"Got the passbook?"
"Got it!" Mrs. Zhen said, pulling out the passbook as she spoke.
Mrs. Han smiled as she took it, then turned to call another colleague, "Xiao Yang! Let’s go, to the bank!"
The other person imdiately picked up the bag on the table and headed towards Zhen Yu and the others.
She was certainly the cashier of the station. Zhen Yu smiled at her and took the initiative to say, "Sister Yang, my family’s passbook is from the postal savings bank, is that okay?"
Xiao Yang looked to be just over thirty years old. Being called ’sister’ by the young girl, she felt flattered.
"The postal savings is fine! Let’s go."
"Okay!" Zhen Yu left with Xiao Yang first, and Mrs. Zhen waited for Mrs. Han to lock the door before following her.
They chatted idly as they walked, and after completing the process at the post office. Mrs. Han told Mrs. Zhen that the money would be in their account in about three days.
Before parting, Mrs. Zhen whispered sothing to Mrs. Han, who nodded continuously.
Zhen Yu saw it all but just smiled without saying anything.
——
Back in Shoe City, it wasn’t even noon yet. Mrs. Zhen was worried about her son’s lunch and, after saying a few words, sent her daughter away.
After returning ho, Zhen Yu naturally resud her studies, and everyone dispersed only before Mrs. Zhen ca ho that evening.
"Son! Daughter!" Mrs. Zhen joyfully entered the house while Zhen Yu was sticking her fingers into the rice cooker to test the water level, getting ready to cook the rice.
"Xiao Yu, stop what you’re doing! I’ve bought so twisted dough sticks and round doughnuts! Have a nibble first!" Mrs. Zhen called her daughter into the room.
Zhen Yu covered the rice cooker, pressed the cooking button, and followed her mother into the living room.
The three of them ate and talked. Most of the questions ca from Zhen Yan, since the house had been too crowded during the day to comfortably ask his sister.
"Mom! How much money did the Demolition Office give us?"
"Just under thirty thousand." Mrs. Zhen looked at her daughter with praise, "It was all thanks to your sister’s brilliance! I never thought there’d be a reward for being the first one to go!"
"A reward? With money?" Zhen Yan pressed on.
"Of course! Quite a few thousand extra! Why didn’t we take the business interruption compensation, though?" Mrs. Zhen had been pondering this question for the whole day, unable to figure it out.
"Mom! I’ve done so calculations, our family has an average monthly net inco of around two thousand five hundred. Simply opening for two more months makes five thousand. How much do you think the business interruption compensation would cover?"
Mrs. Zhen shook her head, "How would I know! Couldn’t it cover five thousand?"
"Maybe." Zhen Yu wasn’t quite sure how much would be covered by the business interruption compensation, "But we were already going to get the highest compensation, we had to consider Uncle Li’s perspective as well."
"If it goes by his standards, I think it definitely won’t cover five thousand; if I asked for too much, we might risk the four hundred fifty deal becoming uncertain!" Zhen Yu explained why she didn’t ask for the money, concluding, "Rather than that, we might as well earn this part of the money ourselves. The transition from winter to spring is the peak season for selling shoes, we might end up earning far more than just five thousand!"
"Little sister, you’re so clever!" Zhen Yan was incredibly excited, "Mom! We really should listen to Xiao Yu with family matters!"
Mrs. Zhen nodded, "Mhm! How on earth did your sister’s brain grow so smart! You should learn more from your sister!"
"Yes, yes, yes!" Upon hearing the conversation turn to him, Zhen Yan quickly acted coquettishly, "Mom, I get it!"
——
Zhen Yu watched as her mother patted her brother’s hand lightly and waited until her brother finished pretending to be spoiled before saying, "Mom! We’ll head to Qi City on the 30th!"
"What? You’re going too?"
"Sure! I’ll go over to the Han Family tomorrow to give Teacher Cao a call, and I’ll take the day off on the 1st."
"Going so early... are you thinking of checking out the store?" Mrs. Zhen asked hesitantly.
"Not just the store, I’ll check out everything possible!" Zhen Yu had specifically checked the calendar and knew that the 30th was a Friday, when governnt offices would be open. One day later would be too late to inquire about the procedure for starting a business.
After pondering for quite a while, Mrs. Zhen finally agreed, "Alright then."
After all, her daughter was good at her studies, and the first day of school typically had no classes, so taking a day off wouldn’t be a problem.
"Then we’ll have to stay at a guesthouse!"
"My notification letter says that boarding students can report three days early." Zhen Yu had paid attention to the details when she first read it, and morized every sentence on the notification letter.
"Ah? Really? Let have a look!" Zhen Yan hadn’t expected this twist and turned to grab the notification letter from the small bedroom.
"Really! I hadn’t noticed!" Zhen Yan ca back shouting with the notification letter in hand, and just as he sat down, Mrs. Zhen snatched the letter away.
After reading it, she said, "Well then! We’ll drop your brother off at school and the two of us will stay at the guesthouse. One room will be enough, and it’ll save money too!"
"Mom, consolidate all our money into one bank book, I’ll bring it with ! If we find the right store, we can buy it on the spot this ti."
Mrs. Zhen was shocked, her mouth agape, "Ah? But that would be too quick! Buying a store isn’t like buying a pair of shoes—you have to look around, right?!"
"We’ll buy near Qi City No.1 High School! Better to have the money with us, just in case!"
"But No.1 High School is a key school! Those are good students; who would co to play gas?" Mrs. Zhen felt the location needed further discussion.
"I forgot to tell you, the area around No.1 High School has the highest concentration of schools. Just a short walk east from the main entrance, there’s a vocational high school, and to the west, a dical college. There are other schools further away too!"
"...Okay then!" Mrs. Zhen hadn’t expected her daughter to know so much about the area and eventually capitulated.
——
Early morning on the 29th, Zhen Yu inford her buddies about needing to send her brother to the high school for enrollnt the next day.
In the end, she said, "We’re starting school soon too, let’s all relax for a few days!"
Fu Yu, quite reluctant to see him go, clung to Zhen Yan, "Once you leave, will you only be able to co back during the winter vacation?"
Zhen Yan didn’t know; although he had always been eager to go to Qi City to study martial arts with his master, when the ti to leave was imminent, he suddenly felt hesitant.
After all, he was a young boy who had never left ho, and now his heart was filled with unstoppable confusion.
"I, I don’t know..."
"Not even coming back on weekends?" Han Jiayang, rather naively said, "From here to Qi City, you can make a round trip in one day! We have a two-day weekend!"
Although Zhen Yu knew their reluctance, she had to shatter the boys’ illusions, "No.1 High School only gives Sundays off! He also has to study martial arts for one day every week."
"I see..." Han Jiayang and Fu Yu said dejectedly.
Zhen Yan forced a smile and joked, "Co on! It’s only four months until we see each other again! I’ll be back for the winter vacation! That’s two whole months!"
"Yes, yes!" Bai Xue chid in, "Don’t be sad, guys! Zhen Yan is leaving tomorrow, so let’s talk more today!"
"So, let’s not study today, right?" Fu Yu gathered his courage to say to Zhen Yu.
Zhen Yu nodded, "I wasn’t planning on studying anyway, go play!"
"Aweso!" Finally, the news sowhat eased their departure sadness, and the three boys quickly packed up their backpacks and ran out the door.
Reviews
All reviews (0)