Chapter 111: Dividends

They had been spending time together for over half a year, and were at least familiar with everyone in Hong Tao’s family. Although there was still a hint of awkwardness, with so many companions around—plus the presence of their Auntie and Big Sister Da Ling—they no longer felt like strangers at Hong Tao’s grandmother’s house. If they didn’t want to stay in the main room, they could squeeze into the Auntie’s room to chat about "girl talk," their chatter audible even through the closed door.

Mother, the eldest aunt-in-law, Grandmother, and the eldest aunt were in the kitchen preparing the New Year’s Eve dinner. This year, the feast at Grandmother’s house had reached a new level; not only was there pork, but also hairtail fish, ham, foreign sausages, and a large slab of steak. Hong Tao had purchased these using Foreign Exchange Certificates at the Friendship Store. In addition to these ingredients, he had also bought two bottles of Moutai, two bottles of red wine, half a dozen colas, a mountain of assorted candies and chocolates, and finally, several boxes of imported pastries.

The previous items were for the family’s New Year celebration, but the pastries were specifically for his parents and his eldest uncle. They would have to pay visits to their superiors and colleagues during the holiday, and having these high-end treats meant they wouldn’t need to buy additional gifts. They were easy to carry, impressive, and the foreign lettering and exquisite packaging added a touch of prestige.

Additionally, Hong Tao had bought eight "suit chickens" (pre-slaughtered and plastic-wrapped chickens), which Grandmother had already distributed to every neighbor in the courtyard as a New Year’s gift. For the sake of these eight chickens, the old woman had grumbled at the grandfather for days. Her heart ached; they had only just begun to afford meat in the last two years, and throwing things away so lavishly felt like squandering the family fortune.

As for where these items came from, only Grandmother, the eldest uncle and his wife, the eldest aunt’s family, and Hong Tao’s parents truly believed they were provided by the grandfather. The rest of the family understood well enough that this was Hong Tao using the grandfather’s name to pull strings, but everyone maintained a tacit agreement. They knew, but didn’t say a word; as long as the old man didn't object, everyone else feigned ignorance.

Unlike people in later generations, the older generation in Beijing loved to be surrounded by their children and grandchildren during the holidays. The more people, the better; they didn't fear the chaos, they feared the lack of it. They believed that a full house was a sign of a prosperous life—a good omen. Thus, they had no objections to the four extra girls joining them for the New Year. According to the old ways, what did a few extra people matter? It was just a matter of adding a few more pairs of chopsticks.

Hong Tao knew from experience that whenever there were many people and things became lively, trouble was bound to follow. Not only did he not stop it, he encouraged the four girls to formally acknowledge the grandparents as their godparents. They weren't just expected to kneel and kowtow, but also to toast the grandfather—and it had to be with white spirits. One small cup each; to refuse was to look down upon the grandparents.

People in those days weren't equipped with the eloquent drinking games Hong Tao had in his arsenal. The four young women were backed into a corner by his relentless chatter and felt compelled to drink. They grimaced, eyes squeezed shut as if heading to the execution ground, and downed the spirits before covering their mouths and coughing. Hong Tao and his younger uncle slapped their thighs in laughter, finally avenging the "interrogation" he had suffered that afternoon.

The New Year’s Eve dinner lasted until past nine o'clock. His father, whose tolerance for alcohol was no match for Hong Tao, had been thoroughly poured under the table and sent home to sleep by his mother. The girls dragged the eldest aunt’s two daughters into the Auntie’s room to play cards, while his younger uncle took the eldest aunt’s two boys outside to set off firecrackers. Grandmother, the eldest aunt, and the eldest uncle’s couple were in the kitchen making dumplings for the midnight meal. In the main room, only Hong Tao, the eldest uncle-in-law, and the grandfather remained.

"Grandfather, Uncle, since it's the end of the year, it's time to settle the accounts as we agreed. This is the profit from the last few months, divided according to our shares. I had my aunt open an account for you using your household registration, and the money is in your passbooks. Take a look yourselves. If you have any questions, wait until my aunt is free in a couple of days and have her bring the ledger; it will all be clear at a glance." Seeing no one else was around, Hong Tao pulled three passbooks from his jacket, handed two to his grandfather, and one to his uncle.

"…Guangxing… help me look, how much money is this?" The grandfather adjusted his glasses under the light, examined the passbook from every angle, and still couldn't make sense of it, so he handed it to the uncle beside him.

"Seven thousand, seven hundred and eight yuan! It’s written in your name." The uncle was smoking and hadn't yet looked at his own passbook.

"So much? This should be in Yu-mei’s name. This is money the child earned. Her mother and I won't take a cent; it’s all her dowry." The grandfather assumed Hong Tao had made a mistake and patted the passbook while speaking to him.

"Dad! You should look at the other passbook. Little Tao, is this amount definitely correct?" The uncle had now opened his own passbook; his voice dropped several decibels, his tone becoming serious.

"Yes, it’s all calculated correctly. Do you think it’s too much or too little?" Hong Tao watched his uncle smoke, feeling an itch to do the same, but alas, he was too young.

"What is going on? How much is this! Over ten thousand! So this is the one for Yu-mei?" The grandfather opened the second passbook and was so startled he nearly dropped his teapot.

"My aunt’s side is calculated this way: you get 20%, and my aunt and I each get 40%, so there’s twice as much in my aunt’s account as in yours. My uncle’s side is simpler: my Big Sister Da Ling and I split it half and half. However, the hair salon makes more than the tailor shop, so it’s about thirty thousand each. Grandfather, you’ll have to hide this passbook for me too. If my dad finds out, he’ll have a heart attack. He’ll never sleep again; his heart is too timid. I’ll leave it to you." Hong Tao roughly totted up the figures and pulled out another passbook from his jacket with the grandfather’s name on it—the one he used to use back when he was saving for a bicycle.

"Hey, you really are your father’s son. You only worry about your father’s heart condition, but you don’t worry about giving your grandfather a heart attack? If your father can't sleep, do you think I can? This is too much money; it’s burning a hole in my pocket. Guangxing, what do you think?" The grandfather was finally unsettled. The three passbooks in his hand totaled over seventy thousand yuan. No matter how broad-minded the old man was, he was at a loss.

"Heh heh… and here I thought that making a bit of money flipping bicycles this year was a big deal. Turns out it’s not even a fraction of what Da Ling made. The world has truly changed! Dad, if you’re scared, give the money to me. I’m not afraid. Tomorrow I’ll go home and eat meat and drink Moutai every day! I don’t believe that earning money without stealing or robbing will get me arrested!" They say money is a man's courage; with the passbook in his hand, the uncle’s confidence soared, and he actually dared to joke with his father-in-law.

"Forget it. Even if they were arresting people, it wouldn't be you—I’m not dead yet! My, my, to think that in my old age, I’d be reaping the benefits of my grandson’s schemes. I must have accumulated some merit in my past life." The old man was also stimulated by the money, becoming quite superstitious.

"Dad, let’s just say we’ve accumulated merit. Put it away quickly. If Mom sees this, she’ll be scared straight into the hospital… phew, phew, phew, my mouth is running away with me, saying things like that on New Year’s." The uncle tremblingly tucked the passbook into an inner pocket, and still not feeling secure, patted it from the outside to confirm it was there before lighting a cigarette.

"Heh… good… very good… I’ll enjoy a few days of comfort. Hahaha! In two years, when Shiming graduates, I’ll apply for retirement and let him take my place. I’m done! I’m tired! I’ll stay home and raise crickets with my grandson, right?" The grandfather gradually recovered from his shock and began to plan his future. By his reckoning, with this much money, the whole family could live well without ever working again.

"Uncle, Grandfather! Don’t be in such a hurry to tuck the money away. I have one more thing to discuss with you. These past few months haven't really been about 'earning' money. Don't forget, we have two shops; making a few tens of thousands a year isn't actually that much. Right now, we’re the only ones doing this, so it’s easy. Once others see how profitable it is, I suspect it won’t be so easy. I plan to expand these two shops before others catch on. Even if they try to imitate us, they won't be able to compete with us. What do you think?" Hong Tao wasn't particularly elated; this money, or rather this beginning, was still far from his goal. For the long-term stability of his family, he had to handle these first few steps correctly.

"Expand even more? How much bigger?" The grandfather couldn't imagine what kind of brain his grandson had; with tens of thousands in his hands, he still seemed dissatisfied.

"Dad, I think Little Tao makes sense. Even the people selling eggs know that grabbing a good spot and building a shed is better than walking the streets with a basket. But as for how to expand, I’m an outsider too. Little Tao, just tell us what to do. I’ll do whatever you say—I have the manpower, and I have the money!" The uncle’s confidence was firmer than ever. If the bicycle money had given him a taste of success, the amount in Da Ling’s passbook was a whole jar of honey, and he was hooked.

"After the fifth day of the New Year, take some gifts and visit Director Zhou at the neighborhood office. Ask him if we can rent the courtyard behind the shop. We’ll pay for the construction ourselves. That way, the shop’s floor space will increase significantly. I’ve looked into it; if we can get that extra space, we can nearly double our operating area." Hong Tao began to lay out his plan for his uncle.

"Oh, that’s easy to handle. Even if you didn't mention it, I was going to make a trip there in a few days. He promised me the contract matter before the New Year; I can just bring this up with him at the same time." The uncle didn't think this was a difficult task at all.