Chapter 67: Clothing Shop

In the blink of an eye, a month passed. The weather in October had clearly turned cool, and the stall had shifted from children's clothing to smocks and standard men's and women's wear. The four little models were also liberated, replaced by two nieces.

Yushui and the others each received a set of clothes and a smock, plus one comic book per person. They were also able to eat and drink well every day, so they weren't being mistreated.

Around ten o'clock that morning, while Zhang Ping'an was still studying at the Pharmacy, Yan Jiefang ran over to tell him that his eldest sister and second sister had arrived.

"Eldest Sister, Second Sister, why are you here?"

"Well, Xiaochen and the others only come back once a month, so we came over to take a look."

"They are all at the stall; they only just left a little while ago. I'll take you over to see them."

"Alright."

Dashilan is not close to here; it would take thirty or forty minutes on foot. Fortunately, Jia Dongxu's tricycle was at home, so it was faster to ride.

Fifteen minutes later, Zhang Ping'an and the two sisters saw the four of them at the stall, but they did not approach.

"Eldest Sister, Second Sister, look, Xiaochen and the others are selling clothes right now."

Watching Li Chen in his new clothes, chatting away with an older woman, Zhang Cuihua could hardly believe that was her son. The sisters looked at each other, both seeing shock in the other's eyes.

They couldn't understand how, in just one month, their sons had transformed from country boys into modern city youths. The two little girls with yellow hair had also turned into chubby young ladies.

"Ping'an, this..."

"Eldest Sister, Second Sister, do you think they've changed quite a bit?"

"Yes."

"Let's go back and talk. It's just about time to cook, and they'll be back at twelve noon."

"That works."

After returning to the courtyard.

"San Jie, don't cook for a moment. Eldest Sister and Second Sister are here; let's siblings gather together."

"Okay."

Zhang Cuihua and Zhang Meihua cooked, while Si Jie was still buried in work at the studio making clothes.

"Eldest Sister, Second Sister, what are your thoughts on the future for Xiaochen and Xiaojing?"

"What else could it be? Of course, it's to go home, farm the land, and get married."

Originally, Zhang Ping'an had planned to help Si Jie get a spot in a factory after 1954. Now, he wanted to start a Clothing Shop; even if it became a Public-Private Partnership later, it would still be holding an Iron Rice Bowl, wouldn't it?

"Eldest Sister, Second Sister, I plan to have Si Jie start a Clothing Shop. When the time comes, I'll have Xiaochen and the others all work inside. It will be similar to now, and once they make money, they can put down roots in the city."

"This..." It would be a lie to say the two weren't tempted. No one wanted their own son to spend his whole life scratching a living out of the dirt.

"Eldest Sister, Second Sister, do you know how much money they can make in a month? Xiaochen and Xiaojing are making 150,000 each per month now, and Xiaomei and the others are making 60,000. Of course, I haven't told them that yet."

"San Jie has a Sewing Machine at home and can also earn 120,000 to 130,000 a month, without it hindering her from taking care of the children or doing housework."

Both were stunned by Zhang Ping'an's words. Calculating it this way, her two children could earn over two million a year, which was about to catch up to the current income of an entire family.

"Ping'an, this isn't illegal, is it?"

"How could it be? Look at us, we've been running the stall for over a month and everything is fine. But if it's a Clothing Shop, we might have to pay taxes. That doesn't matter, though; in another half a month, it will be freezing cold and we won't be able to go out and set up the stall anyway."

"Besides, having a shop means you aren't exposed to the wind or the rain. How good is that?"

"Then, then let's discuss it with the younger sister when we eat."

"Alright."

"Ding-a-ling, ding-a-ling."

"It's Xiaochen and the others back."

"Ah, Mother, why are you here? I missed you."

The two girls rushed over when they saw their mother. Although they were eating, drinking, and playing well in the city, they were only ten or so years old, after all, and still missed home a bit.

"You haven't gone back in over a month, so your second aunt and I had no choice but to come see you."

"Mother, I'm just helping Little Aunt with the stall."

"You, you've just gone wild with playing."

"Xiaochen, go call your third aunt over to eat."

"Alright, Uncle."

At the kitchen's Eight Immortals table, the five siblings and the four younger ones sat together. Zhang Ping'an briefly explained the matter.

"My thinking is this: San Jie and Si Jie, you two will be the master tailors; Xiaochen and the others will be responsible for selling the clothes; and I will go buy a shop."

"At that time, the profits from this shop will be 35% for Si Jie as the lead, 20% for San Jie, then 15% each for Eldest Sister and Second Sister, and the remaining 15% for Father and Mother."

"Ping'an, I don't need that much. I only need 10%," Si Jie said.

"That's right, Ping'an. Xiaochen and the others are just selling clothes; how could they take so much?"

"Listen to me first. To the outside world, we'll say it's a business set up for us by Father and Mother, and everyone will take a salary, but privately the profit-sharing remains the same. I'll tell Father and Mother now, and they will certainly agree."

"It's settled. Once I buy the shop, we'll start."

"Then how about this, Ping'an? Let's wait until Father and Mother come over to decide."

"Fine."

Zhang Ping'an was not in a hurry. Finding a storefront wasn't something that could be done all at once; there weren't many suitable ones along the street right now.

The next day, Zhang Ping'an was preparing to go home to discuss this with his father, but he didn't expect his father to come first. Clearly, Eldest Sister and Second Sister had passed by Zhang Family Village on their way home yesterday and told him about it.

"Ping'an, Father doesn't object to what you said. However, since it's said to be set up by me for you all, take these Yellow Fish."

Zhang Laohan reached directly into his bosom and pulled out three large and three small Yellow Fish, giving Zhang Ping'an a start. One had to know that the current gold recycling price was over 30,000 (that is, three yuan) per gram, and it was more expensive on the Black Market, so these three large and three small ones were worth over three million.

"This..."

"Keep them safe. Buy a larger courtyard and open a shop; the remaining rooms can be used for people to live in."

"Alright, Father, then I'll take them."

"Mm, they were meant for you anyway. There's still a little left at home, but your mother is pregnant again..."

"..." This old man is truly impressive; that Tiger Bone Wine really wasn't drunk in vain.

"That works, I'll wait until I've found a courtyard, then you can come over to sign."

"Why would I need to come over? Wouldn't it be better to just use your name?"

"Dad, I already have a house."

"So?"

"Uh, it's best to have one house under each person's name; don't flaunt your wealth." Zhang Ping'an couldn't exactly say that having too many houses in ten-plus years would also be a burden.

"Alright then."

At noon, the father and son had a small drink together, and in the afternoon, Zhang Ping'an prepared quite a few things, packed them into a burlap sack, and then sent his father back, also taking the opportunity to see his mother.

"Mom."

At this moment, Dong Dani still didn't show any signs of pregnancy; it was likely only a month or two along. Zhang Ping'an checked her pulse; he could now barely distinguish between various pulse patterns.

"How is it, Ping'an?"

"It's a Happy Pulse." As for whether it was a boy or a girl, he couldn't tell.

"Correct, and it's a boy."

"How do you know?"

"Sour for a boy, spicy for a girl; your mother likes to eat sour things, just like when she was carrying you."

"Uh... well, maybe."

In reality, "sour for a boy, spicy for a girl" has no basis. In Traditional Chinese Medicine, the five viscera correspond to the five flavors; sour is the liver. In early pregnancy, the fetus needs a large amount of blood for nourishment, and the liver stores blood; a pregnant woman liking sour food is mostly because her liver yin is slightly insufficient, though it doesn't have much of an impact.

Of course, a pregnant woman's cravings are strange and varied, and one cannot generalize. As for "sour for a boy, spicy for a girl," it probably came about because the ancients all liked sons, right? Zhang Ping'an guessed.

"Mom, rest a bit these next few months; if there's anything to do, just let Dad do it."

"..."

"This brat..."

Zhang Ping'an went to the kitchen and replaced all the rice, flour, grain, and oil in the house with Space Ingredients, and only stopped after filling the large vat. He spent one more night at home before Zhang Ping'an returned to the city.