The sun set punctually at five, and before 5:30, the sky had darkened completely.
They had lost quite a few items to the ring toss game throughout the day. The bag containing the remaining goods was slung over Jiang Liye’s shoulder as he carried Jiang Qingning, heading towards the cotton mill’s residential compound.
“Fourth Uncle, I can walk by myself.”
“It’s dark, you might trip. It’s faster if I carry you home.”
“Alright then. Thank you for your hard work, Fourth Uncle.”
“You’re light as a feather, not hard work at all. I could carry half a pig and run two kilometers without breaking a sweat.”
“…”
Today, they ran into Jiang Lifeng right at the entrance of the compound. He was holding a flashlight, clearly waiting for them there on purpose.
“Qingning, Old Fourth, you’re back! How was it? Tired today?” Jiang Lifeng immediately hurried over upon seeing them, reaching out to take Jiang Qingning into his arms.
Jiang Qingning shook her head. “Not tired, Dad. We made quite a bit of money again today. Let’s go in and count it quickly!”
Excitement was evident on Jiang Liye’s face, his eyes sparkling in the darkness. He lowered his voice, “Yeah, Big Brother, let’s hurry home. I feel uneasy carrying this much cash on me.”
Good heavens! In all his life, this was the first time he’d ever carried so much money.
Jiang Lifeng instinctively glanced around. The usual post-work rush hour had passed, and the compound was mostly deserted.
Growing up in their environment had instilled a deep wariness in him towards business activities often labeled as ‘speculation and profiteering.’ In his mind, such things should be done discreetly, not openly flaunted.
Upon arriving home, Su Guiying had already prepared dinner. Hearing the door open, she hurried to the entrance, speaking softly, “You’re back! Qingning, how was it today? Were you cold? Hungry? Come on, let’s eat.”
Jiang Qingning slid down from Jiang Lifeng’s arms. Su Guiying touched her daughter’s face, her voice full of concern. “Your little face is all red from the wind. We’ll put more cream on after you wash up tonight. Remember to wear a mask tomorrow if you go out again…”
“Mmhmm, I know.” Jiang Qingning nodded, quite accustomed to her mother’s fussing.
Jiang Liye casually dropped the bag of goods on the floor and began pulling money out from his inner pockets, placing handfuls of change onto the table.
“So much money again?” Su Guiying exclaimed in surprise, standing nearby watching him empty his pockets.
Jiang Liye said, “Business was even better this afternoon than yesterday! The only pity is that about a hundred and fifty yuan worth of stuff got won.”
Jiang Qingning took a sip of hot water from her cup to ward off the chill. “It’s precisely because people see they can win money that they keep playing.”
Jiang Liye nodded with a smile. “That’s true. It’s just hard not to feel a pang of regret.”
Jiang Qingning put down her cup, flexed her fingers, and joined the money-counting team.
Ahhh, nothing brings more joy than counting money.
The 211 yuan earned in the morning was set aside separately, already counted.
The afternoon’s earnings were quickly tallied. “Seven hundred and twenty-two yuan!” Jiang Liye slapped his thigh. “If only it hadn’t gotten dark so soon! We could have made at least another fifty, maybe even broken eight hundred!”
Jiang Lifeng murmured, “That’s already more than enough.”
Su Guiying counted on her fingers. “211 yuan in the morning, 722 yuan in the afternoon… that’s… that’s nine hundred and eighty-three yuan in one day!”
Jiang Liye corrected, “Sister-in-law, we still have to subtract the 250 yuan worth of prizes given out in the afternoon.”
“That still leaves… seven hundred and thirty-three yuan!” Su Guiying still seemed unable to believe it.
Jiang Qingning picked out two hundred yuan from the neatly stacked piles on the table and handed it to Jiang Liye across from her. “Fourth Uncle, this is your pay for today.”
“But didn’t you already pay me yesterday?” Jiang Liye was taken aback.
Jiang Qingning explained, “Yesterday’s pay was for yesterday. Today’s is for today. We settle daily.”
Jiang Liye shook his head, refusing to take the money. “No, the hundred you gave me yesterday was already more than enough. That’s more than I usually earn in half a month.”
“Fourth Uncle, can those bosses you worked for before compare with me? Besides, what’s our relationship? You’re one of my founding members!”
Jiang Qingning continued seriously, “We’re just starting out. What’s this bit of money now? In the future, we’ll definitely earn a hundred, a thousand times what we make today.”
The three adults present listened to her quietly. “Our main task right now is to grow the pie. Fourth Uncle, the reason I’m giving you so much money, besides our good relationship, is also to give you motivation. The more you earn, the more we can make together.”
She then shifted her tone. “Fourth Uncle, by now you understand my business inside out. Honestly, there’s not much technical skill involved. If you wanted to start your own venture, it’d be quite simple…”
“How could you think that!” Jiang Liye immediately interrupted. “Your Fourth Uncle isn’t that kind of person.”
Jiang Qingning smiled. “Ah, Fourth Uncle, of course I trust your character. We’re family; it doesn’t matter who makes the money.”
As she spoke, she handed the money over with both hands. “Fourth Uncle, I’ll be relying on you a lot from now on. Let’s make big money together.”
Jiang Liye said, “You child, why talk so formally?”
Jiang Lifeng, having listened to his daughter’s words, also felt they made sense. “Old Fourth, Qingning said it’s your wages. You should take it.”
Su Guiying nodded. “Yes, you two earned this much together. If you don’t take it, it’s like you’re saying it’s too little.”
Jiang Liye’s eyes widened in alarm. “Sister-in-law, that’s not what I mean at all! The whole business idea was Qingning’s. How could I take money from my own niece?”
Su Guiying took the two hundred yuan and stuffed it into his hand. “Then just take it.” Without waiting for his reply, she turned and said, “Everyone must be hungry. Let’s eat. I’ll go get the dishes from the kitchen.”
Jiang Lifeng nodded. “I’ll get the bowls. It’s getting late, Old Fourth. Why don’t you just rest here after dinner?”
Jiang Liye instinctively shook his head. “No, I’ll go back to rest.”
Su Guiying went to the kitchen, and Jiang Lifeng busied himself getting bowls and chopsticks. Jiang Liye looked down at the money in his hand and blinked.
Fine. If it’s given, I’ll accept it. He wasn’t one to make a fuss.
Jiang Qingning picked up her teacup with a slight smile. Right now, Fourth Uncle was really the only person she could use.
Her parents couldn’t possibly leave their jobs to do business with her. Other adults she knew wouldn’t take orders from her. Partnering with strangers was even less reliable.
Who would listen to a kid like her? Even if they followed her ideas at first, they’d kick her out once things succeeded.
So, she had to pay a premium to keep Fourth Uncle, to make him willingly cooperate with her.
After dinner, Jiang Liye pocketed the two hundred yuan and headed home. The whole walk felt surreal. In just a day and a half, he’d earned three hundred yuan?
Meanwhile, Jiang Qingning gave all the remaining earnings to Su Guiying, her tone light and cheerful. “Mom, you hold onto this money for me. I told you yesterday I’d make money. See? I didn’t lie to you.”
Su Guiying smiled and stroked her daughter’s proudly tilting head. “You didn’t lie. Qingning is the most amazing. Mom was wrong before for not believing you.”
Jiang Qingning closed her eyes, enjoying her mother’s touch, and smiled. “I don’t blame you. I’ll make even more money for you in the future, Mom. You’re my accountant.”
Su Guiying laughed. “Okay, I’m your accountant.”
She took the money and really pulled out a notebook to start bookkeeping.
January 29, 1990, Third day of the Lunar New Year: Earned 440 yuan, paid out 100 yuan in wages, remaining 340 yuan.
January 30,1990, Fourth day of the Lunar New Year: Earned 733 yuan, paid out 200 yuan in wages, remaining 533 yuan.
Total:843 yuan.
Before bed, Su Guiying brewed a bowl of ginger soup for Jiang Qingning. “Be good, drink this. You were in the wind all day. The wind over the ice is very cold. Get rid of the chill.”
Jiang Qingning wrinkled her nose but obediently nodded and drank it.
The next day, Jiang Liye again came to pick up Jiang Qingning.
After getting up, Jiang Qingning pulled out the cardboard box from under her bed. She put all the remaining toys from inside into a bag and stuffed in a few picture books as well.
“The sun’s good today. Maybe there will be even more people,” Jiang Liye said in high spirits.
However, upon arriving at the spot, his good mood vanished instantly.
Right near where they had set up their stall yesterday, a new ring toss stall had appeared.
The stall was run by two middle-aged men, dressed in worn-out army coats. One was placing items on the ground, while the other was arguing with Huang Guoqing.
“I already told you, this spot is taken. You can’t set up here.”
“Is anyone’s name written on this ground? How much space do you need for a candied hawthorn stick stall?”
“This is my buddy’s spot. Let me tell you, he’s ‘Brother Ye.’ You’d better watch out.”
“Oh, some big shot, huh? What kind of character is this ‘Brother Ye’? Never heard of him…”
“I’m indeed no big shot, but I do understand the principle of first come, first served.” Jiang Liye suddenly spoke up, interrupting their argument.
Seeing Jiang Liye, Huang Guoqing immediately complained, “Brother Ye, these two guys came early this morning trying to steal the spot.”
“Hey, who are you saying is stealing the spot?” the middle-aged man opposite protested.
Huang Guoqing opened his mouth to retort, but Jiang Liye stopped him with a raised hand. He sized up the middle-aged man in front of him: wearing a gray, old army coat and black cotton pants, not very tall, with a full beard.
“Brother, where are you from?” Jiang Liye raised an eyebrow and asked.
“Maoxie Hutong compound. I’m Zhang Da’er,” the man said, standing askew and even jiggling his leg.
Jiang Liye thought for a moment and said, “Oh, the Zhang brothers from Maoxie Hutong. Your reputation precedes you.”
“No reputation, just brothers giving face.”
“If I remember correctly, this area isn’t part of your brothers’ territory, is it?” Jiang Liye looked at the nearby stall. Many items were placed on the ground—pots, bowls, ladles, and basins, not to mention a set of porcelain Chinese zodiac figurines. All typical items for a ring toss stall.
“That’s right, this isn’t our brothers’ territory,” Zhang Da’er said. “But it’s not your Brother Ye’s territory either, right? I already checked in with Brother Qiang yesterday.”
Brother Qiang was the one who collected ‘protection fees’ in this area. Jiang Liye had dealt with him a few times, which was why he hadn’t said anything when Jiang Liye intervened for Huang Guoqing the day before.
Zhang Da’er lifted his chin and asked, “So? Is setting up a stall here illegal?”
Jiang Liye gritted his teeth. “No, it’s not illegal.”
“Hmph, then that’s that.”
Jiang Qingning watched the two unfamiliar men thoughtfully. So the competition had arrived.
The other man finished setting up his items. Then, he pulled out two hundred-yuan bills from his pocket and placed them at the very front as well.
Jiang Qingning sighed inwardly. It happened faster than I imagined. Someone copied it after just one day. Our countrymen’s ability to imitate is truly world-class, no surprise there.
Immediately after, a rough, hoarse shout reached her ears: “One yuan gets you a chance at a hundred yuan!”
“One yuan for ten tosses! Don’t miss out if you’re passing by…”
Jiang Qingning clenched her fist. Great. A price war too.