1994: Starting with unpaid leave

Zhou Xiuyun blinked and looked at her older sister, somewhat worried that she was about to ask for money.

But after only a moment's hesitation, he answered:

"I don't really get involved in these things. At most, I help count the payments every night, and any extra money is deposited into a bankbook."

"Sis, if you want to borrow money, just tell Jian Guo. His savings account is with him..."

Zhou Xiulan chuckled, looking at her silly younger sister:

"I'm telling you, if anyone asks you for money, men might change when they have money. You'd better keep your money in your own hands."

"Change into what?" Xiuyun asked, genuinely confused.

Zhou Xiuqing rolled her eyes at her younger sister and interrupted, "He changed his mind, what else could it be!"

"Huh? No way?!"

"Why not?"

Zhou Xiuqing scoffed, looking at her bewildered and ignorant younger sister:

"It's inconvenient for you to be pregnant right now, while Jianguo is young and good-looking."

"Now that he's made money from business, how many women will be swarming around him like flies?"

"You're the only one who's foolish enough to not take it seriously!"

Upon hearing her second sister's words, Xiuyun's face immediately brightened and became cloudy. She couldn't help but recall what Dong Jianguo had told her about their neighbor, Wang Cuiqing.

Although she somewhat believed her second sister's words, she still stubbornly retorted:

"What are you saying?! Jianguo isn't that kind of person!"

"The founding of the nation has some important matters to attend to these days!"

She told her two older sisters about the changes in Dong Jianguo.

From never playing mahjong to cooking for himself, and then focusing wholeheartedly on his business, Dong Jianguo wanted to prove that his mind was on business and himself.

But Zhou Xiuqing scoffed and interrupted her: "Come on, according to you, your Jianguo must have done something wrong!"

"You're talking nonsense!" Xiuyun glared at her second sister.

Zhou Xiuqing, however, did not take it to heart:

"Let me tell you, a man who doesn't cheat is as hard to find as a cat that doesn't eat fish."

"A man's best time with you is during dating and early marriage. Once the novelty wears off, it doesn't matter if you're as beautiful as Xi Shi or Diao Chan, you're completely finished!"

"Alright, alright, if they're not going to help you with business, don't provoke Xiuyun like that!"

The eldest sister couldn't stand it anymore and pushed Zhou Xiuqing, telling her to shut up.

"What are you doing? You've gotten me all wet! It's so annoying! You're always protecting her; she'll get what's coming to her!"

"So what if I suffer a loss? I'm happy to, you're the one who gets to!" Xiuyun glared at her second sister, adding, "Don't even think about getting involved in my family business for the rest of your life!"

"Alright, you should say less!"

The eldest sister, Zhou Xiulan, was driven crazy by her two younger sisters' nagging. She came out of the small kitchen and pulled Xiuyun aside:

"Xiuyun, what your second sister said actually makes sense. Men with money and power are prone to getting carried away."

"Look at your brother-in-law. When he was a clerk, he knew how to control his temper. Now that he's a section chief, he only looks up at his superiors. He practically sticks his nose hairs out for everyone else to see."

Xiuyun, who was still angry, burst out laughing when her older sister said that.

"real?"

"How could it be fake? Last time I went to your house, I saw you hiring a bunch of workers to help unload the eggs, so I knew your business was pretty big. When your brother-in-law asked, I just told him that your family sells eggs."

"Then he started looking down on people even more. Now that Jianguo is like this, he's become quite deflated, which will stop him from being so arrogant!"

Following her eldest sister's finger, Xiuyun saw her brother-in-law, Tong Ziang, sitting in a chair in the bedroom, looking worried as he and her second brother-in-law smoked the Hongtashan cigarettes that Dong Jianguo had given them. She couldn't help but give her eldest sister a thumbs up.

Zhou Xiulan patted her third sister's hand:

"I'm telling you all this so you can be on your guard and, if you notice anything wrong with Jian Guo, help him correct it as soon as possible!"

"Also, if there are any issues at home, especially the financial matters, Jian Guo shouldn't be allowed to run wild."

"Otherwise, when the nation truly takes off, you'll be crying!"

The eldest sister's implied meaning was actually similar to that of the second sister.

But the way she said it was easier for people to accept than her second sister.

Xiuyun thought for a moment, then frowned: "But I don't know how to manage money either..."

"If you don't know how, just learn! It won't hurt to learn accounting and finance, and buying a book at the bookstore won't cost much. Besides, you're pregnant now, so learning something will make the little one smarter when it comes out."

"Oh? Really?"

Hearing her older sister say that, Xiuyun immediately had an idea...

……

Outside the tenement building, Zhou Yuejin and Dong Jianguo lay on the corridor, smoking and talking about trivial things.

The questions they asked were nothing more than polite formalities like whether you were tired, whether you were suffering, and whether you had encountered any difficulties.

When faced with his father-in-law's question, Dong Jianguo answered fluently.

It's just a little strange that these things need to be said here.

Just then, a door opened at the end of the tenement building, and a middle-aged man rubbed his nose and came out of the room.

"Hey, Master Zhou, smoking a cigarette?!"

"Hmm, Little Liu, where are you going?"

"I just finished eating. My wife at home won't let me smoke, so I came out for a cigarette."

"Come on, take mine!"

Zhou Yuejin smoked a cigarette with gusto.

The man called Xiao Liu was taken aback, thinking to himself that the sun had set in the east today, and Old Zhou, who was usually stingy, had actually started smoking for the first time ever.

"Wow! Tashan! Master Zhou has struck it rich."

"What wealth could I possibly have at my age? It was a gift from my third son-in-law..." Zhou Yuejin, beaming, patted Xiao Dong on the shoulder.

Xiao Liu was a shrewd man; he gave Zhou Yuejin plenty of face, tucked the cigarette behind his ear, and quickly reached out to shake hands with Dong Jianguo.

"Oh my, Xiuyun's family has come to see you! It's been a while since I've seen you, and it seems like Xiao Dong's aura has improved dramatically! Where are you making your fortune now?"

"It's just a small business, nothing respectable," Zhou Yuejin replied with a smile, his back straightening even more.

"Be modest! Small businesses can't afford to deliver such a large sum! You need to be a big boss!"

"Hey, keep your voice down!" Zhou Yuejin shouted, startling many of the neighbors next door.

Many male neighbors who love to join in the fun took the opportunity to come out of their homes for some fresh air.

Seeing everyone come out and gather in the corridor, Zhou Yuejin straightened his back and handed out cigarettes to everyone.

One isn't enough; each person needs two to three.

Seeing this, Dong Jianguo was so embarrassed that he almost dug a three-bedroom, one-living-room house out of the ground with his feet.

Fortunately, the box of Hongtashan was quickly distributed.

What I couldn't stand was that my father-in-law was clearly prepared; he magically produced another box of Hongtashan cigarettes from his pocket and started handing them out...

Dong Jianguo, caught between laughter and tears, suddenly remembered something Xiang Yu had said:

"Wealth and honor not returned to one's hometown are like wearing brocade at night!"

Vanity is something that no one can escape.

This damned human nature...