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

Everyone knew when Liu Yongming was executed, but Lin Qin acted as if nothing had happened and continued with her life as usual. The only difference was that she specially went to pick up Ya Ya and Ping An after work that day.

The students are already on winter break, but a few kids are still attending training classes.

Lin Qin and Bai Linlin were old friends. As soon as she entered, she found a seat and said, "A cup of coffee, please."

Bai Linlin chuckled and actually made her a cup of coffee. "How rare! It's not the weekend, why are you picking up the kids?"

Lin Qin took a sip of coffee and leaned back lazily. "I'm in such a great mood! There's a new McDonald's that just opened at Friendship Square. I'll take the kids there to try this fast food later!"

Bai Linlin slapped her thigh excitedly, "Perfect! Let's go together!"

Lin Qin was amused and casually inquired about the children's studies.

Bai Linlin's expression instantly became much more serious. "You know Ping An and Ya Ya. These two have become my signature students. They're going to be preparing for the high school entrance exam in their third year. My suggestion is that they can take a year off and continue studying after the exam. Even if they don't study, it's okay. They're at a level where they could even get into art school."

Xu Jian and Xu Kang are also good. Xu Jian is already playing the saxophone very well. We'll see how his academic performance is in his second year of high school to see if it's necessary to pursue an arts degree. As for your youngest child, he's probably already having some foundational training at home. His English teacher says his spoken English is pretty good; he can say a few sentences. There's nothing to worry about right now.

Since Lin Qin had a stable job, she had been keeping an eye on the children's studies, so she was naturally aware of their situation. However, she could get a more objective understanding of the children's level from other people's perspectives.

A satisfied smile played on her lips.

Bai Linlin and I sat together until the children finished their classes, and then we rode our bicycles to McDonald's together.

The children laughed and shouted excitedly all the way.

When they arrived, Ya Ya affectionately rubbed against Lin Qin's arm, "Mom, did you strike it rich today? Why did you suddenly decide to treat us to McDonald's?"

Some of their classmates had eaten there and said that a meal there would cost several tens of yuan, equivalent to half a month's salary for their parents. Because they knew it was expensive, they didn't dare to ask their parents even if they were curious.

Lin Qin chuckled and glanced at her smug daughter. "Think what you want, your mother is happy!"

Bai Linlin raised an eyebrow and teased, "It's good to be rich; you can do whatever you want!"

"You talk as if you're broke!"

The two women smiled at each other.

This meal cost over eighty yuan.

The children were heartbroken when they learned the price, but Lin Qin acted as if nothing was wrong.

He thought to himself, "After today, she will be completely free from the shadows of the past! Liu Yongming, go to hell!"

That evening, Lin Qin took the children back to Nanyu.

Lin Yi was furious when he learned that she had spent over eighty yuan to take her child to eat fast food. He glared at her and said, "What kind of fast food is that fast! Is fast food made by foreigners really that delicious? You're such a Western snobber!"

Lin Qin replied weakly, "Dad! We ate fried chicken, hamburgers, and fries, not the kind of fast food you're thinking of."

"What do you mean, 'isn't'? Wenjun, let's go! Tomorrow, the two of us will go and try it out. I don't believe a fast food meal is worth over eighty yuan!" Lin Yi shouted angrily at Chen Wenjun.

Chen Wenjun immediately stood up. "Okay! Dad, we'll go tomorrow night!"

"Daddy, Daddy, can I come along too?" Ya Ya pleaded.

Ping An also looked pleading.

Joy was already cheering, "Wow! We're going to McDonald's again tomorrow! Yeah, yeah!"

Lin Yi was dumbfounded. "When did I say I would take you?" "Grandpa, Grandpa is the best! Please take us! Please take us!"

The children took turns acting cute.

Lin Yi was completely overwhelmed and agreed without really understanding what was going on.

Lin Qin had already quietly gone upstairs by this time.

Huang Yuezhen shook her head, thinking to herself that her cousin-in-law had been tricked again.

The next day, Lin Qin went to work as usual. When she returned home, only Huang Yuezhen was there. She guessed that Lin Yi and Chen Wenjun had taken the children out to eat.

When Huang Yuezhen saw her return, she quickly invited her to eat. "It's just the two of us. I made some simple noodles with eggs and vegetables. It smells quite good."

Lin Qin nodded and asked, "Sister-in-law, when do you plan to take a break this year?"

While packing the noodles, Huang Yuezhen replied, "It will be ready in a couple of days. This year, my mother-in-law bought a piece of land in the county and built two houses with shops, just like Aying did."

They've all moved out of the village to open clothing stores. Shaohua didn't want to sell clothes, so she sells food instead, and business is pretty good. My mother-in-law helps out on both sides, and she's getting a bit overwhelmed. So I'm planning to quit my job at Boss Huang's next year and go back to help the kids, and also arrange their weddings.

After gritting his teeth and finishing junior high school, Hong Shaohua failed the high school entrance exam. He really didn't like studying, so he had no choice but to go to work. Fortunately, there was a food factory in his county, and his junior high school diploma was quite useful. He was quickly hired to work there.

Lin Qin thought that the child would continue working there, but she didn't expect him to open his own restaurant. It seems he has his own ideas.

"That's true! Shaoyang is about the right age to get married. He can find a partner, and the two of them can open a shop together, which will make things easier for Auntie."

Huang Yuezhen laughed heartily, "It won't be easy. After getting married, we'll probably have to have children soon, and we'll have to help take care of them. We'll be busy for the next few years!"

The two finished their dinner chatting and laughing.

After they finished packing, Lin Yi and the others returned.

Seeing Lin Yi's half-crying, half-laughing expression, Lin Qin chuckled, "Dad, what do you think? I wasn't lying to you! A meal at McDonald's really does cost tens of yuan!"

Lin Yi kept shaking his head, "It's outrageous! I don't know how they do it, that chicken is really delicious! If we could make it ourselves, wouldn't we be able to sell fast food? We could make so much money!"

Lin Qin and Chen Wenjun exchanged a glance and both took Lin Yi's words to heart.

Back in their room, the couple started discussing things.

“I think the business Dad mentioned is worth doing!” Lin Qin’s eyes were bright.

Chen Wenjun pondered for a moment and said, "It just so happens that we can lease those mountains opposite Nanxi. We can lease one mountain to raise chickens and supply our own food. Other ingredients are simple, and we can make the seasonings ourselves. After a few tries, we will definitely be able to mix them up."

"That's right, that's right. The most important thing is the ingredients. We must ensure that the ingredients are healthy," Lin Qin said with a serious expression.

Either don't do it at all, or if you're going to do it, do it seriously.

The couple discussed it all night.

The next morning, Chen Wenjun first went to the Land and Resources Bureau to visit an acquaintance for a while, then called Gao Lei to ask for his help in buying a larger iron boat before finally setting off for Nangang.

Lin Qin wasn't idle either; she researched a lot of information, such as which type of chicken is more suitable for making fried chicken, and some breeding techniques.

Unlike in our teens and twenties, information wasn't readily available then. Much information had to be obtained from libraries or by consulting professionals, which was very time-consuming. (End of Chapter)