Wei Nian had no problem with the sudden addition of a foreign language student. After all, teaching one was the same as teaching two. In particular, Wei Nian now believed that it was good for girls to study more.
The obvious teaching material is Chen Xuan, what a huge change.
In particular, since Chen Xuan started to go to school, not only has she learned to read, but her personality has also changed a lot. In Wei Nian's words, she has become more and more courageous.
Chen Xuan was a person who was grateful for what she had received. She wanted to borrow some wool from Wei Yin. Wei Yin said, "I have already used up all the wool I had. I crocheted a few wool flowers with the last bit left. Sister-in-law, do you want to knit something?"
Chen Xuan nodded, "I think, Mr. Wen is such a good man, we went there once, drank coffee and ate snacks, but we didn't bring anything, which is not good. I am very grateful to Mr. Wen, and my family has nothing to give except books, but we have already given books last time, so it's not good to give again. I don't have any other strengths, I just learned how to knit scarves from you, I want to knit a scarf for Mr. Wen, what do you think?"
"That's fine too." Wei Yin said directly, "Tell my second brother tomorrow, and we can go out for a walk and buy some wool."
Chen Xuan also agreed. It was the same. Last time she went out to buy white paper, she used up all the remaining change. Now, she didn't have a penny. This time, she had to borrow money from Wei Nian again.
Chen Xuan felt very embarrassed when she thought about always borrowing money from Wei Nian.
In the evening, she whispered to Wei Nian about the loan, and Wei Nian was very happy, "You're right. Well, knitting a scarf for Mr. Wen is both a token of your affection and a respectable look. Woolen scarves are very popular now." He raised his chin towards the closet, "There's change in my coat pocket, just take it yourself, no need to report to me all the time." Wei Nian didn't care about a little change. Even the US dollars he earned from tinkering with things were kept by Chen Xuan.
Chen Xuan insisted, "Let's put it this way. This is something I borrowed from Brother Anian." She went over and took out a long brown soft leather wallet from Wei Nian's woolen coat pocket, and took a dollar from Wei Nian. Chen Xuan said, "I don't think I can spend this dollar, so I'll borrow it first and pay it back next year."
"Okay, go ahead and lend it to me." Seeing Chen Xuan adding another entry to the account book, Wei Nian couldn't help but want to laugh. He had something else to tell Chen Xuan, "I won't be able to go out with you guys tomorrow. You can take more money and go with Ah Yin and Dasao. Don't walk. You can take a rickshaw or a car. I'll pay for the fare."
Chen Xuan went out more often, and she didn't necessarily need Wei Nian to accompany her, so when she saw that Wei Nian was not available, she agreed.
The three sisters-in-law didn't tell Mrs. Wei about going out. After breakfast, Mrs. Wei took Yun Jie'er to the theater to watch a play, and the three of them went out. They didn't go far, but went to Dong'an Market, where they wandered for half a day and bought some wool before returning. There were also fashionable clothing stores in Dong'an Market. Chen Xuan saw that some clothing stores even sold wool sweaters. She asked the price and found that one was five yuan. Chen Xuan was dumbfounded. She couldn't help but said, "It's not as good as your knitting, Yin." The clerk rolled his eyes. Li felt embarrassed and quickly took the two away.
Because Dong'an Market was very close to Ganyu Hutong where the Wei family lived, the three sisters-in-law did not take a car but walked there. On the way home, Chen Xuan, perhaps because she owed too much money and was under too much pressure, said while holding the wool she bought, "Ah Yin, that wool sweater is really not as beautiful as the one you knitted. Sister-in-law, Ah Yin, you have also seen that wool sweater, don't you think so?"
Li nodded, "I also think that Ah Yin's weaving is at least as good as the ones sold in the shop."
Wei Yin said, "Of course. The sweaters I knit are all patterns I learned from books. Some patterns are learned from two different pieces of clothing and used on one piece. Even the gloves I knit for Ajie and Amin, they all said they were very good to wear."
"What do you think? Can we knit some sweaters and sell them?" Chen Xuan was under great pressure from debt and was particularly interested in making money. "We only need two dollars' worth of yarn to knit a wool sweater, but the ready-made clothes sold in the store cost five dollars. Even if we sell them for three dollars, we can still make a dollar."
Wei Yin and Li were both shocked by Chen Xuan's words. Li said, "How about we wait for Grandpa to come back and ask him."
Wei Yin didn't care much about making money, but he still said, "That's good."
Wei Yin and Li didn't take the matter to heart. Only Chen Xuan, who was under great debt pressure, discussed the matter with Wei Nian in private while knitting a scarf after dinner.
"Knitted sweaters for sale?" Wei Nian asked.
"Well, when I went out today, I saw a shop selling woolen sweaters. The sweaters there were very expensive, five yuan each, and they were not as good as the ones Ah Yin knitted. I thought, we can knit this kind of sweater. It's the red sweater that Ah Yin knitted for me, you've seen it." Putting down the knitting in her hands, Chen Xuan took out her red sweater from the closet and showed it to Wei Nian. "At the beginning, I bought two yuan of wool yarn, and later I had two balls left. I calculated that if we don't sell it for five yuan each, we can sell it for four yuan each, which is also a 50-50 profit. Brother Ah Nian, do you think this will work?"
Chen Xuan had never done business before, and didn't know the ins and outs of this business. Besides, if she wanted to do this wool sweater business, she would need Wei Nian's help. Wei Nian liked to tinker with things on weekdays. For example, this wool sweater, although it was not an expensive item, the profit was not low. Wei Nian said, "The business is feasible, but there are only you, my sister-in-law, and Ah Yin in the family. Even if you three work together to knit one sweater, it will take five or six days, right?"
"No, it only took Ah Yin five days to knit my sweater. My sister-in-law worked a little slower because she didn't have time to knit every day. I can learn too. If the three of us knit together, we can knit ten sweaters a month and earn one dollar for each sweater, which means we can earn ten dollars a month. Although the money is small, it's better than spending it without earning anything." Chen Xuan simply mobilized all her wisdom to lobby Wei Nian, "Besides, Brother An Nian, didn't you say that these foreign sweaters are very popular outside and sell well? Today we went to the vegetable market to buy meat, and the price of meat has risen again. The old lady also said that our family has been through hard times, so we have to live frugally. Brother An Nian, you are the only one who works hard outside, and we can't help at all. We can only do housework at home. In my heart, I feel sorry for you, Brother An Nian, but I also want to help."
Then, Chen Xuan also told her own plan, "Brother Anian, you also know that we will be separated sooner or later. Now I can eat and drink at home, but when you find a girl you like in the future, I can't delay you at all. You also know my situation, my uncle and aunt treat me so-so. If I go back to the village, I don't even have an acre of land, and I'm afraid it will be difficult to live in the village. I have to have a skill to make a living in Beijing. If this method works, I will learn some weaving skills, so that I can earn a living in the future."
"Don't say that. Even if it's that, we are not strangers." If Chen Xuan hadn't mentioned the separation in the future, Wei Nian would not have thought about it for a long time. He and Chen Xuan have been living well these days. Wei Nian solemnly promised, "I can't bear to see you suffer anymore."
"Brother Anian, you are a good person, but do I have to rely on you for everything in the future? Not to mention that I will be a burden to you, but I can't do that. What kind of person would that be? If I always rely on you, I will not be able to stand up on my own feet." Chen Xuan's face showed an indescribable determination, and she said seriously, "I will definitely be a person that others respect."
"I don't look down on you at all."
"I know." Chen Xuan smiled. "Brother Anian, do you think this sweater thing will work?"
"How about this, we will try knitting one first. If it sells well, we will knit two more. If it doesn't sell well, we can just knit them for our family members to wear."
Chen Xuan quickly agreed.
Wei Nian added, "This is just a few bucks for you to earn from your own pocket. When the time comes, you can put the clothes in the shop. Whatever you earn is yours, and you can keep it for yourself."
Chen Xuan was delighted, the corners of her lips curled up, and she even said a few polite words, "Isn't this a bit bad?"
"Okay, your mouth is sticking out, it's still not good, right?" After imitating Chen Xuan's words to make fun of him, Wei Nian straightened his face and said to Chen Xuan, "Xuan, you don't have to rush out, and don't treat your home as an outside place. Whether it is now or in the future, if you have any difficulties, just tell me and I will help you. This is not a burdensome thing. During the days we have been together, you have cooked my favorite meals when you have time, and done all these chores. In my heart, I don't treat you as an outsider." Although these words are intimate, they seem to be unable to express Wei Nian's feelings. Wei Nian didn't expect that he would sometimes be tongue-tied.
Chen Xuan smiled, "I know that you, An Nian, are a good person. The book says that it is better to teach someone how to fish than to teach him to give. I know that you, An Nian, are very willing to help me. Just like now, it is a great help to me."
Chen Xuan is a man of action, especially when it comes to making money. Chen Xuan is extremely active. The next morning, she told Wei Yin and Li about it. Wei Yin asked, "Did Second Brother really say that whatever we earn is ours?"
"I said it and promised it." Chen Xuan smiled, "I'm too busy knitting scarves right now. Ah Yin, sister-in-law, if you have time, buy some wool and knit two scarves. Let Brother Anian take them to the shop and try. If they can be sold, it's a profit. Even if they can't be sold, you can wear them yourself and don't waste them."
As soon as they heard that the money they earned was theirs, Wei Yin and Li Shi, the two people who were least attentive yesterday, went to the woolen shop to buy wool after breakfast. They went home to discuss the style and size first, and then started knitting. Wei Nian was a careful person, and he also got a few size labels and foreign trademarks from outside, and told them how to sew them in to make them look more formal. Two days later, Wei Nian brought back two brown paper bags and a set of thick paper boxes, all printed with English words like foreign trademarks, and I don’t know where Wei Nian got them from. Wei Nian said that after the sweaters were knitted, they should be folded neatly and put in the box.
Wei Yin was quick and knitted quickly. On the day when Wei Yin's sweater was consigned, Chen Xuan finally finished knitting the scarf for Mr. Wen. She knitted very delicately, folded it neatly after knitting, and wrapped it in a blue leather bag. After thinking for a while, Chen Xuan also wrote a letter. The letter was very short, and Chen Xuan was not polite. She wrote:
When we saw Mr. Wang’s demeanor that day, we were very envious and admired him. Now, my brother Anian has started to read every night, and my aunt is learning English. We still have very little knowledge, but I think that as long as we keep learning every day, there will always be a day when we can accumulate a lot. I am especially grateful to Mr. Wang because I am not good at speaking and don’t know what to say. I am afraid that I can’t say anything in front of Mr. Wang. It’s cold, so I knitted a scarf, and I hope Mr. Wang will accept it.
Chen Xuan thought for a moment and wrote down, "Chen Xuan, wife of Wei Nian."
When Mr. Wen received the scarf, Rong Yang was standing nearby and jokingly said, "This is such a thoughtful gift."
Mr. Wen read the letter and handed it to Rong Yang with a smile. Rong Yang refused, "How can I read my uncle's letter?"
"No, no, no, this is not for you to see, you are seeing it for your aunt." Mr. Wen joked back. Rong Yang scratched his nose, "This is the bad thing about my uncle, he doesn't even think twice about giving in to the younger generation."
"It's okay, it's okay. When your aunt comes home, you can accuse me of ten major crimes." The two of them joked for a while. Mr. Wen showed Rong Yang the letter and talked about Chen Xuan. "This Mrs. Wei is a woman from the countryside. Although she is an old-fashioned woman, she is very enterprising. I hope that all old-fashioned women in the world can have Mrs. Wei's ambition."
The author has something to say: ps: It’s late, nothing to say, good night~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~