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Back to the 80s: A Marriage of Convenience
Cheng Fangfang was the one being kicked out of the Qi Zheng Family's door. No matter how unwilling she was, she could not escape this fate.
The villagers passing by outside witnessed her disgraceful scene; some glanced over with curiosity, while others showed no interest and simply ignored her.
In Willow Leaf Village, it had become quite a common sight to see Cheng Fangfang being thrown out of the Qi Zheng Family. As people watched, they gradually got used to it.
Some even turned their heads to look but only casually glanced before turning away again, showing no inclination to linger or gawk.
It was no wonder everyone felt visually fatigued by Cheng Fangfang.
There should be a limit to everything. Who comes around causing such scenes every few days? While Cheng Fangfang felt no shame, the fellow villagers couldn't help but feel embarrassed and ashamed for her.
Having lived in the same village for so many years, everyone knew each other well enough; who could be unaware of anyone's background?
In the past, when the Qi Family was struggling, Cheng Fangfang never once came knocking. Now that the Qi Zheng Family was doing well, she insisted on coming around to seek favors. Such scheming behavior was bound to draw criticism.
Moreover, Cheng Fangfang had been causing too much trouble lately, which was truly annoying.
Previously, there was the incident with Qi Tingting and Tao Tao; Tao Tao had suffered an undeserved disaster and now rarely visited the Qi Zheng Family anymore.
Then there was the matter with Qi Juanjuan. Due to the commotion caused by Grandma Zhao and Cheng Fangfang, Qi Yuehong didn't even return home during her break, just to avoid these bothersome and detestable people and situations.
With things escalating to this point, wasn't Cheng Fangfang still unwilling to back down? Was she still trying to force her way into the Qi Zheng Family?
At this stage, someone like Cheng Fangfang should reflect on herself and sincerely apologize to the Qi Zheng Family...
Cheng Fangfang did not feel that she had done anything wrong. However, seeing the villagers passing by outside made her pull a long face, feeling wronged and embarrassed.
It was all Grandma Qi's fault! At her age, she still acted so domineering; she would eventually meet her end.
Every time Cheng Fangfang thought about losing to an old woman, she made a serious decision in her heart. The next time she faced Grandma Qi, she would not show any mercy and would definitely have a good match with her to see who would come out on top.
However, the immediate priority for Cheng Fangfang was to focus on learning from Zhao Jin. She had to win the opportunity to learn how to make clothes from Zhao Jin.
This was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. If she missed this chance, she feared there would be no such shop in the future.
Cheng Fangfang had already made plans for the future. She would take her mother and daughter, Qi Tingting and Qi Juanjuan, to learn from Zhao Jin. Once they learned, the three of them could start their own venture.
At that time, Zhao Jin could open a shop in the city, and they would open one too. Moreover, they would compete with Zhao Jin and engage in price wars.
She did not believe that all the profits could be monopolized by Zhao Jin alone. There would always be times when her family would win and enjoy success.
Just thinking about that scene made Cheng Fangfang feel an uncontrollable excitement.
They would definitely succeed and make a lot of money.
When that time came, they would no longer have to live their lives looking at Qi Zheng's family's faces. How joyful! How wonderful!
Zhao Jin was unaware of Cheng Fangfang's plans and schemes. Even if she knew, she wouldn't take it to heart.
To learn sewing skills, Cheng Fangfang didn't need to learn from her at all. There were plenty of skilled seamstresses in the village who owned sewing machines and knew how to make clothes. As long as Cheng Fangfang was determined, she could learn from anyone.
As for the clothing styles? They are all imprinted in her mind!
There are even some styles that Zhao Jin herself is not sure when inspiration will strike and take shape.
In such a situation, how could Cheng Fangfang steal ideas? How could she copy?
To take a step back, even if Cheng Fangfang really managed to enter the workshop and successfully saw what she wanted, so what?
What Cheng Fangfang could learn would definitely be styles that are already on the market. Customers who want to buy them have already done so; they wouldn't find it surprising, nor would it affect the reputation of "Golden Accessories."
As for price wars? In the entire City, there are not just "Golden Accessories" as a single Clothing Store. There are definitely many cheaper Clothing Stores. Even several brands in the mall have prices lower than those of "Golden Accessories."
At that time, rather than competing with "Golden Accessories," Cheng Fangfang would be competing with the entire clothing market.
If Cheng Fangfang truly has the ability to carve out a path for herself and establish a foothold, then how could Zhao Jin stop her?
Conversely, if Cheng Fangfang lacks this ability and skill, then no matter how much she learns from Zhao Jin, what use would it be? It would simply be empty talk, futile.
Oh right, currently Cheng Fangfang hasn't had the chance to learn anything from Zhao Jin. No matter how much she anticipates or calculates, Zhao Jin has already gathered her team and is not considering other candidates for now.
Therefore, Cheng Fangfang really doesn't need to think so much. All the starting points and possibilities of her fantasies have been nipped in the bud, with no opportunity for further development.
Houses in the countryside are built particularly quickly. The money provided by Zhao Jin is more than enough, and Zhao Guoqiang is very dedicated, resulting in quick progress.
With the completion of Zhao Jin's first workshop, people like Sun Qiuer and Qian Minmin soon arrived as well.
Zhao Jin was very gentle in her attitude towards everyone, as they were all relatives, and her demands were not high. When it wasn't the busy farming season, everyone would come over to help with sewing clothes. Once the farming season started, those who could come would work at the workshop, while those who couldn't would just take the clothes home. If someone was willing to work, they could; if not, they didn't have to. After all, wages were calculated based on the number of clothes made, so neither side had to feel any burden.
Of course, Zhao Jin's generous conditions were mainly because everyone who came was a relative she recognized as family. If it were someone else, Zhao Jin would never be so accommodating.
It was precisely because she had this mindset from the beginning that Zhao Jin only sought help from her own people and did not consider outsiders.
However, even though Zhao Jin said that if someone was willing to work they could, and if not they could go about their own business, Qian Minmin and the others just smiled and did not take it seriously or let it weigh on their minds.
What a joke! Making clothes was not child's play; there were gold shops waiting to sell them! That was all money. It was one thing when they couldn't help before, but now that everyone had a role to play, how could they possibly hold back?
Moreover, Qian Minmin and the others initially refused to accept wages. In their view, they were just lending a hand since they had nothing else to do at home—why should they accept wages?
They had seen money before. Besides, Zhao Jin's business was just starting to pick up; expenses were everywhere...
In the end, it was Zhao Jin who persuaded Xu Mei to step in, which finally convinced her maternal relatives. Otherwise, Zhao Jin wouldn't have dared to ask these relatives for help again.
In fact, Zhao Jin had also put in effort to encourage everyone. For instance, the business of Golden Accessories was doing well, or she could consider it as pocket money for her nephews and nieces...
Unfortunately, Zhao Jin's persuasion lacked strength. Even though she maintained a serious expression with a stern face, she ultimately lost out to everyone's affection for her.
According to Qian Minmin's words, since the Clothing Store was doing well, they should save the money. Qi Zheng's whole family needed to make a living; her younger siblings were still in school—where didn’t they need to spend money? Otherwise, it could be saved for Guo Guo and Dou Dou for when they got married in the future.
There is no doubt that the suggestion for Guo Guo and Dou Dou to get married was made in jest.
How old are Guo Guo and Dou Dou right now? Why would they need to get married? Qian Minmin was simply trying to make Zhao Jin laugh. However, it almost brought tears to Zhao Jin's eyes, and she struggled to find a rebuttal.
As for giving pocket money to her nephews and nieces, Qian Minmin had already shut that down.
Qian Minmin's attitude was quite firm, and her words were particularly direct. If she wanted to treat her nephews and nieces well, buying some candy would suffice; why give them money? That would be a slap in the face for the adults.
Given Qian Minmin's strong reasoning, Zhao Jin found herself without any other arguments or excuses, all of which fell flat.
In the end, Zhao Jin had no choice but to ask Xu Mei for help.
To persuade Xu Mei to assist, Zhao Jin went all out, revealing to her the substantial income she and Qi Zheng would have after their marriage.
Of course, Zhao Jin didn't have that much money on hand anymore. After all, as Qian Minmin pointed out, expenses were everywhere. There were costs for Qi Zheng's Furniture Store, Zhao Jin's Clothing Store, Qi Feng's ongoing medical bills, as well as school fees for Qi Yuehong and Qi Rui, not to mention the formula costs for Guo Guo and Dou Dou...
Zhao Jin and Qi Zheng were generous enough and did not skimp on their own living expenses. Thus, they earned a lot but also spent a lot. The recent wedding of Qi Ze and the establishment of their workshop were both tied closely to money. When everything was tallied up, there wasn't much left over.
Zhao Jin didn't mind too much until she calculated everything and was shocked at how it added up.
To be honest, she had never kept a detailed account of her spending. Since every expense went where it was supposed to, she didn't think it necessary to keep track.
For instance, would she really want to remember how much was spent on Qi Ze's wedding so that he could pay her and Qi Zheng back when he had money in the future?
And there were also Qi Feng's medical expenses. Over the years, Zhao Jin's family had never expected any monetary compensation from Qi Feng in return.
After all, Qi Ze and Qi Feng are like family, so there’s no need to worry about money and benefits.
It's just like how Qi Ze helped make so much furniture at home without receiving a single cent in wages. Similarly, Qi Feng is currently helping out at the Furniture Store in the City, and Qi Zheng has never paid Qi Feng a salary either.
Because they are family, they never talk about money with each other. What they share is a deep bond of blood relations.
However, at this moment, in front of Xu Mei, Zhao Jin blinked and suddenly realized that she had already spent such a large sum of money!
Seeing Zhao Jin's shocked and confused reaction, Xu Mei couldn't help but tap Zhao Jin on the head: "How do you live your life? Qi Zheng trusts you enough to hand over all his possessions to you. And this is how you repay him?"
"But I haven't spent any on myself! All the money has proper records," Zhao Jin said defensively, though she felt a bit guilty. "So, Mom, should I start keeping accounts from now on?"
"Of course you should keep accounts. Just calculate how much money has gone through your hands; it sounds like an enormous amount. Even if all this money was spent wisely, you should still present a neat account. Otherwise, the entire Qi Family works hard all year round, waking up early and staying up late, only to find that not much money has been saved at home. What kind of situation is that?" Xu Mei admonished with concern.
When Xu Mei married Zhao Jin off to Qi Zheng, she never expected that one day she would worry about Zhao Jin not keeping proper accounts.
At first, her hopes were quite low. She just wanted Zhao Jin to have a decent life in the Qi Family; that would have been enough for her.
After all, at that time, the conditions of the Qi Family were too poor, which made Xu Mei very uneasy.
Who would have thought that in just a year or two, Zhao Jin and Qi Zheng would completely turn their lives around? Now what she had to worry about was Zhao Jin being too extravagant and not knowing how to manage life.
"I didn't think about it like that!" After being pointed out by Xu Mei, Zhao Jin naturally realized that she shouldn't be doing things this way. Nodding her head in agreement, she immediately accepted it. However, she still muttered a few words in defense of herself.
Being her biological mother from her Maternal Family, Zhao Jin was particularly spoiled. Her words and actions still reflected her previous willfulness before marriage.
"Don't worry, Mom didn't expect it either." Xu Mei was also not shocked by this.
Shaking her head at Zhao Jin, Xu Mei was momentarily unsure whether to be happy or sigh.
Of course, happiness was evident; the days in the in-law family were getting better and better, and they would likely continue to improve.
As for the sighing, it was naturally a concern that as life improved, people's hearts could easily change.
Although she had great confidence in Qi Zheng's character, it was inevitable to have wild thoughts before things happened. Caring for Zhao Jin like Xu Mei did, she couldn't help but feel a bit anxious. "Oh, Mom, really, it's fine. Don't worry. It's not just your son-in-law who can earn money; I’ve made quite a bit too, right? Plus, I've known the Qijia Family for over a year now, and I truly have confidence and trust in them." Zhao Jin couldn't help but praise the Qijia Family.
The treatment she received in the Qi Family was undoubtedly the best proof. The affection from the Qijia Family towards her almost surpassed that for their own family members.
Having experienced so much kindness from the Qi Family, to then doubt whether the Qijia Family was sincere towards her would be too much and would be unfair to the Qijia Family.
Zhao Jin was not an ungrateful person and absolutely did not want to be someone who was oblivious to her blessings. Therefore, her trust in the Qijia Family would never change.
This was her sincerity. And Zhao Jin firmly believed that her maternal family also saw this and kept it in their hearts.
The Zhao Guoqiang family indeed kept it in mind and were very grateful for Qi Zheng's family's care and protection of Zhao Jin.
"Fortunately, you didn't let Mom down; you can earn money and have given the Qi Family two sons. That's impressive." Patting Zhao Jin's arm, Xu Mei nodded along, smiling comfortably and genuinely happy. "Alright then, Mom won't think too much about it anymore. After all, these are all things that haven't happened yet; there's no use worrying. You go ask your sister-in-law to help with making clothes; I'll do it for you." Xu Mei had always been particularly fond of Zhao Jin and cared for her deeply. Now that Zhao Jin needed Xu Mei's help, how could she possibly let it go?
In fact, Xu Mei was very pleased with Zhao Jin's current situation and actions.
Because of her abilities, she sincerely wanted to give back to the Maternal Family. This was Zhao Jin's intention towards them, as well as the strong bond of affection that connected them. Of course, it was precisely because she saw that Zhao Jin genuinely wanted to repay everyone that Xu Mei placed even more importance on it. She made it clear in advance: "Just do as you think; the Wages that should be given will still be given. The closer the relatives, the clearer the distinctions should be. We must not let a little money harm everyone's harmony and feelings."
Xu Mei herself did not place much importance on money. However, she understood that whenever money was involved, it was easy for misunderstandings to arise if one wasn't careful. In serious cases, it could even lead to enmity.
Xu Mei did not want Zhao Jin's good intentions to backfire and result in outcomes that were contrary to their current plans and thoughts. That would be too unprofitable. "Yes, I think so too. Mom, you know that our Maternal Family has always treated me especially well; I have always kept that in mind and wanted to find a suitable opportunity to express my heartfelt intentions to everyone. Before, I couldn't do it. One reason was my lack of ability, and the other was the lack of an appropriate moment. But now it's different. I really need everyone's help and truly want to seize this great opportunity for us all to prosper together. If we don't let our own people earn money, but instead let others benefit from it, how can we calculate this? It's a loss no matter how you look at it." Zhao Jin nodded repeatedly, acknowledging Xu Mei's words while expressing her true thoughts.
Of course, this true thought was only part of her feelings. A larger part of her desire to repay remained unspoken for now, lest her mother overthink and side with Qian Minmin and her group.
Regardless, the fact remained that Zhao Jin successfully convinced Xu Mei, which led to the smooth establishment of Zhao Gold Workshop.
For the workshop's development, Zhao Jin purchased several sewing machines in succession. Although she indeed spent money, the results came quickly.
Starting this month, she would be able to provide several times the previous delivery volume for the County Supply and Marketing Cooperative and sales in other provinces. This progress was undoubtedly Zhao Jin's greatest gain and surprise.
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