Back to the 1980s: Transmigrated as the Bigshot's Pampered Wife-Chapter 43: Future Tycoon’s Dream

When the Dong father and son saw the Su family’s lavish spread of food, the rich aroma of the boiled fish in chili oil was particularly enticing.

Whether it was because they couldn’t refuse the Su Family’s warm invitation or because they too wanted a taste of those pristine white fish fillets, they found themselves yielding.

After some token resistance, the Dong father and son sat down. ’We’ll just have a little bite,’ they both thought in unison.

Mr. Gu was a skilled speaker, and in just a few words, he announced to everyone that they had sold three hundred bowls of cold noodles that morning.

"In that case, let’s prepare another three hundred bowls for this afternoon. We’ll pack up as soon as we sell out. Once we get the hang of things in a few days, Second Brother Gu can set up his own stall to sell fried pancakes."

Su Shuochi was simply relaying the instructions his wife had given him.

"Brother-in... hehe... She said I can sell fried pancakes?" Second Brother Gu was so excited, he’d almost called him brother-in-law.

When Su Shuochi heard Second Brother Gu stop himself from calling him brother-in-law, he felt a pang of displeasure. That day, he had only given Second Brother Gu a look.

It wasn’t that he didn’t want to be Gu Jiaojiao’s husband. On the contrary, he desperately wanted the Gu Family’s approval.

"Second Brother, you need to have some faith in yourself. Why don’t you practice making the pancakes at home this afternoon?"

"Selling fried pancakes is a great idea! I had one yesterday and I’m already craving another. If Second Brother is making them at home, I’ll come over after work to eat."

Dong Qihua’s voice was filled with eager anticipation.

"I have to go sell cold noodles this afternoon, so I’ll practice making pancakes tonight. Or how about I make fried pancakes for everyone’s breakfast in the morning?"

"That could work. It’ll take a few days to set up another stall anyway. Besides, Dad and Mom still haven’t completely gotten the hang of selling the cold noodles."

’Three hundred bowls of cold noodles... how much money would that be?’ Uncle Dong calculated silently.

Three hundred bowls would be ninety yuan. His own monthly salary was only eighty!

"The gross profit on three hundred bowls is ninety yuan, but after deducting the cost of ingredients and labor, the net profit is only about twenty yuan."

Gu Jiaojiao said with a bright smile, omitting the fact that each person was paid five yuan every time they worked the stall.

Even though he was her mother’s own brother, what if Dong Qihua went home and mentioned it, and the rest of the Dong Family got jealous?

"A net profit of twenty yuan in a single morning? Doesn’t that mean forty a day? Good heavens! In one month, you’d make more than I do in a whole year! Oh my god..."

As he spoke, Dong Qihua picked up a piece of chicken and shoved it into his mouth, eating ravenously. He completely forgot his earlier intention to only have a small bite.

Uncle Dong was stunned as well. The fish in his mouth had a distinct, complex flavor, yet all the notes blended together in perfect harmony. It was truly delicious.

’Even a man of high status is still just a man. We all have worldly appetites.’ He too forgot about his plan to eat sparingly.

Besides, the Su family clearly wasn’t short on food anymore. He was relieved to think that his sister’s family now had a stable future ahead of them.

He found that even the green beans tasted exceptionally good, to say nothing of the boiled fish, which he’d never had before.

He glanced at Su Shuochi again. This young man, twenty years his junior, held a position only two ranks below his own.

And Su Shuochi had climbed the ladder on his own merits. The Dong Family had been in politics for three generations; his own success was, to some extent, thanks to family connections.

"You can’t calculate business earnings that simply," Gu Jiaojiao went on. "You can’t work on rainy days, and preparing food is incredibly hard work. Plus, being the first person to eat a crab..."

Gu Jiaojiao went on and on, explaining the costs of unsold food from a snack stall and just how grueling the work was.

In 1980, street stalls and private businesses were only just beginning to appear in the big cities. Naturally, the first person to "eat the crab"—the first to try something new—reaped the most rewards.

"Jiaojiao, what does selling cold noodles have to do with being the first to eat a crab? Are we going to start selling crabs now?"

"Haha..."

Gu Jingtai’s question sent everyone into roaring laughter.

Although Old Sir Gu felt a bit exasperated, he still explained it to his second grandson with a warm smile.

This grandson of his had been on a farm with his parents since he was young. He’d developed great physical strength but lacked a formal education.

"Jingtai, my boy, education is still very important. Why don’t you study for a year and try to take the college entrance exam?

"When Jiaojiao talks about ’the first person to eat a crab,’ she’s referring to a story. One year in Shaoxing, there was a plague of crabs, and no one could figure out how to get rid of them.

"Then, a wise Master taught everyone a solution: get a broken vat and fill it with saltwater.

"They waited for the crabs to crawl inside and be drowned by the brine. In the end, all the crabs were eliminated.

"But when the people didn’t know what to do with all the dead crabs, it was that same Master who stepped forward first.

"In front of everyone, he started eating the crabs and praised how delicious they were.

"And so, people started using the phrase ’the first person to eat a crab’ to describe someone who is brave enough to be the first to try something new."

Although Old Sir Gu’s voice was weak, when he spoke of his beloved literary allusions, his words were quick and clear.

His face, etched by the passage of time, was covered in wrinkles. In that moment, his rough, loose skin seemed to ripple like waves.

It was as if a cool breeze had swept over the surface of a pond, creating layer upon layer of ripples.

Watching her grandfather, ripples stirred in Gu Jiaojiao’s heart as well—a mix of deep admiration for Old Sir Gu and pride in having saved the Gu Family.

Hardship is an inevitable part of life. Some people collapse the moment they encounter it.

There weren’t many people as tenacious as Grandpa Gu. In the original novel, the Gu Family was never even mentioned.

’They must have been written off as cannon fodder before they ever got a scene.’ Gu Jiaojiao knew with chilling clarity that if she had found the Gu Family just one step later...

At the very least, Old Sir Gu and Eldest Brother Gu would not have survived. And unable to withstand the blow, Mr. Gu and Mrs. Gu would have collapsed as well.

But now, her grandfather was still here, chatting and laughing, his conversation full of wit. Her eldest brother’s gaunt face even held a spark of life.

’This is wonderful.’

No one could tell if it was from the spicy food or the excitement, but a thin layer of sweat had broken out on everyone’s forehead.

After the meal, Su Shuochi cut up a watermelon. Dong Qihua rubbed his full, round belly. "Su Tuan, would it be okay if I came to your place for meals from now on?"

"Absolutely not!" Before Su Shuochi could say a word, Second Brother Gu jumped in. "My sister’s cooking is delicious, sure.

But think how tiring it would be for her if you and Uncle Dong came to eat here all the time!"

"Gu Jingtai, you... you..." Dong Qihua was speechless, sputtering for a moment without being able to form a sentence.

"Uncle Dong, you’re welcome to come over for a nice meal once in a while," Gu Jiaojiao said. "But if you want to eat here every day, you’ll have to wait until we get a business license and open a proper restaurant, haha."

"There’s no official word on that yet, but it should be soon," Uncle Dong said thoughtfully.

Gu Jiaojiao had been probing for information from Uncle Dong. She knew that private restaurants were apparently now allowed in the Imperial City.

But she didn’t know when Qing City would follow suit. Opening a restaurant would mean they wouldn’t have to brave the wind and sun.

Still, Gu Jiaojiao wasn’t in a rush. There were still very few street vendors. By the time everyone else jumped on the bandwagon...

...they would have already earned enough money. Then they could close the stall, open a restaurant, and after that, a grander hotel...

’Since I’m here now, the title of the richest person in Qing City will be mine. And I might as well shoot for being the richest in the world while I’m at it.’

’So get lost, Song Zijin. I’m going to walk your path for you. I won’t necessarily leave you with nowhere to go, but I definitely won’t let you become the richest person.’

The original novel mentioned that the Song Family’s ancestors had all been merchants. The current head of the Song family was the manager of a department store.