Chapter 55 Loss
In the blink of an eye, it was evening. There were only two meat dishes for dinner, which once again caused a crazy rush. The key point was that many workers did not leave this time, and there were thirteen tables in the evening.

When the guests left, the Xu family counted their accounts and found that they had suffered a huge loss.

Compared to the time when Li Zhiguo hosted a banquet, peanuts, melon seeds, and candies cost 30 yuan more, flour cost 8 yuan more, and kitchen help cost 13 yuan more. The free kitchen help last time was exposed by Yan Bugui.

In addition, he spent ten yuan on three more tables in the evening, but the gifts he received were twenty-seven yuan less than the time when Li Zhiguo spent money.

The price difference is as high as eighty-eight.

The Xu family could afford this money, plus the money for the sewing machine, new bedding, pots and pans, etc., the total cost was a little over three hundred yuan.

Then there are the betrothal gifts and gifts for the new bride's relatives, which add up to about seventy or eighty yuan.

New clothes and shoes for the two newlyweds, and the parents of both sides took the children out to eat, which cost another hundred yuan.

Xu Damao spent 500 yuan to get married, and Old Xu also gave him 100 yuan for living expenses, otherwise Xu Damao's salary would not be enough to support the two of them.

Fortunately, I have a house, otherwise it would be a huge sum of money.

Generally speaking, it is not easy to marry a city wife. It is very difficult without the help of the elderly.

"Da Mao, you and Chun Yan should live a good life in the future and have a big fat boy as soon as possible."

"Mom, don't worry."

Xu Damao was full of confidence. Li Zhiguo and Jia Dongxu were both capable, so there was no reason for him to be intimidated.

"Hey!"

Mr. and Mrs. Xu took their daughter away, leaving space for the young couple.

"Chunyan, I'll go boil some water for washing my face."

Xu Damao's heart was burning with excitement. He had waited for a long time and finally waited until today.

"Hey!"

Tang Chunyan sat there a little shyly, and decided to live a good life with him from now on.

The next morning, Xu Damao woke up and subconsciously shouted, "Mom, what time is it? Why didn't you call me?"

"Da Mao, what nonsense are you talking about? Our mother has moved away."

Tang Chunyan muttered something, turned her head and continued to sleep.

"Oh! I forgot all about it."

Xu Damao woke up quickly, looked at his watch, and saw that it was already half past seven. He got up in a hurry to make breakfast.

I finally finished the work, thanks to some leftover flour from yesterday.

"That's too late!"

Xu Damao grabbed some flour and without even washing his face, he shouted into the room, "Wife, remember to eat when you wake up. It's warm in the pot. I'm going to work."

"Oh!"

Tang Chunyan was confused and didn't know whether she heard it clearly or not.

Xu Damao did not dare to delay. He rushed out with the flour and hurried to the department. However, he was still three minutes late and was scolded by the section chief.

"Da Mao, considering you are newly married, I won't do it again."

"Yes, Chief, I will definitely come earlier next time."

Xu Damao breathed a sigh of relief. He had to get up at seven o'clock at the latest tomorrow to catch up.

……

"Brother Li, are you awake? It's time to get up, Brother Li..."

"coming!"

Li Zhiguo thought it would be nice to have someone specifically to wake people up!
He didn't have a watch and didn't know the exact time, but that was actually a good thing because he didn't have to rush to do anything.

When he went out with the basin, Chen Bihua did not wait in the backyard to avoid suspicion.

What a coincidence, the door of Old Xu's house opened, and Tang Chunyan, with sleepy eyes, came out of the house.

"Morning!"

"Oh, Li Zhiguo, good morning to you too!"

Tang Chunyan was stunned for a moment, then she remembered that others were not going to work either, but were recuperating at home?
"Together?"

Li Zhiguo pointed to the washing table, which was spacious enough for several people to work together.

"Okay!"

Tang Chunyan was holding a large red porcelain basin of the same model, which were both bought by Lao Xu from the cinema.

The two of them were rinsing their mouths by the faucet, and they looked so harmonious.

"Oh, you two just woke up."

The second aunt came out of the house holding little Liu Guangfu, followed by Liu Guangtian. When they saw this scene, they felt strange.

I always feel something is not right. Is there another lazy person in this courtyard?
Tang Chunyan said a little embarrassedly: "I usually get up quite late at home, I'm used to it."

"That's good. You need to get more sleep to keep your body healthy. It's not too late for you. Li Zhiguo sometimes doesn't get up until noon."

The second aunt suddenly discovered something, put little Liu Guangfu down and walked over.

"Li Zhiguo, look at you, you buttoned your buttonholes wrong."

"No!"

Li Zhiguo was confused. Has he really become an idiot in life and even his dressing skills have degenerated?

"What is not? Let me help you sort it out."

As the second aunt said this, she came up to help Li Zhiguo tidy up his clothes and buttoned them again.

This made Tang Chunyan stunned. Doesn’t the second uncle in the yard have any ideas?

After washing up, Li Zhiguo and Tang Chunyan returned home. They saw that breakfast was warming in the pot. Li Zhiguo went to Jia's house after eating.

Tang Chunyan put the bowl in the pot. With nothing to do, she went to the yard to chat with Second Aunt.

"Second Auntie, does Li Zhiguo live like this every day?"

"About the same. Today he went to Jia's house to teach Chen Bihua how to sew. It was about the new bride who sat at the same table with you at the banquet yesterday.

Usually, he sometimes goes out fishing, sometimes rides his bike to go for a stroll, and when Qin Huairu comes home from get off work, she cooks and washes clothes for him. Life is pretty good."

Second Aunt is a hard-working person. She has already washed the clothes at home and is waiting to cook lunch, so she is relatively free now.

"So what does he have for lunch?"

Tang Chunyan was also thinking about this question herself, she couldn’t cook.

"He went out to eat and didn't cook. He collected his wife Qin Huairu's salary on her behalf and gave her three yuan a month.

Later, he said that he had too many people, so he only gave him the increased salary of five dollars, and he spent the rest on himself and didn’t save any money. ”

Second Aunt still finds this ridiculous when she thinks about it.

"Ah! So Sister Qin is willing and won't say anything about him?"

Tang Chunyan felt that she was outdone and her life was not as good as Li Zhiguo's.

"What are you talking about? Your sister Qin loves her so much that she gives all the good things at home to him and eats the leftovers herself.

After get off work, he kept working. When the broom at home fell over, he refused to let Li Zhiguo help. "

The second aunt just gossiped and talked about the facts.

"Then why do I feel that everyone in the hospital has a good relationship with him?"

Tang Chunyan couldn’t understand why men didn’t make money?

"The relationship is pretty good, but what else? We can't provoke him! You'll understand after a while, just don't provoke him.

There is a man in our yard in broad daylight, so it is safe, right? "

The second aunt has a good attitude and it seems like she has never suffered any loss.

"Oh!"

Tang Chunyan was speechless for a long time.

Here, Li Zhiguo stayed at Jia's house for about an hour, drank two cups of tea, and went to the bathroom when he felt the urge to urinate. He then went out for a walk and had a meal.

"Hey, brother, you didn't go fishing today!"

At the braised pork noodle restaurant, the waiter was clearing the table when he saw a regular customer.

"No, it's tiring to fish every day." Li Zhiguo said as he sat down. He was going to dine in today and not order takeout.

"Brother, let's keep it the same as before. A big bowl of braised pork noodles with a fried egg?"

The waiter came forward and wiped the table again.

"Yes, the same old rules! I've tried many restaurants, but yours is the most authentic."

Li Zhiguo was thinking about finding a job for his brother-in-law, and he had to go to Qianmen Street.

"You will eat, but the price has increased by three cents today, and white flour is hard to buy. You know that!"

"We have money, so have whatever you want! Give me some spicy food too."

After all, he has a wife who supports him, so how can he not afford a bowl of noodles?

"Okay! A big bowl of braised pork noodles with egg and spicy sauce. For the old customer who went fishing, we'll dine in today."

The waiter shouted to the kitchen, then sat down next to him and wanted to chat with him.

"Brother, if you eat out every day like this, your wife will scold you."

"Hey, when have the gentlemen in our capital ever been afraid of their wives? When I get my monthly salary, I can spend it however I want. I can't treat myself badly.

Besides, can't I go fishing occasionally to supplement the family income? Life is earned by living, not by saving."

Li Zhiguo was in a good mood. After listening to his words, maybe the young man would be able to understand the true meaning of life.

"Brother, can you teach me how to marry a wife who is as sensible as you?"

The young man was jealous and was willing to accept the girl even if she was ugly.

"You want to learn? This is my specialty. I can teach you for no reason."

Li Zhiguo took out the chopsticks and rubbed them together, one in each hand.

"Oh, I am sorry for being rude, big brother. This lunch is mine. You should eat well."

The young man has invested a lot of money, but even though he works here, he still can't even have white flour to eat at noon.

"Look how embarrassing! When the noodles come, we can eat and talk at the same time."

Li Zhiguo didn't expect that he could have this ability?
"Brother, please wait a moment. I will go to the kitchen to urge them."

The young man hurried to the kitchen and returned with a bowl of meat noodles in a few minutes.

Li Zhiguo ate a few mouthfuls of noodles and drank a sip of soup, then said to the expectant young man, "It's actually easy to find a capable wife. You have to do it in three steps."

"Brother, I'm listening. What are the three steps?"

The young man was excited, feeling that he would soon be able to live a manly life of fishing and dining out.

"The first step is that you have to be tall. If you are short, you won't be able to stand out. Girls won't be able to notice you in a crowd.

The second step is that you have to be handsome. If you are not handsome, girls will not be interested in you.

The third step is that you have to have money. If you don’t have money, even if the girl wants to live a hard life with you, her family will not agree.

If you can accomplish these three steps, I will ensure that you will have no worries about food and clothing for the rest of your life, and you will never lack a wife. Think about it carefully!"

Li Zhiguo fell silent after he finished speaking and ate his noodles and enjoyed the delicious food.

The young man was stunned, and kept repeating these three steps silently. He was not very tall, but he was not too old, so he could still grow taller in the future.

This face is not bad, after cleaning it up it can be seen by others;

As for the money, you can save it by working.

That’s right, it’s almost time. If we keep working hard, we’ll be able to live a good life in a few years.

"Brother, thank you. When I reach your age, I will definitely find a good wife."

"That's right. Hard work makes people rich. I'm optimistic about you."

Li Zhiguo had almost finished his noodles, and worried that the young man would react, he quickly drank the soup and left.
In the afternoon, Li Zhiguo rode his bicycle to Zhengyangmen.

I'm thinking about this job.

When he came to his senses, I was like, why is he here?

"Li Zhiguo, come in quickly!"

Chen Xueru waved at the counter, and when she saw that no one came in, she hurried out of the store.

"I'm just passing by, you go ahead and do your thing."

It's not that Li Zhiguo has to hide. The little rich woman is a bit high-profile, but easy to deceive. Bah, she is really generous and willing to spend money.

"What are you stopping by for? The clothes I measured for you last time are all ready. Come and try them on."

Chen Xueru helped to straighten the bicycle and then pulled the person in.

She reflected on herself carefully these days and felt that she was subconsciously cultivating Li Zhiguo to be the person she wanted him to be.

But on second thought, she had no right to make the decision for Qin Huairu!
Now that Li Zhiguo is here, he should make the best of it. It would be nice if he had new clothes too!
"Li Zhiguo, I broke up with my partner."

Chen Xueru suddenly said something off topic.

"Break up? Weren't we talking about it well?"

Li Zhiguo thought that this had nothing to do with him, as he always advocated reconciliation rather than separation.

"Hou Cheng is boring. My family introduced him to me. I never liked him in the first place, and we just talked casually before."

Chen Xueru sat on the sofa with an exquisite teacup in her hand.

"It's not bad that you broke up. Marriage is not a joke. You need to think about it carefully."

Li Zhiguo looked at himself in the mirror and couldn't take his eyes off for a long time. This boy is so handsome.

"Yeah! By the way, you just said you were leaving. What were you going to do?"

Chen Xueru looked at the man's back without moving her eyes away.

"It's not a big deal. My brother-in-law is seventeen this year. I plan to find him a job in the city..."

Li Zhiguo briefly explained the situation and did not mention the outrageous operation of renting a house to protect the compound.

"Finding a job is easy. Just let him come to my shop and skip the apprenticeship and get a regular salary."

Chen Xueru made the promise right away.

Li Zhiguo turned around, sat across from the sofa, and asked tentatively, "Xiao Fu... uh, Chen Xueru."

"Stop, what did you just want to call me?"

Chen Xueru put down the teacup, feeling that it was not a good thing to say.

"Little rich woman, you're not saying bad, are you?"

Li Zhiguo gradually figured it out. He couldn't show any weakness in front of the rich woman, otherwise he would be arranged for something by her.

"That sounds nice. You are the only one allowed to call me that. Go on."

Chen Xueru smiled and felt that this was a way of being intimate.

"Little rich woman, if I want to do something, how much capital can you lend me?"

He just asked casually. Doing business now is seeking death. The risk is too great and it is not worth it.

"30,000, is that enough? Any more will affect my purchase of goods."

Chen Xueru didn't even think about it and made an offer right away.

"Okay, keep your thirty thousand. I'll use it later. Come here. I want to talk to you about something personal."

Li Zhiguo waved his hand and said that he had to explain it clearly today, otherwise he would have to persuade him to make progress.

"What's going on?"

Chen Xueru's voice weakened, her face turned a little red, and she twisted her body to sit next to Li Zhiguo.

"Little rich woman, you know I'm well-informed. Let me tell you something about the boudoir. Sooner or later, you're going to lose this shop.

There is a food shortage recently. You should pay close attention to the fate of more than a thousand private grain stores in our capital.

While there is still time, since you are already a merchant, seize the opportunity to buy the backyard and make as much money as you can.

As long as the wind is not right, you are given three choices. The first is to transfer the shop and find your opponent or enemy to take over.

Second, sell the shop and your house and go abroad.

Third, you should actively respond to whatever the street asks you to do, set an example, and then see how things go.”

(End of this chapter)