Zhang Xuemei had also thought about this problem. The house she was currently living in was too far from the No. 13 Primary School, and it was inconvenient to go back and forth, so living in her own house was not realistic. The main problem was that there was no one to pick her up.

Although Xiaowen and Xiaokai also attend the Thirteenth Primary School, it's not feasible to have their in-laws pick them up. It's fine for them to pick them up once or twice, but it's not a long-term solution. In the end, she came up with a solution.

"Brother, I've thought of all the problems you mentioned, but I've come up with a solution. A new after-school care center has opened near No. 13 Elementary School. You can eat there for lunch and dinner, take a nap there, and then be taken to school for classes in the afternoon. You can go home in the evening. The fee is reasonable, five yuan a day, which is about one hundred yuan a month including school time. What do you think?"

“This…” Zhang Xuefeng looked at Lin Haitao hesitantly. It sounded alright, but it was a hundred a month. Wasn’t that a bit expensive?

Lin Haitao didn't think it was too expensive. It included two meals, a nap, and transportation to school, which saved them a lot of trouble. Anyway, they weren't short of 100 yuan, so it was fine.

So he asked with a smile, "Xuemei, where is the after-school care center you mentioned? When can you take me to see it? If possible, I really want to bring Yajing here to study. The teachers all praise her for being smart, and I'm just afraid that studying in the village will hinder her progress."

Lin Haitao would love to have her child with her, but she just doesn't have the means.

My husband and I are busy all day long and don't have time to look after the children. There are too many people and cars in the city, and if something happens, it could cost them their lives.

So when Xuemei came to visit, they refused outright. At least in the village, their mother-in-law could look after them, and they were well-fed and clothed, so they didn't have to worry.

However, the small after-school program that Xuemei mentioned sounds pretty good. If it's feasible, she'll bring the child over.

"It's right next to the 13th Elementary School, very close. Elementary school registration is in a week, so sister-in-law, you can bring your household registration book and come with me to take a look. Ya Jing will continue to second grade, and Xiao Lei will find a preschool near our home so he can go to elementary school next year. It'll be good for the two siblings to have each other."

"That's great! By the way, you said last time the tuition fee was 150 yuan, right?" Lin Haitao had heard her sister-in-law mention the tuition fee before, but given their current income, it was manageable.

"Yes, so bring the money with you then. That's all for now. When you have time, find a preschool for Xiaolei. You only need to pay the tuition. Just look for one near your home!"

"Okay, we understand. Thank you for your hard work, little sister."

“Look at what you’re saying, sister-in-law. I’m the aunt, this is nothing. By the way, you don’t need to buy a schoolbag, I’ll prepare one for you. The same goes for notebooks and pencils, I’ll bring them over later. Consider it a gift from your aunt.”

"Okay, then I won't buy it. Ya Jing will be overjoyed." Lin Haitao didn't refuse. She knew that her younger sister was genuinely buying it for the children. She would buy two sets of clothes for her younger sister's two children later to return the favor. This kind of give-and-take relationship is the only way to maintain a lasting friendship.

...

Time flies, and it's already the end of 1997. 1998 is just around the corner. Yongqing has been handed over to the authorities, and as expected, it's now packed with people. The old market has been demolished, and merchants are flocking to Yongqing.

That day, Zhang Xuemei was watching several women clean the shop. "Aunties, you have to wipe every nook and cranny of the cabinets, and then leave them open to air dry. You can't leave them inside."

"Mr. Zhang, I'm busy!"

"Hey, Mr. Lu, what brings you here today?" Zhang Xuemei turned around and saw Lu Baichuan standing behind her with his hands in his pockets.

"I've come to check on things and see how everyone's renovations are going. We're opening in just half a month, so we need to hurry. Mr. Zhang, you're making good progress! Everything's almost finished."

"Of course we need to hurry, we can't delay the opening date."

"Hey, Mr. Zhang, you guys who buy shops really have foresight. Do you know how much your big shop is worth now?"

Before Zhang Xuemei could answer, Lu Baichuan blurted out, "I'll add 30,000 to the previous price, but they're all sold out. My uncle won't sell the rest."

"Really? Prices have gone up so much. Sigh, if I had more money, I should have bought another one." Zhang Xuemei was genuinely regretful, but the fact remained that she didn't have the money.

Lu Baichuan waved his hand, "Come on, you've already done very well. You've earned 30,000 in just six months. Be happy about it! Alright, I'm leaving now. I have things to do at home, so I won't chat with you anymore."

Zhang Xuemei: "..." Who started chatting with whom first?

That evening, Zhang Xuemei, Xu Mingwan, Xu Minghan, and Xu Minghe, who had just joined, held a small meeting together.

"Now, our goods are ready, and we're just waiting to open in half a month. Today I watched a few aunties cleaning the shop, and it's basically done. Tomorrow we can start hanging up the goods."

Zhang Xuemei felt that the timing of the opening was somewhat awkward. If she went to stock up on winter clothes, they wouldn't sell for long, and if she went to stock up on spring clothes, it wasn't time yet. It was a bit of an awkward situation.

In the end, she ordered fewer winter underwear and some winter clothes for babies, but mostly ordered spring clothes, since spring clothes would be in season soon after the New Year.

"Luckily, we went to the factory two months in advance. Some of the good products are so popular that you have to be quick to grab them, and even then, you still can't get them!" Xu Minghe was referring to a brand of jeans, which you really can't get without ordering in advance.

"Yes, I've looked at it too. Baiku's pants have good styles and quality, and they are indeed in high demand. However, it seems that there is no distributor in Tianshui City yet. I'm thinking that if they sell well, I'll negotiate a distributorship."

Xu Minghan had specifically asked the manufacturer and knew that the price of their brand's agency rights was not high. They had to pay an agency fee of 30,000 yuan per year and then purchase a certain quantity each year, otherwise it would be hard to say whether they could become an agent the following year.

"My sister-in-law and I are also ready. We've inspected many lingerie factories and specifically selected a few with good reputations to cooperate with. We'll start by selling through these factories and see how it goes. If it's good, we can cooperate long-term." After all, finding suppliers is really tiring and mentally taxing, so having a stable supplier is always a good thing.

Zhang Xuemei also reported on the situation at the maternity and baby store, "The maternity and baby store next to us is the same. It basically sells brand-name products, and the styles are very diverse. It has milk powder, bottles, baby clothes, maternity wear, basically everything that children, pregnant women and new mothers need. It's a one-stop shopping destination."