1994: Starting with unpaid leave

Seeing his father-in-law Zhou Yuejin looking at him expectantly, Dong Jianguo smiled and bent down to take something out of the bag.

"Dad, this is some Hongtashan cigarettes and two bottles of Wuliangye that Xiuyun and I bought at the department store. But there's one thing, Dad, you have to be careful. Whether it's cigarettes or alcohol, you absolutely can't overdo it. If you harm your health, Xiuyun will blame me!"

"You silly child, I'm already so old, why are you taking care of this for me? How much money will that cost!"

As he spoke, Zhou Yuejin smiled and reached out to take the cigarettes and alcohol.

Strangely enough, of his three sons-in-law, he originally disliked his third son-in-law the most.

The youngest daughter, Xiuyun, was born the latest, but she was also the most beautiful of the three daughters.

With her looks, even if she doesn't marry as well as her eldest daughter, she should at least marry a skilled worker in the factory.

In the end, it was Dong Jianguo, a pretty face with no real ability, who benefited the most.

But today, when Dong Jianguo pulled out the gift at the dinner table, it suddenly seemed so appealing!

The eldest son-in-law, Tong Ziang, and the second son-in-law, Zhang Jinlong, who were standing nearby, felt quite uncomfortable seeing this scene.

Tong Ziang had always been treated like a son-in-law in this family, but now, seeing his parents-in-law beaming with joy at other people's company, he felt very resentful.

The key point is that this matter cannot be discussed yet, after all, Dong Jianguo's words after entering the room were watertight, and the gifts he brought out did indeed outshine his own.

Although Zhang Jinlong kept putting on a brave face, he was somewhat psychologically unbalanced.

After all, even among the three sons-in-law, there was always the immature Dong Jianguo to fall short. But now, before even starting a meal, he's already become the worst son-in-law...

"Stop staring, let's eat and drink!" Zhou Yuejin, who had just returned to his seat after stuffing the Hongtashan and Wuliangye liquor that Dong Jianguo had brought back into the bedroom cabinet, waved his hand to signal that the meal was officially starting.

Since it was a birthday party, the food was much better than usual.

The dining table not only features cooked dishes such as smoked chicken, pressed duck, pig's head meat, and red sausage, but also homemade hearty dishes that are delicious and visually appealing:

Orange-yellow, stringy sweet potatoes, sweet and delicious.

Golden and translucent, crispy on the outside and tender on the inside, this is the sweet and sour pork.

The braised carp is bright red and glossy, garnished with scallions and cilantro.

In the very center of the table was a large earthenware pot, its red and white contents floating with pickled cabbage, pork belly, and blood sausage. When the light flickered, the layer of cool oil on top reflected the light.

The pork belly here is also carefully selected; it's all "three-layered pork" with skin and a good balance of fat and lean meat. After being cooked and cooled, it's sliced ​​thinly. Then it's stewed with stir-fried pickled cabbage, allowing the flavors of the oil and the pickled cabbage to fully meld.

Pick up a piece of white meat with your chopsticks, dip it in soy sauce and crushed garlic seasoning, and then put it in your mouth.

What was that saying again?

Just eat, one bite at a time, without making a sound.

Although Dong Jianguo and Xiuyun's meals have improved a lot recently, they are now basically eating meat every meal and drinking milk every night.

But the dishes on the table kept the two of them constantly using their chopsticks, especially the sauerkraut, blood sausage, and pork belly in the center.

Seeing that the two loved to eat, Cao Wenli, the mother-in-law, and Zhou Yuejin, the father-in-law, smiled and kept urging them to eat more.

"Jianguo and Xiuyun, you two shouldn't just eat white meat. It gets greasy after a while. Have a piece of fish cheek meat. That's the most tender cut."

"Xiuyun, you can just eat the fish belly, it's meaty and boneless. You can't eat the fish roe, or your baby won't be able to count when it's born..."

After a few bites, the fish head that was originally facing the eldest son-in-law Tong Ziang quietly changed direction, subtly turning towards Dong Jianguo.

Tong Ziang was unconvinced, and without making a sound, he quietly turned the plate back to its original position while picking up fish.

This little gesture caught Dong Jianguo's eye, making him chuckle to himself.

My brother-in-law is the kind of person who wears his heart on his sleeve; he's really not suited for a career in politics.

In my past life, it was the same; my brother-in-law eventually only reached the position of section chief, working his way up until retirement.

Looking back now, it seems that a person's life is already predetermined, like a script written in the dark, but the person involved rarely realizes it...

Simply maintain respect.

"Come on, Jianguo, stop eating meat and have a drink to clear your head."

Zhang Jinlong, the second brother-in-law, raised his glass and clinked it with Dong Jianguo's, lowering the rim of his glass slightly.

After taking a sip of wine, he finally asked, "Jianguo, I heard you two are in the egg business. How did you come up with the idea to do this?"

Dong Jianguo smiled and said, "I had no choice. The factory suspended me without pay for such a trivial matter. I figured this lousy job was a waste of time anyway, so not paying me was good for my freedom. There's a morning market at Wufu Market near my home, right? I wandered around there for a bit and then I thought of starting a business selling eggs."

Dong Jianguo gave a brief account, but omitted the help his second uncle gave him when the business was starting out.

These details are best left unmentioned.

Zhang Jinlong was quite surprised, because from Dong Jianguo's words, it seemed like he was implying, "You can do it too."

"That simple?"

"Really, brother-in-law, I'm absolutely not lying to you. Only a son would lie!"

"Jianguo, tell us, how much money do you earn a month now?"

The second sister, Zhou Xiuqing, couldn't help but ask, and for a moment all the adults at the table stopped eating.

Although everyone knew this was intrusive and even family members felt uncomfortable, they couldn't help but be curious when they saw Dong Jianguo's generosity.

Even his brother-in-law, Tong Ziang, stopped moving the plate of fish and listened intently for Dong Jianguo's reply.

Xiuyun couldn't help but feel a little nervous after hearing this.

Making money is certainly great.

But if I tell my family the truth, although it might satisfy my vanity a little, given my second sister's personality, she might just insist on doing it with them.

Xiuyun and her second sister are six years apart. In her memory, no matter what she liked, her second sister would always take it away from her.

If she gets involved in this egg business...

Thinking of this, she pinched Dong Jianguo's arm under the table, signaling him to take it easy.

But Dong Jianguo seemed oblivious, smiling as he looked at Zhou Xiuqing:

"Second sister, guess!"

"This... I guess it costs at least several thousand yuan a month, right? The gifts I gave my parents today, and that pager... these things add up to quite a bit of money."

Dong Jianguo nodded: "Yeah, more or less."

His nod caused a collective gasp of surprise to erupt in the banquet hall.

My brother-in-law, Zhang Jinlong, let out a gasp:

"My God, I work myself to the bone for a month and only make 400 yuan, and you can make thousands selling eggs?!"

The eldest brother-in-law, Tong Ziang, tilted his head back and downed a mouthful of wine in one gulp:

"The world has truly changed!"

Ignoring the men's reactions, Zhou Yuqing reached over Xiuyun and placed her hand on Dong Jianguo's arm, a fawning smile on her face.

"Jianguo, how about I join you two in this business?"