The two children were arguing so much that Liu Zi had a headache.
"I know, I went to buy it with Grandpa this afternoon. Aren't you happy?" Liu Zi patiently said to the two children.
"Happy!" the two children shouted in unison, their voices nearly shaking the sparrows off the telephone pole.
"As long as you're happy, hurry up and wash your hands, we're about to eat."
After the initial novelty wore off, Liu Zi lost interest. After all, the newly bought Santana was an old relic to her, without any intelligent assistance features, so what was the point?
"Mom, can I eat in the car?" Qiqi asked.
Liu Zi was exasperated: "No way! Lingzi, go and call Grandpa, Grandma, and Granny Zhang in. The food's getting cold. We can talk about it after we finish eating."
"Oh!" Reiko winked at her sister, then turned and went out.
Qiqi followed her sister out.
Liu Zi never imagined that the car had such a powerful effect on her two children, to the point that they even stopped eating.
Fortunately, the three elderly people knew they couldn't spoil the two children, so they brought them back shortly afterward.
The group returned with smiles on their faces. Seeing that the food was already laid out on the table, Aunt Zhang and Mother Liu hurried to the kitchen to help.
"I'm almost done here, let's eat quickly!" Liu Zi didn't let the two of them help.
"Alright, Sister Zhang, let's eat what's ready today." Liu's mother pulled Zhang's mother back and sat down at the table. The two children also obediently sat in their high chairs.
All five people looked at Liu Zi, ready to hear what she had to say.
"Why didn't you warm up some wine? We could have celebrated!" Mr. Liu looked at the food on the table, not very satisfied.
"What are you drinking for! Driving under the influence is very dangerous." Liu Zi poured Liu Daqiang a bowl of soup.
"I've already parked the car, having a drink won't hurt." Liu Daqiang got up to go to the kitchen to get it himself.
"Let's not drink anymore. It'll be cold tonight. You and Mom can drive back." This is also why Liu Zi is in such a hurry to buy a car.
"Why drive? Your dad and I will be warmer riding our bikes home! Driving is too wasteful of gas," Liu's mother waved her hand in refusal.
"I bought the car to drive it. I'll pay for the gas. You guys come over every day to help me look after the business, and I haven't even asked to pay you. How could I not afford to pay for the gas?" Liu Zi said reproachfully.
"You're under a lot of pressure these days, so you should try to save as much as you can," Liu's mother advised.
Liu Zi raised an eyebrow at her father, 'You didn't tell my mother?'
'How could I possibly have a chance? Besides, this is your business; you say it yourself!'
"Are you two hiding something from me?" Liu's mother glanced at the two of them warily.
"Lingzi, take your sister to the other room to play with her toys." Liu Zi sent the two children away.
"I'll take them there, you two chat."
Aunt Zhang stood up, took the two children's hands, and went out the door, telling the family of three to have a proper talk.
"Mom, I've transferred the 200,000 yuan to you." Liu Zixian said, referring to the money.
"Where did you get the money?" Liu's mother was taken aback.
"Your parents' money is all for you, so don't borrow from the bank; the interest rates are too high."
Liu's mother completely misunderstood.
"I didn't borrow any money from the bank!" Liu Zi quickly explained.
"Yesterday, a director from Hong Kong took a liking to my novel; the money came from selling the adaptation rights."
Upon hearing this, Liu's mother, Xu Mei, immediately beamed with joy.
"My daughter is really talented! She can write any novel and still get it adapted into a movie."
"In ancient times, she would have been considered a talented woman!"
"Next time I go to offer incense to your maternal grandmother, I have to tell her that your great-grandmother was a famous talented woman in Jinshi during the Republic of China era. Your grandmother always regretted that she and I didn't inherit her mother's talent. She never expected that my precious daughter would be just like her great-grandmother, writing such excellent articles. I have to go and tell your grandmother that I'm better at having children than she is." Liu's mother, Xu Mei, is originally from Jinshi. Both her parents have passed away, and she has two older brothers living in Jinshi.
Seeing Liu's mother beaming with joy, Liu Zi could only let her be, hoping that her grandmother wouldn't find her daughter annoying.
After that, Liu's mother stopped refusing to drive home. She wanted everyone in the family compound to see that her daughters were no less capable than her sons, and that even though she was divorced and raising her two daughters alone, she was still living a fulfilling life.
We won't go into the commotion caused by Liu's parents driving home to their family compound that night.
The year before the New Year was busy and chaotic, and time flew by like water; two months have passed in the blink of an eye.
Wang Jian's younger sister, Wang Juan, came to Beijing with her brother after the Lantern Festival. Liu Zi investigated her and thought she was a good person who was also hardworking, so she stayed at the fruit drink shop and partnered with Mei Hong to manage the shop.
As for Liu Zi, she moved back to Songzhuang after the New Year. The second floor of the fruit drink shop still needs renovation, so it's inconvenient for them to live here.
Liu Zi has plenty of money on hand, so she instructed Foreman Wang to start construction on both the courtyard house and the overpass at the same time.
At the same time, Liu Zi bought a house on the pedestrian street in installments after the New Year under the name of her studio.
Originally, Liu Zi planned to set up a studio on the overpass, but later, due to the popularity of Liu Zi's fruit drink shop, coupled with Song Yan's delicious taste, the street became popular and the flow of people increased dramatically.
Due to insufficient initial planning and the small planned area for the fruit drink shop, Liu Zi plans to merge the two shops to expand the fruit drink shop's footprint.
The decision was unanimously agreed upon by Meihong and Juanzi, as the space was simply too small, and the two of them often bumped into each other when they were busy.
Just as time was proceeding smoothly, one morning, Mei Hong suddenly called Liu Zi.
I told her she absolutely had to come to the store today, because something had happened there.
Liu Zi was puzzled, so she simply put down her work and drove over.
Yes!
Liu Zi passed her driver's license test very smoothly. After all, she was a veteran driver with more than ten years of experience in her previous life, so the road test was quite simple for her.
Juanzi kept watch over the store, while Liu Zi was pulled to the back by Mei Hong.
She pointed to a bag on the table behind her and said, "Since last week, customers have been saying that a pastry shop opened on the next street. They also sell egg tarts, cream puffs, and cake rolls, and their prices are a third lower than ours. I asked someone to help me buy some of each. Take a look!"
Liu Zi frowned slightly, then walked over and opened the bag.
The contents inside were indeed very similar to those sold in fruit drink shops. Liu Zi tore off a piece of egg tart and put it in her mouth to chew slowly.
To be honest, the product only looks similar; the taste is far inferior to that of fruit drink shops.
But this resemblance alone raises many questions. How can they be so similar?
Liu Zi was puzzled, so she asked the question.
Mei Hong said angrily, "It's all because of that Aunt Xu. Last month, she said she had some family matters to attend to and wanted to resign. We didn't make things difficult for her; we just settled her wages and let her go. Who would have thought that a few days ago, some neighbors saw her going in and out of the pastry shop on the next street, and then that shop launched the same products as ours."
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