Reborn in the 90s, I traded my ex-husband for eight apartments.

Li Jun returned from Beijing on the 25th day of the twelfth lunar month.

I only stayed at the restaurant for one night, and took the earliest bus home the next day.

That kid also brought Bai Zhenzhu and the others a roast duck, saying it was a local specialty.

Before they knew it, it was the 27th of the twelfth lunar month. Bai Zhenzhu discussed it with her brother and sister-in-law and decided that it was time to give Li Yuerong and the others a holiday.

Hearing that she would be on holiday, Li Yueshu was reluctant to leave:

"The clothing store is doing so well, you won't be able to handle it all if I leave."

Bai Zhenzhu smiled and said:

"You can never earn all the money in the world, and there aren't many winter clothes left in the store. I'll sell the rest slowly, and I'll close the store on the 29th of the twelfth lunar month to prepare for the New Year."

On the evening of the 27th day of the twelfth lunar month, Bai Zhenzhu invited everyone to dinner at a state-run restaurant.

Bai Chenglei and Liu Fang were unwilling to go to the state-run restaurant.

Liu Fang said, "Customers all say that our food is better than that of state-run restaurants. Pearl, why did you invite us to eat there? It's a waste of money."

Bai Zhenzhu smiled and said:

"You and your brother have been cooking for so long, aren't you done yet? Tonight, our whole family will go out and eat what's ready-made."

None of us have ever eaten at a state-run restaurant before.

In the afternoon, after the clothing store was empty, Bai Zhenzhu closed the door and took her parents and children over first.

Xu Yin also rode in a van; it was her first time riding in one, and she was very excited.

Others rode bicycles and tricycles.

Bai Chenglei and Liu Fang arrived last; by the time they got there, the waiters had already started serving the dishes.

The lobby of the state-run hotel is very large and looks quite impressive.

There were quite a few people, so we only had two tables occupied.

As the owner, Bai Zhenzhu stood up, holding her teacup.

"Everyone has worked hard these past few months. It's the end of the year, so we'll start our holiday tomorrow and everyone will come back to work on the eighth day of the first lunar month."

"I'll offer you a toast with tea instead of wine."

Wishing everyone a Happy New Year in advance.

Everyone picked up their cups filled with drinks and stood up together:

"Happy New Year!"

Everyone made money, and everyone's face was beaming with happiness.

Bai Zhenzhu took out a stack of red envelopes from her bag.

Whether it's her older brother and sister-in-law or her cousins, they are all people Bai Zhenzhu can trust.

Without their help in managing these shops, she wouldn't have earned so much money.

They would be even less likely to have enough energy to continue their business.

"I'm giving everyone some red envelopes. It's not much, just a small token of my appreciation."

As she spoke, she gave each of Old Man Bai and Li Xiufen a red envelope.

Li Xiufen laughed and scolded:

"Why would I ask your dad for a red envelope? Take it away, don't make a fool of yourself."

Others also said they didn't want the red envelopes, arguing that since they were paid, it was their duty to work.

Everyone here is a very honest person, and it was their first time receiving a red envelope, so they were quite embarrassed.

Everyone received a white pearl, even the children.

Liu Huiying's face turned red with anxiety:

"Pearl, I've only been here a few days, how can I accept a red envelope? Take it back..."

Bai Zhenzhu pressed down on her hand:

"Everyone gets a share, so let's share the joy and wash away all the bad luck."

Liu Huiying hugged Jiajia, her eyes reddening.

Then she remembered that it wasn't good to shed tears on such a wonderful day, so she quickly held back.

Pearl is right, the bad luck is gone, and her and Jiajia's future will only get better and better.

Xu Yin glanced at them secretly; both the adults and children were fifty.

Bai Wenjie's red envelope was confiscated before he could even enjoy it.

"Son, Mom will keep it for you."

Bai Wenjie had been used to this kind of thing since he could remember, and said helplessly:

"Then you have to give me money to buy firecrackers for the New Year."

Xu Yin: "No problem."

The meal was a pleasure for both the host and guests.

The next day, Bai Zhenzhu went to the two Maocai restaurants and the house in Furong Community to check whether the water and electricity were turned off and whether the stove was extinguished.

Almost all the shops on the street near No. 1 Middle School were closed, and the street was deserted.

Xu Yin's younger brother and sister-in-law also kept the house in Furong Community very clean.

Last night, Bai Chengxiang and Bai Chenglei settled all of January's wages, so everyone could take the money home for the New Year.

Bai Zhenzhu also settled Li Yueshu's wages.

Liu Huiying refused her salary, absolutely refused it.

I didn't give her the white pearl; I was going to buy Jiajia a new outfit.

Everyone else left except for Liu Huiying and Jiajia.

On the afternoon of the 28th day of the twelfth lunar month.

Once there were no more customers, Bai Zhenzhu locked the door, posted a sign on the door saying "Open for business on the eighth day of the lunar new year," and then took her father to the bank to deposit money.

She deposited 15,000 yuan this time, including profits from the clothing store and restaurant in the past two days, plus the profits from the braised meat shop and hot pot restaurant in January.

Including the deposits made over the past few days, my bank account now has a balance of 18 yuan.

Nie Lei was the one who handled the business this time as well.

Bai Zhenzhu thanked him and turned around to see a young girl walk in.

The girl smiled when she saw Nie Lei:

"Brother Lei, are you off work yet?"

The older woman next to me joked:

"Hey Xiao Nie, your girlfriend's here to pick you up from get off work."

Nie Lei glanced at the doorway out of the corner of his eye.

White Pearl must have heard it.

Bai Zhenzhu did hear it, but it had nothing to do with her.

Right now, all she could think about was her bank account balance.

In her past life, she had heard people say that some people who ran clothing businesses at the train station earned tens of thousands of yuan a month.

She thought he was bragging.

Unexpectedly, it turned out to be true.

All the busyness and hard work these past few days have been completely worth it.

Although the balance didn't break 200,000, it was still 180,000—the first time she had so much money.

She closed early, and after depositing the money, it wasn't dark yet when she drove to Xia He's place.

Both of them have been very busy lately, and they only managed to meet briefly on the day they picked up the goods.

When Bai Zhenzhu arrived, Xia He's shop was nearly empty; she was taking inventory.

She learned this from Bai Zhenzhu.

Before, when she only had one store, she didn't bother with inventory statistics. But since she started having two stores, the importance of these ledgers has become apparent.

It's very convenient to replace out-of-stock items.

Xia He glanced up unintentionally and saw Bai Zhenzhu smiling at her.

"Hey, Mr. Bai is here. I was wondering why the lights were so bright today."

Bai Zhenzhu handed her a roasted sweet potato she had bought downstairs:

"Business is good, how's the clearance sale going?"

Xia He couldn't stop smiling:

“It’s great, oh, it’s really great, hahaha. Let me tell you, I sold a total of 20,000 in one day, just from this one store.”

Bai Zhenzhu was also surprised; this big store was truly different.

"The winter clothes are almost sold out, and look, my store has already stocked spring clothes."

Bai Zhenzhu did see that Xiahe store had already put out a lot of spring clothes.

Just as the accounts were settled, Xia He put away the ledger:

How's your shop?

Bai Zhenzhu: "It's alright. There aren't many winter styles left. We'll sell some more in the spring, which will be just right."

Xia He took the initiative to say:

"Let's buy more houses when spring comes."

Bai Zhenzhu chuckled:

"Why did you suddenly bring this up?"

Xia He: "I just feel at ease when I have a house and money, the more the better."

White Pearl nodded:

"Buying a house is something that can't be stopped."

Then he remembered the purpose of his visit:

"Want to go shopping tomorrow?"

The department store will only close for the New Year's Eve holiday, but Xia He plans to take a break starting tomorrow.

The shop at the train station is closed tomorrow. Her cousin and the shop assistants are helping out, so she, the owner, can take a break whenever she wants.

"Go ahead, I'll take you to get your hair permed. You'll look absolutely gorgeous with big waves."

Bai Zhenzhu smiled and said:

"Sure, let's give it a makeover for the New Year."

Before the department store closed, Bai Zhenzhu went and bought a lot of things.

It's less crowded now, so I'll weigh out a little of everything, like candy and cookies. Tomorrow it'll definitely be crowded.