Ling Xiao and Jing Sa, along with Ling Ze, were heading back.
The little guy, who had been clamoring to not acknowledge his mother, was now clinging tightly to her side, refusing to be separated for even a moment, which even Ling Xiao found annoying.
"Thank you, Zhao Zhao. You not only saved my son Aze twice, but you've also helped take care of him for so long." Jing Sa held her son's hand tightly, looking at Xing Zhao Zhao with gratitude, and said.
"It's alright, this is fate between me and Aze." Xing Zhaozhao smiled and patted Ling Ze's head.
"Once we've settled back in, we'll invite you over for dinner sometime," Jing Sa said, extending the invitation.
Ling Ze nodded in agreement, looking at the two friends standing next to Xing Zhaozhao: "You definitely have to come!"
Hongfei and Hongyu looked up at their mother with questions in their eyes.
Xing Zhaozhao didn't stand on ceremony and nodded with a smile, "Okay, I'll definitely be there."
Xing Zhaozhao and her two children saw them off at the door, watching the family of three walk down the mountain hand in hand until they were no longer in sight before turning back.
"They're gone?" Fu Lan came out of the house and saw Xing Zhaozhao returning with the two children. She asked.
"Mm." Xing Zhaozhao nodded.
"It's wonderful that the family is reunited," Fu Lan exclaimed.
"Yes," Xing Zhaozhao said with a heavy heart. She wondered when Mingcheng would be able to come back, so that the family could be reunited.
Fu Lan looked at Xing Zhaozhao, hesitated for a moment, and said somewhat embarrassedly, "There's something I'd like to ask you for a favor, Sister Xing."
"What is it?" Xing Zhaozhao asked curiously, looking over at her.
Fu Lan handed over the design drawings she had been holding: "Isn't my sister getting engaged? I wanted to give her a gift, so I designed a necklace based on the popular styles there. I'd like to trouble you to help me order one from there."
"Is that all? No problem." Xing Zhaozhao readily agreed, took the drawings, and asked with a smile, "Now you're not just designing clothes, you're starting to design jewelry too?"
Fu Lan smiled shyly and scratched her head: "It's just that inspiration suddenly struck."
"Let me see..." Xing Zhaozhao looked down and her eyes lit up. "So beautiful."
"Is this... a rainbow?" she asked, pointing to the seven arched bridge pendants below.
Fu Lan nodded: "Grandma said that when my sister was born, there had just been a heavy rain, and a beautiful rainbow appeared in the sky, so she was named Hong (Rainbow)."
"What material do you want to use? Gold? Silver?" Xing Zhaozhao asked.
Without hesitation, Fu Lan said, "Use gold." She knew that platinum, which was popular there, was also very beautiful, but considering the difficulties she might encounter in the future, gold would be a better store of value.
“What are the dots on this rainbow?” Xing Zhaozhao asked again.
Fu Lan hesitated for a moment, then said with a troubled expression, "I want to have seven different colored diamonds set in, but I don't know how much it will cost or if I can afford it. If it's too expensive, then forget it, I'll just get a gold chain."
Xing Zhaozhao disagreed: "Wouldn't that ruin such a beautiful design of yours? I think the diamond in this position isn't that big, so it should be affordable. The first batch of clothes we made in cooperation with the textile factory has already hit the market, and I heard they're selling very well. Some foreigners have even placed a large order to sell them overseas and make money off foreigners, so they can definitely afford it."
Fu Lan's pretty face flushed with excitement: "Really? That's wonderful!"
The next day, Xing Zhaozhao took Fu Lan's design drawings to the door, asked Ying Rongrong to recommend a suitable jewelry store, placed a custom order, and arranged to pick it up a month later, which was exactly the day before Fu Hong's engagement.
The day the necklace was retrieved, the moment the jewelry box was opened, everyone was dazzled by the sparkling diamonds, exclaiming "Wow!" repeatedly.
It was already beautiful enough when it was drawn on paper, but the actual product was even more stunning.
Little Hongling stared intently, her chubby little paws reaching out to grab her.
Fortunately, Xing Zhaozhao was quick and stopped her in time: "This belongs to Aunt Xiaolan, you can't touch it."
Little Hongling pouted, her eyes brimming with tears, and kicked her chubby little feet, crying, "Pretty, Lingling's..."
"It's not Lingling's, it's Aunt Xiaolan's," Xing Zhaozhao corrected her.
The little girl was unhappy: "Lingling's..." After saying that, she grinned and was about to cry.
Seeing that things were going badly, Xing Zhaozhao quickly took out two smaller jewelry boxes from her pocket, took out a pair of gold bracelets and gold anklets, and decisively put them on the girl's wrists and ankles. The bracelets had delicate little bells hanging from them, which jingled when the girl moved, immediately attracting the girl's attention and making her stop fighting for the shiny necklace.
Xing Zhaozhao breathed a sigh of relief. She had seen these bracelets and anklets at a jewelry store and originally bought them as a first birthday gift for her. Now, she had no choice but to take them out in advance to appease her.
Fu Lan quickly put the necklace away, looking apologetically at Xiao Hongling, who was engrossed in playing with the little bells on her bracelet, and said, "I didn't expect Xiao Hongling to like sparkly things so much. I'll design one especially for her when she turns one."
“Then it’s settled.” Xing Zhaozhao said with a smile. “However, before that, Rongrong said that since you are so capable, you should also design a few designs for the company.”
Originally, she opened Zhaolan just to make it easier to pay taxes. However, after managing it for two months, she found that the business was surprisingly good. She decided to run it properly and create a new brand that would be renowned at home and abroad. She has recently started recruiting staff and has also chosen the location of the franchise store. Once the renovation is complete, she will pick a date to open the store. Although she is busy and tired, she is enjoying it. Her business has experienced a second spring.
Fu Lan agreed without hesitation: "No problem." She liked drawing and could also save up a little money on the side, so she didn't feel tired no matter how hard it was.
"Have you finished drawing all ten new autumn designs that Rongrong asked you to prepare?" Xing Zhaozhao asked.
Fu Lan nodded: "They're all finished."
"That was pretty fast. I'll bring it to her next time I go." Xing Zhaozhao said, then, remembering something, she took out a small box from the bag she had brought back and handed it to Fu Lan. "I almost forgot, here, this is for you too."
"What is this?" Fu Lan asked as she reached out to take it. To her surprise, the small box was quite heavy, and her hand slumped down under its weight.
Fu Lan looked at Xing Zhaozhao with disbelief.
Xing Zhaozhao smiled mysteriously: "You'll know once you open it and take a look."
Fu Lan hesitated for a moment, then slowly opened the small box. To her surprise, she was greeted by a dazzling golden hue—a whole box of gold bars.
Fu Lan's heart skipped a beat, her breath caught in her throat, and her hands trembled as she quickly closed the box. She glanced around nervously before approaching Xing Zhaozhao and, as if afraid of being overheard, whispered in a voice only the two of them could hear, "Why is there so much gold?"
Seeing her overly cautious demeanor, Xing Zhaozhao chuckled and lowered her voice in agreement, saying, "For the first dividend, bring the money from over there. We can't spend it right now, so I'll exchange it for gold bars for you. You can just take it and exchange it whenever you need it in the future."
Fu Lan was terribly panicked: "But where am I going to hide so much gold? I'm so uneasy. What if I accidentally lose it? I'll be so upset I'll die."
"Hide it in the kang (heated brick bed) in your room for now. When you go back someday, just dig a hole and bury it. Don't panic. There will be more in the future. If you panic now, what will you do later?" Xing Zhaozhao patted her shoulder reassuringly and said.
Fu Lan hugged the small box tightly to her chest and hurried back to her room: "Then I'll go back and hide the box."
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