Looking at his masterpiece, Meng Zhao walked out of Shen Qinghe's room with his head held high. Just as he was about to return to the main room, he was hugged tightly by two little firecrackers who rushed up to him.
She didn't need to turn around to know who it was. Looking at the position of their arms around her, she raised the corners of her lips and said, "You two have grown quite a bit taller in the few months I haven't seen you."
"You've become even more beautiful in the months since I last saw you," Shen Qingze said happily. They remembered their mother's instructions that Meng Zhao would no longer be their sister-in-law, but their older sister.
Meng Zhao rubbed their heads and said, "Why are you so sweet-talking? Did you just eat some candy?"
Gu was already beautiful, and Shen's father probably had good genes too. The two children have grown quite a bit taller and look really beautiful.
They seemed to know that Meng Zhao wouldn't stay long, so they didn't cry or make a fuss. They simply held her hands, one on each side, as if they wanted to say all the things they hadn't said in months.
Seeing that it was getting late, Madam Gu interrupted them, "It's almost time. Zhao Zhao, what would you like to eat? I'll make it for you."
Meng Zhao quickly shook her head, "No need, godmother, I still have to travel, so I won't have dinner."
Madam Gu was taken aback, clearly not expecting Meng Zhao to leave so soon. "Ah? You've only been sitting for a short while, and you're already leaving? Besides, Qinghe hasn't come back yet. If he knows you're back but didn't see you, he'll probably be very upset."
"How could that be? Qinghe is so grown up now." She then pointed helplessly to the two children who had quickly clung to her waist when they heard she was leaving. "Do you think I can still be like you?"
Madam Gu hesitated for a moment, then nodded: "It's really hard to say. Ever since Qinghe came to the capital, he has been studying hard every day and rarely talks to us. He only talks more when it comes to you. If he knew that you came to the capital but didn't wait for him, he would probably be sad for a long time."
Upon hearing this, Meng Zhao knew it was unacceptable. So she gently nudged the two children who were holding her and said softly, "Qingze, Qingyu, let go quickly, your sister is really leaving."
"No, no!" the two children cried, hugging each other tighter. "Sister will be gone for a long time, and she hasn't even tested us on math yet! We're so good at math, even the teachers at the new academy can't do it as fast as us!"
Meng Zhao had just praised them for not crying, but now that they were about to part ways, they couldn't hold back and burst into tears again.
Meng Zhao's heart softened, and she squatted down to gently wipe away their tears. "I'll test you again when I come to see you next time, okay? When have I ever lied to you? I told you before that you could write letters, and you received my replies, didn't you? And you see, I come to see you whenever I have time, and it will be the same in the future, so don't worry."
She coaxed the two children for a long time before they reluctantly let go of each other's hands. Everyone said goodbye at the door, and Meng Zhao hesitated for a moment when she turned around.
After all, they had lived together for a long time. Shen Qinghe could disregard this friendship, but he was still somewhat reluctant to part with him. However, thinking of his difficult manner, he figured that if they met, they probably wouldn't be able to have a proper conversation. So, he hardened his heart and turned to leave.
The carriage slowly started moving, with Madam Gu and her two children following behind, accompanying them all the way to the street corner. Meng Zhao leaned out of the carriage window and waved to them, "Go back, don't bother seeing us off!"
Only after the carriage disappeared around the street corner did Madam Gu and her two children slowly turn around and go home.
"Mother, when will my sister come to visit us next time?"
Madam Gu shook her head. "I don't know either."
Although the capital is prosperous, there is nothing Zhao Zhao cherishes now. Based on their relationship, she can only stay here for half a day at most when she passes by. Unless there is something special, Zhao Zhao probably will not stay in the capital for long.
Thinking of this, Gu suddenly had a flash of inspiration.
What does Zhao Zhao like most? Doing business! If I open a shop in the capital, she will definitely worry about me and think about them all the time. If I make the business big and successful and earn a lot of money for Zhao Zhao, then Zhao Zhao might gradually shift her focus to the capital.
Gu's eyes lit up, and she quickened her pace. Shen Qingze and Shen Qingyu, unaware of what was going on, also hurried to catch up, jogging behind their mother.
Upon returning home, Madam Gu immediately began to gather all the family's silver, including her savings of over fifty taels of wages accumulated over the years, the three hundred taels of silver that Shen Qinghe had brought back, and the five hundred taels that Zhao Zhao had lent them before they came to the capital.
She took out paper and pen and began to list the investments needed to open a shop. The shop rent was the biggest expense, which would be paid for a year at once, costing at least three or four hundred taels of silver. There were also expenses for decoration, cost of goods, wages for employees, and so on. She was engrossed in calculating when she suddenly heard Shen Qinghe's voice from outside.
"Mother, I'm back."
Madam Gu slapped her forehead, realizing that she had forgotten to cook. She hurriedly went out and said to Shen Qinghe in the courtyard, "Oh dear, Qinghe, look, I was busy with something else and forgot to cook."
Shen Qinghe smiled and said, "It's nothing, Mother. I've already eaten out. I just happened to have something I wanted to tell you."
"What's up?"
"Today I went to see a classmate in the capital. His family has a shop for rent in a very good location. I told him that we can pay the rent every three months, so even if we don't have that much money, we can still open the shop."
Since arriving in the capital, Madam Gu had been somewhat depressed. Shen Qinghe wasn't blind, so he could naturally see it. However, he had been preoccupied with the imperial examinations, which were crucial events that would determine their lives and could not be taken lightly. Therefore, he had to put his mother's affairs aside for a while. Now that the imperial examinations were over, he naturally wanted to make more plans for his family.
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