Chapter 067 Two Children's Business

Old Mrs. Yang stayed in the hospital for a week. During this week, Hu Meili ran back and forth between the hospital and the slum every day.

She stayed up at the hospital at night to keep watch over Old Lady Yang. In the mornings, after serving Old Lady Yang breakfast, she swapped shifts with Yang Zhiqiang and returned to the compound. However, she didn't go back to the compound to rest. She came back to cook. She prepared lunch and then hurriedly brought it to the hospital for Old Lady Yang and Yang Zhiqiang to eat. After lunch was delivered, she prepared dinner and brought it back to the hospital.

Her actions were seen by the neighbors in the compound, and everyone privately said that Old Lady Yang was lucky to meet a good person.

He stayed with Old Lady Yang in the hospital almost all day long, stewing bone soup, chicken soup, and pig's trotter soup for her in various ways, taking care of her meticulously. Not to mention the nurses, even some of her own children could not do this.

Because of this, everyone in the hospital had a good impression of Hu Meili. Moreover, knowing that she had escaped in order to avoid being married off to a divorced old man in exchange for a dowry by her parents, everyone felt even more sorry for her.

Hu Meili's popularity in the compound quickly improved. The neighbors all warmly welcomed her move-in. Several aunties in the compound would cook some delicious food whenever they had time and invite Hu Meili to eat.

However, Shi Qiu Shui had been obediently following Shi Yue's instructions, staying as far away from Hu Meili as possible and having as little contact with her as possible.

But then again, Shi Qiu Shui and Hu Meili didn't have many opportunities to interact with each other.

Because Shi Qiu Shui was very busy, he had no time to meet Hu Meili.

What is Shi Qiu Shui busy with recently?

She is busy starting a business.

That’s right, Shi Qiu Shui started his own business.

The story begins with Zhao Ran tinkering with the radio in Shi Qiu Shui's house. That day, under the watchful eyes of Zhao Hui and Shi Yue, Zhao Ran installed the radio in Shi's house. Not only that, he also fixed the noise problem in the radio.

Seeing Zhao Ran repair the radio, Zhao Hui awkwardly apologized to Zhao Ran in front of the Shi family's father and daughter, turned around and walked out, and boasted to the people in the courtyard that he had a little genius son who taught himself to repair radios just by reading books.

He showed off to everyone he met, and when he talked too much, people started to question him.

After all, it is still hard to believe that Zhao Ran, a six-year-old kid, can repair a radio.

Some people were looking for trouble and brought their broken radios to Zhao Ran, asking him to repair them in person.

Originally, that person wanted to embarrass Zhao Ran and use this opportunity to severely curb his arrogance.

Unexpectedly, Zhao Ran was really capable. He picked up the radio and knocked around, then took apart the outer shell and tinkered with it for a while. Soon he had fixed the radio.

The person who was looking for trouble did not achieve his goal, but Zhao Ran's skill in repairing radios became famous.

It is no exaggeration to say that in the area of ​​the machinery factory’s staff quarters, everyone knows that there is a kid who is very good at repairing radios.

Zhao Ran was not too concerned about his fame, but Shi Qiu Shui was very excited when he knew about it.

Her eyes lit up, and an idea immediately came to her mind. She took Zhao Ran's hand and said, "Zhao Ran, let's do business together!"

Zhao Ran pointed at the tip of his nose and asked, "Me? With you? The two of us? Doing business together?"

What sound could he and Shi Qiushui make together?

Shi Qiushui nodded excitedly and said, "Yes, just the two of us. How about we open an electrical appliance repair stall at the entrance of the alley?"

Zhao Ran: "Repair electrical appliances? You're not talking about the radio, are you?"

Shi Qiushui: "Yes, it's the radio!"

She said logically, "Now that you're famous for repairing radios, there must be a lot of people curious about how you do it. Maybe they'll be like Uncle Wei before and bring their own radios to you for repair!"

The Uncle Wei she was talking about was the one who came to cause trouble with his broken radio.

Shi Qiushui: "It's okay if one or two people come to you to fix their radios, but what if a lot of people come to you? You can't just fix every one of them without asking for money, right? Wouldn't that mean you're working for them for free?"

Zhao Ran nodded subconsciously.

What Shi Qiu Shui said was right. He couldn't work for others for free.

Shi Qiushui continued, "But if you ask for money after you've fixed someone's radio, they're definitely not going to pay. They might even say you're heartless! So why don't you set up a small stall with me? That way, no matter who comes to you to fix their radio, it'll be considered a normal business. If they don't want to pay, you can just not fix it."

"Well, that's a good idea." Zhao Ran nodded first, then as if he had thought of something, he suddenly looked up and asked, "But why should I set up a stall with you?"

If he wanted to set up a stall, he could have done it by himself.

When Shi Qiu Shui heard this, he was like being struck by lightning. His eyes widened, his mouth opened, and he looked at Zhao Ran in disbelief.

"You actually want to leave me and go it alone?!"

Shi Qiushui pouted and complained, "When no one believed you could repair radios, I always stood by you. But now that you're famous, you're leaving me behind to go it alone. My dad was right, all men are bad, and that includes you, a little boy!"

Zhao Ran: “…”

Seeing Shi Qiushui's eyes red and about to cry, he quickly explained: "No, no, I don't mean to go it alone."

Shi Qiushui: "I don't believe it, you just clearly..."

Zhao Ran: "I take back what I just said, just pretend I didn't say it!"

Shi Qiushui looked at him with her bright dark eyes and said, "So you agree to set up a stall with me?"

Zhao Ran nodded: "Yes, I agree."

"Great!" Shi Qiu Shui's face instantly lit up with joy, and she didn't look like she was about to cry at all.

She smiled and said, "That's a deal. We'll set up a stall together. I'll be responsible for attracting and serving customers, and you'll be responsible for repairing radios. We'll split the profits equally."

Zhao Ran nodded indifferently.

He thought, there wouldn't be many people coming to him to repair their radios anyway, and he probably wouldn't make much money, so he might as well split it equally.

Unlike Zhao Ran's indifferent attitude, Shi Qiushui treated setting up a stall as a serious business. She said, "Since you contributed a lot of the skills, in order to prevent you from suffering any loss, I will be responsible for all the tools and signs needed for setting up the stall."

Shi Qiu Shui is very cunning in his calculations.

Even though she said she was responsible for the tools and signs, the tools she could use to repair a radio were limited. At most, they were things like soldering irons and screwdrivers. She already had some of them at home, and if she didn't have any, it wouldn't cost much even if she bought them.

Speaking of signs, if she needs a sign to set up a street stall, she can just take a piece of cardboard and ask her father to write something on it!

Hehe, if you round it up like this, she can solve the problem of tools* and signs without spending any money!

Shi Qiu Shui felt that he was a very smart kid who couldn't be any smarter!

The little girl felt proud in her heart and turned to say goodbye to her partner Zhao Ran.

She has to go home quickly to ask her father to write a sign for her!

Didn’t they say in the newspapers that time is money?

The sooner you start setting up a stall, the faster you can make money!

Shi Qiu Shui rushed home, found Shi Yue, and told him that he was going to set up a street stall with Zhao Ran, and asked him to write a sign for him.

After hearing what Shi Qiu Shui said, Shi Yue had a complicated expression.

He asked others to bring their own technology to do business with him and split the profits with them 50-50. If it were someone else, he would definitely spit on them and call them a profiteer.

But the person who did this was his daughter, so he couldn't say that the girl was a profiteer.

Shi Yue looked Shi Qiu Shui up and down, and silently said to his father who died early, Dad, if you are still alive in heaven, you should be able to rest in peace. You don’t have to worry about the Shi family having no successor. Your granddaughter has perfectly inherited your unscrupulous businessman attributes.

Even though he complained in his heart, he finally agreed to write a sign for Shi Qiu Shui.

After preparing the signboard, Shi Qiu Shui wasted another day gathering the tools Zhao Ran mentioned, and then the two children officially started setting up their stall.

On June 29th, an ordinary day that was not even a Sunday, Shi Qiu Shui and Zhao Ran started their first day of setting up a street stall.

The two children set up the stall after dinner in the evening. After all, they have to attend martial arts class during the day. After coming back from the class, they are exhausted and need to eat to replenish their energy. Only after replenishing their energy will they have the energy to set up the stall.

Around seven o'clock in the evening, Shi Qiu Shui walked in front holding a written sign, and Zhao Ran walked behind with a small tool box that Shi Qiu Shui had equipped him. Behind Zhao Ran were the parents of the two families.

Because it was agreed beforehand that setting up the stall was the children's job and the adults would not interfere, so the parents of both families did not help to carry things.

They are here purely to join in the fun today.

Shi Qiushui stopped at the entrance of the alley. There was a small open space at the intersection where their alley connected to the road outside. Many street vendors were doing business there. Gao Cuifen's boss, Old Zhang, had his car repair stall there.

But it was late now, and most of the vendors had packed up and gone home, with only one person selling popsicles left.

Shi Qiu Shui didn't care whether others had returned or not. She found a place and put the sign on the ground. After putting the sign in place, she thought for a moment and took two bricks from the side to press it down.

"Now I don't have to worry about it running away."

Shi Qiu Shui patted the dirt off her hands and called Zhao Ran over. When Zhao Ran came over, she took the toolbox from Zhao Ran's hand and took out two folding vests from it. She held one for Zhao Ran, and the two of them set up the small vests and sat down.

Shi Yue looked amused and asked with a smile, "Xiao Qiu, you just set up your stall, why are you sitting down now? Aren't you trying to attract customers?"

"Oh, yes!" Shi Qiu Shui slapped his forehead and stood up immediately.

"Ahem." She cleared her throat and called out in her soft, baby voice, "Don't miss it if you pass by. The children's radio repair shop is open."

Yes, the name of Shi Qiu Shui and Zhao Ran’s repair shop is called “Kids’ Radio Repair Shop”. This is the name given by Shi Qiu Shui, and she is very proud of it. She spent only three minutes to think of such a concise, clear, catchy and distinctive name.

Well, she is worthy of it!

Shi Qiushui continued to shout, "Brothers and sisters, uncles and aunts passing by, come and have a look! The kid's radio repair shop has opened. If anyone has a broken or faulty radio, you can bring it in and have it fixed. If it can't be fixed, it's free!"

After Shi Qiu Shui finished shouting these words, both parents who came to watch the fun were shocked.

Hey, I didn’t expect that Xiaoqiu is quite good at speaking?

Feeling their gazes, Shi Qiu Shui puffed out her belly with pride.

If she wants to set up a stall, of course she can't do it without doing her homework.

When she went to the vegetable market yesterday, she paid special attention to how other businesses advertised their products, and now she is putting it into practice today.

It turns out that Shi Qiu Shui's learning was of some use. When she shouted like that, she attracted the attention of those people who came out to enjoy the cool air in the alley.

Shi Qiushui shouted even more vigorously now, "The Little Kids Radio Repair Shop is having a big sale on its first day of business. We don't charge for labor, just the materials, which is like free repairs! Everyone, come and take a look! You won't be cheated or ripped off, and you can take home a radio that's as good as new!"

At first glance, Shi Qiu Shui and Zhao Ran's repair shop seemed like a joke, but the people in Ping'an Hutong had long heard that there was a kid nearby who was very good at repairing radios. When they heard Shi Qiu Shui shouting, they immediately made the connection.

Someone immediately asked, "Hey, kid, who among you guys can fix the radio? Do you really know how to do it?"

As soon as Shi Qiushui saw the customer coming, he quickly pulled Zhao Ran over and said, "He really can fix it. He can. Uncle, this Zhao Ran is the kid in our alley who's amazing at repairing radios. If you don't believe me, just ask around."

The person asking the question thought, "Yes, that makes sense." He heard that the kid who repaired the radio was named Zhao.

He nodded and said, "Wait a moment then. My radio has some problems. I'll bring it over for you to fix."

Shi Qiushui smiled brightly: "Okay, uncle, you can take it."

Her eyes were crooked and her smile was quite sincere. Mainly, she didn't expect to have business coming to her so soon.

Not long after, the man who played the radio at home came back quickly, holding an old Red Lantern brand tube radio in his hand.

When Zhao Hui saw the radio he was holding, he exclaimed, "Ouch!" This radio model was quite old. As far as he knew, this model had been out of production for more than ten years, not to mention the lifespan of this radio. It was estimated that it must have been at least fifteen or sixteen years, right?

Sure enough, the person who came over with the radio spoke up and confirmed this.

"Come here, kids, show me this radio. I bought it fifteen years ago, and it worked fine before, but recently it suddenly stopped working. Can you tell me what's wrong with it?"

Zhao Ran picked up a screwdriver and skillfully disassembled the radio casing. He first checked whether there was any problem with the speaker, then the transformer and power cord. When he checked the antenna coil, his eyes lit up.

He looked up. “Your antenna coil was chewed by a mouse, so there’s no sound.”

As he spoke, he used a screwdriver to point out a broken part at the antenna coil to the radio's owner. There were two obvious teeth marks on it, and judging by their size, they were definitely rat teeth marks.

The radio owner suddenly realized: "Oh, so that's how it is, there have been mice in my house these past two days!"

He lowered his head and cursed the damned rat inwardly, then asked, "Then the antenna coil is bitten off. Can you fix it? If so, how much would it cost?"

Zhao Ran: "I can fix it. If you fix it today, just give me two dollars."

Shi Qiushui took over the conversation and said with a smile, "Because today is our first day setting up the stall, we don't charge for labor, only for materials, so we'll just charge you a symbolic two yuan. If you miss today, the price won't be the same tomorrow."

How could he not take advantage of such a good deal? The radio owner nodded immediately and said, "Okay, let's fix it today."

Zhao Ran immediately took action. While busy with the work at hand, he said, "Wait a moment, about five minutes."

Shi Qiushui explained to the customer on his behalf: "He's asking you to wait a moment. He'll be able to fix it for you in about five minutes."

"Oh, okay."

Five minutes passed in the blink of an eye. Zhao Ran reassembled the radio and slowly turned on the power button. As he moved, the radio gradually began to make sounds.

"Hey, okay, okay, there's a sound!"

"Hey, that's great! This kid really knows how to fix it!"

"It was fixed so quickly, this kid is really good!"

The crowd around them exclaimed in surprise.

The radio's owner was delighted. He readily took out two dollars and handed them to Zhao Ran, saying, "Thank you, kid. You fixed my radio for just two dollars. I got a great deal."

He walked away happily holding the radio, and the people around him were quite moved by his words.

It's quite cheap for this kid to repair the radio.

One of the ladies swallowed her saliva and said, "My radio is also a little broken. Can you fix it?"

Shi Qiushui: "It can be fixed. Grandma, bring the radio over and we can fix it."

"Okay, I'll get it right away!"

Not only this old lady, several people from the crowd ran out to get their radios home.

It’s the same old saying, if you don’t take advantage of a good opportunity, you’re a bastard.

When I think about the fact that these two kids who repair radios only charge for materials, no matter if the problem is big or small, anyone who has a problem with their radio at home will go back and get their radio.

There are still some people in the crowd who haven't gone back yet and feel sorry about it.

Why is the radio in their house not broken? Otherwise they could have taken advantage of this as well!

Soon, the people who worked on the radios came back, and Zhao Ran checked the problems of the radios one by one.

Some radios have minor problems like poor contact and unstable connecting wires, while some radios have more complicated problems that require replacing entire parts to repair.

Zhao Ran started with the ones that were easier to repair. He worked hard until dark, and there were still a few people's radios that were not repaired.

Zhao Hui, who was holding a flashlight to illuminate him, couldn't help but say, "Son, how about asking your grandfather to help you?"

Although Old Zhao was not a professional radio repairman, he was a retired employee of a machinery factory after all. He was knowledgeable about many things, and with Zhao Ran's guidance, he could help with the repairs.

Zhao Ran raised his head and wiped his sweat. Even though he was outside and his grandmother and mother were fanning him, he was still sweating a little because the work he was doing was delicate.

Wiping off the sweat, Zhao Ran asked, "What time is it now?"

Shi Yue glanced at his watch and said, "It's half past eight."

Zhao Ran frowned, not expecting it to be so late.

He thought for a moment and said to Old Zhao, "Grandpa, please help me fix it."

Old Zhao had wanted to help for a long time, but he hadn't intervened because of the rules they had agreed on. Now that Zhao Ran had taken the initiative to ask for help, he didn't care about the rules anymore and rolled up his sleeves and asked, "Which one should I fix?"

Zhao Ran pointed to the radio on his left and said, "Grandpa, fix this. The battery of this radio is broken. Just take it apart, remove the battery, and then install it again."

Old Zhao: "Okay!"

It goes without saying that two people working together are faster than Zhao Ran working alone. After Old Zhao joined in, the remaining radios were repaired in just an hour.

The customers received their repaired radios, paid one by one and left. Shi Qiu Shui and Zhao Ran also packed up their stalls and prepared to go home.

It was almost ten o'clock at this time, so they didn't talk about dividing the money. They just hurriedly put the tools into the toolbox and went home.

We'll deal with the rest tomorrow.

Shi Qiu Shui returned home and fell onto the sofa.

She took martial arts classes at the martial arts gym all day, and then set up a stall all night when she came back. Her battery was completely exhausted and she didn't even have the strength to move her fingers.

Even though she is not responsible for repairing things but for attracting customers, her job is not easy either.

She had to entertain every customer who came. Some customers had a lot of questions, and she had to answer them one by one. Some radios were difficult to repair, so she had to calm the customers down, collect the money, settle the bill, and give the change... She was really exhausted after this evening.

Shi Yue felt sorry for the little girl lying on the sofa. He took a basin of water from the yard, returned to the house and added some hot water to it. He stopped when it felt almost warm.

He brought the washbasin filled with water to the side of the sofa and whispered to Shi Qiushui, "Xiaoqiu, get up and wash your face before going to sleep."

Shi Qiu Shui obediently got up and washed her face. After washing her face, she felt better and was able to count the gains she had made today.

In order to make it easier to split the money, she specially prepared a small bag and put all the money she earned from the stall in the bag.

At this moment, she took out all the money from her small bag and counted them one by one.

"One, two, three..."

When Shi Yue came back after pouring the water, he saw Shi Qiu Shui, who was like a money-grubber. He raised the corner of his mouth and said deliberately: "Did you count it clearly? Do you want me to help you count it?"

"No need!" Shi Qiu Shui looked at him warily and stuffed the money back into her bag.

She said, "Dad, I can count without your help."

Shi Yue was so angry at her anti-theft look that he laughed. He pinched the little girl's cheek and said, "Hey, what do you mean? Are you afraid that I will steal your money? You heartless little thing, I stayed outside with you to feed mosquitoes all night, and you didn't even offer to share some money with me, but you are afraid that I will steal your money?"

The more Shi Yue thought about it, the angrier he became, and he started to act like a child.

He put his hands on his hips and said, "Yes, you should give me some money. Not only me, but also your Uncle Zhao, Grandpa Zhao, Grandma Lu and the others. You should give them some money too!"

Shi Qiushui also put his hands on his hips and said unconvincedly, "Why?! Didn't we agree before that this business belongs to Zhao Ran and me, the two kids, and you adults don't interfere, and you don't touch the money you earn. Why are you asking for money now?"

Shi Yue: "Because we worked hard tonight!"

He said, "Your Uncle Zhao is holding the flashlight for you, your Grandpa Zhao is helping with the work, and your Grandma Lu..."

Shi Qiu Shui was speechless.

Although she is a small profiteer, she will also feel guilty.

Tonight, several adults were really troubled by her.

"Oh, no, Dad, you didn't help me with anything tonight!"

Shi Qiu Shui, who was almost fooled, suddenly reacted and stared at Shi Yue with wide eyes.