They had to save money – it was necessary. Not just the 12,000 in dividends, but also the more than 20,000 in-store operating funds that needed to be deposited. They couldn’t leave the money at Grandmother’s house, nor could they carry it back to the village – what else could they do but save it?
Xia Xiaolan kept 3,000 yuan from Bai Zhenzhu’s share, while the rest was deposited in the bank before they could feel at ease about returning to the village for New Year’s.
The bank visit was quite amusing. The bank staff looked at Xia Xiaolan and Liu Fen, asking what type of deposit this was.
“Are private citizens not allowed to make deposits anymore?”
Xia Xiaolan was righteously indignant. The bank staff said private citizens couldn’t possibly have this much money and asked for their work unit’s account.
Xia Xiaolan nearly called them crazy – did she need to announce how she earned her money with a loudspeaker for everyone to hear?
They eventually made the deposit, though the bank teller looked at Xia Xiaolan with regret. After wasting so much breath trying to convince them, someone wanted a current account instead of a fixed deposit?
“The interest rate for a one-year fixed deposit is 8.28%!”
“Comrade, we’ll just take a current account.”
The interest rate for current accounts was 4.32%. Xia Xiaolan and Liu Fen came to deposit a full 40,000 yuan – even with just a one-year fixed deposit, the interest alone would be 3,312 yuan, equivalent to over three years of the teller’s salary. The teller was just being kind in suggesting a fixed deposit.
But for Xia Xiaolan, keeping 40,000 yuan in hand for a year could potentially multiply it several times over. Letting it sit in the bank earning interest would be wasteful. Some people who made money in the eighties and nineties thought they could live off interest for the rest of their lives – every single one of them ended up wanting to strangle their past selves.
In the early 1990s, a million yuan in the bank would earn thousands in monthly interest, enough to live comfortably for life.
But how naive that was! The banks lowered interest rates! Even if they hadn’t, those few thousand a month wouldn’t have helped much with prices rising so quickly. If someone who saved money then lived until 2017, that million yuan principal would barely buy two decent cemetery plots!
They split the store’s operating funds and personal money into two separate passbooks. After leaving the bank, she handed all the deposit slips to Liu Fen.
“Mom, you’re the true head of this household.”
Liu Fen clutched the passbooks tightly. She was devoted to her daughter anyway – even with her managing the money, she’d only spend it when Xia Xiaolan needed it.
Xia Xiaolan was grateful that although Liu Fen lacked experience, she completely supported all her decisions. Since Xia Xiaolan had shown her capabilities and their lives kept improving, she had become the family’s decision-maker, while Liu Fen was like an old ox, doing whatever Xia Xiaolan said.
It was mother and daughter working together toward prosperity.
The two bought some New Year goods and waited to return to Qijing Village with Liu Yong’s family of three.
Before leaving, Liu Fen made some dumplings for Grandmother Yu, steamed some buns, and left some New Year goods for her to eat during the festival.
“Auntie, we’ll be back on the fourth day of the New Year.”
With the New Year approaching, Grandmother Yu gave a polite grunt, surprisingly without any sarcasm.
Courtesy goes both ways. Seeing her good attitude, Xia Xiaolan added, “If you need anything done, just ask Brother Hu Yongcai for help. I’ve already spoken to him about it.”
Grandmother Yu suppressed her impatience and waved:
“It’ll be dark soon if you don’t leave now. Do you want to spend New Year at my place?”
After Xia Xiaolan and Liu Fen left with their packages, Grandmother Yu felt the courtyard was eerily empty and quiet. She had gotten used to living alone before, but these two had only lived here for such a short time – how had she become unaccustomed to their absence in just a few days?
But this New Year’s was different from the last.
There were prepared dumplings, steamed buns, and various New Year snacks and goods.
Last year, she wouldn’t have prepared anything for the New Year.
They took the bus from Shangdu at noon, arrived at Anqing County, and just after leaving the county town, they caught a tractor carrying several people for part of the way. They reached Qijing Village just after four o’clock.
“Yong is back?”
“Looks like Yong has made it big in the provincial capital!”
“Brother Yong, remember to come drink at my place…”
There wasn’t much work in winter, and with New Year approaching, the women were busy at home while the men wandered around the village with their hands in their pockets. Some were playing cards at the small store, and with onlookers, there were twenty or thirty people gathered.
Seeing Liu Yong’s family return with all their packages, everyone called out greetings.
Liu Yong opened two packs of cigarettes and handed them out one by one:
“We’ll chat later, need to get home and clean up the place.”
Someone joked that real men don’t clean, and since Liu Yong’s house had three women, housekeeping was women’s work.
Liu Yong shook his head: “I wouldn’t dare! Take my niece for example – those hands of hers are meant for holding pens to write, how could we let her clean?”
Liu Yong couldn’t very well say that although there were three women at home, they were all exhausted.
The others suddenly remembered that Xia Xiaolan was already a soon-to-be university student.
“Amazing! Chen Qing said Xiaolan scored over 500 points and ranked second in her grade in the final exams?”
“She’s getting into university!”
“Can’t let a university student do housework…”
Everyone was chattering excitedly, and at times like these, Xia Xiaolan only needed to smile politely. Liu Fen beamed with pride at everyone’s praise. Becoming a ten-thousand-yuan household was certainly exciting, but Xia Xiaolan’s success made Liu Fen proud to her core! After her divorce, she had lived at her parents’ home, worried about being looked down upon – looked down upon by the Liu family, looked down upon regarding Xia Xiaolan… Now it was proven that the divorce wasn’t a mistake, and Liu Fen could hold her head high.
When villagers spoke to her, though her voice wasn’t loud, she could respond happily without hesitation.
Everyone had changed significantly.
Had just a few months in the provincial capital made such a difference?
The villagers saw this, and some felt their hearts stirring with envy.
Back home, the whole family pitched in to clean. They wiped away dust and swept, used long bamboo poles to clear spider webs from under the eaves, and cleaned fallen leaves from the courtyard. They also had to lay out the bedding and sheets that had been stored in the cabinets. Even Taotao, not yet seven years old, helped out – nobody could stay idle.
Liu Yong said he would host guests the next day. The countryside emphasized liveliness during New Year’s, inviting close relatives and friends for drinks and meals – this wasn’t just Qijing Village’s custom.
All the women in the family had to get busy.
Li Fengmei told Xia Xiaolan she didn’t need to help with anything tomorrow, just stay in her room and study.
They had to prepare some ingredients a day in advance. Li Fengmei and Liu Fen were frying meat in the kitchen, the sisters-in-law chatting occasionally. The aroma of fried meat wafted through the window cracks into the room – even an immortal couldn’t have sat still.
Just then, Liu Yong, carrying some things, was about to visit the Chen family while it was getting dark and called Xia Xiaolan to join him.
Uncle and niece arrived at Chen’s house around 9 o’clock. Chen Wangda had just returned from drinking in town – these days, everyone was inviting him for meals.
“Heard you were back. Looks like you’re doing well.”
Liu Yong and Xia Xiaolan were wearing new clothes – if not exactly eye-catching, they certainly weren’t modest for Qijing Village. Liu Yong wasn’t one to hide his success; having earned some money, he spent it as he saw fit. He didn’t show off, but he didn’t care to play poorly either.
However, hearing Chen Wangda’s teasing, Liu Yong still scratched the back of his head.
Xia Xiaolan handed over the gifts they’d brought for Chen Wangda, “Grandpa Chen, thank you for taking care of us in the past year. With the New Year approaching, we wish you good health and everything going your way!”
Chen Wangda was very friendly toward Xia Xiaolan:
“Getting into a good university this year would be better than any gift! Oh, by the way, your and your mother’s fields have been allocated. I asked the villagers’ opinions, and they agreed to give you and your mother the empty plot next to your uncle’s house as a homestead.”
They’d received both responsibility fields and a homestead?
They should have brought her mother along to Chen’s house – Liu Fen would have been overjoyed.
Liu Yong was also happy, “Thank you, Uncle Da, for your trouble!”