Rebirth of a Village Girl

Chapter 423: 124: Buying a Restaurant, a Promising Future_3

Perhaps it was because she had suffered many hardships in the first half of her life, but Ni Cuihua now had no great ambitions and was very content with her current situation.

“Mom,” said Ni Yan, “a life without dreams is a life without purpose. I may be a commoner without grand dreams, but I just want to become a female tycoon and prove to the world that there’s no difference between men and women. As long as one is willing to work hard, a girl can also make a name for herself.”

Ni Cuihua herself had lived a painful early life due to a cultural bias preferring boys over girls, so every time Ni Yan made such a declaration, she felt a deep resonance.

Girls are no different than boys – they are not handicapped or deficient in any way. Why should they receive unequal treatment?

Ni Cuihua continued, “I understand the principle you’re talking about, but 480,000 yuan is no small sum. I hope you’ll consider carefully.”

Ni Yan nodded her head, “Don’t worry, mom. I never take on anything if I’m not confident about it. And I never do loss-making businesses.”

“Alright.” Ni Cuihua continued, “You go and have a good talk with them, then. I’ll take Yunyun and go check on our noodle restaurant.”

Ni Yan was going in to discuss business. Having her child with her might be somewhat distracting, and Ni Cuihua was not a woman without sense.

Ni Yan nodded slightly. “I’ll come to the noodle restaurant as soon as I’m done here.”

“Mm.” Ni Cuihua mounted her bike and left with Little Ni Yun.

Instead of going straight into the restaurant, Ni Yan hailed a taxi, “Sir, could you take me to the Agricultural Bank?”

At this point in time, taxis were a luxury, used only by a minority of people. Even Benz cars with three rows of seats were used as taxis.

By the early 1990s, it was the heyday of cars with vanity plates and economy models.

“Alright.” The cab driver was a very talkative man. “Young lady, you don’t look like you’re from around here.”

Ni Yan nodded slightly, “I’m from Haicheng.”

“Haicheng is more than a thousand kilometers from Beijing, isn’t it?”

Ni Yan said, “Mm, about one thousand two hundred kilometers or so.”

“I’ve been to Haicheng before. Everything is good but the preference for sons over daughters is too severe…” The driver continued, “Which part of Haicheng are you from?”

“Dam Village,” Ni Yan answered truthfully.

“Oh.” The driver nodded, a strange look flashed in his eyes, and he fell silent.

In a short time, they arrived at the entrance of the Agricultural Bank. In order not to worry about finding a taxi later, Ni Yan looked at the plate on the dashboard and said, “Mr. Su, would you mind waiting here for me? I’ll be back shortly. I’m willing to pay extra.”

If she was willing to pay extra, what reason did he have to refuse?

Mr. Su nodded, “Sure, I’ll wait for you here.”

“Thank you, Mr. Su.” Ni Yan pulled out a yuan and handed it to him.

She entered the bank and requested a check from the teller.

Though checks didn’t become universally accepted until 2006, in Beijing in the 1980s, people could already issue checks with unlimited amounts. These checks, however, could only be used within Beijing and not elsewhere.

When she exited, Mr. Su was still waiting at the door. Ni Yan opened the car door and got inside.

Mr. Su asked, “Young lady, where would you like to go now?”

Ni Yan answered, “Back to the place we just came from.”

“Alright,” Mr. Su said as he started the engine and started to engage her in casual conversation, “You’re quite attractive, young lady. Do you have a boyfriend? If not, I could introduce you to someone.”

Ni Yan replied politely, “Thank you for the offer, but I already have a boyfriend.”

“Oh, that’s a shame. The young man I was going to suggest to you, his family is quite well off! By the way, do you have any sisters at home?”

“I have one younger sister who’s eleven months old.”

“Just one sister?” Mr. Su asked.

“Mm.” Ni Yan nodded, not saying much.

Mr. Su glanced at Ni Yan through the rear-view mirror, a look of surprise flashing across his eyes. He didn’t say anything else.

Shortly, the car arrived at the entrance of the restaurant.

Ni Yan stepped out of the car and entered the restaurant.

Watching Ni Yan’s receding figure, Mr. Su had a complex expression on his face. After a moment, he drove off.

Although the restaurant was in the process of being sold, it was still in business. The waiters inside weren’t very enthusiastic. Seeing Ni Yan walk in, none of them even bothered to greet her.

Ni Yan walked up to one of them and asked, “Hello, is your boss around?”

The waiter responded with indifference, “Our boss is in the private room on the third floor.”