When the three guys had their first holiday from kindergarten, the skewers stand cart that Xia Yue had ordered was ready for pick-up.
Everyone got up early without any prior arrangement.
When Xia Mian was dressing Feng, the guy kept stretching his neck to look outside.
Xia Mian laughed, "What are you looking at?"
Feng pursed his lips happily, "Auntie, Auntie Ning is drawing today."
Xia Mian stroked his aho-goddess hair and asked, "Do you like painting?"
Feng Feng nodded like a chicken pecking at rice, opened his arms and said, "So beautiful!"
Xia Mian held him up and walked around, "After we buy the yard, Auntie will build a studio for you and send you to learn painting, okay?"
Feng chuckled happily, "Okay, let's learn to paint!"
The aunt and nephew walked out of the room and found Ning Shaoyun already counting the paint in the yard.
"How early?"
Ning Shaoyun smiled and said, "Second Aunt and Huimei have already gone to get the car, and will be back soon."
Chenchen also rubbed his eyes and came out of the room, "Mom."
Xia Mian reached out and pulled him up, and took him and Feng to the bathroom to wash up.
After washing their faces, the two little kids started running towards the front door. After running back and forth a few times, they finally heard Chenchen shouting happily, "She's back, she's back. Auntie is back!"
After a while, a group of people pushed in the stall, including Mao Huizhu. The three guys stubbornly occupied a corner each.
The height of the stall is about one meter, with a row of long iron grooves in the middle, divided into two, one for spicy soup and the other for clear soup. A gas stove can be placed under the groove for convenient heating and cooking.
The outside of the stall was covered with a layer of wood. Since we decided to make our own sign, we just painted the wood white and didn't do anything else.
Of course, the brand name is placed on top. There are four steel pipes supporting the body of the stall, and it is equipped with a parasol to provide sun and rain protection.
A detachable wooden board about 1.5 meters long and 30 centimeters high was installed on the two front pipes. It was also painted with white paint and was ready for the sign to be painted on.
After breakfast, Ning Shaoyun not only fully armed herself, but also prepared waterproof overalls for the three children. She picked up a brush, dipped it in paint and said, "Okay, let's get started!"
A detachable signboard and a row of easels were placed in a row on the steps. Ning Shaoyun stood in the middle, while Chenchen, Feng and Huizhu were on both sides, each occupying a drawing board.
With the experience from last time, Mao Huizhu has been able to draw with her hands very efficiently.
Instead, Chenchen and Feng surrounded Ning Shaoyun, watching her happily painting. Feng enthusiastically handed her the brush and paint.
Ning Shaoyun was filled with joy, and the moment she put pen to paper on the drawing board, she felt like she was about to fly.
Aunt Wei wiped her eyes quietly and said, "I haven't seen Yun so happy in a long time."
Xia Mian witnessed with her own eyes how the artist integrated emotions into his works. It was just a simple signboard, and the word "new life" was like a blazing flame of nirvana, exuding a brilliant and vigorous vitality.
The innocence of children seems to be able to feel its charm. When the sign was created, the three guys opened their mouths in unison and exclaimed "Wow".
At that moment, Ning Shaoyun smiled with eyes as bright as stars, and her whole body seemed to be glowing. She was so beautiful that she looked like an elf who had fallen into the mortal world.
Huo Xueyan stood at the door in a daze. That was Ning Shaoyun, whom he had never seen before. They had been married for six years, and in his impression, she was always gentle, virtuous, elegant and calm.
She took care of everything behind him perfectly, and except for when the painting was sent away, she never lost her composure... but she also never had such a brilliant smile.
Huo Xueyan, who came here with the determination to burn his boats, suddenly lost all his confidence at that moment.
When his father used the North City project to force him to sign a divorce agreement, he did not think of compromising, and when his mother threatened to commit suicide, he was also determined.
But at that moment, seeing Ning Shaoyun's happy look, he suddenly realized that he was actually not qualified.
He tried hard to recall every detail of the past six years. Once upon a time, those beautiful eyes had been full of brilliance when looking at him, but after he was busy with work and social engagements, and had to tolerate his mother, those brilliance gradually dimmed until it disappeared completely.
A beautiful flower died because of his negligence, and now she has been reborn through his own efforts. What right does he have to keep her by his side
"If you are here to redeem the relationship, please save your breath." Ning Shaobai stood beside him without him noticing, "If you feel even a little guilty towards her, just let her go."
Huo Xue clenched his fists and said with difficulty, "What if I don't let go?"
Ning Shaobai suddenly chuckled, turned to look at Huo Xue, and said with a mocking look in his eyes, "You can give it a try."
Huo Xue let go of her hand dejectedly and said after a while, "I will divorce her."
"It's not because I want to give up." Huo Xue said, "but because I want her to be happy. Wait for me..."
He stopped talking, closed his eyes, smiled bitterly, and said, "I guess my promise is no longer worth anything."
Ning Shaobai added bluntly, "That's good to know."
"Wow, it's me!" Chenchen's clear and crisp voice rang out.
It turned out that after Ning Shaoyun finished painting the sign, she turned to the car body and drew a cute little boy on the wooden board in front. The boy's mouth was puffed out, and his big eyes were staring at a protruding squid tentacles, almost making eyes.
It was Chenchen from that day.
It is obviously a big-headed doll, but it is surprisingly lifelike and makes people laugh.
"Mom, draw my little brother Feng again." Chenchen was very concerned about Feng.
Feng pursed her lips shyly, but there was anticipation in her eyes.
"Don't worry, there will be more." Ning Shaoyun laughed heartily, and with just a few strokes, he sketched out a child eating frozen tofu. The child's pink tongue was stretched out to lick the soup at the corner of his mouth carefully, and a silly hair on the top of his head was happily sticking up.
After that came a girl with pigtails, holding a string of skewer in each hand and laughing.
"It's me!" Mao Huizhu clapped her hands happily.
Everyone gathered around, and Ning Shaoyun smiled as she colored, "I saw Xia Mian drawing like that the other day, and I thought it was very cute."
Ning Shaoyun's solid painting skills are much better than Xia Mian's mediocre ones. The three vivid characters make everyone who sees them smile at the same time.
"Not bad," Ning Shaobai also had a smile on his face, "Are you talking about a new painting? It's quite interesting."
"Xia Mian taught me." Ning Shaoyun smiled.
Xia Mian said quickly, "I don't deserve it, I'm just repeating what others have said. It's Sister Ning who understands it quickly."
Ning Shaobai was a little surprised, "Is it possible?"
There was no need to be modest in front of Xia Mian. He raised his chin and said, "How old are you?"
Ning Shaobai was speechless, "You're so fat, you're out of breath."
Ning Shaoyun covered her face and chuckled.
Mao Huilan walked around the stall and said, "It's so beautiful. I don't even want to put anything on it."
Xia Mian smiled and said, "I'm sure that the stall will become the most eye-catching stall on the street!"
Aunt Wei came out of the kitchen and said, "Come on, let's make dumplings after we're done. The stuffing that Yue prepared is so delicious! Let's wish Yue's skewers stand a prosperous business in advance!"
"Oh! Let's eat dumplings!" Mao Huilan and Mao Huizhu cheered first.
Feng's eyes lit up, and he ran towards Xia Mian with his hands full of paint, "Auntie, wash your hands."
In this guy’s current diet, besides his aunt’s saozi noodles, dumplings are second.
Although Chenchen didn't understand why, it didn't stop him from being happy, and he happily threw himself into Ning Shaoyun's arms. As a result, Ning Shaoyun's coat was covered with paint, and he got it all over his face.
This made Ning Shaoyun laugh out loud.
Chenchen looked up at his mother in confusion, and caught a glimpse of something out of the corner of his eye. He immediately ran towards the door happily, "Dad!"
Huo Xueyan agreed, walked quickly forward and picked up Chenchen, reached out to wipe the paint off his chubby face, and suddenly felt sad. In his impression, Chenchen has always been steady, obedient, smart and sensible.
He had always been proud of it, but when he saw his son's glowing face at that moment, he realized how wrong he was. His so-called steadiness and obedience were nothing more than suppressing his nature like Xiyun.
"I'm sorry." Huo Xue said, he had not fulfilled his responsibilities as a father.
When Chenchen heard this, he thought he was going to be busy again, and immediately struggled to get off the ground, "Dad is going to work? You go ahead, I will be good."
Huo Xuexin's heart was shaken, and his chest was filled with unspeakable sadness. He had never clearly realized how bad he was, a bad husband, a bad father. Thinking of his parents' indifference and disappointment, he was a bad son...
Xia Mian was a little surprised to see Huo Xue. After not seeing him for just a few days, his coldness and calmness were gone.
He looked like an ordinary man who had been heartbroken. Although he was well-groomed, his eye sockets were dark and he looked decadent.
"Yun." He greeted softly.
Ning Shaoyun's smile faded, and she said in a friendly tone, "Come to see Chenchen?"
No expectations, no disgust... no love either, she was completely relieved.
Huo Xue's empty heart suddenly felt a sharp pain. He had lost the most precious thing in his life.
After Huo Xueyi came, the atmosphere was affected, but not too much.
He seemed to know that he was not very popular in the community. He no longer had the self-righteousness he had last time and quietly reduced his presence.
Xia Yue and her daughter were making dumplings very quickly. Seeing Xia Mian making dumplings, Feng sat beside her and watched her intently. Then Xia Mian pinched a piece of dough for him.
Seeing this, Chenchen naturally did not lag behind, and stepped on the stool and said, "Aunt Xia Mian, I want one too, I want one too!"
Xia Mian also gave him a piece of cake, Mao Huizhu volunteered to teach them two, and the three kids got together and played like a cat again.
In the end, I got seven or eight crooked dumplings.
Aunt Wei took it to the pot and praised, "It's well wrapped. Remember, you wrapped it yourself. Whoever wrapped it will eat it later."
Chenchen was immersed in the joy of making dumplings and couldn't wait to say, "I have three!"
Feng looked at the plump dumplings Xia Mian had made, then at his own shriveled dough, raised his head and looked around, and saw Ning Shao sitting leisurely in the corner, and said, "I give mine to Uncle Ning."
Ning Shaobai: …
The guy didn't learn any good things, he just followed his aunt to learn how to cheat him.
Sure enough, with the help of summer hibernation, those crooked dumplings really fell into Ning Shaobai's bowl.
Naturally, all the dumpling skins that Chenchen made were given to Huo Xueyan. Huo Xueyan looked at his son's bright eyes and finally smiled.
During this time, Huo Xueyi also received several phone calls. Chenchen was ready for him to leave at any time, but he just made a few casual arrangements and came back to eat, showing no intention of leaving at all.
Xia Mian sneered in her heart, it can be seen that the so-called importance is not just the position that the man ranks himself.
Xia Mian thought he was here to say something to save the relationship, but after dinner he just briefly chatted with Ning Shaoyun and left.
Although Xia Mian was curious, since it was Ning Shaoyun's private matter, she didn't plan to ask more questions.
But Ning Shaoyun now likes to share some thoughts with her and told her the purpose of Huo Xue's visit.
"He said he would agree to divorce me, but the divorce agreement needed to be changed."
"How to change it?" Xia Mian subconsciously clenched his fists.
Ning Shaoyun laughed, "He said he would give me some of his company's shares, and give me more every month for Chenchen's child support."
Xia Mian said, "It's almost the same. But will the Huo family agree?"
Since it is a marriage, it must be mutually beneficial if they join together, and losses if they separate. Ning Shaobai of the Ning family said that it was done, but the Huo family...
Xia Mian really doubted Huo Xue's ability.
Apparently, she wasn't the only one who had such doubts. Ning Shaoyun also said, "It doesn't matter. Let him do what he wants. In the end, don't we have my agreement as the basis?"
She really didn't have any expectations for Huo Xue anymore.
Of course, no one in the courtyard cared about what Huo Xueqi was going to do. Instead, what made everyone excited was Xia Yueyue's skewers stall.
On the first day of setting up the stall, Xia Xiyue and her mother and daughter woke up at dawn. Xia Xiyue made soup, Mao Huimei washed and cut vegetables, and Mao Huilan and Mao Huizhu strung all the skewers together.
The few days in the summer were not wasted, as I found several good soy products and seafood products. There were nearly forty varieties in total, which was very rich.
Because it was the first day of setting up the stall, Xia Yue prepared about 500 skewers.
At around ten o'clock in the morning, Xia Yue, Mao Huimei, Mao Huilan and Xia Mian pushed the car out in a mighty manner.
There were no special regulations for the roadside stalls in this city, and there were not many of them. Although the good spots were all taken, the remaining spots were not bad either. Xia Xiyue had already picked out a spot, and several people set up the stall quickly.
Generally, fresh food needs time to be recognized, so it is normal that it cannot be sold for one or two days. However, thanks to Ning Shaoyun's gorgeous and vivid painting skills, the stall is really eye-catching, especially the three cute little kids on the body of the stall. People passing by can't help but smile when they see it.
They asked about the name of the restaurant and what the food was like and how much it cost. When they heard that it was only a dime or two, some people tried it out of a sense of giving it a try, and naturally they became addicted to it.
When Xia Mian picked up Chenchen, Xifeng and Mao Huizhu from kindergarten, she saw from afar that the Xia family's stall was crowded with people.
Xia Yue was busy counting the sticks and calculating the money. Xia Mian looked at the few skewers left in the soup trough and thought that he would definitely not be able to finish 500 skewers today.
On the way back, I saw Mao Huilan delivering food. She smiled brightly and said, "Sister, business is booming!"
"I see," Xia Mian said with a smile, "Sister Huimei is stringing the skewers?"
Huilan nodded and said, "I think the food we prepared today is not enough, so I have to go buy some vegetables."
That’s the advantage of Chuan Chuan Xiang, as long as there is enough soup, the ingredients can be replenished quickly.
When they got home, Aunt Wei was helping to thread the skewers. She was very happy for them, "We might be able to get 800 skewers in the morning. There will be more people in the evening."
Just as Aunt Wei said, the stall is very popular in the evening, not only because of the large flow of people, but also because of the wave of publicity from people who have eaten there in the afternoon.
At around seven o'clock, all the ingredients for the day were sold out, and there was no more soup, so Xia Yue and her daughter packed up their stall and went home.
Then it’s time to happily count money.
Xia Yue spread all the money she collected today on the bed. Hui Zhu jumped on it and rolled over happily, "Money, there's money!"
Made everyone laugh.
Xia Yue said, "You really fell into a pile of money."
When Xia Mian and Feng finished washing up and knocked on the door, they came in.
The four of them, mother and daughter, each occupied a corner of the big bed, and the room was filled with various banknotes and coins.
Seeing Xia Mian and Xi Feng come in, the four of them looked up and greeted them, then continued counting the money with beaming faces.
It is probably one of the happiest moments in life.
Xia Mian put Feng on the bed as well, and hugged him to let him count, "Come on, come on, get some good fortune."
Feng used his hands to classify the various banknotes one by one.
Seeing that no one was collecting coins, Xia Mian picked up all the coins.
After everything was sorted out, everyone started counting:
Xia Yue held up a thick stack of dimes and said, "Fifty dollars and three cents."
Mao Huimei ordered a 2-cent coin, "Sixty-seven dollars and twenty cents."
Mao Huilan's note is worth one dollar: "Eighty-three."
Then he counted the fifty cents in Mao Huizhu's hand again: "Fifty dollars and fifty cents."
The heavy coin in Xia Mian's hand was, "Twenty-three dollars."
Feng held up a wad of money in both hands and said, "Fourteen dollars and sixty cents."
Mao Huimei looked at the banknotes of varying denominations in Feng's hand and thought he was talking nonsense. After counting them again, she said in surprise, "Mom, Feng can actually count the money?"
Xia Mian said proudly, "Of course, Feng is very smart!"
Xia Yue hugged the guy into her arms and rubbed him hard, "Oh, our Xia family has produced a genius. The ancestors' graves are smoking. I hope he can get into Huazhong University and Yan University in the future!"
Xifeng knew that he was being praised, and smiled. Xia Yue touched his head lovingly, "Our Xifeng will have a great future."
Mao Huilan put all the money together and counted out the money with the banknotes. "Two hundred and eighty-eight and six! Mom, we're rich!"
She said excitedly, "Based on half of the profit, we can earn nearly 140-150 yuan a day, which means we can earn 4500 yuan a month!"
Several people were a little bit unbelievable. You know, in Mingxi County, a millionaire with an annual income of 10,000 yuan is enough for the whole county to envy and brag about. But in here, maybe it can be achieved in two or three months
Mao Huimei hesitated and said, "It's not four hundred and fifty? I guess I calculated it correctly."
Then Xia Yue and Mao Huilan both subconsciously recalculated, causing Xia Mian to laugh, "That's right."
"Business may get better and better in the future, but we have to exclude weekends. If the children are not in school, it will definitely be a little less, but 4,000 a month should be no problem."
Mao Huilan said excitedly, "Mom, we can set up another stall. When we went to buy seasonings that day, wasn't there a school to the west?"
"Anyway, you make one pot of soup every day, or two pots. My sister and I can set up a stall over there. We can earn more money by adding one more stall. Wouldn't we earn a thousand dollars a month?"
Xia Yue tapped her head and said, "Stop thinking about those nonsense!"
"Everyone, go to school obediently!"
Today's success did not make Xia Yueyue lose her mind. She always remembered her original intention. "After a few days, I will be proficient in it. I can handle it by selling so many every day. You all can go to school well."
"Huizhu is already in kindergarten. Xia Mian, Huilan, you two should put aside all those messy things and start reviewing your lessons from tomorrow."
Xia Mian didn't expect that she would be selected, but Xia Yueyue had obviously thought it through. "I asked Xiyun, and both Longcheng Junior High School and Yanda Affiliated High School are very difficult to get into."
"Although Huizhu is in the third year of junior high school, her foundation is too weak. Mom is thinking of starting her from the first year. It doesn't matter if she is older, but she needs to lay a good foundation."
"Aestivation..."
Xia Mian hurriedly said, "I won't repeat the grade. I will review well and take the test myself! I will be in the second year of high school!"
Xia Yue tapped her on the head and said, "Your words don't count. I've asked Dr. Ning to find the test papers for you. You can take the test when the time comes. If you don't do well, you'll have to start over from the first year of high school!"
Xia Mian didn't know when she had found out so much information.
"I've been too busy lately and haven't had time to look after you guys. Have you all been out having fun?!"
Xia Mian stuck out her tongue guiltily. In front of Xia Yue, she always had the illusion that she was a child.
"Yes, Huimei is also going to a night university!" Xia Yueyue pointed at Huimei who was laughing secretly and said, "Mom has asked around for me. There are many night universities in Yan City, but you have to take the adult college entrance examination. In the future, you can get a degree certificate, which is the same as going to a regular university."
Huimei frowned and said, "Mom, I'm already 20 years old, so I don't need to spend money on school. Although the stall can make money, it still needs help. Let me do business with you."
"Go!" Xia Yue said firmly, "Only by studying can we change our destiny."
"Huimei, you have suffered the most following me and dad. You were delayed because you lived with grandma. Now that mom is able to do so, she will definitely make up for it for you."
"You are all my daughters, and I won't treat any of you unfairly!"
She said to Huimei earnestly, "Mom doesn't want my two younger sisters to go to college and have good jobs in the future, while you marry an ordinary man and live an ordinary life. Mom will feel sad and sorry for you."
"But if you can't pass the exam or learn the subject, then that's your fate. Do you understand?"
Mao Huimei's eyes turned red, "Mom, I know."
"But the night school only has classes on weekends and evenings. I can still help you during the day."
"We'll talk about it later. Anyway, I came here to help you earn a future, not to make money," Xia Yueyue said, "As long as you are successful, I will be happy even if I have to eat coarse food. Do you understand?!"
The three sisters nodded in unison. Xia Yueyue looked at Xia Mian and Xi Feng again, "The same goes for you two! Study hard!"
Feng was intimidated by Xia Xiyue's parental aura and nodded hurriedly.
Mao Huimei said, "Mom, can we find a house now? It's not appropriate to always live in Sister Ning's house. I saw a row of houses for rent in the alley next door, 80 yuan a month..."
Mao Huilan reacted, "It's different here than back home. We have to go to school, rent a house, and buy all the food and clothes here. After spending all that in a month, there won't be much left with 4,000, right?"
If everyone works together, the family will definitely get better and better.
Xia Mian smiled and said, "Don't worry about the house! I will buy the house across the street soon, so let's prepare to move!"