Starting a new chapter in life

Chapter 194 The Current Situation of Third Sister

What Chef Lin didn't know was that starting in May, the store's turnover tripled, and the net profit increased from five or six thousand a month to twelve or thirteen thousand. Becoming a ten-thousand-yuan household in just one month was truly remarkable.

Chef Lin wasn't short of money; he'd already agreed to a yearly bonus, so he didn't immediately feel the power of money. But Jingyan was laughing in her sleep. She'd known making food could be profitable, but she never imagined it would be this much.

However, I still have to give myself credit. Jingyan arranged the purchase of many ingredients. The hazel mushrooms are of good quality and have always been shipped from Beidahuang in the autumn. I estimate that the demand for hazel mushrooms will increase several times over starting this year.

Judging from the revenue over the past four or five months, braised chicken with hazel mushrooms is a popular dish at the restaurant. If this trend continues, the demand could be several times higher than expected, which is a conservative estimate. A few days ago, Jingyan specifically contacted He Chunnier to mention that she now runs a restaurant.

The demand for hazel mushrooms may surge in the future, since hazel mushrooms are a unique fungus species in the Great Northern Wilderness. He Chunni is the only one who can get them there. He Chunni was very happy when she found out. She said that when the hazel mushrooms are harvested in August or September this year, she will go to several surrounding production teams to buy them, and she will make sure they are dried and of good quality.

Jingyan might not trust others, but she can definitely trust He Chunni. The reason is simple: He Chunni has the ambition and determination to get rich, and such a person will not let her long-term customers leave because of quality issues.

Jingyan was temporarily relieved about the source of the hazel mushrooms, and casually mentioned that they should also prepare more wood ear mushrooms this year, especially autumn wood ear mushrooms, which are thick, have a good texture, and a small handful can yield a large plateful, making them much more efficient than the thinner kind here.

He Chunni's happiness could be felt even over the phone. She readily promised that she would take it seriously and not let Jing Yan's trust and shipping costs go to waste.

The restaurant's demand for green vegetables is actually quite high. For example, green beans, cucumbers, and tomatoes are among the restaurant's best-selling vegetables. Currently, most of the vegetables come from the restaurant itself and from the family's vegetable garden.

But the area at home where we can grow vegetables is only so big, and vegetables take time to grow. They can be supplied for a short time, but they are by no means a long-term solution. Buying vegetables from the market is not only of inconsistent quality, but also expensive and the quantity is not stable.

Jingyan was discussing her current difficulties with Chef Lin when Dou Zhixiao overheard them. He stepped forward and said, "Well, Sister Yan, there's news that workers at Jinhua's parents' factory have been laid off, and people in the factory are in a state of panic."

Her dad said this is just the beginning, and things could get even worse later. Right now, there's some compensation and policy benefits for those who voluntarily resign. I sensed from him that he was thinking of quitting. A while ago, he even said he wanted to lease that flat land on the east side of the island to grow wheat. There are two harvests a year there, and he thought it was a good idea.

If our store needs vegetables, I can discuss with him about setting aside a plot of land to grow the vegetables we need. Once he's grown them, we'll buy all the vegetables from him. His mother can sell the surplus at the market. Although it will be hard work, it's still better than working in a factory, and besides, who knows how long a factory job will last.”

Jingyan looked at Chef Lin, who also thought it was feasible: "Xiao Dou, let's get this straight from the start. First, the price won't be higher than the market price. If the demand is large, it might be slightly lower, which is considered wholesale. Second, the quality and quantity must be guaranteed. I won't lower my quality requirements just because you're my relative."

Dou Zhixiao readily agreed. As he left the kitchen, he couldn't wait to rush back to his wife's family to tell them about it. Watching his retreating figure, Jing Yan frowned: "We still have farmland on our island? I thought such a small place was all built with houses."

Sister Feng Cailian chuckled beside her, "Has Jingyan never even explored our Changxing Island?"

Jingyan smiled shyly.

"We call this an island, but it's actually quite large. I don't know the exact size, but I know it would take me at least three hours to cycle around the island. There aren't many people here. Apart from the few factories that were approved in the first place, private factories aren't allowed to operate here. The island has a high level of secrecy."

Only the central area and the area near the pier on the island have been fully developed; the surrounding area is all wasteland. The community supports islanders who want to lease land for farming; it's just idle land anyway, and collecting some rent would be good.

Jingyan then realized, "Actually, it would be great if there were chicken farms on the island. That way, we wouldn't have to buy eggs and chicks from Yanjiacun. It's troublesome to transport them back and forth, and it also increases the cost quite a bit. I didn't know we had any vacant land here before, otherwise I probably would have thought of raising chickens a long time ago."

However, this thought only lasted for a moment before she quickly dismissed it. In her previous life, her third sister's chicken farm was wiped out by a chicken plague for some unknown reason. She shrugged and decided to give up.

With the busy work at the shop coming to an end, news came from her third sister, Zhang Jingxian, and it wasn't good news: her brother-in-law had cheated on her. When Jingyan received the call from her third sister, she heard her crying hysterically, her complaints mixed with hatred.

These days, divorces are common, but affairs, or what's commonly known as having an affair, are rarely publicized. After all, everyone cares about their reputation. My third sister's emotional outburst shows she was really furious.

The same thing happened at this time in my previous life. My third brother-in-law's affair was partly due to being set up, but it takes two to tango. He had ulterior motives, which allowed someone to take advantage of him. The woman demanded that he divorce his wife and marry her, or she would cause trouble at my third brother-in-law's workplace.

My third sister's husband is currently the factory manager of a nut factory, a state-owned enterprise, at the level of a section chief. He's also a member of the Communist Party. He's very sensitive about this kind of romantic relationship; if it really gets to his workplace, he'll definitely lose his job, and he'll probably be expelled from the Party.

Although the third sister hated him to death and wished she could ruin his job, she suppressed her evil thoughts for the sake of her two eldest sons. While she was complaining on the phone, she was actually looking for advice.

This had happened in her past life, the difference being that in her past life she was by her third sister's side, and the two sisters discussed it face-to-face. Now, separated by thousands of miles, they could only communicate by phone. Jing Yan sighed.

“Make him leave with nothing. That woman only has eyes for him because he’s an official. In other places, a section chief isn’t much, but in that tiny place called the State Farms Administration, it’s not low. Since that woman is after his power, let him leave the money and the child behind and go with her.”

Jingxian actually thought the same thing, but he wanted someone to give him a positive attitude. Before his third sister hung up the phone, Jingyan couldn't help but say, "Third sister, you must be in a bad mood. Why don't you come to my place to relax after you get divorced from your brother-in-law?"

Rongqiang should have already finished his college entrance exam by now. Luckily, you started this argument after he finished; if it had happened earlier, it might have affected his grades.

Jingxian was silent for a while on the other end of the phone: "We've been making a fuss for more than half a year now, and Rongqiang has probably been affected. A couple of days ago, after his grades came out, he locked himself in his room all day, refusing to eat or drink."

I went to the school to talk to the teacher, and the teacher said that he could go to university this year if he wanted to, but the score wouldn't be very high. The teacher suggested that he repeat a year to try for a top university. I've been telling him to repeat a year as well these past few days.

But you wouldn't believe it, this kid, though quiet since he was little, has his own ideas. He'd never said anything about whether he wanted to repeat a year, but yesterday he told me he'd register at school to take next year's college entrance exam, and he wouldn't be going back to school; he could study at home.

Submit the completed test paper to the teacher for grading to see your progress. This way, you not only save a year's tuition, but you also avoid feeling embarrassed by seeing the younger students who came before you.

Jingyan thought for a moment and said, "That works too, as long as the child knows what's going on."

With a sense of security, Jingxian's mood improved considerably after talking for a while. After hanging up the phone, Jingyan felt a little down. Even though she had been mentally prepared, few people could remain calm when things actually happened.

When He Zhijun got home from get off work that evening, he saw Jingyan sitting in the living room, her eyes fixed on the TV, but she seemed to be lost in thought. He walked over and sat down next to her: "What's wrong? Something on your mind?"

Jingyan turned her head and saw it was him. She smiled and said, "My third sister called today. She and her husband might not be able to make it work. He's having an affair and they're forcing him to get a divorce. What is he thinking? He has two sons at home. Why does he have to make things so complicated?"

He Zhijun looked at her: "Your third sister made a decision?"

“She must have made a decision, but she couldn’t bring herself to do it, so she called me. My idea was for him to leave with nothing—no money, no house, no kids—and get out of here! My third sister didn’t argue with me, so I guess they’ll be negotiating terms and talking about the divorce later.” Jing Yan sighed.

“When it’s time to make a clean break, it’s fine. There’s no big deal about getting divorced. More and more people are getting divorced these days. Your third sister isn’t exactly an exception. How about we wait until they get divorced, and if your sister is feeling down, we can have her come over here for a visit and clear her head? We’ll buy her round-trip tickets.” He Zhijun put his arm around her waist and laughed.

Hearing this, Jingyan suddenly thought of Rongqiang's studies and became even angrier: "Why did this person have to start making a fuss six months before the child's college entrance exam? Now look what's happened! Rongqiang is my third sister's second son, and he failed the college entrance exam, only getting into a vocational college this time."

My child has already registered with the teacher to retake the exam next year, but insists on studying at home and doesn't want to go to school. Do you think it's because the child feels ashamed and doesn't want to go back to school?

He Zhijun pondered for a moment: "Our high school here is pretty good. If it's for repeating the senior year, I'll ask for two hours off from the factory tomorrow to talk to the high school principal. If it's possible for your nephew to study here for a year and go back to take the college entrance exam, that should be fine. At most, I'll give him a little extra tuition."

"You know the high school principal?" Jing Yan asked, puzzled.

"This is all thanks to Ci'en. He was third in the whole school back then, and he applied to the Aerospace University. He spoke with the principal at the school's commendation ceremony. A couple of years ago, when Xiao Li was admitted to university, I went to the school for the commendation ceremony, and the principal even came over to congratulate me. So, we've had two connections."

"I'm not going through any back channels. I'll just ask around and see if I'll be kicked out. Don't worry." He Zhijun joked with Jing Yan.

Jingyan was very touched: "Then I'll trouble you to go and ask. But it's not easy to get permanent residency on Changxing Island. Living there for a year probably doesn't count as permanent residency."

"It's not even a year. I'll apply to the factory and ask them to help me get a certificate. It shouldn't be a big problem. Besides, no one in my family has ever been to my workplace, let alone other sensitive places. They won't be put on the list of people under close surveillance. Don't worry."

He Zhijun knew what Jing Yan was worried about, but he was also being realistic. His unit wasn't a classified unit, and his family only traveled between the shop, the dock, their home, and the school, so they wouldn't attract the attention of the island's garrison.

Jingyan just always felt that the classified unit was very mysterious and that the surrounding area was dangerous, so she was making a fuss over nothing.

He Zhijun acted quickly. After learning about Li Rongqiang's situation, the high school principal was very accommodating. This family already had two college students with good grades, so paying for a year of schooling wouldn't be a big deal. As long as his political background was sound, there wouldn't be any problems with his schooling.

When the news came back, Jing Yan breathed a sigh of relief: "Putting aside everything else, Li Sijun's political background of serving in the army and being a party member in his early years is still useful. It's no problem for him to vouch for his youngest son. Fortunately, Third Sister didn't let that woman cause a scene. If he had been expelled from the party, his two sons would definitely have been affected."

Jingyan complained a couple of times, then happily went to call her third sister's house.

Zhang Jingxian had just finished arguing with Li Sijun at home because Rongqiang had failed his college entrance exam. She hadn't even caught her breath when she received a call from her younger sister. She was deeply moved to hear that Jingyan had already arranged for Rongqiang to study at a school for a year, and that he would return to Beidahuang a month before next year's college entrance exam to prepare.

There was no time to be angry. She quickly yelled at Rongqiang, "Your aunt has arranged for you to study at a high school near her home for a year. Do you want to come with your mother for a year? You can come back before the college entrance exam next year."

"Perfect timing! A few years ago, a relative of your aunt's husband got into a good university. They should know something about colleges and universities, maybe they can help you choose one. What do you think?"

Li Rongqiang was quiet by nature, but he was somewhat tempted when he heard that he could study in Haishi. However, he hesitated and said, "Won't living there for a year cause trouble for my aunt? My aunt doesn't have any family to help her. If we take her along... I'm worried that my aunt will be mistreated."