Early next month.
Ji Huai got up before dawn.
"What time is it?" Cheng Yunyu hugged him in a daze, so sleepy that she couldn't even open her eyes.
"It's still early." He pulled the quilt up and made no further movements.
After a while, she fell asleep again. The two of them didn't go to bed until nearly three o'clock last night, and they didn't even have time to count the money they collected. It was only half past five at this time, and they had just fallen asleep a few hours ago.
Ji Huai slowed down his movements this time, gently got up from the bed, put on his clothes, and walked out. After washing up, he quickly drove his electric car to the store.
Because their rice noodles taste better, they now also sell breakfast in the morning. He hired two more employees. Since they were busy all morning, he gave the employee who cooked the rice 900 yuan and the one who served the rice 700 yuan.
He also ordered some ready-made pastries, which the pastry chef would deliver in the morning.
The store was too busy during this time, so Cheng Yunyu was also busy with him. He couldn't bear to let her get up early and follow her here, and someone had to keep an eye on the store. He could only come here in the morning. After all, it was his own store, and he didn't feel at ease if it was all under the supervision of outsiders.
The sky was getting brighter, and customers came to the shop one after another. Ji Huai also started to be busy. He kept cooking rice noodles and had no time to spare.
Cheng Yunyu didn't wake up until ten o'clock. Seeing that Ji Huai was no longer there, he relaxed on the bed and got out of bed.
By the time she arrived at the store, the peak period had passed.
She called Ji Huai before she came. When she arrived, he had cooked noodles for her in advance. Today, she cooked vermicelli with a large spoonful of beef cubes and an egg.
Cheng Yunyu walked to the shop and sat down, smelling the fragrance, with a smile on her face: "Are the pastries sold out today?"
"There shouldn't be much left." Ji Huai sat down opposite her.
She asked again: "What's left?"
"What do you want to eat?" He smiled, stood up and walked aside, looking at the buns in the steamer and the pastries next to them, "There is also a barbecued pork bun, a few pieces of pumpkin cake, and meat floss cake..."
Cheng Yunyu: "I want to eat meat floss cake!"
"Have you finished eating?" Ji Huai said this, but he had already pulled the bag with his hand, picked up a piece of meat floss cake, and walked to sit opposite her again.
"There's actually meat floss cake. Did you order this again?" she said, reaching out to take it and take a bite.
The cake was delicate, with a rich milk aroma, and the salty meat floss was also delicious. She took another bite.
"Yeah." Ji Huai nodded.
Cheng Yunyu wanted to say something else, but the mobile phone in her bag rang. She put down the cake, took out the mobile phone and pressed answer: "Mom?"
He didn't say anything, took the cake she put aside and took a small bite. She couldn't finish it anyway.
Cheng's mother didn't know what she said on the other end. Cheng Yunyu frowned: "It's Ji Huai. How long has it been? It was just that one time."
When Ji Huai heard his name, he paused and looked at her with raised eyebrows.
Cheng Yunyu listened to Cheng's mother and lost the intention of eating breakfast: "Other people say it, but I am not like this." After she finished speaking, she emphasized, "I didn't spend his money recklessly."
The last time Ji Huai sent her back, she was seen by the villagers and spread everywhere. During the Chinese New Year, she came home glamorous and bought clothes for her parents. Combined with these two things, the aunts in the village couldn't stop talking. .
When the news spread, Cheng's mother was so angry that she said calmly: "You asked him to send you back. You are so stupid. How important is the reputation of a little girl? You have to let everyone know. If you don't marry me in the future, If he remarries closer, if rumors spread, what will his husband's family think?"
Don't blame her for thinking too much. Many young girls in the village who didn't study have married into nearby villages. If these things that are not good for their reputation spread, it will be troublesome in the future.
"I want to marry him." Cheng Yunyu heard what Cheng's mother said, her head hurt, and she simply said, "We will go back to build a house this month. Can we get married in the middle of the year?"
When she said this, she looked at Ji Huai. He nodded, broke off a piece of cake with her favorite meat floss on top, and handed it to her mouth.
The business of the small shop has always been pretty good, and since he gets up early to buy breakfast, his daily income can be maintained at 2,000 to 3,000 yuan, so there is no problem in building a house.
Cheng's mother originally didn't want the two to get married so early, but the rumors in the village made her change her mind. She didn't agree directly, but asked Ji Huai to go back and build a house first.
She only knows that after building a house, her daughter will have a place to live when she gets married, and she won't have to live in a tile-roofed house, which will be miserable for half her life. She just won't agree to their marriage unless a house is built, no matter what outsiders say, she won't agree.
Cheng Yunyu hung up the phone and told Ji Huai about the matter. He fed her another small piece of cake: "Before building a house, don't you have to let the master calculate the day when the ground will be broken? I will go find someone to look at it tomorrow. It will be very soon." It will be built soon. If you add money to let them build it quickly, it will definitely be completed by the middle of the year."
"Yeah." She nodded.
Ji Huai comforted her: "It's better to build a house and get married as soon as possible. When the house is almost completed, I will propose marriage, so no one will tell me."
Family members who are now proposing marriage at home also have opinions. It would appear more sincere to wait until the house is almost completed before going there.
Cheng Yunyu agreed at the time, and the two waited for the house to be built, and then got engaged and married. Just when Ji Huai was optimistic about the future and wanted to go back to the contractor to build the house, demolish it and rebuild it again, she disagreed again.
Ji Huai thought he had misunderstood her meaning and asked again: "You want to buy the building behind our store? Are you going to go back and build a house?"
Cheng Yunyu thought about it for a few days and said to him: "That building is so cheap, only selling for 270,000 yuan. I asked, it seems that we can take the real estate certificate to the bank for a loan, and then pay it back slowly. Moreover, we can take the building If we buy it, the land will also be ours. When we have money later, we can tear it down and rebuild it, or rent it out. In this case, we will have other sources of income.”
"The house in my hometown has been built, but it seems to be useless. It's such a loss."
"I was originally worried about what we would do if our business lost money one day and we couldn't repay the money to the bank. We can still live in our hometown house, but it's not possible to live back there. We have to go to work. If we really can't afford it, we will have to start over again. Sell it and we can rent a house and start over.”
… .
Ji Huai thought for a while and then told her: "That building is an old building. The house that was built more than 20 years ago is too old."
He didn't expect her to think this way. He had always treated her as a little girl. She had never read any books, never seen the world, and didn't have much courage.
In the future, land prices will be very expensive, and houses will also be very expensive, but that was in the future, and no one expected it now. Their current money is only enough to build a house in their hometown. When they think of incurring debt, many people refuse, especially those without family backgrounds, who simply cannot think of this level.
In addition, after leaving the countryside, I thought about returning to my roots after falling leaves.
It didn't matter to him whether he returned to his hometown to build a house or not, but Cheng's mother and others were still relatively traditional in their thinking. They were obsessed with it. Anyway, they would have a place to live when they returned home, so they could just build it. He didn't take the money seriously.
Cheng Yunyu: "The bungalow in front of the store was also very old before. Wouldn't it look nice if it was renovated now? I think spending tens of thousands to renovate this building is better than spending tens of thousands in my hometown."
That building is right behind their store. It has three floors, one floor is 80 square meters, but it's very old.
Ji Huai was thinking, and she came over and held his arm, still persuading him: "I was in a hurry when decorating the store before, but this time I can decorate slowly."
He looked down at her and reminded her: "We are going back to our hometown to hold a wedding. According to custom, we have to stay in our hometown for three days before coming back."
Cheng Yunyu didn't care at all and shook his hand: "It's only three days. We will buy this building. What do you think?"
After all, she was young, and she would not have dared to buy it without his nod, because she still had to pay off a debt of more than 100,000 yuan, and the store had to support so many people.
Ji Huai chuckled: "You have said so, what can I say?"
"You agreed?" She was a little happy.
He pretended to be worried and said: "This building is so dilapidated. Even if I buy it, it will feel like I have no house and still have debts. Your mother may still not marry you to me."
The older generation has the ideological limitations of the older generation, especially debt, which is very undesirable. Just like house prices are very cheap now, there are very few people who take out loans to buy houses.
"No matter how dilapidated the building is in the urban area, the land can also be sold." Cheng Yunyu explained the essence immediately. After he agreed, she immediately called Cheng's mother.
Cheng's mother heard that she wanted to buy a building in the city, but it was a dilapidated building. Even if it was dilapidated, what if she still owed money to the bank
She subconsciously thought that Ji Huai had lied to her daughter and couldn't afford to build the house? Will Cheng Yunyu be deceived into some bad path
She was so scared that she couldn't sleep all night, and asked Cheng Yunyu to go home immediately the next day.
It was the weekend and the store had been extremely busy since the morning. Where could Cheng Yunyu go? When she said she couldn't go back, Cheng's mother was frightened. Would Ji Huai do something bad to her daughter? Are you not letting her come back
Talk about buying a property and then still owing money...
Cheng's father made a phone call to Ji Huai. He was out shopping for ingredients. When he heard that the two of them had arrived in the city, he hurried to pick them up.
As soon as Cheng's mother saw Ji Huai, she felt a little wary, fearing that she would be taken somewhere, so she dared to follow him when she finally saw that it was a shop facing the street.
Ji Huai didn't know whether to laugh or cry when he saw the two people's behavior. He was not a human trafficker.
Cheng Yunyu was collecting the bill at the front desk. When he saw the two people coming, he was slightly stunned: "Dad, Mom, why are you here?"
"Let's see what kind of store you have opened." Cheng's mother secretly observed. If Cheng Yunyu hadn't been inside, she wouldn't have dared to go in. She glanced at the waiters out of the corner of her eye.
The store is right on the roadside, so they shouldn't have the guts to do bad things.
Ji Huai poured water for the two of them: "Uncle and aunt have tea."
Cheng's mother reached out and brought it over. She didn't dare to drink it, but just said thank you: "Thank you, you go and do your work first, don't worry about us."
Cheng Yunyu also came over and lowered his voice to Cheng's mother: "Mom, let's not talk about those things here. There are still guests here."
The other party has always disagreed with her buying a house, and even opposed her and Ji Huai. She originally wanted to go home and have a good talk in a few days, but before she had time, the two of them actually came to find her.
"Three servings of stinky tofu."
"Boss, please have two bowls of beef noodles."
"I'd like two orders of fried tofu, five pieces."
…
As customers kept coming in, Ji Huai stood up and said to the two of them, "Uncle and aunt, I'm going to do my work first."
"Well, you go and do your work first." Cheng's mother did not dare to delay him.
The two of them originally planned to have a good talk with Cheng Yunyu to stop her from doing stupid things. They also wanted to come and see what was going on, but the store was really busy.
As soon as Cheng Yunyu said a few words to her, the employees came with the bill, and she went to the front desk to pay. The employee collected the money and sent it to her, and she had to change it.
Within half an hour of their arrival, she had collected nearly a hundred yuan.
Ji Huai brought them a fried tofu, a special tofu soup, and some snacks. Cheng's mother looked at the tables around her, and there were many people sitting there.
It doesn’t cost so much to deceive them, so he shouldn’t be a liar.
The fried tofu was very fragrant, and Cheng Yunyu also urged them to try it. In the end, she was too busy, so she stood up and said, "Mom and Dad, please sit down for a while while I go and work for a while."
Cheng's mother did not stop her. After Cheng Yunyu left, Cheng's mother and Cheng's father looked at each other and finally decided to eat some to try the taste.
The tofu is crispy on the outside and soft on the inside. The sauce is very fragrant and delicious. The soup is also sweet and tastes very good.
At this time, the tables in the small shop were slowly filling up, and people were queuing up to buy fried tofu. Cheng Yunyu was very busy, collecting bills and clearing the tables back and forth.
The people in the store were busy and no one had any time to spare.
In the afternoon, the place was even more crowded. After Ji Huai was busy for a while, he brought another pumpkin pie, sat next to them, and said to Cheng Yunyu, "Let's go out to have a meal with my uncle and aunt later."
Before Cheng Yunyu could reply, Cheng's mother refused: "No, you go ahead and do your business."
She thought her daughter had lied to them, but she didn't expect that it was really busy. The store was full of people, one after another. Cheng Yunyu never stopped, and neither did Ji Huai.
The business was so booming that she couldn't believe it. So many people were hired and they couldn't keep up.
Ji Huai said: "As busy as you are, you still have to eat. I will send you back after the meal and we will come back."
Cheng's mother looked at the young man sitting opposite her. He was indeed much calmer than his peers. She quietly observed that when Ji Huai arranged people to work, he was also very orderly, and he was also skilled and deft in his own work.
If Cheng Yunyu married this man, she would starve to death.
"Do you know what kind of building she wants to buy?" Cheng's father asked Ji Huai.
He was an honest and honest rural man who never made much money in his life. When he had money, he renovated his house. If he still had some money, he would fence the yard.
What kind of building or land? He didn't understand.
"Xiao Yu told me that the building is behind the store." Ji Huai nodded, his expression slightly restrained, "She said that the house in her hometown was no longer built, and she wanted to buy this one and slowly renovate it. I think the house in her hometown is still It needs to be covered, even if it is not covered, it must be repaired, otherwise it will not be easy to get married.”
The house won't collapse, and we can live comfortably after repairs. After all, we still have to go back during the holidays. Ji's property has been divided, and that house belongs to him.
He was so cautious and serious, but it made the Cheng family uncomfortable, and they didn't know what to say for a while.
Cheng Yunyu also came over and whispered: "If we buy a building, we won't have that much cash flow. We have to pay several people's salaries every month and purchase from each company. After a while, the rent will have to be paid for half a year. There will always be Keep some money aside.”
Mother Cheng didn't know what to say after she said these words. It was beyond her scope of cognition. She hesitated for a long time: "You can do whatever you want. I don't understand either."
Ji Huai asked Cheng's mother again: "I also heard something from Xiao Yu. We bought the house first, and then we got engaged and got married in a few months. Do you think it's okay?"
There were more and more people in the store, and the employees kept shouting: "Madam boss, it's time to check out."
Cheng Yunyu hurried over again, and after a while, someone called Ji Huai again. He went to get things for a while, and then helped the group. There were no more tables outside, so he asked his employees to move out the table he just bought. Come.
As the two walked away, Cheng's father and Cheng's mother looked at each other. They both saw shock and confusion in each other's eyes. They were deeply shocked, and they could not calm down for a long time.
Cheng Yunyu hurried over after finishing her work. She said to Cheng's mother: "Mom, don't worry about the house in your hometown anymore. Even if we can't survive in the end and sell the house, we can pay the money back to the bank and still have tens of thousands in hand. When the time comes, we can go home and build it. If we can survive now, who will go back?"
Mother Cheng looked at the customers in the store: "Is business always so good?"
Cheng Yunyu: "It's not dark yet, and it's even busier at night, until two or three o'clock."
Cheng's mother took another look at the store, and when she saw Ji Huai coming over, she quickly looked away: "This is your business, you can decide, I won't interfere."
If you can survive in the city, who will go back to Zhongdi? Who needs to work when we can do business
She had little knowledge, but she was not stupid. Father Cheng remained silent and acquiesced.
Once he heard that they had no objection, Cheng Yunyu made arrangements for himself: "Didn't you say there are rumors in the village? Let's get engaged as soon as possible and then set the wedding date. By then... "
"Did Ji Huai agree?" Mother Cheng interrupted her daughter as she listened to her talk beside her.
Ji Huai chuckled, his eyes falling on Cheng Yunyu: "It's okay, I'll listen to her, and I'll do whatever she says."
"He has no objection." Cheng Yunyu finished speaking and continued the topic.
Listening to her daughter's confident tone, Cheng's mother couldn't help but look up at Ji Huai. He also nodded and said with a curve at the corner of his mouth: "I have no objection."
Cheng’s mother: “…”
She and Cheng's father didn't have any objections. Everything had been arranged by their daughter. What could they say? They have lived for most of their lives, but they still don’t have the courage or ability to open a store or buy a property.
They didn't go out for dinner in the end. Cheng's mother had already eaten a lot of snacks and was already a little full. Seeing that the store was so busy, she was too embarrassed to interrupt and refused to go. The two of them tried the beef noodles made by Ji Huai.
Cheng's mother was eating noodles, looking at the shop full of people, and came over to say to Cheng's father: "The young man is quite down-to-earth and capable. It would be good to marry him, don't you think?"
Father Cheng still didn't speak.
Mother Cheng was dissatisfied with him being a mute and asked again: "Do you think so?"
“…”
"Squeak."
"...Hmm." Father Cheng was reluctant to agree for a while, and then he said something.
He didn't want his daughter to marry so early, but this dish tasted really good.
After Cheng Yunyu's inspection, her worried mood immediately changed. If people in the village mentioned Cheng Yunyu's relationship again, she would openly admit: "She is in love, and the two are planning to get married in the middle of the year."
"What did you talk about?" The aunts were very curious.
Cheng’s mother: “Over there at the lotus pond.”
"Jijia Village in the Lotus Pond?" someone immediately said again.
"Yes. The date will be decided after a while. Come and sit at my house again. It will be lively." Mother Cheng said with a smile.
"Before, you always said that Xiaoyu was still young, but now you are smiling so happily. It seems that you are very satisfied with this son-in-law." One of the fat aunts laughed at her.
"Young men are more down-to-earth and capable. If you are a girl who doesn't want to stay, just marry whoever you want." Cheng's mother said casually, her words were helpless, and she smiled so hard that her eyes crinkled, "Marry early and marry late."
Everyone asked again: "How are the conditions?"
"It's not bad. Just open a small shop and make a living." Cheng's mother is not a person who is very good at boasting. "The life is not bad. She can't be hungry."
Not only was she not hungry, but she could also eat well. At least she didn't have to worry about her daughter not having any meat to eat.
"It's good to be able to make a living, it must be very good." After that, the aunt added, "If I can catch your eye, I think life is okay, but I don't know how good a marriage will be."
"No." Mother Cheng shook her head, still smiling.
When she returned home, Cheng Yunyu came back with many things in her hands.
"What did you buy?" Cheng's mother hurriedly went up to pick it up.
"There are fruits and meat." Cheng Yunyu carried it to the kitchen, "Ji Huai bought two kilograms of beef. There is no refrigerator at home. You have to finish it today. I will buy a refrigerator another day."
She walked to the living room, took out a letter from her bag and handed it to Father Cheng.
Mother Cheng said: "Is this a betrothal gift? This is not how the betrothal gift is given, and..."
"No." Cheng Yunyu interrupted, "This is 20,000 yuan. Ji Huai said that his old house should be simply renovated. Our house should also be renovated. We are getting married in the middle of the year, so it looks good."
"Then we can't ask for his money." Cheng's mother refused.
Cheng Yunyu continued: "What do you mean by his money? He said that we opened the store together and it was our money together, so it should be right. You don't have to think that you are taking advantage of me. I still did the work."
When she said this, Cheng's mother's face softened a lot, even when she thought about it, she smiled and said, "It's someone else who supports the store, not you."
"I married him, didn't we just stay together? You'll earn the money quickly. After the house is renovated, you and your father will live comfortably. Right?" Cheng Yunyu said and added, "Wait until I get married. It’s beautiful even when it’s time.”
"Now that you've become the boss's wife, your tone of voice has changed." Mother Cheng clicked her tongue twice, "You'll earn all this money very quickly. You have such a strong tone!"
Cheng Yunyu touched the tip of her nose and didn't realize her mistake: "It's true. We went to buy a house a few days ago, and then we will be the ones who own the house in the city. When we have money, we will demolish it and re-build it if we don't want to live in it. I will Maybe she can become a rent collector."
Cheng’s mother + Cheng’s father: “…”
I don’t dare to think about it, I’m really promising.
at the same time.
Ji Huai also went back. He found the contractor who was building the house in the village and paid part of the money first to have the rotten doors and windows removed. The worn-out tiles on the top also had to be replaced.
It would be great to keep the main body of the house, and then add ceilings, flooring, and decoration inside the house.
He mentioned this matter to Grandma Ji, but she didn't take it seriously. She just said, "If you have money, just build it. You can build as many rooms as you want. Who can stop you?"
In her opinion, Ji Huai would not have the money to build a house. He was just daydreaming. But two days later, when she got up, she saw workers demolishing the house. She was stunned and even came forward to yell. : "Why are you demolishing my house? You are crazy!"
The contractor in the village laughed and said: "Isn't your Ji Huai rushing to renovate the house and get married? Are you awake and talking nonsense here?"