Chapter 216: It Really Is You

Chapter 216: Chapter 216: It Really Is You

"Hmph. Acting like they live a million miles away. It’s not that far. Must they be so inseparable?" Seeing that both her daughter and her eldest son’s wife supported her, Wen Xiu became even more smug and snorted coldly.

"Dad, if he’s willing, we can ask him to bring a son along to help. But forget about the whole family coming. Just like Mom said, wealth corrupts. If there are no outsiders and we let their family control the pig farm and the fish pond, their greed will grow sooner or later," Zhang Wei Qiang patiently explained to Zhang Dazhuang. "Dad, you wouldn’t want to see that happen one day, would you?"

"You have a point. So, who else would be suitable? We don’t know any other former butchers." Zhang Dazhuang mulled it over and nodded, reflecting that he had been taking things for granted earlier.

"Who says it has to be a former butcher? Besides, even if they don’t know how, they can learn," Zhang Minzhen laughed. She glanced at her mother, who had her mouth open as if to speak but then hesitated. Smiling, she continued, "As for someone else, I actually have a candidate in mind. I remember that Wen Shengcai from my second cousin’s side of the family is twenty this year. He’s been strong since he was a kid, and I hear he’s been thinking about leaving home to find work. If that’s the case, we might as well ask him to come help."

The second cousin Zhang Minzhen spoke of was the second nephew from Wen Xiu Niang’s family, which made Wen Shengcai Wen Xiu’s grandnephew.

Hearing her daughter’s words, Wen Xiu was naturally delighted. She looked at the others with an expectant gaze, and when she saw that no one objected, she became even happier. "If it’s decided, I’ll personally make a trip to tell them tomorrow."

"Alright. You haven’t been back to your parents’ home to visit in a long time, anyway. There haven’t been many fish at Fish Spring lately, so you don’t have to rush back and forth every day anymore. Why don’t I go with you tomorrow? I’ll take you on the three-wheeler so you can bring more things home. I can also stop by Zhang Family Village to tell Old Zhang about this. Two birds, one stone," Zhang Dazhuang said considerately.

"Dad, Mom, don’t forget that Sister-in-law hasn’t been back to her family’s home in a long time either." Seeing the longing on Lin Qin’s face, Zhang Minzhen quickly spoke up for her, earning a grateful look in return.

"That’s true. Then you pick a day, while it’s not too busy before the pig farm and fish pond are set up, and have Qiangzi take you for a visit. Otherwise, you’ll soon be so busy your feet won’t touch the ground, and there’ll be no time at all." Wen Xiu looked at her eldest daughter-in-law and nodded in understanding.

"Okay." Lin Qin’s face lit up. It wasn’t that she needed her in-laws’ permission to go back to her family’s home, but the fact that her mother-in-law and sister-in-law had brought it up themselves felt very thoughtful.

"Alright, that settles that for now. Let’s talk about something else. Do you all remember how last time we put a batch of dried fish on consignment at the supply and marketing co-ops in the city and the provincial capital? And how Mr. Shao also asked me for some dried fish to give to his old friends in Beijing?" Zhang Wei Qiang looked at the others.

"Of course, we remember." Everyone nodded.

"Word has gotten around, and more and more people want to buy our dried fish. I’ve already sent out a large batch, but if we keep selling without restocking, I’m afraid it won’t be long before we can’t keep up with the demand. But business at home and at the shop is so good that no one has a spare moment. So I was thinking, should our family hire some help? Whether it’s for drying fish or making meat buns, we need more hands."

Zhang Wei Qiang paused here, and only continued after seeing looks of approval on everyone’s faces. "Selling dried fish is practically a no-cost business. Plus, we still have so many fish on hand. If we dry them all, even with our current customer base, we definitely won’t be able to sell them all by April or May of next year. So, I was thinking of trying to market them in other provinces and cities. This requires someone to be on the road year-round, and I can’t get away from all the things we have going on at home. For this, I plan to ask an old classmate of mine to help with the travel. If you don’t have any objections, we’ll consider it settled."

"No objections. Since he’s someone Big Brother specifically suggested, he must be trustworthy," Zhang Minzhen was the first to respond.

"I have no objections either," Lin Qin also nodded.

"Your father and I have no objections either." Wen Xiu and Zhang Dazhuang exchanged a look. When Zhang Dazhuang nodded, she agreed, but then she immediately asked, puzzled, "If you have your classmate running around on the road year-round like that, will his family have a problem with it?"

"Him? He’s the type who only has himself to feed," Zhang Wei Qiang said, sounding a bit resigned.

"Shouldn’t that classmate of yours be the same age as you?" Now, it wasn’t just Wen Xiu who was puzzled; everyone else’s attention turned to him as well.

"We’re the same age." Zhang Wei Qiang shook his head with a bitter smile. "It’s a pity his luck isn’t very good. He used to have a fiancée, but her whole family was nothing but trouble. Her brother, especially, had no skills to speak of but loved to pick fights and act tough. In the end, my classmate got dragged into it and ended up disabled. He even had to leave the good job he had at his work unit. It’s such a shame. Otherwise, he would have had a great future there. I heard a leader had taken a liking to him and was going to promote him."

’Why does this story sound so, so familiar?’

Somehow, Zhang Minzhen was reminded of the man they had met in the city. Her heart skipped a beat. "Did his girlfriend leave him because of it?"

"That’s right," Zhang Wei Qiang sighed. "Why else would he still be single? That woman and her family are just awful. When my comrade-in-arms hurt his hand, her family didn’t even bother to show their faces. Sigh... I don’t know if losing that engagement was a blessing or a curse for my classmate."

’Such a coincidence that he hurt his hand, too?’

An odd expression appeared on Zhang Minzhen’s face, and she spaced out for a moment. Her expression immediately caught Gu Nuan Nuan’s attention.

Gu Nuan Nuan nudged her quizzically. "Mom, what’s wrong?"

"It’s nothing. It’s just that what Uncle said sounds a lot like someone." Zhang Minzhen snapped out of it and asked Zhang Dazhuang and Wen Xiu, "Dad, Mom, do you remember that person we met when we went to the city to sell the bicycle?"

"Right! I was just wondering why this story sounded so familiar, like I’d heard it somewhere before!" Zhang Dazhuang slapped his thigh. Wen Xiu sighed along with him. "If it’s really him, that would be quite a coincidence." As she spoke, she secretly glanced at Zhang Minzhen, wondering to herself, ’Could this be fate?’

’Back then, I thought it would be nice if that man were my son-in-law. His character is good enough for our daughter. But that was just a passing thought; I never imagined we’d meet him again. Now, even if he really is my son’s classmate... he’s never been married, after all. Even if we think our daughter is the best in the world, who knows if he’d even be interested in her?’

While Wen Xiu was lost in her own thoughts, Zhang Wei Qiang had already gotten the full story from Zhang Dazhuang about the encounter the three of them had in the city. He nodded. "It’s very possible you’re talking about my classmate."

A few days later, Zhang Wei Qiang brought the man over. As soon as they saw him, Zhang Dazhuang, Wen Xiu, and Zhang Minzhen all smiled. "It really is you."