Rebirth 1983: Building My Business Empire

F{h*F5.* V hapter 53: Clue

The drawing was unfolded, and as soon as the older sister saw the person depicted, she immediately said, “This person came to buy something at the beginning of the year. She bought two jin of fruit candy, but after receiving it, she insisted that I had weighed it short.”

At this point, she said angrily, “I’ve been selling goods for nearly twenty years and have never shortchanged a customer. I suspected she had hidden some of the candy, so I said I wanted to search her bag and clothes, and she was unwilling and started arguing with me.”

Saying she had a bad attitude was one thing, but accusing her of cheating on weight was absolutely not okay. She had to swallow her anger, otherwise, her reputation for doing honest work would be gone. That’s why she had such a strong impression of that old lady.

Lu Jiaxin was overjoyed: “Big sister, do you know where this person lives?”

The older sister shook her head and said, “I’m not sure where she lives, but from her accent, she’s from the Xixiang area. It’s said that her son became a leader in some factory and talks in a very haughty manner.”

Being a leader in a factory elsewhere, no matter how high his position, he still couldn’t control her. She only became quiet about making a fuss when I threatened to call the police, clearly because she was guilty.

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Lu Jiaxin was overjoyed; this clue brought them another step closer to finding that old lady. She grabbed a big handful of fruit candy and stuffed it into the older sister’s hands: “Big sister, thank you so much; you’ve really been a great help.”

After that, she grabbed another handful of fruit candy and gave it to the enthusiastic sales clerk.

Leaving the Supply and Marketing Cooperative, Zhao Dajun said, “Miss Lu, we should go to the Public Security Bureau now and inform Leader Wu and the others of this clue.”

But Lu Jiaxin shook her head and said, “You saw it yourself just now, there were only a few people at the Public Security Bureau today; the others must be out on a task.”

This shows that they’re seriously understaffed. Otherwise, they wouldn’t have made me go to work either.

Lu Jiaxin said, “Big Uncle, let’s go back and tell Second Brother Lu and Fifth Brother about this situation. Tomorrow, let’s go to Xixiang together to look for her. With so many clues, we’re bound to find her tomorrow.”

The police force of that time was far from what it would be later. To apprehend that old lady, they’d need to have solved some other case first.

Big Uncle Lu frowned and said, “Jiaxin, even if we find her, we can’t arrest her.”

Going to another village to make arrests, the Public Security officers are carrying out official duties and have weapons; those people wouldn’t dare to make a move. If they dared to do so, they would definitely be chased and beaten by someone from that village.

Lu Jiaxin said with a smile, “We just need to find the person; arresting them is a matter for the Public Security Bureau.”

With those words, Big Uncle Lu felt relieved.

On the way back, Lu Jiaxin suddenly said, “Big Uncle, I think the dishes and steamed buns made by the state-owned restaurant aren’t as delicious as those made by Big Aunt.”

Big Uncle Lu said with a smile, “Your Big Aunt’s braised pork and spicy shredded potato dish may not taste as good as a professional chef’s, but indeed, her buns and steamed buns are softer than theirs.”

Lu Jiaxin explained, “The spicy shredded potato dish is really easy to make. I’ll cook it for you tonight, and I guarantee the taste won’t be worse than that chef’s.”

“Wow, then Big Uncle will have to try it tonight.”

Talking made the time pass quickly on their walk. As they chatted, Lu Jiaxin brought up Big Aunt’s culinary skills again, “Big Uncle, if someone at home learns to cook like Big Aunt, we could definitely open a restaurant in the county town. That would also add to our income.”

Big Aunt was nearing seventy and couldn’t possibly be expected to take charge of a kitchen. Cooking for a household of more than ten people already required Xiao Qiu’s help, let alone the demanding work of a restaurant, which would surely be too much for her health.

Big Uncle Lu reprimanded Lu Hongjun a bit for not teaching his children anything, letting them think whatever they wanted, “Xinxin, opening a restaurant isn’t that easy.”

He knew that the policies were different now, but the events of the previous years still made him afraid. What if one day it all went back to how it used to be? So he still hoped that the children in the family would either work in factories or in state-owned enterprises, or just stay at home and farm the land honestly. They wouldn’t get rich, but it would be safe.@@novelbin@@

Lu Jiaxin understood his concerns and said, “Big Uncle, in the Forty-nine City, many small restaurants have already opened. When I don’t have time to cook, I go to a restaurant to eat. Not only is the food delicious, but the service attitude is also very good.”

She also understood that many people were adopting a wait-and-see attitude towards reform and opening-up. Those who opened small restaurants in the Forty-nine City were good cooks and daring. However, a large part of these people had no other choice because they were struggling to make ends meet. If they had stable jobs, they wouldn’t take the risk.

Big Uncle Lu waved his hand and said, “I can’t control what others do, but our family is not allowed to open a shop. We can get by with what we have at home, there’s no need to take risks.”

When she got home, Lu Jiaxin found out that Second Uncle Lu and his sons had come back early, while Second Brother Lu and his group hadn’t returned yet.

Big Aunt said, “Jiaxin, I took the drawing you gave me and asked around the nearby villages, but no one recognized that old lady.”

Lu Jiaxin smiled and said, “It’s okay, we’ve already found out. The old lady speaks with an accent from the Xixiang area.”

Big Aunt was very surprised, “Jiaxin, how did you find out?”

When she heard that the information had come from the clerks at the Supply and Marketing Cooperative, Big Aunt gave a thumbs-up and praised, “Jiaxin, your brain is sharp. Your Big Uncle didn’t think of that.”

The others in the family probably hadn’t thought to ask around state-run restaurants or the Supply and Marketing Cooperative. Mainly because the staff at these state-owned enterprises were not very approachable, and they felt that these places wouldn’t bother to respond to their inquiries.

Seeing her teasing him again, Big Uncle Lu helplessly said, “Alright, since we have a lead, let’s go to Xixiang tomorrow to find out more. Even if we get information, we can’t act impulsively. We’ll let the Public Security Bureau handle it.”

Big Aunt understood that if they were to take action on someone else’s turf, it would only be their own family who would suffer.

When the children at home saw Lu Jiaxin had bought so many things, they all came into the room and looked eagerly after Big Uncle Lu and Big Aunt had left.

Niuniu was a bit bolder and directly asked, “Auntie, what delicious things did you buy?”

Lu Jiaxin took out a bottle of soda and, after opening it, said with a smile, “Go get some bowls, and each of you can have a little.”

The soda now was all-natural, so there was no worry about it causing upset stomachs.

Xiao Qiu quickly intervened, “Auntie, they’ve already had chamomile and Big Rabbit milk candy today. Let’s save these for later!”

She actually wanted to drink it too but was afraid of being scolded by her grandma and mother.

Lu Jiaxin smiled and said, “It’s okay, go get three bowls. Each person can have half a bottle. If you get scolded, just say I insisted on giving it to you and you couldn’t stop me.”

Xiao Qiu went and got the bowls, and the children sweetly drank the soda. After they finished, Xiao Qiu picked up the soda bottle that had fallen to the ground and said, “Auntie, I heard that these soda bottles can be exchanged for money when you take them back.”

Lu Jiaxin thought about what the clerk had said, “A soda bottle can be exchanged for two cents when brought back to them.”

“Auntie, you bought ten bottles. When they’re all drunk up, if we send them back, we can get twenty cents,” Xiao Qiu said.

In her previous life, she had never worried about money, and it was only difficult for a while in the Ancient Capital; once she got back on her feet, things eased, “Then, when they’re all finished, we’ll see who’s going to the county and we can take them to the Supply and Marketing Cooperative to exchange for money.”