of the household usually kept it hidden and wouldn't bring it out casually. It was often saved for special occasions like the New Year, when it was used to make sweet rice dumplings.
Who would be willing to use sugar to cook sweet potatoes? That was truly extravagant.
Deng Yunqiang's family had also been reluctant to eat like this in the past. But not long ago, they had sold their lychees and earned over 1,500 yuan. Additionally, after dividing the land and working on their own, they had enjoyed bumper harvests for several seasons in a row. They had also raised a lot of livestock and poultry, so their financial situation had improved significantly.
As a result, they were now willing to indulge in this luxurious sweet potato soup.
There's one more thing worth mentioning. When they took out a loan to plant lychee trees, the family's finances were tight, and everyone had to tighten their belts to make ends meet.
However, Changfu's mother was very considerate. While the family lived frugally and ate mostly vegetarian meals, she always made sure to prepare extra dishes for her pregnant daughter-in-law. She would boil an egg for her or buy a little meat to stir-fry.
The eldest daughter-in-law was also kind. Just a few months after her marriage, she took out the dowry money her parents had given her to buy groceries for Changfu's mother.
Now that the family's finances had improved, Changfu's mother immediately returned the dowry money to her daughter-in-law.
…
After enjoying the sweet potato soup, the family spent time training the twins to walk in the hall.
Deng Changfu's twin sons were born in May of the lunar calendar last year and were now over a year old. Children usually start learning to walk after their first birthday, though some begin even earlier.
At this stage, the twins could stand on their own but were still hesitant to take their first steps.
Guan Yongying squatted in front of one of her sons, just a step or two away. She waved at him and said with a smile, "Come to mommy, sweetie. Don't be afraid. Take it slow."
On the other side, Changfu's mother used the same method to encourage her other grandson to walk toward her.
At the door, Deng Yunqiang smoked his hookah, glancing at his twin grandsons from time to time, a proud smile on his face.
In Thatchfield Village, Deng Yunqiang could now be considered a success. While he was still far behind Uncle Jiu in terms of wealth, he had two grandsons, while Uncle Jiu only had one granddaughter so far. In this respect, he felt he was doing better.
Deng Changfu and his siblings watched happily from the side.
With constant encouragement from Guan Yongying and Changfu's mother, the twins finally took their first steps, though they would often fall after one or two steps.
However, those with experience know that once a child dares to take the first step, they'll be walking confidently within three to five days.
After smoking several cigarettes, Deng Yunqiang said, "Alright, we can't let them stand for too long at once, or they'll get tired. Let them rest for a bit."
Changfu's mother picked up one of her grandsons and said with a smile, "Now that they've taken their first steps, they'll be walking in no time."
Guan Yongying picked up the other twin and added, "In a few months, they'll be running around."
Deng Changfu also came over to play with his sons for a bit, then changed the subject to Uncle Jiu. "According to the timing, Uncle Jiu's restaurant should have opened by now. I wonder how the business is doing?"
Guan Yongying replied, "It must be doing well. Do you doubt Uncle Jiu's ability?"
Deng Changfu shook his head, "Uncle Jiu's ability is well-known in the village. How could I doubt him? It's just that business is different from other things. No matter how capable you are, you can't guarantee profits without risks. Until the business is truly established, it's natural to have some concerns."
Deng Yunqiang smiled, "You're worrying for nothing. Even if the business loses money, at most it'll be the rent and employee wages. How much could that be? Compared to Uncle Jiu's income, it's insignificant."
Changfu's mother agreed, "Your father's right. Uncle Jiu made over 6,000 yuan this year just from selling lychees and watermelons. Add in the income from the tile factory, and it's close to 10,000 yuan. That's just the first half of the year. With the tile factory's income in the second half, he'll easily make over 10,000 yuan this year."
"So, if the restaurant in the county makes money, it'll be amazing. Even if it loses money, it's nothing compared to his other income."
It's no wonder they thought this way. While the villagers knew Deng Shirong had opened a restaurant in the county, they assumed it was similar to the Double Prosperity State-owned Restaurant. They had no idea he had invested over 300,000 yuan.
Deng Changfu also knew Uncle Jiu didn't need his worry, so he smiled and said, "Anyway, Uncle Jiu's business is growing bigger and bigger. If the restaurant in the county succeeds, his family will establish themselves there, and it's only a matter of time before they become city dwellers."
Deng Yunqiang said, "I used to envy city people, but now I think we country folk are doing just fine. This year is the first time our lychee trees bore fruit. To ensure the trees grow well, we pruned a lot of branches. If all goes well next year, the yield will be even higher."
"Next year, we'll also plant watermelons like Uncle Jiu. Even if we plant half as much, we'll still earn around 2,000 yuan. Combined with the lychee income, our annual earnings could exceed 4,000 yuan. Even in the city, not many families can boast such a high income."
Guan Yongying nodded, "Dad is right. Uncle Jiu is our role model."
Changfu's mother said with anticipation, "If our family really earns that much next year, after selling the lychees and watermelons, we should build a new house."
Deng Yunqiang looked at his old mud-brick house and decided, "We must build a new house next year. We're the only family in the village that planted lychee trees at the same time as Uncle Jiu's family. We can't fall behind too much. We have to catch up as soon as possible."
Deng Changfu and Guan Yongying both smiled at this. Although their house was livable, it was an old mud-brick structure, far inferior to Uncle Jiu's large blue-brick house with a bathroom.
If they could build a new house like Uncle Jiu's, it would be a hundred times more comfortable to live in. Naturally, the couple looked forward to it.
(End of this chapter)