Chapter 141 This is just the beginning
Jiang Lili had always known that Lu Hongzhe was handsome, but she had always thought it had nothing to do with her. Now, as he looked at her with a smile on his face, she seemed to hear the sound of her own heartbeat. Feeling the rising heat in her cheeks and ears, she quickly lowered her eyes and whispered, "If you don't want to say it, forget it."
"It's not that I don't want to say it, I just don't know how to say it. Do you believe me when I say it's my intuition?" When he said this, his black eyes were full of seriousness.
"Is that so? Then your intuition is really accurate." Jiang Lili inexplicably felt that this gaze was a little burning, and quickly turned her head away.
At this time, Jiang Liangbo called out from the other end, "Old Lu, it's your turn. Have you made your choice?"
"I want a New Year theme. It's New Year, and it's better to have a festive atmosphere at home." Lu Hongzhe said casually.
"Happy, Sister Cheng, you can make a wedding version of it when the time comes." Jiang Liangbo said casually after hearing this.
Cheng Yuntian actually thought about it seriously, then said, "Your suggestion is good, but this is only available on custom orders."
Now it was Jiang Liangbo who was surprised. He even panicked a little, "No, Sister Cheng, I was just saying it casually. Why did you take it so seriously?"
"Isn't this just thinking that if someone has the same idea as you, don't you think?" Cheng Yuntian teased her deliberately. His words gave her an inspiration to produce a customized line, but the price would at least double.
Jiang Liangbo quickly begged for mercy: "Sister Cheng, I was wrong. I will never say such nonsense again."
"It's okay. Your words reminded me to open a custom line. When you need something customized for your wedding, remember to ask me for it. I'll give you a 20% discount." Cheng Yuntian said with a smile.
"Okay." Jiang Liangbo said and glanced at the decorative dolls over there. These three will be arriving home soon, so they probably won't be needed in the future.
"Hongzhe, have you made your choice?" Mr. Lu and Jiang Jianyi, who had walked around, walked up to them.
"I've chosen it. Just have someone deliver it over later. Grandpa, Grandpa Jiang, do you have any plans for the future?" Lu Hongzhe asked in a gentle voice.
"Do you have a plan?" Mr. Lu glanced at him.
"If you don't have any plans, I'll take you for a walk." After saying this, Lu Hongzhe glanced at Jiang Qitong who was staring at various ornaments over there. He guessed that she was still reluctant to leave.
"I can do it, what about you, Old Jiang?" After saying that, Mr. Lu looked at Jiang Jianyi?
"I'll go ask Qingfen and the others." Jiang Jianyi said as he walked towards the mother and daughter.
Mr. Lu approached Lu Hongzhe and asked him, "It seems like you guys have a good relationship with Director Cheng?"
"It's okay. We are helping each other." When they accepted the ornaments given to them by Cheng Yuntian, they understood her intention. They accepted them with pleasure, which meant that they were willing to maintain such contact.
"It's okay as long as you have your own ideas." Mr. Lu stopped talking. He has been smart and opinionated since he was a child. He wondered if he was worrying too much.
"Grandpa Jiang and the others are here." Lu Hongzhe nodded forward, and Grandpa Lu quickly came to meet him. His eyes fell on Jiang Lili, who was busy over there. Would someone as smart as her notice his thoughts? Thinking of this, Lu Hongzhe smiled bitterly. He had never thought that one day he would fall in love with the girl he once regarded as his younger sister. However, he also reminded himself again that she was still young and that there were some things that should not be rushed.
Although Jiang Qitong was reluctant to leave so many beautiful cats, she happily agreed to go out and play. So the afternoon schedule was for Lu Hongzhe to take them out to play. Jiang Yulan looked at him embarrassedly and said, "Hongzhe, you can drive my car later. I'm sorry to bother you these few days."
"Aunt Jiang, you don't have to be so formal with me." Lu Hongzhe shook his head.
Hearing this, Lu Ziming came over to help: "Yes, Aunt Jiang, you should ask Lao Lu and us to do something, so that we will feel comfortable coming over to eat for free in the future."
"There's definitely no problem with eating for free. You can come over anytime to eat in the future." Lu Ziming's words really made Jiang Yulan feel relieved. Yes, she would have many opportunities to repay them in the future.
Lu Hongzhe rolled his eyes at Lu Ziming without anyone seeing him, then turned to look at the others: "Shall we set off now?"
"Let's go." Jiang Qitong looked happy.
The three of them and Jiang Lili all chose the ornaments they wanted. After everyone else left, Jiang Lili looked at Cheng Yuntian next to her and asked, "Sister Cheng, do you have any orders now?"
"Not yet. I plan to have them all delivered to the sales outlets first." Cheng Yuntian said as he started to arrange this matter.
"This is a good idea." Jiang Lili thought about it and nodded.
"Then we'll see how the market reacts. If it doesn't work out, we still have time to stop. If orders explode, we'll have to work overtime." At the end, Cheng Yuntian laughed. She has always liked working overtime. For her, working overtime is a sign of orders exploding.
"Then hurry up and get the orders so that we can have a successful closing this year." Jiang Lili said with a smile.
"This year's dividends are still being sorted out and will be transferred to Sister Jiang's account before the holiday. Do you have any new plans for Baby Paradise?" Cheng Yuntian quickly shifted the topic to Baby Paradise.
"The current flow of people is not at its best. Once people in the surrounding area gradually accept its existence, we can consider opening the next one." This is the peak period of childbirth, and there is no shortage of children coming to play.
"What about the early education you mentioned before?" Cheng Yuntian asked.
"There's no rush about this. Let me accumulate some experience first." Jiang Lili is indeed not in a rush about early childhood education. What she is thinking about now is how to tell Zhou Qingfen that the house next to the Baby Paradise is very suitable for her to rent and open a tutoring class.
"That's true. Experience is quite important." Just like this time at the indoor amusement park, she almost got into trouble, so it's better to be safe.
While the two were chatting, all the large ornaments produced in the past few days were pulled out. Jiang Lili glanced at the production line over there. Everyone looked busy. They all hoped to complete the backlog of orders before the New Year.
Jiang Lili didn't stay long at the factory. After chatting with Cheng Yuntian, she went straight to the Baby Park. With winter vacation approaching, there would be more customers than before, and more parents were willing to spend money in the waiting area. Zhang Yue couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief when she saw her coming: "Lili, there are more people here today than before. I'm a little overwhelmed. I'm glad you came."
"You go over there and take care of the children, and I'll be in charge of the parents here." Jiang Lili glanced at the flow of people in the room. She thought she would have to recruit more people after the new year. There was also the apron on Zhang Yue, but she neglected it. She should have had it customized.
The day was indeed as busy as Zhang Yue had said. When Lu Hongzhe returned with the group he had been driving, the shop became less crowded. Zhou Qingfen felt a little guilty: "If I had known earlier, I would have stayed to help."
"How can that be? Tongtong, go play for a while, we will be going home soon." Jiang Lili glanced at Jiang Qitong who was eager to try next to her.
"Sister Lili, can I go?" Jiang Qitong pointed at the children inside. Compared with them, she was already a big kid.
"Of course you can, but you have to be careful not to bump into them." Although it is for children under three years old, it is just a suggestion. Older children can also play, provided that they don't hurt the children.
"Then I'll go?" Jiang Qitong looked at Zhou Qingfen with longing in her eyes. As long as she agreed, she would go in and have fun.
Zhou Qingfen nodded helplessly. It was a rare opportunity for her child to come out, so she naturally didn't want to be the parent who spoiled the fun.
"It seems that winter vacation is indeed the peak season. Grandpa Jiang and I just agreed to have dinner together later. We'll go together when you're done with your work." Lu Hongzhe came to her side without her knowing when.
"Why don't you go eat first?" Jiang Lili wasn't sure how long she would be busy playing.
"No rush. We've all tried a lot of snacks along the way this afternoon, so we're not hungry yet." Lu Hongzhe shook his head.
"Then you take Grandpa Lu and the others to sit there and let them try the juice and soda in Quan City." Jiang Lili pointed to the empty seat over there.
Lu Hongzhe took the two old men over there, and Zhou Qingfen stepped forward and walked towards Jiang Lili: "Lili, how can I help?"
"Aunt, there's no need to help. I can do it. Did you have fun this afternoon?" Jiang Lili asked casually?
"Happy, and your grandpa too. Even though he didn't want to come before, that was because he didn't know anyone there. Today, he and Uncle Lu are the happiest." Zhou Qingfen became more determined in her decision to come to Beijing for development, but now was obviously not the time to discuss it.
"Just be happy. By the way, there's a rental next door. Have you noticed?" Jiang Lili said as she handed the soda to the person over there. When she came back, she saw Zhou Qingfen with a thoughtful look on her face. She raised her lips and pushed the freshly opened soda in front of her: "Aunt, try it. This is the soda that can only be found in Quan City. It tastes great."
Zhou Qingfen's eyes fell on the soda and she suddenly said, "This should sell better in the summer, right?"
"Should? It's okay now. Maybe everyone wants to try something new." Jiang Lili said casually. This part was originally added as an addition, so she didn't take it that seriously.
"It's really delicious, Lili. You just said that you guys are renting out the place next door. Have you asked about the rent?" Zhou Qingfen was really tempted.
"Not really. If you have this intention, you can have a face-to-face meeting with him. Aunt, have you thought about it?" Jiang Lili asked.
"I've made up my mind. Your uncle and I are still young, so we have to give it a try. If we succeed, our family will gather in Jing City. If we fail, the worst that can happen is that I take Tongtong back to Yuncheng with me. Your uncle will support us in Yuncheng, so I've made up my mind." After saying that, Zhou Qingfen felt relieved. Yes, she had always longed for Jing City, and she naturally didn't want to miss such an opportunity. After all, you still need to give it a try in life.
"Aunt is so courageous." Jiang Lili's tone was full of praise.
Zhou Qingfen lowered her eyes somewhat embarrassedly and spoke softly about her motivation for doing this: "Tongtong has been looking forward to coming to Jing City every day since she knew she would be coming to Jing City during the winter vacation. It's not so bad for someone who has never been here before, but after being here and seeing the prosperity of Jing City, compared to Yuncheng, no matter who you are, you will feel a gap. So I thought I would give it a try, what if I succeed?"
Jiang Lili had always known that Zhou Qingfen was the most decisive person in the family, which was why she had just revealed the rental next door. "How about contacting the landlord tomorrow?"
"Well, I'll discuss it with your uncle when we get back." Although she had made the decision, Zhou Qingfen still used the word "discuss".
"Okay, discuss it with your uncle." Jiang Lili's lips were filled with smiles. The person in front of her was probably the best at managing a marriage, right?
As the sky gradually darkened, some people began to leave. Knowing that these people were waiting for Jiang Lili, Zhang Yue stepped forward and said, "Lili, there are fewer people here now. I can handle it by myself. You go first."
Jiang Lili glanced at the situation in the store and nodded after confirming that she could handle it. Then she asked, "What are you having for dinner?"
"Someone will bring me food later." Zhang Yue had a sweet smile on her face when she spoke. Her boyfriend would bring her food later.
"Okay, then I'll leave first." Seeing this, Jiang Lili called Jiang Qitong who was still playing over there to come over, and they should go back.
The place for dinner this time was again arranged by Lu Hongzhe. After returning home, Jiang Jianyi frowned and said, "Let's eat at home tomorrow. Then ask Old Lu and his grandson to come over. Oh, and also the two young men from today."
"Dad, what you said makes sense. I have something to take care of tomorrow morning. You take Tongtong to buy groceries, and I will cook in the evening." Zhou Qingfen said.
"If you have something to do, go ahead and do it. Don't worry about home." Jiang Jianyi waved his hand to signal her not to worry.
"Then I'll go call Aiguo first." Zhou Qingfen did not forget the important matter.
Jiang Yulan came back at this time, her eyes full of fatigue. Jiang Lili stepped forward, took the bag from her hand and asked, "Could it be that there is an order for a large ornament so soon?"
Jiang Yulan nodded at her after finishing the water in the cup. "Your guess is absolutely correct. We've received quite a few orders tonight. The New Year theme is very popular, and there are also quite a few orders for zodiac elements."
"It seems we will have to work overtime until the holiday." Jiang Lili said.
"That's right. We just finally got a break, but now we have to get busy again." Jiang Yulan sighed. This decision that Xiao Cheng made on the spur of the moment really made them very busy.
"There's really nothing we can do about it." Jiang Lili's tone was somewhat helpless.
"I'm going to take a shower first. I need to go to bed early. According to Xiao Cheng's suggestion, the B1 production line will be temporarily changed tomorrow. The orders for ornaments will be the main focus in the next few days." Jiang Yulan said.
"That's understandable. New Year-themed products should be sold before the New Year, right? They won't be as effective after the New Year. You should take a shower and go to bed early." Jiang Lili had originally planned to tell her about Zhou Qingfen, but now she changed her mind. There was no rush to talk about it after her holiday.
Zhou Qingfen's call was quite long. When she finished, Jiang Yulan had already returned to her room to rest. She looked at Jiang Lili in surprise: "Where's your mother? I just saw her."
"Go back to your room and sleep. She will have to work overtime every day until the New Year, so she needs to conserve her energy. What does your uncle say?" Jiang Lili quickly turned the topic to her.
"Your uncle agreed to let me give it a try." Zhou Qingfen's tone was a little cheerful. Although Jiang Aiguo was a little hesitant at first, he readily agreed to her plan after listening to all her analysis. He was also willing to stay in Yuncheng to continue working as a backup for them and their daughter.
"As long as your uncle agrees, talk to the landlord tomorrow. You don't need to be too aggressive." Jiang Lili shared her experience.
"If I really rent it, it definitely won't work for me alone." Zhou Qingfen was a man who looked ahead at every step. She was already thinking about what was to come.
"There are quite a few college students in Beijing. You can recruit part-time workers and let them try it out." Jiang Lili gave a suggestion.
"Your words remind me, but before that I have to resign first." Zhou Qingfen smiled at her after she said that. They seemed to have forgotten about this step.
"That's right, aunt, don't prepare everything and then forget to resign." Jiang Lili teased with a smile.
"Then I definitely can't let this happen." Zhou Qingfen said with a smile.
In the next few days, everyone had their own things to do. The ones who were the most idle were Mr. Lu and Jiang Jianyi, and of course the little tail Jiang Qitong. Once the days got busy, they passed very quickly, and soon it was the 28th.
Lu Hongzhe's parents and Jiang Aiguo arrived in Jing City on the same day, and the busy Jiang Yulan finally had a holiday. Zhao Dong returned to Yuncheng, so she was the one who watched over the workshop these days. Factory 28 was officially on holiday.
From the time Lu Hongzhe bought the house to the time it was renovated, Lu Liangxu and Li Shuhua did not participate in the entire process. This was their first time to Huajianlouji. They casually visited the decoration of the house and went directly upstairs to the Jiang family.
Compared to the quiet downstairs, the upstairs was much busier. Two old men were playing chess on the balcony, Jiang Qitong was watching TV in the living room, and the others were chatting happily. There was a knock on the door, and Jiang Lili got up to open it. She was a little surprised to see who was outside: "Uncle Lu, Aunt Li."
"I haven't seen you for a year, and Lili looks like she's grown a lot taller." Li Shuhua thought, kids nowadays really grow fast!
"Really? I thought it would stop growing after you turned 18." Jiang Lili was a little surprised.
"Of course it's true. Some people's hair can still grow at the age of 23. You are only 18, why won't it grow?" Li Shuhua's words quickly dispelled her thoughts.
"Hehe, that's good." Jiang Lili thought, probably no one would refuse to grow taller. It was only after they both entered the house that she discovered a problem. Lu Hongzhe did not come with them, so now he was left alone downstairs?
Before she could think about it, Jiang Yulan's voice came from inside. She hurried into the living room: "What's wrong, Mom?"
"Go wash some fruit, I want to chat with your Aunt Li and the others for a while." Jiang Yulan said.
"I'll go right away." Jiang Lili said as she went to get the fruits. These fruits were bought by her and her aunt at the market early this morning. At this time, everyone still has the habit of stocking up on New Year's goods, but they forgot that they don't have to visit relatives this year. Similarly, there won't be many people coming to pay New Year's greetings, so they can only eat the extra things they bought by themselves.
After the 28th, New Year's Eve was getting closer. There were only four people in Lu Hongzhe's family, including Grandpa Lu, so Jiang Jianyi invited them to celebrate the New Year upstairs. They readily agreed. So this was the first New Year in Beijing that the Jiang and Lu families celebrated together.
The two families have had a friendship since the old man's generation, and it's already the third generation for Lu Hongzhe and Jiang Lili. There are indeed some things that don't require excessive courtesy, so on the 30th, the Lu family came upstairs early to prepare for the New Year's Eve dinner.
When Zhou Qingfen and Jiang Yulan were in the kitchen, Jiang Lili couldn't help out. Now with Li Shuhua joining the team, she couldn't help out even more. So she could only sit on the sofa and watch TV with Jiang Qitong.
After a while, Lu Hongzhe, who was kicked out of the kitchen, sat down next to her and asked her casually, "Did you buy fireworks this year?"
"No, I forgot about it." Jiang Lili shook her head. It was probably the first time they didn't celebrate the New Year in Yuncheng, so everyone forgot about the fireworks.
"Then let's buy them now?" Lu Hongzhe was a little surprised. He originally thought that they would buy fireworks according to their previous habits, but he didn't expect that he guessed wrong.
"No need, you're not a child. You don't have to play." Jiang Lili shook her head.
"Then don't be too envious when you see others setting off fireworks later." Lu Hongzhe glanced at her after he finished speaking. Speaking of which, this year should be considered as their New Year's celebration together, right? This thought made him feel strangely happy. The phone rang at this time. Jiang Lili stood up to answer it, but she didn't expect the person on the other end to be Uncle Lu. After saying a few words of congratulations, she handed the receiver to Jiang Aiguo next to her. When she came over, Lu Hongzhe raised an eyebrow and asked her, "My second uncle?"
"Yes, it's him. Does he know that you are celebrating the New Year with us today?" Jiang Lili remembered that the Lu family attached great importance to festivals like the Spring Festival. She was quite surprised that Uncle Lu and Aunt Qiu didn't come this time, but when she thought about Uncle Lu's current job, she felt it was understandable.
"Yes, our two families always celebrated the New Year together before. This year, neither grandpa nor we are here. They must be a little uncomfortable with it, right?" When his parents got up in the morning, they were also complaining that they were not used to it.
"It's normal. Anyone would probably feel uncomfortable." Jiang Lili nodded. At this time, the receiver had been transferred to Mr. Lu's hand. Jiang Lili quickly withdrew her gaze.
After the call ended, feeling the hustle and bustle over there, Qiu Shaoli on the other end of the phone couldn't help but sigh: "If I had known I was on vacation, I should have bought a ticket and gone over there, leaving you two at home alone."
"How about we go back to my father-in-law and his family later?" Lu Liangjun knew that she had been accommodating him all these years.
"Let's celebrate tomorrow. Today is New Year's Eve. Let's celebrate it at home." Qiu Shaoli shook her head.
"I'll do as you say, Jiaze. Come with me to the kitchen later. Your mother has worked hard for a year. Let her have a rest today." Lu Liangjun looked at Lu Jiaze.
"Okay." Lu Jiaze agreed with a smile. Thinking of the hustle and bustle on the other end of the phone just now, he suddenly felt fortunate that they did not go to Beijing, otherwise the focus this year would probably be on those two people again. Thinking of this, Lu Jiaze laughed at himself. It seemed that his mind was getting smaller and smaller.
The incident caused by the phone call did not affect the Jing City side. Instead, it prompted the three people busy in the kitchen to add a few more Yuncheng dishes. Soon, the dining table was piled high, and the kitchen was still busy. Jiang Lili hurriedly shouted, "Mom, that's enough, there are too many dishes."
Li Shuhua came out of the kitchen carrying some dishes and said with a smile, "Not much, but there's always more every year."
After the last two dishes from the kitchen were served, everyone started to take their seats. As the host, Jiang Lili stood up and poured drinks for everyone. They still had to go for a walk around the neighborhood in the afternoon, so no one was drinking. After the drinks were poured, everyone raised their glasses and shouted Happy New Year.
Jiang Lili stared at the smiling faces in front of her. This was their first New Year in Beijing and also their first year of settling down in Beijing. She thought, the good days have just begun!
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