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

Liu Li couldn't wait to get in the car. Without asking any questions, she impatiently said, "I know! Don't worry, Second Brother, as long as I can live a good life, I'll definitely be good. I'm leaving now!"

Liu Yongming was angered by Liu Li's attitude, and his last bit of guilt vanished.

After returning from the police station, he was clearly in a good mood and even bought some things for Ma Cuihua.

Ma Cuihua was astonished. "What kind of time is this to be wasting money! How's your sister's situation?"

This morning, Liu Yongming said he had found connections and if things went well, Liu Li could not only get out of prison but also marry a rich man, and he could be transferred back to the city instead of staying in that poor, remote area.

Ma Cuihua was too happy to investigate further, but seeing Liu Yongming so happy now made her feel uneasy.

Liu Yongming put his arm around Ma Cuihua's shoulder and led her into the house. "Mom, my little sister has already come out. They drove over to pick her up. I originally wanted her to come back, but she couldn't move when she saw the car and insisted on going with them. She doesn't even want me, her second brother."

"What? Second brother! Your sister is immature, but aren't you immature too? I haven't even agreed to her marriage yet! Besides, I don't even know anything about the other person, or what he looks like. How could you let your sister run off with him so easily? What decent girl would do such a thing!"

Ma Cuihua was furious. If it weren't for the fact that the person in front of her was her youngest son, whom she was very proud of, she would have already taken action.

Liu Yongming's smile faded slightly, and he patiently said in a gentle tone, "Mom! Have you forgotten the lesson we learned this time? Does my little sister still have a reputation in this area? Everyone knows about her messy affairs. Tell me, which respectable family in this area would dare to marry her?"
If you actually invite someone over to propose marriage, and then that person hears some rumors on the street and then verifies them, wouldn't all my efforts be wasted?
This time, I told them that my younger sister was framed and targeted by her ex-sister-in-law, and that I was the one who dragged her down with me. They didn't suspect a thing, and when they actually sent someone over, my lie didn't hold water at all.

Although Ma Cuihua didn't want to admit it, she had to say that Liu Yongming's words were quite accurate; any one of Liu Li's deeds could scare people away.

She deflated instantly, sighing repeatedly, "Fine, you're all grown up now, I can't control you anymore. As long as she can get married smoothly, that's all that matters. I don't need to see the person, but the bride price is a must!"

Liu Yongming had already guessed Ma Cuihua's thoughts, and immediately placed a thousand yuan on the table, saying, "Here, this is my little sister's betrothal gift, a full thousand yuan. Please count it carefully."

Ma Cuihua immediately perked up and counted the thick stack of ten-yuan notes several times in front of Liu Yongming. Her face lit up with a smile. "Good, good! You're really capable! I heard that Lao Qin's youngest daughter got married well, and her dowry was only eight hundred yuan. Your sister's dowry was two hundred yuan more than that! The previous deficit in the family has been covered!"

Liu Yongming smiled and agreed. In fact, the money the other party gave him was more than that. He had hidden half of it to pay off the high-interest loans he owed. When he was transferred back to the city, he wouldn't have to worry about being harassed by the underworld.

The mother and son were so engrossed in their calculations that they completely forgot about Liu Li, who had been taken away.

When Xu Manzhi learned that Liu Li's betrothal gift was one thousand yuan, her attitude towards Ma Cuihua improved again.

The Liu family can finally settle down.

Meanwhile, Liu Yongming, who was preparing to return to his hometown to work, made a special trip to the seafood wholesale store before leaving.

This time he didn't see Lin Qin, but only Lin Yi, who was busy in the shop, and a woman he had never seen before.

He had only been observing for a short while when someone came over and asked, "Buying something?"

Liu Yongming shook his head.

The other person's face immediately darkened. "What are you doing standing here if you're not buying anything? Are you here to cause trouble?"

Seeing that the other party was about to make a move, Liu Yongming quickly left.

After chasing the people away, the old man sat back down on the roadside and chatted with them. Lin Yi witnessed all of this.

When the shop was almost sold out, there were some small fish and shrimp left. He packed some up and handed it to the old man, saying, "Old Zhang, I saw what happened just now. Thank you so much. This is what's left. Take it back and have your wife make soy sauce with it. Hurry up."

Old Zhang politely declined a few times before accepting the gift, then happily went into the alley next door.

At this moment, Huang Yuezhen was also carrying a box of seafood and preparing to leave for the construction site. Lin Yi had to stay a while to wait for Chen Wenjun's next batch of goods to arrive.

He also had to help with sorting and loading containers, and when it was almost time to pick up his child from school, Chen Wenjun would rush back to Nanyu to cook.

At noon, Lin Qin returned home with her youngest son.

Lin Yi told Liu Yongming about what he had seen that morning and praised him, saying, "I thought you were just messing around when you delivered seafood to the old folks in the neighborhood, but I didn't expect it to come in handy at a crucial moment! If it weren't for the neighbors stepping in, you might not have been able to beat that ruthless family by yourself with the child."

Lin Qin chuckled and twitched her lips. "Dad! Even without those neighbors, our shop isn't short of people. There's no way I'd be bullied. It's just a bit more troublesome."

When I gave those elderly women and men gifts, I didn't think much of it. From now on, I'll just remember to be kind to others; I don't need to worry about anything else.

Lin Yi nodded and reminded him, "You still need to be more careful in the future. If it really comes to a bad situation, don't go to the shop. Wenjun, your cousin-in-law, and I can help you."

Chen Wenjun chimed in, “That’s definitely a good idea. I’m planning to buy another tricycle, so our family will have two tricycles and two bicycles. You and your cousin can ride bicycles when you go out, and Dad and I can ride the tricycle. It’ll be easy to haul goods and carry the kids.”

Upon hearing this, Lin Yi's eyes lit up, and he nodded hurriedly, "That's great! I've been wanting to talk to you about changing to a tricycle for a while now. When the two kids were small, they could squeeze onto the bicycle, but now that they're getting older, it's too crowded for them to sit in the back. I don't know how to lead them to sit in the front, and they don't know how to sit in it either."

Having a tricycle makes things different. With two small stools, they can read a book or grab a bite to eat on their way to school. It's also much more convenient for your family of five to get around.

Chen Wenjun's tricycle was used specifically to transport seafood, and it was always covered in fishy smells. It was a bit inappropriate for his family of five to ride that tricycle when they went out.

Chen Wenjun seemed to be thinking about something, then turned around and went to find Gao Lei.

Gao Lei is also a capable person. After successfully modifying the five-canopy boat, he also modified several diesel tricycles. As long as you step on the pedal, the tricycles can run on their own and at a pretty fast speed.

Seeing that Chen Wenjun needed it, he directly took out two cars, which weren't much more expensive.

After trying it out himself, Chen Wenjun found that the diesel tricycle was much more convenient than the human-powered tricycle, and it could save a lot of effort if used to haul goods.

He immediately took the two tricycles back to Nanyu.

Lin Qin held her child and watched with her whole family.

Fortunately, the island has paved roads.

Lin Yi took Ping An and Ya Ya back and forth several times, he was so excited.

Lin Qin watched for a while, then suggested, "I think we could rent a house on the other side of the river to park the car; that would be more convenient." (End of Chapter)