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

Lin Qingxiang hesitated for a moment before tentatively asking, "Do you know that girl who cooks at the daycare center?"

Lin Yi was taken aback for a moment before realizing what she meant. "You mean Zhao Xiaohong? I know her. What's wrong?"

Lin Qingxiang breathed a sigh of relief, happily pulling Lin Yi aside and asking, "What's the situation with that girl? How's her family?"

Lin Yi suddenly realized, "Could it be that Shao Jun has taken a liking to her?"

"That's how it is," Lin Qingxiang said bluntly. "Everyone in the village knows he works at a seafood restaurant and earns a decent salary. Suddenly, more people came to propose marriage at the end of this year. Yuzhen and I were very happy, but this brat acted out of character and said he didn't want to go on blind dates. He only revealed that he had someone in his heart when he was forced to."

Yuzhen and I couldn't figure out who he could have his eye on. Yuzhen, being the smart one, said she'd ask you. He immediately panicked, stammering that he'd taken a liking to a girl who cooks at the daycare center, and that she often buys seafood from the seafood shop. What's going on?

Lin Yi honestly shook his head, "You'll have to wait for Aqin to come back; she'll know more about this."

Lin Qingxiang nodded and continued working. By 5 p.m., everyone else had finished work and gone home, but Lin Qingxiang hadn't left yet. He insisted on waiting for Lin Qin to return.

Upon seeing that everyone had returned, Lin Yi took his grandson away without saying a word and briefly explained Lin Shaojun's situation.

Lin Qin laughed and said to the uneasy Lin Qingxiang, "The Zhao family is very poor, especially in the mountains, over in Dayanshan. Zhao Xiaohong has six siblings in total. She is the fourth child. She has two older brothers and one older sister, and younger brothers and sisters. If the family hadn't been so poor that her brothers couldn't get married and her sister couldn't afford a dowry, none of them would have been able to come to the city to work."

I got to know her a bit and thought she was a nice girl, so I helped her out. Now she works at a daycare center, cooking for the children and selling food at a stall after get off work. She earns about a hundred yuan a month, and even more if she works longer during holidays.

Uncle, I've told you the whole truth about her. You and Auntie should discuss it. If you're satisfied, then proceed; if not, don't go looking for her. The girl doesn't know about this yet!

Lin Qingxiang nodded thoughtfully, but did not express his opinion directly.

When I got back, I told my wife what had happened.

Huang Yuzhen was dissatisfied when she learned that the Zhao family was particularly poor, but when she heard that Zhao Xiaohong was very capable and could earn more than a hundred yuan a month, she was tempted. She hesitated for a long time but could not come up with a decision.

When Lin Shaojun came home from get off work, Huang Yuzhen couldn't help but ask, "Is Zhao Xiaohong's family really so poor that her brothers can't even get married?"

Lin Shaojun was stunned for a moment, knowing that his parents had found out the news, but he didn't hide it from them. "They were so poor before that they really couldn't get married. Before the Spring Festival, they went back to their hometown, and someone acted as a matchmaker for her older brother. They got together, held a banquet in the village, and came to the city to work after the Spring Festival."

Her mother also came. From what Xiaohong said, her mother and sister-in-law also wanted to set up a stall here to make money, but they didn't plan to set up a stall with Xiaohong and her sister.

They've bought twice as many oysters and river shrimp as they did last year, and they expect to increase the quantity even more later.

Her second brother said there was no rush and they should wait a little longer. Her third sister had a relative introduce her to someone, and she didn't know if it would work out. If it did, she would probably get married in the first half of this year.

She was a little worried that her third sister wouldn't get along with her anymore after she got married.

Lin Shaojun hasn't confessed his feelings to Zhao Xiaohong yet. The reason he knows so much is because Zhao Xiaohong has increased the amount of seafood she wants. He asked around, and she didn't hide anything from him and told him everything.

Huang Yuzhen's tense expression relaxed considerably. "It seems the Zhao family's situation isn't as bad as I thought." Lin Shaojun was speechless. "Mom! I haven't even confessed to her yet. I'm not even sure if she'll like me. You're worrying too much, aren't you?"

Huang Yuzhen was immediately displeased. "You brat, if you like her, why don't you confess? If someone else snatches her away, I bet you won't even have a place to cry!"

Lin Shaojun's expression changed, and he turned and left with a dark face.

Lin Qingxiang said in a low voice, "You've taken a liking to that girl?"

Huang Yuzhen lowered her eyes. "I don't know, but I know your son is very picky. It's not easy for him to meet someone he likes. If he misses out, who knows when he'll be able to get married. Let him give it a try."

Lin Qingxiang was speechless.

Before we knew it, it was time for school to start.

Lin Qin dressed up specially and went to school with the children. She led Xu Jian and Xu Kang to their respective classes and handed them over to their homeroom teachers, giving them instructions for a while before leaving.

She carried her youngest son to the senior university.

When Sister Fang saw that she was wearing a dress and makeup, her eyes lit up. "Oh! What have you been doing? What day is it today?"

Lin Qin gave a very frank explanation.

Sister Fang gave her a thumbs up, "You're really good at handling things. I've never cared this much about my own son. But back then, the family wasn't well-off, and I was just worried about money. I didn't have time to think about these things. Now that we're better off, my son is older and has his own ideas. He doesn't listen to me at all. I wanted to set him up on blind dates, but people said I was just being nosy!"
Luckily, I have Xiaohong and her siblings to let me play matchmaker. And guess what? The guy I introduced to Xiaohong's third sister has worked out!

Lin Qin became interested, "What are the man's conditions?"

Seeing that Lin Qin was interested, Sister Fang immediately began to explain in detail, "She is a local, and her family is a bit poor. She has two brothers. After the old couple built a house for their eldest son to get married, they ran out of money. Their younger son had nothing, so naturally no one wanted to marry him."

So, that kid was holding back his anger. Since his parents couldn't help, he decided to do it himself. He went to the slaughterhouse to pick up pigs in the middle of the night, and set up his stall in the morning and evening. He was very diligent.

It just so happened that Xiaoqing and Xiaohong were near their stall, and the two of them were somewhat familiar with each other. I noticed that the man was quite attentive to Xiaoqing, so I asked him a couple of questions. I didn't expect that he had already had this idea in mind. It's a done deal!

Neither of their families could offer any financial assistance, so there was no betrothal gift or dowry. The groom's family did have a place to live, but it wasn't very big. My idea was that they were still young, so if they gritted their teeth and worked hard for two years, they could build a house and then everything would be alright.

Lin Qin wholeheartedly agreed, "That makes sense. When my partner and I got married, we were penniless. We are where we are today because of our own hard work. So it's better to rely on yourself than on others."

Sister Fang felt like she had found a kindred spirit. If Lin Qin hadn't been so late for class, she would have loved to talk to her for hours on end.

A few days later, Lin Qin heard that Zhao Xiaoqing had gotten married.

She confided in Lin Shaojun, who immediately became restless and began planning to confess his feelings to Zhao Xiaohong. (End of Chapter)