The younger sister mistakenly identified her brother when visiting relatives and was kissed by the c

"Besides, with a refrigerator, we won't have to worry about the meat and vegetables we buy in the kitchen spoiling every day. Over the years, that will save us a lot of money on wasted food!"

"refrigerator?!"

Upon hearing those two words, Bai's mother gasped, her face contorting with fear.

"Xin Xin, do you have no idea how much a refrigerator costs?! I heard from Aunt Zhang next door that those things are rare these days, costing several hundred yuan each! The better brands can even cost over a thousand! Where are we going to get that much money to buy that lump of metal?!"

Mr. Bai also grew anxious, slamming down the rag in his hand and looking sternly at his daughter: "Xin Xin, you absolutely mustn't spend money recklessly! Your brother's salary is only about a hundred yuan a month, and he still has to support the family. The rent for that shop is a thousand yuan, plus the cost of goods, pots and pans, dozens of kilograms of spices..."

"That two thousand yuan you have is your future dowry! It's simply not enough for you to squander like this!"

Although Bai Zhengyuan did not scold them loudly like his parents, his sword-like eyebrows were tightly furrowed, and his expression was extremely solemn.

Refrigerators? In the 1980s, this was an absolute luxury that ordinary people couldn't even dream of! Let alone small restaurants just starting out, even many famous state-owned restaurants in the capital city might not have enough refrigerators in their kitchens!

He knew his sister had two thousand.

Using this money to rent a shop to start a business is already taking a huge risk.

If he were to spend several hundred more dollars on a refrigerator, and the business were to go wrong... then he, as the older brother, would be held responsible even if he were to die a thousand deaths!

Seeing her family members clutching her "purse" as if facing a formidable enemy, Qiao Xinxin wasn't angry at all; instead, her eyes welled up with tears.

In this day and age, a refrigerator is indeed an unattainable money-devouring beast.

But... she does!

She clearly remembered that on the night she left the Qiao family's doghouse, she not only robbed them of their money and jewelry, but also stuffed the newly bought, smug double-door refrigerator in the Qiao family's kitchen into her "space"!

Now that refrigerator is quietly gathering dust in a corner of her space!

But something as absurd as "space" is something that can never be spoken of, no matter what.

"Dad, Mom, Brother, please calm down, please sit down!"

Qiao Xinxin quickly stood up, patted them on the back one by one, and gave them an extremely obedient smile: "What are you thinking! I didn't say I was going to go to the department store to bring back a refrigerator right now, immediately!"

She softened her voice and reassured him, word by word, "What I mean is, once our shop is up and running, and we've made back all our investment and have some money in hand, then we can consider buying a refrigerator!"

"Now, of course we have to be very careful with every penny! We'll keep the mung bean soup and plum juice chilled with well water and sell them at room temperature! We absolutely won't waste a single penny!"

Upon hearing this, Bai's mother's tense shoulders suddenly relaxed, and she let out a long sigh of relief: "Oh dear, you silly girl, you spoke so slowly, you scared me to death! That's more like it. Xinxin, I know you're quick-witted and have ideas, but we farmers have to take things one step at a time when doing business. Taking too big a step can easily lead to a fall. If we fall, our family's foundation is weak, and we won't be able to get back up."

"Mom, don't worry at all, I know what I'm doing!" Qiao Xinxin nodded repeatedly, like a docile kitten.

Looking at his younger sister's sensible demeanor, Bai Zhengyuan felt a surge of guilt again.

He sighed earnestly, "Xin Xin, it's not that I'm unwilling to spend money on you, nor that I don't support you. It's just that our family's current situation... our foundation really can't withstand any major setbacks."

"But I'm telling you this now! Once your shop is up and running smoothly and you've earned your first pot of gold, if you ever want to buy a refrigerator to expand, I'll do everything I can to support you, even if it means laying bricks or borrowing money!"

Hearing her older brother's resounding promise, Qiao Xinxin felt as if her heart was being soaked in a pool of warm water, so comforting that she wanted to cry.

This is what true blood relatives are like! Even if the family has no money, they are willing to give everything for her future!

"Brother, I understand. With you guys supporting me, I'm not afraid of anything."

Qiao Xinxin sniffed and gave a bright smile.

She picked up her pen and changed the line "desserts and cold drinks" on the letter to four strong characters: "[Ambient temperature supply]".

Then, she added a playful little parenthesis next to it and wrote a line in fine strokes:

[Iced flavor coming soon!]

Once the restaurant opens and makes money, she'll definitely bring out that huge refrigerator from her space openly and dazzle everyone!

Bai's mother leaned closer and, by the dim light, saw the delicate handwriting. The wrinkles on her face immediately smoothed out, and she couldn't help but chuckle.

"You little rascal, you're quite the schemer!" Mrs. Bai playfully tapped Qiao Xinxin's forehead with her rough finger, scolding, "Stay tuned, huh? The shop hasn't even been rented yet, it's not even close to being settled, and you're already thinking about chilled drinks!"

"Mom, that's what you call having hope! You should always have dreams, what if they come true!"

Qiao Xinxin folded the letter filled with plans with a grin, carefully put it into her pocket, and her big, watery eyes sparkled with determination.

As night deepened, the somewhat cramped living room of the tenement building was bustling with activity.

The family of four sat around the old, peeling coffee table and chatted for over an hour. They discussed everything from which market to buy the cheapest produce early in the morning, to how to mix the seasonings; from how to promote the business to the neighbors on opening day, to how to deal with freeloaders... No matter how small the matter, the whole family brainstormed and discussed it thoroughly.

Once all the arrangements were finalized, the night breeze outside the window carried a heavy chill, and the clock hands pointed to eleven o'clock.

Mrs. Bai stood up, brushed the dust off her faded apron, and let out a long sigh of relief: "Alright, alright, let's leave it at that for today. We have a tough battle to fight tomorrow. Xin Xin, you've been running around all day and you must be exhausted. Go wash up and go to bed early, and go see Uncle Zhou first thing tomorrow morning to finalize the shop's arrangements!"

"Okay, Mom, you and Dad should get some rest too."

Qiao Xinxin obediently responded and walked briskly back to her small room.

On the cramped single bed, there was a coarse cloth sheet that had just been sun-dried by the mother and smelled of sunshine.

Qiao Xinxin lay stiffly on the bed, her bright eyes fixed on the slightly yellowish ceiling above her head, her mind racing like a motor.

With the shop's situation finally settled, the next major task was to purchase pots, pans, and utensils and prepare for the opening.

The menu is already set. We'll add a few more vegetarian dishes, and for meat dishes, we'll rely on imperial braised dishes, braised pork belly, and braised spare ribs to make the most of the meal!

As long as the price is fair and the taste is amazing, in the early 1980s when resources were just beginning to become abundant, it would definitely make those diners who were starving unable to leave!

As for the refrigerator, we've put it on hold for now to appease my parents.

But Qiao Xinxin knew perfectly well—it didn't matter!

Once the restaurant opens and she recoups her investment in the first few months, with a legitimate source of income as cover, she can then conjure up the double-door refrigerator she borrowed from the Qiao family in her "space" in a perfectly reasonable and legitimate way!

Qiao Xinxin couldn't help but smack her lips, and the corners of her mouth turned up uncontrollably.

As she pondered, she turned over, hugged her pillow, and slowly closed her eyes in this long-lost sense of security and anticipation.

I slept soundly through the night without any dreams.

……

The next morning, as dawn broke, the apartment building was filled with the clamor of each household lighting their stoves and emptying their chamber pots.

After eating a large bowl of hot clear soup noodles prepared by Bai's mother, Qiao Xinxin tied her hair into a neat ponytail, stuffed the small cloth bag containing money into her crossbody bag, and was about to go out to find Uncle Zhou.

"Xin Xin, wait!"

A deep, powerful voice suddenly came from behind.

Bai Zhengyuan strode out of the inner room while fastening his top button and called out to her.

"Brother? What's wrong?" Qiao Xinxin turned around.

"You're just a young girl, don't run around like that." Bai Zhengyuan walked up to her, his tall frame like a wall. "I'm going to a meeting at the regimental headquarters this morning, and I'll go see Bai Zhou while I'm at it. Bai Zhou knows the shop better than you do, and he understands the connections in that area perfectly. I'll have him just talk to Uncle Zhou, and we'll book the one with the kitchen!"