Dual-income household with an annual income of 200,000 yuan

  In those days, eating a chicken was a very luxurious thing, and every household would only dare to buy a chicken to eat during the New Year. Lin Zhenhua was a man ahead of his time, and with money in hand, he naturally found ways to get something to eat. To make this dish called Beggar's Chicken, on his way back, he specially went around to a small village and bought a big fat chicken that someone had raised for the New Year at a high price.

  Lin Fanghua had always disliked her brother's extravagant spending, but the delicious food he made was irresistible to her. The only thing that reassured her was that the 200 yuan Lin Zhenhua had given her when he returned from his military service was still untouched in her savings account. The money Lin Zhenhua spent on meat and fish was all earned by him doing odd jobs with the workers. In normal times, this brother and sister duo had an income of over 50 yuan per month, which was enough for a decent living.

  This meal of fried chicken made everyone smile, and 14-year-old Yang Tao was the happiest. At his age, he was always hungry, and although his family usually saved the best food for him, his stomach still lacked nourishment. Being able to eat a meal of chicken at this time was like celebrating the New Year.

  The dough wrapped outside the beggar's chicken was all eaten by everyone, and these doughs were baked to be crispy and golden yellow. After being soaked in the chicken soup, they were very delicious. Lin Zhenhua also made a large pot of rice, which was also eaten up by everyone. In the end, everyone ate until they were stuffed, sitting on small bamboo chairs, staring at the sky with their eyes wide open, panting heavily.

  "Brother, this is called flower chicken, it's really too delicious, even better than boiled fish." Lin Fanghua said with her tongue licking the oil on the corner of her mouth, still savoring the flavor.

  "If there's one more, can you finish it?" Lin Zhenhua teased her.

  "Where is it? Where is it?" Lin Fanghua suddenly sat up straight, her eyes scanning around.

  Lin Zhenhua broke out in a cold sweat: "No way, can you still eat?"

  "I'm full, but it's also nice to look at." Lin Fanghua said.

  "How about this as a reward for ranking sixth in your class?"

  "It's barely acceptable." Lin Fanghua said with a roll of her eyes.

  "After you finish eating the chicken, I want you to study hard and strive to be among the top three in the class for the next semester's mid-term exams," said Lin Zhenhua. "If you can achieve that, I'll treat you to a big meal at a restaurant, a 100-yuan-per-table feast."

  Lin Zhenhua said this with confidence, by the time of the mid-term exam next semester, he would be able to get money from Ford, at that time he would be a rich man worth 100,000 yuan, what's a big meal.

  "Alright, Yang Xin, Yang Tao, you both be my witnesses. If Xiao Hua doesn't treat me to a big meal later, you both have to criticize him." Lin Fanghua said with a smile.

  "By the way, I also met that friend from Hunan Province this time. He gave me some things, you all come and pick one out, take what you like."

  Lin Zhenhua said, opening the small package that He Haifeng had given him. Inside were indeed some small items: two women's wallets, two ballpoint pens, and two rolled-up belts made of artificial leather. These were all products produced by enterprises under the Light Industry Department of Xiangping Province, and were given to the provincial department leaders in the name of "trial use".

  "Yang Xin, you go first." Lin Fanghua said generously.

  Yang Xin glanced at Lin Zhenhua and got an encouraging look, her face flushed as she picked up a wallet and said: "This wallet is so beautiful, I'll take it."

  "It's your turn, Yang Tao." Lin Fanghua said to Yang Tao again.

  Yang Tao hesitated, touching his pen and then his belt, unable to decide which one he wanted.

  "Besides, I didn't say you could only take one." Lin Zhenhua said with a smile, directly picking up a pen and a leather belt and shoving them into Yang Tao's hands, "Here, take them all."

  "Thanks, Little Hua," Yang Tao said happily. At that time, artificial leather belts were also considered high-end products. Most of his classmates used canvas waistbands, and having an artificial leather belt was enough to attract the admiration of many girls in the class.

  "There's another belt, give it to Uncle Yang." Lin Zhenhua stuffed another belt into Yang Xin's hand.

  Yang Xin declined: "Don't be like that, Little Hua Ge, you keep it for yourself. We can't take so many things, how can we bear the shame."

  "Yang Xin, you take it, after all we are one family." Lin Fanghua said with a tone of sarcasm.

  "That's right, we're all family." Lin Zhenhua added casually.

  Yang Xin had no choice but to put it away and seeing that the sky was already dark, she took Yang Tao and left the Lin's house.

  As soon as they went out, Yang Tao said to Yang Xin: "Sister, are you and Xiao Hua Ge in a relationship or something?"

  "What nonsense are you talking about!" Yang Xin slapped Yang Tao's head as a warning.

  Yang Tao touched his head and said: "Actually, I think Xiaohua Ge is quite good as my brother-in-law, he can cook and do things..."

  "Give you some food and you sell your sister!" Yang Xin scolded, "If you dare to say that again, next time there's good food, I won't invite you."

  "I didn't say anything, I didn't say anything." Yang Tao fled in a hurry.

  At the Lin's home, Lin Fanghua was putting away bowls and chopsticks while saying to Lin Zhenhua: "Brother, if we eat like this every day at our house, won't we become poor?"

  Lin Zhenhua, who was sitting at the table reading a book, smiled and said: "It's not easy to make our family go bankrupt. Xiaofang, come here."

  "What's wrong?" Lin Fanghua walked over and asked.

  Lin Zhenhua took out three big bills from his body and handed them to Lin Fanghua, saying: "This is the labor fee given by the petrification machine, it's all yours."

  "You've only worked for a few days and you've earned so much money?" Lin Fanghua was overjoyed, "I'll go put it away first, and then deposit it into the bank tomorrow."

  "Stop right there!" Lin Zhenhua stopped Lin Fanghua, who was about to hide the money. "Who told you to save it? I mean, this money is for your pocket money. You can use it to buy a new dress, take your boyfriend out for dinner, or buy some cosmetics, whatever you like."

  "I don't have a boyfriend!" Lin Fanghua defended, "I also don't need new clothes and cosmetics, three dollars of pocket money per month is enough for me."

  Lin Zhenhua said, "I told you to take the money and spend it on something you've always wanted but didn't dare to buy. As the saying goes, 'Raise sons when poor, raise daughters when rich.' A girl's family needs to have some money. Our parents are gone, so as the eldest brother, I need to take on their responsibilities and make sure you live a comfortable life."

  "Brother." Lin Fanghua's eyes welled up with tears as she heard Lin Zhenhua mention their parents. She put her hand on his shoulder and said, "Brother, do you know that after you came back from the army, you've really changed a lot? I'm very happy about it. You're always going out to work and earn money, it's not easy to earn money, we don't need to spend so much, let's save it up, and when you get married in the future, we can use it to buy things for your wife, okay?"

  Lin Zhenhua stroked the small hand his sister had placed on his shoulder and said, "Xiao Fang, don't worry, your brother is not an ordinary person. I can still earn the money to marry a wife for you. I'll tell you a secret, but you mustn't tell anyone else, okay?"

  "I guarantee it," Lin Fanghua said solemnly.

  "This time, I served as an interpreter for a foreigner at the petrochemical plant and also helped his company come up with some small ideas to improve their equipment. As a result, the foreigner's company decided to pay me a fee. This fee is unknown to anyone, even Director Zhu doesn't know about it."

  "Really!" Lin Fanghua exclaimed with surprise, "Is this compensation a lot?"

  "Of course, you think foreigners are like our factory, I helped the factory design an arc welding machine, but the factory still hasn't given me a bonus. Foreigners are market economy, they will pay me according to the value I created for them." Lin Zhenhua was making psychological preparations for Xiaofang.

  "Then... how much money will they give? Is there...?" Lin Fanghua thought for a moment, gritted her teeth and said: "Is it 200 yuan?"

  "More than 200 yuan."

  "Really, how many?"

  "In 2000." Lin Zhenhua didn't dare to reveal the truth, a huge number like $200,000 would definitely scare Lin Fanghua badly. However, his consideration was completely unnecessary, for Lin Fanghua, any number above 2,000 yuan was the same, already beyond her imagination space."

  "2000!" Lin Fanghua's eyes widened, "That, that, that......" She stuttered for half a day, not knowing how to describe the shock in her heart.

  Lin Zhenhua nodded: "That's right, 2000 US dollars, calculated at the black market price, is equivalent to 20,000 RMB."

  "Thud!" Lin Fanghua sat down on the ground with a thump, she was already scared out of her wits.

  "Brother, what kind of idea did you come up with to earn so much money? You're not a spy, helping foreigners collect intelligence on China, are you?" Lin Fanghua started thinking about some practical issues after being shocked.

  Lin Zhenhua slapped her palm: "What are you thinking about? I'm just a porter, what knowledge can I grasp, and can it be called intelligence? Besides, China and the US have already established diplomatic relations, they're not enemies anymore, what spies?"

  Lin Zhenhua's words were using Lin Fanghua's ignorance to refute her ignorance. The establishment of diplomatic relations between China and the US does not mean that there are no conflicts of interest between the two sides, as long as there are conflicts of interest, espionage and spies must exist. However, Lin Fanghua couldn't think of this point, and after Lin Zhenhua's explanation, she actually believed it a little.

  "So, our family is already a ten-thousand-yuan household?" Lin Fanghua asked cautiously.

  "We are a double-ten-thousand household; once we get the money, one ten thousand for you and one ten thousand for me, then we'll both be ten-thousand households."

  "I don't want that much, just give me... two thousand is enough." Lin Fanghua gave herself a discount, unaware that even with this discount, it was already several hundred times higher than her past expectations. From frugality to extravagance, it's really too easy.

  "This matter must be kept strictly confidential, understand?" Lin Zhenhua reminded.

  "Of course I know!" Lin Fanghua said, "I'm even more timid than you, what if it gets out, the thief will come to our house again?"

  Lin Zhenhua nodded: "Good, you know the reason. You go back home and collect your bowls and chopsticks, I'm going to Director Zhu's house, there's something I need to report to him."