When she said this, everyone at the table stayed silent—except for the few kids who didn’t understand.
Previously, whenever anyone had suggested Xu Nian’an go work at the factory, she had flatly refused. No one expected her to want to become self-employed.
Back then, being self-employed was still considered a somewhat disreputable occupation. People thought it was just petty profiteering.
A college graduate going into self-employment would inevitably attract gossip.
Her family, however, knew Xu Nian’an’s decisive nature. Wu Chunlan was just about to think of how to persuade her when her husband spoke first.
“Self-employment isn’t bad. Have you decided what you want to do?”
As a deputy factory director, Xu Guoliang understood that in recent years the government had been encouraging self-employment, and future policies would only favor them more.
With so many educated youths returning to the cities, the number of people starting their own businesses would only increase. And self-employment didn’t necessarily pay less than being a worker. His daughter, a college student, had seen this clearly early on.
Xu Nian’an nodded. “I’ve thought about it. When I was studying, I had classmates from Guangsheng. Their families aren’t wealthy, but their clothes are always very stylish. From what I’ve learned, there’s a wholesale clothing market in Yangcheng. I plan to buy some goods there and sell them back here in Guiyun City. My classmate also works there, so she can help me out.”
If it weren’t necessary, Xu Nian’an had no intention of relying on her Guangsheng classmate—she just said it to reassure her family.
“No, Yangcheng is chaotic. There are all kinds of people there. I don’t feel comfortable letting you go alone,” her mother said.
“Mom, pick a weekend and let my two brothers come with me,” Xu Nian’an coaxed, holding her mother’s arm. Safety in this era was not as good as in the life she had known before.
Wu Chunlan shook her head. “Clothes don’t sell that easily, and it’s summer now. Why don’t you wait until winter to import thicker clothes? At the end of the year, people are more willing to spend. Besides, you don’t have much capital right now.”
She roughly knew how much money her daughter had. Xu Nian’an had always been a big spender. Back in school, her living expenses were enough to cover her, so she hadn’t saved much. The only money she had was what her mother had given her at her wedding and the Lu family’s bride price.
Xu Nian’an pouted. “That’s why I came to ask you and Dad. You can invest, and once the clothes sell, I’ll give you a share of the profits.”
Xu Guoliang chuckled. “I don’t have any money right now.”
This girl… she never asked privately for money. They had just given her 500 at her wedding. If it were another daughter-in-law, she might’ve complained—but fortunately, their two daughters-in-law were sensible.
“Xiulian, this snail dish is really good. Better than any I’ve had before. The Lu family girls cook well too.”
Xu Weidong seemed to think of something. “Little sister, why don’t you try selling stir-fried snails? I saw many people buying braised pig intestines at the factory gate today. In this hot summer, if you sell spicy snails with ice-cold beer, it’ll be a huge hit.”
Xu Nian’an picked up a snail and thought about it. True—if she couldn’t buy wholesale goods to make big money right now, earning a little extra while annoying Lu Xiuxiu wouldn’t hurt.
The small courtyard her family had given her as part of her dowry was conveniently located on the street. With a few adjustments, the front could be used for selling goods while the back remained a residence.
Meanwhile, Lu Xiuxiu’s business was also doing well. One reason was that her cooking was genuinely better than most people’s, and handling pig intestines was tricky.
The factory workers hadn’t had them in a long time.
Another reason was that, seeing her and the deputy factory director were apparently relatives, the security guard had even helped her set up an umbrella.
Today, Xu Guoliang and his two sons had all treated her extremely well, chatting with her for a bit. Of course, everyone had asked about Xu Nian’an’s recent situation.
Lu Xiuxiu began to regret offending Xu Nian’an.
After all, if she could connect with the Xu family, it might make her future business ventures much easier.
In the previous life, after Xu Nian’an died at the Lu household, the Xu family, though angry, merely cut off relations with them and didn’t cause any trouble—showing they had good character.
But thinking further, Xu Nian’an wouldn’t live long anyway. Lu Chengyu would die from injury and illness, and Lu Chengzu would break his leg while working.
The Lu family’s main branch would be finished. In the previous life, Lu Zhangshi had favored the weaker side—her father Lu Zhiwei—in the first half of her life. After Lu Zhiqiang’s family got into trouble in the second half, she had forced her family to help them.
Thinking of recent events, Lu Xiuxiu decided that this time, she couldn’t let the main branch take advantage of her. Especially now that she had started making money, she had to split the family assets before the main branch got into trouble.
In her previous life, the Lu family had hastily married her off to Li Niu in the neighboring village, giving her only twenty bucks as a dowry. This time, she would never let something like that happen again.
She wanted to marry a successful businessman and have lots and lots of money.
Lu Xiuxiu sold the braised meat she brought today for three mao a portion, selling more than fifty portions in total.
Lu Xiuxiu sold the braised meat she had brought today for three mao a portion, moving over fifty portions in total.
She had bought ten jin of pig intestines at just five cents per jin. Including the cost of the seasonings, she had spent just over one yuan—and yet had earned fifteen yuan in profit.
By noon, Lu Xiuxiu had sold everything. This time, she planned to buy more to take home, ideally even offering delivery.
She planned to hire a village woman to wash the pig intestines for a dime, since she really didn’t want to do it herself.
She also needed to stock up on various seasonings. After finishing selling all the braised fat intestines, she went into the city that afternoon and bought a good amount of supplies. She was confident she could make them taste even better next time.
Once she saved up five hundred yuan, she could rent a place in the county and open a shop.
Qushui Village was fairly close to the city, with two daily bus trips.
But Lu Xiuxiu didn’t take the bus back—she decided to wait for the village ox cart instead.
When she got off in the morning, she had already asked around. Uncle Wufu would return at three in the afternoon, and coincidentally, he was also coming to the city today to see his daughter.
His daughter had married well, into the city. A few years back, he had received money from them to buy a cow, which gave him a bit of status in the village. Usually, whenever he came to the city, he would take a few passengers along for a dime each, and sometimes made a few extra trips just to earn a bit of money.
The bucket of braised meat Lu Xiuxiu had brought in the morning had already sold out. The wooden bucket was heavy, so she had initially left it in the security guard’s office at the factory gate.
Now it was three o’clock, and she had come back to pick up the bucket while waiting for Uncle Wufu.
To carry this extra bucket, she had even paid for an additional seat on the ox cart.
The security guard, however, was far less friendly than he had been in the morning. His expression darkened when he saw her. He just lifted his chin toward the bucket, his tone carrying a warning:
“Don’t come sell at our factory gate again. Our machinery factory is, after all, a state-owned enterprise. Selling food with such a strong smell at the entrance—what does that look like?”
With that, he slammed the door shut, leaving Lu Xiuxiu frustrated.
Cursing under her breath about how people looked down on others, she grabbed the bucket and left.