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

The couple suddenly became very busy during the Chinese New Year, which Lin Yi couldn't understand.

With a lot going on at home, Huang Yuezhen had gone back, and Lin Yi was so busy that he didn't have time to ask any questions.

He only managed to ask the two of them during the New Year's Eve dinner.

Without a second thought, Chen Wenjun said, "Dad, I've leased a hilltop to raise chickens."

"Pfft!" Lin Yi spat out all the wine in his mouth. "Are you crazy! Our family is already too busy to handle everything, and you still want to lease a mountain to raise chickens? Who are you going to sell them to?"

Lin Qin quickly grabbed some paper to help him tidy up. "Dad! We haven't finished talking yet, don't get excited! Didn't you say that Western fast food is too expensive? After thinking about it, Wenjun and I decided to adjust the recipe ourselves and open our own Western fast food restaurant."

Since we're going to open a shop, we'll definitely need a lot of chickens. Fortunately, Western fast food restaurants use half-grown chickens, which can be used after two or three months of raising. We plan to choose a shop after the New Year, renovate it properly, and open the shop.

Also, I previously bought a small shop in Friendship Square. There are residential buildings across the street, and I opened a small shop there too. We won't sell it at such a high price; if we lower the price, we definitely won't have trouble selling it.

Lin Yi didn't know anything about business, and after listening to the couple's back-and-forth banter, he immediately fell silent.

After a long while, he finally asked, "Who raises the chickens?"

Chen Wenjun was both amused and exasperated. "Dad, I asked the villagers near that mountain to help raise them. We've raised 10,000 so far, and they'll be ready to be put into use in three months."

Lin Yi was so shocked by the number that he swallowed hard and decided not to ask any more questions.

Because the business was still in the planning stages, Lin Yi was unsure whether it would be profitable. When Lin Ying's family came over on the second day of the Lunar New Year, he didn't tell anyone, fearing it would put more pressure on Lin Qin and her husband.

Busy times fly by, and three months have passed in the blink of an eye.

The fried chicken and burger shop that Lin Yi had been so anxious about finally opened.

The store is located near the city's experimental primary school.

Lin Qin had people distribute flyers near the school. The pictures on the flyers were modeled after McDonald's fried chicken and hamburgers, which quickly attracted a wave of customers.

First day of business.

The store was packed with people, and many customers had no choice but to take their food to go.

Even so, you still have to queue up and get a number.

The sheer intensity of the event nearly made Lin Yi's eyes pop out.

For a week straight, the popularity of the fried chicken and burger shop has only increased, especially among those who have tried McDonald's and praised the fried chicken and burgers. This has led to even more people coming to try it out.

Taking advantage of this momentum, Lin Qin also opened a small shop in Friendship Square.

The space here is too small; we can only offer takeout.

Even so, quite a few people still went to queue up.

After observing the business for two days and seeing how good it was, the couple decided to open a shop on Zhongshan Road as well.

The initial investment was mainly in personnel management and equipment; as for the money spent on leasing the hillside to raise chickens, that has long been earned back.

Since opening the fried chicken and burger shop, Chen Wenjun seems to have suddenly unlocked his full potential.

The store has introduced many seafood products, such as deep-sea cod burgers, prawns, squid rings, takoyaki, etc., and added them all.

The shop's business has boomed even more, and the two people in the kitchen simply can't keep up. They need to hire three more people.

Ping An and Ya Ya heard their classmates mention the hamburger shop quite often at school.

Every time their classmates mentioned it, they would just smile and remain silent, echoing their sentiments.

After school on Friday, since there was no school the next day, Saturday, Ya Ya's deskmate, Xue Lingxue, clung to her arm and pleaded, "Xin Yue, come with me to eat! I've been craving it for so long, and I finally saved up ten yuan. I have to eat my fill!"

A hamburger costs 3.5 yuan, and with fries and a Coke, a meal costs 6 yuan. You can use the remaining 4 yuan to order other snacks.

If it were McDonald's, ten yuan would only buy one hamburger.

Chen Xinyue was so pestered by her that she had no choice but to surrender, "Okay, okay! But you have to tell my brother, he has to come too." Over the years, the siblings had been going in and out together, which had long become a habit.

Xue Lingxue was unaware of the Chen family's situation and assumed it was an order from an adult, so she nodded in agreement without much thought.

When school was over, the two waited for Chen Ruiyu at the school gate.

Chen Xinyue was talking to Xue Lingxue when she was suddenly patted on the shoulder. She turned around abruptly and found that the person was Qu Zhiyang, Chen Ruiyu's deskmate.

"Qu Zhiyang! Where's my brother?" Chen Xinyue looked behind Qu Zhiyang twice, but didn't see him.

Qu Zhiyang immediately clutched his chest in sadness, "Xin Yue is so heartless. I'm a grown man standing right in front of you and you treat me like I'm invisible."

Chen Xinyue's face flushed red.

Before she could retort, Chen Ruiyu came over and punched Qu Zhiyang, saying, "Don't joke around with my sister!"

Qu Zhiyang chuckled twice, then immediately became obedient, "Xinyue, can you take me with you when you go get hamburgers? It's on me!"

Just as Chen Xinyue was about to refuse, Chen Ruiyu readily agreed, "You said it, don't cry when I eat you out of house and home."

"Hmph! Who do you think you are! Go ahead and eat me out of house and home!" Qu Zhiyang had an arrogant and wealthy demeanor, and with his tall stature, he actually looked a bit like the foolish son of a landlord.

Chen Xinyue and Xue Lingxue burst out laughing at the same time.

The four of them rode their bicycles toward the city's experimental primary school.

They chatted and laughed all the way.

As expected, there were no seats available when we arrived.

Just as Xue Lingxue was feeling disappointed, Chen Ruiyu said gently, "Let's pack some food and eat it at the park. We can also play in the park for a while. I'll call Grandpa and tell him."

"Okay, okay!" Xue Lingxue was happy again.

While Chen Ruiyu was on the phone, she whispered shyly in Chen Xinyue's ear, "Xinyue, your brother is so handsome and gentle."

Chen Xinyue nodded. "My brother has always been like this."

Upon hearing this, Xue Lingxue's eyes showed even greater admiration.

Everyone at the school could see that Chen Ruiyu had health problems, but so what? Compared to his devastatingly handsome face, those problems were negligible.

Qu Zhiyang glanced at Xue Lingxue, who was staring at him like a lovesick fool, and teased, "There are quite a few girls who like my brother. Do you want me to help you out?"

Xue Lingxue hid behind Chen Xinyue.

Chen Xinyue glared fiercely at Qu Zhiyang, "What nonsense are you spouting!"

Qu Zhiyang immediately backed down and secretly ran to Chen Ruiyu to complain, "Your sister is so fierce, I like her so much."

"You're crazy." Chen Ruiyu hung up the phone, rolled her eyes at Qu Zhiyang, and turned to leave.

After laughing and joking around for a while, they quickly packed up everything they wanted.

Chen Ruiyu asked the waiter for a large tablecloth before leaving.

Qu Zhiyang was astonished, "My God! Is the service at this restaurant really that good? They even provide tablecloths?"

"You have to pay it back!" Chen Ruiyu grabbed the eager Qu Zhiyang and hung most of his things on his car.

This prompted Qu Zhiyang to shout and protest all the way.

The group arrived at the park. It was very hot at the moment, and the park in the city center suddenly became crowded in the evening.

Qu Zhiyang took a big bite of his hamburger, looking satisfied. "You guys probably have to apply to our high school too, right?"

All three nodded. (End of Chapter)