The incident of Lingling running away from home has temporarily passed.

The next evening, the clock struck half past seven.

Lin Minjun was washing dishes. When she heard her neighbor yelling to remind her that it was time to go to school, she immediately quickened her pace.

After washing the dishes, I took my bag and went out.

Aunt Cao saw this and laughed out loud, teasing, "What's wrong? Is this something happy? I saw you almost jumped up when you left the house."

"Yes, that's great news." Lin Minjun deliberately kept it a secret.

Aunt Cao loved to hear the excitement. She came over with water droplets on her hands and asked, "What good news? Are you going to get engaged to Xiao Li, or are you going to get married right away without getting engaged? When are you going to get the marriage certificate?"

"Aunt Cao, why are you always thinking about getting married? Can't good things happen to me?" Lin Minjun asked in surprise.

Aunt Cao also looked bewildered. "Girls grow up, isn't that the best thing? What else can there be?"

"Career, study, making money, which one is not a good thing? I think you really need to change your old ideas." Lin Minjun said, "Am I not attending night school? The teacher said that I have almost finished the junior high school cram school. After this semester, if I can pass the final exam, I can directly enter the high school cram school. If I pass the exam in the high school cram school, I can take the exam for the night university. Don't you think it's a good thing to go to night university?"

"If you go to night school, does that mean you are a college student?" asked Aunt Cao.

Lin Minjun walked towards the store entrance, "Yes."

"That's great news. If you get admitted to university, I will go buy some firecrackers for you to set off." Aunt Cao smiled from ear to ear.

Lin Minjun also curled the corners of her mouth, quickened her pace, walked out of the store, and headed towards the intersection where Yan Lige often stood waiting for her.

She is the best student in her junior high cram school and has a good chance of passing the exam.

The more Lin Minjun thought about it, the happier she became. She felt that she was getting closer to university step by step.

When we got to the intersection, Brother Yan Li was already standing there waiting.

When Lin Minjun passed by, she saw him with his head down, not knowing what he was studying. When he heard the noise, he raised his head, and when he saw her, he suddenly smiled.

Lin Minjun: "What's the matter?"

Yan Li walked over and stood side by side with Lin Minjun, and the two of them walked slowly towards the school. On days when they didn't have time to go out on a date, this was a date.

Yan Li said with praise, "I have heard about Ding Ling's case. You handled it very well. We have been catching hooligans recently. They are driven to nowhere and always hang out late at night. If Ding Ling really sneaked away in the middle of the night, she would be in danger."

"Then do I think I've done you a small favor? After all, if Lingling ran away, you would have to mobilize people to help find her." Lin Minjun suddenly said.

Seeing that there was no one around, Yan Li suddenly took Lin Minjun's hand and shook it, "Hmm,"

It was just holding hands, they had even kissed, but he still raised the corners of his mouth.

Lin Minjun: "I should be rewarded for helping, right?"

"What reward do you want? I see that girls on the street like to wear red skirts recently. I'll buy you two. Also, some face cream?" Yan Li said readily.

Lin Minjun pointed to her cheeks and said, "No, I've already bought them myself. But you can kiss me. We haven't talked like this for a long time since the night I met Lingling last time. Come on, kiss me."

When Yan Li bent down to kiss her cheek, Lin Minjun suddenly turned her head and kissed him.

Seeing Yan Li froze for a moment, Lin Minjun felt so happy that she let go of his hand and ran forward two steps.

She felt that her current life was just like a dream. The store was making a lot of money, and she would soon be able to pass the exam and go to a high school cram school. She could also tease her boyfriend occasionally.

Yan Li caught up from behind, and Lin Minjun stopped accordingly, and the two held hands again.

On the way to school, the two of them chatted as usual, and they talked about the two thousand yuan. Lin Minjun suddenly remembered, "Oh, by the way, I have already taken out the money you lent me before, and I even went to the post office to exchange it for large bills. I was going to return it to you last time, but something delayed me. Come over when you go home tonight, and I'll give you the money."

"No need to return it." Yan Li said.

Lin Minjun: "No, you must pay me back. When you gave me the money, you said it was a loan, and you have to pay it back. If you don't pay me back just because I'm dating you, then what kind of person am I?"

She added: "Everyone in the alley knows that I borrowed money from you to open my shop. If I don't pay you back because of this, I don't know what they will say about me. I won't be able to explain myself. After all, I really didn't pay you back."

Yan Li smiled without saying a word, holding Lin Minjun's hand and walking forward. His tone was particularly gentle. If his colleagues from the Public Security Bureau were to hear it, they would probably be shocked.

He didn't mention the repayment, but brought up another matter, "When I went to your store recently, I always heard people complain that there were not enough seats and not enough variety of food. You have always wanted to open a restaurant. Have you ever thought about using this money to open a restaurant?"

"Brother, do you know how much it costs to open a wine shop?" Lin Minjun stood on tiptoe and touched Yan Li's forehead. "You don't have a fever."

Yan Li grabbed her hand and kissed it.

Lin Minjun said, "In addition to the two thousand yuan I have to pay you back, I have saved another fifteen hundred yuan. It's three thousand five hundred yuan in total. If I open a restaurant, even if it's just for rent, it will be quite a lot. If I open a restaurant, I can't just sell rice noodles. I can also serve Yunnan-style specialties. I have to add staff, which also costs money, not to mention redecorating, renovating, and buying tables and chairs. I don't have enough money on hand, and I don't dare to think about it."

"I heard from Erwa that a state-owned restaurant couldn't continue to operate and closed down. Now the restaurant is looking for space to rent." Yan Li said with a smile: "Then consider the two thousand yuan as something you have already paid back to me. I will lend it to you again. No matter when you pay it back, I won't charge interest."

"But it's still not enough." Lin Minjun felt a little puzzled. Why did Brother Yan Li insist on persuading her to open a restaurant?

Before, Luo Lin also wanted to open a restaurant for himself.

However, their starting points were fundamentally different. Luo Lin opened a restaurant for herself so that she could spare time to be with him and concentrate on talking about love with him.

As for Brother Yan Li, although he didn't say it explicitly, Lin Minjun knew that he wanted to help her, wanted to push herself to a higher level, and wanted her to become the kind of person she wanted to be.

Lin Minjun was very clear about this, so she was willing to have a good talk with Yan Li to discuss the possibility of opening a restaurant.

Yan Li: "Actually, I've been to that state-owned hotel. It's pretty good. I think you'll like it, too."

"There's nothing I can do even if I like you. The money is not enough and I can't take your money anymore." Lin Minjun said bluntly.

Yan Li: "Actually, there is one thing I haven't told you. The state-owned hotel building originally belonged to my mother. After liberation, she donated it to the organization. After rehabilitation, many things were returned to me by the organization, but it is not easy to return things that have been donated. I have discussed it with the person in charge there. They remember this favor and can coordinate with all parties to rent it to me at a low price. I don't want to do business, so I thought I could take this opportunity to let you open a restaurant. The rent for the first five years is only 1,500. If you want to rent it again later, we can discuss it."

Lin Minjun's eyes suddenly widened and her face was full of shock.

The first thing that shocked her was that Yan Lige's mother was so rich. The courtyard house was back and there was even a restaurant outside. If she guessed correctly, she should have donated more things. She should have been a very wealthy lady before liberation, kind and enthusiastic. Unfortunately, she was killed by the bastard Cao Bin.

Thinking of this, Lin Minjun felt a little sad for some reason.

The second thing is that the annual rent for a restaurant is only 1,500 yuan!

You have to know that her current store costs 800 yuan a year. This is just a discount for the first year. The landlord will have to charge 1,000 yuan in the second year.

Now it was like a big pie falling from the sky. Lin Minjun was very tempted, but still hesitated, "Such a good opportunity, are you just going to give it to me? Or keep it for Erwa, maybe he will want to do business in the future?"

Yan Li smiled and stroked the girl's soft little hand. "I have discussed this with Erwa. He has no intention of doing business at the moment. He wants to go to college and hopes you can take this opportunity. Secondly, it is impossible for them to keep the house until Erwa grows up. If you don't rent it, you can only rent it to someone else."

"Ajun, don't feel burdened. You are my partner now, and you saved Erwa's life. No matter from which perspective, it will be fine for you to take over this restaurant."

Seeing the school gate, which was brightly lit, Yan Li gently pushed Lin Minjun into the school, "Think about it carefully, I'll wait for your news."

After returning from school that evening, Lin Minjun told Yan Li that she had thought it over and decided to go to the restaurant to inspect it in person to see what it was like and whether it was suitable for opening a restaurant. If everything was suitable, she would consider renting it.

After hearing this, Yan Li did not try to persuade him further and gave the address of a restaurant.

It was another Sunday and there was no school to go to. Lin Minjun handed the store over to Aunt Cao and took half a day off to visit the restaurant.

When she got there and saw it, she was completely unable to move. The restaurant in front of her was exactly like her dream.

The two-story building is decorated very grandly on the outside.

Because it was built so long ago, the paint on the walls has faded, but it does not look dilapidated and instead has a retro beauty.

When I pushed open the door and walked in, the room was empty. All the tables, chairs and benches had been moved away.

The outermost part of the first floor is the lobby, with three small private rooms outside, and the second floor is entirely private rooms.

It looked fine from the outside, but once inside I saw that it was quite old. The ceiling was peeling off and there was a layer of powder on the ground.

Lin Minjun has been looking at the second floor.

Maybe the business of the previous state-owned hotel was too bad, so the second floor was rarely used and it was in a very run-down state, with cracks on the walls.

"Comrade, don't be fooled by the fact that the walls don't look very good. That's because we didn't renovate it properly before. This house is built very solidly." The person in charge of renting out the house is Director Zhao, a middle-aged man in his forties or fifties. He blew away the dust in the air and said, "If you really want to rent it, you can ask someone to come and renovate it. There's no problem at all. The upstairs and downstairs are very spacious. Not only can we eat here, but we can also host small wedding banquets. Come on, I'll take you to see the backyard."

In addition to the two-story building, there is also a large backyard with a well that is said to be very old. If you really count, this well also has history.

There is a big tree planted next to the well.

The house looks desolate and dilapidated, but the tree is lush and leafy. It is winter now, and if it is spring, the leaves will cover the windows on the second floor.

Director Zhao stood with his hands on his hips under the big tree, pointing to the bungalows at the back of the backyard. "The kitchen is on the far left, with a big stove inside. Next to it is the warehouse. The other side is useless. You can use it as a staff dormitory, or just leave it as it is. The toilet is at the back. What do you think? This place is spacious, right? There's nothing wrong with it except that the house is a bit run-down."

Director Zhao was quite talkative, and he was very secretive. "This happened by chance. The state-owned hotel went bankrupt and hadn't been rented out for a long time because everyone had no money and couldn't pay the rent. It was just sitting there empty anyway. It just so happened that this house was donated by Comrade Yan's mother. He came to us and said he wanted to rent it out, so we would definitely offer a discount. What do you think, Comrade Xiaolin? Do you want to rent it?"

Lin Minjun stood in the yard, looking around the small building. She would be lying if she said she wasn't moved. Before coming here, she had never imagined that this place was so spacious, so beautiful, and so practical. After arriving, she fell in love with it at once and couldn't move an inch.

But she still had some sense and said honestly, "Director Zhao, to tell you the truth, 1500 yuan a year is indeed very cheap, but I still don't have enough money. If I rent a house, I won't be able to renovate it."

She had 3,500 yuan in her hand, but she had to use part of it to help the rice noodle shop turn around, and she also had to pay Aunt Cao's salary, and she also had to use part of it for emergencies. With all the calculations, there was very little left.

"So what do you mean?" Director Zhao asked patiently.

Lin Minjun: "I want to go back and think about it, and then give you an answer."

"Then you have to think about it quickly. In fact, we are poor, but we can always come up with a few things. I heard from my colleagues that someone came to inquire about the situation yesterday." Director Zhao sent Lin Minjun out the door and locked the door. "Three days at most. After three days, if anyone can afford it, we will have to rent it out."

"Okay, I'll give you an answer as soon as possible." Lin Minjun looked back at the beautiful two-story building, let out a sigh of regret, and prepared to leave.

She liked this place very much. As soon as she saw it, she imagined how it would look like after being renovated.

But Lin Minjun was also very clear-headed. Even if there was a discount, the money she had on her was not enough.

Brother Yan Li is rich, and once she mentions it, he will definitely offer to lend her the money first. But Lin Minjun doesn't want that. She and Brother Yan Li are not married yet, and she herself doesn't know whether she should marry him. The most taboo thing between couples is financial disputes.

So Lin Minjun planned to go back and say that she didn't like it and felt it wasn't suitable here, and Brother Yan Li would definitely not bring it up again.

I just walked forward to get my bike, and halfway through I found that there was a building under renovation not far from the restaurant. There was a sign hanging on it, saying "XXX Clothing Mall".

It looks like a clothing store is going to open here soon?

Lin Minjun stared at the sign and suddenly got a chill.

When she saw the two-story building, Lin Minjun didn't know where it was, but when she saw the sign of the clothing store, she suddenly remembered it.

Over the next twenty years, that clothing store dominated the capital's clothing business. It was so good that she bought many of her clothes there.

If it really opens, the restaurant business will be very good. People will come here to shop, and when they are tired of shopping, they will be too lazy to cook and just have a meal in the restaurant.

Lin Minjun thought it was great, but she also felt regretful, but only for a short while.

Even if she missed this opportunity, she could still save enough money from the rice noodle shop, and then she could find a suitable place to open a restaurant.

One should not be greedy and want to have this and that. She now has a small shop, a partner who likes each other, and has started school again. This kind of life is very satisfying for Lin Minjun, and she quickly adjusted her mood and prepared to leave.

However, when riding a bicycle and passing by a clothing mall that was under renovation, Lin Minjun saw an acquaintance again. The man was wearing a funny newspaper hat and was sitting in the corner with his head down and a depressed look. His hands and feet were covered with white powder, as if he had rolled in flour.

"Zhou Yong." Lin Minjun got off the bike and walked over. "Why are you here?"

The person in front of me is Zhou Yong. He has a twin brother named Zhou Ran, who is also a twin.

Before, when Lin Minjun was setting up the stall, the two brothers were called by Cao Bin to come over and cause trouble.

Later, they figured it out and decided not to be gangsters anymore. They found a part-time job to earn money. They didn't expect to meet here.

Zhou Yong heard the voice and looked up in confusion. When he saw that it was Lin Minjun, he smiled and said, "It's you. Why are you here?"

"I came here for something. What about you? How did it become like this?" Lin Minjun asked in surprise.

Zhou Yong scratched his head and said, "My brother and I work here."

"What for?"

Zhou Yong is strong and burly, but he can't speak. He explained with his hands and feet: "We are just a bunch of living mud, we stick them on the wall, and then move things and wood."

"Working in mud? What kind of job is this?" Lin Minjun was confused by what he said.

"It's just...ah, I can't explain it clearly, brother, brother, come out." Zhou Yong shouted at the top of his voice.

After a while, another man walked out of the room. He was dressed exactly like Zhou Yong, but he was even uglier than Zhou Yong, with patches of white and black on his body. He cursed, "I told you to be lazy for a while and not let anyone find you, but you're screaming at the top of your lungs."

"Don't talk about him. I was the one who asked about it." Lin Minjun said with a smile, looking at Zhou Ran as she spoke.

When Lin Minjun first met these two brothers, they were wearing clamshell glasses and bell-bottom pants, and looked like young men in society.

Now, his trouser legs are cut shorter and smaller, he doesn't wear glasses anymore, and he wears a funny newspaper hat on his head.

"Ajun, how is it? Is my outfit okay?" Zhou Ran greeted.

Lin Minjun nodded and said sincerely, "Very good, much more normal than you looked before."

"Where is Yan Shao? How is my little brother doing recently?" Zhou Ran had to ask.

Lin Minjun: "Very good, he always gets first place in every exam. He is now working hard to get into college."

Zhou Ran: "Let him study hard. Don't listen to others saying that studying is useless. This is bullshit. My brother and I are the best example. We are working outside now. The salary is not bad, but you don't know how difficult it is to ask the boss for salary. I feel like a beggar. It would be great to be assigned a job after studying and work in an office."

"What kind of work do you do? I just heard Zhou Yong say that you are working in the mud?" Lin Minjun asked again.

Zhou Ran didn't know whether to laugh or cry. He slapped his brother, but didn't dare to use too much force. He pushed him away and sat down. "What kind of work is that? We are doing renovation for someone. This clothing factory was taken over by someone. I happened to learn how to do renovation from someone, so I followed him to do the work. Don't you know that this job is much more tiring than working in society? I am as tired as a dead dog every day. I don't even have the strength to hold chopsticks. What about you? Why did you come here running?"

Lin Minjun pointed, "Do you see that two-story building? I'm here to look at the store. I'm thinking of renting it and opening a restaurant."

"You still have to make money on your own. The last time we went there, you were still running a shop. In such a short time, you opened a restaurant." Zhou Ran kept sighing.

He looked around and saw that he had a much sharper eye for business than Lin Minjun. "Let's rent it. This place is pretty good. The clothing mall we are renovating now must be good. Once it opens, there will be a lot of traffic. Then your restaurant business will not be bad. More importantly, do you know where this place is? There are residential areas nearby, and many families here have dual-career jobs. They have a lot of money. The food in the original state-owned restaurant tasted terrible. Otherwise, everyone would be willing to go out to eat for a bite to eat when they have a break. You can't go wrong opening a restaurant."

Lin Minjun spread her hands, "But I don't have any money. I have the rent, but the small building is almost run down. I need to repaint it and order new tables, chairs and benches. All these things cost money."

It was like watching a pie falling down and she dodged it.

As we were talking here, another man came out of the clothing mall. He must be the contractor, because as soon as he came out, he shouted angrily, "I paid you two brothers to come here to chat and have fun, right? You are dawdling after doing some work, and you are grumbling. Hurry up and work, the deadline is tight."

"We two brothers have been working since five in the morning. It's already half past twelve. Can't we take a break? Are you Huang Shiren or Zhou Paopi from the old society? You want to exploit us." Zhou Ran shouted back angrily, "You don't even have time to eat, and you still want to work? Go do it yourself!"

Then he turned around and asked Lin Minjun, "How much does it cost to renovate your small building?"

The author has something to say:

Sorry it's late, I'll put the two chapters together

——————

I'm going to write a manuscript.