Fortunate Eighties: The Bewitching Female Rival Who Tamed Her Husband with Skill

Chapter 26: Chapter 26 New Courtyard Chapter 26: Chapter 26 New Courtyard Susu, having anticipated her mother-in-law’s reaction, spoke calmly.

“Mom, you see, nowadays, Xiao Sun, you and I are selling quite a lot of marinated goods every day. Xian Yue is also busy at home, constantly rushing around. Not to mention, I want to increase the supply of marinated goods and hire people to sell them.”

“Firstly, Xian Yue is too busy to handle it alone. Secondly, when we have more people coming to pick up goods, it’s bound to disturb you and dad’s rest. Thirdly, having people coming and going every day, people in the Family Court will notice, and although they might not say anything, they could become unhappy or envious over time.”

Mrs. Lu furrowed her brows, nodding uncontrollably, agreeing with her daughter-in-law’s rationale.

Better safe than sorry.

If business were to pick up, who knows how many people might become envious, and if someone decided to cause trouble, it would be unstoppable.

Seeing that her mother-in-law was nearly persuaded, Susu continued, “You are more familiar with the county than I am, see if you can find a larger courtyard. Also, once we have found the courtyard, we’ll need to hire two nimble and clean workers to prepare the marinated goods.

And find someone eloquent, like us, to sell in the streets.”

“Alright, alright, I’ll listen to you. I’ll go ask around later.”

Mrs. Lu nodded hurriedly, quickening her actions.

Coincidentally, less than a day later, Father Lu found a courtyard.

“It’s not far, just about a ten-minute walk from our house, probably 5 minutes by bike.”

As the evening approached and it was no longer busy, the whole family, without even stopping for dinner, went to check out the courtyard.

Upon entering the courtyard, directly ahead were three rooms, a kitchen, and living spaces on each side.

The space in the front courtyard was quite large, and there was also a small spare room on the side of the house.

The rent was six yuan a month, to be paid six months in advance.

To be cautious, Susu also signed an agreement with the landlord, specifying a one-year term during which the landlord could not arbitrarily raise the rent.

With the housing issue finally settled, the family walked home chatting and laughing.

“Speaking of Dad, see if anyone has puppies, I want you to bring three puppies home,” Susu suddenly remembered.

Mrs. Lu, puzzled, asked, “Susu, why are you bringing so many dogs back?”

“Mom, I plan to keep two dogs in the new courtyard to guard the place, and one at our house. In case anyone with ill intentions sneaks in, it’s good to have some protection.”

Father Lu nodded, “Susu is right, now that we are making money. If some hooligans target us, and no one’s home during the day, it would be an easy steal.”

“Exactly.”

Mrs. Lu, frightened by the thought of intruders, patted her chest, “Susu really has a good head on her shoulders, thinking of everything.”

The next day, the family found time to clean the new courtyard.

“Aunt is here.”

Susu turned and yelled into the house, “Mom, Xian Yue, Aunt’s here.”

“Oh my, elder sister-in-law, what brings you here?”

“Mom, why are you here?”

Aunt Liu Fen laughed at their reactions, “I heard you were here cleaning the new courtyard, so I came to help.”

“That’s great, with the elder sister-in-law’s help, we can finish earlier.”

Feeling slightly embarrassed, Susu responded, “Thank you, Aunt, let’s go out for dinner together tonight.”

Aunt Liu Fen, being a straightforward person, rolled up her sleeves and got to work briskly.

“What’s there to thank me for? Look at how vibrant Xian Yue is now, I should be thanking you and her second Aunt. If it weren’t for you, Xian Yue would still be home, having to look at her sisters-in-law’s faces, instead of earning thirty yuan a month.”

Su Xianyue pursed her lips, smilingly reminding her mother, “Mom, my second sister-in-law gave me a raise, it’s forty-five now.”

“What’s that?”

Aunt Liu Fen stared wide-eyed, exclaiming in shock, “So old already in one month? Oh no, no, my heart is all over the place…”

“Susu, when the time comes to hire two cooks, what if they leak our family’s secret recipe?” Mrs. Lu frowned, her face filled with worry.

“Mom, don’t worry. The secret recipe will still be in our hands, and Xian Yue will continue to be in charge of the spice packets. The new hires will mainly be responsible for washing vegetables and managing the cooking.”

Susu comforted her mother-in-law, “By the way, Mom, have you thought of anyone yet?”

“Yes, yes, yes, for the cooks, I think your Aunt and her neighbor, Li Chunhua, would be fine, both diligent and capable, and they love cleanliness.”

Mrs. Lu explained a bit shyly, “You know your Aunt’s family has it tight, Mom thought we could help as much as we can. If it turns out they’re not up to it, you won’t even have to say anything, Mom will send them away herself.”

“Okay, what about the salesperson, Mom, do you have anyone in mind?”

Mrs. Lu slapped her thigh, almost forgetting, “It’s your Aunt’s family, your youngest brother’s wife’s elder sister, Wang Hong. Her husband fell off the roof a couple of years ago while fixing it, and since then he can’t do heavy work and needs a lot of medication every month.

The whole family relies on Wang Hong farming and selling vegetables to get by, I think the girl can endure hardships and is very determined.”

“Okay, please ask her if she is willing to come, and I’d like to meet her too.”

After saying this, Mrs. Lu, unafraid of the sun, rode her bike to Aunt’s house.

Upon hearing about such a good opportunity, Aunt Su and Aunt Li immediately came running over.

…

It was that very afternoon that Susu met Wang Hong, Aunt Su’s sister-in-law.

Clad in clothes patched over patches, the whole person dark and thin, she stood there somewhat awkwardly but still plucked up the courage to speak.

“Rest assured, Homeowner, I can endure hardships. Whatever you say, I’ll do. If you’re not sure, you can ask around, I do all sorts of work in and out of the house—”
“Sister Hong, right?”

“Yes.”

“Don’t be nervous. Here’s what we’ll do, come here around 8 o’clock tomorrow morning, I’ll take you out to sell for a day, you’ll learn how to do it and see if you can handle it.”

The next morning
Susu and the two others had just arrived at the new court, only to see Wang Hong waiting at the door.

“Come in, come in, you haven’t been waiting too long, have you?”

“I didn’t want to delay, so I settled things at home and came here,” Wang Hong said, scratching her head in embarrassment.

Soon, Aunt Su and Aunt Li had also arrived, and the group quickly began to tidy up.

During the process, Wang Hong even rushed to help wash the vegetables.

“Sister Hong, you don’t need to – once the braised goods are ready, we’ll go out to sell on the street. Just sit and wait for now.”

“No need, no need, I can’t just sit idle watching others work.”

…

“What are you doing not going inside and squatting here?”

Lu Xiaoting carried a bag of food and from afar saw his sister squatting by the door.

Lu Xiaomei stood up, pouting, “Second brother, there’s no one at home. I don’t know where Mom and my sister-in-law have gone.”

“Wait here, I’ll go ask.”

Lu Xiaoting came out from next door at Aunt Wang’s house, “Aunt Wang said Mom and Susu went to the new Family Court.”