4
The First Business Opportunity: While Others are Busy, I Make Money
Chen Jingjing wanted to discuss this topic further with her cousin, but Wang Xiao wasn’t interested. She pointed at her cousin’s homework notebook: “Have you finished your homework?”
“I have, but the teacher also requires us to memorize vocabulary words.”
Wang Xiao directly picked up her cousin’s English textbook and said, “Let me call out the words for you to write down, along with their Chinese meanings.”
She proceeded to call out several words in random order, but Chen Jingjing could only write down less than half of them.
Wang Xiao immediately switched into big-sister mode, frowning as she asked her cousin: “What’s going on? If you don’t even master the basic vocabulary, you’ll never do well in English.”
After thinking for a moment, she emphasized, “English is just as important as Chinese and Math in both middle school and college entrance exams. Don’t take it lightly.”
Chen Jingjing looked utterly wronged: “I’m not taking it lightly. I just haven’t learned these words you’re calling out.”
Wang Xiao found this hard to believe: “How is that possible? I’m reading directly from the vocabulary list. Look at this word ‘bus’ – it’s so simple, how can you not write it correctly?”
Chen Jingjing’s eyes were full of confusion: “That’s ‘bu-shi’! Not ‘ba-si’.”
Oh my god, alarm bells rang in Wang Xiao’s head. She pointed at the word and had Chen Jingjing read from beginning to end: “Read it for me.”
After listening, the cousin felt utterly hopeless. Currently, Zhou Town Elementary School still followed a five-year system, and 12-year-old Chen Jingjing was in her second year of middle school. Yet her English pronunciation was completely messed up. Even if she hadn’t learned English in elementary school, shouldn’t she have learned it in middle school?
Chen Jingjing became even more aggrieved: “I’m not reading it wrong. This is how the teacher taught us.”
Wang Xiao was speechless: “But the phonetic symbols are right here. Even if you follow the phonetic symbols, you shouldn’t pronounce it like that.”
Chen Jingjing looked even more confused: “What phonetic symbols?”
Wang Xiao couldn’t believe it: “You haven’t learned phonetic symbols yet? No way? Your teacher doesn’t teach this?”
Chen Jingjing pouted: “Our English teacher has a really strong accent. We can’t even understand him when he speaks Chinese. He never taught us that.”
Wang Xiao frowned and shook her head vigorously: “That won’t do. You need to learn them. Otherwise, when you encounter unfamiliar words later, you won’t know how to pronounce them even with a dictionary.”
This was 1990, when mobile phones and pagers were rare luxuries. Where could you find a smartphone to download apps that teach English pronunciation?
Wang Xiao finally found something she could do and solemnly warned her cousin: “I need to teach you from the very beginning. If you don’t build a solid foundation, you’ll struggle with English later.”
Although she wasn’t exactly a top student, she had watched many original English cartoons since childhood and had a solid foundation. Her English was passable enough to teach a struggling middle school student.
The older cousin started teaching from basic vowels and consonants, even having to train her cousin’s tongue to produce accurate sounds.
As the sun moved westward and the sky gradually darkened, the gate of the Chen family’s courtyard sounded. Qian Xuemei, Chen Yidong’s wife, returned home carrying two sickles. During the busy farming season when neighbors exchanged labor, farm tools like sickles were typically used by their respective owners. No family would buy over a dozen sickles just to have them ready for others.
Qian Xuemei had already heard from her husband about their niece’s situation and was happy for the girl. Although she herself hadn’t even finished middle school, she particularly liked children who did well in their studies. This niece from her husband’s side was a college student, which naturally earned her approval.
Seeing the two girls with their heads together reading foreign language texts, Qian Xuemei beamed and called out, “Jingjing, are you teaching your cousin English?”
Chen Jingjing immediately corrected her mother’s mistake: “My cousin is teaching me. Our teacher’s pronunciation is wrong.”
Qian Xuemei looked puzzled: “Xiaoxiao, didn’t you study Russian in school?”
Rural schools had limited teaching resources. Last summer when her niece had visited, she’d wanted to ask the college student to help build her daughter’s English foundation. But she’d been disappointed to learn that Wang Xiao had been in a Russian language class in middle school and didn’t know English either.
Wang Xiao smoothly spun a lie: “I taught myself. I realized Russian isn’t practical these days while English is more useful, so I started learning English in my spare time.”
Overjoyed, Qian Xuemei immediately told her daughter, “Jingjing, did you hear that? Your cousin is already in college but never stops studying. You should learn from her.”
She’d originally worried her daughter might pick up some frivolous habits from her cousin, but now seeing the young woman finally showing maturity, this aunt was truly delighted. Look how seriously the children were studying – they’d even forgotten to pile up the rice stalks. She deftly gathered the spread-out rice and called to the girls, “Come on, let’s go to your Aunt Guizhen’s for dinner.”
This was local rural custom – whoever’s field you worked in during busy farming season would provide dinner for the whole family helping out. With family planning policies now in place, there was no worry about a working couple bringing seven or eight sons to eat them out of house and home.
Wang Xiao didn’t stand on ceremony – since she was staying at her uncle’s home, she’d already be imposing on their meals.
Following her aunt, she reminded the adult, “Aunt, Jingjing’s listening and speaking skills are weak – she’s developing ‘dumb English.’ You should buy her a… um, Walkman, so she can listen to English tapes.”
Qian Xuemei looked completely blank: “Walkman? What’s that?”
Wang Xiao momentarily struggled to explain the device, but Chen Jingjing spoke up first: “It’s a tape recorder, the kind that plays cassettes.”
Qian Xuemei finally understood: “A tape recorder! We have one – that radio on the tea table can play tapes. You can use it from now on.”
After making this arrangement, she asked further, “Do you need a tape recorder to learn English?”
Wang Xiao responded without hesitation: “Of course. If your pronunciation is wrong, you won’t do well in listening and speaking tests.”
Chen Jingjing looked even more confused: “But those aren’t tested in the high school entrance exam.”
Wang Xiao choked up – how would she know this era’s English curriculum requirements? But she firmly insisted: “‘Dumb English’ definitely won’t do. You need to build a solid foundation early. Really, mastering English early will give you a big advantage later.”
In her own school days, students had been fiercely competitive – limited time, numerous subjects, heavy coursework. But because she’d developed strong English skills in kindergarten and elementary school, it became her advantage subject. This allowed her to free up substantial time in middle school to improve her weaker subjects, ultimately enabling her ordinary academic abilities to get into a first-tier university. The same applied for graduate school exams – time saved on English was devoted to major courses, letting her barely scrape by into graduate programs.
Though Qian Xuemei couldn’t even recognize all twenty-six letters, she firmly believed the college student’s judgment: “Right, listen to your cousin. Starting today, study those tapes properly.”
The three of them walked less than a hundred meters before entering Aunt Guizhen’s courtyard gate. The sturdy woman in a blue cloth jacket had hair already streaked with white, and when she smiled, she resembled a temple Buddha statue, making people unconsciously smile along.
Seeing Qian Xuemei bringing two girls inside, she greeted cheerfully: “Ah, the literary stars are here. Xiaoxiao and Jingjing, what would you like to eat today? Auntie will make it for you.”
Wang Xiao felt flattered but awkward. As someone who barely got into college and muddled through graduate school following the crowd, being mistaken for a top student was embarrassing. She quickly waved her hands: “Auntie, no need to trouble yourself. I’ll eat whatever you have—I’m not picky.”
Qian Xuemei felt her husband’s niece had truly changed, becoming much more sensible than before. Wang Xiao used to be less easygoing—somewhat aloof, like an urban intellectual who kept her distance.
Her own daughter, however, wasn’t as thoughtful and actually took the polite offer as an opportunity, making a request: “Auntie, could we have Braised Dried Tofu? My sister loves it.”
From the distance, the call of “selling tofu and Spiced Dried Tofu” echoed along the village road.
It was someone from neighboring Jiaozuo village bringing bean products to sell in nearby villages. Since it wasn’t a fixed stall, being able to buy some was considered lucky.
Wang Xiao immediately felt her mouth watering—an instinctive reaction from the original body’s memories. It seemed she really did enjoy this vendor’s Braised Dried Tofu.
Aunt Guizhen laughed heartily and declared generously: “No problem! I’ll buy everything today—guaranteed to satisfy you.”
The children from other helper families cheered collectively, showering her with sweet, flattering words that made Aunt Guizhen grin from ear to ear.
However, ideals were plump while reality was bony.
The old tofu seller’s business was too good—only about ten pieces of Braised Dried Tofu and Spiced Dried Tofu remained in his two buckets, with just two pieces of regular tofu left. Even if Aunt Guizhen bought everything, it couldn’t possibly meet the children’s expectations of eating to their heart’s content.
More troublingly, today was the final sales day. Grandpa Tofu’s family would be busy starting tomorrow, and he wouldn’t be carrying his pole to sell Braised Dried Tofu until after the busy season.
Each little foodie received one piece of Braised Dried Tofu. Wang Xiao, despite having graduated college and started working, was categorized as a child and also got one piece.
Watching her cousin Jingjing carefully pick up the tofu with chopsticks and take a tiny, cautious bite as if afraid to eat too much, Wang Xiao couldn’t help laughing: “Is it really that good?”
“Delicious!” all the children nodded vigorously.
Skeptical, Wang Xiao tried a bite. Well, it wasn’t bad—but not heavenly enough to excite her, someone who’d sampled delicacies from various places.
She casually remarked: “If you like it, I’ll make some for you tomorrow at home. But you’ll have to tend the stove.”
She’d noticed the Chen family used an earthen stove—something she didn’t know how to operate.
Chen Jingjing stared wide-eyed: “Sis, you know how to make Braised Dried Tofu?”
Wang Xiao paused, not understanding why the girl was so surprised. Braised Dried Tofu wasn’t anything rare. If it were available in town, she’d rather just buy some to treat her cousin. After all, as someone with a job, it wasn’t appropriate to freeload at her uncle’s without contributing.
Speaking of which—was Braised Dried Tofu sold in town?
No. The children were perfectly synchronized, their little heads shaking like rattle-drums.
Zhou Town had many factories, and every household had spare cash in their pockets. Naturally, the market was bustling, with vendors selling chicken, duck, and fish in the food market. However, the entire town only had two braised food shops combined, selling items like salted goose, salted duck, Tiger Skin Phoenix Claws, and spiced beans—but no Braised Dried Tofu.
If there had been any, they wouldn’t have been so eagerly anticipating Grandpa Tofu’s carrying pole.
Upon hearing this, Wang Xiao immediately brightened up. Oh, she had been worrying about what business to start in Zhou Town, and here was a ready-made opportunity!
Haha, so many transmigrated protagonists began their domineering, glamorous CEO journeys by selling snacks. It seemed she’d have to follow the same script.
What else could she sell? Before transmigrating, she had sold all sorts of things through live-streaming, but her independently operated online store specialized in lingerie. If she dared to set up a stall selling lingerie in 1990, the police station would be the first to arrest her as a female hooligan.