193: Chapter 192: Jin Yu Disappears (4 more) 193: Chapter 192: Jin Yu Disappears (4 more) Jin Yu lowered his head and answered her question, “Not seeing you.”
“Hmm?”
That sudden remark took Xu Niannian by surprise.
It took her a mont to realize what he ant.
She had just said they shouldn’t et until he had thought things through, to which he disagreed.
Xu Niannian’s butt hurt terribly.
Preoccupied with her worries before, she hadn’t spared a thought for the pain.
Now that half her troubles were resolved, the pain brought tears to her eyes.
“Did you hear ?” Jin Yu asked.
“I don’t agree to not seeing each other, but I will go back and think over the issue you’ve raised.”
“Okay,” Xu Niannian replied, looking down, avoiding his gaze.
Being carried by him in a princess hold was still sothing Niannian wasn’t accustod to, but then she thought about it and reconciled herself to the situation.
“What does ‘okay’ an?
Do you agree or not?” Jin Yu pressed.
Xu Niannian answered irritably, “Can you please shut up?”
Jin Yu responded, “I can’t.
Tell , do you agree or not?”
Xu Niannian was frustrated.
“Agree to what, exactly?”
Jin Yu said, “The condition I just ntioned—you’re not allowed to not see .”
Xu Niannian was practically defeated by his persistence.
“Do you have to hover around in front of ?
What am I supposed to do, chase you away or what?”
That was a roundabout way of agreeing.
She certainly cared about the reason why Jin Yu liked her; she feared that his affection ca from guilt and obligation.
She didn’t need anyone to take responsibility.
In matters of the heart, she hoped things could be more genuine.
His answer was completely unexpected for her.
To like is to like, with no ifs.
Indeed, he was a realist.
This reason would resonate well with her were she an onlooker, but as the one involved, she couldn’t stay rational.
She was bothered by whether Jin Yu’s affection for her was borne of guilt and responsibility.
Perhaps it was also because her fondness for Jin Yu was only beginning to blossom.
Could anyone guarantee that these concerns wouldn’t matter once deeper love set in?
Speaking directly about her concerns was her usual approach to life.
If Jin Yu couldn’t provide an answer that would allay her concerns, she would have to calm her fluttering heart.
Jin Yu, carrying Xu Niannian, attracted a lot of attention as they walked.
Xu Niannian was too ashad to face people.
After bringing Niannian back to Nanshui Road, Jin Yu bought her so ointnt.
Despite her aching backside, Niannian had to persist in going to the store the next day.
Jin Yu hadn’t stayed at Nanshui Road last night, and it was unclear where he had gone.
He didn’t visit the store today either.
Niannian was in the kitchen, cooking, with Zhao Pang and two others helping.
Lately, business at the store had been booming.
On the busiest day, they made 150 yuan in sales.
After deducting all costs and adding what they made from selling Liuyue Su, Niannian had a total of 2000 yuan on hand.
In the 1980s, 2000 yuan was quite a bit of money, enough to buy a decent house in the county town without much trouble.
The store hadn’t even been open for a month, yet half of their earnings ca from Liuyue Su.
Liuyue Su was inexpensive to make, offering substantial profit margins.
About 20 days after opening, the store was packed every day.
The business was manageable during off-peak hours, and the three workers could keep up.
However, when alti ca, Niannian realized she was still overwhelmingly busy.
After a day of hustle, they closed up shop for the night.
Xu Zhiqiang would hand over all the money earned to Niannian every day.
With Jin Yu away, Niannian and Zhiqiang kept up their evening exercise routine.
Chen Xiaorou was responsible for cooking, boiling water, and cleaning.
They mostly ate dinner in the store before returning ho lately, as the business was so good that their food stock would be nearly depleted by closing ti.
Chen Xiaorou lived with them, and Niannian noticed that the girl was especially hardworking.
She was only an employee, not a housemaid—Niannian wouldn’t exploit soone’s labor just because she had helped them.
But Chen Xiaorou was as stubborn as a mule and wouldn’t listen when it ca to this matter.
When Niannian brought it up, Xiaorou would just listen, even agreeing.
Yet the next day, she’d be back at it, tirelessly cleaning away.
Xu Niannian and Xu Zhiqiang would get up early in the morning, and she had already prepared breakfast.
Not only that, but the inside and outside of the house were neatly cleaned.
It was so surprising that Niannian didn’t even know how to complint her.
Since she didn’t listen to advice, Niannian just let her be.
She probably wouldn’t be comfortable if she wasn’t doing sothing, perhaps feeling like this was a favor she owed.
Niannian had already made a plan in her heart, not to exploit others’ efforts without compensation.
Since she loved to work, Niannian decided to treat her like a hired nanny and would compensate her with a higher salary later on.
After exercising in the yard for two hours, Chen Xiaorou had just finished cooking dinner and even boiled so hot water.
Once Xu Niannian and Xu Zhiqiang finished bathing, they could sit down to eat.
The dishes Chen Xiaorou made were quite tasty, and Niannian praised her while eating, “Not bad at all, Xiao Rou, you have a real talent for cooking.”
Chen Xiaorou, hearing this, showed a shy smile, “It’s not half as good as yours, Niannian, but since you like it, I’ll cook for you again tomorrow.”
Niannian had heard such words countless tis and knew that even if she refused, Chen Xiaorou would still continue to cook the next day.
She smiled, “Then thank you, Xiao Rou.”
Chen Xiaorou’s smile beca even shyer, “It’s I who should thank you.
If it weren’t for you, I wouldn’t even know where I’d be wandering now.”
Niannian smiled back but said nothing.
After spending so ti together, Chen Xiaorou no longer pretended to be dull and mature in front of them and would occasionally reveal the ntality of a young girl.
But in front of strangers, she still liked to keep a straight face, speaking clearly and without any superfluous expression.
In the evening, after Chen Xiaorou returned to her room, Xu Zhiqiang took out the money he had collected that day to give to Xu Niannian again.
Xu Niannian was just about to go to sleep, and she had almost forgotten about this matter.
Niannian rembered the recent headache of doing accounts, with costs always recorded approximately.
She was so busy cooking in the kitchen every day that she had to leave the bookkeeping to Zhiqiang.
There was no helping it; she didn’t trust anyone else with the task.
All three employees in the restaurant were quite good, but one can’t see into another’s heart, and no one knows what anyone is really thinking.
Especially when it cos to money, the notion that ‘you shouldn’t suspect people you use and shouldn’t use people you suspect’ is bullshit and equivalent to nonsense.
The people you use must definitely be the most trusted, but the problem is, not everyone is worthy of that utmost trust.
For now, she had no desire to use money to test human nature.
Unless it was soone she already trusted deeply.
Currently, she was only satisfied with her three employees and had not reached the point of trust.
The person she trusted the most was still her own brother Xu Zhiqiang, but Zhiqiang had never been to school and couldn’t write, knowing only the simplest of numbers.
Even these he had learned secretly from his friends when he was younger.
He could do basic arithtic, but keeping accounts required more than just ntal math.
Recalling her two brothers who were already in school, Xu Niannian asked Xu Zhiqiang, “Zhiqiang, do you want to study?”
Zhiqiang was in the middle of taking out the money when he heard Niannian’s words and clearly froze for a mont.
“Study?” Zhiqiang’s voice trembled with a mix of nervousness and excitent as his lips moved several tis, “Can I still study?”
Zhiqiang really wanted to go to school; when he heard Niannian talking about sending the younger brothers to study, he was happy for them while also feeling a sense of loss.
Because he too wanted to study, to read books.
But he was older now, only a year younger than Niannian, who had already graduated from high school, while he hadn’t even been to kindergarten.
Schools would definitely not accept him.
Seeing Zhiqiang’s excited look, Niannian felt especially guilty inside; she had been so busy opening the shop that she had nearly forgotten this matter.
She had originally planned to teach him herself.
It was only because of the account books that she rembered.
“Of course, you can.
I’ll teach you.
Do you want to learn?” Niannian asked with a smile.
Hearing this, Zhiqiang nodded vigorously, “Yes, I do.
I really do.”
No ti like the present, Niannian imdiately threw back the covers and pulled Zhiqiang toward the living room, “Co on, I’ll teach you.”
Zhiqiang: “… Sister, it’s late.
Let’s start tomorrow instead.”
Niannian paused, then hit her forehead, “Right, of course.”
With nothing to do, Niannian tossed and turned, unable to sleep, with Jin Yu’s words still on her mind.
It had already been several days since she had seen him after that day.
Niannian couldn’t help but clench her teeth in frustration.
He himself said he didn’t agree with the condition of not eting, fine, she had been persuaded by him and had agreed not to avoid him during his period of consideration.
And yet he had vanished into thin air the very next day, not coming to see her at all.
It prevented Niannian from getting a good night’s sleep, trying to figure out what was wrong with him, why he disappeared without a trace.
It was simply maddening.
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