CHAPTER 195: CHAPTER 195: THE ETERNAL WHITE MOONLIGHT

"When this period is over and the veterans have finished their leave, it’ll be our turn, the new recruits, to take leave. I’ll come back then to be with you and Mom."

"You’d better wait until New Year’s to come back." Lin Xiang took a big bite of watermelon. "In a couple of days, I’ll be signing up for college preferences. All my choices are in Beijing, so I’ll only come home for winter break."

It’s not that other cities aren’t good, it’s mainly because, deep down, Qinghua and Beijing University are the eternal dream for every Chinese student.

In her previous life, she studied hard, burning the midnight oil every day, always ranking at the top in exams, and still only managed to get into a top-notch 985 university, narrowly missing Qinghua and Beijing University.

Now that she has the chance to go to Qinghua or Beijing University, she can’t settle for anything less.

Besides, only in Beijing can she find the courtyard she dreams of!

After a hearty meal, the next morning, Mrs. Lin and Lin Xiang accompanied Lin Yun to the train station.

Before leaving, Mrs. Lin stuffed the boiled eggs she made early in the morning into Lin Yun’s hands, along with a piece of meat she had braised just today.

"Eat the meat early; it’s cool now, so don’t let it go bad."

"Once you get to the army, listen to your leaders, don’t be afraid of hardship, always be at the forefront in everything, that’s the way to get promoted early."

"It’s his loss that the man doesn’t want you; don’t be sad. I’m always your mother, that will never change. Write home if anything happens."

Mrs. Lin nagged a lot.

Most of it was repeating the same things, but Lin Yun didn’t find it annoying at all.

He hadn’t heard such nagging in a long, long time.

Though Mrs. Lin always said she didn’t treat him like her own, this Mrs. Yang treated him much better than his biological father ever did.

"Mom, Xiangzi, I’m leaving. You two take good care of yourselves at home, it’s too hot for work, as soon as I get my allowance every month, I’ll send it right back home. I can support you both."

Mrs. Lin waved her hand, urging, "The announcer has called, you’d better go quickly, we should get back home out of the heat, it’s way too hot today!"

Lin Xiang: ...

Feeling touched only lasted three minutes.

The mother and daughter rested at home for three days, and Lin Xiang couldn’t wait any longer.

"Mom, don’t you think it’s a bit wasteful to spend such beautiful days lying in bed every day?"

Mrs. Lin fanned herself non-stop. "I’m almost steaming from the heat, I’d love nothing more than to lie in bed all day and do nothing!"

"Besides, our family is now a ten-thousand-yuan household, this money is enough to live for years, why work so hard?"

"That’s not quite right. Now with the reform and opening up, we’re allowed to earn money through business. It’s getting easier to earn money and it’s becoming less valuable, so to prevent our money from devaluing, we must learn to invest."

"What does devalue mean? And what’s investment?"

"In other words, Mom, when we move to Beijing, where everything’s so unfamiliar, don’t you want to have a house of your own?"

Lin Xiang cleared her throat and started painting a picture for Mrs. Lin: "From what I’ve gathered, given the current market in Beijing, a two-entry courtyard house costs over ten thousand yuan. Including the four thousand my brother saved, we only have six thousand, not even enough for half! So we need to make more money and strive to buy a courtyard house sooner."

Mrs. Lin was unconcerned, "Having a regular house to live in is fine, why bother buying a courtyard house?"

"If you go to Beijing without buying a courtyard house, it’ll be the biggest regret of your life. Owning a courtyard house would be a status symbol; aren’t you even a bit tempted?"

Ultimately, with Lin Xiang’s deliberate persuasion, Mrs. Lin developed a strong desire for a courtyard house as well.

"So, tell me, what can we do to make money?"

Lin Xiang rubbed her smooth chin, "Right now, it’s the hottest time of summer. Nobody generally wants to go out unless necessary during noon, so we need to pick a cooler time to make money."

Besides the hottest time at noon, only morning and evening are options.

Breakfast is hard work for little gain, so Lin Xiang chose the evening.

"Mom, let’s sell barbecue!"

...

"Barbecue? What’s that? Never heard of it before?"

At the Welfare District in Mianyang Town, Lin Xiang had just set up her barbecue stall, and someone was already drawn by the aroma.

"This is a popular way of eating in Beijing. I don’t think anyone in Mianyang Town has tried it yet. Hey, want to try a skewer?"

With the help of Fifth Uncle, Lin Xiang spent two days preparing everything needed to sell barbecue.

Although the barbecue grill was simple and not very pretty, it had all the necessary functions.

"How much for a skewer?" a customer cautiously asked.

New things from Beijing always draw a lot of interest, but people are often afraid the price might be too high, so many hesitate to buy.

Lin Xiang pointed to the skewers on the cart, "These skewers are one cent each. We also have freshly grilled fish and spicy shrimp. The grilled items are priced per pound, three cents per pound, same for the shrimp. If you buy more than fifteen, you’ll get some noodles for free."

The fish and shrimp were caught by Dong Sheng from the river over the past two days, kept alive in water.

Hearing that they could try this new, unheard-of food for just a penny made many eager to try.

"Give me a skewer to try the taste first, okay?"

Lin Xiang smiled, "Comrade, I’m running a small business here, and coal is used for grilling. If I grill one skewer at a time, the coal usage would be unsustainable. So, you can pool with others, and as soon as we have ten skewers, I’ll grill them."

A penny per skewer, ten skewers would be just one cent. The man went ahead and chose ten skewers.

As they were all vegetables, they cooked quickly, ready in just a minute or two, and then Lin Xiang sprinkled her secret barbecue seasoning, filling the air with a mouthwatering aroma.

"Here are your ten skewers, if you like them, you’re welcome back."

The customer first picked up a potato skewer.

"I want to see how much better this barbecue can make potatoes taste."

Each stick had four slices of potato, and he ate piece after piece until all ten skewers were gone in no time.

Seeing him gobbling down the food, someone nearby curiously asked, "So, how is it, tasty?"

The customer didn’t reply, just kept picking up more food.

By the time he realized it, he already had a handful of skewers in his hand.

"A total of twenty-one skewers, so that’ll be two cents," Lin Xiang said cheerfully.

After handing over the barbecue again, Lin Xiang fished out a large shrimp from the bucket beside her, "This shrimp is on the house; you can taste it first."

Another round of gobbling followed, and when he finished everything in hand, the customer was full.

"I’m full for today. Are you going to sell barbecue again tomorrow? I’ll bring some friends along."

"As long as it doesn’t rain, we’ll be selling barbecue at the regular spot every day, you’re welcome to come back anytime."

The customer burped and told the onlookers, "You should all try some, it’s definitely worth it!"