I'm back in 1990

Chapter 640: Moving Around

Having not seen his two older sisters for a while, Huang Xiaochuan inquired about their family situation. The situation had been so tense recently that relatives dared not visit each other, only calling each other every now and then.

"Big sister, has your husband's restaurant business been affected?"

Zeng Hong said helplessly, "Who can argue with that? For the past six months or so, we've been losing money every month. Some shops have practically no customers; business has been incredibly slow!"

Huang Xiaochuan knew about this situation. The TV news said that the restaurant's occupancy rate was less than 20%. If what the older sister said was true, it probably wasn't even 20%.

Moreover, Tang Jianhua, the elder brother-in-law, owns more than one restaurant. He owns more than ten "Hua Hong Restaurants" in Shanghai. Even if there is no business, he still has to pay the salaries of so many chefs and waiters, so he must have lost a lot of money.

However, this is nothing to worry about. After the incident, consumption will quickly return to normal, and the restaurant business will gradually improve.

Huang Xiaochuan comforted his older sister, "It's alright, business will pick up soon."

"That's what your brother-in-law said too. He said things would eventually pass, so for the past six months, he hasn't laid off a single person, and their basic salary has been paid as usual every month." Zeng Hong said with a proud look on her face when she mentioned this.

Huang Xiaochuan nodded, agreeing with his brother-in-law Tang Jianhua's approach.

He then asked his second sister, Zeng Xia, "How's your husband's furniture factory doing? Is it having a big impact?"

Zeng Xia said quickly, "The furniture factory is doing alright, but it has been affected to some extent, though it's not a big problem."

Huang Xiaochuan glanced at Zeng Hong. As a staff member of the grassroots epidemic prevention department, her second sister Zeng Xia had also gone to the front line this time, responsible for health testing of community residents and registration and inspection of outsiders. At that time, Huang Xiaochuan was very worried about her, but when he thought that this was her job, he suppressed his impulse and did not ask for help to transfer her from the front line, because that would be making his second sister a deserter in the face of battle.

However, Huang Xiaochuan still had Zhang Sui purchase a large quantity of medical protective equipment, weighing tens of tons, from abroad. Some of it was specifically sent to the epidemic prevention station where his second sister, Zeng Xia, worked, while the rest was donated to the city for unified distribution and arrangement.

Fortunately, everything turned out alright, and everyone got through this special period safely.

Huang Xiaochuan suggested to his eldest sister, Zeng Hong, "Sister, I've been thinking, our whole family hasn't eaten together in a long time. Now that Auntie's health has almost recovered, could you help me arrange for everyone to come and have a meal together at Brother-in-law's restaurant?"

Before Zeng Hong could even respond, the impatient Zeng Xia readily agreed, "Okay, okay!"

After seeing off the eldest and second eldest sisters, Huang Xiaochuan and Yu Xiang took their two children to Old Yu and Zheng Aiying's house, something the couple had agreed on that morning.

"grandmother!"

"Grandpa!"

The two little ones, who hadn't seen their grandparents for a long time, rushed into Lao Yu and Zheng Aiying's arms as soon as they saw them.

Having not seen their two grandsons for a long time, Old Yu and Zheng Aiying hugged their grandsons and granddaughters tightly, reluctant to let go.

After a while, Zheng Aiying remembered to greet her son-in-law and daughter.

"Quick, quick, get inside!"

Yu Xiang looked around but didn't see Yu Wei and his family of three, so she asked, "Mom! Where are Yu Wei and the others?"

"Yu Chengping kept asking for KFC, so Yu Wei and Tang Yuan took him to buy some. They should be back soon."

As soon as Zheng Aiying finished speaking, Yu Wei and his family of three returned. Yu Chengping was holding a bag of fries, while Yu Wei was carrying a large bag of KFC takeout.

Seeing his nephew and niece, Yu Wei smiled and held up the KFC in his hand, saying, "Xiao Dong, Xiao Duo, look what your uncle and aunt bought for you!"

"uncle!"

"Auntie!"

The two little ones politely greeted Yu Wei and Tang Yuan first, and then started playing warmly with Yu Chengping.

Yu Xiang specifically reminded her, "Xiao Duo, play nicely with your brother, and don't fight, understand?"

Ever since the little devil arrived at her maternal grandparents' house, she hadn't listened to her mother at all. She excitedly snatched the bag of KFC from her uncle's hand and ran into the inner room, with Yu Chengping following closely behind, and Huang Zeji coming in at the very end.

The children happily gathered around the table to share what they considered to be delicious food. Zheng Aiying went to the kitchen to see if dinner was ready, then sat down and chatted with her father-in-law, Lao Yu, and her brother-in-law.

Tang Yuan then took Yu Xiang upstairs, saying that he had asked someone to buy some high-end skincare products and wanted to share some with his sister-in-law.

Old Yu asked, "Xiao Chuan, you suffered quite a loss this time, didn't you?"

Old Yu has always paid attention to current affairs and is very familiar with what happened during this period. He knows that his eldest son-in-law's Era Trade made a great contribution to this incident, and naturally, it must have also lost a lot of money.

Huang Xiaochuan laughed and said, "On the surface, it seems like we lost a lot of money, but in reality, we made a profit."

Old Yu was taken aback when he heard this: "What do you mean?" He didn't understand what his eldest son-in-law meant at first.

Huang Xiaochuan explained to him, "Dad, didn't you see Times Supermarket on TV a lot lately? And it was always positive coverage, right?"

Old Yu nodded: "That's right!"

"Isn't this just a free promotion? Now everyone in the country knows about Times Supermarket. This kind of publicity is much more effective than our own efforts. We're sure to make Times Supermarket a hit in the future!" Huang Xiaochuan explained to his father-in-law the benefits of seemingly losing money but actually gaining a good reputation.

At this point, Yu Wei also said, "Shidai Commerce's approach is indeed very good. Our system is also discussing this approach, how to do a good job in material support in the face of natural disasters. Shidai Commerce is a ready example. I estimate that relevant departments will soon conduct research at Shidai Commerce."

Huang Xiaochuan laughed and said, "You customs officials pay attention to these kinds of things?"

Yu Wei has been a section-level cadre for quite some time now, and it's said he'll be promoted soon, so he speaks with an air of officialdom. He picked up his teacup, blew on it, took a sip of hot tea, and said, "So what you said, now whether inside or outside the system, who doesn't know about your Shidai Trading Company? Ordinary people only know that your Shidai Trading Company has ample supplies and stable prices, but in our eyes, the most difficult thing is to ensure stable supply and stable prices, and your Shidai Trading Company has achieved both of these. Isn't that something worth learning from?"

Just then, Tang Yuan and Yu Xiang came downstairs with skincare products. Tang Yuan smiled and said to Huang Xiaochuan, "Brother-in-law, thanks to you for sending so many things, it saved us a lot of trouble."

"We're all family, it's too formal to say that," Huang Xiaochuan said with a smile, waving his hand.

The housekeeper started serving the dishes, and Zheng Aiying called out to everyone, "Let's eat! Stop chatting, we'll sit down at the table and talk while we eat."

The three little ones had already been stuffed by the KFC that Yu Wei brought back, and the three of them went to find a place to play, so they weren't called to the table to eat.

After a few drinks, the conversation turned to the period not long ago.

Zheng Aiying, in particular, sighed, "Don't even mention it. I was so nervous just going out to buy something. Luckily, Xiao Chuan reacted quickly and sent someone to install this air purifier for us. At the time, I thought it was a waste of money, but now it seems that this thing is really useful."

Huang Xiaochuan explained objectively, "Mom and Dad, I think this is just a psychological comfort. No matter how effective it is, as long as everyone is safe and sound, that's all that matters."

At this moment, Yu Xiang looked at her man with eyes full of love. Since they started dating and got married, this man has always taken care of this family. His maternal grandmother, parents, uncles and aunts, older brothers and sisters, her own parents, younger brothers and sisters, and his teacher. Such a man really makes people feel very safe.

If you could only read one urban novel in your lifetime, it would probably be "1990, I'm Back".