Chapter 28: She's Your Mother
Aside from that minor incident, the competition went smoothly. Yang Jiabo's school took first place in both the military-style boxing competition and the overall team event. After nearly half a month of military training, their efforts had finally paid off.
With school matters settled, Yang Jiabo began urging Yang Meizhen to go into business with him. Knowing she didn’t fully trust him, he decided to prove his point by making her a bowl of hot and sour glass noodles (suān là fěn). Yang Meizhen ate it with relish, sweating profusely, her face lighting up in amazement. "Jiajia, where did you learn to make this?"
"I picked it up from the housekeeper at Wei Jing’s house when I visited," Yang Jiabo lied smoothly.
Yang Meizhen didn’t question it but hesitated, "How much should we charge for a bowl like this?"
"Two yuan. Extra for meat toppings," Yang Jiabo had already thought it through.
"Will that work? A bowl of rice noodles or beef noodles only costs one-fifty, and without meat, it’s just one yuan."
"Of course it’ll work, ours tastes better! We’ll make it a mobile stall, setting up wherever there’s a crowd. Don’t worry about losing money; if we do, I’ll cover it." Yang Jiabo sounded unusually confident.
Yang Meizhen found his enthusiasm amusing. "Let me think about it."
"Fine, but don’t take too long."
After two days of consideration, Yang Meizhen finally agreed, mainly because her factory had temporarily shut down, leaving her without income. When the Yang grandparents heard their daughter wanted to start her own business, they grew anxious.
"Meizhen, are you sure about this? You’re not getting any younger. Why not just find someone to marry?" Grandma Yang fretted over her unmarried daughter, who was already 27, an age when most women had children old enough to run errands.
"If I get married, I’ll still be jobless," Yang Meizhen replied bitterly.
"A husband’s duty is to provide for his wife, that’s just how it is," Grandma Yang insisted, echoing Li Guizhen’s beliefs.
"Mom, times have changed. Without a job or income, a wife gets looked down upon. Besides, isn’t earning your own money better?" Yang Meizhen sighed.
"Wouldn’t it be nicer to have someone take care of you? Marry a decent factory worker, then stay home to cook and raise children." Grandma Yang couldn’t grasp her perspective.
"Mom, there’s no point arguing. I’ve made up my mind."
Grandpa Zhang, who had been silently listening, finally spoke up.
"Fine, do whatever you want,"
Grandma Yang grumbled, knowing her daughter wouldn't turn back until she hit the southern wall.
[不撞南墙不回头 bù zhuàng nán qiáng bù huí tóu: lit. won’t turn back until one hits the southern wall; fig. stubbornly refusing to admit defeat until forced to confront reality]
And so, aunt and nephew began their venture, leaving early and returning late. They bought a used tricycle, outfitting one side with a small stove for simmering broth and the other with a wooden board holding fresh vegetables and condiments. Underneath the board were small buckets filled with more ingredients. Yang Jiabo even bought small plastic baskets for customers to pick their own toppings.
After purchasing various odds and ends, Yang Jiabo’s savings were nearly drained, much to his dismay. Yang Meizhen, however, was shocked by how much money her young nephew had saved, she never expected him to be so well-off. She had even withdrawn all her own savings, only to find she didn’t need to contribute at all. Yang Jiabo refused to let her pay, already calculating his own plans.
Within three days, they had everything ready. On the surface, it looked like Yang Meizhen was running the show while Yang Jiabo tagged along for fun. However, the biggest challenge was sourcing sweet potato glass noodles, they had to make them from scratch. By the time they finally set up their stall, a week had passed. Yang Meizhen pedaled the tricycle while Yang Jiabo rode in the back, a small bag strapped to him.
"Jiajia, do you really think setting up outside the school will work? Will students be willing to spend money on our food?" Yang Meizhen, a first-time entrepreneur, couldn’t hide her nervousness.
"Don’t worry, Auntie. It’ll work," Yang Jiabo assured her, though inwardly, he wasn’t entirely certain.
Their first stop was the entrance of City No. 1 High School, the best middle and high school in the area. Although classes were officially on break, graduating students still attended extra lessons. They paid cram sessions aimed at boosting the school’s college admission rates. These students stayed late, either eating boxed lunches outside or grabbing quick meals in the cafeteria before evening self-study sessions.
Many parents gave their children extra pocket money, and the students weren’t stingy when it came to good food. Yang Jiabo knew this firsthand, though in his previous life, he’d barely had enough for basic meals.
When they arrived, they parked the tricycle and got to work. As lunchtime approached, students streamed out, many carrying bowls or metal lunchboxes.
"Auntie, prepare a sample bowl for tasting," Yang Jiabo said, lifting the lid of the broth pot. The rich aroma immediately spread, drawing attention.
Following Yang Jiabo’s instructions, Yang Meizhen scooped cabbage, potatoes, tofu skin, and cauliflower into a large strainer, then added sweet potato noodles once the vegetables were nearly done. Once everything was cooked, Yang Jiabo lined a small basket with two plastic bags, poured in the ingredients, ladled broth over them, and mixed in the seasonings, making the scent even more irresistible.
"Boss, what are you selling?" a student asked, drawn in by the smell.
"Big brother, this is spicy and sour glass noodles. Try some!" Yang Jiabo handed him a pair of disposable chopsticks.
The student hesitantly took a bite, then asked, "How much for a bowl?"
"Two yuan."
"Two yuan? A two-meat, two-vegetable lunchbox only costs two!"
"But this is different! These noodles are imported from another province, the veggies are fresh, and you can pick your own toppings. Plus, the seasonings aren’t cheap. We’re the only ones in the city selling this!" Yang Jiabo delivered his sales pitch with a straight face, playing on the novelty factor.
Convinced, the student bought a bowl. With the first sale secured, business quickly picked up. The delicious aroma attracted more and more customers. Yang Meizhen helped students choose and cook their ingredients while Yang Jiabo handled seasoning, packing, and money.
By the end, they were swamped. Since they hadn’t prepared much on their first day, they sold out quickly. Back home, they counted their earnings, 80 yuan in profit, since most of the vegetables came from their own garden.
"This much?" Yang Meizhen was stunned. Her monthly factory wages had only been 200-300 yuan.
"Yes, if we buy all the ingredients, it will be closer to 50. But we didn’t make much today, if we prepare more, we can earn even more. If we can manage, we could set up near factories at noon and schools in the afternoon."
"Prepping the vegetables isn’t hard, but making the noodles is time-consuming. With you helping now, it’s fine, but once school starts, I won’t be able to handle it alone."
"You can pay Grandma to make the noodles. And since Little Yang Qing is already with them, you can give him pocket money to help pick vegetables," Yang Jiabo suggested, teaching her how to delegate.
"That’s doable, but today proved I can’t run the stall alone."
"We still have time before school starts. If it’s really too much, we can ask my dad to help. I’ll pay half my profits as his wage, but Mom can’t be involved." His mother’s temper would ruin everything.
"You little… she’s your mother."
"I know. But you know how she is, and she’s your sister-in-law. Could you control her?" Yang Jiabo rolled his eyes. "Don’t worry, even if she loses her job, Dad will support her. Besides, she hates working anyway."
"Alright, you little schemer." After days of working together, Yang Meizhen had started treating him like an adult.
Business boomed in the following days. The novelty and flavor kept customers coming, and soon, they were overwhelmed. Yang Jiabo finally remembered Bai Cheng and recruited him to help. Though only twelve, Bai Cheng worked hard enough to replace an adult. Still, once school started, Yang Meizhen would need more help.
"I guess we’ll have to ask Dad."
"Will he agree? He sometimes makes six or seven hundred at the factory," Yang Meizhen worried.
Yang Jiabo scoffed. "Does he still earn that much now? Prices are skyrocketing, but his wages keep dropping. Soon, he won’t even afford my middle school fees. Face it, that factory is doomed. It’s inevitable." The wave of layoffs had already begun, it just hadn’t reached them yet.
After some thought, Yang Meizhen realized that, at this rate, her brother could earn at least 1,000 yuan a month, and more if they worked harder. "Fine, I’ll talk to him."
Yang Jiabo stayed out of it. His aunt was persuasive and hardworking, he had no doubt she’d convince his father. His dad was simple, but not stupid. He’d already noticed how hard it was getting to support the family, despite working tirelessly in the fields.
Li Guizhen’s factory was also struggling, her wages shrinking month by month. Yang Jiabo had already planned her future, selling vegetables at the market in the mornings. Light work, but enough to earn money.
One thing was certain: he wouldn’t let her open another convenience store. Last time, she’d neglected the shop to play mahjong all day, until she became unwilling and unable to do any real work.
Somehow, Yang Meizhen convinced Yang Jianjun. When the family learned of her success, Li Guizhen grew jealous and resentful of Yang Jiabo’s involvement. But now that Yang Meizhen was bringing Yang Jianjun into the business, Li Guizhen’s attitude flipped, though she still wanted herself to take over instead.
This time, Yang Jianjun didn’t mince words: "With your temper? They don’t want you."
"What’s that supposed to mean? What’s wrong with my temper?" Li Guizhen exploded.
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