The days creep closer to September, and Zhen Yan’s date to report to Qi City No.1 High School is drawing nearer.
Mrs. Zhen specially took him to the town center to buy two sets of autumn clothes, and following Zhen Yu’s suggestion, she also bought a black backpack for her son.
After packing all the essentials and newly purchased items in the suitcase, Mrs. Zhen began to nag Zhen Yu, "Think again! Is there anything missing? We absolutely can’t forget to pack anything important for your brother!"
Zhen Yu understood the sentint ’A child traveling far brings worries to a mother.’ She was quite anxious herself, but she couldn’t say it.
Because if she did, Mrs. Zhen would only beco more flustered.
Zhen Yu had to stand strong, to be the ’stabilizing force’ for her mother, to support her backbone! That way, this family wouldn’t collapse.
"If we missed sothing, it’s fine. Just give him more money so he can buy whatever he needs," Zhen Yu said to her mother.
"How much more? I asked about al expenses before, two hundred per month should be enough! Should I add another fifty for miscellaneous expenses?"
"Sure! Just give him three hundred a month for the first sester of freshman year." Zhen Yu nodded, "Give him two months’ worth first, and replenish one month’s worth every ti you go to stock up. If he overspends, just cover the extra."
Zhen Yan was overjoyed—more money! He could shop freely!
But Zhen Yu turned to him with a serious look and said: "Zhen Yan, any excess amount will be deducted from your New Year’s money!"
"What?" Zhen Yan scread in surprise, "Really?!"
Mrs. Zhen nodded, "Your sister has a good point! It prevents you from reckless spending! Always wanting to buy everything!"
Zhen Yan protested for a long ti, but to no avail! In the end, he had to agree to the demands of his mother and sister.
——
"Xiao Yu! Auntie’s back!" Fu Yu, sitting on the edge of the kang, finished a set of practice problems, and when he stretched during a break, he saw Mrs. Zhen in the courtyard through the window.
Hearing this, Zhen Yu looked up in surprise but didn’t see anyone. In just that short mont, Mrs. Zhen had already co in.
Without wasting words, she said, "Xiao Yu, stop studying for now! I have sothing to discuss with you both."
"Okay." Zhen Yu stood up, signaled everyone with her eyes, and started to pack up the books.
Hearing Mrs. Zhen’s words, everyone understood the hint and stood up, packed away their things, and left one by one.
With just the three mbers of the Zhen family left in the living room, Zhen Yu asked, "Mom, what’s so urgent?"
"Sigh!" Mrs. Zhen sighed deeply, "Our shop has to be demolished."
"What?" Zhen Yan’s mouth dropped wide open.
She hadn’t expected the demolition to be confird so soon! In her previous life, she knew nothing but the demolition date, not when the decision had been made.
Although Zhen Yu was also surprised, she quickly resolved, "Demolition is good news. We don’t need a house, we need money!"
Mrs. Zhen was utterly surprised and blurted out, "What? Money?"
"Yes, money!" Zhen Yu nodded seriously, "My brother is about to start High School, and in two years, I will also go to Qi City. It’s impossible to leave you alone in the town. Moving is inevitable!"
"But what will we live on if we just take the money? Without an inco, the money will run out eventually!" Mrs. Zhen had to consider these things as the absence of inco ant the money would eventually be depleted.
Zhen Yu smiled, "We’ll open a shop in Qi City! What does it matter where we do business?"
"But there are so many wholesale markets in Qi City! Who would co to a small store to buy shoes!" Mrs. Zhen was no fool, she certainly understood that doing business was possible elsewhere, but a big city is quite different from a small town!
Zhen Yu had already thought this through and smiled in response, "We won’t sell shoes anymore! Let’s open a cybercafe!"
"Cybercafe?" It was the first ti Zhen Yan had heard this term.
Mrs. Zhen was also confused, "What is that?"
The town was too backwards—Siying School didn’t even have a computer. Explaining to her mother and brother what a ’cybercafe’ is would be as difficult as conquering the heavens!
——
So, Zhen Yu made a comparison, "Do you know what a gaming hall is? It’s similar to that, yet different. It’s a bit like the hourly fees for playing on a console like the Little Tyrant ga console!"
"I know what a gaming hall is! I’ve also heard of Little Tyrant! They say those who run gaming halls make good money! But the owners are all skilled! They need to know how to repair the machines themselves." Zhen Yan said, feeling familiar with the topic.
He then chattered on and on, educating Mrs. Zhen thoroughly.
Mrs. Zhen listened and concluded, "I don’t know how to deal with ga machines!"
"Listen to your brother!" Mrs. Zhen exclaid, "Who in our family knows how to fix those things?"
"Hire soone! You just need to manage the money!" Zhen Yu said exasperatedly, "Have you ever heard that every pig farr needs to be a vet? When there’s a problem, just find soone to fix it!"
Zhen Yu clearly rembered a news report on ’curing internet addiction’ she had read in her previous life, which ntioned that China’s first cybercafe appeared in 1996.
It was now the end of August. Considering that there might be other reborn individuals in this world, had soone already beco the pioneer in this field?
She didn’t ask for much—just to catch this windfall by the end of the 90s. Those who started cybercafes at this ti made a fortune without exception!
"So, how much capital would that require?" Mrs. Zhen was tempted. Her son said it’s lucrative! Her daughter said it doesn’t require skill! Why shouldn’t she do it? She had hired people before, after all.
"How much money do we have now?" Zhen Yu had only a rough idea about the family savings.
But now, she needed an exact figure.
Mrs. Zhen calculated, "There’s twenty-five thousand in savings. There are fewer than forty different shoe styles in the shop, costing between ten thousand and fifteen thousand. Let’s say thirteen thousand."
"Who notified you about the demolition? Did they ntion any specific compensation thod?" Zhen Yu needed to plan around all the family’s finances, especially how much could be obtained from the demolition compensation—that was crucial!
Mrs. Zhen only received a demolition date, but knew little else. "Soone from the transshipnt station inford ! They said a Demolition Office has been established! They said we must move out by the end of the year! They didn’t ntion specific compensation—just said we can choose either a house or money, and we should decide soon and visit them."
"Where is the Demolition Office located?"
"It’s in the sa place where they used to have their office, inside the yard of the transshipnt station!" Mrs. Zhen knew this.
"Good! Let’s go there first thing tomorrow morning and ask around!" After thinking for a mont, Zhen Yu then asked her mother, "Mom, how much can we sell our house for?"
"Selling the house?!" Mrs. Zhen was startled, but then she reconsidered—they had to move, so they really did need to sell the house.
"With the current market, we should be able to get ten thousand yuan for it," Mrs. Zhen said, sowhat uncertain.
"Ten thousand yuan..." Zhen Yu rembered that years after she graduated from college, she had covertly observed her high school classmates chatting in a QQ group, all of them complaining about house prices.
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