Starting a new chapter in life

Chapter 155 Refrigerator

After some hesitation, the shop owner reluctantly agreed, issuing a receipt in the shop's name and attaching a warranty statement. He Zhijun checked it before letting Jing Yan settle the payment. "Since you promised to be responsible for after-sales service, you should have carefully inspected the refrigerator before taking delivery. None of us want something so expensive to have problems, right?"

The shopkeeper nodded helplessly: "Don't worry, my supply channels are very legitimate. They are Shuanglu brand double-door refrigerators, produced by a reputable manufacturer. Although I can't tell you how I got them, I guarantee they are brand new and genuine."

"However, it will take me a week to arrange for the goods to be shipped. So, are you going to bring the binoculars back with you this time, or should I deliver them together in a week? I suggest you bring them yourself. We're not very careful with our deliveries, and we don't want you to worry if they get damaged."

It's true that the assembled parts are not very convenient to move; it's much easier to carry after disassembly. If you can assemble it, it would be best to disassemble it and take it back.

He Zhijun pondered for a moment: "Do you have assembly blueprints here?"

"We have the instruction manual for this product here, which should include assembly instructions. Let me show it to you," the shopkeeper quickly said.

A thin booklet was pulled from the lining of the telescope bag and handed to He Zhijun. He Zhijun immediately flipped to the exploded view of the telescope assembly, carefully examined it, then asked the shopkeeper for tools and attempted to disassemble it himself.

Disassembling and reassembling took about half a day. However, with experience, He Zhijun disassembled it much faster. After disassembling the binoculars and putting them into his bag, the three of them left after agreeing to meet at the shop a week later to receive the refrigerator.

On the way back, He Ci'en's lips never left his mouth, and his eyes kept glancing at the bag in He Zhijun's hand. His eagerness amused Jing Yan, who tugged at his arm and said, "Don't be in such a hurry. When we get home, have your uncle pack it up and put it on our rooftop. Isn't nighttime the best time for stargazing? Can you see it during the day?"

Once the topic of interest to He Ci'en came up, he started talking non-stop, explaining to Jing Yan: "Auntie, you can't see them with the naked eye during the day, but you can see stars with a telescope."

If the sunlight isn't too strong, it won't be as clear as at night, but it's still okay. However, if the sunlight is strong during the day, with my current equipment, I probably wouldn't be able to see anything clearly. Today the weather was a bit cloudy, so I actually managed to see some stars while I was in the shop. But I'll stick to stargazing at night from now on. It's just a hobby; there's no need to force myself to stargaze during the day.

Jingyan nodded: "As long as you have your own plan, that's good. The current equipment is indeed not very accurate. When you go to university, if you are still interested in this, your aunt will buy you a more advanced one. Who knows, our family might really produce an astronomy expert in the future."

Back home, He Zhijun went up to the rooftop to assemble the equipment, with He Ci'en following closely behind to help. An'an and Zhizhi also joined in the fun. Xiao Li, however, had become much more serious about his studies since He Ci'en stayed behind; he was seen taking his fifth-grade books to the study on the third floor to study.

Jingyan was somewhat unfamiliar with his studious demeanor. She looked at her grandmother curiously and asked, "Grandma, Xiaoli has been paying much more attention to his studies this year. He even asked Zhijun to borrow fifth-grade textbooks from someone recently, saying he wants to start studying a semester early. Is there something he's thinking?"

Grandma smiled and said, "He must have been influenced by Ci'en. I heard Zhijun say a while ago that An'an and Zhizhi could start primary school when they turned six. He started primary school at eight, so he'll be two years later than An'an and the others. I don't know where he found out that if your grades are very good, you can apply for a grade skipping mock exam. As long as you score over 80, you can skip a grade."

Now, He Chaoli is motivated. After school, he eats dinner, finishes his homework, and starts studying the fifth-grade textbook ahead of time. His eagerness makes his family both happy and worried, fearing that he might put too much pressure on himself. However, a month has passed, and He Chaoli's mental state is still quite good, so they are gradually relieved.

It's a good thing that the children love learning, and An'an is old enough to go to kindergarten. He Zhijun and Jingyan were also thinking about sending An'an there, but they were reluctant to leave Zhizhi alone at home. It was Jingyan who made the decision on the spot:

“Take Zhizhi with you when you go. If the principal agrees to accept her, then she can go to school together. At worst, Zhizhi can stay in kindergarten for two more years and start primary school when she is old enough. It’s better than her just playing around at home every day.”

He Zhijun... "Sometimes I really doubt whether there's a mismatch between our positions. It seems like you're stricter with the kids than I am, and I spoil the kids more. Isn't it said that a loving mother and a strict father are the opposite? We seem to be the opposite."

"Isn't this a good thing? It makes you a loving father, and the children will be closer to you in the future." Jingyan's words of comfort were completely insincere.

Although He Zhijun felt helpless, he couldn't refute it. He was indeed quite lenient and loving towards his children. Ever since the telescope arrived, He Ci'en would go up to the rooftop every night to look at the stars, and she would also take all three children up with her. Zhizhi, being a young child, lost interest after a couple of days, and An'an didn't have much patience for stargazing either.

As for Ho Chiu-lai, forget it. This kid is still single-mindedly thinking about skipping a grade. He wants to finish a whole year's worth of fifth-grade courses in his spare time during one semester and still get a score of over 80. That's no easy task. After all, his best result before was only in the top ten of the grade. So if he wants to catch up, he'll have to work really hard.

In the end, only He Ci'en remained who insisted on going stargazing every day. He didn't want to stay on the top floor by himself, so he would take Zhizhi up with him. Zhizhi liked to stick to him, so she followed him up. While He Ci'en was looking at the stars, she would play with her abacus toy next to him, fiddling with it and making noise, but she was enjoying herself.

Watching He Ci'en and Zhizhi interact, Jingyan's thoughts drifted back to her past life. After her daughter was born, it was her third sister's two sons who helped take care of her. Either Rong Gang would carry her on his shoulders, or Rong Qiang would carry her on his back. Rong Qiang, with his thin frame, would be panting heavily with the chubby little Yue on his back, but he still couldn't bear to leave his little sister behind.

As the children grew older, Ronggang always needed his younger sister, Xiaoyue, to accompany him whether he was cooking or doing crafts. Xiaoyue didn't need to help; just her presence was enough. Rongqiang, on the other hand, would always take Xiaoyue with him when he went out. At that time, she couldn't understand what these two children were after. Didn't they mind that the child tripped over their feet?

Looking at the scene now, apart from the children changing, the need for companionship remains the same. Thinking of this, she turned around and went back into the house to write a letter to her third sister. Her two nephews should be in fourth grade and second grade now, respectively. Her third sister has always been rather careless, so she thought of going to the market to buy some school supplies and sending them to her third sister as a gift for the children.

After stuffing the letters and gifts for her third sister into a package and sending it to the Great Northern Wilderness, Jingyan stopped thinking about other things and started to focus on her own shop's business. As the number of customers increased, several groups of customers asked if the shop had any alcoholic beverages, and she began to consider stocking up on some alcoholic beverages to sell in the shop.

However, purchasing with tickets is still the main channel. Although there are loopholes to exploit now, allowing you to buy items without tickets at slightly higher prices, bulk purchases of alcohol require a license, which my small shop does not have.

But what conditions are required to sell? Jingyan didn't know, so she went to the community management office to inquire. She was directed to an office door with a sign that read "Market Management." She knocked lightly three times on the open door and politely greeted the staff, "Hello."

There were only four desks inside, and only two people were there at the moment. The other two desks were empty. Someone responded, "Please come in."

Jing Yan entered the room, put on a smile, and was about to speak when the clerk, who had been working with his head down, looked up. Their eyes met, and Jing Yan was startled. Then she realized what was happening and exclaimed, "Um, what are you doing here?"

The clerk was taken aback for a moment, then smiled: "Oh, it's you. What brings you here?"

The office manager, sitting at the head of the desk, glanced at the two of them and asked in a gentle voice, "You two know each other?"

The clerk replied with a smile, "Yes, I know her. Last year, she bought that two-story shop in our inner area. I heard from people that her shop was doing very well. A few days ago, you even said that we should go and try it when we have a get-together next month. Do you remember?"

The office manager then realized, "Oh, that's your shop. So, what brings you here this time..."

Jingyan quickly said, "My family mainly runs a business selling braised meat and barbecue, mostly meat. I thought that having a little wine while eating meat would be the perfect match, so I wanted to sell some alcohol in the store. However, I know that there are some procedures to go through when selling alcohol, but I really don't know how to do it, so I came here to ask for advice."

The director understood, turned around, took a document from the filing cabinet, flipped through it for a while, and said, "If you're just doing retail, the required documents are simpler. Let me check what permits your store has already obtained..."

Business license, health permit, tax registration certificate, health certificate—your store has all the necessary permits. It's rare to find a business that proactively handles these documents. Good job; you're law-abiding.

"Take these certificates from your business to the Commerce Bureau to apply for a liquor license and registration certificate. Within 60 days of obtaining the business license, come here to complete the registration process. Then you can operate a liquor retail business. Have you found a place to wholesale liquor?"

Jing Yan shook her head: "The supply and marketing cooperative doesn't have many wines that don't require coupons, and there's not much room for negotiation on the price. I don't know where the wineries in Haishi are. I'm thinking of getting the permits sorted out first before looking for suppliers."

The director glanced at the clerk: "Xiao Chen, if I remember correctly, you have a relative who is an official in the Haishi Supply and Marketing Cooperative, right? Why don't you make a connection for Comrade Zhang and ask your relative?"

Clerk Xiao Chen smiled and agreed, "I can help ask my uncle, but I can't guarantee whether I can get in touch with the winery. As far as I know, there's a minimum purchase quantity for ordering wine directly from the winery."

"If you don't reach this quantity, the distillery's sales department won't contact you. But I don't know the exact quantity yet. I'll inquire for you, and I'll come to the store to find you when I have news, okay?"

Jing Yan nodded repeatedly: "Then I'll have to trouble you. If this works out, I'll treat your department to a meal at my restaurant. I hope you'll all do me the honor of joining us."

The two thanked her politely, and Jingyan then returned to the shop. Things had to be done one by one, and there was no rushing. Fortunately, her two lifetimes had smoothed out her original impatience considerably.

Seven days have passed in the blink of an eye, and the refrigerator has been delivered first. It was originally agreed that it would be delivered in the next day or two. Jingyan thought that if it were her, she would also rush to deliver it as soon as possible. So after opening the store, she asked Dou Zhixiao to keep an eye on it at the dock. The refrigerator is quite large and should be eye-catching.

As expected, Jing Yan's prediction was correct. The ferry arrived at around 11 o'clock. After most of the people had disembarked, Dou Zhixiao saw the shopkeeper with two people carrying and lifting things. After a lot of effort, they finally managed to get the items to the shore. The shopkeeper wanted to find a car to help transport them, but at that time, Changxing Island had not yet developed the ability to use private vehicles for transportation. After asking around, they still couldn't find one.

This gave Dou Zhixiao time to confirm. After looking at them for a while, he felt that it should be them. He went up to ask, and when the shopkeeper heard that he was an employee of Haoweidao Barbecue and Braised Meat Shop, he quickly told him about not being able to find the truck.

Dou Zhixiao hadn't been wasting his time at the dock receiving goods for the past six months; he had indeed made some connections. He managed to get the shopkeeper to hire a tricycle for a dollar, and the group worked together to carry the refrigerator up. The tricycle owner knew Jing Yan's shop, and after letting the porters get on the tricycle, they headed straight for the shop.

Dou Zhixiao followed the shopkeeper on foot back. Fortunately, the distance wasn't far, and they arrived in about fifteen minutes. When they got to the shop, the refrigerator's packaging box had already been removed and was placed on an empty spot next to the cashier. Everyone in the shop was gathered around looking at it.

The shopkeeper, assuming they had already plugged in the power, hurriedly squeezed over and said urgently, "This refrigerator has been shaking a lot on the way here. It needs to be left to stand for a day before it can be plugged in..." As he said this, he walked to the side of the refrigerator to check the socket. When he found that the socket was not powered, his voice trailed off for a moment, and then he chuckled twice: "Hehe, it's not powered in."

Jing Yan's voice was tinged with laughter: "I've only heard of this stuff before, I've never used it. With you, the expert, not here, how could I dare to touch it? I just unpacked it. Since we're going to let it sit for a day, how about we turn it on again at this time tomorrow?"

The shopkeeper nodded repeatedly: "That's right, you can start using it at this time tomorrow. After it's plugged in, it will take six hours for the freezer compartment to freeze. After it's frozen, you can put meat in. Once it's plugged in, don't frequently turn the power on and off, otherwise it will affect the lifespan of the refrigerator."