“Huai Ru, come on, I’ll teach you how to ride a bike. Let me tell you, in this courtyard, my family has the best conditions. If you marry me, you’ll have a good life.”
Li Wu Wei led Qin Huai Ru through the crowd and pushed the bicycle parked at the side out of the courtyard.
It was the weekend, and he wanted to inquire about whether the three large storefronts had been rented out.
“Ugh! This Li Wu Wei is full of hot air. Qin Huai Ru has been completely fooled by him.”
“Right, what good conditions does his family have? He only has those two rooms, and they’re inherited from his ancestors.”
“He has only that one bicycle. He’s putting on a facade, he spent all his money on the bike and has no money left for a wedding.”
Li Wu Wei took his wife to Beihai Park. This place wasn’t for ordinary people because it cost five fen to enter.
Therefore, locals preferred to go to Shichahai, which was free and the scenery was similar.
However, he came here because he wanted to see the place mentioned in the song “Let Us Row Our Boats.” The song was about Beihai Park.
“Brother, this place is really beautiful.”
Qin Huai Ru, a country girl, had never been to a park of this caliber.
“Of course, I’ve been playing here since I was a kid. When spring comes, I’ll bring you here to row a boat.”
The two of them wandered around the park. In Li Wu Wei’s opinion, he didn’t have to talk about love, but he had to make Qin Huai Ru fall for him.
So, he had to complete the three steps of a date.
These were: going to the park, watching a movie, and a farewell kiss on a deserted street.
Well, the third step could be skipped, he was worried about being arrested as a hooligan.
After they were done at the park, they spent another ten fen on two movie tickets and watched an old movie.
It was called “Sisters Rise Up,” in black and white, the plot was very educational, and the ending was that the sisters fought against the boss.
Qin Huai Ru cried, lamenting, “Brother, I’m so lucky to have met you.”
“That’s right. We’ll live a good life together. Don’t be afraid when you go to the factory.
Now is the time for us workers to be in charge. If anyone dares to bully you, I’ll fight him.”
He wasn’t really worried about Qin Huai Ru going to the factory. There were so many women workers in the factory, and there were plenty of groups they could join.
Moreover, the status of workers was now extraordinary, no one dared to cause trouble in the factory.
The entire morning had cost two mao. The cost of dating was really low.
At noon, the two passed through Wangfujing Street and arrived at Dashilan, where the main store of Quanjude Roast Duck was located. They had a good meal.
Qin Huai Ru had never eaten roast duck before, her eyebrows were raised in delight.
“Brother Li, I want to be with you for the rest of my life.”
“That’s good. In a couple of years, we’ll have a child. You’ll have three children for me, just right for the three large storefronts. Each child will have one in the future.”
Li Wu Wei had already made the arrangements. The Li family would have many descendants.
“What if we have a daughter? Will she get a storefront when she gets married?”
Qin Huai Ru thought far ahead.
“The daughter is the same. Our family has money, we’ll directly find a son-in-law. Um, that’s thinking too far ahead. Come on, let’s go see if the store is rented out.”
Li Wu Wei took her straight to the store. Dongliuliu Street was next to Dashilan, and Qianmen Street was near Zhengyangmen. This was a prime location.
From afar, they could see the door to the store was open, and there were workers busy inside.
“Brother, it’s rented out.”
Qin Huai Ru was overjoyed. This meant that the family would have another source of income.
“Yeah, let’s go ask at the street office.”
Li Wu Wei was also happy. When they got to the street office, before they could ask, he was recognized.
“Oh, Master Li, I was just going to look for you tomorrow. The street office rented out the store, they’re selling dried fruit and candy.
The rent is one hundred and thirty-five yuan a month, payable monthly. You come to collect the money on the third of each month, the day when the wages are paid.”
This was a commissioned rental, and the price was the market price, so it had already been arranged.
“Alright, I’ll come in the morning on the third. I need to collect my wages from the factory in the afternoon.”
The rule in Beijing was that wages were paid on the third of each month. During the New Year, it could be paid earlier.
It was unlike later generations where many people would delay payment until the 20th, which was a form of withholding wages, cheating people.
“Alright, you can take this month’s rent first. It’s been 24 days since the 7th, so it’s one hundred and eight yuan.”
The staff quickly processed the paperwork and handed over the money. The street office had rented it out, so they could handle it.
“I’ve counted it, it’s correct.”
Li Wu Wei immediately put the money in his pocket. In the future, he would live a good life just from the rent.
Out on the street, Qin Huai Ru was still excited. Although she hadn’t received any money, the rent belonged to the family.
“Brother, one hundred and thirty-five yuan a month, that’s so much. A year is, let me calculate it.”
“No, Huai Ru, can’t you calculate with your junior high school education? A year is…”
Li Wu Wei also froze. He was a college student in his previous life, but he couldn’t calculate it quickly.
Fortunately, there was a calculator in the vegetable market. He used his mind to tap out the answer.
“Huai Ru, a year is one thousand six hundred and two. This money can buy two large houses.
If you use it to buy white flour at seventeen fen a jin, you can buy more than nine thousand jin. Even if you buy rich flour at twenty-five fen a jin, you can still buy more than six thousand jin.”
He had to make up for his poor calculation abilities.
“Brother, you’re amazing. Your arithmetic is so good.”
Qin Huai Ru looked at him with admiration. She had a junior high school education because she was the eldest daughter. However, she basically stopped going to school after the second year of junior high.
“Of course, I’m a high… Never mind. Let me tell you about the things you need to know in the factory. We’ll go to work tomorrow morning.”
Li Wu Wei sadly remembered that he also had a junior high school education in this life. He didn’t pass the high school entrance exam. This was a disgrace.
“Mhm!”
Qin Huai Ru held onto her husband’s sleeve. It was crowded outside, she didn’t know the way, and she was afraid of getting lost.
As for Li Wu Wei, he walked down the street with his hands in his pockets. He let Qin Huai Ru cling to his sleeve like a little wife, not because he wanted to act, but because it was cold.
However, they were only a few steps away. He took the bicycle he had parked and took Qin Huai Ru to his grandfather’s courtyard. It was cold, it was nice to talk in bed.