RGL – Chapter 123

Su Min was also very happy. After hearing that Sun Hai and his family were coming on Saturday, she simply called the shop and decided not to go in that day. She would instead check on the progress of the clothes on Sunday.

When Sun Yan heard that Su Min had something to do, she didn’t say much. After all, it had been agreed from the start that she would handle the shop’s daily operations, and Su Min just needed to drop in when she had time. Besides, Su Min had taken on so many design orders—it was already quite impressive.

She then recalled that Su Min had previously mentioned recruiting embroidery workers, which reignited her focus on the matter. She planned to post more ads and try to recruit someone as soon as possible.

This time, Sun Hai came with his whole family, so Su Changrong and Sun Qiufang made a special trip to the station to pick them up. Once they met up, they took a taxi straight to the house.

Sitting in the car, Sun Hai looked out at the scenery and couldn’t help but sigh—life in the city really was different. It was so much larger than the county town, and the landscapes and buildings were totally different. The more he saw, the more determined he became to expand his business in the city.

With the vast sky above him, he felt he had to see just how far he could go.

“Doudou!” As soon as they got home and Su Min opened the door, she held out her arms and scooped Doudou from Sun Qiufang’s arms.

Seeing how the little boy had grown into such a handsome child, Su Min’s heart melted into a puddle.

It had also been a long time since little Doudou had seen Su Min. Now that they were reunited, he wrapped his arms around her and planted a smooch on her cheek.

Grandma Sun beamed at how close the two of them were. “Minzi, you turn into a child yourself when you’re with Doudou.”

“She is a child,” Sun Qiufang laughed. “Honestly, she looks the same age as Doudou.”

Hearing this, Su Min and Doudou both looked at the adults and gave the same kind of sweet smile.

Meanwhile, Su Changrong and Sun Hai didn’t join the laughter but went to the dining room to talk about more serious matters.

Sun Hai was already certain that his restaurant would have greater potential in the city.

Just this short journey showed how much more developed the city was. The county town simply couldn’t compare. Even if he was the top dog back in the county, it didn’t measure up to having even a small foothold in the city. His ambition surged again—just like when he first started in the county.

The two men began discussing the storefront situation once he moved.

Su Changrong smiled and said, “I’ve already cleared out a shop space and tidied it up nicely. Once you arrive, you’ll just need to renovate it. Right now, your sister and I only have one supermarket in the city. If you’re moving here, I’ll help you with the renovation—you won’t have to keep running back and forth.”

“Brother-in-law, that’s too much trouble. You’ve got your own business to run,” Sun Hai said, a bit embarrassed about troubling Su Changrong again. After all, when they had to suddenly leave the county because of the supermarket, it had forced his sister and brother-in-law to scramble for a replacement manager.

Su Changrong patted his shoulder. “You’re already in the city. It’s only right we look out for each other. Besides, your sister and I can manage just fine. No need for you to wear yourself out. I know the renovation workers here too—just tell them what you want, and they’ll get it done.”

Li Meng, holding the child, came over with Sun Qiufang and said with a smile, “With brother-in-law helping, Sun Hai and I are really saving ourselves a lot of hassle. Oh right, brother-in-law, do you know of any nearby houses? It’d be nice if we lived closer.”

“There definitely are some, you just have to keep an eye out. Since you’re not here yet, your sister and I will help look.”

“Then thank you so much, sis. Sun Hai and I are totally unfamiliar with the city—it’s like we’re headless flies, just bumping around.”

As she spoke, Li Meng glanced at Sun Hai, not bothering about his discomfort. She knew her husband was prideful and didn’t like asking for help, especially from family. But this wasn’t the time to care about pride. They’d wandered the city for a whole month and still hadn’t gotten anywhere—her sister and brother-in-law could probably do in a few days what they hadn’t managed in weeks. Why wear themselves out over pride?

Besides, when trouble comes, isn’t it natural for family to pitch in? She and Sun Hai weren’t ungrateful people—if her sister and brother-in-law ever needed help, they’d step up too.

Sun Qiufang really liked Li Meng’s straightforward nature. She also knew her brother’s temperament, and with a sister-in-law like this around to help, her brother would probably suffer a lot less. She smiled and said, “We’re all family—no need for polite words. Since it’s settled, your brother-in-law and I will take you to see the shop tomorrow afternoon. If you decide on it, he can call the contractor over, and Sun Hai can tell him directly how he wants it done. You two can go back and prepare to move so everything can go more smoothly.”

Sun Hai nodded. “Sis, brother-in-law, you keep helping us so much, I don’t even know how to thank you.”

“This is all your own doing. We’re just lending a hand—it’s no trouble at all,” Sun Qiufang said with a smile.

At lunch, Sun Qiufang suggested that Grandma Sun stay with Doudou here for now. After all, Sun Hai and Li Meng would be busy preparing for the move and wouldn’t have time to care for the household. Since they’d be relocating here anyway, it was better not to keep running back and forth.

Grandma Sun was completely focused on taking care of her grandson and had no hesitation about staying. But Li Meng was a bit reluctant to leave her son behind. After all, Doudou was their only child, and she herself had grown up without parents—she had poured all her love into this boy.

Still, thinking about how much they had to prepare after returning and how they’d likely have to make frequent trips back and forth, she realized it wouldn’t be good for either the elderly or the child to stay home alone. It would be better to leave them here for now.

“Then we’ll have to trouble you, sis and brother-in-law.”

“What’s the trouble? Our Minzi can’t bear to part with Doudou either. It’s perfect to let them play together.”

Hearing this, Su Min lifted her head and rolled her eyes. “Mom, I’m bringing Doudou, not playing with him.”

“Alright, alright, you’re not playing with him, you’re just bringing him. But who was the one crawling all over the house with Doudou, hmm?” Sun Qiufang teased with a laugh.

Seeing Doudou still giggling, Su Min smiled and gently pinched his little arm.

That afternoon, Sun Qiufang and Su Changrong took Sun Hai and Li Meng to look at the place where they used to run a supermarket.

The place was a fairly large shop. They had originally planned to operate it long-term, so they picked a location with heavy foot traffic. While not as busy as the mall, it certainly didn’t lack people. And now, having a place like that was a rare opportunity.

Sun Hai and Li Meng were both business-savvy and instantly saw the value of the location. The two sides quickly agreed that Sun Hai and Li Meng would continue renting the place. As for the rent Sun Changrong and Sun Qiufang had previously paid, Sun Hai would reimburse them for it.

To settle things quickly, Su Changrong immediately took Sun Hai to find a renovation contractor to discuss the renovation work.

That was a man’s task, so Sun Qiufang and Li Meng didn’t go along. Instead, the two women strolled around the mall, bought a couple of outfits, and picked up some jewelry and cosmetics.

Seeing Li Meng buy lipstick and blush, Sun Qiufang laughed, “You’re into these things now?”

“I have to be! Haven’t you seen the young girls on the streets? They all look so good. If we fall behind, there’ll be no one to cry to later.”

“Sun Hai isn’t like that, what are you worried about?” Sun Qiufang thought Li Meng was overthinking. After all, she knew her younger brother best.

Li Meng smiled. “Sis, it’s not that I don’t trust Sun Hai. I just think that we women should also love ourselves. Think about it: if we don’t dress up and take care of ourselves, what are we earning money for? Just to spend on Doudou? He’s still little, doesn’t cost much. And in the future, we’ll still be earning. Besides, Sun Hai and I have decided—no matter what Doudou does in the future, we’ll set aside some savings and maybe a few shops for him. If he wants more, he has to earn it himself—just like Minzi. We can’t raise a lazy freeloader.”

Sun Qiufang smiled at how clearly they’d planned for the future. “You two really do think ahead.”

While applying lipstick, Li Meng laughed, “It’s not that far ahead—time flies. In the blink of an eye, Doudou could be in high school, preparing for college.”

She turned to show her look to Sun Qiufang. “Sis, how is it? Pretty?”

“Very pretty.”

Looking at her red lips, Sun Qiufang felt a flicker of desire in her heart.

There isn’t a woman alive who doesn’t love beauty. She had always thought wearing nicer clothes was enough, but never realized women could make themselves look so polished. Then she noticed how Li Meng’s permed hair made her look just like those actresses in advertisements—very attractive.

“Where did you get your hair done?”

“At our local salon. It’s super popular in the county now. I saw lots of girls in the city with similar styles too.”

Li Meng smiled and ran her fingers through her hair.

Sun Qiufang thought to herself—she really was getting old. Compared to Li Meng, she felt like a flower that was already wilting.

Noticing the gloom in Sun Qiufang’s eyes, Li Meng pulled her along cheerfully. “Sis, you’re not even forty yet! Come on, go get dolled up. Let’s go do your hair and buy some cosmetics. Oh, and you need to get high heels too. You’re a shop owner now—can’t dress so plainly.”

Saying that, she dragged Sun Qiufang toward the hair salon outside the mall.

She trusted Sun Hai, but not her brother-in-law. People always said men became attractive in their forties, especially successful ones. Now that her brother-in-law was wealthy, who knew when he might change his mind? She couldn’t let her sister walk around in a frumpy state and let some vixen take advantage.

Meanwhile, Su Min went to check on the shop that afternoon.

Business had been decent lately. Ever since they moved, the store’s upgraded quality allowed them to price their custom clothes higher. The materials were great, and once discerning customers had a piece made, they often came back and even brought others. Gradually, they developed a loyal client base, especially during seasonal transitions when people would order clothes early.

However, most of these customers only admired the embroidered pieces without buying them—too expensive. So currently, Zhang Qingqing mainly handled embroidery orders for Su Min. She was already struggling to keep up with the volume alone.

Su Min saw that Zhang Qingqing had finished one garment, with several more still waiting. She thought—this might be fine for the short term, but if Qingqing ever fell ill, the work would be delayed.

She had mentioned hiring someone to Sun Yan several times, but they never found the right person. Now, they couldn’t delay any longer.

So, she asked Sun Yan to put a hiring notice on the shop door and also got staff at Rongfang Supermarket to help post one there too.

After arranging everything, Su Min hurried back to spend time with Grandma Sun and Doudou.

As soon as she got home, she noticed the front door was open and laughter coming from inside.

She walked in curiously and saw a woman in a bright pink wool suit holding Doudou and chatting with him. The woman had long, curly hair and looked very fashionable.

Su Min didn’t recognize who it was at first, but Doudou spotted her and stretched his arms toward her for a hug.

The woman holding him turned around.

“Mom?”

Su Min’s eyes widened in shock. Her own mother—eyebrows drawn, lips painted—stood there looking like a completely different person.

Sun Qiufang, noticing Su Min’s stunned expression, became increasingly self-conscious. She set Doudou down on the sofa and tugged at her clothes. “Minzi, is it really that bad?”

That afternoon, after getting her hair done with Li Meng, she’d been persuaded to buy makeup and clothes. She had felt good in the store, but the moment she stepped out, she felt awkward—like everyone was laughing at her.

“Mom, you look amazing!” Su Min said in astonishment as she walked over and looked her up and down seriously. “Mom, I almost didn’t recognize you. You look great—so much younger!”

Seeing her mom like this stirred something in Su Min.

Her mother had never dressed up like this before. Even after life improved, she had never paid attention to her appearance. Better food and better-quality clothes, sure—but she never put thought into herself.

This was the first time Su Min realized her mother was actually a beautiful woman.

“Mom, you should’ve done this sooner. You’ve worked so hard. Now that life’s better, you need to learn to take care of yourself.”

Sun Qiufang had been feeling nervous, but after hearing her daughter’s words, she lit up. “Really? It’s not weird? It really looks good?”

Su Min nodded earnestly. Though the makeup wasn’t as refined as future techniques, compared to her mother’s previously plain look, it was a huge improvement.

With her daughter’s reassurance, Sun Qiufang finally relaxed. She looked into her compact again and no longer felt like she looked odd.

She reached into her bag to get her lipstick but couldn’t find it. Just as she was wondering, her eyes landed on Doudou—who was smearing the lipstick all over his face. His little mouth was now a big, crimson mess.

“Oh, my little troublemaker!” Sun Qiufang said, half angry, half amused, and snatched the lipstick from his hand.

Su Min was already laughing so hard she could barely stand up. When Doudou pouted like he was about to cry, she quickly picked him up.

Li Meng and Grandma Sun were trying on clothes in the other room. Hearing the commotion, they came out and burst into laughter when they saw Doudou’s red-streaked face.

“This kid just has to cause trouble every single day,” Li Meng said as she quickly wiped his face with tissues.

Doudou, now the center of attention, beamed happily.

Just then, the phone rang. Sun Qiufang was wiping her hands as she went to answer it.

She had only listened for a few seconds before her expression changed.

“Alright, don’t panic, I’m coming right over.”

She hung up quickly.

“What happened?” Su Min asked, immediately sensing something was wrong.

Though clearly flustered, Sun Qiufang tried to stay calm. “Someone at the supermarket says they got sick from something they bought from us and are now in the hospital. Their family has come to the store. The staff called and asked me to go check it out.”

Hearing this, Grandma Sun and Li Meng also became visibly worried.

Li Meng quickly said, “Sis, let’s go now. I’ll come with you.”

Sun Qiufang nodded, quickly changed into her usual work clothes and flat shoes, grabbed her bag, and headed out.

Su Min wanted to go too, but Sun Qiufang stopped her. “You stay here and take care of Grandma and Doudou. Don’t let them panic. We can’t leave just the elderly and children at home.”

Though Su Min wanted to go, she knew her mother was right. It was late, and her grandmother couldn’t handle everything alone, especially with Doudou needing constant attention.

Once Sun Qiufang and Li Meng left, Grandma Sun said worriedly, “I hope everything’s alright. It’s never happened before. Why now?”