Chen Xuan was very angry in the morning, so angry that she didn't even make breakfast for Anian. Strangely, Anian, who always had a bad temper, didn't have any complaints at all, but went to the breakfast stand at the entrance of the alley to buy Chen Xuan's favorite pancakes and tofu pudding.
One copy for each house.
When Wei Nian brought breakfast to the table, Chen Xuan was still applying moisturizer to her lips.
Yes, Wei Nian kissed her mouth yesterday and it became swollen, and it didn’t get better after applying hot compress all morning.
Chen Xuan is not a person who cares about face, but she is a very orthodox person. Her lips are swollen and a little purple. How can she go to the store like this? It would be bad if Third Uncle and Ah Shu saw it! Chen Xuan got angry just thinking about it! It was all Wei Nian's fault. He said he would kiss her ten times a day, but in the end, it took a long time to kiss her once.
Chen Xuan was tempted by him and couldn't control herself, and as a result, her mouth became swollen.
So, in a sense, Chen Xuan was angry with Wei Nian and also with herself.
Wei Nian arranged the breakfast and asked Chen Xuan to come over to eat. He threw the towel into the wash basin and considerately handed Chen Xuan a set of pancakes, saying carefully, "Eat it while it's hot, otherwise the crispy inside won't be crispy anymore."
Chen Xuan herself was not a person who cared too much, and she said to Wei Nian, "We can't do this anymore. If someone sees us, they will say we are not serious."
"Okay." Wei Nian now agreed to anything as long as Chen Xuan was willing to talk to him.
Chen Xuan started to eat the delicious Jianbing. The person who made the pancakes said that the craftsman came from Tianjin. The pancakes were made of mung bean flour, which was soft and fragrant. An egg was beaten inside, two thin crisps were put in, and a layer of sweet sauce was brushed on it. After wrapping it up, it tasted very fragrant. Chen Xuan liked to eat this very much. Since Chen Xuan paid off her debt to Wei Nian, she bought it every now and then. In the past, Chen Xuan was reluctant to give it up, but Wei Nian said that eating well is good for the body. As long as you are healthy, energetic, and make more money in business, the Jianbing is not eaten in vain. Chen Xuan believes that what Wei Nian said makes sense. Therefore, Chen Xuan is also very open-minded about eating. Every time she eats a Jianbing, she generously beats an egg.
The pancakes with beaten eggs have an extra layer of egg aroma and taste even better.
Chen Xuan enjoyed the meal and couldn't help but praise the pancakes, "The craftsmanship of Tianjin is really good. The pancakes are well-made and fried to a crispy texture. With this skill, you will never have to worry about food for the rest of your life."
Wei Nian smiled, "We'll eat this tomorrow."
"Tomorrow morning I will cook red bean porridge at home, with bean paste sesame cakes and fried dough sticks." This is what Anian likes to eat. Of course, Anian doesn't dislike pancakes or anything like that either.
The two finished today's breakfast while talking about tomorrow's breakfast. Chen Xuan quickly cleaned up the dishes and asked Wei Nian to take them to the kitchen. She would go over to wash them later. The swelling in her mouth did not go down, so it was not easy for Chen Xuan to go out like this. Otherwise, it would be bad for outsiders to see her. Chen Xuan said to Wei Nian, "Brother Nian, I will not go to the store today. When you get to the store, ask the clerk to tell Ah Yin. Also, before you go to the store, go to the old house first and quietly give two cents to the eldest sister, and ask her to take a rickshaw over. I have something for her to buy at the vegetable market. Brother Nian, what do you want to eat? I will not go out today and I will cook it for you in the evening."
"Let's cook a chicken and stew it with mushrooms."
"Fry another plate of fried fish." This is what Anian brother likes to eat.
"Fry a big bowl." Wei Nian rarely eats fish because fish have bones. Only this kind of fried small fish can fry the bones until they are crispy, so Wei Nian likes it very much. Wei Nian, who never eats leftovers, also said, "Even if there are leftovers, I will have rice porridge tomorrow morning, and I can save cooking."
Chen Xuan smiled and said, "I understand." She sent Wei Nian to the door of the house today, but did not see him out the door.
Wei Nian turned around and said, "Fried fish can't be eaten with steamed buns, it tastes better with pancakes."
"I know. I'll knead the dough first and bake the leavened pancakes in the evening. Call Ah Yin to eat with us in the evening." As soon as the word "pancake" fell, the corners of his lips became hot. When Chen Xuan came back to her senses, Wei Nian had already walked away with a smile. Thinking of Chen Xuan's swollen round mouth this morning, Wei Nian wanted to laugh.
Chen Xuan was neither angry nor annoyed. She touched the corner of her mouth and her face turned hot.
Qin Shu finished his classes that day and went to help out in the store. He secretly said to Wei Yin, "My second brother and his wife are so loving. They even kiss each other before leaving the house in the morning."
Wei Yin felt embarrassed after hearing this and asked Qin Shu, "How did you know? Did you peek?"
"Oh, I didn't need to peek, they were kissing right at the door. Third uncle was tidying up strawberry seedlings in the yard, and when he saw it, his face turned red at his age." Qin Shu chuckled, "You said, modern couples are not as open-minded as my second brother and his wife. They are actually an old-fashioned marriage, which is really unimaginable."
Wei Yin said, "They are like this. Every time my second brother buys a movie ticket, he only buys two tickets, one for him and one for my second sister-in-law. When he comes to meet my second sister-in-law, he treats me as if I don't exist. I don't care about watching a movie with him, it's better for us to watch it alone."
"Alas, there are few men as devoted as Brother Wei in this world."
"It's mainly because of my second sister-in-law." Wei Yin said, "My second sister-in-law is very hardworking and very motivated. Let me say that now it seems that my second brother is even more capable than her. In another five years, my second sister-in-law will definitely catch up with him."
Wei Yin told Qin Shu about making a wedding dress for his second sister-in-law. When Qin Shu heard that the couple were going to celebrate their third anniversary, he clenched his fists on his chest and said repeatedly, "This is too romantic!"
"That's what I said. Come here and help me figure it out."
The two little girls began to discuss wedding dress styles face to face.
In the evening, Wei Yin said, "I will go to second brother's house with you. Second sister-in-law didn't come today, so I will make delicious food for second brother at home." She asked shopkeeper Xiao Li to tell her when he returned home, and she would stay at second brother and sister-in-law's house that night.
Wei Yin and Qin Shu arrived at Wangfucang Hutong earlier. Chen Xuan was frying small fish in the kitchen. She said to them in her apron, "Ah Shu, the postman delivered a remittance slip this morning. I put it in the top east drawer of the three-drawer table in my room, sandwiched between Macaulay's History of England. Ah Yin, find it for Ah Shu."
Wei Yin agreed and asked, "Second sister-in-law, do you need help?"
"No need. I have already cut the vegetables. All that's left is the fried fish. You guys can go inside and rest. We'll discuss giving holiday gifts to the shopkeeper and his employees on August 15th." Chen Xuan smiled and let the two of them go back to the house.
Wei Yin went into the house and found the remittance slip and gave it to Qin Shu. Qin Shu saw the remittance slip and said happily, "It's finally here?"
"Ah Shu, don't you have money? Why didn't you tell me?" Qin Shu borrowed ten dollars from Wei Nian when he was at his worst. Later, when he got a job, although he didn't have much left every month, it was enough for him to spend. If he didn't have much, Wei Yin was Qin Shu's friend, so it would be no problem for him to lend some money. Qin Shu smiled, "I still have some savings. My second sister-in-law always told me that I should save some money. I save twenty dollars every month, and now I have more than a hundred dollars in my passbook. This is the money for our investment in the flower border factory. I didn't have enough money, so I asked my family for some." Qin Shu showed the deposit slip to Wei Yin, who was shocked, "One thousand dollars!"
"I originally only wanted 500 yuan. This must be the money my mother sent me!" Qin Shu said with a smile.
Wei Yin said, "Didn't we agree that you would invest in the company out of your intelligence? Besides, you don't have much money to spend right now."
"Originally, I was planning to invest with intelligence, just like Master Wu and Master Zhang in the cosmetics factory." Qin Shu was a little depressed when talking about this. "I originally thought I was quite smart, but after seeing your second brother's business methods, I realized that I might not be able to invest with intelligence. So I asked my family for some money. If we want to start a business, we must have initial investment. When we have time, we will calculate the initial equity investment, how much each person should invest, and who will be responsible for what. We have posted the recruitment information in the newspaper. When we recruit students to learn lace crochet in the future, there will be more things to do. It's okay for now, but we have to make a plan in our mind first."
Wei Yin had definitely been doing business longer than Qin Shu, but he still couldn't help but say, "Ah Shu, you really know a lot."
"It's nothing." Qin Shu said, "My eldest sister-in-law's family is in business. My eldest sister-in-law also has some small businesses in Shanghai. I heard it from her. However, it's not easy for women to do business now. My eldest sister-in-law only invested a share. It's rare to be able to manage the business personally like you, Yin, and my second sister-in-law, and make the business flourish."
"Our store's business is mainly small business, and it's not difficult to manage."
"That's not the case." Qin Shu poured two cups of tea, handed one to Wei Yin, and said seriously, "Many girls I knew before wanted to be celebrities or stars, or marry into a good family. No one wanted to do business. The main reason is that they don't understand big business, and they can't bring themselves to do small business. Some classmates married into wealthy families and helped their in-laws run their business, but that was not their own business. Although I suffered a lot when I came to Beijing, I also understood a lot of things. I often wonder what kind of equality the new culture advocates. Now, in terms of inheritance law, the inheritance rights of men and women are the same. Miss Sheng had previously sued her brothers and nephews to divide the inheritance equally, and Miss Sheng won the lawsuit. Moreover, the law now requires monogamy, and concubines are no longer allowed."
Qin Shu said, "But now, look at it, whether it's a famous scholar or a high-ranking government official, there are many who have concubines. These are still considered enlightened people, and those who came from warlord families even have concubines all over the house. A reporter once asked about this. Guess what the government said?"
"What do you mean?"
"The government said that those who have concubines have not gone through the legal procedures, so it is not illegal."
Wei Yin was a little slow to react, because the Wei family was a small family, and no one in the family took concubines, so they were not deeply touched by such things. Qin Shu said, "So, nowadays, when we talk about gender equality, it is mostly just verbal. In fact, many wealthy families have wives and concubines fighting for their wives. It can be seen that no woman is willing to share her husband with other women. However, they are not happy about men taking concubines, and they can only turn a blind eye. I think the reason is not the lack of legal constraints. Just like the government said, the Civil Affairs Bureau did not give the concubine a marriage certificate, so it is not illegal. But why do women have to endure this? It is because after a woman gets married, her food, clothing and daily expenses all come from the man. If you rely on him for food, it is not you who really makes the decision, but him."
"So I say that being a celebrity or a celebrity is all about marrying into a good family, but their ideas are not reliable. After all, having money from your parents or your in-laws is not as good as having it yourself. You can spend your own money with confidence." Qin Shu summed up his own mental journey and said to Wei Yin, "This time I am seriously planning to make the lace factory a career, so I must be serious and earnest. Don't be vague about money. If you want a long-lasting friendship, it's not a bad thing to be clear."
As soon as Wei Nian got home, he ran to the kitchen and secretly ate some fried fish. Through the glass window, he saw Wei Yin and Qin Shu in his room. Wei Nian turned around and asked Chen Xuan, "Why are they here?"
Chen Xuan was puzzled. She put the wok on the stove and prepared to stir-fry some cabbage with vinegar. The dishes for dinner were complete. She replied casually, "Didn't I tell you to call Ah Yin this morning?"
Wei Nian didn't say anything. He had never mentioned this to Wei Yin. Wei Nian had planned to have separate meals after returning home. Third Uncle and Qin Shu would eat in their own rooms, and he and Chen Xuan could also eat in their own rooms. As a result, Wei Yin showed up uninvited, so everyone had to eat together.
Fortunately, there was good news. Wei Nian originally wanted to drive the two little girls to Qin Shu's room, but he heard Qin Shu say that his family had remitted a lot of money to invest in the company. Wei Nian thought that this girl was not tactless, and at the same time he said in a false modesty, "I thought you were the same as Ah Yin, but you were too polite."
So, Qin Shu once again expressed his determination to start a business, and Wei Nian followed suit and said, "It won't cost that much. After you withdraw the money, just deposit it in the bank. Then we can discuss how much initial investment is needed."
Qin Shu nodded in agreement.
After finishing the business, Wei Nian pointed two fingers at the door and said, "Let's go to your room and talk." After sending the two people away, Wei Nian opened the closet to change his clothes.