1984: Starting from a bankrupt Sichuan restaurant

Chapter 297 Money in a Sack! (Bonus Chapter for Monthly Tickets: 1285)

"Your grandma really said that?" Aunt Zhao asked, somewhat surprised.

The old lady was a well-known master of fairness in Zhoucun. She managed her four daughters-in-law with great obedience and never had any major conflicts, all thanks to her word "fairness".

Every daughter-in-law felt that the old lady was fair and never favored any particular family.

The recipe for braised dishes sold for 40,000 yuan, which is a huge sum of money.

The old lady gave it all to Zhou Yan. If the other brothers knew this, they would probably be unhappy.

"This isn't quite right," Old Zhou said, though he hesitated.

Zhou Yan said with a smile, "Grandma's exact words were: Don't tell anyone about selling the formula. Use the money to repair the restaurant and the courtyard so you can marry Xia Yao obediently. In this family, someone has to make a name for themselves first."

Aunt Zhao and Comrade Lao Zhou seemed to be deep in thought upon hearing this.

"Seriously, when are you going to marry Xia Yao? Have you two... started talking again?" Aunt Zhao asked him with concern. Compared to that, the 40,000 yuan didn't seem so important anymore.

"Mom, the legal marriage age is twenty-two, and Xia Yao hasn't even graduated yet, so it's not going to happen so soon," Zhou Yan said helplessly.

"Then tell me, is it okay to get married at twenty-two?" Aunt Zhao stared at him.

"Oh, let's talk about selling the formula first." Zhou Yan changed the subject; this wasn't something he could just settle whenever he wanted.

“If your grandmother says that, then it means she has really made up her mind to give you this money so that you can repair the restaurant and the house and expand your business to Jiaozhou.” Aunt Zhao pondered and said, “The old lady has seen so many people and experienced so many things in her life. She has a very clear understanding of life. Once she makes up her mind, no one can change it.”

“Your mother is right,” Old Zhou nodded. “Moreover, your grandmother’s idea is that you should first make a name for yourself, and then help your brothers to become better as well. That’s what you call…”

"Let those who get rich first help those who get rich later," Zhou Yan replied with a smile.

"That's right!" Comrade Zhou nodded.

“That makes sense. If you can develop well and play a leading role, then our big family will live better and better.” Aunt Zhao nodded in agreement. “Look at Zhou Jie and Zhou Hai. They learned how to make braised beef from you and also sell braised meat. They went from earning a little over a hundred yuan to earning five or six hundred yuan a month. They suddenly became high-income earners. Zhao Hong used to raise pigs and farm at home and never saw any money all year round. Now she earns forty or fifty yuan a month and can support half the family.”

“I understand. Let’s focus our efforts on the big things first.” Zhou Yan nodded, thought for a moment and said, “I’ll only use this money for a year. I’ll pay Grandma back the 40,000 yuan in one lump sum at the end of next year. After all, this money comes from selling Grandma’s formula. How we divide it will be up to her.”

“Okay, I think your arrangement is quite good. Let’s build the important restaurant first. Don’t tell anyone else about this beforehand, so that everyone doesn’t have their own thoughts. People’s hearts are the most vulnerable to temptation.” Aunt Zhao nodded.

“Your mother is right,” Old Zhou said, looking at Zhou Yan.

“Okay, I’ll keep my mouth shut.” Zhou Yan nodded.

"You said you're going to fill up the money tomorrow, and you need to bring a huge sack, right?" Aunt Zhao started to worry again, but it was a happy kind of worry: "Forty thousand yuan, I've never even seen one before!"

"I'm afraid we'll need a large sack; last time, we got a whole sack for 10,000 yuan," Old Zhou pondered.

“These big bosses certainly wouldn’t take a dollar or two; they mostly withdraw large sums of money from the bank, so they probably wouldn’t need such a big sack,” Zhou Yan said with a smile. “Old man, you’re coming with me to Jiaozhou tomorrow afternoon.”

"Okay." Comrade Zhou nodded.

“I’m going too!” Aunt Zhao said. “I’ll take that gun from your grandma’s house and see which foolish thief dares to come.”

Zhou Yan scratched his head: "..."

When it comes to being tough, Aunt Zhao is definitely the one in this family.

Comrade Zhou might play with knives, but Aunt Zhao is a serious gun enthusiast.

“I think that’s a good idea. I’ll pick it up when I go back to the village to buy beef tomorrow morning,” Old Zhou nodded.

Zhou Yan neither agreed nor disagreed with this.

Forty thousand yuan is indeed a huge sum of money in this era, and it is no exaggeration to value it.

"After we get the money, where should we put it? Isn't it a bit unsafe to keep it at home?" Aunt Zhao asked again.

"Why don't we put it in the bank? I heard it even earns interest," Old Zhou suggested.

“I think it’s a good idea. Let’s put it in the bank. We’ll take the money tomorrow, open an account, and deposit it. We’ll deposit it once a month from now on.” Zhou Yan nodded. It was indeed not safe to keep such a large sum of cash at home, since there wasn’t always anyone there.

Let alone 40,000, he was even planning to deposit the more than 6,000 yuan hidden under his bed into the bank at the end of the month, because he just couldn't rest easy leaving it there.

"Mom, Dad, have you ever deposited money? What do you need to bring to open an account?" Zhou Yan asked the two of them.

They both shook their heads at the same time.

“We don’t have much savings at home. We just hide them in boxes. It’s too much trouble to go to the bank,” Aunt Zhao said.

Zhou Yan thought for a moment and said, "Then bring your household registration book."

“Okay, I’ll take it out and prepare it tonight,” Aunt Zhao nodded.

In 1984, the first-generation ID card was still a symbol of status for a small number of Beijing residents. It will not be widely popular until next year after the pilot program.

The household registration booklet is one of the few documents that can prove identity information; otherwise, one would have to go to the village to get an identity certificate.

Zhou Yan has recently developed a habit of reading newspapers, so he keeps up with some current events.

Aunt Zhao drank two glasses of water to suppress her joy at receiving 40,000 yuan from the sky. She then took out paper and pen and began to write, asking Zhou Yan to tutor her.

“Look, this is how you hold a pen. Relax your hand and sit up straight…” Zhou Yan sat down next to her and patiently guided her.

Then you see the pencil in Aunt Zhao's hand, like a runaway horse, rampaging through the grid.

"Look, what's going on here? It feels like your teaching method is wrong. Teach it again." Before Zhou Yan could even speak, Aunt Zhao had already launched her attack.

Zhou Yan: "..."

"MoMo, have you finished writing?" Zhou Yan asked, turning around.

"Yes! I'm done drawing." Zhou Momo nodded obediently as she put down her pencil.

“Come on, teach your mom how to paint and write beautifully,” Zhou Yan called out. “Tonight, you’ll be the little teacher.” “Really!” The little guy’s eyes lit up, and he immediately ran to get the feather duster.

Zhou Yan: (｀Д)!!
Comrade Zhou: (/▽＼)
Aunt Zhao: "..."

Zhou Momo put the feather duster on the table, scurried up onto the stool and knelt down. Looking at Aunt Zhao's crooked characters in the grid, she said in an old-fashioned tone, "Tie Ying, you still need to practice your handwriting."

Zhou Yan pursed her lips and slowly turned her head away.

To ensure the mother-child relationship doesn't break down, the only option is to use magic to defeat magic.

Comrade Zhou bent down to look for something and suddenly became a little busy.

“Look, even the teacher says I write well.” Zhou Momo showed off her grid notebook filled with star drawings, as if she were brandishing a royal sword.

Zhao Tieying looked at the little guy and laughed in exasperation.

"Come on, come on, teach me how to write." Aunt Zhao had no other choice but to show the little guy the respect due to a top student.

"Then pick up the pen first."

"Wrong! Wrong! This character isn't written like that!"

"Tie Ying..."

Zhou Momo knelt on the stool, speaking in a childish voice but with the strongest words.

Aunt Zhao was truly at her wit's end. She sat up straight and carefully wrote stroke by stroke, following Zhou Momo's instructions. She was much more patient than when Zhou Yan was teaching her.

Zhou Yan immediately slipped away and ran to the corner table with Old Zhou to play chess.

……

The next day, after closing for business at noon, Zhou Yan put two double-layered burlap sacks into the basket on his bicycle and prepared to leave.

Aunt Zhao went upstairs to change her clothes and slung a cloth bag across her shoulder. The bag wasn't big, but it was heavy, and the marks it left were sharp and distinct.

Old Zhou had a corner sticking out from his waist, clearly indicating that he was carrying his boning knife.

The armed escort team has assembled.

In this era, the people were simple and honest.

As a model militia member, Zhao Niangniang's marksmanship is beyond doubt.

My family used to have a full range of rifles and pistols, after all, I was a model militiaman.

When Zhou Yan was eight years old, he stole a handgun and shot the neighbor's goose that was biting people.

Aunt Zhao hung Zhou Yan up and beat him. The next morning, she handed over all the guns and bullets, leaving only her favorite pistol on the beam of the Zhou family's old house.

"Zhao Hong, keep an eye on Momo, okay? We're going out for a bit," Aunt Zhao instructed Zhao Hong.

Zhao Hong glanced at the sack on Zhou Yan's cart, then at the bag Zhao Niangniang was carrying, and leaned forward to whisper, "Fourth Aunt, are you looking for revenge? Murder is a crime, bury it far away or nearby, and remember to wear gloves."

"Huh?" The three of them looked at her in shock.

"Don't worry, I won't say anything more. I'll keep a close eye on Momo," Zhao Hong said firmly.

"Go away, let's go to the city to buy things." Aunt Zhao waved her hand impatiently.

"Candied hawthorns! Brother, you have to remember!" Zhou Momo leaned over and earnestly reminded him.

"Okay, I'll bring you some when I get back." Zhou Yan nodded with a smile. The little one was quite reasonable; a candied hawthorn was enough to appease her.

I got on my bike and headed to Jiaozhou.

Upon arriving at the guesthouse, they gave their names, filled out visitor records, and the three of them pushed their bicycles inside. After asking for directions, they headed straight for room 206.

Zhou Yan knocked on the door, and after a short while, Zhuang Huayu's voice came from inside: "Who is it?"

“Mr. Zhuang, it’s me, Zhou Yan,” Zhou Yan replied.

The locked door was opened, and Zhuang Huayu, a cigarette between his fingers, opened it and saw Zhou Yan and his family of three standing in the doorway. He smiled and said, "You're all here?"

"There are a lot of people, so don't worry," Zhou Yan explained with a smile.

“Yes, come in.” Zhuang Huayu walked inside.

Zhou Yan and the others followed them inside and closed the door behind them.

The room was quite large, a suite with an inner bedroom and an outer living room. It had all solid wood furniture, exquisite decor, and excellent natural light when the windows were open.

Aunt Zhao looked around and sighed softly, "This house is so comfortable. Bosses and officials really know how to enjoy life."

"Please sit down. Here's forty thousand yuan. Please count it." Zhuang Huayu took a small leather suitcase from beside the sofa and placed it on the coffee table.

With a snap, it opened, revealing stacks of brand-new 10,000-yuan bills, a whole box full.

Aunt Zhao and Comrade Zhou both leaned forward, their eyes lighting up.

This is the first time they've ever seen so many brand-new "Great Unity" (a type of traditional Chinese unity symbol).

So that's 40,000 yuan?
Zhou Yan's eyes lit up as well. The largest denomination in that era was ten yuan, and the size of a forty thousand yuan note was equivalent to four hundred thousand yuan in later years, which was indeed quite impactful.

"Here, fill it with money," Aunt Zhao said with a smile, pulling a burlap sack from her cloth bag.

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(End of this chapter)