Chapter 135: It’s a Blessing to Have Such a Relative

Chapter 135: It's a Blessing to Have Such a Relative

New Dock Village.

After breakfast, Zhang Zhenfa rode his bicycle with renewed energy to purchase agricultural products from the more remote villages.

Ever since his daughter and son-in-law visited on the second day of the Lunar New Year to persuade him, Zhang Zhenfa had no longer hesitated. He used the money to buy a small house in Dragon Lake and a half-used bicycle. After obtaining the business license for individual industrial and commercial households, he officially opened his shop and began his business.

The results thrilled Zhang Zhenfa and his family.

The store had been open for over ten days, and while the daily profits were modest—just a few cents—market days were a different story. Dragon Lake Market was one of the top three largest markets in Bobai County, attracting no fewer than 27,000 people during each market period.

With such a massive market, even though Zhang Zhenfa's store was new and not yet well-known, it still managed to generate a profit of over ten yuan during each market day.

There were nine market days in a month. Even at the lowest estimate of ten yuan per market day, that amounted to ninety yuan. Adding the extra income from regular days, the total profit easily exceeded one hundred yuan.

Now, Zhang Zhenfa employed five workers to run the store, each earning an average of twenty yuan a month—a considerable sum.

Moreover, these were the profits of a new store. Once the store gained more recognition, the profits were expected to grow even higher.

As a result, Zhang Zhenfa and his two sons and daughters-in-law were brimming with enthusiasm. Zhang Zhenfa even gritted his teeth and bought another used bicycle two days ago, allowing him and his sons to purchase agricultural products more efficiently.

Humming a tune, Zhang Zhenfa rode his bicycle to a remote village, feeling both happy and impressed by his relative Deng Shirong's foresight. Deng Shirong had simply pointed out a path for his family, and now they were earning a significant income. It was truly remarkable!

At 10:30 a.m., Deng Shirong arrived in New Dock Village, carrying a pig's hindleg and two bags of candies and biscuits.

The pork butt had been taken from his system space. Zhang Kangmei and Deng Changmei had only consumed about one-fifth of the thank-you gifts after their wedding, leaving plenty of braised pork and pork buttocks.

Although Deng Shirong had come to New Dock Village to act as a matchmaker for Deng Changyuan, his in-laws also lived there. It was only proper to visit them first, lest he be criticized for neglecting them.

When he arrived at his in-laws' house, he saw his mother-in-law feeding her grandson porridge. He greeted her warmly, "Mother-in-law."

Mrs. Zhang turned and saw Deng Shirong. Surprised, she said, "Father-in-law, you're here! But why did you bring so many things? Come, sit down and have a smoke."

She set aside the bowl and spoon and handed him a tobacco pipe.

Deng Shirong handed the pork butt and one bag of candies and biscuits to his mother-in-law, took the pipe, and smiled. "I'm here to act as a matchmaker for the girl Ou Guohua, and I thought I'd stop by to see you."

Mrs. Zhang took the pork butt and candies, surprised. "Father-in-law, are you here to propose a match for Ah Hua?"

Deng Shirong nodded as he sat down, pulling out tobacco and matches from his pocket. "Ah ping hopes her childhood friend can also marry into our village to keep her company. Since marrying into our family, she's been actively helping her friend find a match.

Last year, when Ping came to visit after her wedding, Hua visited our house twice. The two young people have met a couple of times and seem interested in each other. So, I've come to discuss this matter with her parents and see if we can arrange the marriage."

Mrs. Zhang was stunned for a moment, then sighed. "Xiuping and Ahua have been close since childhood, closer than real sisters. She must want the two sisters from the Ou family to marry into the same village. But she has no experience in this area. You, as the father-in-law, must help vet the match. Otherwise, her good intentions might end up ruining Ahua's happiness."

Deng Shirong stuffed the tobacco into the pipe, lit it, and took a few puffs before replying, "Mother-in-law, don't worry. I'll definitely vet the match. The young man in our village grew up with my son Yuntai and is his best friend. I know his character well. If Ah Hua marries him, I can't promise a life of luxury, but it certainly won't be a bad one."

"That's good to hear!"

Hearing that the young man was a close friend of her son-in-law, Mrs. Zhang felt relieved. As the saying goes, "Birds of a feather flock together." Her son-in-law was outstanding, so his best friend couldn't be far behind.

"Father-in-law, there's porridge at home. Come in and have a couple of bowls. I'll make lunch right away."

"No need, I ate before coming. I'm not hungry now. Don't trouble yourself with lunch. I'm going to Ah Hua's house to discuss the matter, and then I plan to head to Yamaguchi. So, mother-in-law, don't worry about me."

After smoking a few puffs, Deng Shirong set the pipe aside and asked, "By the way, where are my father-in-law, mother-in-law, and my eldest brother and sister-in-law?"

Mrs. Zhang smiled happily. "Father-in-law, after following your advice, our family opened a store in Dragon Lake Market not long ago. Business is going well, and they're all busy with the store."

Deng Shirong nodded with a smile. "That's good. Next, focus on steady progress, honest operations, and good service. Business will definitely get better and better."

Mrs. Zhang nodded repeatedly. "I'll pass on your advice, father-in-law."

After chatting for a while, Deng Shirong stood up and said, "Mother-in-law, I'll head to Ah Hua's house to propose the match. Once I'm done, I'll go straight to Yamaguchi and won't come back to say goodbye."

Mrs. Zhang politely insisted that Deng Shirong return for lunch after his errands, but he declined repeatedly. After asking for directions, he rode his bicycle with the remaining bag of candies and headed to Ou Guohua's house.

Mrs. Zhang watched her father-in-law leave, then carried the ten-pound pork butt to the kitchen and hung it up, a smile on her face.

Her daughter's father-in-law was truly a good man. He never came empty-handed and was incredibly generous. Just today, he had brought a bag of candies and a pork butt weighing over ten pounds.

The Zhang family was truly blessed to have such a relative.

(End of Chapter)