"It's okay, it doesn't hurt." Zhou Xing was embarrassed by her, but luckily a car came in from behind and kept honking, which allowed him to get away.
"Hehe, you've finally met your match." Qin Xiaoyu chuckled gloatingly, but before her smile could fade, Commander Wang caught her in the act.
"What were they fighting about? You don't know anything about it, do you?" Commander Wang asked suspiciously.
"How would I know, Aunt Wang? I just thought his face looked good with the paint on it."
"nice?"
"Yes, it looks nice, like a tabby cat."
"Alright." Commander Wang was preoccupied with his own thoughts, feeling that she had overlooked something, but he couldn't find any evidence, so he had no choice but to give up.
When Mr. Wang saw Qin Xiaoyu return with the rental contract so easily, he was so excited that his hands trembled.
"Are we really going to open a school? Then what about this shop?"
"You can manage this shop for now, and I'll get things ready over there. We've already rented this place for six months, and once our school is completed next year, there'll still be a year left on the lease. Then we can let the students come here to take turns doing their internships."
Qin Xiaoyu had already made arrangements. She only mentioned signing the contract and didn't show it to Master Wang. Firstly, she was afraid that Master Wang would see the price and go around showing off, and secondly, since she had already asked for help, it wouldn't be good to be too transparent.
The two new apprentices were both young, hardworking, and energetic, so Qin Xiaoyu certainly couldn't waste such a good resource.
"You two will apprentice for a few days first. Once the hairdressing school opens, you'll go there as staff, learning and working at the same time, earning a salary."
When Qin Xiaoyu said that, the two of them jumped up with joy. They used to be very confused about their future, but now they could see it clearly. How could they not work hard?
Qin Xiaoyu's plan to open a hairdressing school caused a huge uproar in the Tang family. Grandma Hanhan was worried, her cousin-in-law was happy for her, her sister-in-law came to test the waters, and her aunt was so angry that she cursed indirectly.
"Sister-in-law, look at you, you're on the road to wealth while we're still stuck with a fixed salary. You must include us in any good things that happen," the sister-in-law said, sounding aggrieved.
"Don't worry, sister-in-law, once my hairdressing school opens, I'll gradually arrange everything for you all." Qin Xiaoyu now only has the right to pull people closer to her, and there's no reason for her to push anyone away. She also no longer cares about what her sister-in-law did in the past.
"Really? Sister-in-law, you're so kind!" The eldest sister-in-law was also sensible. From then on, she consciously took sides and distanced herself from her aunt. She would help Grandma Hanhan take care of the two siblings when she had nothing to do, which was also a way to share Qin Xiaoyu's burden.
Qin Xiaoyu is generous with money. Fruit is extremely expensive in the north during winter, and most families would have run out of fruit by then. But she would buy some every few days and share it with everyone, young and old. Who wouldn't appreciate her kindness?
Even the eldest uncle couldn't help but say to the eldest aunt, "Look how capable that child is. You shouldn't do anything else. Just stay home and behave yourself."
"Get lost, leave me alone! You coward!" The old woman only got angrier after hearing that.
She was losing more and more status in the family, which was not a good sign. All her hard work over the years had been for nothing, and Qin Xiaoyu had taken away her empire with a mere flick of her wrist. She was unwilling to accept it.
The lady has recovered, but she's too lazy to move around. When she heard that Qin Xiaoyu was going to open a hairdressing school, she called her over.
When the sound of Grandma Hanhan's footsteps faded into the distance, the lady got up, opened the door of the kang (heated brick bed), rummaged around inside for a while, and cleared out a space.
"Come, take the boxes out of there," the lady ordered.
Qin Xiaoyu was quick-witted; she took off her shoes, climbed onto the kang (a heated brick bed), and rummaged through the box in one swift motion.
This is a mahogany box, not very big, with an old-fashioned lacquer finish and a brass lock with a reddish tinge, giving it a very antique feel.
The lady took out a bunch of keys from her bosom, picked one out, and unlocked the brass lock. Lifting the lid of the box, Qin Xiaoyu swallowed hard, imagining that Ali Baba must have felt the same way when he opened the cave door.
This whole box is full of stuff, it's all money, money!
“My family is Manchu, and we changed our surname to Tang during the land reform. Our ancestors were the stewards of the stables in the Prince’s mansion.”
At first, Qin Xiaoyu thought the Tang family ancestors were some extraordinary figures because of the madam's entourage. But when she heard about raising horses, a smile involuntarily crept onto her lips, which the madam, with her sharp eyes, immediately noticed.
“You young people don’t understand how powerful it was back then. A single prince’s mansion had dozens of horse grooms, and the head steward’s job was even more lucrative. The fodder and beans for one horse a year were enough to feed an entire family in a commoner’s household for a year.”
Qin Xiaoyu stuck out her tongue. So she really didn't dare to underestimate the head steward. But shouldn't the head steward be a eunuch? She immediately shut down the thought. Disrespectful! Disrespectful!
As the lady took things out of the trunk, she continued, "Later, my great-grandmother became the wet nurse for the little prince. Because her milk was plentiful and the baby was well-fed, the princess would bring back chests full of gifts during festivals. In these years, the world has been unstable, and some families have thrown away their things out of fear, but I have been carefully protecting them. What do you think I'm doing all this for? I'm protecting the Tang family's legacy!"
Qin Xiaoyu was completely captivated by the contents of the box. The twisted jade bracelet, the kingfisher feather headdress, and the ruby-inlaid gold hairpin would all be incredibly valuable in the 21st century. Unfortunately, they haven't been developed yet, so they're all dirt cheap.
Wait a minute, what's going on with this little cup? There's a chick on it. Could it be the legendary chicken cup?
Seeing Qin Xiaoyu looking at her with good eyes, the lady raised the cup. She had been busy all day and, being of an older age, her hands were trembling a little, making Qin Xiaoyu's heart tremble. In her heart, she thought, "Grandma, please hold this carefully. This is RMB! If it were ten-yuan notes, this room wouldn't be able to hold them all."
"This was originally used by the prince. It is said that he later moved his whole family south without his grandmother. His grandmother couldn't bear to part with it, so he kept a few commonly used household items as a memento."
"This is really a great product," Qin Xiaoyu exclaimed.
"I originally wanted to hold it to drink water, but the cup is too thin. I was afraid my hand wouldn't be able to handle it properly and I'd break it again. If you like it, you can take it." The wife was very generous.
"You gave it to me?" Qin Xiaoyu was so excited she almost jumped up.
"I've given it all to you. I heard you're going to open a school. How can you not be short of money? I haven't been out of town for years, so I don't know what it's like outside. If you have a pawn shop or something, sell whatever you can." The wife said sadly.
"Haven't left the house in years?" Qin Xiaoyu's focus had drifted a bit.
“I haven’t left since your grandfather passed away.” The lady turned her head and glanced at the black and white photograph on the wall. It was of an old man with a serious expression, exuding authority without anger.
"Madam, we don't need this. There are no pawnshops now, so please keep it," Qin Xiaoyu said with a hint of regret as she returned to reality.
"I'm not taking it anymore. You went through all that trouble to get it out, and I'm too lazy to take it back. You can take it back and do whatever you want with it. I'm tired, I'm going to sleep for a while. Don't let your mother-in-law wake me up." The lady looked exhausted, and Qin Xiaoyu guessed that she was talking about the past and was in a bad mood, so she took the box and left.
Fortunately, there weren't many people in the yard, otherwise it would have been troublesome if they had seen it.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
