Chapter 59 Chapter 59 It’s a small world.

Knowing the other person was impatient, Liu Suqin didn't delay. "Okay, then let's go straight after dinner. If the apartment search goes smoothly and we have time in the afternoon, we can go to Amin's house. A few days ago, Amin brought Zai Zai to visit Fangfang and mentioned that Ah Hui seemed to be free in the next two days at the end of the month and wanted to invite us shopping. I thought the studio was about to open and would be getting busier and busier, so I told Amin that I didn't have time. Let's go to Amin's house. Maybe we can run into Ah Hui and introduce you to each other."

Li Hong was also very excited when she heard this. "Great! I've always heard you talk about them, but I haven't had the chance to meet them yet."

Liu Suqin smiled and said, "The Shenzhen Stock Exchange isn't big, but it's not small either. We're all in the same industry. Even if I don't introduce you, you'll get to know each other sooner or later."

Li Hong quickly realized the significance of this statement. In some circles, the Shenzhen Stock Exchange wasn't considered large.

But that’s another story.

The conversation was getting more and more lively, almost forgetting to eat or sleep, when Qian Juxiang interrupted them unhappily. "The meal's been ready for a while, and you're still sitting there motionless. Is it so rare for you to have lunch at home that you insist on having your mother come and treat you personally?"

As he said this, he smiled at Li Hong, indicating that his words were not directed at her.

As a straightforward person, although Li Hong's mouth has not evolved to the level of Aunt Qian's, where she talks back at everyone and everything, she knows that the other party is well-intentioned most of the time, so she will not misunderstand. She also gave her a hearty smile and then watched quietly as her friend calmly apologized to her mother.

In just a few words, without much coaxing, Qian Juxiang's anger subsided. She picked up Xiao Fangfang, who was sitting between them happily listening to gossip, and urged her, "Hurry up and eat while it's hot. Don't let Xiao Li starve. Our Fangfang also wants to eat."

When she heard about eating, the reluctance on Xiao Fangfang's face, which had been suddenly taken away by her grandmother, immediately turned into a happy smile, and she opened her mouth and agreed, "Eat!"

Liu Suqin advised, "Put her in the baby chair and let her eat slowly by herself. This way you don't have to sacrifice your own meal time to feed her."

"Okay, I know what I'm doing." Qian Juxiang replied impatiently, then turned and left.

Liu Suqin didn't know if she had listened to him or not. She thought that as long as her mother was happy, it was fine. After all, she wasn't the one who was tired from feeding her every day. She turned around and called Li Hong, "Let's go, let's eat first."

Li Hong loved the food at her house the most. The dishes were plentiful, often featuring delicious items she had never even heard of. Most importantly, they suited her Sichuanese taste quite well. She immediately sat down next to Liu Suqin and, while enthusiastically eating, whispered, "From what Aunt Qian said, you haven't been home for lunch these past few days. Are you so busy even though the studio hasn't even opened yet?"

Upon hearing this, Liu Suqin glanced back. Her mother was still in the kitchen mixing rice for Xiao Fangfang, so she probably couldn't hear them. Then she lowered her voice and told her friend, "It's not that busy. There are two hours of lunch break during training. It's just that the boss sometimes invites everyone to a big meal nearby. When she's not in the store, she'll arrange for food to be delivered. We chat after dinner, and occasionally go out for a walk with a few female colleagues. Lunch break is over in the blink of an eye, so there's no time to go home."

Qian Juxiang initially thought that she was too busy with work, so she treated her very nicely during those days, serving her tea and water, asking about her well-being, and even her tone of voice became several degrees gentler.

Until one night, Liu Suqin was doing the accounts in the living room while chatting with Lin Nanjiang and Lin Quansheng about interesting things during the training period. Qian Juxiang, who happened to be up at night, overheard them. Qian Juxiang knew that Liu Suqin didn't go home at noon not because she was too busy with work, but simply because she was having fun at work. Suddenly, she felt that she had wasted these few days, so she got angry at her.

Liu Suqin reflected on herself afterwards and felt that she seemed to have become a little too proud of herself.

But this cannot be entirely blamed on her. She has never worked with such a group of humorous and witty young people, so it is normal for her to be reluctant to leave.

Yes, even though it is only a training period, Liu Suqin has already felt the charm of teamwork. Communication is smooth and efficient during work. After work, she can chat and laugh and relax. She feels that going to work has become interesting.

Moreover, this group of modern young people who came from Hong Kong, led by Julie Afeng, are all talented and speak well. You can talk to them about movies, food, music, coffee, travel, fashion, and makeup. In short, you can talk about any topic. Everyone talks freely about everything. She likes being with them so much.

Li Hong, who had never seen such a working atmosphere before, also began to envy, "It's great, I can make money just by laughing every day."

Liu Suqin smiled and said, "Not necessarily. The harmonious atmosphere now is because during the training period, no one has any vested interests involved, so we can naturally get along peacefully. Once the business opens, there will be performance and competition, and privately, things will definitely not be as relaxed and happy as they are now."

"That's true." Li Hong nodded in agreement, but didn't take it seriously. "But we go to work to make money, not to make friends. Making money is better than anything else. Speaking of your studio, I think business will be very good in the future. We've been to photo studios before, and most of the photos they take are similar. But when I first came here, Aunt Qian enthusiastically took me to your room to see the photos you brought back. I was stunned when I walked in. There was a half-person-high photo hanging on the wall above the bed. If I hadn't recognized that the person in it was you, I would have thought it was a celebrity poster. It's really beautiful."

Even a frugal girl like her who believes in spending money wisely felt a little itchy after seeing the results of her friend's photos. She thought that if she could find a job one day, or achieve some achievement such as doubling her salary and making over a thousand yuan a month, she would also spend a huge amount of money to take a big poster like Suqin in the name of celebration.

Youth is priceless. Even she cannot resist the temptation of such a shining moment. I think most girls have the same thoughts.

After all, since we can work within the border, no matter how expensive the studio charges, we can still afford it if we grit our teeth.

Ever since she saw the celebrity poster, oh no, the big photo of her best friend, Li Hong no longer had anything to worry about her job.

Rich people really won't do business that will lose money.

"The kind of photos I take are called personal portraits. You've seen them, haven't you?" Liu Suqin thought of the portraits hanging on her bedroom wall, feeling a bit elated and a bit ashamed at the same time. "Nanjiang and the others wanted to hang it in the living room at first, for every guest who came to our house to see. I thought that was weird, and after much persuasion, I finally got them to agree to just hang it in the bedroom. Isn't that a bit too ostentatious?"

Li Hong shook her head frantically, "What kind of ostentation is this? If the photos I took were half as beautiful as yours, I'd hang them directly outside my house, not just in the living room, for everyone who passes by to see."

Liu Suqin: ...

Yes, but not necessary.

"By the way, can you tell me more about what photoshoots are like? How is it different from other photo studios?"

"Great, the difference between the two was introduced in detail on the first day of training." Liu Suqin did not have the habit of not talking while eating or sleeping. While eating, she repeated what she had learned in the training class in her own words. While answering questions for her friends, she also reviewed the key points, killing two birds with one stone.

However, Li Hong was not the only one who listened with great interest. Qian Juxiang and Aunt Zhang were also listening attentively. When Liu Suqin put down her bowl and chopsticks and announced that she was full and had finished talking, the two old ladies looked very unsatisfied.

Liu Suqin said with a smile, "Since you are interested in this, I will talk to you later. If I have time, I can even take you to the photo studio directly. Now I have to accompany Li Hong to look at houses."

"Then hurry up and get things done." Qian Juxiang and Aunt Zhang switched from trying to persuade her to stay to urge her to leave in a split second. Liu Suqin also cooperated and pulled Li Hong out. "How about going with me to the store to drive? If we can successfully rent a house, we can drive back directly to get our luggage."

"If you put it that way, I'd love to have the chance. Driving by myself is so convenient! But if I really drive the car away, won't it affect their business?"

Liu Suqin: "If you can get the car back before dark, there will be no problem at all."

Li Hong smiled with relief, "What are you waiting for? Let's go, let's drive there."

When the two arrived at the noodle shop, it was past the peak meal time. Lin Quansheng saw Liu Suqin from afar. Although he didn't know why she came, he went to the kitchen to take over the cooking duties. When Liu Suqin and Li Hong came in, Lin Nanjiang just came out of the kitchen while wiping his sweat. "Why are you two here? Aren't you going to work today?"

Liu Suqin said succinctly, "Li Hong resigned today, and I have the afternoon off, so I can go with her to look at houses. It's more convenient to drive."

While taking out the keys, Lin Nanjiang asked them where they were going to look at houses. "Is it okay for just the two of you? Or wait another half an hour, and I'll pack up and go with you."

Liu Suqin was confident that she could handle this little thing, and shook her head without hesitation, "No, go back and rest when you're done, and we'll take a look at it slowly."

Li Hong suddenly put her head on Liu Suqin's shoulder and looked at Lin Nanjiang with a half-smile, "I'm just borrowing your wife for an afternoon. You can't be so reluctant to let her go, right?"

Lin Nanjiang: ...

What the hell is he supposed to say? Is he supposed to admit that he's more dependent on his wife than a girl who's just been weaned?

In the end, he could only wave his hand in a pretentious manner, "Then you should go early and come back early. Call me if you have anything."

"That's better." Li Hong finally straightened up. The next second, she put her hand on Liu Suqin's shoulder and half-pushed her out. "Let's go."

Even if she didn't urge her, Liu Suqin wouldn't stay here forever, so she cooperated and left with Li Hong, only waving goodbye to Lin Nanjiang and Lin Quansheng in the kitchen when she turned around.

Li Hong also waved along with her and glanced at Lin Quansheng once more. As soon as she reached the car, she excitedly gossiped, "Last time I heard that Lin Quansheng was pursuing a little girl. How's that going?"

Liu Suqin asked Li Hong to sit down first, then she started the tricycle skillfully, then she said slowly, "The progress is quite good. I received a reply from the girl on the third day after the Lantern Festival, and we kept exchanging letters like this."

"Huh? We're in the same city, but we still have to write letters every day?" Li Hong was baffled. "Even if he doesn't have time to visit that girl often, he can still call her occasionally. He's even bought a house, so he shouldn't mind spending a few cents on phone bills, right?"

Liu Suqin hurried to help Lin Quansheng clarify, "Of course it's not about money. He always uses registered mail, and with the envelope and stationery, the cost isn't much cheaper than calling directly. Oh, and the stamps for the woman's reply were also enclosed in the letter by Brother Quansheng."

Li Hong was even more confused, "Then why do you insist on writing letters?"

"They're just starting to get to know each other, so they probably won't change their contact information until they're done." Liu Suqin smiled. "Besides, writing letters is very romantic. After they're together, they can always look through their love letters and relive those sweet moments."

Li Hong, who has never been in a relationship, said she had learned something new. "It turns out that being in a relationship is just a waste of time and money. Fortunately, I have never been in a relationship before."

Liu Suqin thought that her friends would summarize it. The essence of falling in love is indeed that two people do all kinds of boring things together.

But the beauty of it is that no matter how boring and meaningless things are, being with that person is joyful and one never gets tired of it.

Thinking of this, Liu Suqin smiled mysteriously, "That's not necessarily true. When you meet her, she will smell really good too."

Li Hong scoffed disdainfully, "That's impossible. The only thing that keeps me happy and has no regrets is making money."

Liu Suqin didn't argue this time. Instead, she sincerely wished, "I hope you don't forget your original intention and become a rich woman soon."

"I hope so too, hahaha." Along with Li Hong's yearning laughter, Liu Suqin had successfully driven the car to the urban village. While she found a place to park and lock the car, several groups of people came up to her and asked if they wanted to rent a house.

Finding an apartment at the beginning of the year was indeed very convenient. Every landlord was as enthusiastic as a salesperson. Liu Suqin took Li Hong for a walk around and found a building with good lighting and was ready to go upstairs to take a look. Coincidentally, a landlord was also chatting with someone downstairs. Seeing the two unfamiliar girls coming over, he immediately came forward with a smile and said, "Beautiful girl, do you want to go upstairs to see the apartment?"

This time the two did not refuse and followed him up the stairs.

The landlord was very powerful and had a long bunch of keys hanging around his waist. He said that he had houses on the third, fourth, fifth and sixth floors and that he had any house type or layout they wanted. Liu Suqin and Li Hong then looked at each floor one by one. Li Hong finally chose a small studio room of about ten square meters on the fourth floor.

Just like the one Liu Suqin rented outside the Great Wall before, the rental house here was also small but fully equipped with kitchen and bathroom. The biggest drawback was that there was no balcony. The kitchen had a fairly spacious window, and the afternoon sun shone into the house through the gaps in the window, making this room brighter than the other ones they had seen. Li Hong fell in love with it at first sight.

However, the single rooms in the urban village here basically have no balconies, and there is no large yard downstairs to dry things. The landlord suggested that clothes should be hung directly on the windows, and quilts and other things should be hung on the rooftop. This is the situation, and the tenants all dry their clothes and quilts in this way.

You must choose a room with its own balcony. You can find someone to share a suite with, or pay a few dozen dollars more to rent a one-bedroom apartment.

When Li Hong learned that a one-bedroom apartment was one-third more expensive than this single room, she immediately thought this one was quite attractive and started bargaining.

When they went to get the car keys, Lin Nanjiang talked about the rental situation here. Their night snack stall's customers are basically young tenants in the urban village. Lin Nanjiang often listens to them chatting. He himself is also a person who likes to chat with customers. Over time, his understanding of the rent here is almost as good as that of the tenants themselves.

As soon as Liu Suqin heard the quote, she knew it was 10 or 20 yuan more expensive than last year.

Although raising the rent after the New Year is a basic practice for landlords, Liu Suqin did so herself, but now she was renting a house with a good friend, so she naturally stood on the tenant's side. The two of them sang the same tune, persuaded each other, and finally succeeded in bargaining down... uh, five dollars.

The landlord shouted that the price he gave was the real price, and a reduction of five yuan was the bottom line. There was no room for negotiation. Liu Suqin and Li Hong had no choice but to give up, and then they persuaded the other party to agree to a one-month deposit and one-month payment. Li Hong paid this month's rent and deposit on the spot in exchange for two keys.

This room is rented out.

After finishing his business, the landlord turned around and left. As he walked downstairs, he could be heard complaining in the local dialect, saying how could two young and pretty girls be so fussy that they even bargained for five dollars.

After all, Liu Suqin and Li Hong have been in Shenzhen for many years and rarely interacted with local people before, so they didn't learn the local dialect well, but they can understand it by listening.

The landlord's complaints gradually faded away until they could no longer be heard. Li Hong then closed the door and smiled at Liu Suqin. They both found this scene quite amusing.

After laughing, Liu Suqin and Li Hong continued to look around the small room which was bare, and discussed what necessities they should buy.

Liu Suqin was already very experienced in this area, and she immediately listed everything like the back of her hand. "Should we all pack up the mats, clothes hangers, and washbasins in the dormitory and take them away? We'll also need a mop, a trash can, and rags. This room already has a table, and the stove can be used for storage, so we shouldn't need another table and chairs. We can buy a wardrobe..."

Li Hong pondered and said, "I'll buy you the rice cooker you used before. I'll just use the smallest one. It's good for cooking noodles and porridge on a regular basis."

"Sure, then you can occasionally buy some spare ribs, bacon, potatoes, and radishes, and steam them together with the rice in a pot. This is called a one-pot meal. I think it's delicious and clean."

"That's great. If you have time, teach me a few more recipes like this. I'll try them in rotation."

Liu Suqin said it was no problem.

The discussion was almost over, and it was time to move the luggage over. When Liu Suqin was about to leave, she saw the key in Li Hong's hand and suddenly remembered, "You live alone, so it's better to be careful. Why don't you find someone to change the lock first? You can still have time to come to my house later to pick up the luggage."

Li Hong also knew that some things could be saved and some couldn't, so she nodded and said, "Okay, do you know where to find someone to change the locks?"

"This is my second time here, but with so many tenants, there must be someone selling locks nearby. Let's go down and look for them." Liu Suqin said this as she opened the door. She happened to see two young women from the opposite door also opening the door and entering the house, so she hurried over to ask.

The other party was very happy to see that the new tenant was also a woman. She not only introduced the location of the store in detail, but also told me the price of changing the locks. "Remember to ask the price first and bargain, otherwise it's easy to get ripped off."

Li Hong also heard their conversation from behind and smiled at the enthusiastic neighbor, "Thank you, pretty girl. I'm in a hurry to move. Let's talk another day."

After locking the door, the two turned and went downstairs. Li Hong was still feeling relieved. "It seems that the landlord is not a person who speaks nonsense. There must be many girls living on this floor."

Liu Suqin also nodded in relief, "It's better to have more girls, it won't be so chaotic."

Next, Liu Suqin accompanied her to change the door locks and then went home to move her luggage. It was only 3:30 in the afternoon, and Li Hong was in no hurry to pack up. She only asked Liu Suqin expectantly, "Are you still going to see your friends?"

Liu Suqin raised her eyebrows, "Aren't you going to clean up first?"

Li Hong shook her head and said lazily, "I have nothing to do in the next few days, so I'll just leave it there and clean it up slowly."

"Let's go now and buy some fruit downstairs." Liu Suqin then carried a bag of fruit and drove her friends to Amin's house.

When she walked in, she saw that Ah Hui was indeed at Ah Min's house. Liu Suqin immediately smiled and said, "I guessed right. Ah Hui, you really come to see Ah Min whenever you have time."

Then she introduced the few people to each other. Liu Suqin mentioned Amin and Ahui in front of Li Hong, and also told them in advance that Li Hong also wanted to learn makeup, so the first meeting was not too awkward.

They came from similar backgrounds and were both willing to stay in the big city to work hard. They had a good impression of each other. Amin and Ahui warmly welcomed Li Hong. Amin smiled gently, "Can I call you Ahong? You can also call us Amin and Ahui. Ahong, you have a good connection with my Aliang. His name is Li Liang. Doesn't it sound like we are brother and sister?"

Li Hong slapped her thigh and said, "Really? I have a cousin named Li Liang!"

Several people laughed when they heard this, and the distance between them was instantly shortened a lot.

After welcoming the new friend, Ah Hui turned back to gossip with Liu Suqin, "I heard from Ah Min that you found a job at a newly opened photo studio. The boss is a wealthy man from Hong Kong, right?"

Liu Suqin asked in confusion, "I told her it was a newly opened photo studio, but I didn't seem to mention the owner. How did you know he was a wealthy man from Hong Kong?"

"A senior I know jumped ship and joined your company, and I heard a little bit about what's going on." Ah Hui looked her up and down several times, and before Liu Suqin could get confused, she gave her a thumbs-up and praised her. "Aqin, you're the only newbie here, right? That's amazing! I heard your boss is very wealthy and has high standards, only recruiting talented and reputable people in the industry. Many experienced people wanted to join but didn't get the chance, and yet you, a newbie who just finished training, got in. If I didn't know you, I'd have suspected you got in through the back door."

After seeing the team of makeup artists recruited by President Su, Liu Suqin herself realized that she was really lucky to get this job. She could be said to be the only rookie among a group of big guys.

However, since she was interviewed by the boss personally, Liu Suqin was confident that she could do the job. Who doesn't grow from a rookie to a veteran?

Facing Ah Hui's rather playful compliment, she smiled and said, "It's not as exaggerated as people say. I was really lucky that day. I was the first one to introduce myself to the boss, so I got the chance to show off. Bridal makeup happened to be my specialty in school, and wedding photography is the main focus of the studio. With a little luck and a little bit of talent, I got the job."

Li Hong and Amin looked confused and impressed, as if they were listening to a story. Ahui reminded them, "Don't listen to her nonsense. It's not that simple. I've met quite a few customers from Hong Kong City. Not to mention the wealthy bosses, even ordinary people are treated as superior when they come to us. They almost look down on us. Not everyone has the courage and confidence to recommend themselves in front of them."