Chapter Fifty-two New Friends

  Everyone fell into a terrible silence as they stared at the numbers on the paper on the table...

  No one dared to think that buying an egg pancake could be so profitable, it's unbelievable. The joy of making money is mixed with fear of the unknown, and no one speaks out.

  On the paper was written: 196 blocks 8 mao 5 fen

  Zhao Tong was young and couldn't help but get a bit flustered: "Uh... how can there be so many? Shouldn't we recount them?"

  The old man slowly shook his head: "No need, haven't we already calculated everything?"

  "Mother Zhao was also worried: 'This money is too much, it's equivalent to half a year's salary, what if it's not good? My heart keeps pounding and I can't calm down.'"

  Mr. Zhao was also surprised at first, but he slowly regained his composure: "Making money is a good thing, although no one expected to make so much. The country's policies have not changed for the time being, so there is no problem. Just keep quiet about it and don't tell others how much you made, just say you're barely making ends meet."

  The two people next to him nodded in agreement and decided in their hearts that they would never speak of it again.

  Song Jie, who was playing with toys on the side, also nodded secretly in her heart. There's no problem doing a small business now, just earn some money for a year or two first. It stopped when they cracked down on speculation and profiteering in '82, but it's not clear if what she learned about history has changed, at least it seems to be fine for now.

  Nowadays people are very practical. Even with a lot of money, they still feel anxious and insecure, and can't put their minds at ease because of the historical context at that time.

  Song Jie didn't pay much attention either, after all it wasn't time for reminders yet.

  The whole family of conservatives kept this secret with a mix of excitement and unease, it was a thrilling torture.

  Day after day passed, and Zhao's mother's stall had a steady stream of customers every day. Seeing her business was so good, the neighboring vendors also followed suit and started selling Jianbing as well.

  Zhao's mother had a companion and no longer felt that her family business was an eyesore. Although she earned a few dollars less every day, she slept more soundly.

  Although there was competition, Zhao Mu's ingredients were sufficient and the fermented bean paste made by her tasted better than others, so she could earn around 7 or 8 yuan every day, which was a lot more than before. A month later, she had earned over 200 yuan.

  The improvement in economy was directly reflected in her life, Song Jie had an egg every day when she woke up, and meat at every meal. She quickly grew plump like a baby, with soft and tender skin that was white with a hint of red. Every time the elderly women in the neighborhood saw her, they couldn't help but pinch her little face.

  Song Jie was so depressed that she didn't want to go out anymore, and on top of that, she had reached the teething period, speaking with a lisp, and when she smiled, her black teeth holes were exposed, making her even more reclusive.

  Zhao's father found his granddaughter's symptoms to be quite amusing, and every day he would take her to play at an old friend's house, finding it most entertaining to see his own granddaughter make funny faces. He was indeed an old child himself.

  One day, Song Jie followed her grandfather to the familiar home of Grandpa Wang to play. Unexpectedly, she found that there was a little boy in his house. The little boy looked really cute, and Auntie Song Jie couldn't help but want to go up and pinch him twice.

  "This is the child of my eldest son, my grandson, named Wang Yiran. You can just call him Ranan." Grandpa Wang smiled as he introduced, seemingly extremely satisfied with his own grandson.

  Song Jie was slightly surprised, and took a closer look at the little boy in front of her. He was six or seven years old, with honey-colored skin, big eyes, long eyelashes, and thick black eyebrows. At this age where boys and girls were hard to tell apart, he really did have some resemblance to a little girl. Song Jie exclaimed inwardly, "He's truly too adorable!"

  This little boy is a bit shy, but he's not awkward either. He greets people in a straightforward and generous manner.

  "Go play in another room," said Grandpa Wang. The two little kids also felt a bit uncomfortable standing next to the adults.

  Wang Yiran thought to himself that as the master of the house, he should take care of his guests, especially such a lovely little sister. He led Song Jie to the next room and took out his treasured toys to share with his new friend.

  Song Jie looked at the toy car in her hand, a black thread, but there was no way out, she could only pretend to be very interested and started playing.

  Wang Yiran was delighted to see Song Jie also liked toy cars. As an only child with no siblings, he had always been envious of families with many children. Unexpectedly, he met a little sister who didn't cry or make a fuss, which was great.

  After playing together for half a day, the two became friends and were extremely familiar with each other.

  Mr. Zhao also had a very pleasant conversation with Grandpa Wang, who knew that Mr. Zhao was knowledgeable and had the idea of letting his grandson study with him. Mr. Zhao thought that his granddaughter was alone at home without playmates, so he gladly agreed to let a little friend come over to liven her up.

  Grandpa Wang shared his thoughts with Wang Yiran, and Wang Yiran hastily agreed. He was overjoyed at the prospect of seeing his little sister often.

  Song Jie was also delighted to hear that, and it would be great to have a little Zhengtai who often bullied her. Wang Yiran, on the other hand, shivered with fear, thinking he had caught a cold, unaware that he was about to fall into the hands of the female devil...

  Wang Yiran is already in the second grade of elementary school and only has time to come over on weekends, Saturdays and Sundays. His parents have also heard about Zhao's father and are very supportive of their own father's proposal, after all, it is beneficial for their son.

  From then on, every weekend Wang Yiran would go to Song Jie's grandma's house and study with her.

  Wang Yiran was deeply frustrated while studying, a boy like him couldn't even learn faster than a girl, let alone how depressed he felt in his heart. He also secretly worked hard to study, can't let his sister surpass him, or else where would he have the face to continue studying together?

  Wang Yiran's family saw the progress of the children with their own eyes, and sometimes when they returned to their father's home, they would bring gifts to visit Zhao's father. At that time, people respected teachers and morals, and a teacher was considered as important as a father.

  Zhao's father also formally regarded Wang Yiran as his own apprentice and taught him wholeheartedly without reservation.

  Song Jie often thought of Little Swallow, the childhood friendship was the most memorable. She often wrote letters to Little Swallow, but she couldn't go to the post office, so she could only accumulate them one by one. When Zhao Juan had time to send things to Xiao Zhang Village, she would let her mail them together.

  With a good competitive relationship, the two children's learning has also made rapid progress. Although Wang Yiran is always being ordered around by Song Jie, he always does so with a smile, truly treating Song Jie like his own little sister.

  Song Jie also felt very embarrassed, Wang Yiran was too honest, making her feel embarrassed to bully him, and the relationship between the two became better and better.