Back to 1984: Earning Money, Raising Kids, and Keeping the Household Busy

Chapter 100 Huang Yuezhen is hired
Huang Wenlong hesitated for a moment before agreeing, "Then bring it over on the 16th to try. If everyone can accept her cooking skills, I'll use her. That's the price of the seafood."

Lin Qin looked like she understood immediately. "Don't worry, Mr. Huang. Whatever price we give to Mr. Zheng, that's the price you'll get. If you're not sure, you can check with Mr. Zheng. We're doing this for the long term, so we definitely won't cheat you."

Huang Wenlong smiled, "Okay! Then I'll wait for my sister-in-law's arrangements."

After the matter was settled, Lin Qin went to busy herself with weighing and accounting for the seafood. A little while later, Chen Wenjun delivered the second truckload, and she didn't stop working until after 10 o'clock.

It wasn't safe to go home with so much money late at night, and the couple also needed Zheng Guoxing's help to buy a tricycle, so they weren't in a hurry to pay.

After returning home, Lin Qin specifically woke up Huang Yuezhen, who was asleep, and talked to her about work.

Huang Yuezhen was overjoyed. "Cousin, you're saying you only have to work half a day and earn thirty yuan a month? Is there really such a good deal?"

Lin Qin nodded repeatedly, "I used to do this job, but now Wenjun and I are preparing to wholesale seafood. Wenjun is too busy to do this job, so I can't do it anymore. If you're willing, you can learn how to handle seafood from my dad these few days. My cooking skills were all taught by my dad."

"I'll teach you a few home-style dishes when I have time. Go try them out on the 16th. If Boss Huang approves, the job is yours."

Huang Yuezhen was so excited that she didn't know what to do with her hands and feet, and thanked him repeatedly.

Lin Qin was exhausted, so after exchanging a few more words with her, she went back to her room to sleep.

Huang Yuezhen returned to her room, excitedly grabbing Hong Weimin's hand and whispering, "I thought this job would be hard to find. Thanks to my cousin, if I can get this job, I can find another half-day job once I get the hang of it. I should be able to earn at least forty yuan a month!"

If you can find a job that pays around thirty yuan a month, my husband and I can earn seventy yuan a month. If we're frugal, saving fifty yuan shouldn't be a problem! We can then bring six hundred yuan back home for the New Year.”

Huang Yuezhen felt increasingly pleased with herself, and her eyes narrowed.

Hong Weimin was also happy and said with a simple smile, "You're right, but we need to find a place to move out. We can't keep living at my cousin's house. Renting a place is a considerable expense."

Huang Yuezhen's smile faded slightly, but she quickly adjusted her mindset. "No matter what, even in the worst year, we can still save four or five hundred! That's much better than staying in the village and farming."

Hong Weimin had no objection to this.

The next day, when the couple got up to work, they found that Chen Wenjun and Lin Qin had already left. They asked Lin Yi and learned that they had gone to Nangang again.

Hong Weimin sighed, "Aqin and Wenjun are really capable. From morning till night, I only see them once a day when they come back for lunch. Otherwise, I never run into them."

Lin Yi also sighed with emotion, "That's right! The two of them leave home around four in the morning every day, go to the vegetable market after wholesaling seafood, and after waking up in the afternoon, they have to collect the traps and rush to Nangang. After wholesaling seafood, they have to deliver it immediately. They finish around ten o'clock."

So this money isn't easy to earn. They have to work hard for their families. I heard from Wenjun that most of the Tanka people work on cargo ships in Nangang, constantly moving around with them. It's tiring, but the pay is good. Some of the more physically demanding jobs can earn over a hundred yuan a month! Ordinary boatmen earn sixty-seven yuan. If they can't find any cargo, they go to Nangang.”

Hong Weimin was thrilled and turned to Huang Yuezhen to discuss, "What do you think about me going to Nangang to work on a cargo ship? My uncle said that the wages for boatmen are high, at least sixty or seventy."

Huang Yuezhen's eyes widened in surprise, "So many? What are they for?"

Hong Weimin shook his head, "I don't know either, but going on a boat must be dangerous, otherwise they wouldn't pay such high wages."

Upon hearing that there was danger, Huang Yuezhen immediately shook her head. "Let's forget it. We don't need to be rich or famous. We're happy with a regular salary of thirty or forty yuan, like the job my cousin introduced me to." Hong Weimin couldn't help but laugh. "You think good things like this happen everywhere? Thanks to my cousin, otherwise this job wouldn't have come our way. You should learn to cook from your uncle. Don't worry about me. I'll find a chance to ask Wenjun about it later."

In the end, Hong Weimin did not find an opportunity to inquire.

On the sixteenth day of the first lunar month, Lin Qin took Huang Yuezhen to the construction site.

Huang Yuezhen was in charge of cooking this meal, with Lin Qin assisting. They prepared stir-fried squid, mixed fish in soy sauce, clams with garlic, stir-fried seasonal vegetables, stir-fried pork with greens, and a crucian carp and tofu soup.

These are all dishes that Huang Yuezhen just learned in the last few days. It was the first time she had cooked for so many people, so she was a little flustered, but fortunately, the final dishes turned out pretty good.

The construction workers came over after work and started praising it before even eating.

Huang Wenlong exclaimed repeatedly, his expression full of praise, "Wow! Both of you ladies are really capable! This dish smells amazing! It must taste amazing! Brothers! Today we're having real seafood. If you like it, we'll make it every day from now on!"

"Good! Good!"

The workers were highly enthusiastic.

Huang Yuezhen served them food one by one.

Those who received their food found a place to sit down and ate in silence.

Seeing everyone engrossed in their food, Lin Qin quickly went over to ask them questions one by one.

Seeing everyone praising her, she and Huang Yuezhen both breathed a sigh of relief.

After finishing his meal, Huang Wenlong immediately smiled and said to Lin Qin, "Sister-in-law, your cousin's cooking is pretty good, she's the one!"

Lin Qin was overjoyed and quickly pulled Huang Yuezhen over to express her gratitude.

The two cleaned up the work area before going back.

When Hong Weimin learned that Huang Yuezhen had successfully taken on the cooking job, he was so excited that he cried.

Chen Wenjun patted him on the shoulder and said earnestly, "Cousin, you can do it too. Your wife is settled. Starting tomorrow, you can come with me to Nangang. Even if we don't work as boatmen, we can still work at the docks unloading cargo. It's hard work, but you can earn a lot. You can also keep an eye out for seafood coming into the port. I'll pay you for your work. You'll definitely earn a lot in a month."

Hong Weimin slapped his thigh and nodded emphatically, "I'll listen to you!"

Actually, he had gone to the city to inquire about jobs in the past few days, but there was no shortage of good jobs. The jobs that were needed were all temporary, with low wages and long working hours. Lin Qin originally wanted to introduce him to work at Huang Wenlong's construction site, but she was worried that Huang Wenlong would mind, so she didn't dare to ask.

He understood the boss's concerns, so he thought he should look again. After looking for so many days, he still couldn't find anything satisfactory. After thinking it over, he decided to go to Nangang with Chen Wenjun to try his luck.

Huang Yuezhen thought for a moment and said to Lin Qin, "Qin, if Weimin goes to Nangang, I will rent a house close to the construction site and move out."

(End of this chapter)