Yu Zhou carefully tucked the 3,000 yuan he had just obtained into his pocket. After leaving the factory gate, he didn't head straight home. Jiang Jie had been frightened today, and he planned to buy something nice for his wife to soothe her nerves.
In this era, large indoor farmers' markets were a rare sight; there were fewer than five in the entire Jiangbei region. Therefore, for buying groceries and meat, most people still preferred to go to the supply and marketing cooperative or the open-air market.
He strolled leisurely towards the supply and marketing cooperative, his mind occupied with thoughts of the future.
He didn't intend to hand over the 3,000 yuan to Jiang Jie immediately. Knowing his wife's nature, once she got the money, she would prioritize paying off debts and then saving it. She would only feel at ease seeing the numbers on the savings book, leaving not even a single coin for himself.
Now that both he and his wife were laid off, the 3,000 yuan obtained from Liu Dalong was not enough for their family to live on indefinitely.
As for severance pay? Heh, it would take Liu Dalong at most a day or two to realize he had been duped. With his brother-in-law's connections, would the matter of selecting a district head be affected by this trivial issue? Impossible. At that point, not seeking revenge on him would be considered good enough.
Still dreaming of severance pay? He could dream on.
Therefore, he still needed to find a way. It was 1991, an era brimming with opportunities everywhere.
It was a pity that for those few years, he had been solely focused on appealing and bringing down Liu Dalong. Thus, he hadn't thoroughly researched specific money-making ventures from that period.
"I can't just buy and sell property again, retrace the old path," Yu Zhou muttered, rubbing his head.
Oh, wait. There was an opportunity.
When the company had planned to go public, they had invited a training instructor who spoke about stock subscriptions.
It seemed that it was the subscription certificates issued in Wanghai in early '92. Those certificates were later known as "fortune certificates" in the future. Getting in at this time would be an opportunity to make a fortune.
It was just a shame that 3,000 yuan could barely buy one unit. When factoring in travel and living expenses for a trip to Wanghai, it might not even be enough for one unit. To truly make big money, he would probably need around ten thousand yuan, at least enough for three units.
A ten-thousand-yuan household in '91 was quite wealthy. But compared to their family's situation, this was merely a distant fantasy.
Earning 10,000 yuan or more within a month would be a significant challenge, even for Yu Zhou, who had been reborn from the future.
He purchased over three jin of meat, sliced thickly, and some vegetables and fruits. He packed them into a net bag, drawing envious glances from the people in the supply and marketing cooperative.
It was important to note that at this time, ration coupons had not yet completely disappeared from the market; you could buy meat with meat coupons.
It was possible to buy without coupons, but the combined cost of pork, vegetables, and fruits was a considerable expense, costing seven or eight yuan. Of course, by next year, meat and grain coupons would be completely out of circulation.
"I still need to make money as quickly as possible, at least earn ten thousand yuan within twenty days, otherwise, I'll miss the first opportunity to get rich in '92, the stock subscription certificate."
"With money, that dog Liu Dalong, I could toy with him until he's dead."
"But, within this month, how can I possibly earn ten thousand yuan or even more?"
Having clarified his thoughts, Yu Zhou began to worry.
"Move aside, move aside! What are you thinking about? Can't you see the cart?"
Suddenly, just as Yu Zhou was pondering how he could earn enough money within a month, he heard a voice from behind him.
He turned his head and saw a three-wheeled cart used by the nearby glazed tile factory to transport scrap materials. The cart was filled with scattered stones of various colors and broken pieces of glazed tiles.
Yu Zhou's eyes lit up.
"Uncle! Do you sell these scrap materials?"
He had thought of a brilliant money-making business...
The cold winter wind, mixed with fine rain, beat against Yu Zhou's face, but his heart was ablaze, devoid of any chill.
Riding the three-wheeled cart, he arrived at the entrance of his small courtyard. It was a dilapidated old house, decades old. The blue brick wall indicated that its owners had changed many times.
This house was left to Yu Zhou by his grandfather. After the return of the third line, his grandfather had allocated him three blue brick rooms.
Later, a kitchen was added, making it a decent home in Jiangbei.
Getting off the cart, Yu Zhou looked at the familiar courtyard. Inside, the ground was paved with blue bricks, and the stone stools were ancient.
In the west corner of the courtyard, there was a water pump, which evoked endless emotions in him.
After the demolition in 2008, he had built his fortune on the demolition compensation. They had lived in this courtyard for over twenty years.
He began to knock on the iron gate. Soon, Jiang Jie, who had rushed over, arrived at the courtyard gate.
"Why are you back so late? I've been waiting for you at home all afternoon... Why did you bring so much stuff?"
Seeing Yu Zhou return, Jiang Jie's worried expression relaxed slightly. However, she was surprised to see him carrying so much.
"I went to the supply and marketing cooperative. Here, take a look."
Yu Zhou lifted the meat from the three-wheeled cart. It was over three jin of ribs, so fatty they were practically sizzling.
In those days, unlike the present, one couldn't eat meat every day. People's bodies lacked sufficient fat, so fatty meat was naturally preferred, while lean meat was not very popular.
Yu Zhou knew that if he had bought lean meat, his wife would certainly be unhappy. So, even though he was used to lean meat, he bought ribs to make her happy.
"Why are you suddenly buying so much meat? Isn't this a waste of money? Our daughter isn't home, what's wrong with just the two of us eating something?"
Yu Zhou hadn't escaped her scolding, but looking at Jiang Jie's demeanor made his heart ache a little.
Jiang Jie was precisely this kind of person. Whenever there was anything good, she would always save it for him and their daughter. He felt he was blessed for many lifetimes to have married such a good wife.
In his previous life, after being bullied by Liu Dalong, Yu Zhou, returning from work, had not noticed his wife's situation. Instead, he blamed Jiang Jie for not cooking and sulked. But in this life, he was determined to treat his wife well.
"Today we celebrate both of us being laid off, let's have an extra meal and feast."
"Besides, if Xiao Yu were home, would you even bear to take a bite? We should eat while she's not here..."
"You... you've been laid off, and you're still feasting like this." Jiang Jie clearly didn't understand Yu Zhou. Without jobs, how their family would live in the future was a problem. She found such extravagance difficult to comprehend.
Yu Zhou patted Jiang Jie's shoulder, "Don't worry, what's a layoff? Look at what your husband brought back. We can earn some money with this in the future."
"What is this?"
Jiang Jie looked at Yu Zhou as he opened the snakeskin bag, revealing colorful stones, and asked with confusion, carrying the meat.
Seeing his wife's bewilderment, Yu Zhou picked up a handful of stones with a smile and said, "These are scrap pieces from the glazed tile factory, as well as scrap pieces of artificial stone, various hardwood fragments, and so on. Most of them I bought from the glazed tile factory at a very low price. The whole lot didn't cost much..."
"Then I hired the factory to polish and drill them. This cost more than buying the materials."
He then took out red string and opened the snakeskin bag.
He continued, "This red string didn't cost much. However, these elastic bands are not cheap. I ordered fifty yuan worth in total, and this is only a small portion."
Jiang Jie was dumbfounded by his explanation, completely unable to understand how these items were related to making money.
"Da Zhou... aren't you just wasting money?"
Upon hearing this, Jiang Jie became a little wronged again.
Since they were married, Yu Zhou had been extravagant with money. The wages of two full-time workers were spent by him, leaving little at the end of each month.
Otherwise, after earning wages for so many years, their family wouldn't have less than three hundred yuan in savings.
She had initially thought Yu Zhou was improving, but now she saw he was still the same.
In any other family, the wife would have caused such a ruckus that the neighbors would have heard it all.
"Uh! Don't worry! Go and cook something."
"Once the meal is ready, you'll see if this business can make money."
Yu Zhou hadn't expected his wife's reaction and quickly tried to smooth things over.
But it was understandable. After all, people in this era, especially regular factory workers, spent their days going to and from work and living their lives. How could they be expected to have business acumen and know how to make money?
Jiang Jie was not an overly shrewish or unreasonable wife. Although her face still showed disbelief, she didn't continue to question him.
Yu Zhou began to unload the items from the snakeskin bags one by one and place them in the courtyard, then returned the items he had bought back to the glazed tile factory.
When he returned, the sizzling sound of pork entering the pot could be heard from the kitchen.
"Oh, it smells delicious."
Smelling the aroma emanating from the kitchen, Yu Zhou said something casually. He received a glare from Jiang Jie.
He didn't mind and took a black cloth elastic band from the snakeskin bag.
He threaded a peculiarly shaped red glazed piece onto it, tied a knot, and then tucked the knot into the hole of the glazed piece.
Thus, a fashionable hair tie, absolutely unheard of in this era, appeared.
Afterward, Yu Zhou began weaving bracelets with the red string.
This was considerably more complex than the hair ties, but it was not difficult for Yu Zhou, a regular worker at a textile factory.
In about ten minutes, a bracelet and a hair tie were finished, and he handed them to Jiang Jie.
"How beautiful! What is this? A bracelet? And a hair tie? Are you planning to sell these?"
Jiang Jie blurted out a string of questions. The items were indeed beautiful, but she was still afraid of them being a loss.
"To be precise, this is a cheap and attractive bracelet, and as for this hair tie, at most it's just an artificial stone or glazed tile added as a decoration."
"Imagine this: if you saw someone selling these at a street stall, and they weren't expensive, would you buy a string?"
"Tell me the truth!"
Yu Zhou said softly.
These items were originally intended for the girls of this era.
It was important to note that in the early 1990s, apart from wealthy individuals wearing gold necklaces and bracelets, ordinary girls did not wear any accessories.
Not to mention adornments, even hair ties were mostly simple elastic bands, and some even used just string to tie their hair.
These items, in late '91, might not realistically bring in over ten thousand a month, but they were definitely a profitable business.
Moreover, Yu Zhou hadn't even planned to sell them; he had a more detailed plan.
"Yes, I would buy them."
Jiang Jie answered honestly.
If they weren't expensive, she would definitely buy them, and not just one.
"Then, do you think these things can make money now?"
Yu Zhou smiled, full of confidence.
Now it was Jiang Jie's turn to be speechless. However, she couldn't help but wonder.
How on earth did her husband come up with these ideas?
"Dinner's ready!"
Alright, Jiang Jie changed the subject for the second time. Prideful people wouldn't admit if they were tempted.
Looking at Jiang Jie's expression, Yu Zhou smiled.
Such a familiar attitude. 1991, I'm back, and she's here, and she is too...