RYEY -Chapter 308 300,000

“Son, why would you think like that?”

“Mom, last time when my great-uncle was talking to you, my sister and I were listening from behind.”

“Oh? So do you know what it means to ‘go into business’?”

Li Xiaonuan shook her head, while little Cheng Li nodded. Ye Jun became interested and asked him to explain.

“It’s like how Mom and Dad do business with my uncle. One provides money, the other provides goods. That’s what ‘going into business’ means.”

Very good. Really good. This was exactly what they called being subtly influenced by what one sees and hears. Today she understood it deeply—but she still worried whether her education of the children was right, whether it would negatively influence them.

“But going into business requires capital. Do you have any?”

Ye Jun suddenly teased him, wanting to see how the child would respond. Sure enough, Cheng Li’s face turned red. He didn’t have any money; even if he did, it would only be ten or eight yuan at most.

“Then you can help Grandpa Ye with some work. For example, if you clean these medicinal herbs, Grandpa Ye will give you two yuan. If you help tend the backyard land, he’ll give you ten yuan.”

“I’ll do it…”

Cheng Li lifted his head, his clear eyes shining. Cheng Qiao’s heart skipped a beat. A child who had died young in her previous life now stood healthily in front of her. The emotions welling in her heart… felt so good.

“Brother, I’ll help you.”

Xiaonuan tugged at Cheng Li’s hand and leaned in softly.

“Xiaonuan, tell Mom what you want to do when you grow up.”

“I want to be pretty. Pretty clothes, pretty shoes, pretty hats, pretty face.”

Well, little girls are all like this. Cheng Qiao kissed Xiaonuan’s cheek and went to the living room to make a phone call. She needed Li Huan to come to the capital at least once, to take the four children to school.

Through various connections, Li Huan managed to get his grocery store connected to the telephone, which made contacting them easier. He was just about to call Cheng Qiao when his phone rang first:

“Li Ming Grocery, who’s calling?”

“Li Huan, it’s me. Can you come to the capital for a visit?”

“Qiao, I was just about to call you. What happened? Are you alright?”

“I’m fine. It’s just that Li Ming had a little incident. I’ll tell you when you get here.”

“Got it. There’s an express train tonight. I’ll set off now. Should arrive around noon tomorrow.”

“Don’t worry. I’ve already handled it. I just need you to show up.”

After hanging up, Mother Li gave Li Huan a firm pat on the back. She also wanted to talk to Cheng Qiao and see how her grandchildren were doing.

“Mom, why don’t you come with me? It’s not far. Only one night.”

“What about here?”

“There are shop assistants, and Lele has the weekend off anyway. Plus, we’re only going for two days. Just think of it as a little outing.”

“But…”

Xu Hui’s grandmother smiled. She knew Mother Li worried, but Xu Hui would come first thing in the morning to take care of her, so there was nothing to worry about.

Mother and son packed a few things and hurried to the train station. Indeed, there was still an express train to the capital tonight. Li Huan quickly bought two hard sleeper tickets.

“Mom, you sleep below, I’ll sleep above. We’ll reach the capital by tomorrow morning. Uncle Ye and my wife will pick us up.”

Mother Li sighed. Living in Chun City was so convenient—not just for meals or transportation, but even taking a train to the capital was easy. No wonder everyone wanted to live in the city.

Time passed, and the golden sunlight bathed the earth. As soon as Mother Li got off the train, she saw Cheng Qiao and Ye Jun each holding a twin, with little Cheng Li and Li Ming standing beside them.

“Grandma, Dad!”

The children spoke in unison, their soft voices making passersby smile. Mother Li hurried forward and hugged little Cheng Li and Li Ming tightly. She hadn’t seen her grandchildren in almost a month.

“Good kids! You’ve grown taller and gained weight. Qiao, you’ve worked hard. Doctor Ye, thank you.”

“No need to thank me, we’re family. Let’s go home.”

On the train, Cheng Qiao recounted the story of Li Ming getting into a fight. Li Ming kept shrinking in Mother Li’s arms, afraid Li Huan would scold him.

Unexpectedly, Li Huan laughed heartily and patted Li Ming’s head: “My son is great! Next time someone talks back, hit them hard until they dare not be disrespectful again.”

“Dad, you’re not mad at me?”

“Why would I be? On Monday, Dad will send you to school. You’re my son, Li Huan’s son! If anyone dares to say you have no dad, I’ll make sure they’re wrong.”

Mother Li looked at Li Huan with concern. They needed to earn more money, or else it wouldn’t cover the medical expenses. Thinking about it, she looked at Cheng Qiao:

“Qiao, how much did you pay in compensation?”

The carriage fell silent. Cheng Qiao covered her face, afraid to speak.

Li Huan quickly changed the subject. When he was young, he often fought and had to pay compensation; his mother had plenty of experience with it.

The carriage stopped at the courtyard. As soon as they got off, they saw Zhao Hui pacing anxiously. He hadn’t been seen for a month.

“Uncle, when did you arrive?”

“Half an hour ago. I’m starving. Is there any food?”

“There is. Come in quickly.”

Seeing Zhao Hui sitting on a suitcase, Cheng Qiao realized he had exchanged gold bars for cash. Sure enough, once inside the living room, after sending the children away, Zhao Hui eagerly opened the suitcase.

A suitcase full of money appeared before everyone. The scene was shocking; Mother Li and Li Huan were speechless. They had never seen so much money in their lives.

“Cheng Qiao, here are 300,000 RMB. Of this, 100,000 is yours, 200,000 is mine. But I’ll give you 100,000 to complete my nephew-in-law’s investment project.”

Li Huan jumped in surprise. This past month had been tough; superiors were pressing him, and 100,000 wasn’t a small sum. Even though he knew Cheng Qiao could come up with 100,000, he couldn’t deplete his reserves for it.

So he had been delaying, looking around for others to join the wholesale market. Most people could only contribute ten or twenty yuan each, at most five hundred yuan.

That wouldn’t do. Li Huan flatly refused. This wasn’t playtime; ten or twenty yuan was useless. He didn’t expect Cheng Qiao to be so capable that she even got her uncle involved.

“Thank you, Uncle! 200,000—I’ve overachieved!”

“Work hard. Tomorrow, I’ll take you to the county to sign the contract with your boss.”

Li Huan couldn’t hide his joy, but he shook his head. He needed to support his son, so he extended the trip home to next week.

Zhao Hui felt puzzled. After Cheng Qiao’s explanation, he was furious. How could someone insult his child like that? On Monday, he would join in taking the children to school.

The children hid behind, eavesdropping on the adults, especially little Cheng Li. His heart raced as he remembered every word Zhao Hui said.