Chapter 4: Laughing Openly

  The next morning.

  Qin Aimin climbed up from above and found his mother, Zhou Lanxiang, busy with breakfast in the kitchen. He stuffed the 3,000 yuan he had already prepared into her hand.

  Zhou Lanxiang saw the money in her hand and a look of relief appeared on her face, but she obviously didn't want to accept it.

  "Ordinary people, your parents know that you spend a lot of money at work. You can keep this money for yourself and use it now. All of you are earning money, and the family doesn't lack money."

  At his mother's words, Qin Aimin's eyes involuntarily reddened. Having grown older and especially after the past half year, Qin Aimin had long since understood the hardships of supporting a family. Although he indeed needed money now, he still firmly put it back.

  Then Qin Aimin smiled and said: "Mom, don't worry about me in the morning. I'll go out for a walk, and later I'll buy some fried dough sticks outside."

  After finishing speaking, Qin Aimin walked out of the door. Zhou Lanxiang was clearly unhappy with Qin Aimin's arrangement.

  "Why can't you just eat at home and save money, why go out and waste it?"

  After hearing this, Qin Ai's heart couldn't help but feel another pang of sadness.

  Yes! For a mother, the two dollars spent on buying fried dough sticks for breakfast can buy several catties of rice that's enough for a family to eat for a whole day.

  As soon as he walked out of the room, he took a deep breath. Just as the door was about to close, a faint sound of footsteps came from upstairs, and then a figure in all-white attire appeared at the corner of the corridor.

  A greyish-white cotton jacket, a pair of deep blue cotton trousers, and a pair of extremely plain black leather shoes. The originally lovely face was deathly pale, the originally large and bright eyes that could captivate people's gaze were not only filled with bloodshot veins but also looked lifeless and helpless.

  "Poor Yu Sao."

  As Qin Aimin's voice called out, Zhou Lianyu seemed to have come back to her senses, "Is that you? Your village is on holiday so early?"

  Qin Aimin is the pride of Zhou Lanxiang, not to mention the neighbors on both sides, but even the entire Kaihe Coal Mine knows that Qin's youngest son is now an official in Dashitun Township.

  Looking at Zhou Lianyu, Qin Aimin really didn't know what to say. In Qin Aimin's memory, Zhou Lianyu was a cheerful and smiling girl. Every time she saw Qin Aimin in the past few years, she would chat with him, make fun of him, or ask about college life.

  "Pity Yu Niang, Meng Ge's matter still requires your restraint."

  After thinking for a long time, Qin Aimin suddenly blurted out such a sentence, and it wasn't until the words were spoken that Qin Aimin realized his mistake.

  As expected, Zhou Lianyu's originally calm face suddenly changed, and two streams of tears flowed down her pale cheeks.

  For a moment, Qin Aimin was flustered, but fortunately Zhou Liangyu quickly recovered.

  "So early, where are you going?" Zhou Lianyu said as she walked downstairs.

  Qin Aimin saw Zhou Lianyu open the topic and couldn't help but let out a long sigh, "Wandering around everywhere, Sister Lianyu, where are you going?"

  "I'm going to work, I'm now working in the office building of the industrial zone."

  Her husband died in a mining accident, and according to the tradition of Kaihe Coal Mine, a job would be arranged for his family members. Therefore, young widows from Kaihe Coal Mine generally had relatively easy jobs, mostly not in office buildings but in logistical positions such as reception centers.

  Standing at the crossroads, looking at Zhou Lian's slender back, to be honest, Qin Aimin's heart was as painful as it could be.

  After Zhou Lianyu's disturbance, looking at the completely joyless family area, Qin Aimin's heart also seemed to have something heavy pressing on it.

  After walking around for a while, Qin Aimin didn't know if it was because of the cold weather or something else, but after circling around, he didn't see a single familiar face, and instead felt a sense of strangeness towards this place where he grew up.

  In Qin Aimin's memory, in previous years' Spring Festival, although the residential area was not particularly lively, it would still appear festive. The workshop would arrange for electricians to install colorful lights and flags around the main gate of the residential area. Two large red lanterns would be hung on either side of the gate, and some years even had dozens of colorful flags inserted on both sides of the entrance road, fluttering in the wind.

  This year, although all these things are still there, but no matter how you look at it, even the two big red lanterns seem to be less energetic than in previous years.

  At around eleven o'clock, Qin Aimin finally returned home after blowing northwest wind for half a day.

  Younger maternal uncle, younger paternal uncle.

  As soon as he entered the house, his seven-year-old nephew and six-year-old niece rushed up to him. Only then did Qin Aimin realize that everyone in the family was sitting around the stove.

  After the commotion died down, Qin Aimin also found a spot and sat down by the stove.

  "Where did you go this morning?"

  Facing his father Qin Lijun's casual question, Qin Aimin's expression on his face had an irrepressible sense of loss. "Didn't go anywhere, just wandered around outside."

  "These two years, the mine's efficiency has been getting worse and worse, and this year is also getting colder and more desolate." Qin Aiguo obviously understood Qin Aimin's feelings.

  "By the way, I and your sister's husband are planning to start a small business together after the New Year. What do you think is suitable?"

  Upon hearing this, Qin Aimin was taken aback at first, then looked around at the others sitting silently by the stove, and it was clear that Qin Aiguo's words represented the thoughts of the whole family.

  As for this problem, Qin Aimin didn't think it was difficult at all. For the past half year, his mind had been preoccupied with how to make money every day, and after half a year, he had come up with many ideas.

  "People regard food as heaven, no matter when this person can't leave eating and drinking. I think finding a good location to open a restaurant should be okay, although maybe it won't make a big fortune, but compared to working for a few hundred yuan, it shouldn't be much different."

  After hearing Qin Aimin's words, the whole family, who had been lowering their heads and seemed to be only focused on peeling melons, suddenly raised their heads, and then, as if they had a tacit understanding, lowered them again.

  "My husband and I are not good at this trade, running a restaurant relies on skills, besides, my husband and I can't adapt to the hard work of opening a restaurant from dawn till dusk."

  Qin Aimin looked at his older brother and then at his sister-in-law, who had been keeping her head down and not speaking, although he found the atmosphere in the house a bit strange, but he didn't think much of it.

  "Why don't we go to the city and find a better storefront to open a small shop? Eldest uncle's third sister isn't at the Municipal Bureau of Commerce, let her help out, this procedure should be easy to handle."

  Qin Aiguo didn't respond after hearing Qin Aimin's words, and after a while, just as Qin Aimin was getting curious, his father Qin Lijun suddenly spoke up: "Your older brother and sister-in-law only have over 10,000 yuan in capital now. In the city, even a small storefront costs several thousand yuan in rent. Moreover, doing business in the city isn't that easy nowadays. Do you still remember your uncle Liu Dawu? He opened a clothing store in the city last year, but ended up losing several thousand yuan after just half a year."

  "Alright, alright," Qin Lijun finally said with a helpless expression. "If others can't do it, your brother and sister-in-law are even less likely to be good at business."

  This won't work either, and neither will that, Qin Aimin was at a loss for a while.

  "You're not a big or small official in your hometown, can't you think of a way to help your older brother and sister-in-law find an easy job that makes money? Ma Pangzi's younger brother-in-law is just a minor police officer at the township police station, but he helped Ma Pangzi find a job at a township unit, and it's said that he can earn more than 800 yuan per month, which is even better than working in the mine."

  Mother Zhou Lanxiang's words finally awakened Qin Aimin, looking at his elder brother and sister-in-law who were lowering their heads, Qin Aimin seemed to really not know what to say for a while.

  If he told them about the actual situation in Dashixiang, Qin Ai and his family would definitely think that he was intentionally shirking responsibility and didn't want to help.

  Refuse, and it would be even more unacceptable. Although the elder brother and sister's families haven't helped him much over the years, since he was admitted to university, they have given him 200-300 yuan each time he returns to school after a holiday, considering his status as a university student. If he refuses, he will definitely be scolded as a white-eyed wolf by the notoriously stingy sister-in-law.

  But if he agreed, what could he arrange for them in the situation of Dashitou Township?

  Lowering his head, thinking back and forth, Qin Aimin could only helplessly nod his head. At this point, no matter what, he had to respond to the situation, "Alright then, I'll think of a way, but things will definitely have to wait for several months."

  As soon as Qin Aimin's words fell, the originally gloomy room seemed to come alive instantly. Qin Aiguo and Qin Ailan, who had been lowering their heads, immediately raised them.

  These years, Dajie who had a neither good nor bad relationship with Qin Aimin also showed a grateful face and said: "Xiaomin, thank you so much."

  Qin Aimin could only nod silently, but in her heart, she was already in an uproar. Agreeing to this matter was easy, but actually doing it would be really difficult.

  One, Dashixiang Township did not have township enterprises at all and was a typical agricultural township. As for the township government, it's even more unimaginable, Dashixiang Township had a normal administrative staffing of thirty-seven people and institutional staffing of one hundred and five people, but the actual number of people was as many as three hundred and seven people, exceeding the staffing by more than one time, and this did not include the number of private teachers. If the number of private teachers in the township is included, the quantity would be staggering.

  Promised to do something that I didn't have the confidence to do, the person who was promised was delighted, and spent every day laughing and chatting, as if all problems had been solved, but the person who made the promise could only force a smile and suffer in silence.

  The days dragged on like years until the twenty-seventh of the twelfth lunar month. Early in the morning, under the farewell of all family members, Qin Aimin hastily escaped from the gate.

  Arriving in the city, although feeling unwell, there are some things that absolutely cannot be left undone.

  This was his first year in Dashitou Township, no matter how good or bad the work performance was, and no matter what kind of relationship he had with the leaders, it was absolutely unavoidable to visit the leader's home during the Chinese New Year. Even if you didn't have any ambition for promotion, next year's small shoes would be enough to make you a second-class disabled person.

  Two boxes of Kaibo Daqu, 35 yuan per bottle. This is a product of Kaibo Wine Factory in this city. Although the taste is not excellent, it's still drinkable. Plus, the packaging is specially designed by Kaibo Hotel for New Year with big red festive decorations, making it a good choice for welcoming and sending off guests during the New Year.

  In fact, in the daily banquets of Dashiqiao Town, most of the wine used is Kahe Daqu. This is said to be an unwritten rule in Kahe City, and all departments, towns, and villages must follow it. Even if you really don't like the taste of Kahe Daqu, at least on normal occasions, you have to put a bottle of Kahe Daqu on the table as a show.

  But for Dashiqiao Town, especially after experiencing half a year of economic crisis, this river-opening ceremony is absolutely the top choice for gifts in terms of scale and grade.

  Two boxes of Heihe Daqu followed by twelve packs of Xiangyan cigarettes.

  The cigarette "Laughing Open Mouth" is not expensive, only 5.50 yuan per pack, and the wholesale price is just 4.78 yuan. It should be considered a common people's cigarette, but the 12 packs made Qin Aimin unable to laugh. Fortunately, the leaders of Dashitown still haven't gotten used to smoking this brand, which although can't be given as a gift in the city, is still considered high-end in Dashitown.

  In fact, Qin Aimin usually smokes a two-yuan-per-pack Haili in private, although he often smokes a more expensive brand in public. He is not the only one in Dashixiang who does this; some deputy secretaries and deputy town leaders also do the same thing.

  In the beautiful female salesperson's wooden expression, Qin Aimin painfully took out nearly half of his family's savings, and that feeling was really a bit reluctant. This expression made the salesperson involuntarily stare at Qin Aimin's face for a good while, possibly guessing in her heart which poor unit this cadre belonged to.

  Found two large paper boxes that were not cigarette or liquor packaging, this beautification measure is usually brought by the store itself, Qin Aimin just mentioned it slightly, and the two candy packaging boxes replaced the cigarette and liquor packaging boxes. However, 10 yuan also left Qin Aimin immediately.

  Just before leaving, Qin Aimin gritted his teeth and took out another bottle of Maotai worth 218 yuan from the counter. This Maotai was naturally prepared for Secretary Yang Daqing.