Meng Wan's shout caused everyone present to burst into laughter, and people gathered around. Meng Zhili hadn't expected Meng Wan to suddenly shout like that, and his anger completely dissipated. He exchanged a glance with Meng Boqun, shook his head in tacit agreement, and their eyes were full of doting affection.
As more people gathered, the two went to help, while Peng Zhe, the biggest contributor to the farce, at Meng Wan's instruction, had his two friends help pull Hong Yingqi and the other man away.
"Hey, your Big Mac is ready."
"Thank you, Auntie. I only had two bites this morning before my friend snatched it away. I've been thinking about your lunchbox all day."
"Really! This rice was just cooked this afternoon, it's cooked to the perfect consistency, try it. Thank you so much for today, consider this my treat." Qin Yi really liked this straightforward child.
"This...isn't that inappropriate?" he said, glancing at Meng Wan, who nodded.
"Take it, take it. If it's delicious, Auntie will save some for you tomorrow too, and it won't cost you anything."
"Then thank you, Auntie." Peng Zhe knew when to stop. Despite being from a prestigious academy, he didn't stand on ceremony at all and started eating right there.
It wasn't until the crowd dispersed and Qin Yi and the others started packing up that they realized Peng Zhe was still there.
"Thank you for today." Meng Zhili bumped fists with him.
"Hehe." Peng Zhe scratched his head. "I apologize for talking about how you're always second best. Your school has always looked down on us, you know. Finally, our school has produced a girl named Wan Jie, who always outperforms you guys by a lot in exams, so we have to brag about it."
"Meng Zhili." Meng Zhili smiled gently.
“Peng Zhe.” The two bumped elbows, signifying that the past was the past.
"Peng Zhe." Meng Wan called out to Peng Zhe, who responded and walked over.
Meng Zhili glanced at the two people in the corner, then returned to her stall and efficiently began packing up. The three of them divided the work and cooperated seamlessly.
"Zhili, is that classmate Wanwan's friend?"
"I think so. I saw him this morning too."
How is Wanwan feeling today?
"It felt no different from the morning; her friends came out with her after school."
"That's good, that's good." The two elders exchanged a glance and breathed a slight sigh of relief.
"And what's going on with your classmate?"
"His family seems to be quite strict. Once, when he didn't get a spot in a competition, his parents came to the school and slapped him twice."
Qin Yi was shocked; she never imagined that there were such parents in the world.
"He's a pitiful child." As a mother, hearing such news always makes me feel uncomfortable.
"That's their family matter. There are always people better than him, and there's always something beyond his reach. Does that mean there won't be people more outstanding than him when he goes to university or enters society? Zhili, don't put too much pressure on yourself. Just do what you should do, but be careful in the future. If he does anything extreme like he did today, you have to report it to the teacher immediately, understand?"
Meng Zhili smiled and nodded, without saying anything.
On the other side, Meng Wan pulled Peng Zhe to a corner.
Do you know that person?
“I know him, but we’re not close. I was having dinner with a friend before, and he complained a bit about failing his exams and his family cutting off his allowance. Hong Yingqi was right next to us and made a few sarcastic remarks about us.”
"Help me look him up."
"Okay."
"You did a great job today. Weren't you planning to throw a cruise ship party?"
Peng Zhe's eyes lit up. "Sister Wan, you've finally decided to lend it to me!"
In his excitement, Peng Zhe reached out to hug her, but Meng Wan slapped him away.
"I'll have someone contact you."
They thought the day was over, but after dinner, Meng Boqun and Qin Yi asked the two of them to sit down, their expressions somewhat serious.
"Dad, Mom, is it because of what happened today?"
"After thinking about it, we decided to set up a stall at the food street near the primary school. Many children in the residential buildings go to school there. It's close by, and we know a lot of people there. It's much better and more convenient than the food street near the middle school."
"But the city management there won't let us set up a stall, right? I went there for half a day during the trial operation, and they almost confiscated my vehicle. I finally found a spot, but they still wanted me to pay a deposit of 1,000 yuan."
Meng Zhili sounded somewhat anxious.
“If you’re worried about what happened today, I’ll talk to Hong Yingqi. We’re not in the wrong, so why should we move out? We’re upright and have nothing to hide, so why make things difficult for ourselves?”
"That's settled then, we'll handle it ourselves. It's not right for you to come over every day after school to help. You're at a crucial stage right now, don't worry about these things, focus on your studies." Meng Boqun's tone was somewhat authoritative. Meng Zhili's words stuck in his throat, and in the end, he just pursed his lips and remained silent.
The atmosphere was somewhat tense. Meng Wan glanced at the three of them and tapped her finger on the table.
“Going to primary school isn’t out of the question.”
"Wanwan?" Meng Zhili was surprised that Meng Wan would say that.
Meng Boqun, however, believed that Tang Wan must have her reasons for saying that. In terms of business management, it must be said that Meng Wan was the most talented among his children.
"Wanwan, tell me your thoughts."
"The food street near the elementary school is indeed closer to home. The vegetable market and office buildings are nearby, so opening a breakfast stall there would be a good idea. The customer base is also stable, including white-collar workers, housewives, and children. Whether they are going to school, work, or grocery shopping, they will buy breakfast on the way."
“But two or three breakfast shops have opened over there, and we have to dodge the city management officers, so we can’t set up shop at all…” Qin Yi also expressed her thoughts.
"Who said we were hiding from the urban management officers?"
Meng Wan was puzzled, and the three of them were puzzled as well.
"If we don't avoid the urban management officers... we'll just stand there and get arrested and yelled at?" Qin Yi asked, voicing her doubts.
Meng Boqun patted Qin Yi's head, his tense lips relaxed a little, and Meng Wan realized that she had missed something.
"Who said we were going to set up stalls? I bought a few shops when the street was being renovated. The tenants just went abroad a few days ago, so the shops were vacant. We were lucky; the shop is in the best location on the whole street, right at the intersection of three places. No matter which direction you go, you'll pass by there. We can renovate it according to your ideas and put it into use."
As Meng Wan spoke, she opened the information she had found on her iPad and placed it on the table.
"Wh...what? You...you said you bought a few shops on a whim?" Meng Zhili's eyes widened. He always thought he was calm enough, but he found that he had been in a state of shock ever since Meng Wan arrived.
Meng Boqun remained relatively calm, after all, Meng Wan had given him too many surprises in the short few days since she returned home. He picked up the tablet, carefully examined the layout and current status of the shops, and only returned the tablet to Meng Wan after a while.
"Wanwan, where did the money to buy these shops come from?"
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