Chapter 60 Chapter 60 It’s time to start work.

Li Hong and Amin turned their heads at the same time, looking at Liu Suqin with curious eyes as she prepared to eat the melon.

Little did they know, Liu Suqin was just as bewildered as they were. "Oh, you mean our boss? President Su does look powerful, like one of those female bosses from TV dramas, but since I'm already here, I decided to give it a try and it's free, so I bravely tried to get her. I didn't expect her to be so approachable in private, even serving as a model for me."

"As for the colleagues who followed President Su from Hong Kong, they're all a group of young people who love to play and make noise, and their conversation is interesting..."

Upon hearing this, Li Hong and Amin immediately turned around to look at Ahui, like two fence-sitters.

Ah Hui, just as they had hoped, held fast to her opinion. "Meeting one or two approachable Hong Kong residents might be pure luck, but the fact that so many people are so friendly to you only means that there must be something about you, Ah Qin, that has impressed them enough to accept you. After all, even the most discerning Hong Kong residents can be warm, generous, and friendly to those they approve of."

Liu Suqin: ...

Oh my goodness, after all this talk, it turns out her friend was just trying to flatter her in a roundabout way. Liu Suqin said, "Keep it simple. Next time if you want to praise me, just say it directly. No need to beat around the bush."

Ah Hui quickly chimed in, "Oh, I got caught. But it's different when you're out working. Ah Qin, you've become thicker-skinned than before."

"To learn from you."

Ah Hui is not ashamed of this, but proud of it. "If you want to cultivate a skin as invulnerable as mine, you still have a lot to learn."

The girls were chatting and laughing together. In a blink of an eye, the sun was about to set. Liu Suqin noticed the sky and quickly said goodbye.

Amin naturally warmly invited them all to stay for dinner.

"Let's do it another day. I still have to return the car to the store, and Nanjiang and the others are going to set up their stall soon."

Li Hong followed closely behind, "I should go back and pack my things. I didn't even have time to make my bed before leaving. If I delay any longer, I'll have nothing to sleep on tonight. I'll come to play with you guys next time with Suqin."

When Amin heard that both of them had important matters to attend to, he regretfully prepared to send them out. Unexpectedly, Ahui suddenly came to join in the fun, "Aqin, you drove here by yourself today? That's great, can you let me take a ride back home? I've never ridden in one before."

Liu Suqin naturally had no objection, "But look back at Amin, she looks like she's about to cry."

Ah Hui turned around and saw her best friend's face was about to break. Instead of softening her heart, she laughed even louder. "There's nothing I can do. I have to get up early for work tomorrow. I can only go back and rest early."

Ah Hui knew that her good sister was calling her again, and the words she wanted to say to keep her were instantly stuck in her throat. She had no choice but to hold the child and reluctantly send the three of them downstairs.

Li Hong and Ah Hui, both cheerful and outgoing, were already arm in arm as they walked down the stairs, giggling and clambering onto the back of the tricycle. As Liu Suqin expertly drove off, they kept turning back to wave goodbye to Ah Min, who was watching them leave.

The breeze blew the hair of the three people. From Amin's perspective, the picture was so vivid and free, as if they were not going back to their separate homes, but were running towards a beautiful and brilliant future together.

Looking at this scene, Ah Hui stood there for a long time without coming back to her senses.

If she had previously planned to go out to work when her son grew up in order to earn money and help relieve some of the pressure on her husband, then now she had another reason to find a job, which was that she didn't want to be left far behind by her friends like she was today.

She also wanted to live a bright and brilliant life like them.

Liu Suqin and the others were unaware of Amin's inner feelings. She was turning into one intersection after another under Ahui's command.

In fact, the other party's residence was not on their way, but it didn't matter. With a tricycle, it wouldn't take too long to cross from the east to the west of the city. Besides, Ahui was directing her to take shortcuts.

The car soon arrived at Ahui's residence.

Ah Hui also used to live in a village in the city. As her salary continued to double, and as a young and beautiful girl, she was often harassed by all kinds of men after staying in such a place for a long time, she was afraid that living there would affect her personal safety, so she moved out half a year ago. Now she shares a two-bedroom, one-living-room apartment with a girl who works in a foreign company. It is a semi-new apartment and is the staff housing of a large factory. Every day, old men and women come to the shade of the trees under the stairs to play chess, collect intelligence, and investigate every resident or tenant who enters and leaves the corridor.

The ages, workplaces, and social circles of these tenants can all be dug out by the uncles and aunts. It can be said that they have no privacy at all, but it is really safe. You can often hear the aunts discussing under the tree how Xiao X from a certain floor brought a girl back to spend the night again yesterday, and how many partners he has changed in the past year.

When Ah Hui was giving directions to Liu Suqin, she couldn't help but complain about the intelligence-gathering abilities of the aunties in the building. She also reminded her new friend Li Hong that it was okay to rent a house in the urban village temporarily, but she still had to find a safe house after her work stabilized.

After hearing this, Li Hong did not feel unhappy at all. Instead, she felt encouraged. Ah Hui, who now has the temperament of a modern girl in a big city, had actually been in financial difficulties like her before.

So as long as she works hard, will she also have such a bright future?

Seeing Ah Hui, a living example, Li Hong's heart was burning with warmth. It could be said that all the chicken soup Liu Suqin had given her before was not as shocking as what she saw with her own eyes today.

As they were talking, Ah Hui noticed the car had arrived near her residence. She quickly moved to the driver's seat and said with a smile, "Aqin, since you guys aren't planning on coming to my house today, why not just park at the intersection ahead? Driving in and then having to turn around and back out is too much trouble. I can just walk there in a few steps."

"Are you sure? Actually, it's very convenient for a tricycle to turn around. It's fine to just drop you off downstairs."

"Don't worry, it only takes two minutes to get to my house from here. If you have time, come and sit down, and you'll know if I'm just being polite or not."

Liu Suqin then smiled and said, "I'll definitely come and visit you when I'm free. You can also come and visit us."

Ah Hui nodded as she slowly got out of the car and stood on the curb, waving, "It's a deal then. You'll also go home early after sending Ah Hong off, and I'll watch you turn around."

Liu Suqin and Li Hong then said goodbye to Ahui and returned along the shortcut they came from.

It wasn't dark outside yet, but some sections of the road were already lit up with streetlights. Liu Suqin smiled and said, "It'll be dinner time when we get home. Why don't you just come to my place?"

Li Hong said she hadn't been giving Amin the cold shoulder before, and she really had to go back to clean up, make her bed, and rest. "Is there any difference between going to your house to eat and then going back, and going downstairs later to get some food from your wife?"

Uh...it really doesn't seem to make much of a difference. Li Hong went home for dinner and had to walk back to the village at night. It would be more convenient for her to just drop her off right now.

Liu Suqin was a person who listened to advice. She drove directly towards the village in the city. Li Hong followed suit and asked her to stop by the roadside. "There are grocery stores and small supermarkets around here that have everything. I can just buy some rags and mops to clean up."

"If you have something to say, go directly to Nanjiang and the others. Don't try to be stubborn. Just come to my house for dinner these few days." Liu Suqin gave some final instructions and was finally ready to go home.

The long and fulfilling half-day holiday is over. After a night of rest and recharge, I woke up the next day feeling like a good man again.

Liu Suqin woke up half an hour earlier than the alarm clock had set, so she had plenty of time. After washing up, she leisurely put on her makeup, changed into her going-out clothes, and tied her hair. Only then did she prepare to go out for breakfast with full energy.

When she opened the door, Aunt Zhang, who happened to be passing by with a rag, was shocked. "Suqin? You, you, you..."

You were speechless for a long time, but you couldn't organize your words. Impatient Qian Juxiang heard the noise and rushed over with her granddaughter in her arms. "What happened to Suqin?"

Qian Juxiang couldn't move a step until she saw her daughter's current outfit clearly. She stood two steps away with an expression like an old man on the subway checking his phone, "What are you doing? You're wearing such short clothes like this!"

Liu Suqin, however, felt good about herself.

The studio had no dress code, so today she wore a pair of newly bought wide-leg jeans based on the usual style of her colleagues, plus a little inspiration from Julie. She wore a slim-fitting wool sweater with a casual and crisp leather jacket. This outfit made her look handsome and casual. Her long curly hair was tied into a high half ponytail, with fluffy arcs and bangs. Her usually feminine long hair instantly became synonymous with vitality. Paired with makeup and exaggerated round earrings, she looked extremely fashionable.

Liu Suqin was very surprised when she looked in the mirror. She always thought she was an old cucumber painted green, but she didn't expect that she could be so cruel. She pretended to be a young girl and had no sense of existence at all.

The key is that this outfit is in line with the tone of her colleagues, and she can be both offensive and defensive. She can be a quiet beautiful girl at her workstation, and when needed, she can roll up her sleeves and move bricks wherever needed. It perfectly fits her new status as a cow and horse!

Unfortunately, both her mother and aunt looked shocked, so Liu Suqin had to swallow her idea of ​​sharing her fashion experience and gave the official reason that wearing jeans and tying her hair made it more convenient for her to go to work.

Aunt Zhang nodded hesitantly. "It does look neat and tidy, and convenient for work, but does everyone else dress like this?"

"Oh, yes, yes, my colleagues all like leather jackets with jeans." Before Liu Suqin could say anything, Afeng and the other photographers had already put on ripped jeans. No wonder Julie reminded her on the first day to dress more maturely and not too openly. She really didn't fit in with this group of fashion darlings.

Aunt Zhang was successfully persuaded. "Since everyone wears it like this, it's fine. In fact, it looks pretty good once you get used to it."

She just looks too much like a young girl who has never experienced anything in life. Aunt Zhang was not comfortable saying this, but Qian Juxiang complained bluntly, "What's so good about her? She looks like a little girl who hasn't grown up. She doesn't look like a mother at all."

As she spoke, she turned around and whispered to Xiao Zhang, saying that she was still used to the girl's usual appearance. Although her face was young, at least her temperament was gentle and steady.

The word temperament was something she had recently learned.

The day before yesterday, Qian Juxiang was shopping at the supermarket when she bumped into her neighbor, a woman from the building next door. They'd run into each other before while walking their kids in the neighborhood, and since they were familiar with each other, they happened to be walking back to the neighborhood together after finishing their checkout. The woman was a teacher who spoke standard Mandarin and could understand Qian Juxiang's Mandarin with a local accent, so they chatted all the way, and in a few words, they'd revealed everything about their families, where they were from, and how many children they had.

Teacher Chen, who Qian Juxiang calls "big sister", said that she had actually noticed the young couple Liu Suqin and Lin Nanjiang a long time ago because they were really young but raised their children very well.

Old neighbors like these, who have grandchildren to look after, often get together to discuss whose child is the smartest and prettiest. However, most of the children have chubby, pink faces and watery eyes, each with their own cuteness, and everyone appreciates their own unique qualities. In the end, the discussion always ends with each person having their own opinion.

It wasn't until Xiao Fangfang followed her parents to settle in the city that she suddenly appeared and unified the aesthetic taste of the entire community. After that, whenever they got together to talk about whose child was the best, as long as they nominated Xiao Fangfang, there would be basically no controversy.

So before she knew it, Xiao Fangfang became the celebrity baby in the neighborhood, and her parents also attracted a lot of attention.

Teacher Chen was also one of the people observing secretly.

Her observation concluded that Xiao Fangfang's appearance was not entirely due to luck, but she actually inherited the good looks of her parents.

The father's handsomeness might not be obvious, mainly because he frequently visited the neighborhood last year to oversee renovations, and when he first moved, he had a dark complexion. The Chinese aesthetic is that white hides all flaws, while dark ruins everything. Even though he later whitened, the neighbors rarely saw him because he was always out and about, so everyone still remembered him as the "plain" but warm young man with a bright white smile.

But Fangfang's mother is indeed a real beauty. She is beautiful at first sight whether she wears makeup or not, especially when she takes her child downstairs for a walk. She often wears loose home clothes, with her hair casually tied up, and no makeup on. But the mother has fair skin and long legs, and the child has red lips and white teeth. The two little faces, one big and one small, look like snow piles. From a distance, they are so white that they glow, which is very pleasing to the eye.

Teacher Chen firmly believes in the old saying "If the father is ugly, the whole family will be ugly." Xiao Fangfang inherited her mother's good looks, which further confirmed her point of view. So every time she mentioned the child, she couldn't help but praise the mother for giving birth to the child.

Although Qian Juxiang was a generation apart and doted on her granddaughter as if she were her own flesh and blood, her daughter was actually the one who came out of her belly. When someone praised Liu Suqin, she felt as proud and satisfied as if someone praised Fangfang a hundred times. She couldn't help but pull her elder sister aside to talk about her own daughter.

But she had a problem of saying one thing and thinking another. Although she was very happy in her heart, she would still refute her elder sister, saying that her daughter was just a country girl and not as good as they said.

Teacher Chen started arguing with the older sister unconsciously. She had a very good impression of Fangfang's mother. Compared with her appearance, she appreciated Liu Suqin's graceful and calm temperament more. Even before Qian Juxiang said that her daughter was a girl from the countryside, who did all kinds of farm work such as mowing grass and hoeing the fields when she was a child, and only went to junior high school, Teacher Chen once thought that she was a girl from a wealthy family and therefore more knowledgeable than many people. She even whispered to her husband at home in private, why did such a knowledgeable girl marry a cook? Could it be that her current partner became suspicious of her when she was young?

Even when Qian Juxiang told the truth, Teacher Chen expressed doubts for a while. The discussion revolved around Liu Suqin's background, education, work, etc., without realizing that the topic had already gone off the track.

Qian Juxiang looked so proud of her daughter that she smiled even harder than a smile when she got home. Her daughter was so outstanding in the eyes of the city dwellers. It was such a great honor for her mother. Because of her pride, Qian Juxiang never went to school, but she remembered every word Teacher Chen used to describe her daughter. Now she understands their meaning and puts it into practice.

Unfortunately, she wanted to persuade her daughter to stick to this elegant and graceful style, but the girl refused to listen. She dressed in a weird way and thought she was so beautiful. When she carried her bag and went out to work, her steps were almost flying.

Qian Juxiang finally stopped muttering and ran after her with little Fangfang in her arms. Liu Suqin had just finished changing her shoes and turned around to hold the little one's cheek and gave her a kiss. "My dear, Mommy is going to work to earn money to buy Fangfang a beautiful dress. You have to behave yourself at home, too."

After saying that, he pushed the door open and left. It was not until the door was closed again that Qian Juxiang looked down and saw the bright lipstick marks on her little grandson's face. She was so angry that she laughed. She couldn't help but complain to Aunt Zhang, "Look how proud she is. The house is almost full. I just want to see how much money she can earn outside."

She said so, but when Liu Suqin came home from work on the first day, Qian Juxiang had already brought Aunt Zhang and prepared a table full of her favorite dishes waiting for her. When she heard the door open, Qian Juxiang, who was washing rags in the kitchen, turned around instantly and ran faster than anyone else.

Of course, Aunt Zhang and Li Hong, who was playing with Fangfang, were only a few seconds late. There were three adults and little Fangfang, who didn't understand what was going on but was infected by the surrounding atmosphere. As soon as Liu Suqin changed her shoes and stood up, she was met with four pairs of sparkling eyes that almost blinded her.

"How was your first day at work?"

Liu Suqin didn't keep the secret and nodded emphatically, "It was more than smooth sailing. It was incredibly busy that afternoon. There were already quite a few individual customers who saw the ad and came in to inquire about trying it. The boss even brought a group of wealthy ladies to take photos. If we hadn't prepared several studios, there would have been a long queue."

Li Hong couldn't help but ask curiously, "But didn't your boss just come from Hong Kong? How come he already has such a wide network of contacts here?"

Liu Suqin said she hadn't expected this either. "This group of wealthy wives were probably just there to pave the way. The shop just opened this morning, and people have been sending flower baskets over one after another. Some even went out of their way to greet the receptionist, saying they didn't have time today and would definitely bring their wives to patronize the shop next time. They must all be Mr. Su's former business friends. After all, the two places are close, and there are many Hong Kong businessmen investing in Shenzhen, so even more used to go from here to the other side."

"That's great. There are a lot of rich people here. You can rely on your boss's connections to break into that circle, and you won't have to worry about performance in the future." Li Hong was very happy for her friend.

Qian Juxiang anxiously asked, "There are so many things to do on your first day at work, can you handle it?"

"I have to thank my master for that. Her last name is also Liu, so she told us to just call her Sister Liu. In the morning, I mainly helped Sister Liu and learned her techniques. In the afternoon, I started applying foundation makeup for customers under her guidance. According to Sister Liu's habit, she would let me practice one step before moving on to the next."

Several people didn't quite understand what she was talking about with the makeup process. Qian Juxiang just nodded and said, "It's good to have a master to guide you. This master sounds like a good person. You should learn some real skills from him. Okay, we've worked all day, let's go eat first."

Liu Suqin was indeed starving. A client had delayed her for half an hour after get off work, and now it was dark when she got home. She was still being blocked at the door and questioned. Hearing her mother's words, she felt like she had been pardoned. She handed the bag to Aunt Zhang and said, "I'm going to wash my hands. Have you eaten?"

Except for Xiao Fangfang who needed to eat at regular times and in fixed quantities, the others had not eaten. When Liu Suqin came out after washing her hands, she saw everyone sitting at the dining table waiting for her, and her seat was served with rice and old duck soup.

Liu Suqin first took a few big gulps of the old duck soup, and then she picked out the duck meat and fish maw, bamboo fungus, yam and other soup ingredients and slowly put them into her mouth, while sighing to everyone, "The boss is really foresighted. He treated us to a celebration at noon. If we had planned to celebrate the good start after finishing work in the evening, we don't know when we would have to wait. When Sister Liu and I packed up and left work, there were still two groups of colleagues busy." Zhu Li, who was in charge of the overall coordination, and A Feng, the head of the filming crew, were also working overtime. It is true that the greater the ability, the greater the responsibility.

Aunt Zhang asked in surprise, "Then when will the others get off work?"

"Overtime is random. The entire crew has to stay and work until the client has finished filming and leaves."

Qian Juxiang couldn't help but ask, "If the client takes a few hours to shoot, won't you be off work until midnight?"

"In theory, yes, but it's quite rare because indoor photography is very fast, and a group can be completed in two or three hours if it's efficient. The only time it takes several hours or even a whole day is for wedding photos, and clients need to make an appointment in advance because the studio recommends outdoor wedding photography, which requires additional preparation of props and venues."

"So, at most, you'll have to work overtime for an hour or two?" Li Hong concluded. "You get off work at six, or eight at the latest. It's actually not that bad. It's much more relaxing than working at the factory."

"Yes, I don't go to work until nine in the morning. I left home half an hour earlier today to take the bus. There was plenty of space on the bus, so I didn't have to fight for a seat."

Li Hong envied him, "When can I find a job?"

Liu Suqin comforted her, "It will be soon. Once you start your training, you'll find that time flies by and you'll graduate in the blink of an eye."

As soon as the two of them started talking about other things, Qian Juxiang lost interest. She lowered her head and ate her meal seriously. After finishing, she put down her bowl and chopsticks, wiped her mouth, and went to pick up little Fangfang, who was sitting in the high chair next to them and watching them eat, acting as a mood-maker. She turned back and urged the child's mother, "Are you done eating? Hurry up and take Fangfang out for a walk. We've been delayed for a long time today. When we get to the community gate, you can call your father and let him know the good news that you've had a smooth start to your job."

Liu Suqin and Li Hong had also finished their meals and were just sitting there chatting. Upon hearing this, they turned around in surprise and asked, "Mom, haven't you told my dad and the others about this yet?"

"I mentioned it once, but now that you're officially working, of course you have to tell him in person."

"Okay." Liu Suqin stood up and called Li Hong, "After I finish the call, I'll go with you to the store and wait. We can just take their car back to the village."

"They have to move so many things to set up their stall, can they still take me with them?"

Liu Suqin had gone there on the first day, so she was naturally confident. "It's OK, but you'll have to squeeze in a bit, and the process won't be very comfortable."

Li Hong smiled. "What more can you ask for when you get a free ride? Besides, it only takes about ten minutes to drive there. It's fast."

As they were talking, they walked out. Aunt Zhang took the initiative to say that she was washing dishes at home and would not go out for a walk with them. Qian Juxiang then quickly went downstairs carrying Xiao Fangfang. Li Hong wanted to do it for her but she didn't get the chance.

Liu Suqin came back and hadn't even showered or changed clothes yet. She didn't hold the little one who looked at her eagerly, but just touched his face and hands from time to time, which soon made him giggle. Then she turned around and started teasing her mother, "Mom, you have to tell your hometown if you find a job. You told me about it during the training. Now that I'm officially hired as a full-time employee after my internship, do you have to tell them too?"

Qian Juxiang said confidently, "This isn't something to be ashamed of, so why not tell me?"