The house purchase and other miscellaneous expenses cost a total of 485,000 yuan. Shopping in the afternoon cost 150 yuan. Renting a house, including rent and agency fees, cost 430 yuan. Tomorrow, I still need to give Manager Wang 10,000 yuan for renovations. Nearly 500,000 yuan is gone.

She sold five houses for a total of 910,000 yuan, received 1.5 million yuan in company cash, and had 10,000 yuan in savings, totaling 2.42 million yuan. Now she only has 1.92 million yuan left.

Considering the future tuition fees, extracurricular class fees, food, clothing and other necessities for the two children, and the fact that she herself also needs to spend money, 1.92 million doesn't seem like much.

This can't go on forever. We need to find a way to increase our income. Going to work is unrealistic. She only graduated from elementary school, so she can't get a good job. She doesn't want to go to a factory, and besides, she has two children to take care of. She needs to be flexible in terms of time. Actually, the best option is to do business. Everyone says that the 1990s were an era of gold everywhere. If you don't have the ability, you can't grab the gold even if it's right in front of you.

Shu Yan's parents ran a fruit shop to support her and her younger brother. Don't underestimate the fruit; the profit margin is very high. Even after deducting the rotten fruit, it can still reach 50%. However, running a fruit shop is too hard for one person, and Shu Yan doesn't think she can handle it. She has a cousin who used to run a shoe store, which also has a high profit margin. Shu Yan decided to look for opportunities in the clothing and shoe industry.

This needs to be considered carefully; we should wait until all the children are in school before making any decisions.

"Mom, are we going to stay here from now on?" Ye Jingjing hesitated for a long time before finally asking.

"Yes, you'll be able to go to school in a few days. Aren't you happy?" Shu Yan looked at her daughter, who had gained a little weight. She had great features, and if she gained a little more weight and became a little fairer, she would be a little beauty.

"Can I go to school in a few days?" Ye Jingjing's eyes lit up.

Shu Yan nodded, "Yes, Mom has already found a school for you, you should be able to start school next Monday." Today is Thursday, and Manager Wang said she would get back to her tomorrow. The school might not be able to do it so quickly; including the weekend, it might be next Monday.

"Mom, I want to go to school too!" Ye Tianbao said with bright eyes, seeing how happy her sister was.

"You're going too." Shu Yan tapped his nose. "You have to listen to the teacher and not fight with the other kids, okay? Otherwise, the teacher will scold you, and none of the other kids will want to be your friend. You'll be playing alone all by yourself, okay?"

"I definitely won't fight, and I will listen to the teacher," Ye Tianbao assured, patting his chest.

This guarantee is worthless to Shu Yan; she'll only realize that once she gets to school.

The next morning, after making breakfast for the two children, Shu Yan ate a few bites. There was a lot to do today: she needed to buy mattresses, a gas stove, pots and pans, tables and chairs, and she also needed to go to Manager Wang to pay the deposit and ask about the situation.

There were many shops selling daily necessities outside the market. Two mattresses, a table, chairs, pots and pans, chopsticks and spoons, and a bunch of odds and ends were available. Fortunately, there are many pedicabs in Nancheng now. Before Shu Yan even asked, several pedicabs stopped in front of her and asked if she needed a ride. She chose a young and strong man to help her load the things onto the pedicab. When they arrived at their destination, the pedicab driver helped Shu Yan carry the items upstairs. Shu Yan gave him an extra dollar.

"Thank you, sir." After seeing off the tricycle driver, the gas deliveryman arrived shortly after. Shu Yan quickly led the way, opening the door and smiling apologetically, "I just moved, so the house is a bit messy."

"It's alright, young lady, are you going to work in the south of the city?" the gas station attendant said warmly.

With Shu Yan's current figure, looks, and style, no one would believe she's in business. Shu Yan smiled and said, "Yes, my fellow villagers said it's easy to make money in Nancheng, so here I am."

"After all, it's a big city. Anyone who's willing to work hard can make money, which is better than staying in the countryside farming. But not many people install gas stoves these days. These things are much more expensive than coal briquettes, so it's not cost-effective to use this. I think you should buy a coal stove too. Use coal briquettes for cooking and boiling water, and use the gas stove for stir-frying vegetables and cooking noodles." The gas technician wiped his sweat, helped Shu Yan connect the gas stove, and lit it several times without any problems. "Okay, the deposit is fifty yuan, so it's seventy yuan in total."

"Thank you for reminding me. I'll go buy a coal stove later," Shu Yan said gratefully.

Coal briquettes are definitely cheaper, but Shu Yan can't stand the smell. Every time she goes to buy breakfast, she feels short of breath and coughs if she stands even a little close. Besides, she has two children at home, so she won't skimp on this.

Shuyan took the mattress and put it on the balcony to air it out. She also washed the pots and pans. Shuyan locked the door and went to the tailor to ask if the sheets and duvet covers were ready.

"Master, do you remember when I came to have clothes and bed sheets and duvet covers made yesterday?" Shu Yan glanced around as she entered the shop. There weren't many people in the shop. Nowadays, most people do their own sewing and mending at home and rarely come to a tailor.

"I remember, the duvet cover is already made, and the sheets will be ready soon. Just sit for a while." The sheets are simple; they just need to be cut and hemmed.

"I'm going to buy something, I'll come back in ten minutes to pick it up." Shu Yan planned to buy a watch; she really couldn't do without one.

There are already quite a few electronic watches in Nancheng, ranging from fifteen to one hundred yuan, which are very fashionable at the moment. Shu Yan is not surprised at all. These watches will be worthless if you throw them on the street for four or five yuan in the future. She prefers mechanical watches, especially since mechanical watches are really super durable at this time. She remembers that her parents bought a watch when they got married, and it was still in use after thirty years and the time was very accurate.

I chose a very famous Nancheng watch, which cost a little over two hundred yuan. It fit Shuyan perfectly. I asked the shopkeeper to set the time, and she put it on without taking it off. It was already eleven o'clock, and I had to rush back to cook for the two children.

"Mom." Ye Jingjing seemed relieved when she saw Shu Yan.

Ye Tianbao was making a fuss about going out to play, and Ye Jingjing was stopping him. Her face was scratched by her younger brother. Shu Yan quickly looked at Ye Jingjing's face and saw that both scratches were bleeding. Shu Yan frowned, grabbed Ye Tianbao, and slapped him twice on the buttocks.

"If I don't hit you, you'll really get out of control, won't you? You dare hit your older sister? You've really gone too far."

"Wah..." Ye Tianbao just cried.

"Mom, it doesn't hurt," Ye Jingjing whispered.

"You didn't even try to block him when he hit you? What will you do if you get a scar?" Shu Yan borrowed some alcohol from the landlord and disinfected the wound. The landlord also gave her some ointment, saying it was good for scratches. "Next time your brother dares to hit you, beat him up, spank him like your mother does."

It's inevitable for kids to fight, but these two are really worrying. One is too weak and the other is too strong. I thought they had become more obedient and better, but now I realize that the root of the problem cannot be changed overnight.

Ye Jingjing ate some noodles for lunch and ate them with relish. Ye Tianbao, having been disciplined by Shu Yan, dared not cause any trouble and would occasionally glance up at Shu Yan.

"Come with me this afternoon to help out." Staying locked up in the hotel isn't a solution.

She had cleaned the house in the morning. Shu Yan gave each of them a rag and asked them to wipe the tables and chairs again. Shu Yan quickly washed the sheets and duvet covers herself. The sun was strong today, and they dried in the afternoon. She could sleep in the bed as soon as it was made tonight.

Stretching, Shu Yan felt her hand being gently pulled. Looking down, she saw Ye Jingjing holding a glass of water. "Mom, have some water."

Shu Yan was initially pleased, but then frowned. "Where did the water come from?"

"The water was from the kitchen." Ye Jingjing was a little scared when she saw her mother's pale face.

Shu Yan tried to soften her expression, "Did you and your brother drink tap water when you were at the hotel?"

"No," Ye Jingjing shook her head, "It's all water from the kettle."

"This is raw water, you can't drink it. If you drink it, you'll get sick and have to go to the hospital for injections and medicine. You can't drink it anymore, understand?" It's normal to drink raw water in the countryside, especially since Ye Jingjing isn't valued by her family and probably drinks it often. But Shu Yan wants to teach her that she can't drink it anymore.

The September sun was very strong, so Shu Yan simply hailed a tricycle, and the three of them rode together to the sales center.

"Mom, this vehicle is great, let's buy one too." Ye Tianbao's words made the tricycle driver burst into laughter.

"You can't ride this bike."

"Mommy, ride." Ye Tianbao turned his head and looked at Shu Yan expectantly.

Shu Yan's lips twitched. "You're so filial. You hope your mother rides a tricycle."

When Xiao Li from the sales center saw Shu Yan, she quickly invited her inside, saying, "Manager Wang has been waiting for you for quite a while. He was planning to have me go and call you."

"Ms. Shu, are these your two children? They're so cute." Manager Wang asked Xiao Li to get cakes for the two children, and then gave the registration form to Shu Yan. "The school has agreed, but they can't get into the good classes right now, so they can only go to the regular classes."

"No problem, just being able to get into school is already great, thank you so much Manager Wang." Shu Yan took the registration form; it was all simple questions. Following Manager Wang's instructions, Shu Yan filled it out and put it away. "When do I register?"

"Tomorrow's Saturday, let's wait until Monday." Manager Wang was happy. Shu Yan had given him 500 yuan, and he spent 20 yuan on two packs of cigarettes, keeping the rest for himself. In just a few words, he had made 480 yuan. He couldn't wait for more of these kinds of things to happen.

The issue of Ye Jingjing's school has been resolved, and it's even simpler for Ye Tianbao to attend kindergarten, since it's already part of the supporting facilities. Shu Yan bought a house here, so he can enroll anytime. The tuition is 200 yuan a month, which includes one lunch and two snacks. At this time, it's considered quite expensive, but of course, people who can afford to buy a house here won't care about this amount of money.

"Regarding the house renovation, the renovation company's workers said they hope to discuss it with you in person." Manager Wang suggested, "Our model house was designed by a senior designer from Gangcheng. Why don't you renovate according to the model house? Many homeowners in the community have done the same."

"The kitchen, living room, and bedroom are fine." Housing in the port city is even tighter than in the south city, so they are very good at making use of space and not wasting a single inch. The design is perfectly fine, but Shu Yan plans to design the bathroom and balcony according to her own aesthetic.

"Sure, you can tell the renovation workers whatever your requirements are, and we'll do our best to make them to your satisfaction." Manager Wang nodded and tentatively asked, "Do you have any relatives or friends who want to buy a house? If you refer someone, we'll give you a referral fee of one-thousandth."

"Not yet, but if we do, we'll definitely introduce them." Shu Yan smiled. It was the two children's first time eating cake, and they were enjoying it immensely. She told them to continue eating there while she went to tell the renovation workers some ideas.