Chapter 303 Many Opportunities in the City

Chapter 303 More Ways Out in the City

Wang Xiaofen pulled her son over and pointed at Zhou Jiabao, saying, "Come on, Xiao Wu, call him Uncle [on his father's side]."

Xiao Wu blinked his big eyes in confusion, as if he didn’t understand why he had to call his dad "Uncle."

But since his mother told him to, he obediently opened his mouth and said, "Uncle."

Zhou Jiabao’s fingers trembled.

"Mom, why do I have to call Dad 'Uncle'?" After calling him "Uncle," Xiao Wu looked up at his mother with innocent confusion.

Wang Xiaofen corrected him, "From now on, call me Aunt."

Zhou Jiabao shot up from his seat. "Stop it! Didn’t we agree it’s just a formality?"

Wang Xiaofen sneered. "What do you mean, 'just a formality'? Are you trying to pull this sham on him?

Even though your little brother is now a ghost, he’s still your own brother, your mother’s own son. How dare you pull this sham on him? Aren’t you afraid he’ll come looking for you in the middle of the night?"

"Hurry up and eat. After we’re done, I’ll go home with you. We’ll call your two elder sisters and his widow, and we’ll all sit by your mother’s bed to discuss this properly.

I’ve already sacrificed my son—don’t expect anything else from me. Your brother may be gone, but he still has parents, a brother like you, two elder sisters, and a wife he left behind.

Xiao Wu, the only child left behind, is his last living legacy in this world. You all must treat him well."

"Your parents and your two sisters—split the 18,000 yuan among the three families, exactly 6,000 each. Save that money for Xiao Wu. Then your brother can finally close his eyes in peace. Otherwise, he’ll still be worried in the afterlife—whether his son is cold or hungry, whether he’ll ever get married."

Zhou Jiabao looked completely flustered. "What are you doing? We’re all family! And what does this have to do with my sisters? Don’t go bringing them into this."

Wang Xiaofen exclaimed in surprise, "What? Weren’t they the ones cheering your mom on the loudest? They even said I was unfilial and unkind to my brother. Don’t tell me they’re just going to ignore their own nephew whose father died?"

"You’re talking nonsense! What do you mean 'whose father died'? I’m alive and well!"

Wang Xiaofen corrected him, "You’re Xiao Wu’s uncle. Don’t you dare claim him as your son."

"Let’s go, let’s go. Finished eating? Time to head home. Your brother’s still waiting down there. This matter shouldn’t be delayed."

"Wang Xiaofen, let go! What are you trying to do? Are you trying to kill my mom and sisters?" Zhou Jiabao struggled and roared.

Wang Yongzheng quickly stepped in to intervene. "Xiaofen, let go. Look at you, why so worked up? These things take two to tango. You should let Gap-Tooth go back and discuss it with them, shouldn’t you?"

Zhou Jiabao barely escaped Wang Xiaofen’s clutches.

Wang Xiaofen doubled down. "Gap-Tooth, hurry back and talk it over with your mom and sisters. I’m ready anytime, no problem."

"And make sure you talk to your sister-in-law too. If she wants to remarry, fine, but she has to hand over all the family’s money and assets—it belongs to Xiao Wu. And the house they’re living in now—I’m afraid she’ll favor those two girls later. Best to draft an agreement transferring it to my Xiao Wu."

Zhou Jiabao beat a hasty retreat.

At the dinner table, Wang Xiaocui asked Wang Xiaofen in confusion, "Eighteen thousand—are you really willing to have Xiao Wu adopted out?"

Wang Xiaofen replied solemnly, "Why not? Eighteen thousand! I’ll buy Xiao Wu a house and two big shops. Rent out the house now and save the income for his future wedding. The shops—if he can run a business, great. If not, rent them out. Xiao Wu can just live off the rents. If his father were Gap-Tooth, he wouldn’t be this lucky."

Wang Xiaocui’s lips twitched. "You were cursing up a storm this morning."

Wang Xiaofen stiffened. "I’ve seen the light now. I can’t wait to finalize the adoption. He knows who his real mother is, and he’ll still be with me. With eighteen thousand in hand, I wouldn’t care if he called me 'some random auntie'—I’d take it."

"How much does a house in town even cost anyway? With eighteen thousand, a rich ghost father is way better than a living one like Gap-Tooth. Gap-Tooth could never save up eighteen thousand for my Xiao Wu."

"No, I have to eat quickly and go home right after. That’s eighteen thousand yuan we’re talking about..."

"Just eat your meal properly. Eldest Sister hardly ever visits. Your eighteen thousand can wait till tomorrow," Wang Yongzheng said helplessly, shooting his younger sister a glare.

Wang Xiaocui had also gone to the fields that morning and sighed, "Some fields have cracked wide open. If it doesn’t rain soon, we’ll likely face a poor harvest in the second half of the year."

The topic was heavy, and Wang Yongshun lowered his head in silence. Liu Xiaomei, sitting quietly on the chair beside him, felt just as helpless.

Wang Yongzheng took a sip of his homemade liquor and said, "That’s farming for you—it all depends on whether the heavens grant us food."

Wang Xiaocui glanced at Su An and whispered, "Yongzheng, I used to think city folks were all educated and capable, different from us country folks who farm the land. I always believed someone like me, who barely knows a few characters, would end up begging if I went to the city.

This time, when I followed Ping Ping and An An to City A, I was a nervous wreck. I kept worrying I’d be a burden to them. I figured the most I could do was washing and cleaning at home. But the city isn’t what we imagined."

She turned to her two brothers and said, "There are more opportunities in the city than in the countryside. Things are different now compared to when I first sent Ping Ping and An An there. I used to think I couldn’t do anything, but now I’ve opened a food stall selling snacks—pancakes, rice tofu, tea eggs, and cold noodles. Do you know how much I earn in a month?"

Wang Yongshun asked hesitantly, "Sis, isn’t that black-market dealing? If you get caught..."

Wang Xiaocui waved her hands dismissively, "Yongshun, the policy’s loosened now—private business is allowed. Street vendors are all over the place. Don’t be afraid. If you’ve got guts, you can make money."

Zhang Shuangshuang looked at Wang Xiaocui, "Sis, you mean selling pancakes can make money?"

Liu Xiaomei also gazed at her expectantly—she knew how to make pancakes too.

Wang Xiaocui held up two fingers triumphantly.

Zhang Shuangshuang tensed and asked cautiously, "Twenty yuan a month?"

"Yongzheng, Eldest Sister makes twenty a month. That’s over two hundred a year, right? Is that before expenses?"

"Not twenty—two hundred. Two hundred a month."

"What?"

"Two hundred a month? That’s... over two thousand a year?"

Wang Yongzheng’s eyes widened, "So in a few years, you could become a ‘ten-thousand-yuan household’ (a symbol of wealth)?"

Wang Xiaocui beamed with pride, "In my first two months, even the worst month earned me over a hundred. Now that I’ve gotten better at it and have regular customers, the last two months have been close to two hundred. It’s exhausting, though."

Liu Xiaomei clenched her hands, "Eldest Sister, I can make pancakes too. Do you think... I could do it? I’m not afraid of hard work—I can handle anything!"

Seeing his wife actually excited for once, Wang Yongshun also turned to his sister nervously and anxiously.

He had seen how tough Xiao Mei’s life had been over the years—rising early and working late, never a moment’s rest. Yet, beyond putting food on the table, their children’s school fees often relied on help from relatives.

With this year’s conditions, even getting by was hard.