Chapter 256 - 160 New Year’s Day Routine_2

Words : 1788 Updated : Sep 29th, 2025

Chapter 256: Chapter 160 New Year’s Day Routine_2Zhao Xiaolan said with a slight sternness on her face, "Bonuses should be given, but they must be linked to the store’s profits. If business happens to be bad next year, should we still give out the same bonuses? That’s not reasonable. I think Ah Feng could take a portion of the store’s profits and use it as a reward for Ah Rui, like 10% of the profits." Zhao Xiaolan was after all the owner of a small grocery store, had attended primary school, and was somewhat knowledgeable. Chen Rui immediately responded, "Mom is right, it should be that way. Otherwise, if the store’s business is bad in the future and the monthly profits are only twenty or thirty thousand, should we still take out eight thousand yuan to give the store manager as a bonus? We can’t set that precedent. I won’t be the store manager forever. At most, we use 10% of the profits as the year-end bonus. That’s already quite a bit." Li Guihong, feeling indignant that he was not fighting for more, kicked Chen Rui under the table, causing him such pain he almost cried out loud. Chen Feng actually agreed with this plan and said, "Then we’ll implement this plan next year. This year we’ll go with what I said, four months’ salary. All right, that’s it. Brother, use your phone and divide the money." "Okay, we’ll implement this plan next year," Li Guihong said joyfully, nudging Chen Rui slightly. Chen Rui, feeling a little guilty, glanced at his mother. Seeing that her expression was still calm and she didn’t object, he felt relieved and took out his phone, saying, "Fine, I’ll take a little advantage this time." Quickly, Chen Rui worked on his phone and transferred their respective share of dividends from the store’s public account into the private accounts of both brothers. "OK! Done. That’s it then. I’m going back to my room." Chen Feng stood up to leave. "Hold on," their mother called out to him, "I’ll keep that 70,000 yuan for safekeeping until you get married, so you don’t go wasting it." Chen Feng had actually been thinking of an opportunity to present this money to his mother as a token of respect, just for the sake of his brother and sister-in-law’s face, it wasn’t nice to take it out in front of them. Otherwise, being both sons of their parents, it would look bad if Chen Feng gave and Chen Rui, the older brother, did not. Now that his mother was actively asking for it, Chen Feng couldn’t help but think of all those New Year’s money gifts that never returned as he grew up, and he felt a touch of sadness in his heart. "Mom, you’re scamming my New Year’s money," Chen Feng said with a pained expression. "Don’t talk nonsense. If I tell you to keep it with me, then keep it with me. Just transfer it to me on WeChat." Zhao Xiaolan’s expression left no room for doubt. Chen Rui, feeling some sympathy, spoke for his younger brother, "Mom, at least let Ah Feng keep some. He’s grown up and needs to have some money on him." "He’s got plenty of money. Hooking up left and right, staying out nights, and traveling all over. If I don’t save some for him, he’ll soon spend it all." Clearly, their mother was somewhat dissatisfied with his roguish behavior in recent times. "There, there, wealth makes a man at ease. Mom, let’s not talk about it. I’ll transfer it to you right away." Chen Feng promptly took out his phone and enthusiastically transferred the seventy thousand yuan to his mother. After receiving the money, Zhao Xiaolan nodded in satisfaction and waved them off, "Okay, you can go now." Chen Feng turned and left. Chen Rui could only offer deep sympathy to his own brother. The money had barely warmed his pocket before his mother snatched it away. Returning to his room, Chen Feng couldn’t help but laugh. He had been thinking about how to find an excuse to give this money to his mother, but since she asked for it herself, it saved him the trouble. Before long, it was New Year’s Eve, and early in the morning, his mother and sister-in-law were busy in the kitchen preparing a lavish New Year’s Eve dinner. Chen Feng played it cool like a salted fish, joining his dad and older brother—the three of them in front of the small grocery store—watching TV, while also keeping an eye on Little Yu and Little Xue playing in front of the house. Many little kids began appearing on the streets in groups, having a blast, and from time to time, there was a pop, the sound of firecracker pellets being thrown on the ground and exploding. Children mostly loved these "little firecrackers," which were safe and fun to play with because they would explode on their own if thrown on the ground. These past few days, their small grocery store’s main business had been selling these items, and since firecrackers were regulated and sold exclusively elsewhere, they no longer had a share of that market. Then there were some toys for children, displayed at the door, attracting a lot of kids to come and watch, drawing them to plead with their parents to buy, or the older children would buy directly with their own money. This way, the business wasn’t too bad, to the extent that on New Year’s Eve, their parents were reluctant to close the store and take a break. It wasn’t until about one in the afternoon that the whole family finally began to eat. After dinner, Chen Feng took his two little nieces out for a stroll and then went back to sleep. Otherwise, he wouldn’t get any rest that night. By five o’clock, Chen Feng was woken up by his mother, who sent him and his brother to pick vegetables in their own field. The two brothers took an old knife and a bucket to collect vegetables, including cabbage, shepherd’s purse, and white radishes. On the way, his older brother, Chen Rui, happily talked to him about his plan to buy a house in town next year. He and his wife had wanted to buy a new house to live in for a long time, after all, living with the parents every day, there were inevitably some inconveniences, especially between mother-in-law and daughter-in-law. Zhao Xiaolan was the kind of strong-willed mother-in-law, and Li Guihong, the daughter-in-law, was clearly oppressed by her, and this had been going on for several years. Although she never dared to rebel, she had some grievances in her heart. Therefore, for the past few years, the couple had been saving money, planning to buy a house. This time, he had brought back over a hundred thousand from the store. Together with their previous savings, it was almost enough to buy a house. The new apartment in their town, a 120 square meter roughcast apartment, cost only a bit over three hundred thousand. Chen Feng, of course, had no objection to this and said, "Our house is quite old. It must be nearly twenty years old now. I remember it was built when I was in the third or fourth grade." "Almost twenty years, although it’s still comfortable to live in, it’s definitely not as convenient as a new apartment. Aren’t they building new apartments near our house? It should be finished by the first half of next year, with an elevator, which is pretty good, and it’s close to our parents." "Right, it’s nice over there. There’s a small park not far away, and it’s close to the vegetable market. If money is an issue, I can lend you some." "That won’t be necessary. My sister-in-law and I have saved up some money over the years. In recent years, she’s been eager to buy a house." "I didn’t see that coming. You two actually have that much private savings? The house costs over three hundred thousand, and for decorations, you’ll need at least a hundred thousand more, right?" "The money for the house is just about enough, we’ll buy it first. Decoration isn’t urgent; we can wait until we make more money from the store next year before doing it." "Then wouldn’t you be able to move in only the year after next?" "It depends on how the business goes at the store. If we can make fifty to sixty thousand a month, I might move in by the end of next year." "I think you shouldn’t let your sister-in-law wait too long. Once the house is finished, just go ahead and decorate it. I can lend you the money if it’s not enough." "That’s... Let’s talk about it later," Chen Rui said hesitantly, "Moving out suddenly, I really do feel a bit reluctant." Chen Feng smiled and said, "You may be reluctant, but I’m sure your sister-in-law is dreaming of moving out as soon as possible." Chen Rui had no response to that, there was no need to justify anything in front of his own brother. The mother and daughter-in-law seemed amicable on the surface, but privately the daughter-in-law had often complained to him about the mother. And the mother could indeed be quite strict with her daughter-in-law. "Alright, that’s settled then. We’ll start decorating as soon as the house is ready." Chen Rui nodded and didn’t speak again. When the brothers returned home, they discovered their rarely seen uncle had come to visit. Uncle Zhao Guozhong was in his forties this year, having been indolent and irresponsible since childhood. Though he managed to marry when he was young, he failed to keep his wife around, and she left him. He remains a bachelor to this day. A few years ago, he borrowed a hundred thousand from his two sisters, including fifty thousand from Zhao Xiaolan, to do business in another province, after which there was no word from him. And now, on New Year’s Eve, his sudden appearance didn’t bode well, Chen Feng felt. "Ah Rui, Ah Feng, come on, try these ginseng cigarettes I brought back from the Northeast. You’ve definitely never had these before." The uncle enthusiastically offered cigarettes to the brothers. Ah Rui unhesitatingly took one, while Chen Feng waved his hand, "I don’t smoke." "What, you still can’t smoke? Come on, you must try this. This is health cigarette; it’s good for your health to smoke it." Chen Feng rolled his eyes and waved his hand, "Really, I don’t smoke. You guys go ahead." Saying that, Chen Feng walked past him, heading for the back of the kitchen.

Chapter 256 - 160 New Year’s Day Routine_2

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