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

Chapter 34 Inquiring about the sale of deserted islands
"One, two, three, four, five... one hundred and thirty-five! Here's one thousand three hundred and fifty yuan." Lin Qin excitedly bundled the money together separately.

He then picked up five yuan.

Five yuan is significantly more than a large sum of money, but together it might not amount to 1,300 yuan.

Lin Qin lowered her head and counted them carefully.

Chen Wenjun had just sorted out the one-cent coins, stacking them in bundles of ten, and laid them out in several rows on the ground. Before he finished arranging them, he looked up and saw Lin Qin had already bundled up the five-yuan coins. He hurriedly asked, "How much?"

Lin Qin flashed eight teeth and said smugly, "Two hundred and fourteen bills, that's one thousand two hundred and twenty-five yuan. Add one thousand three hundred and fifty, and there's two thousand five hundred and seventy-five yuan here."

Only after she finished speaking did she notice the pile of coins scattered all over the floor. "What are you doing?"

Chen Wenjun was on the verge of tears, "One cent is too much, I can't keep track of it!"

Lin Qin quickly went over to lend a hand, and the two of them sorted out the one-cent coins. Just one cent coin could fill a large bag. Although the amount seemed large, it actually only amounted to 378 yuan.

There are 461 one-yuan notes, 122 two-yuan notes, 135 five-mao notes, and a total of 439 yuan and 76 fen in coins.

They had a total of 4,165.26 yuan in their hands.

The total shocked even Chen Wenjun. "So much?"

Lin Qin also found it unbelievable, "How much do we earn a day selling fish?"

Chen Wenjun shook his head, "I haven't calculated it in detail. Ya Ya and you are just too lucky. The fish you catch every day can sell for sixty or seventy yuan, and the stuff you collect with the traps can bring in about forty yuan a day."

I could occasionally earn a little money catching turtles and eels, but I didn't think it would be much. I never expected to save over four thousand.

Before Lin Qin and Lin Yi boarded the ship, he had already saved several hundred yuan. He originally thought he was saving money very quickly, but compared to this mother and daughter, he was simply no match.

Lin Qin was overjoyed, "This is perfect, we can buy land now!"

She would feel uneasy if it were only a few hundred yuan, but four thousand yuan would be different. Even if she couldn't buy the entire deserted island, buying a dozen acres of wasteland shouldn't be a problem!
Chen Wenjun thought so too.

With burning enthusiasm, the two walked out of the back cabin and told Lin Yi about their trip to the Land and Resources Bureau after selling fish the next day.

Lin Yi was particularly cautious and immediately said seriously, "You can go out without worry. Leave the things at home to me. My leg is almost healed and I can try to move around. Taking care of the two children is no problem."

The next morning, Chen Wenjun and Lin Qin went to set up their stall on Xiatian Vegetable Market Road as usual.

After a month of setting up a stall, they now have their own designated spot. Seeing that their fish are selling well, two more fish stalls have recently appeared on the street.

However, their stock was not as large as Chen Wenjun's, and their fish were not as big. Most of their regular customers still preferred to buy fish from Chen Wenjun, including Zhang Youren, who liked to take advantage of small deals.

With so many customers, the fish sold quickly. Just after eight o'clock, Chen Wenjun and Lin Qin packed up and went to Guoxing Hotel to sell the remaining fish to Zheng Guoxing. After getting the money, they also asked Zheng Guoxing for directions to the Land and Resources Bureau.

Zheng Guoxing and Chen Wenjun were old acquaintances, and they were a little surprised to learn that they were going to the Land and Resources Bureau.

What are you doing there? Looking for someone?

Chen Wenjun hurriedly shook his head, "Boss Zheng knows we are Tanka people. We've saved up some money and want to buy a piece of land to build a house so our whole family can move to the mainland. We've got our eye on a piece of land on a deserted island and want to inquire about it."

"Oh, is that so? That's easy. My brother-in-law works at the Land and Resources Bureau. He comes over for lunch and tea after get off work. If you're not busy, just ask him when he gets here. If you just run over there without thinking, they probably won't even bother with you," Zheng Guoxing kindly reminded them. Chen Wenjun and Lin Qin quickly thanked him and listened to Zheng Guoxing's advice to stay at the restaurant and wait.

Around 10 o'clock, people started coming in to eat.

Those who can afford to dine at such high-end restaurants are either rich or powerful.

Chen Wenjun and Lin Qin's attire was out of place with everyone else.

The two of them felt very uncomfortable and hurriedly went to the kitchen to help Zheng Guoxing.

Zheng Guoxing initially tried to persuade them to leave, but when they insisted, he let them go.

Around midnight, Han Dongcai, Zheng Guoxing's brother-in-law whom Chen Wenjun had been talking about, finally arrived.

Zheng Guoxing saw people coming in through the food outlet, immediately turned off the stove, put down the large ladle, and urged Chen Wenjun and Lin Qin to go out.

He followed her out eagerly, saying, "Dongcai, you've finally arrived! My friend needs to ask you something!"

As Zheng Guoxing spoke, he pulled Han Dongcai to sit down at the corner table, and then pressed Chen Wenjun down into a chair as well, saying to himself, "This is Chen Wenjun. I get most of the fish for my restaurant from him. Didn't you praise the shrimp cakes for being fresh before? Those shrimp were all delivered by him!"

Chen Wenjun gave an awkward, forced smile, his toes practically digging into a hole in the ground.

Lin Qin was at a loss for words.

Han Dongcai kept nodding with a smile, "Just say what's on your mind."

Zheng Guoxing wasn't embarrassed at all. He followed Han Dongcai's lead and told him about Chen Wenjun's situation, "My friend is a Tanka (boat people) who live on fishing boats. He and his wife have saved up some money and want to buy land to build a house. They've got their eye on a deserted island in Nanxi, but they don't know who to ask. Aren't land matters under your jurisdiction? Why don't you help them ask around?"

Han Dongcai suddenly burst into laughter, secretly relieved, and rolled his eyes at Zheng Guoxing. "I thought something big had happened, but it's just buying land! That's great news! This year, the city issued a document saying it would vigorously develop the economy, which included land development. The city just approved a plot of land last month for building commercial housing. Do you know what commercial housing is?"

Zheng Guoxing shook his head, and Chen Wenjun and Lin Qin followed suit.

Han Dongcai took a sip of water and explained carefully: "These commercial houses refer to houses developed by real estate development and management companies that have been approved by relevant government departments and have leased land use rights from government agencies for 40, 50, or 70 years. After completion, these houses can be sold or rented on the market. In short, these houses can be bought and sold like commodities."

Of course, this is still the city's first project, and I don't know what the developer will build it into, but it's a signal that the government is encouraging companies or individuals to develop land, making it much easier for you to buy a deserted island now.

Chen Wenjun and Lin Qin exchanged a smile; this was good news!

After listening, Zheng Guoxing asked expectantly, "Are commercial housing units expensive?"

Han Dongcai nodded. "At least eight or nine hundred per square meter."

Zheng Guoxing was stunned. "That 40 square meters costs more than 30,000! Who would buy it?!"

"I'm not selling it to you!" Han Dongcai said speechlessly. "Besides, don't you make money running this restaurant? Stop complaining to me about being poor!"

Zheng Guoxing gave an awkward laugh and quickly changed the subject, "What about the wasteland? It can't be eight or nine hundred yuan per square meter, can it?"

(End of this chapter)