The Fiery Era: Becoming an Industrial Giant

Chapter 6 Arriving at the Factory
Zhou Zhiqiang's salary is 48.5 yuan. Even if he gives 5 yuan to his family in the countryside, he still has 43.5 yuan.

It's more than enough to cover the expenses for two people.

After the era of ration coupons arrived, even if you had money, you couldn't spend it. From large items like bicycles to a single needle, all goods required coupons.

Unless you go to the pigeon market and buy tickets that others can't use.

However, that would be illegal, and Zhou Zhiqiang has no intention of going to Pigeon City unless absolutely necessary.

These days, an adult's monthly expenses are basically seven or eight yuan, and at most ten yuan.

This includes the cost of grain, meat, coal, and non-staple foods, so Zhou Zhiqiang said that he was responsible for all the household expenses, which were all calculated in advance.

That way, he could set aside twenty yuan each month, which would be enough for all his and Guo Yuting's expenses.

He was able to save 23.5 yuan, and he also made a contribution to the factory, so he might be promoted to a permanent position next year, at which time his salary would be 55 yuan.

There will be countless ways to make money in the future, so Zhou Zhiqiang felt that he didn't need to save money during the era of ration coupons.

How stupid would someone have to be to do something like that? There will be plenty of opportunities to pick up gold in the future, especially since he has a cheat code.

After hearing this, Guo Yuting pointed to herself and asked, "You mean, I'll keep my own salary?"

"Well, take it."

After Zhou Zhiqiang finished speaking, he paused for a moment, and then added, "It's best to open a savings account and deposit your money in a bank; it'll be safer. But it's up to you what you want."

Guo Yuting nodded, then quickly shook her head and said, "How can I use your money? Keep my money with you too. If I need money, I'll ask you for it."

"My salary is enough to live on. Even if I go out for a better meal twice a month, it's enough. You don't need your salary most of the time, so you should just put it in the bank."

If we need to buy big items for the family, we'll use your salary then.

Although Zhou Zhiqiang said that, he bought all the big-ticket items he could afford, including a sewing machine, a bicycle, a watch, and a radio.

Before the salary grading reform, Teacher Guo could earn more than 300 yuan a month. Even after the reform, he can still earn a little over 200 yuan.

I bought a lot of big items for the house, but I couldn't take them with me when I left, so they're all still here.

As for refrigerators and washing machines, forget about them; they're simply not something private individuals can buy.

In Beijing, power outages were frequent and electricity usage was restricted, making it impossible to support this type of appliance.

Afterwards, Zhou Zhiqiang and Guo Yuting took stock of their family's assets. If they wanted to live a good life in the future, they needed to at least figure out how much money they had.

Zhou Zhiqiang had 136 yuan in savings, and his father-in-law, Guo Linhua, left them 100 yuan before he left.

Guo Yuting has been working for more than two years, but she bought herself a lot of clothes before, and now she has only saved a little over two hundred yuan.

I usually eat and live at home, and my expenses are basically minimal, around 30 or 40 yuan a month. Over two years, that's just over 200 yuan, which is quite a small amount.

Guo Yuting said somewhat shyly, "I used to like buying clothes, so you should manage the money from now on."

Zhou Zhiqiang said with a smile, "What's wrong with buying clothes? Everyone loves to look good. If you look good, I, as your husband, will also feel proud."

"Okay, besides the money for daily expenses, I'll open two more savings accounts, one for each of us, and we'll keep them somewhere at home that we both know."

"Okay, it's up to you."

Guo Yuting was already very happy when Zhou Zhiqiang didn't say that she was wasting money on clothes.

She had bought a cheongsam before, but her father scolded her, which made Guo Yuting run back to her room and cry.

From then on, Guo Yuting bought clothes secretly.

Zhou Zhiqiang doesn't care much about these things. As long as it doesn't affect household expenses, he'll spend money whenever he can.

Although this era was poor, it was still relatively good for workers. He and Guo Yuting were both employees, and if they got sick, the factory and their work unit would cover their expenses. Their basic needs were met, so what was the point of keeping money in hand? There were always opportunities to earn it back later.

After discussing family matters, Zhou Zhiqiang glanced at the time and said to Guo Yuting, "It's getting late, let's get some rest."

"Oh yes, it's time to rest."

As soon as Guo Yuting heard that it was time to rest, her eyes involuntarily darted around, and her face flushed slightly.

Is she going to be sleeping in the same bed with her husband soon? But she was the one who chose to become a real couple, so it wouldn't be good to back out now.
"I'll go wash up."

After Zhou Zhiqiang finished speaking, he went to wash up. After he finished washing up, Guo Yuting also went to wash up with her head down.

After washing up, the two sat on the edge of the bed. Guo Yuting was even more nervous than when she was assigned to her post.

"Get some rest, you have to go to work tomorrow."

After saying that, Zhou Zhiqiang turned off the light and pulled Guo Yuting to the bed to rest.

Although it was supposed to be a rest day, tonight was also their wedding night.

Before long, the sturdy wooden bed began to creak and groan.

------

Early in the morning, Guo Yuting was awakened by the noise outside and slowly got out of bed.

Thinking about what happened last night, she couldn't help but blush.

Now that she is a married woman, this feeling has caused some changes in Guo Yuting's heart.

After getting dressed and arriving in the courtyard, Guo Yuting happened to see Zhou Zhiqiang serving breakfast.

"You're awake? I got up a little late this morning and didn't have time to make breakfast, so I went out to buy some."

When Zhou Zhiqiang saw Guo Yuting, he smiled and said, "We have both meat buns and vegetarian buns, as well as soy milk. Wash up and come eat."

"Row."

After Guo Yuting finished speaking, she went to wash up. After brushing her teeth and washing her face, she sat down at the stone table in the courtyard to eat breakfast.

Two steamed buns and a bowl of soy milk per person was quite a feast. The steamed buns of that era were made with very substantial ingredients, and the meat filling inside was just like that of meatballs.

After breakfast, Zhou Zhiqiang and Guo Yuting also had to go to work.

We now work six days a week and only have one day off on Sunday.

Zhou Zhiqiang handed the wedding candies he had wrapped up the night before to Guo Yuting and said, "Remember to share the candies with your colleagues. Dinner will be the same as yesterday."

Guo Yuting said with satisfaction, "It's up to you. I like everything you make, and your cooking is better than my mom's."

"Hehe, it's not that your cooking is bad, it's just..."

Zhou Zhiqiang stopped halfway through his sentence. His teacher's wife was also good to him, but she came from a wealthy family and rarely did anything herself before.

She could only have come from a poor family if she could marry a college student at the time.

After finishing their meal, the two rode their bicycles to work.

Riding his old-fashioned bicycle, Zhou Zhiqiang soon arrived at the gate of Dafeng Machinery Manufacturing Plant.

He was a little nervous on the way, but he was completely relaxed once he arrived at the door.

Having inherited all of the original owner's memories and possessing a cheat ability to deduce knowledge, what is he worried about?
(End of this chapter)