The next day, Lu Siqiao took a bus back to school and saw Lu Mingfeng and his wife at the gate from afar.
His daughter hadn't returned home all night, and Lu Mingfeng couldn't sit still any longer. He came to the school gate early in the morning to wait for her, fearing that something might have happened.
"Qiaowa, you're not allowed to stay overnight at your classmates' houses anymore. What if you run into a bad guy like Wang Wei?" Luo Xiaoxue scolded, her eyes dark, clearly she hadn't slept well all night.
Lu Siqiao didn't dare tell them what happened last night, and lied that she stayed overnight at a close classmate's house.
Lu Mingfeng left only after confirming that she was safe and sound.
It wasn't time for school to end yet, but Lu Mingfeng was already waiting at the school gate. Lu Siqiao felt a warmth in her heart and took him to meet Zhang Weiwei.
Zhang and the other two, dressed in floral shirts, felt like they were being watched and dared not even breathe loudly.
Even though Lu Mingfeng had heard Lu Siqiao say that the three of them had saved her life, he still looked at her with suspicion.
"Qiaowa, are you being blackmailed by them? Tell Dad boldly, and Dad will stand up for you." Lu Mingfeng pulled Lu Siqiao aside and said with a serious face.
Lu Siqiao chuckled and whispered in his ear what had happened last night.
Lu Mingfeng was furious that Huang Ling had ordered the kidnapping of Lu Siqiao. He exclaimed, "This is outrageous! Let's go, we'll call the police and have them arrested!"
"Dad, I've already taught them a lesson. I doubt they'll dare to cause me any more trouble." Lu Siqiao quickly grabbed him and then brought up her desire to buy a shop and have Zhang Wei manage it for her.
Lu Mingfeng was surprised that she wanted to hire the three of them. He frowned and said, "It's not that I'm looking down on people, but they have a thuggish air about them. If you hang out with them, you'll be corrupted too, let alone hiring them to work for you!"
His voice was neither too loud nor too soft, but it reached the ears of Zhang Wei and the others.
The fat man hung his head, looking dejected, and said, "See? I told you Sister Qiao's parents wouldn't agree. We look so fierce, it's like we have the word 'bad guy' written on our faces."
A hint of sadness flashed across Zhang Wei's expectant face.
Once a person goes down the wrong path, it's hard to turn back.
"Dad, when have I ever judged people badly? Even if you don't believe them, you should believe me." Lu Siqiao took Lu Mingfeng's hand and pouted as she pleaded, "They saved Qiaowa's life, and I want them to become better people as a way of repaying them."
Lu Mingfeng laughed: "You're so clever and mischievous. You're just trying to get money from your father in different ways. If you want to start a business, you can just rent a shop. Why do you have to buy one?"
"The shop can be rented out to make money in the future. When I grow up, it will be my dowry," Lu Siqiao said, sticking out her tongue.
Lu Mingfeng's eyes crinkled with laughter: "You silly child, how old are you, and you're already thinking about saving up for your dowry. Come on, Dad will go with you to take a look, and if there's something good, I'll buy it for you. A few days ago, your godfather gave you 20,000 yuan, saying it was for your education fund, and I'll take it out and give it to you."
Lu Siqiao has a good eye; what was once a desolate piece of land in Shashixu has now become a blessed land.
I heard that the Chen family in Beijing offered 2.2 million to buy it, but Cai Ming refused.
Thinking of this, Lu Mingfeng's eyes showed a hint of trust.
The shop that Lu Siqiao had her eye on was a two-room shop on a corner, about 100 meters from No. 1 Middle School. The shop owner used to run a dumpling business, but later his son settled in another city, so the elderly couple decided to sell the shop and go there to take care of their grandson.
It's 50 square meters in total, and the asking price is 400 yuan per square meter.
After some haggling with the elderly couple, Lu Siqiao got the deal for 18,000 yuan.
Lu Mingfeng paid a deposit of one thousand yuan, and the two families agreed to go through the transfer of ownership the next day.
"I'll go back to my godfather and ask him to find me a craftsman to repaint the walls here. On Saturday and Sunday, I'll go to the flea market and pick up some treasures. It should be open in about a month." Lu Siqiao walked around the shop and quickly had a basic design in mind.
Zhang Wei and his companions came up and hurriedly said, "Sister Qiao, there's no need to trouble others. My brother and I studied architecture before, and we can do things like painting walls and installing lights."
Lu Siqiao looked at him with newfound respect and said with a smile, "Okay, I'll draw up some blueprints later. You guys go buy the paint and stuff. Remember, don't try to save money by buying inferior products. If they have an odor or excessive formaldehyde, they could harm you."
They hadn't expected there to be so many rules about buying paint, and they thought to themselves that these were indeed cultured people, nodding in agreement.
When Lu Mingfeng brought Lu Siqiao back to Shashixu, they found that an uninvited guest had arrived at their home.
Lu Mingyuan, with Liu Yan who was more than nine months pregnant, was looking around the yard, touching everything in sight, looking as if his eyes were being opened.
Luo Xiaoxue came up to Lu Siqiao and whispered, "Your grandma is here too. She heard that your second aunt is about to give birth and is worried about any accidents, so she came out early. They want to stay at our house for a few days."
As they were talking, Grandma Ruan hurriedly stepped forward and praised Lu Siqiao, "Oh my, it's only been a few months! Qiaowa has grown taller, fairer, and more beautiful..."
As the saying goes, you can't hit a smiling face. The old lady has become shrewd too.
Lu Siqiao forced a dry smile: "Grandma, don't be like that, it scares me."
Grandma Ruan led her to sit down and said enviously, "Grandma is telling the truth. I heard that you got Boss Cai to buy this land. Now the land value has skyrocketed. There are fruit trees, fish ponds, and a private restaurant. Oh my, city people really know how to make money. You couldn't do that in the countryside."
"It's all thanks to Boss Cai's good judgment. My whole family is just working for her, earning a salary." Lu Siqiao knew she was just trying to play the victim and wouldn't listen, so she changed the subject.
Unexpectedly, she didn't fall for it, and Old Lady Ruan thought to herself that the little brat was too clever.
“It’s no problem for you to stay for a few days. Boss Cai has let our whole family stay here, providing food and lodging, and even paying us wages. Not only are we getting a great deal, but if a few more relatives come, they might feel uncomfortable.” Lu Siqiao said innocently, “Even if I were Boss Cai’s goddaughter, I would be too embarrassed to ask. Grandma, you understand what I mean, right?”
Grandma Ruan's eyelids twitched, and she almost lost her temper.
She came here not only to beg for money, but also to find a way out for her two sons.
"Sister-in-law, I heard from Dad that you also cook private dishes in your spare time. You must be earning a lot of money, right?" At this moment, Liu Yan asked Luo Xiaoxue curiously. She had just seen the house by the lake and was extremely envious. The garden with mountains and water looked just like the one described in ancient palace novels, which made her yearn for it.
Master Lu said that Luo Xiaoxue would cook for Cai Ming's guests by the lake whenever she had free time, earning about 100 yuan each time.
Liu Yan hadn't even given birth yet, but she was already thinking about whether she could find a loophole and sneak in too.
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