When he arrived, Su Jinjun and Su Jindang were there.
Su Jinjun was his eldest brother-in-law and Su Jindang was his second brother-in-law. However, it was clear that Ji Jianyun didnât like to interact with Su Jinjun. Likewise, Su Jinjun didnât like to interact with Ji Jianyun.
The reason was very simple: Ji Jianyun did not like the way Su Jinjun did nothing all the time. When they exchanged greetings, Su Jinjun would become very impatient. He could not stand how his brother-in-law knew how to fight and how he could not beat him. Despite how Su Jinjun would become impatient, he would restrain it to say a few words when Ji Jianyun brought good food over from time to time
Su Jinjun was thinking about if it was possible for him to benefit from the orchard. Ji Jianyun didnât feel like talking to him at all, so he casually said some things and then gave the stuff to Mother Su. âMother, Danhong and I will come over during the New Year. We will also bring Renren so he can ask his maternal grandmother for a red envelope.â
âOkay, I will give him a big red envelope,â Mother Su said happily.
She looked at the things inside the basket. Everything was really good. There was a big piece of fatty meat and it seemed to weigh a few jin. There were also a lot of ribs. Even if her family didnât go shopping, they could still celebrate the New Year with this. Since her son-in-law brought so many good things over, this yearâs celebration was as good as last yearâs celebration.
âTake back the brown sugar and the snacks,â Mother Su said when she saw it.
Mother Su was proud. At first, she thought she fell short of that woman in the old Ji family and couldnât cross any lines, because she could not put anything in the dowry besides some money when her daughter was getting married.
Fortunately, her daughter had improved. Thus, not only did Su Danhong bring prosperity to the family, her first child was a son, which made Mother Su prouder.
So when her daughter went into confinement, she went over with her second daughter-in-law with two large baskets of eggs and three big hens.
Even if that woman from the old Ji family saw her, she was polite and kind.
âMother, it doesnât make sense for me to take these back when Iâve already brought them here. There are no children at home, and Renren is still young and canât eat these. Give them to my nephews,â Ji Jianyun said.
âYeah, mother. Jianyun brought it over, so wouldnât it look bad to have him take it back?â Su Jinjun questioned.
Mother Su did not say anything else. She took the things into the kitchen with a smile. Su Jinjun had nothing to say to his brother-in-law, so after staying for a while, he made an excuse and left.
As soon as he left, Ji Jianyun began to talk to Su Jindang.
âSecond brother, howâs it going this year?â Ji Jianyun asked.
Su Jindang smiled and replied, âItâs going. Itâs not good nor bad; and itâs not great nor terrible.â Then, he said, âJianyun, if you have some money now, then you should go to the city and buy a place. You can sell it when money is tight later.â
He was always working for people from all kinds of places and took up all types of manual labor, from repairing houses to moving bricks.
Therefore, he had a relatively good understanding of the situation in the city. He didnât know what had happened this year, but the housing prices in the city were rising very fast. It had only been a year, and it had almost doubled.
Thatâs why he told Ji Jianyun, his brother-in-law, that if he had money and could buy it, then he would be sure to make a profit later.
âMoney right now is a little tight.â Ji Jianyun grinned.
Today, when he went to town to buy things for the New Year, he also delivered a few jin of meat to Hong Jie as a gift. Then, he listened to what she had to say.
Housing prices were rising, but it was rising faster this year because wages and other things were rising too.
âNow that Renren is born, your family will spend a lot more money,â Su Jindang expressed his understanding.
âIs second sister-in-law going to give birth soon?â Ji Jianyun asked.
Su Jindang smiled and replied, âSoon. She said she is tired, so sheâs sleeping right now.â
âSecond brother, can you come and help me next year?â Ji Jianyun made his request.
Su Jindang was stunned. When he came back a few days ago, he heard his mother mention it. Su Jindang was definitely touched, but wouldnât he add to his brother-in-lawâs burden?
Su Jindang hesitated and responded, âI heard that youâve already hired two people. If I go over there to work, then itâs not good for you to fire one of them. Theyâve done a good job.â
In the past, it was just him and his wife, and they were fine. But now that the baby was about to be born, he was a little worried and he couldnât hand all these worries to his wife.
So if he could go help his brother-in-law, then he would do it. That way, he could come back to help take care of his child almost every day.
âNo, I have 15 sheep and more than 200 chickens on the mountain. At the beginning of spring, those chickens will be fully grown. When spring comes, I plan to have them transported into town to sell. However, I still have to go to Lao Qin to learn how to manage the orchard. So, Iâm going to give you this job. I will set up a shop in town and you can oversee the shop. Itâll be 40 yuan a month. As for the shop rental, I will take care of it. Second brother, all you have to do is drive over and catch the chicken and sell it in the shop,â Ji Jianyun explained.
â40 yuan is too much. If you really want me to do it, then 20 yuan will do,â Su Jindang said.
âItâs 40 yuan, okay? You can go and discuss it with second sister-in-law. Second sister-in-law is about to have a baby. Itâs not me who said this, but second sister-in-law doesnât get along with eldest sister-in-law. Second brother, you can consider moving into town with second sister-in-law. Later, Iâll buy a bigger shop. As for mother, you can be rest assured since Danhong and I are here,â Ji Jianyun articulated.
Su Jindang was really touched this time. In fact, he also wanted to move out with his wife. The few times he had come back home, his wife had been angered by his sister-in-law.
Seeing that he was touched, Ji Jianyun said nothing more. He didnât stay for a meal. He just sat for a while and then went back. Before leaving, Mother Su even packed him a basket of eggs. Ji Jianyun couldnât refuse, so he had to bring it back.
Mother Su asked her second son, âWhat were you secretly talking to Jianyun about?â
Su Jindang whispered what his brother-in-law had told him. He knew that his mother favored him, so there was no need to hide it from her.
Once Mother Su heard it, she said without thinking, â40 yuan? Thatâs great! Okay, okay, you should agree with Jianyun. This is your sisterâs husband. Where else can you find such a good job?â
He wouldnât have to pay rent, and he wouldnât need money to start the stop. He would just be responsible for catching chickens and selling them. Then, he would get paid for it. Where else could he find such a good job?
It costs a few yuan to buy a chicken, so even if only three chickens were bought in a day, that was almost ten yuan. Jianyun definitely wouldnât lose money!
Mother Su felt that the agreement was a really good one!
âMother, a salary of 40 yuan is too much. The most Jianyun should give is 20 yuan,â Su Jindang said helplessly. âTruthfully, 20 yuan is still quite a lot. If the old Ji family knows and asks about it, then I wouldnât know what to say to them. There are two brothers in the old Ji family who are still working the field for food. â