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

Since the exams are over, let's just leave it at that.

Lin Qin continued her business. Wenjun Seafood Wholesale Store had been open in this area for nearly half a year and had already made a name for itself. Any neighbors who wanted to eat seafood would come to their store, where it was a little cheaper than what was sold outside.

That day, Lin Qin was busy in the shop with her child on her back when she saw Liu Ling riding a bicycle with a schoolbag on her back and stopping outside their shop.

Their eyes met, and before Liu Ling could recognize Lin Qin, Lin Qin greeted her warmly, "What brings you here? Come in quickly!"

"Sister Lin Qin! It really is you! I didn't even recognize you!" Liu Ling parked her bicycle and skipped into the store.

Seeing that Lin Qin was extremely busy, he very perceptively stepped forward to lend a hand, helping the customer pack their things and put them on the scale.

After the group of guests left, Lin Qin finally had a chance to chat with Liu Ling. "Why did you come here? I remember your school is on the other side."

Liu Ling chuckled and explained frankly, "Recently, many people on the street have been saying that a seafood restaurant has opened here. It just so happens that today is the anniversary of Grandpa's death, so Grandma asked me to come and buy some seafood."

Actually, what Granny Liu originally said was to ask Liu Ling to come and ask about the price. She didn't expect to run into Lin Qin, so she couldn't say that.

Lin Qin suddenly realized, "What does Grandma want to buy?"

Liu Ling looked around and, to be honest, she didn't recognize any of these things, and looked somewhat embarrassed.

Lin Qin immediately understood and began to introduce the seafood to her, "I have a lot of seafood here. For example, this ribbonfish is delicious whether fried, boiled, or cooked. Yellow croaker is delicious whether steamed or made into soy sauce. There is also pomfret, squid, and baby octopus, all of which arrived this morning. Razor clams are especially fresh, clams are also good, and there are oysters, which are delicious when made into oyster omelets."

Buy whatever you want to eat, I'll give you wholesale prices, I guarantee I won't overcharge you.

Liu Ling was both happy and grateful, but also apprehensive. "Sister Lin Qin, isn't this a bad idea? What if the boss finds out and scolds you?"

Lin Qin was stunned for a moment, then burst into laughter, "Don't worry about that, he's my man, he definitely wouldn't dare to scold me!"

"What? This shop belongs to you?" Liu Ling was dumbfounded, and it took her a while to react. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw the little boy behind her and subconsciously asked, "Is this Ya Ya's little brother?"

Lin Qin nodded and smiled, "She's only six months old, but Ya Ya has grown a lot now. She had class this morning, otherwise I would have brought her to meet you."

"Isn't today Saturday? Elementary schools don't have Saturdays off?" Liu Ling asked, completely bewildered.

Lin Qin laughed even more heartily as she saw her. "She didn't attend elementary school, but she did have classes at training centers. Now she has to learn dance, piano, and calligraphy on weekends, and she also has to do homework. She's very busy."

Upon hearing this, Liu Ling couldn't help but click her tongue in amazement.

As they were talking, Lin Qin had already packed a pound of razor clams, a pound of oysters, a pound of squid, and a yellow croaker weighing about a pound for her.

"These will cost you five yuan."

Liu Ling quickly shook her head, "Sister, although I've never bought groceries before, I'm not stupid. Seafood isn't cheap, and this is definitely more than five yuan."

Lin Qin took the items out without saying a word, hung them on her bicycle, and then took the five yuan from her hand. "Alright, Grandma is in a hurry to cook, so that's fine."

Liu Ling wanted to refuse, but the young girl was shy and could only accept it with a blush. When she got home, Grandma Liu was a little stunned when she saw all the seafood. Just then, Old Lady Li San came over to help. After taking a closer look, she clicked her tongue and exclaimed, "Wow! This seafood isn't cheap! Da Song is rich!"

Liu Dasong is Liu Ling's father.

Grandma Liu casually carried the things to the kitchen and said slowly, "What's the point of making money! My husband suffered his whole life and died before he could enjoy his life. Buying him some good food on his death anniversary will make us, the living, feel a little better."

Knowing that Granny Liu and her husband had a good relationship, Li San's mother didn't suspect anything. She simply looked at Liu Ling and asked, "Ling, where did you buy this seafood? It looks very fresh!"

"It's that Wenjun Seafood Wholesale Shop, Auntie. It's run by Sister Lin Qin and her husband." After thinking it over, Liu Ling decided to tell them. After all, Lin Qin opened the shop to do business, and it would also help her attract some customers.

Both Li San's mother and Liu Apo were somewhat surprised.

"What's going on? Wasn't it said that the man Lin Qin married was the same Tanka man who was wrongly accused back then? How can they still run a shop?" Old Lady Li asked with a suspicious look.

Initially, the Liu family falsely accused Lin Qin and Chen Wenjun of having an affair. Later, under pressure from the police, the Liu family had no choice but to admit that they had plotted to frame Lin Qin.

Although everyone sympathized with Lin Qin, being tricked like this still had some impact on her reputation. Later, when Lin Qin married Chen Wenjun, everyone thought it was out of necessity, and most people still sympathized with her. Unexpectedly, not long after, the couple opened a shop and started a business!
Liu Ling disliked Li San's mother's condescending and disdainful attitude, and immediately defended Lin Qin, saying, "Auntie, what are you saying! Now that the countryside has distributed land to individual households, what's wrong with the Tanka people? Don't the Tanka people value self-reliance and self-improvement?"

I think Sister Lin Qin's life is much better than when she married Liu Yongming. Now she not only dresses stylishly and has a good temperament, but she also has a son. I heard that Ya Ya is now learning dance and piano!
If they were in the Liu family, would Sister Lin Qin and Ya Ya be living such a good life?

Seeing that Li San's mother was listening in a daze, Granny Liu echoed her granddaughter's words and pondered, "I've met the man that Aqin remarried a few times. He used to sell fish at a stall on our street. He's a very hardworking young man, and Aqin is also a hardworking person. The two of them together can definitely make a good living."

Old Lady Li smirked, her eyes darting around, and said, "I heard that Liu Yongming introduced Liu Li to a nice guy. Ma Cuihua is going to entertain him tomorrow, so maybe she'll want to buy some seafood too! I'll go talk to her about it."

Old Lady Li San took off running.

As soon as she left, Granny Liu looked worried, then turned to Liu Ling with a knowing look in her eyes, "Taking advantage of someone again?"

Liu Ling stuck out her tongue, blushing as she quickly explained, "Grandma, believe me, I didn't want to. Sister Lin Qin insisted on giving it to me, so she took five yuan from me."

Grandma Liu shook her head helplessly, muttering to herself, but it was unclear what she was saying.

After leaving Liu Ling's house, Li San's mother did not go directly to find Ma Cuihua, but instead went to the streets to spread the word about Lin Qin opening a shop.

Within half a day, everyone on the street knew about Lin Qin and her daughter's current situation.

Upon receiving the news, Liu Li rushed to Wenjun Seafood Wholesale Store, only to find it closed. Unwilling to give up, she inquired with nearby residents and decided to come back the next day.

The next morning, she dawdled until about seven o'clock before leaving the house. When she arrived at the seafood wholesale store, she saw Lin Qin sitting at the counter, busy collecting money. She was so jealous that her face twisted in anger.

Seeing that the shop was bustling with people and Lin Qin was the only one busy, she went in as if possessed, wandered around for a while, grabbed a bag of shredded oysters, and ran out.

He was caught before he could even run away.

"Great! I've been keeping watch for so long, and I've finally caught a thief!" (End of Chapter)