Chapter 145 Chapter 145 ends.
Liu Suqin did what she said and took Fangfang to the supermarket that afternoon to buy the ingredients needed to make pearl milk tea. Their store had plenty of tea and sugar, so she bought a few boxes of milk, light cream, condensed milk, and tapioca flour.
After thinking about it, I went to pick some fruit before paying.
Since we are making milk tea at home, we can also make small desserts such as fruit salad and taro balls. The ingredients required are similar.
After returning home with a lot of spoils, Fangfang followed her mother into the kitchen. The mother and daughter worked together to successfully make the first pot of caramel pearl milk tea, and the finished product received unanimous praise from the whole family.
From then on, the child became addicted to making milk tea. At first, he could only help his mother in the kitchen, passing things and washing fruits. As he got more and more opportunities to do it, in less than two months, he could do the whole process by himself under his mother's guidance. He was especially good at making milk tea, cutting fruits, and rolling pearl meatballs and taro balls.
The child was not only obsessed with making milk tea for his family, he even wanted to take a pot to kindergarten to share with his friends. However, they had to go to school early, so they had to get up early to make milk tea. Liu Suqin said she couldn't get up and rejected the application.
Be sure to share, and you can invite them to your home on weekends.
Fangfang accepted this well. She was not the stubborn kind of child. Perhaps influenced by her parents' way of dealing with people, she thought that as long as the result was what she wanted, the process was not that important.
But she was very dissatisfied with her mother's rule that she could only make desserts twice a week.
Mom said that eating too much sweets is not good for you, and that both adults and children should control their sugar intake. When Xiao Fangfang saw that her parents and grandparents all had to follow her rules, her little resentment gradually disappeared.
The adults were also disciplined with her, and little Fangfang said she felt relieved. From then on, she cherished every opening moment of Fangfang Handmade Dessert Shop even more.
This day was the second uncle's day off. After receiving his salary, he came home early in the morning with a lot of bags, including new clothes for her and her grandparents, as well as a lot of fruit snacks.
Fangfang has only become really close to her second uncle in the past two months, but she is not shy at all. After breakfast, she happily pulls her second uncle to play with her new toys.
The toys were also given to her by her second uncle.
The child was very proactive. Worried that her second uncle would be too bored playing with toys with her, she turned on the TV, served him tea and water, and chatted with him about family matters from time to time, asking how her uncle's brothers and sisters were doing recently.
Among all the brothers and sisters, Xiao Fangfang and her cousin Yuting are the best. They come to our house almost every summer vacation. The two girls are always inseparable, eating, sleeping and playing together. Seeing that she likes to stick to her sister, Liu Suqin will buy them pajamas of the same style so that they can wear sister outfits beautifully.
At this point, Xiao Fangfang laughed, "Mom said I've grown taller this year and I'm a big kid now. When my cousin comes over this summer, not only can we wear the same pajamas, but we can also wear the same skirts. Mom will take us to the mall to choose."
Brother Liu caressed his niece and said, "You don't have to ask your mother. Your uncle can buy you beautiful dresses."
When talking about relatives they knew each other well, the two of them quickly became closer. After watching TV for a while, Xiao Fangfang imitated her parents' tone and suggested taking her uncle out for a walk to familiarize himself with the environment near their community.
Liu Erge couldn't help but agree with a smile. Liu Suqin personally put the key necklace on the child's neck and said, "Then I'll leave it to Lin Weizhen. Please bring your uncle home safely."
Little Lin Weizhen solemnly promised, "Yes, I will hold my uncle's hand and will not lose him."
The child completed the task very well. Not only did he bring his second uncle home intact, but he also picked up a younger uncle and his aunt and uncle-in-law.
Liu Ping and Liu Xiangxiang also came to visit. They had not made any appointment, but by coincidence, they were both picked up by Xiao Fangfang at the gate of the community.
So Xiao Fangfang calmly led everyone home, greeting the elders along the way in a formal manner. She first asked her youngest uncle why he came so late even though he lived with his second uncle, and wondered if he had slept in again. "Have you had breakfast?"
Liu Ping stretched out his hand and ruffled the child's well-combed hair into pieces. "If you don't say the first half of the sentence, we are still good friends."
Liu Xiangxiang couldn't stand her cousin's elementary school behavior, so she slapped his troublesome hand away, and received a sweet smile from her little niece. "Thank you, auntie. Have you and uncle eaten?"
The young couple, who were also trying to conceive recently, immediately smiled like aunts, touched by the cuteness. Liu Xiangxiang stepped forward and hugged the child, her voice shrill, "We've eaten. Auntie also brought us some homemade egg yolk mille-feuille cakes. They're delicious and not often sold outside."
The child's eyes immediately curved with laughter, "I love salted egg yolks the most!"
"Auntie knows that your taste is exactly the same as your mother's." Liu Xiangxiang smiled, "I packed a box specially for you, you can eat as much as you want."
The kid couldn't hold back any longer because of the delicious food. He led the way with even more excitement. Once he entered the corridor, he couldn't help but run upstairs. He ran to his door, opened it, and changed his shoes in one go. He looked at Liu Suqin excitedly and said, "Mom, my uncle and my aunt and uncle are here too. Can I make milk tea for them today?"
Liu Suqin greeted the few people who came in later and said with a smile, "Fangfang, go show off your skills later. You must entertain your uncle and aunt well."
The milk tea was naturally served after the meal. The well-fed group of people had nothing to do, so they all crowded in the kitchen to watch the children work. The more Liu Ping watched, the more confused she became. "Sister, why does this taste different from the milk tea you deliver to the store?"
"Ours is pure natural. Of course it's different from the pure fragrances you buy outside."
"It doesn't sound like a good word. No wonder I don't like it. It was quite fresh the first two times you gave it to me, but it became a bit boring after I drank it later." Liu Ping commented.
Liu Suqin glanced at him and said, "You are so picky. You don't like it, but there are many people who love it. Every time I go to buy milk tea for you, the line is always very long."
"Business is so good." Liu Xiangxiang also became interested. "Sister, can you tell me the address? I'll go and try it when I have time."
After trying it, Liu Xiangxiang discovered a business opportunity. After a while, she and Liu Ping excitedly told her that they had decided to open a milk tea shop together.
Liu Ping, who said that milk tea tasted bland, accepted his cousin's invitation to cooperate without hesitation and took out all the private money he had saved over the years.
Liu Xiangxiang only had the couple's post-marriage salary. They had originally used the betrothal gift from their parents-in-law and their savings to buy a house, but unexpectedly, they didn't have enough. They had originally wanted to ask their wealthy sister Liu Suqin for some support, but Chen Jiaxin went straight to his parents to ask for help.
Chen's parents appeared to support them and gave them several thousand dollars without hesitation, asking them to buy the house quickly. However, Liu Xiangxiang felt embarrassed because her parents-in-law favored the two younger ones, and her elder sister-in-law and elder sister-in-law had said this overtly and covertly, making her feel inferior. So when she wanted to invest in a milk tea shop this time, she didn't tell her husband at all.
Anyway, her husband's salary is in her hands. If her own funds are not enough, she can find someone to form a partnership. She will first ask her cousin who she grew up with. If Liu Ping is not interested, she still has Li Xiaoqing, a good friend who is not short of money. If that doesn't work, the friends around her cousin are also good partners. Asking for investment is not like borrowing money, so Liu Xiangxiang is naturally very willing to do so.
If possible, the person Liu Xiangxiang most wants to cooperate with is of course her cousin herself. They all know how good her cousin and his wife are at making money. If she can catch this ride, she will definitely become rich in this life.
But this is impossible. If my cousin is a little interested in selling milk tea, can't she do it herself? Why do we have to bring her along to help the poor?
Putting herself in the other person's shoes, Liu Xiangxiang immediately dispelled this unrealistic fantasy and started to contact people around her who were more likely to cooperate with her.
To be honest, the life she has now is the result of having such a close relationship with her cousin. Even if she cannot cooperate with her cousin, the list of people to be cooperated with now all comes from her cousin's connections.
Just like that, Liu Xiangxiang found Liu Ping and talked about opening a milk tea shop. The two hit it off immediately. When they went to find Liu Suqin, they had almost finished discussing the cooperation. They had basically reached a consensus on what kind of shop to look for, the size of the location, how much capital each party would put up, and how many employees to recruit.
Yes, they are both very satisfied with their current jobs and do not want to quit to sell milk tea, so they plan to hire two more employees, and they will happily be the bosses behind the scenes.
The reason why they had to "report" to Liu Suqin after reaching a consensus was that they hoped to get her affirmation and suggestions. At the same time, they also needed to rely on her or Lin Nanjiang's connections to open up procurement channels.
Lin Nanjiang actually has some connections. He has opened his sixth fast food restaurant this year. The bustling construction has not affected his continued expansion. Relying on these chain stores, he is no longer a nobody in the catering industry. At least he has dealt with many catering food suppliers, so it is not difficult for him to find out some industry news.
Besides, this is a joint project between my brother-in-law and sister-in-law. My wife and mother-in-law at home also strongly support their entrepreneurship. It is reasonable for Lin Nanjiang to put in some effort.
In the end, he not only successfully helped the two of them find a supply channel, but also got them an imported ice maker and plastic sealing machine. When the machines arrived, the renovation of the milk tea shop was nearing completion. Qian Juxiang happened to be cleaning the shop for them that day. When she came back, she excitedly praised the two machines to Liu Suqin for their high-end appearance. "They are indeed imported equipment. I used to think your brother's shop was very ordinary and probably wouldn't attract many customers. But as soon as the machines were put up, the feeling was instantly different. When they were working on the installation at the bar, many people came in curiously to ask when the shop would open..."
After hearing her mother's exaggerated praise, Liu Suqin also became curious and went to the milk tea shop on the opening day. Business was quite good and the boss and the staff were very busy. She did not go in to join in the fun. She looked at the situation outside and then walked home slowly, holding her belly.
Liu Ping and Liu Xiangxiang started a life of working while busy with their side businesses, so much so that when Liu Erge came to Liu Suqin's house on vacation this month, the two of them couldn't find time to get together.
However, Brother Liu Er was not a petty person. He took the initiative to ask about the milk tea shop's business and said that he would go over to support his younger brother and cousin after dinner.
Liu Suqin went out with her second brother and took a walk after dinner.
The brother and sister joined in the fun for a bit before heading back. When they left, Second Brother Liu was still holding the iced milk tea they had forced upon him. He would occasionally lower his head to take a sip and sigh, "It tastes pretty good. Drinking something iced in this hot weather is really refreshing. No wonder the business is so good."
Liu Suqin nodded. "Yes, the milk tea shop business is better in the summer. The time to make money is still to come. When it really gets hot, their daily turnover will be at least two or three hundred. The cost of this thing is so low that you can't imagine. In fact, you can also consider doing this. There is no threshold."
Second Brother Liu shook his head repeatedly. "Who said there's no barrier to entry? Doesn't importing equipment cost money? I heard from Liu Ping that they invested nearly ten thousand yuan in this shop. With such high salaries, it would take two partners to open it. I can't come up with that kind of capital. Besides, this stuff is very expensive. Not many people in our town can afford it."
Liu Suqin saw that her second brother was focused on saving money to pay off his debts, and then returning to town to live with his wife and children, and he didn't consider the possibility of staying in the big city at all.
It was understandable, actually. They'd only lived in their debt-ridden house in their hometown for two years, so who would want to leave their hometown and start over somewhere else? Besides, their niece and nephew were still young. By the time the siblings finished junior high school in town, it would be another ten years. It would be nice for the couple to take on work in town while they watched their children grow up. By the time the nephew graduated, her second brother would be in his forties or fifties, too old for manual labor. Then she'd suggest they open a small shop in the county, selling milk tea and snacks, which would be a good way to make a living.
Thinking of this, Liu Suqin immediately smiled and said, "That's indeed the truth. Let's forget it for now. We can talk about it when there is a better opportunity in the future."
Brother Liu knew his sister was still thinking about helping him at any time, and he felt very relieved. Instead, he advised, "Although I don't have much ability, I do have a skill. Raising two children will be easy. Once the money for building the house is paid off, I don't know how many people will envy your future life. You should worry less and take good care of the baby."
"I see."
Liu Suqin is about to enter the late stage of pregnancy, and the next step is to prepare for the birth of the baby.
During the period when she turned a deaf ear to what was happening outside, Liu Ping and Liu Xiangxiang's efforts were rewarded handsomely, and they recovered all their costs in less than three months after opening.
The first thing they wanted to do was to find Liu Suqin to announce the good news, but she was about to give birth. After thinking about it, they decided not to disturb her, but secretly prepared a big gift for their soon-to-be-met nephew/niece - they asked someone to buy an imported baby carriage from Hong Kong that used some advanced shock-absorbing technology.
When Liu Ping and Liu Xiangxiang received the gifts, Liu Suqin had already returned home to recuperate after giving birth, but her newborn nephew was not yet old enough to go out for a walk, so their gifts were still in time. The two of them made an appointment and went to the house together to congratulate their nephew with the gift.
They came at the right time, as there were guests at Liu Suqin's house.
In fact, her house has been visited by many visitors recently, all of whom are friends and old acquaintances who come to congratulate them on the birth of their new baby. No matter what day Liu Ping and Liu Xiangxiang come, they will run into them.
The reason why they said it was a coincidence was that the people who came today were Li Hong and her husband. They were very familiar with each other, so there was no need to estimate anything and they could communicate easily and happily.
Liu Suqin has been recuperating for half a month and is recovering well. She doesn't stay in bed all the time. However, she can't stand Qian Juxiang's nagging, so she wears long-sleeved shirts, long pants and socks even in hot weather, and wears a baseball cap at all times.
Qian Juxiang wanted her to wear a headscarf, but Liu Suqin couldn't stand that look and insisted on using a hat instead.
You know what, it’s quite fashionable.
When Liu Ping and Liu Xiangxiang came in excitedly, she was cuddling on the sofa with Li Hong, listening to her best friend complimenting her on how stylish her hat was. "Push the brim down so only half of your chin is exposed. It's a little rounder than before, but it's so white it's dazzling. It's really stylish! I'll wear a hat even when I'm in confinement after my baby's birth and be a hot mom."
Liu Suqin gently touched her belly and promised, "Okay, I'll take care of your postpartum hat. I'll give you different colors so you can change them every day."
Seeing the two mysterious people carrying the big box over, and insisting on opening it bit by bit in front of her, Liu Suqin cooperated and said nothing, watching them antics with interest. It was not until they finally unpacked the box that she exclaimed, "Why is it a baby carriage? It doesn't look cheap."
Liu Ping and Liu Xiangxiang did not reveal the price, but just smiled and said that their nephew was born just when the milk tea shop made some money. It was fate, so they used the profits to prepare a gift for their nephew.
They downplayed the price, but with Liu Suqin's current discerning eyes, she could certainly estimate the price of the stroller. The milk tea shop had only recently started to make a profit, so this amount of money was probably not enough. They had also invested some of their own money. She couldn't help but say angrily, "You're running your own business and becoming a boss, why are you still spending so lavishly? I didn't buy a new stroller because I can't afford it? It's not necessary. Fangfang's old one was well maintained and it was more than enough for her brother."
Li Hong had a good relationship with Liu Suqin, and Liu Ping was one of her employees, so she naturally spoke up to smooth things over. "That's great, my brother can use the new stroller. After all, I can't let my uncle and aunt down. But can you lend me the one Fangfang used? I dream of having a beautiful and smart little girl in my belly."
Before Liu Suqin could say anything, Liu Ping and Liu Xiangxiang looked at Li Hong in surprise, "Sister Hong, you're pregnant too?"
"Yes, I was on vacation last month and went to the hospital with your sister for a prenatal checkup. We found out we were pregnant, but the rule here is to keep it a secret for three months, so I didn't specifically tell you." Li Hong briefly explained the situation and joked, "It was the last prenatal checkup. Your brother-in-law wanted to go with us, but I pushed him out. He looked at me with a strange look during that time. Tsk, what a nagging husband."
"It was the same with the previous prenatal check-up. He wanted to accompany me to the hospital, but I told him he had so much to do that there was no need. He could either let my mom and Aunt Zhang accompany me, or go to the hospital with Quansheng and his wife. In short, I never called him once. He might have been a little disappointed. Finally, the building in the urban village was completed and inspected last month, and he took time out. And then you ran into me who suspected you were pregnant and wanted to go to the hospital with me..." Liu Suqin couldn't help but say a few words for Lin Nanjiang.
But Li Hong said that Lin Nanjiang was just unaware of the blessings he had. Isn't it great enough to be a father without any pain?
Liu Suqin spread her hands. She occasionally felt this way. Perhaps only women, or women who had experienced marriage and childbirth, could understand this. However, such things were better understood intuitively. She exchanged a "you know" look with Li Hong and changed the subject. "Fangfang's stroller has just been packed out. My mother cleaned it and dried it in the sun. It's spotless. If you want, you can take it back today."
"Then I won't be polite."
Liu Xiangxiang looked at Li Hong enviously, "That's great, Sister Hong, you're going to be a mother too."
Liu Suqin comforted her, "You are still young. It's not a bad idea to consider having children two years later. Just enjoy your two-person world first."
Li Hong nodded heavily. "Your husband has a job, so you can only have one child, no matter if it's a boy or a girl. So why rush? Just have the baby later."
Liu Ping wasn't interested in when they would have children or how many they would have. He just asked Li Hong, "Sister Hong, when your belly gets bigger, are you going to take a few months of maternity leave or just quit your job?"
Li Hong didn't find the question offensive and said angrily, "Why resign? Now that I have a child, shouldn't I work even harder to earn money for her milk powder? I'm afraid you're just trying to instigate me by coveting my position as store manager."
Liu Ping may have thought about getting a promotion and a raise in the past, but now he and Liu Xiangxiang are making a lot of money from their side business, and he would rather the store manager assign him fewer tasks. How could he dare to think about her position? He even wanted to swear on the spot that he had no such intention.
Everyone else present laughed out loud as well.
After sitting for a while, the two busy people said goodbye and went back to the store to work, while Li Hong and her husband stayed for dinner.
After dinner, Lin Nanjiang sent Li Hong's husband downstairs. The two grown men were so engrossed in talking about cars that they forgot everything else. Liu Suqin and Li Hong were still saying goodbye at the door, and the sound of their conversation had already reached the first floor.
They were not in a hurry. Liu Suqin was still reminding Li Hong, "Although your husband's repair shop has made a lot of money in the past two years and is more than enough to support you and the child, it's different for a woman to have her own job. You must stick to your own ideas and don't give up on your career easily. If you have any difficulties, you can come to us to find a solution together. Always remember that you are not alone."
Li Hong turned around and hugged her, "I know."
After finishing her meal, Xiao Fangfang was about to review her textbooks before watching TV when she looked up and saw her mother and aunt holding her at the door. She immediately ran over and asked, "Mom, aunt, what are you doing?"
Liu Suqin smiled and said, "Auntie is pregnant too. She's a little nervous. Mom is comforting her."
Fangfang immediately opened her hands and said, "I want to comfort my auntie, too."
Li Hong also squatted down and was hugged by the little kid, oh, the older kid who was already in the first grade. Lin Weizhen, a little classmate, patted Li Hong's back in a serious manner and said, "Don't be afraid, don't be afraid. Auntie has given birth to a younger brother or sister. I will take her/him to play together."
Mom said that although she is the eldest sister, she does not need to take care of her younger siblings because they have their own parents to take care of them. As long as she has time to play with them and set a good example for them, she will be a good sister.
"Okay, with Fangfang's words, auntie won't be afraid anymore." Li Hong looked comforted. She smiled and waved goodbye, went down a flight of stairs, and looked back to see the mother and daughter still holding hands and watching them at the door. The similar eyebrows and smiles made her feel warm in her heart.
Alas, I really hope that I can also give birth to a daughter who is similar to her, and then hold her in my hands, raise her like myself, and give the best in the world to her little princess.
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