"Are you planning to give up the noodle shop?"
Yang Yufen was somewhat shocked.
"We’ll keep running it. Farming doesn’t bring in much money, but not farming makes me feel uneasy. We shouldn’t have bought such a remote place, especially since Qing still needs to go to school—it’s too far. But we bought that house because of the farmland."
Even though they’d bought the house, she still hadn’t repaid the money she owed her close friend. How could she stop working? But with the house and land, her heart finally felt settled. Otherwise, she’d feel like drifting duckweed.
"But setting up greenhouses also requires money. How can we afford to close the shop?"
Gui Xiang chuckled.
"That’s the spirit. Has Ershun been to the hospital for a check-up recently?"
"Yes, yes. The doctor said he’s in good health now. Ershun’s father can’t do heavy labor, but he’s almost back to normal. My husband is teaching Ershun how to grow vegetables, so Qing can focus on her studies. That child is so bright—we can’t let her education suffer."
Gui Xiang’s heart ached seeing her granddaughter stay up late doing homework, taking care of her father, studying, and even helping her grandmother. Despite having meat at home, the girl remained thin.
"If my own kids weren’t so young, I’d want to farm more land too."
Yang Yufen was moved by the idea. She had originally planned to help out for two or three years, but now she felt reluctant to leave. Thinking of Wang Xing, she sighed—she’d stay a few more years. After all, family was family.
Carrying her vegetable basket, Yang Yufen headed home. The kids were at the nursery. Spring had arrived, and it was time to plant new crops.
Little Zhang’s heart raced as he watched his cousin, the one who had once tried to persuade him to go into business together, come begging at his door, unshaven and disheveled.
"Cousin, please lend me some money. I’m desperate. Everyone’s chasing me for debts. The big bosses running the investment schemes have all been arrested, and the people below are going mad. But I lost all my money too!"
"Cousin, it’s not that I don’t want to help, but you know my situation. I’m just scraping by. Here’s five hundred yuan—you don’t have to pay it back. I hope it helps. My parents only have me, and my wedding plans fell through too."
"Good cousin, when I make a comeback, I’ll repay you tenfold! I swear!"
As the man took the money and left, Little Zhang knew he’d never see it again. But if he hadn’t given anything, he feared his cousin might do something drastic—better to lose five hundred than risk disaster.
It was a significant sum, but not enough to disrupt their daily lives. He just hoped it would eliminate a potential threat.
Overseas
"Qin Nian, do you have any spare cash?"
Fan Juan had deliberately waited for Qin Nian. She had met her at Auntie Yang’s place and knew Qin Nian was Auntie Yang’s daughter-in-law—something she envied.
"Fan Juan."
Qin Nian was lost in thought.
"Qin Nian, I have a profitable opportunity, but I don’t have enough capital. I want to partner with you."
Fan Juan got straight to the point.
"A profitable opportunity?"
"Yes, gold trading. You might not know much about it, but let me explain..."
Fan Juan laid out her predictions and the current economic trends. Though Qin Nian didn’t understand economics well, she trusted Fan Juan—after all, her mother-in-law had good judgment in people.
"We’ll be going back in a year. We’ve learned so much—it’s time to put it to use. But we’ll need money when we return. Why not take a chance? If it works out, we’ll have funds for important things."
"I do have some money. Meet me here tomorrow at the same time, and I’ll bring it."
Qin Nian remembered her mother-in-law mentioning Fan Juan—though she studied foreign languages, she had a knack for making money. Fan Juan’s stipend was untouched, and she had funds from her mentor and mother-in-law’s gold bars. All of it could be invested.
The next day, Fan Juan was stunned when she received the items. She had picked the right person—Qin Nian was practically a little heiress!
"My dear, just wait. I’ll turn you from a little heiress into a big one. You’ll never have to beg for research funding again."
Fan Juan took everything without Qin Nian questioning her methods. She even had a formal contract ready.
Qin Nian simply signed her name. The profits were split fifty-fifty, and she didn’t have to lift a finger.
With the startup capital, Fan Juan put her skills to work, navigating the gold and stock markets, even leveraging her mentor’s reputation to quietly build her own ventures.
Qin Nian was busy too. After the recent incident, the professor had purged several people from the lab, and she had moved from organizing notes to actively participating in experiments.
When Fan Juan finally caught Qin Nian again, she took her details to open an account.
"I’ll give you the password later. Keep it safe. The money in this account will be transferred directly back home. There’s a fee, but it’s safer than carrying cash."
After a few quick instructions, they parted ways, both swamped with work.
"Li Wu! Get down here right now! If I don’t spank you today, I’m not your grandmother!"
Yang Yufen brandished a bamboo switch, glaring at Dabao perched at the top of the tree. The twins had turned three and were now called by their proper names.
"Grandma, I’ll come down if you promise not to hit me!"
At three, he was already lightning-fast, and after training with Commander Liao, climbing trees was a breeze.
"Come down first."
Yang Yufen tossed the switch aside, then turned her gaze to Li Wen. Both boys needed discipline—always getting into trouble without a word.
"Little brother, throw Grandma’s stick farther away."
Li Wu assessed the distance between the bamboo switch and his grandmother. If he climbed down now, she’d just pick it up again. Better to be safe.
Li Wen glanced at his grandmother, then at his brother in the tree, and finally picked up the switch.
He wouldn’t throw it—without the stick, Grandma would still find a way to spank them.
Once the switch was in his brother’s hands, Li Wu climbed down—only for Yang Yufen to grab him by the collar.
Whack! Whack!
Two sharp slaps landed on his backside.
"Waaah! Grandma, you promised not to hit me!"
"You promised. I didn’t. Climbing trees, causing trouble, and then running from me? You’re asking for it!"
Yang Yufen let him go after two swats. Honestly, if he hadn’t run, she wouldn’t have been so angry. But climbing so high? What if the branch snapped?
The more she thought about it, the angrier she got—but she didn’t want to hurt him.
Wang Xing and Li Wen watched Li Wu’s punishment, quietly rubbing their own backsides. Good thing they hadn’t run when they broke the washing machine—otherwise, they’d be next.
