Chapter 150

Chapter 150

The day after the remittance arrived, Tang Zhenzhen received a letter from Tang Jixue.

In the letter, Tang Jixue expressed his approval and admiration for her desire to be self-reliant and start her own business. The one hundred yuan was meant as sponsorship to give her capital for starting a business.

Tang Zhenzhen almost laughed in anger. What kind of business could she do with just one hundred yuan? Renting and renovating a storefront would use up most of the money! There wouldn't even be enough left for inventory, let alone anything else.

But Tang Jixue had his reasons, saying that since she had never done business before, it was safer to start small, just like he did. He suggested she could begin by setting up a small stall to sell socks, jewelry, hair accessories, and so on.

Tang Jixue detailed step-by-step how he started his business, including where to source goods and sales techniques. He provided everything she needed to know, teaching her hand-in-hand.

Finding suppliers took Tang Jixue considerable effort, given the lack of information back then, unlike today where a simple search online could provide all the answers. He spent a lot of time finding suppliers close to Tang Zhenzhen.

Though it required a seven or eight-hour journey, it was still worth it.

While the amount wasn't much, the profit margins were very high.

There was a town near the military base where Tang Zhenzhen lived. Although not as prosperous as big cities, it still had a certain level of purchasing power.

Moreover, it was relatively closed off. Despite being open for several years, there weren't many people doing business, yet demand had increased significantly.

These small items might seem insignificant, but they had low costs and could be bought in bulk, yielding at least double the profit.

If things didn't work out, the cost wouldn't be too high, and she wouldn't feel too bad about it.

Tang Jixue genuinely cared for Tang Zhenzhen. Having grown up together, he knew she was smart but sometimes overly optimistic. Given her past experience with being scammed by the 'Lifting Society,' he hoped she would start small and avoid dreaming of getting rich overnight.

Many people were indeed making quick money during this boom period, but many more were failing. Those who succeeded often ended up losing everything due to their newfound wealth.

Since Tang Zhenzhen married an officer, she only wanted a career; there was no need to take risks. She could earn a decent amount steadily.

Tang Jixue also thought that if Tang Zhenzhen showed real dedication, he could increase his investment later.

Regardless, Tang Zhenzhen had been his sister for over a decade. Despite the unpleasantness between them, Tang Jixue couldn't let go of his feelings and hoped she would have a good life.

Unfortunately, Tang Zhenzhen didn't appreciate Tang Jixue's efforts. Seeing the thick letter, she laughed in anger.

She was the wife of a regiment commander. How could she stoop to selling trinkets like a street vendor? Where would her dignity be?

Tang Jixue had anticipated this and suggested she could have Zhao Dahua and Tang Jianjun handle these tasks, but Tang Zhenzhen still felt humiliated.

When she married into the family, she told everyone that her father was the director of a factory with ten thousand workers and her mother was the chairwoman of the labor union!

Individual traders were heavily discriminated against, and even shopkeepers were looked down upon, let alone street vendors.

Tang Zhenzhen used to think that people in the 1980s and 1990s were ungrateful, wondering why they would look down on individual traders who made good money. But now, she understood why people knew they could make money but still refused to do it.

Thinking about others looking at her with disdainful eyes made her uncomfortable.

Even if she earned a bit more, selling socks and headbands wouldn't bring in more than a few cents a day. It wasn't worth the trouble!

After reading the letter, Tang Zhenzhen threw it into the stove and went to the town to buy something with the one hundred yuan.

Seeing her leave, Cao Chunhua came out of the room, intending to cook some egg custard for the children.

When she opened the stove to light a fire, she found a large wad of paper inside, covered with writing.

Cao Chunhua took out the paper, smoothed it, and read its contents.

She wasn't intentionally snooping but worried that the twins might burn something important.

With her limited education, she managed to understand the content.

After reading it, her heart raced...

Tang Jixue was disappointed when he saw Tang Zhenzhen's reply, which was full of perfunctoriness and resentment. He couldn’t understand where she got the nerve to expect him to invest a large sum of money in her business.

Even without their past conflicts, he wouldn't have invested so much right away.

He could buy a house for Tang Qingqing because it was an asset that retained value and could be lived in, ensuring no loss.

Starting a business was different. Tang Zhenzhen had no experience and no concrete plan. Giving her a large sum would be risky. His money wasn't earned easily, and he couldn't afford to waste it.

If she lost the money, could he ask her to repay it? It would be like throwing meat buns to dogs.

When he first started trading, he didn't even have one hundred yuan.

Tang Jixue shook his head, putting the matter aside.

He felt he had already done more than enough. The content of his letter was worth far more than the one hundred yuan, and he was willing to share everything he knew, showing his attitude—

As long as she worked hard, better days lay ahead.

Even if she didn't make much money with this method, he would consider increasing his investment based on her performance.

Since Tang Zhenzhen didn't appreciate his efforts, he wouldn't force it.

If she complained about her misfortunes in the future, he would ignore her. He had laid out the path for her, and if she didn't want to follow it, it was her choice.

Tang Jixue was generous but not foolish. Everything had its limits.

Tang Qingqing vaguely knew about Tang Jixue's contact with Tang Zhenzhen but didn't bother to investigate further. For her, Tang Zhenzhen was no longer worth thinking about.

Just as she had predicted, Tang Zhenzhen's life was now in chaos.

Based on Tang Jixue's behavior, it was clear that he was very disappointed with Tang Zhenzhen and no longer wanted to be involved in her affairs.

Tang Qingqing heard news about Tang Zhenzhen again more than a year later.

During the summer break of her sophomore year, when Tang Qingqing returned to Yang City, she learned from Tang Xiaoxiao that Tang Zhenzhen had just left.

This time, Tang Zhenzhen came back to apologize, saying that she had been blinded by Mu Weidong before and thus made mistakes.

She now saw clearly what kind of person Mu Weidong was, regretting her past ignorance and foolishness, and had already divorced him.

"Divorced?" Tang Qingqing was stunned.

But upon reflection, if there hadn't been a major setback, Tang Zhenzhen wouldn't have come back so humbly to admit her faults based on her personality.

Tang Xiaoxiao nodded vigorously: "Originally, no one knew about this; it was her own parents who let it slip."

Her own parents?

Did Tang Jianjun and Zhao Dahua also come to Yang City?

Tang Jianguo and the others didn't mention this to Tang Qingqing, as she had only just returned and there was no need to burden her with such matters.

Tang Qingqing only had a longer break during the summer, which allowed her to stay in Yang City for some time before returning home.

Regardless, Tang Jianguo and Su Rong were her biological parents, and they had taken care of her for two years. Besides, she had three brothers here, so she should visit them.

"How did they end up divorced?"

Tang Qingqing was curious. Tang Zhenzhen had gone through great lengths to marry Mu Weidong, and she clearly knew about his promising future. Now, how could she give it all up so easily?

"Tang Zhenzhen got pregnant, but during an argument, Mu Weidong pushed her, causing her to lose the baby. That's when she decided to divorce him," Tang Xiaoxiao said with a sigh.

In the past, Tang Zhenzhen was so proud and self-assured, like a little princess cherished by everyone around her.

Who would have thought that she would be swayed into marrying a man with a child from a previous marriage, leading to such a situation?

People still had strong biases against divorce, especially against women, who were often looked down upon.

However, upon learning the reason for the divorce, many began to sympathize with Tang Zhenzhen.

While a man having someone else was indeed distressing, some believed it was just a temporary lapse and that he would eventually return to the family.

In such cases, many people still advised reconciliation rather than separation, suggesting getting rid of the third party to resume a normal life.

But losing the child was too severe, and while many still believed in enduring, others felt that such a person wasn't worth it and that divorce was justified.

"I can't understand why some people think Tang Zhenzhen overreacted, believing she should have stayed in her position as the wife. Such a life would be unbearable to me."

Tang Qingqing nodded: "If faced with such a situation, divorce is the right choice. There's no need to be entangled with a rotten person for life."

Hearing this, Tang Xiaoxiao smiled broadly. Although she disliked Tang Zhenzhen and enjoyed seeing her fail, she still found such opinions refreshing.

"I knew you shared my thoughts! I didn't even dare to tell my mom, as she would definitely say that no matter how hard life gets, one must endure. Women who divorce will only suffer more."

"I don't agree with that. As long as one is independent and strong, life can still be wonderful. I know several divorced women who are now much happier than before. Conversely, some women who suffered domestic violence at first but didn't resist or escape, always hoping their husbands would change, ended up losing their lives."

Tang Xiaoxiao shuddered: "That's terrifying!"

"Domestic violence happens either zero times or repeatedly. In the past, women had no choice but to endure because leaving meant they couldn't survive. Now, there's no need to tolerate it."

Tang Xiaoxiao nodded emphatically.

When Tang Qingqing returned home, she was filled with doubts.

According to her other memories, although Mu Weidong had many flaws, making her want to keep her distance, he had many positive traits. He maintained proper conduct and kept a respectful distance from female colleagues. Despite having admirers, he firmly rejected them all. Objectively, his overall image was positive.

Moreover, as a soldier, if such a scandal occurred, he would face serious consequences, which would jeopardize his career prospects.

However, people aren't static, and Tang Qingqing didn't fully understand this world's Mu Weidong, making it difficult to judge accurately.

But Tang Zhenzhen wasn't naive. If she had been mistreated, she wouldn't have let Mu Weidong off easily. Yet, there was no news of any retaliation.

Given the Tang family's nature, even if they had a falling out with Tang Zhenzhen, they wouldn't ignore her being bullied by someone else. They would confront Mu Weidong.

Yet, since her return, she hadn't seen any action or heard any news, which seemed unusual.

Since they chose not to mention it, Tang Qingqing didn't press further, as it didn't concern her.

As for Tang Jianguo and Su Rong's soft-heartedness in helping Tang Zhenzhen find a place to live and giving her money, Tang Qingqing didn't mind. It was their choice, as long as Tang Zhenzhen didn't appear before her and cause trouble.