Chen Xuan just sighed for a moment about Ms. Chen's matter.
Firstly, the strawberries planted in the house could not be left alone for a day, so Chen Xuan had to teach Wei Jin the technique of growing strawberries; secondly, the store would open on the eighth day of the first lunar month, and there were many things to prepare for the opening. Shopkeeper Li and Sun Yan arrived at the store on the sixth day of the first lunar month to prepare for the opening. As a result, something happened to Sun Yan's family on the seventh day of the first lunar month. Sun Yan's father, Mr. Sun, smoked too much opium and died. Sun's mother cried miserably, but Sun Yan didn't care. He found the elders of the clan and asked his seventh uncle to go to the coffin shop to buy the thinnest coffin board, and burned and buried the body and the bedding. As for the funeral, a white cloth strip was tied on the lock ring of the door at home to indicate that this was a bereaved family. There was no other pomp and circumstance, such as breaking the ground and holding a funeral. Some old people from the Sun family came to talk about this matter. Although they knew that Sun's father had not behaved like a human being in the past, they also advised Sun Yan, "Seeing your mother crying like this, just take care of your mother's heart."
Sun Yan said, "My mother is crying because my father stole all my brother and sister's tuition for next year in order to buy opium. The tuition is due on the 16th of the first lunar month, and my mother is worried and crying. Why don't you two lend me some? I will pay you back when I make money. It's guaranteed to be one dollar less."
The two of them immediately became vague and did not dare to mention anything about Sun's father's funeral.
Uncle Sun Qi privately asked Sun Yan how much the tuition fee was. Sun Yan said, "Don't worry, Uncle Qi, I can ask my employer to advance me some salary."
Uncle Sun Qi put the few dollars he had on the table for Sun Yan and said to her, "I wanted to help you before but I didn't dare to. Even if I gave you money, your father would just use it to buy opium. Now, don't worry. Pay back the money you borrowed from your neighbor first. If you have any more problems, just come and talk to me. I will help you build your family business first."
Sun Yan took care of everything after her father's death in one day. After crying for her heartless husband, her mother had to worry about the tuition fees for the two children. Sun Yan said, "I will go to the big and second bosses to get some salary in advance. Mom, you should clean up the house and clean the house. Big brother and second sister, you all help mom to clean the room where that person lives three times inside and out to get rid of the bad luck." Then, Sun Yan went to the store to find the shopkeeper Xiao Li and asked Xiao Li to help her ask if she could get an advance of 60 yuan in salary. Sun Yan herself had never been to school properly. Since her father started smoking opium, the family had been living in darkness. When Sun Yan got the opportunity to work in Chen Xuan Weiyin's store, Sun Yan did not do things like her mother did. She would cry to her father. Sun Yan did not shed a single tear from beginning to end.
When Sun Yan first started selling goods in the store, she was inexperienced and the store had just opened, so her salary was limited. But as the business improved, Sun Yan was very willing to learn, and her salary was definitely one of a kind among her peers. Even the shopkeeper Xiao Li often did not earn as much as she did. When Sun Yan had money, she sent her younger siblings to school. They first attended a public elementary school. When Sun Yan earned more, she sent her younger siblings to a church school. Otherwise, if she didn't pay her younger siblings' tuition, she would have stolen the money for her father to smoke opium! Steal it! Now that he has finally smoked himself to death, it's over. But she still has to find a way to pay for next year's tuition. Sun Yan has always been flexible, but now she is in mourning, and Chen Xuan's pregnancy is no secret in the store. She is in mourning, so it's not easy for her to go near Chen Xuan.
Shopkeeper Xiao Li first heard Sun Yan's father's oath and was about to express his condolences to Sun Yan, but Sun Yan had already mentioned the salary advance and completely passed over the death of her father. Shopkeeper Xiao Li said, "I'll ask the big boss about the salary advance for you. Um, have you arranged the funeral? If you need my help, please don't hesitate. Well, I'd better go home with you to take a look. Your brother and sister are still young, and it's impossible for you and your aunt to take care of it."
Sun Yan said, "No need. The body was taken to the crematorium and burned. I hired someone to bury the body in a coffin. There is nothing to do. Please tell the two bosses about the advance payment. Also, I am in mourning, so I don't want to offend the boss. Please ask the boss for me. I want to go to Tianjin to sell our cosmetics. Is it okay?"
Shopkeeper Li's face turned pale with astonishment. He asked Sun Yan, "Are you going to Tianjin?"
Sun Yan sighed, "I didn't expect that thing to die suddenly. The eldest boss was pregnant, and I was in mourning. There are some rules that say that a bereaved family should not be close to a pregnant woman. This is not good. You said, my family still depends on me, how can I not make a plan? If I lose my job here, my family will be out of water and food. I thought, I have some experience in selling things in the past two years, and Tianjin is not far from Beijing. I will go out and try my luck. If it succeeds, this will be my way out. If not, I will come back and ask the two bosses, and maybe I can come back to help in the store."
Shopkeeper Xiao Li is not stupid. He knows that what Sun Yan said is true, but... Shopkeeper Xiao Li said softly, "When you leave, we, um, my feelings, you know, Yan'er?"
Sun Yan, a strong person, couldn't help but sigh again, "You probably know what my family is like. My brothers and sisters are young, and I have to support them through high school. The tuition and food cost about a hundred dollars a year. When they graduate from high school, they will be adults, and then it will be their business how to live. I can help with their marriage, but they have to be independent in life. I have fulfilled my responsibility as the eldest sister. However, I have to subsidize the family for these expenses before they graduate from high school. Which in-laws would like me to always subsidize a daughter-in-law like this?"
"You also earn your own money, more than I do. My second sister and eldest brother are young and are in school. It is only right for us to help them." Shopkeeper Li no longer worried about his father-in-law's sudden death. Shopkeeper Li said to Sun Yan anxiously, "Yan'er, you are a girl from a wealthy family. Although your family is ordinary now, you were rich in the past. My family has always been a small business. You are smarter than me and learn foreign languages faster than me. If you don't despise me, I will tell my parents about us. Well, although I shouldn't mention this now, if you go to Tianjin, you can't leave me alone in Beijing. I want to go with you."
Once a man and a woman fall in love, even though they have not yet reached the stage where "the living can die and the dead can live", the sudden exposure of their feelings can make both young men and women feel a little embarrassed.
Shopkeeper Xiao Li said to Sun Yan, "Don't borrow from the counter. I'll go home and get the money for you."
Sun Yan quickly stopped him, "Let's put things in perspective. Your family's money is not yours to manage. If I ask you for money now, what will happen? If you do this, I will never have anything to do with you again!"
Shopkeeper Li had no choice but to send Sun Yan to the door of the Sun family first, and then went to the old house of the Wei family. He told Wei Nian and Chen Xuan about the Sun family's affairs. Chen Xuan said, "Yan'er is too cautious. I'm fine." Chen Xuan took the silver from the box. She wanted to go to the Sun family to pay tribute in person, but she was pregnant. Chen Xuan's parents died early, and her uncle and aunt treated her normally. She paid more attention to the child. She discussed this with Wei Yin, who said, "I'll go there."
Qin Shu also said, "A Yan and I also know each other, let's go together. We also need to buy some funeral gifts." Qin Shu came from a scholarly family and was particularly particular about all kinds of etiquette.
Shopkeeper Li had to tell his girlfriend that the funeral of Sun's father had already been held. Shopkeeper Li spoke for his girlfriend, "It's not A-Yan and Aunt Sun's fault. In the past two years, A-Yan and Aunt Sun have made money. If it were someone else's family, they could have rebuilt their business. But her family didn't save a penny. As soon as A-Yan's Aunt Sun got paid, Uncle Sun would steal the money to smoke opium. Now he has smoked his life away, and the money for the coffin was borrowed from the neighbors. Now the school is open and half a year's tuition is required. A-Yan has no choice."
Old Mrs. Wei was listening to this in the compartment, slapping the edge of the kang and cursing, "This opium smoker deserves to die!" Sun's mother was a part-time tailor in Wei's silver shop, and she often came to the Wei family to help with needlework. Old Mrs. Wei also knew about the Sun family and had long been disgusted with Sun's father. Knowing that this man finally smoked himself to death, Old Mrs. Wei felt relieved and shouted from the other room, "What kind of funeral gift is this? He doesn't deserve it! Xiao Qin, save your money for yourself, don't spend it recklessly!" Old Mrs. Wei liked Qin Shu very much, and felt that Qin Shu was careless and didn't know how to save money, so she often reminded her.
Wei Jin also said that it was a good thing for such a scourge as Sun's father to die. Wei Jin said, "With one less opium smoker, Ayan's family can save more in the future. Her child is strong-willed, and Aunt Sun is a meticulous person. If they live together as mother and daughter, their lives will not be bad!"
Old Mrs. Wei agreed with this.
Wei Yin and Qin Shu did not buy any funeral gifts. They changed into plainer clothes, took some money, and went to the meat pie Zhou family in Meishi Street to buy two pounds of meat pie. Sun Yan thanked Wei Yin for the advance on her wages, gave the meat pie to her younger sister-in-law, and asked her younger sister to heat it up in the pan when she cooks. It tastes good when it is crispy. Sun Yan asked her mother to continue to clean up the room where her father used to live. She told Wei Yin privately that she wanted to go to Tianjin. Although Wei Yin was a little surprised, he did not refuse immediately and said, "I will go back and discuss it with my second sister-in-law."
Sun Yan was in mourning and it was New Year's Day, so it was not appropriate to keep guests. He personally saw Wei Yin and Qin Shu off.
When Wei Yin got home, he told Chen Xuan that Sun Yan wanted to go to Tianjin. Chen Xuan thought about it and said, "We all trust Yan'er's character. She has been selling things in the store and has always sold well. The customers in the store like her. But if she goes to Tianjin, everything will start from scratch. We have to see what she plans to do first. If she has already decided to go to Tianjin to promote our cosmetics, then it's fine for her to go to Tianjin. If she hasn't decided yet, why not let Yan'er go to Tianjin to see what kind of place it is. If that doesn't work out, let her come back to work after her father's death. It's the same. Her position will be kept for her."
Wei Yin said, "I think Yan'er has made up her mind. But she is a girl, so I am a little worried. I wonder what Shopkeeper Li is planning?"
Chen Xuan also knew that Shopkeeper Xiao Li had always taken care of Sun Yan. Since it was a new society now and newspapers did not prohibit men and women from falling in love freely, Chen Xuan let them develop freely. In particular, Shopkeeper Xiao Li's mother, Mrs. Li, had privately asked Chen Xuan about Sun Yan, and Mrs. Li did not show any displeasure. It seemed that the Li family also knew about this matter.
Shopkeeper Li went home and told about the Sun family. Mrs. Li heard that Sun's father had smoked himself to death, and she sighed a little, saying that life was short, and that was all she could do. She then asked her son, "Now that Mr. Sun has passed away, there must be a lot of things going on in the Sun family. You work in the same shop with Miss Sun, so you should go over and help out."
Shopkeeper Li told his mother that Sun's father had been burned and buried. He also told his mother how hateful Sun's father was, stealing all the money in the family, forcing Sun Yan to go to the store to get an advance on her salary. Mrs. Li was worried when she thought about the Sun family's financial situation. She said, "In theory, we shouldn't say this, but now that Mr. Sun is dead, Miss Sun's family can live a happy life."
"Yes." Shopkeeper Li told his mother everything about Sun Yan's plan to go to Tianjin. Shopkeeper Li did not hide it from his mother and told her that he wanted to go to Tianjin with Sun Yan. Mrs. Li thought about it, pulled her son to sit on the kang, and said earnestly, "Although it is not right to mention this now, since you have been working in the same store with her, you must have said a few words about Miss Sun one day. Your father and I are not deaf, so how can we not hear it. I have also seen Miss Sun. She is very beautiful and smart. She is also a local girl in Beijing. I heard that her family was also the head of a wealthy family. Alas, it is her bad luck to meet such a prodigal father. According to Miss Sun's own character, I would be willing to marry her even if her family has nothing. But there is one thing you have to think about clearly. Her family is a big burden. Now her younger brother and sister-in-law are studying, and she is very strong. She made her younger brother and sister-in-law go to church schools. I heard that such schools are precious. The annual tuition is fifty or sixty dollars. Add in the expenses for food and clothing, and it will cost at least a hundred dollars a year. She can earn money by herself, but now that you have a family, won’t you save some money for your family in the future, and won’t you raise your children in the future? Mrs. Sun in her family is weak and has to rely on her for everything. Your father and I are not unreasonable to help her for a while, but when will it end? Now that you think she is good and don’t care about this, you haven’t really lived your own life. If you get married and get angry about this, don’t do this. I would rather you think clearly about Miss Sun’s family situation before you get married. Can you come up with this hundred dollars a year? Besides, when her younger brothers and sisters get married in the future, the expenses will probably be more than now, not less.”
Shopkeeper Li immediately said, "Mom, I heard Ah Yan talk about her family. She said that her younger siblings are young now, and as the eldest sister, it is her responsibility to support them in their studies. When her younger siblings graduate from high school, they will be adults, and they will have to be independent. Although she is the eldest sister, she has fulfilled her responsibilities and will not give her younger siblings any more money. In the future, whether they continue to go to school or get married is up to them. She can help out with the labor, but she won't help with the money."
When Mrs. Li heard this, her eyes lit up and she pushed her son off the kang. Shopkeeper Li asked his mother to push him off the kang, and he almost stumbled and fell to the ground. As soon as he steadied himself, he heard his mother complaining, "Then why are you still standing there like an idiot? Why don't you go and tell Miss Sun that if she goes to Tianjin, you should go with her, and follow her wherever she goes! Oh, you said that your father and I are not stupid, why are you so stupid! You are so stupid, what can I do!" Mrs. Li immediately changed her clothes and prepared to go to Sun's house to help her son settle this matter. But then she thought, no, Sun's father, that evil person, had just died. Even if that evil person was annoying, he was still Sun Yan's biological father, and there was no reason to arrange a marriage right now.
Mrs. Li took out the key hidden in her waistband, unlocked the red lacquered box, and took out a red cloth bag from the bottom of the box. When she opened the red cloth bag, she found a pair of old gold bracelets. Mrs. Li took her son and started to talk about the past, "This is what your grandmother gave me privately when I married your father. This is the only pair. It was your great grandmother's dowry for your grandmother. Miss Sun is a person of character and ability, and I like her very much. You are a fool with good luck. You have found such a good daughter-in-law for me, so I won't hide it. Now she is from a filial family, so there is no reason to propose marriage. Give her this bracelet as a token of commitment. When she is no longer filial and you are not young anymore, you can get married."
Shopkeeper Li was overjoyed and immediately accepted the gold bracelet from his mother. Shopkeeper Li was not honest at all. He said sweetly, "Mom, when I make money in the future, I will give you a better one."
Mrs. Li smiled and said, "Go ahead."
Shopkeeper Li went to the Sun family as fast as a flash.
Seeing her son so anxious, Mrs. Li couldn't help but shake her head and smile. Although she felt a little jealous, she was relieved by her son's sweet words to buy her a big gold bracelet. Everyone has a young time. When her old man was young, his character was not as stable as her son's.
There is no need to mention the affection between the young lovers. However, when Sun's mother heard her daughter say that she wanted to go to Tianjin, she was even more confused. She sobbed and cried, holding her daughter's hand and crying, "It's all because of my incompetence."
Sun Yan called the whole family to a meeting and said, "My elder brother and second sister are not young anymore. I am going to Tianjin now, and you have to help me make decisions about family matters. There is nothing to do at home. Tomorrow, pay back the two dollars borrowed from the neighbor. After you pay the tuition at the beginning of the school, return the dollars given by Uncle Qi. There will be only five or six dollars left at home. This few dollars is enough for a month's expenses. You should study hard. If you have any questions, ask Uncle Qi in the clan. If you have any difficulties, ask the eldest and second landlords for help. They are all good people and will definitely help us. Mother, don't be too frugal when cooking. My elder brother and second sister are both growing up, so it's better to save money. What is money for? Only when you have enough food and warm clothes can you have the strength to study. If I can earn the academic bonus this year, I can earn back all the money I spend on food. In the future, I must be educated to be able to stand on my own feet outside. You two have this opportunity to study, so study hard! Study well and thoroughly! Study smartly! Don’t become a wooden lump! I will send you living expenses every month in the future, so you don’t have to worry about money. Don’t work too hard, mother. It’s not worth it to ruin your health. If you are in good health, you can take care of your older brother and younger sister. If you ruin yourself, I will have to hire someone to help us. Now it costs at least three or five dollars to hire a servant." These words made Sun's mother dare not sob anymore.
After assigning the household chores and giving private instructions to her younger brother and sister-in-law, Sun Yan still had to plan her trip to Tianjin. She planned to go to Tianjin first to take a look. After all, she had only heard of this place before but had never been there.
The next day, Sun Yan went to discuss this matter with Wei Yin. Wei Yin said, "My second sister-in-law and I also said that we should let you go first. But how can you go alone? You should ask Shopkeeper Xiao Li to go with you."
Sun Yan said, "It's OK that I'm not in the store. You and the first boss are both capable of serving customers, but he is in charge of the accounts and I can't leave him for the time being. I'm just going to take a look this time, and it's okay to go alone. Don't worry, second boss, my family still has relatives in Tianjin. My mother is a bannerman. Although she is not popular now, there are many relatives at home. My mother's sister married in Tianjin. When I arrived in Tianjin, I first looked for my aunt, and then went to Tianjin Quanyechang, department stores, and markets to have a good idea."
"Okay, I'll ask the cashier to give you two hundred dollars first. You can take this money with you and use it to pay for all your expenses. Bring back the receipts for your expenses. If you don't have receipts, you can write a note and put it in the account."
Sun Yan did not refuse and told Wei Yin that she wanted to take some goods to Tianjin. Sun Yan even took half a box of Wei Nian's new affordable brand "Super Clean" soap, which was delivered to the train by shopkeeper Xiao Li.
As soon as Sun Yan went to Tianjin, Shopkeeper Zhao privately found Wei Nian, wanting to send his daughter to the store to help. Shopkeeper Zhao took advantage of his free time at noon, ate lunch, brewed a pot of tea, poured a cup for Wei Nian, and held a bowl for himself, sitting down from Wei Nian to discuss this matter with him, "The girl is already fifteen or sixteen years old. If she lived in the countryside, she would be ready for marriage. But in Beijing, there is no rush. I think she is still very agile, so I want her to be an apprentice. Young Master, do you think she is suitable?"
Wei Nian smiled, "You came to me and told me that you were a witness when they signed the deed to open the store. I can't get involved in their affairs."
Shopkeeper Zhao thought, everyone knows that the Second Young Madam will listen to you. However, shopkeepers are all smart people. Shopkeeper Zhao smiled and said, "I was thinking, if you think this is okay, I will let my wife go to the Young Madam to ask for permission. If not, I will simply not let her ask for it."
Wei Nian lowered his eyes and took a sip of tea, saying, "The work in their store may seem easy, but in fact they are busy all day long. Not only do they have to sell goods, but they also have customers who want to try on makeup. They have to deal with customers, which is probably not easy."
Shopkeeper Zhao said quickly, "My girl has been a hard-working person since she was young. Helping out in the store is no different from others. She needs to be capable and smart. I don't think she is stupid. But, I won't hide it from the young master, she used to do housework with her mother at home. Although she is capable, she doesn't know much about women's makeup. Besides, I heard that the people in the young lady's store have to know foreign languages. Although she recognizes a few words, she doesn't know foreign languages." Shopkeeper Zhao had to praise the second young lady for her ability. Logically, the second young lady had only been in Beijing for a few years, but now she looks very stylish, not to mention her dress and appearance is no worse than other young ladies. She is also very knowledgeable and speaks foreign languages very well!
"Foreign language is fine. You can learn it when you get there. Madam will teach you." Wei Nian had an idea in mind. "Since you asked me to do it, Old Zhao, I will ask Madam on your behalf. If she thinks it's okay, we are better than outsiders. Then I will tell you to let Aunt Zhao take the maid to try it. But I have to say this first. Madam's shop has a probation period of two months. The contract can only be signed after the probation period."
"Of course, we all listen to the young master and the young mistress." In fact, Shopkeeper Zhao was interested in more than just the sales position left by Sun Yan after she went to Tianjin. Shopkeeper Zhao and Shopkeeper Li had been friends for so many years, and he knew that Shopkeeper Li and Sun Yan had some feelings. Shopkeeper Zhao had figured it out long ago. When Sun Yan went to Tianjin, Shopkeeper Li would definitely follow. Once Shopkeeper Li left, the shopkeeper position in the shop of the young mistress and the second lady was vacant. Speaking of which, when Shopkeeper Li put his son in the shop of the second young mistress and the second lady as the shopkeeper, Shopkeeper Zhao didn't think much of it. Instead, he thought that it was a shop selling rouge and powder for women after all, and it was a bit strange for a young man to be the shopkeeper of a rouge and powder shop. Later, he vaguely heard about Shopkeeper Li's salary. You can say that Shopkeeper Zhao was jealous, and even his wife, Mrs. Zhao, was very envious. She said that her husband was smart in everything, but he was one step behind Shopkeeper Li. After all, Shopkeeper Zhao dealt with Wei Nian more. The couple was thinking about when the store would recruit people and send their children to be apprentices. The couple had found out that if they worked in the store of the second young lady and the second young lady, they would get a salary in the first month, even if it was only a few dollars, the couple would be happy.
Now that he heard that Sun Yan was going to Tianjin, Shopkeeper Zhao refused to delay and hurried to find Wei Nian to talk about it. As for the position of shopkeeper after Shopkeeper Xiao Li, Shopkeeper Zhao couldn't bring it up first. After all, he didn't want to ruin his relationship with Shopkeeper Li. Shopkeeper Zhao knew that the second young lady and the second girl's store paid a high salary, and Shopkeeper Li knew it better. After Shopkeeper Xiao Li left, Shopkeeper Li's family was not without a second son, but whether it would succeed or not depended on the opinions of the young master and the young lady.
In response to Shopkeeper Zhao's request, Wei Nian said slowly, "Old Zhao, I remember that you and Shopkeeper Fu of the Guanwai shop are from the next village. Shopkeeper Fu hasn't returned to his hometown in the past few years, and Mrs. Fu is still in the countryside with her children. I remember that Shopkeeper Fu's son is not young anymore, right?"
Shopkeeper Zhao's heart skipped a beat, but since Wei Nian asked this, Shopkeeper Zhao had been working with Wei Nian in the Dongdan shop and wanted to follow Wei Nian in the future. Shopkeeper Zhao whispered, "Old Fu hasn't been back home for five or six years. I heard that Mrs. Fu is having a hard time and is farming with the children at home. Hey, I went back to my hometown last year and visited her. Mrs. Fu said that business outside the Great Wall is not easy and Old Fu is not in good health. In recent years, he has been sending less and less money home. His family is still headed by the old lady. On New Year's Day, Mrs. Fu's clothes are patched. Old Mrs. Fu is a decent person. When I went there that year, her clothes were also old."
Wei Nian immediately understood what was going on.
The author has something to say: ps: Today is a super long update, I am so happy writing it, so I won’t divide it into chapters!! Good night everyone!! I have been taking my mom and nephew to visit West Lake these two days. Well, you know the temperature in Hangzhou during the summer vacation... I feel that I need to lose weight~~