Chapter 56: The Emergence of Individual Businesses

If the second brother's connections were in his hands, he would surely have enjoyed a smooth path and a rapid rise through the ranks.

Unfortunately, he wasn't cut out for it; it was a complete waste.

But he was, after all, the son-in-law of the Wang family. Director Wang had only one daughter, and before retiring, she would certainly ensure her daughter and son-in-law were well-settled.

Therefore, as long as the second brother behaved himself and didn't cause any trouble, he would surely live a stable life, and she could benefit from it as well.

Zhang Jianmin listened to the eldest brother's endless rambling—one moment telling him to perform well so as not to upset his father-in-law, and the next complaining that their mother didn't understand the big picture and only served to hold her children back.

By the time a bottle of wine was finished, he was also passed out drunk.

Zhang Jianmin helped him to the bed. Listening to the eldest brother's continuous muttering, he shook his head.

"I also think Mom is biased, but the person she is most biased toward is you."

The person who gained the most benefits was actually the one who complained the most. Why?

After resting for two days, Li Xiangqin began a new round of shifts. After taking the morning shift, she saw that Zhou Dan had also come to work.

The two women's eyes met, and they looked at each other with mutual loathing.

During the morning shift, Zhou Dan didn't come to cause trouble; she didn't even bother to spare her a second glance.

Li Xiangqin was very satisfied with this. She was here to work and had no desire to cause a scene or trouble the foreman.

After a smooth handover, just as Li Xiangqin walked toward the tool storage area, Wang Ailian approached her.

"Sister, did you see that? Zhou Dan's face was green the whole shift. She was standing under the pillar, secretly glaring at you several times. Even when the group leader from the next team came over to chat with her, she ignored him. With her usual personality, if someone had approached her to flirt, she would have been all smiles."

"Let her glare all she wants. It won't cost her any hair or flesh; I don't mind."

Li Xiangqin gave a light laugh.

"As long as she doesn't cause me trouble. Our foreman treats me well, and I don't want to keep causing him headaches."

"Well, it's thanks to you being a model worker in the factory; our Foreman Sun values talent." Wang Ailian nodded in agreement. "Want to go to the vegetable market together?"

"Sure."

Li Xiangqin used a small mirror to check her hair, grabbed her cloth bag, and left the factory with Wang Ailian, strolling toward the market.

In the heat of summer, walking under the plane trees with a light breeze blowing made her feel refreshed.

Before they even reached the market, they saw a crowd forming a long queue from a distance. Everyone was either carrying an aluminum pot or a lunch box.

As they drew closer, they smelled the rich aroma of mutton soup.

Wang Ailian squeezed through the crowd, stretching her neck to look inside for a while. After chatting for a few moments, she returned with a look of excitement.

"Sister, this is a newly opened braised noodle shop. A large bowl is forty cents and a small bowl is thirty-five cents, requiring four-tenths or two-tenths of a grain coupon. For the first three days of opening, they give two-tenths of braised noodles free with every bowl purchased. Why don't we go home, grab our pots, and line up? Smelling this, it's bound to be delicious."

At this time, besides state-owned restaurants and various factory canteens, there weren't many emerging eateries. When a new restaurant suddenly opened, everyone was eager to support it.

Looking at the long queue, Li Xiangqin walked to the large window to peek inside. A massive pot was set over the stove—the kind so large it would take two or three people to embrace it.

Inside, milky-white mutton soup was bubbling, releasing a rich fragrance.

There was a small window to buy tickets, which were then passed into a box at the large window. Two masters worked around the stove: one pulling the noodles, the other scooping them out, adding soup and meat slices, finished with a garnish of cilantro.

"Business is so good, will we even get a turn in line?"

"Give it a try! Does a business owner fear having too many customers?"

Wang Ailian laughed and parted ways with her to go home and grab a pot.

Standing to the side, Li Xiangqin watched people holding pots and stretching their necks in line, and saw them walking home joyfully after buying their food. Her heart stirred.

It was currently the early stages of the Reform and Opening-up era. The country had already established several Special Economic Zones. Although it hadn't rolled out everywhere yet, policies were loosening. Many people were following the times and had begun moving toward a private economy.

She was in an inland city where development was slow. Although policies had loosened, there were no clear instructions regarding management, so those emerging individual entrepreneurs were very cautious. They feared a sudden policy change and the risks that came with it.

Furthermore, many people believed in the "iron rice bowl" and felt that setting up stalls or doing small business was shameful, lacking the dignity of being a state-owned enterprise employee. But the private economy would only get better, and the money earned would be several times higher than a regular job.

Only those who had personally tried it—those who had "tasted the crab"—knew how fast an individual could make money.

In an era of economic change, things moved very quickly.

In her previous life, while she was still working like an ox and a horse for her children, the state would hold commendation meetings every few days to promote individual entrepreneurs. Those "ten-thousand-yuan households" would wear large red flowers and stand on the podium to share their experiences.

Back then, standing in the crowd holding her grandson, she had felt immense envy.

Unfortunately, she had neither the courage nor the time to try.

But in this life, she was thinking of giving it a go. Having been a housewife her whole life, she had no special skills other than home cooking.

In particular, her dumpling filling was widely recognized as delicious.

The fact that a braised noodle shop could open at this time suggested that the trend of private specialization would soon sweep through. If she could keep up with the times and seize the initiative, she might actually make money.

Regardless, she couldn't just sit and wait for fate; she had to try. At the very least, she needed to save up a substantial pension for herself.

While calculating in her head, Li Xiangqing went to the market. After buying two eggplants, she saw some slightly wilted potatoes for three cents per jin. She bought over five jin, and the owner charged her fifteen cents.

Carrying the groceries home, she took a quick shower and sat on the bed with paper and pen, beginning to plan how to set up a stall.

She seemed to remember someone saying before: if you're going to do something, do it in a field you're familiar with; that way, you have a safety net.

She planned to set up a small dumpling stall to test the waters.

Before that, she needed to prepare a pushcart—a second-hand one would do. Two coal stoves, a small square table, and a few small stools would be enough to start.

As for the dumpling-making tools, she already had them at home.

The rest was preparing the filling; making them fresh to order would ensure the best texture.

In summary, everything could be handled within 150 yuan.

Just as she was immersed in her fantasies of setting up a stall, her sixth son returned with his bag slung over his shoulder.

"Mom, what's for dinner? I'm hungry."

"Where have you been running wild? You don't come home when you're not hungry, do you?"

Li Xiangqing glared at him, took twenty cents and three four-tenth grain coupons from the drawer, and said

"A new braised noodle shop just opened across from the market. A large bowl is forty cents and one grain coupon. Take a pot and go buy three bowls. It's a new opening, so they give an extra two-tenths of noodles per bowl. Don't forget."

"Alright, I'm going right now! I'll make sure the chef gives us extra meat slices."

As soon as the sixth son heard this, his eyes lit up. He dropped his schoolbag, grabbed the money and coupons, snatched a pot from the kitchen, and sprinted out the door.

Li Xiangqing didn't pay much attention to him running out as if his butt were on fire; she lowered her head and continued her calculations.

"Mom, what are you writing?" the fourth son poked his head in and asked curiously.

"Are you off work?"