“What method?” Yu Li had always thought Lu’s mother was just a sickly woman. But after hearing her idea, she realized this woman was truly vicious at heart.
……
After leaving the newspaper office, Shen Wei went home.
She needed to get things ready soon she would start selling steamed buns.
No matter the era, as long as you’re not lazy, selling breakfast can make money.
In her previous life, the first pot of gold Lu Cheng earned from starting a business came from the money she made selling buns.
Soy-braised meat buns were her specialty. Many who had tasted them said they were even more fragrant than those made by chefs in state-run restaurants.
The secret to their deliciousness, of course, lay in the filling.
She planned to start with just two types of fillings: soy-braised meat and chive-and-egg.
Once she made up her mind, she got to work. After buying chives, eggs, and meat, Shen Wei busied herself at home.
She had just started chopping the meat filling when someone knocked on the door.
“Weiwei! Open up, it’s me!”
Nana!
Shen Wei felt a surge of excitement it was her best friend.
As soon as Li Na returned from her grandmother’s house, she heard about Shen Wei’s falling out with her family. After asking around for the address, she ran all the way there.
Only after seeing that Shen Wei was alright did she finally feel relieved.
“You endured it for so many years why did you suddenly fall out with them?” Li Na knew all of Shen Wei’s grievances. “And you didn’t even wait for me to come back.”
“I suddenly figured things out. Some family ties are better cut off it’s lighter that way.”
Li Na sighed, then pulled her into an embrace.
“You still have me. I’ll always be your family. If you want to cry, then cry.”
Leaning against her shoulder, Shen Wei slowly began to sob.
Her cries grew louder and louder, as if she wanted to release all the grievances she had carried from her past life to this one.
Li Na said nothing, only gently patting her back from time to time, offering silent comfort.
After about half an hour, Shen Wei gradually stopped crying. “We… we’ll both be alright.”
They say marriage is a woman’s second rebirth, which shows how important it is.
She had married Lu Cheng and lived like a tireless, deceived workhorse, but Li Na’s marriage had been just as unhappy.
Li Na had married a mama’s boy. Tormented by both him and his mother for half her life, she eventually developed breast cancer. Even after surgery, she was still humiliated daily by that same man.
In this life, Shen Wei not only wanted to change her own fate, but also help Li Na change hers.
She remembered that at this time, Li Na seemed to already be dating that mama’s boy.
“By the way, how are things between you and Wang Qingsong?”
“Pretty good.”
Li Na and Wang Qingsong had been high school classmates and had been dating for nearly two years. Their relationship was quite stable.
Shen Wei knew that if she spoke ill of Wang Qingsong now, it would only make her seem like a bad person.
Forget it there was still more than a year before they would get married. She would deal with things when problems actually arose.
“That’s good.”
“Enough about me,” Li Na said, now more worried about her. “What are you planning to do from now on? You sold the house why didn’t you take back your job?”
The job Li Na was referring to was at the cannery where Shen Jianguo was currently working. That position had originally been allocated to Shen Wei by the army, but since she was underage at the time, Shen Jianguo had been doing it in her place.
“Money in hand will get spent eventually. A steady job is more reliable.”
Shen Wei shook her head. “He won’t be able to keep that job much longer anyway. There’s no need to fight them over it.”
A cornered dog will jump over walls, and a desperate rabbit will bite. She had already sold the house if she also took the job back and pushed Shen Jianguo and his wife too far, they might turn their schemes against her again.
She still planned to open up and do business in the future, so it wasn’t worth it.
Besides, she remembered that in less than half a year, Shen Jianguo would likely be laid off from that cannery job.
“What do you mean? Why won’t he be able to keep it?” Li Na didn’t understand.
Shen Wei knew that most people still believed in the security of an “iron rice bowl,” thinking one job could guarantee a lifetime.
“It means that soon, many workers in factories will be laid off including your job at the textile factory.”
She remembered that in her previous life, Li Na and her husband had been laid off together. From that point on, Wang Qingsong spiraled refusing to adapt to changing times, believing the country had wronged him. He protested daily at the factory gates with a sign, and after being dealt with a few times, he couldn’t take it anymore and vented all his anger on Li Na.
Li Na’s eyes widened in shock. “Really? How is that possible?”
Shen Wei nodded. “In about five or six years. A well-connected friend told me. By then, the era of guaranteed jobs for workers will completely disappear. You should start planning for the future these next few years.”
“I’m planning to set up a stall selling steamed buns. I’ll start tomorrow!”
In this era, the fastest way for ordinary people to make money was through small business.
“A street stall?” Li Na looked surprised. “Do you know people look down on small vendors like that?”
“Look down on it? They’ll regret it soon enough.”
“Then you’ll have to get up really early to sell breakfast, right? I’ll wake up earlier tomorrow and help you, then go to work after,” Li Na said.
“Aren’t you afraid people will look down on you?” Shen Wei teased.
“I’m with you what’s there to be afraid of?”
“Then I’ll pay you a salary every month.”
“Deal!”
Shen Wei suddenly remembered something. “Oh right, I need to go to the vehicle shop today to buy a tricycle for the stall tomorrow.”
“I’ll go with you!”
Soon, the two of them arrived at the shop and picked out a pedal-powered tricycle, spending 370 yuan.
The next day, before dawn, Shen Wei got up.
She chopped the dried chives into small pieces, scrambled the eggs until golden, then added sesame oil and seasoning the vegetarian filling was ready.
She heated oil in a wok, poured in half of the minced meat she had prepared the night before, and stir-fried it over medium heat until it changed color. Then she added chopped scallions and ginger, two large spoonfuls of soybean paste, salt, MSG, and dark soy sauce, continuing to stir-fry for another two to three minutes until the rich aroma developed. After taking it out, she mixed it evenly with the remaining raw minced meat, added chopped green onions, and the braised meat filling was ready.
She loaded the coal stove, water, fillings, and proofed dough onto the tricycle. After locking the door, Shen Wei rode off toward the entrance of the market street.
There were already quite a few vegetable stalls set up there.
She arranged everything, and soon Li Na arrived as well.
The two of them started making buns together. At that moment, Li Na asked, “Why didn’t you tell me last night that you already have a boyfriend?”
She had only heard about it after going home her mother said Shen Wei was already in a relationship and about to get married.
She had even sighed about how good Shen Wei was, wondering why she chose the Lu family, which was like a den of wolves and tigers.
Shen Wei was confused. “Who told you that?”