The road to wealth of a peasant widow

Chapter 167 Shopping

After sending away the women who came to her house, Chen Cui was too tired to talk.

Not only the people in Liujiaping village need to entertain, but there are also many uninvited guests when visiting relatives in Chenjiagou on the second day of the Chinese New Year.

The Chen family's patriarch and elders called the Changping brothers over to talk and drink, while Chen Cui was surrounded by a group of women.

The visitor was from the same village as her, and they were all related to her. In other words, they were either her elders or her peers, so she could only cheer herself up and socialize with them.

In view of these experiences in her hometown, Chen Cui couldn't wait to return to the provincial capital, and returned with her family on the fourth day of the Lunar New Year.

In the capital city, the only people she needed to visit were Zhang Ruomei and Mr. Zou. She felt comfortable and at ease with the two of them. She didn't need to socialize against her will and could just shut herself in and live her own life.

However, it was impossible to stay at home during the New Year. The academy was on holiday and Mr. Zou's school would not resume until the 20th of the first lunar month, so Chen Cui took them out for a walk.

During the new year, the city is more lively than usual. Not to mention the various shops, there are more street stalls and vendors than usual, and there are all kinds of performances that are really eye-catching.

There were all kinds of activities, such as swordplay, handstand, tightrope walking, pole balancing, bowl balancing, and wine jar juggling, and there were a lot of people watching.

With the lively Sui Sui around, Chen Cui's family naturally gathered around to watch and were soon attracted by the wonderful performance.

It was at this time that the three sons began to act like teenagers, revealing the curiosity and excitement that young people should have.

When Sui Sui saw these, he was extremely excited and kept cheering loudly. When the reward was given later, he even threw all the coins he had into the reward.

When she saw something she wanted to buy next time, the girl was dumbfounded because she had spent all the money she brought!

Before leaving, Chen Cui said that apart from school supplies and necessities, other things she liked could only be bought with her own pocket money.

Suisui only had fifty cents of pocket money a month, because she often asked Xiaoman to help her buy snacks and some small things, and she basically spent all her money paycheck to paycheck.

Before going out today, she took all the twenty or so copper coins she had left. Now they are all gone and she can't ask her mother for money. What should she do?

Ask my brother to pay the bill!

She has three brothers, but she plans to find the eldest brother. The second and youngest brothers don't have much pocket money, not much better than her, and they are not as generous as the eldest brother.

In the past, she had asked her eldest brother for help. Not only did he give her money generously, he also kept it a secret for her and would not tell their mother about it, so as to prevent her mother from scolding her.

Changping now has one or two taels of pocket money a month. The purchase of pens, ink, paper and inkstone is usually public expenditure, so he does not use their pocket money. He does not have much extra expenses, so most of the money is saved.

Sui Sui tugged at Chang Ping's sleeve, pointed at a gadget she liked, and whispered, "Brother, I've run out of money. Can you..."

As she spoke, she clasped her hands together and made a praying gesture, her little face full of anticipation.

Changping chuckled, touched her head, and then paid for it for her.

By the time the other people in the family found out, Suisui had already got his new toy.

She played with it happily and thanked her brother sweetly.

The eldest brother is still the best. If it were the second brother or the youngest brother, they might have to tease her for a few words before she would reluctantly take out the money. They are not as efficient as the eldest brother, hehe!

Chen Cui naturally noticed the children's little actions, but she didn't pay much attention to them.

However, she has made up her mind to strengthen Suisui's financial education. A lot of the money she earns is prepared for this girl. If she doesn't have the ability to keep it and doesn't have a plan in mind, it will be useless no matter how much money she gives her!

Before the school opened, two classmates of Changping came to visit his home. According to etiquette, they naturally had to meet the elder Chen Cui first.

These two scholars were very young, one was surnamed Zhou and the other surnamed Wang. They were about the same age as Changping, so they could talk to each other.

When Changping was studying in the academies in the county town and the prefectural capital, although he had some good friends, they rarely visited each other's homes, and most of them were just casual acquaintances.

According to him, after entering the provincial school, it was like entering another stage of learning, and everyone he met was a scholar.

To achieve success, one must either have talent, work hard enough, or both.

Everyone can gather in the Fuxue place, where they have more in common and it is easier to find like-minded partners.

Chen Cui understood that he actually disliked the mixed quality of his former classmates, who were not as motivated as those in the provincial school.

Chang'an and Changfu are not like their eldest brother. It's just that they have been studying together all the way and are each other's classmates. They don't have such close contact with other people, and there are few classmates who can visit their home.

She sighed inwardly, thinking that they seemed to have been focusing only on studying in recent years, not good at socializing, and becoming a little withdrawn. She didn't know whether this was a good thing or a bad thing.

Chen Cui had few friends, so she could only complain about these family matters to Zhang Ruomei, but she didn't take it seriously.

"Look at those who have made great achievements. Some of them call their friends all day long. Most capable people have their own ideas."

Zhang Ruomei had a hint of pride on her face: "I'm not bragging, but when our master was studying, he often kept to himself and had few close friends. But after he passed the examination, he made many like-minded friends. Although they are now scattered in various places as officials, they often exchange letters and have a deep friendship."

Seeing Chen Cui was deep in thought, Zhang Ruomei continued, "Let me tell you, men are different from us women. They don't usually talk as much as we do. Now is the time for the children to study hard. There's nothing wrong with concentrating on studying. When they become successful, they will naturally have their own circle. You don't have to worry!"

Chen Cui felt that what she said made sense. Excellent people will attract each other. When they reach a certain level, they will naturally have friends with people of equal strength. Now that she is still on the road to struggle, there is nothing wrong with concentrating on studying!

Then, Chen Cui reported some things about the workshop to Zhang Ruomei.

What the workshop is making nowadays is hot pot base. These bases are not only used in hot pot restaurants, but also sold separately to make it convenient for customers to make hot pot at home.

This is also done to make small profits but quick turnover. The hot pot restaurant's business has long attracted the attention of those who are interested. Although due to the reputation of the Shu Palace, no one dares to do bad things openly, there are many people who are doing small things behind the scenes.

Chen Cui has been growing peppers for several years. No matter how strict the precautions are, they will eventually grow out in the open and cannot be kept secret forever.