Grandma prepared dinner that evening, with Zhang Guifen assisting. Life was much the same for every household these days—rations were lean, and they were still eating crushed cornmeal. A meal of pure white rice was a luxury reserved for holidays and festivals.
In her past life, Li Xiulan had seen a video where someone made seven or eight dishes out of a tiny piece of pork belly, which she had found incredible at the time. Now, the only meat in the house was a small chunk of fat that the second daughter-in-law had brought over last month. The whole family was reluctant to touch it, saving it only to slice off a sliver when guests arrived.
The family sat around the table eating with gusto, but Li Xiulan could barely taste her food. The dishes were so devoid of oil that they left one hungry again in no time. She had only ever eaten such vegetarian meals when dieting. Looking at the spread, there wasn't a drop of fat to be seen.
"Next month, let’s slaughter the pig we’re raising. We can sell some to make extra money, so we won't have to worry about Lihua’s tuition. Xiulan, tomorrow, use a little more oil. Everyone has been working hard and hasn't eaten well lately; they don't have the strength for the labor."
Zhang Guifen knew her mother-in-law prioritized thriftiness, which was why there was so little oil in the food. She had worked in the fields all day, and her daughter-in-law had spent the day walking around town—they must be famished. Remembering what Chen Jinhua had said, she spoke with careful, deliberate consideration, keeping her tone consultative.
"Alright. From now on, let’s leave the cooking to Xiulan. I’m an old woman, I can't do much anymore anyway."
Grandma understood what was being implied, but she was so accustomed to frugality that hearing her daughter-in-law say this still stung a little.
"Mom, that’s not what I meant," Zhang Guifen tried to explain.
"I’m an old woman, and I’m old enough to listen to whatever you two say. I’m not the type to mistreat anyone; it’s just a habit. Don't think I'm being a nag, but there are so many things in this house that require money. We still have to be careful how we spend it."
The two women sparred with their words. Li Xiulan looked from one to the other. She rarely had to deal with such tricky mother-in-law and daughter-in-law dynamics, and the original owner of her body had never been one to weigh in on such matters. She paused, then spoke up.
"Grandma, Mom, I went to the mining site near town today. I think our family could do a small business right by the entrance. It’s not far from here. If we can sell our goods, we’ll make a profit; if we can’t, we can always just eat them ourselves."
As soon as she said this, the entire family turned to look at her.
"Do business?" Grandma hesitated. She was still stuck in the mindset of the past.
"I looked around the county town and the nearby town today. Plenty of families have started small businesses, and nobody interferes with them anymore. I think since our family is already in this situation, we might as well take a gamble and see if we can find more ways to make money. If we succeed, people won't look down on us anymore. The more they look down on us, the more we need to stand on our own two feet."
"They really won't arrest us?" Grandma asked, showing some interest.
"They really won't. If you don't believe me, Grandma and Mom can come with me to town tomorrow to see for yourselves. There are plenty of people doing business with their doors wide open, and they don't even require ration coupons. If they can do it, why can't we? Besides, the second brother-in-law works at the mine, and the second sister is in town. Maybe they’ve heard something. We can go ask them."
"I’m just afraid of losing our capital," Grandma Zhang Guifen said, still hesitant. "We don't have much money, and Lihua still has to go to school."
"I actually think Xiulan is right," interjected Feng Sixi, the father-in-law. "Our family is already like this. If we don't try, we’ll be stuck relying on those few patches of land for the rest of our lives. Since I can’t do heavy labor anymore, we’ll be in this position forever. If you can't steam a bun, you at least have to save face. So many people in the village call us a 'dead-end family,' but I’m going to show them. I raised these children as a widow, and our Feng Family can live well just the same."
Grandma quickly accepted Li Xiulan’s proposal. She, too, had lived through nothing but hardship. Before, the conditions hadn't allowed it, but since business was no longer restricted, they might as well give it a try.
"That's right. In the future, this family will have to rely on Xiulan. Xiulan, what are your plans? Tell us what you’re thinking and how much the stall will cost."
Seeing that his wife wasn't truly opposed—just lacking confidence since no one in the family had ever done business—Feng Sixi encouraged the discussion. They had only ever made baskets, which their son Daquan took to sell at the market. They only sold them at the usual market price, sometimes sitting all day to finish, or even having to haul them back home for the next market day.
"Right, Xiulan, tell us what you have in mind and how much capital we need so we can figure it out," Zhang Guifen added, glad her husband had given her an out.
"I plan to start small. I heard the miners earn good wages and come out to eat at noon, so I want to find out what the mine’s cafeteria sells. We need to offer something affordable and tasty to attract them. But if we’re selling food, we’ll need oil, so the bulk of the money will go toward grain and oil. As for the cart, I saw someone selling honeycomb briquettes. We can buy a stove, which is sold in town, and get a few pots. My father-in-law knows how to weave steaming baskets, which will save us a lot of trouble. If we can make something ourselves, we shouldn't spend money on it. We’ll also need some basins. I heard there are plastic or antimony ones now—they’re lightweight and hard to break, and they can last for over a decade."
Li Xiulan laid out the plan she had been mulling over. Even Jiayu, though she didn't fully understand, sat quietly by her side.
"Xiulan has a good head on her shoulders; she's considered everything," Grandma said, making the final decision. "Looking at it, it’ll cost money, but not an excessive amount. Let's go to Xinghua’s place tomorrow to ask. Once we know what else we need, we can prepare it all together."
Grandma gave the nod, and Zhang Guifen had no objections. She just started thinking about how they couldn't visit her daughter empty-handed—they would bring the eggs the hens had laid, as well as some vegetables from their garden.
Seeing the family's support, Li Xiulan finally felt a weight lift off her shoulders. She had feared they wouldn't agree, which would have forced her to find a way to scrape together the capital on her own.
Once the family finished talking, Li Xiulan went to wash the dishes, the mother-in-law and grandmother discussed the remaining household savings, and the father-in-law immediately began considering how to weave the tiered steaming baskets.
"Mom, I can help, too," Jiayu ran over. Ever since the other children in the village had teased her, she hadn't liked going out.
Li Xiulan didn't stop her. She thought about how Jiayu was five this year and would be six next. There were no kindergartens in town, but she would send her to school next semester so she wouldn't have time to let her mind wander.
"Jiayu, how about Mom sends you to school next year?"
"Mom, can I really go?"
"Of course. When you learn to read, you can be like your little aunt—go to high school, go to university, meet more friends, read more books, and see the world."
"But I want to help you with chores," Jiayu said, worried about the cost of school.
"Children just need to study hard. Don't you worry. Once Mom makes money doing business, your tuition won't be a problem. But our business hasn't started yet, so don't tell anyone, okay? Let’s keep it between us for now."
Although success relied on secrecy, Jiayu was still a fragile little girl. Giving her confidence was the best way to help her grow up happy.
"I promise I’ll keep it a secret," Jiayu said, acting like a little adult, determined to keep their plan safe.