"Next time you get into a fight, go easy on yourself and others." Zhou Xing's medical advice infuriated Qin Xiaoyu, but she couldn't lash out, so she bit her lip and tried to calm herself.
Zhou Xing saw this and, while Tang Wenwen was looking at the prescription, he lowered his voice and added, "Turn right after you go out, there's a suggestion box, please."
"You think I wouldn't dare?" Qin Xiaoyu's eyes narrowed, her heart hardening. Zhou Xing met her gaze without flinching.
"Why are you all acting like fighting cocks?" Tang Wenwen looked up from the prescription and asked, puzzled.
The two fighting cocks were instantly disarmed.
"This guy is really something. His parents are both high-ranking officials. If he went to the company, he could be promoted in two or three months. But he didn't go. He said that real skills are honed in the hospital and he doesn't need to rely on his family. He has to make his own way in the world. It's just that last time he offended some patient and wrote a lot of complaints in the suggestion book, which caused his internship to be delayed for another three months."
Qin Xiaoyu then realized that the power of those twenty-odd words she had uttered last time was considerable, and her anger subsided by half.
"You don't have feelings for him, do you?" Qin Xiaoyu teased, noticing Tang Wenwen's animated expression when Zhou Xing was mentioned.
"Do you think I'm the kind of person who chases after others?" Tang Wenwen retorted.
"That doesn't seem like it. So that means he didn't pursue you, and therefore you didn't pursue him either?"
“No, we’re both too proud. We’re not willing to back down or lower ourselves, so we have no chance. I’ll hold onto my pride,” Tang Wenwen said, raising her chin with a smile.
"That sounds so profound, but it's not that complicated. Relationships between men and women are the same; it's all about mutual benefit and exploitation." Qin Xiaoyu had been hurt before, and she was no longer interested in this bullshit thing called love.
"What does this mean? Second sister-in-law, you weren't hurt by a man in your past life, were you?" Tang Wenwen sensed the gossip.
"No, how could anyone like me? You need to have the right to be hurt, and I don't have that." Qin Xiaoyu denied it resolutely, her heart aching as she said it.
"Give me a break. Second sister-in-law, you're so outstanding in this life, you must have been just as good in the previous one. I don't believe it."
"Men are all big pigs!" Qin Xiaoyu exclaimed.
What does "big pig's trotter" mean?
"It's nothing special. It's greasy, you crave it when you're not eating it, but a few bites are enough, that's all." Qin Xiaoyu had often seen people say this online, but she had never really looked into it. Now, her casual explanation seemed quite reasonable.
Qin Xiaoyu went to Master Wang's house twice, but the door was locked both times. On the third day, she got up early. This time, someone was home, but it wasn't Master Wang who answered the door; it was her son.
“My mom’s not home, the barbershop is closed, so don’t come.” Wang Xiaobing spoke quite rudely.
"What are you doing? Come in and eat, the porridge will get cold." A sweet voice called from inside. Qin Xiaoyu recognized the voice; it was Wang Xiaobing's girlfriend. She had met her a few times and heard that she was always talking about getting married, but they didn't have a house.
Ms. Wang's life has been quite tough. She lost her husband when she was young and never remarried, raising her son alone. Now that her son is getting married, he has to live with her. Originally, it was agreed that she would live in the front room and her son in the back. However, her son's mother-in-law is insistent that the young couple live in the front room.
If the front room is given to Master Wang, then the hairdressing business can no longer be done. She can tell that her son and daughter-in-law are not the kind of people who can support their parents in old age, and they are still relying on this business to earn money for their retirement. How could she agree to this?
The stalemate continued. Had Mr. Wang lost this time? Well, what parent can ever win an argument with their child?
Qin Xiaoyu was flustered and confused, lost in thought as she rode home.
"Little Fish, it's you!" Master Wang was just pushing his bicycle over when he called out to her.
"Master, where have you been so early?" Qin Xiaoyu noticed that Master Wang's shoes were covered in frost, indicating that he had gone out early in the morning, and she couldn't help but feel sorry for him.
"Don't even mention it, it brings tears to my eyes." Master Wang pouted, almost bursting into tears.
"Come on, let's go to my house and talk." Qin Xiaoyu took Master Wang home. Master Wang had been trying to find her these past few days, but he hadn't asked for her exact address last time, so he hadn't been able to find her.
It turned out her daughter-in-law was pregnant, so the wedding couldn't be delayed any longer. The daughter-in-law was also experiencing morning sickness, saying the smell of ammonia water made her nauseous. How could she perm her hair without ammonia water? She was referring to the styling process, so the front room had to be given up. Mr. Wang was extremely anxious, searching everywhere for a place to open a shop.
"You found a house?" Qin Xiaoyu's eyes lit up.
"I did look for a place, but the rent is too expensive, and I don't have enough money." Mr. Wang looked dejected again.
"How much money do I need?" Qin Xiaoyu had a vague idea in her mind.
“I found a shop next to the military area. The place is big enough, with running water and heating from the military area. It’s really nice, but the rent is 50 yuan a month, which is 600 yuan a year, and I have to rent it for two years. That kid took all my money, and I only have 500 yuan left. How am I going to make up the 700 yuan short?” Mr. Wang said, wiping away tears.
"Come on, let's go look at the house." Qin Xiaoyu pulled her and walked outside.
Master Wang wasn't exaggerating at all; the house was even better than Qin Xiaoyu had imagined. It had bright, large windows, and the interior was painted very clean, so it was ready to use right away without any tidying up.
She stood at the doorway, gazing out at the military barracks across the street. These young soldiers would come out for haircuts on Sundays. Behind them were the military district dormitories, also known as the VIP housing, filled with two-story villas for military dependents. These were places only for high-ranking officers; the dependents didn't work and had little to do besides grooming themselves. If she could successfully develop this business opportunity, the shop would be incredibly successful.
"Little Fish, what are you daydreaming about?" Master Wang was a little uneasy when he saw that she hadn't said anything.
"Master, let's go together." Qin Xiaoyu quickly did some mental calculations and had already come up with a preliminary plan.
How do we combine them?
“Master, I’ll cover the 700 yuan rent, and we can consider it a partnership. I’ll cover the utilities and business registration fees, and we’ll split the profits 50/50. Also, this shop has heating, so it’s much better than your home in winter. If you don’t like it, you can sleep here tonight, saving you the trouble of going back and forth. What do you think?” Qin Xiaoyu had it all figured out. On the surface, she seemed to be at a slight disadvantage, but this shop was Master Wang’s main business, and she would bring in many regular customers. Before the shop developed new customers, these regular customers were their bread and butter.
"Okay, I'll go with your suggestion. Do you think this place is suitable?" Master Wang had just reached a dead end when suddenly a glimmer of hope appeared. There was no reason for her not to agree. She could also see that Qin Xiaoyu was no ordinary person. Although her skills were still a little lacking, she could learn quickly. No matter how she partnered with her, she wouldn't suffer any losses.
"Okay, let's come up with a name for the shop." Qin Xiaoyu smiled, her eyes crinkling. This solved two problems at once. Although the investment was a bit large, she figured she couldn't risk it all, and it was much less risky than investing herself.
She did a rough calculation: a men's haircut cost 1.5 yuan, a children's haircut was 0.8 yuan, and a women's perm was 3 yuan. This was a street-side location with a lot of transient people, and with Wang's regular customers who always had perms, a daily profit of 60-70 yuan was no problem. Plus, with holidays, the income would multiply several times. If the two of them split the profits, they could break even in no time. Wang was in a rush and hadn't done the math. If she weren't short of money, she could easily make a profit doing this business herself.
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