“Oh, Qin Qin is back!”
“And she even brought her boyfriend home!”
“Come sit!”
“Hey, Hongqiang, take the younger kids and go eat off to the side!”
“Mom!” Lin Wan interrupted.
Since they had already taken the money to arrange the marriage, there was no need to stir up unnecessary conflict and make things unpleasant.
That would just create trouble out of nowhere.
If that happened, all her hard work would be wasted.
Besides, since she had taken the money, she should provide proper after-sales service.
What’s wrong with a customer showing a bit of attitude?
In this era, one hundred yuan had the purchasing power of about three to four thousand yuan in Lin Wan’s original world. And if calculated by gold value, it was even more impressive.
In the 1960s, gold was only a few yuan per gram on the buyback market, and generally only purchased, not sold.
In her previous world, gold prices were already approaching a thousand yuan per gram.
“Just squeeze in a bit. It’s only one extra person and one more pair of chopsticks,” Lin Wan said with a smile.
Guo Xuyang frowned. “No need.”
The mother and daughter were acting in sync, treating him and Zhang Qin like beggars.
What did they take them for?
Even though Zhang Qin was the biological daughter of this family, these two women who had taken over the household were acting like the real owners.
He placed a bottle of industrial alcohol on the cabinet and said directly, “I’ve already registered my marriage with Zhang Qin.”
“I’m taking her with me to join the military.”
“I came here today just to inform you.”
The Zhang family was completely stunned.
“What did you say?”
“Registered the marriage?”
“No, Xiao Guo, you didn’t have both families meet, you didn’t bring a matchmaker, and you didn’t give any betrothal gifts—on what basis are you taking my sister away?”
Bao Yan was the first to explode.
Zhong Hongmei followed immediately, firing at Zhang Qin, who was hiding behind Guo Xuyang:
“Zhang Qin, say something! Are you really that cheap? A man gives you nothing and you just follow him?”
“If he doesn’t even respect you, how can you still go with him?”
Zhang Qin’s tears immediately fell, dropping helplessly onto the floor.
Lin Wan: “…”
What a delicate white lotus swaying in the wind.
Just as Huang Guixiang was about to add fuel to the fire, Lin Wan grabbed her sleeve.
“Mom, come out with me.”
“Hongqiang, you come too.”
Hearing his sister call him, Hongqiang immediately put down his bowl—but not before shoveling in two big mouthfuls of rice, stuffing his cheeks until they were puffed up.
The mother and son followed Lin Wan downstairs.
Huang Guixiang asked, “Wanwan, why did you call us out?”
Lin Wan looked around and saw no one nearby. The neighbors had all run upstairs to crowd around and watch the Zhang family drama.
“That’s the Zhang family’s business. We’re not getting involved!”
“No matter whose side we take, we won’t come out of it well!”
After speaking, she smiled and waved the money and tickets in her hand.
“Huo Xiao gave these to me. He told me to take you two to the state-run restaurant for a good meal!”
Hongqiang was just about to cheer when Lin Wan raised a finger to her lips.
“Shh…”
“Eating secretly means we have to be sneaky about it.”
“No one in the family can know, got it?”
Hongqiang quickly covered his mouth and nodded repeatedly.
Huang Guixiang still felt a bit reluctant. “Why eat at a state-run restaurant? The food at home isn’t worse than that!”
“Save your money and tickets. You don’t get rich from eating, and you don’t get poor from dressing—if you don’t plan carefully, you’ll end up poor!”
Lin Wan wrapped an arm around her shoulder and pulled her toward the residential area exit.
“Mom!”
“I already got the postal office job. I wanted to celebrate properly, but there are too many people at home. It was finally hard to find a chance for the three of us to slip out unnoticed—don’t ruin my mood!”
“Your son-in-law earns over a hundred yuan a month!”
“If your daughter can’t even eat what she wants with that, then what’s the point of him? Might as well find someone earning twenty or thirty instead!”
Huang Guixiang was convinced by her twisted logic.
She poked her forehead and glared. “You… honestly…”
Lin Wan took the mother and son to a state-run restaurant and had a very satisfying meal of dumplings—mixed seafood filling, pure meat filling—she ate until she felt completely satisfied.
She even ordered a plate of braised fish.
By the end, Zhang Hongqiang was so full he could barely walk straight.
Fearing he would have indigestion, Lin Wan secretly gave him a digestive aid tablet and told him to chew it.
It had a sweet-and-sour taste, so Zhang Hongqiang thought it was candy.
In his heart, he thought: his sister was really good to him!
She gave him dumplings, fish, and even candy!
She really spoiled him!
His mom was right!
His sister used to fight him for food only because she wanted to grow up quickly so she could earn money to buy him meat and sweets later!
His older sisters-in-law said bad things about his sister—that a proper older sister should save good food for her younger brother, and that there was no sister in the world as selfish as his, who not only kept everything for herself but even stole from her brother…
They were just jealous!
They were malicious!
They just wanted to see him and his sister fall out!
╭(╯^╰)╮
Good thing he didn’t fall for it!
“Sis, if we ever get eggs in the future, I’ll give you all the yolks!”
“If there’s meat, I’ll help you grab the best pieces—all my meat is yours!”
He said this with complete sincerity.
“If your future husband treats you badly, tell me—I’ll deal with him!”
He straightened his small, thin chest, looking as serious as if he were about to join the Party.
Lin Wan laughed so hard she could barely stand.
She patted his head.
“Thanks, my good brother!”
“You going to the bathroom?”
“I am.”
“Let’s go!”
Zhang Guixiang shook her head. “I won’t go. I’ll wait here for you two.”
The siblings went to the bathroom.
When Lin Wan came out, she heard Zhang Hongqiang shouting from the boys’ restroom next door:
“Sis, I’m doing something big—go outside first!”
Uh…
She walked out and overheard a conversation.
“Master, help me out… my fiancée wants a big wedding banquet, every table needs chicken, duck, and fish… where am I supposed to get so much of it…”
“Get lost! This is a state-run restaurant, not mine. Without ration tickets, I can’t do anything!”
“Go try the black market!”
“Master, I did go to the black market… I ran into the Red Guards, lost the one yuan I just spent, and almost got caught…”
Lin Wan thought: this is a customer delivered right to my door.
But how to sell to him was the problem.
She hid in the corner and kept listening until the two people left—the chubby chef and his young apprentice.
She decided she should find out their names and where they lived later.
She felt like she might have discovered a safe way to do business.
No risk.
No arrests.
But she still needed to test it first—only after making sure it was foolproof would she dare act.
Heh heh.
“Sis, what are you smiling at?”
After finishing up, Zhang Hongqiang came over. His sister’s smile looked a bit like a villain’s—kind of creepy at night.
Lin Wan quickly stepped back, covering her nose and waving her hand.
“Stay away from me!”
This kid had been in the bathroom too long—he was completely “marinated” in smell.
Suddenly, she thought of something.
“Did you bring paper when you went in?”
Zhang Hongqiang scratched his head casually.
“Nope. I broke a stick before going in—just scrape it off, scrape it off!”
He shouted like a crow.
Lin Wan ran.
This smelly brother was absolutely not keepable.