The Fat Wife of the 1980s Awakens

"Mom, I want to eat that sweet meat and sweet potatoes." The child's voice is clear, full of desire for delicious food.

Seeing this, Dabao was afraid of being left behind, so he quickly agreed: "Yes, those silk threads on the sweet potatoes are like fine spider webs, and they are extremely sweet!"

Children's wishes are always so simple, direct and undisguised.

Xu Xiufang's face was filled with an irrepressible look of pride at this moment.

Because she knew that in that envelope lay eight pieces of "Great Unity".

That was a rare large-denomination banknote in this era.

When the aunts saw the thick stack of bills, they were stunned. Their eyes seemed to be sucked by the money and they couldn't move.

Even if I had saved up for several years by living frugally, it wouldn't be as rich as this.

They couldn't help but wonder, how could Xu Xiufang bring back such a generous reward for just going to the garment factory?

Is it an opportunity? Or is there something else going on?

Complex emotions intertwined in the aunts' hearts, a mixture of envy and sadness.

One of the aunts, who was of a sturdy build, could no longer suppress her curiosity and asked first, "According to what you said, if it's just making clothes, seven yuan a day, it would probably take hundreds of days? It would have to be three or four months, right?"

There was shock in his words, as well as a reassessment of Xu Xiufang's abilities.

In response, Xu Xiufang shrugged her shoulders and pretended to be relaxed. "Not much, only about a hundred days, three or four months. In fact, I didn't make much. I only went for a few hours today, but the boss forced money on me and said that he would help me promote at workers' meetings in the future."

These words, seemingly spoken casually, stirred up quite a stir in the hearts of the aunts, causing them to re-examine this seemingly weak but actually extraordinary woman.

At this point, she shook her head in a helpless manner, her black hair brushing gently across her shoulders, and she sighed, with a hint of barely perceptible pride in her voice: "If all the foreign machinery business in Zhijin County comes to me, I'll be as busy as a spinning top, alas."

She handled this kind of pretentiousness just right, and Xu Xiufang's Versailles-style speech was fluent and natural, as if she was born to be the protagonist on the stage.

Li Guifang was shocked as she listened. Following behind Xu Xiufang, she seemed to have seen a new world full of opportunities. It was indeed a rich land with meat to eat.

Xu Xiaohua was even more overjoyed, her mouth almost stretched to her ears, and her smile was filled with infinite longing for the future.

In contrast, the expressions of the aunts were extremely complicated, a mixture of envy, reluctance and helplessness.

They tried to hide their inner turmoil with outward calmness, but the jealousy and envy in their eyes were like a suppressed volcano, hot and hard to ignore.

However, as time went by, the initial feeling of jealousy was slowly replaced by an inexplicable acceptance.

After all, the ability to make money like this is something that ordinary people can hardly achieve even if they work hard all year round.

Even though the grain harvest is good, how much money can we make from it?

The men in the family work hard outside, doing odd jobs in the sun and rain, and if they can save 500 yuan after a year of hard work, they will be considered a small rich man envied by their neighbors in the countryside.

Xu Xiufang's ability is simply a sign of success!

Without time to think too much, the aunts' minds were completely focused on how to get on Xu Xiufang's ride which was about to depart.

"Xiufang!" The aunt's eyes sparkled with fawning light, and her tone was full of expectation. "I can ride a bicycle very well, and pushing a cart is no problem at all. If you are still short of help, remember to call me!"

Another skinny old lady smiled, her wrinkles seemed to be filled with pleading: "Xiufang, I know the roads in the city well, I'm good at running errands and delivering things, I'm in good health, my family says I'm the most capable. As for the salary, I'm not picky, three dollars a day is enough for me."

When Li Guifang heard this, she became extremely anxious. This was not just about finding a job, it was actually a job hunting war!

"No, no, I'm a partner. Our auto repair shop really doesn't need so many people right now. Please go back." In order to secure her seat in this feast of wealth, she naturally had to play the bad guy.

Of course, what she didn't want even more was that her salary was diluted to three dollars a day due to the increase in manpower.

However, the aunties seemed not to have heard what Li Guifang said. They rushed to hold Xu Xiufang's hand and asked about her daily life. The enthusiasm almost overwhelmed people.

Faced with this scene, Xu Xiufang maintained a moderate reserve on her face.

In the small rural society, reality and human feelings often coexist, especially for older women, whose every move may contain complex emotions.

"I'm not in a rush here for now. When I really need help, I will definitely think of you first. I'm afraid that by then you will be busy with your own affairs and won't be able to take care of my small shop."

She responded skillfully, maintaining harmonious neighborhood relations without making promises that could not be fulfilled.

Upon hearing this, smiles immediately broke out on the faces of the aunties, and they agreed one after another, as if they had foreseen the bright prospects of future cooperation.

After finally sending the aunties away, Xu Xiufang closed the door and turned around to see Xu Xiaohua spinning around in excitement, almost jumping up, "Guess how much I made today?"

Xu Xiufang knew clearly that given Xu Xiaohua's situation, her income would definitely not exceed two yuan, but she also understood that for people like Xu Xiaohua, what they most desired was encouragement and recognition.

"Fifty cents, right?" She raised her eyebrows deliberately, pretending to be convinced, giving her utmost support and affirmation.

Xu Xiaohua carefully took out a small bag that was tightly wrapped in a handkerchief from her bosom, opened it layer by layer, revealing the money inside, and placed it on the table with a look of pride and disbelief, "Look, it's a total of 1.8 yuan. I never thought I could earn so much."

The price of rice was astonishingly low as 0.012 yuan per pound, while the wild fruits in the mountains, even if dried, could not be exchanged for a few copper coins. They seemed to be an unintentional gift from nature and were despised in the market.

Li Guifang's hands did not stop. While piling sundries onto the tricycle, she casually revealed today's harvest: "She made several hundred today. Don't take that small amount of money seriously. Just keep it to yourself."

As soon as these words were spoken, there seemed to be a subtle yet barely perceptible touch in the air.

Xu Xiufang's mouth curled up into a faint smile, and her words were full of philosophy and poetry: "Making money is like digging ditches in the wilderness, one hoe at a time, silently, until one day, suddenly, wealth comes rolling in like a mountain torrent, enough to dazzle people."