Year 1983: I was a carpenter in Northeast China

As Xu Bei noticed the arrival of others, so did the others.

"What are these two doing?"

"I don't know, I don't recognize them."

As Xu Bei got out of bed and put on his shoes, he said, "Never mind who it is, let's pack up the goods first."

Zhao Fengying and the others nodded hurriedly, frantically stuffing the goods back into the store.

When Xu Bei arrived at the shop entrance, the two men had already parked their bikes, taken briefcases out of the baskets, and were about to open the door.

The door was then pushed open from the inside.

"Hello, comrades. May I ask who you are...?"

In response to Xu Bei's polite inquiry, the older man spoke up, "Oh, we're from the Industry and Commerce Bureau. Didn't you apply for a business license? We came to check if the business premises are suitable."

Upon hearing that they were from the Industry and Commerce Bureau, Xu Bei, Zhao Fengying, and the others greeted them with smiles.

After all, this involves obtaining a business license and opening a shop, and everyone wants things to go smoothly without any mishaps.

The two looked around the store, inside and out, then took down some data and asked some questions. Finally, the older man spoke up.

"The location for opening the store is fine and meets the required standards. You can come to our office again tomorrow."

Xu Bei naturally knew that the business license was about to be issued, and it was even faster than he had imagined, so of course he was happy.

"Great, thank you so much. It's so cold, and you still went to the trouble of making the trip."

After seeing the two off, Zhao Fengying was so excited that her eyes even welled up with tears.

"Once we get the business license, this shop can open for business!"

I never dreamed that in just a few days, I would be a boss, no longer a housewife relegated to the kitchen and looked down upon for not earning money.

Xu Bei put his arm around his mother's shoulder and patted her gently. "Mom, this is nothing. It's just a small department store and clothing shop. If you do well in the future, we'll open bigger stores and turn Fengying Department Store into a chain."

Although Zhao Fengying was encouraged, she still didn't quite understand. "Son, what's a chain store?"

The others had similar reactions.

Zhu Wenliang asked curiously, "Yes, what is a chain store?"

Xu Li suddenly exclaimed, "Ah! I know! It's like those shops; even a forestry bureau has several branches."

"That's right!" Xu Bei praised without reservation, "My sister is really amazing, she guessed it right away."

Xu Li seemed a little embarrassed. "I was just guessing. It was just a lucky guess."

Xu Juan said enviously, "Sister, that's because you're quick-witted and can understand things immediately."

Xu Bei, being so perceptive, naturally saw through his younger sister's little scheme. "Xiao Juan, everyone has different strengths. Our older sister might be a businesswoman, while you're a quick learner, a potential university student."

Zhao Fengying and Xu Li echoed her sentiments, making Xu Juan feel a little shy but also more confident.

Now that it's almost certain that the business license will be issued, we need to hurry up with some things.

After they finished sorting the goods, they took them home and had lunch there.

In the afternoon, Zhu Wenliang also brought his father, who also worked at the woodworking factory, over to help with the work.

Zhao Fengying treated her eldest daughter's father-in-law with great respect, but felt embarrassed to trouble him with her family's affairs.

Adding to the embarrassment of the impending divorce, she could only work even harder at home to prepare many delicious dishes to entertain guests and express her gratitude.

Xu Bei had a good impression of Zhu's father and knew his preferences: he wasn't fond of strong liquor and preferred beer.

After catching up on his sleep, he specially rode his bike with a thermos to the store to buy draft beer.

Back then, draft beer cost five cents a pound, and you had to bring your own container to get it.

There is usually no adulteration or dilution; the beer has a pure taste, a pleasant hop aroma, and a strong malt flavor.

Xu Bei even thought it tasted better than the bottled version.

It's even more refreshing to drink in the summer.

However, it doesn't seem so bad to drink it while sitting in a warm, heated room in winter.

That evening, because there were two more people at the table—Zhu's father and Zhu's mother who came to help later—the dinner table was changed to a round table placed to the side.

However, since the portable folding table produced by the system has not yet been officially approved, the one that Song Guodong's cousin's family has been repairing and using is the one they are using as a makeshift solution.

Xu Bei and the others all sat around, and Zhao Fengying, as the current head of the family, raised her glass to toast Zhu's father and mother.

"Brother Zhu, and sister-in-law, I'm not good at saying nice things, but you both took time off to come and help us with our affairs. It makes me feel really warm-hearted, but also really embarrassed."

Zhu's father was the kind of honest and simple man who only knew how to work hard, while Zhu's mother was an outsider, with a kind face and a good way of talking.

"Fengying, you're being too formal. What kind of relationship do we have? Aren't we in-laws? We should be as close as family and help each other out."

If they act like strangers, then they're not good enough as in-laws.

"Sister-in-law, you're so good at talking. Okay, then I'll just go along with it and not mince words." Zhao Fengying greeted her with a smile, "Today happens to be Laba Festival, so we didn't prepare anything too fancy. Everyone, please use your chopsticks."

Mother Zhu chimed in, "Isn't this dish delicious enough with chicken, fish, and meat? This is how we usually eat at home during the New Year. Don't worry, we definitely won't be faking it here."

After that, everyone ate, drank, and toasted each other, having a very lively time.

Those who didn't drink finished eating first and left the table, while Xu Bei and the Zhu family father and son, who did drink, stayed on the table.

They drank until after 7:30 p.m. before they broke up.

After seeing off Xu Li and her husband, as well as Zhu's parents, Xu Bei had just returned from a long trip and had drunk quite a bit. Even if he wanted to pretend to pull up a chair, Zhao Fengying wouldn't agree, so he had to give up.

Besides, even a young body needs to rest after such exertion, so I went to bed early.

A good night's sleep.

When Xu Bei woke up the next morning, he felt like he was back to his energetic self.

After breakfast, he drove his mother and sister to the Industry and Commerce Bureau.

Although all the necessary documents were complete and the location of the shop met the requirements, it was already past 10 o'clock by the time everything was done.

The newly issued individual business licenses only have a few printed fields for names, employees, business items, business scope, capital amount, business location, and issuing authority; everything else must be filled in by hand by the business administration personnel.

The character "人" (person) was written quite well, suggesting the writer had practiced calligraphy; it had a somewhat elegant and flowing feel.

Xu Bei was quite satisfied with the result, as it needed to be framed and hung in a prominent position in the store.

Needless to say, Zhao Fengying and Xu Juan were also involved.

After carefully examining the business license, the mother and daughter headed straight to the photo framing shop as soon as they left the business bureau, fearing that if they were too late, the photos would get wrinkled or damaged.

Xu Bei naturally complied with their wishes.

When the three returned to the shop with the framed business license, the Zhu father and son had a pencil tucked behind one ear and a cigarette tucked behind the other, and they had already moved on to building the frame for the glass display case.

Upon seeing the business license, they all took turns holding it and looking at it, and then shared their thoughts.

Everything is ready now, just waiting for the right opportunity. The sooner we open, the sooner we can make money. Otherwise, with the Lunar New Year approaching, many people will have already bought everything they need.

The father and son worked at full speed, pushing themselves to their limits.

Xu Bei didn't stay in the shop; he quickly made up an excuse to go to the carpenter's place and left...