Chapter 78
Malatang is very common in the night markets of later generations, but it is a novelty in the provincial capital today. Once a stall is set up, the fire is turned on, and the aroma fills the air, many people visiting the night market are attracted and come to ask about it.
Because it was the first day of opening, Qin Xiang was worried that Qin Juan couldn't handle it alone, so she came over to help. Some people recognized her and even talked to her.
But Qin Xiang is just an assistant today, and Qin Juan has to do more work herself.
Soon the two tables were filled with people. Qin Juan was busy and very happy.
A bowl of spicy hot pot is not expensive, and many people come to try it. After receiving praise from previous customers, more people come. It was not until ten o'clock in the evening that there were fewer people in the night market and the ingredients were gone. Only then did Qin Juan put the things away with satisfaction.
When they returned to the store, Qin Juan excitedly said, "Xiangxiang, I didn't expect business to be so good."
Qin Juan laughed. "Let's go up first. You'll be happier if you count the money."
Nowadays, Malatang doesn’t have meatballs or anything like that. The most expensive ingredient is probably pork. If you don’t want to eat meat, you can eat vegetables instead. It won’t cost much for a whole meal.
Qin Juan smiled and nodded. She went upstairs to check on the sleeping Nian Nian before setting up her position to count the money. As she counted each bill, Qin Juan's heart became more and more excited. She ran out and said to Qin Xiang, "Xiangxiang, I collected a total of more than 150 yuan. After deducting the cost, I can make more than 70 yuan."
She was so excited. When she worked in the county, her monthly salary was only more than 30 yuan, but on the first day of setting up the stall, she earned twice as much as she did at work!
No wonder Qin Xiang asked her to do it first and then open the shop in front of the school when school starts, because it is so profitable.
Qin Xiang praised, "Not bad, sister, keep it up."
Qin Juan's eyes were red. "Xiangxiang, thank you. Without you, I would not have been able to succeed."
"But the facts have proven that you can do it," Qin Xiang encouraged. "You're no worse than anyone else. Look, others can't cook this, but you can, and it's so delicious. Everyone loves it. Just wait and see. Today is only the first day, and it's already so popular. I'm sure there will be even more people tomorrow and the day after tomorrow. But after a while, when the novelty wears off, business will stabilize. I'll come over to help you when I'm free these few days."
Qin Juan nodded hurriedly, but then said, "Xiangxiang, I plan to move during the day tomorrow."
Qin Xiang frowned, "What will happen to Nian Nian if you move over? Will you let her set up a stall with you so late at night? It's not good for children to go to bed too late."
Hearing this, Qin Juan hesitated, "I can let her stay home alone, save her some food, and not let her go out."
Qin Xiang disagreed even more after hearing this. "If she were six or seven, I wouldn't worry about her. But no matter how sensible she is, she can't be more than three. At least there are more people here to look after her, don't you think? How about you wait until you work for a while and earn more money, and then hire a nanny to look after Nian Nian specifically? What do you think?"
"Nanny?" Qin Juan was surprised. She really didn't dare to think about it. After all, a family like theirs didn't need a nanny. But Qin Xiang was right. Nian Nian was indeed worried about being alone at home.
She hesitated for a moment and thought of the enthusiastic Aunt Liu. In fact, Aunt Liu's house was right next to her current house. If she paid her to help look after Nian Nian, coax Nian Nian to sleep at night and then lock the door and leave, maybe that would work?
In short, she owed Qin Xiang too much and didn't want to bother Qin Xiang anymore. She should have moved a few days ago, but she didn't move because she was studying Malatang.
Qin Juan said, "Then I'll pay some money and let Aunt Liu help take care of it. What do you think?"
Qin Xiang was stunned, and Qin Juan explained, "I'll look for a nursery during the day these few days. I'll let her go to the nursery during the day, and ask Aunt Liu to pick her up in the afternoon and make her some food. After putting her to sleep at night, I'll give her one yuan a day. Do you think that's okay?"
This is the best method she can think of so far. She knows that her sister is kind and wants to help her, but she can't rely on her sister forever. She has a soft personality, but she is not ungrateful, and she can't take advantage of her sister.
She took Qin Xiang's hand and said, "Xiangxiang, don't feel that your sister is alienated from you. As the saying goes, even sisters have to settle accounts clearly. You have helped me enough, but you can't hold me together forever. I still have to rely on myself in the future."
Qin Juan looked at her sister and finally nodded. "Okay, when the time comes, you can leave some food at home and ask her to help cook for Nian Nian. And then talk to everyone nicely."
Qin Juan nodded with relief, a smile on her face, "Okay."
Looking at Qin Juan like this, Qin Xiang actually felt like an old mother watching her own child grow up.
Qin Juan, who used to be a weak-willed person, finally became strong for her daughter.
The next day, Qin Juan moved and reached an agreement with Aunt Liu, paying her one dollar a day. Qin Juan naturally had to discuss this with Nian Nian in advance and also got Nian Nian's support.
That day, Qin Juan went to the nursery again to ask about enrollment. Sure enough, it was much easier to enroll in school with a household registration.
Qin Xiang also had his own things to do. Today, someone went to look at the storefront and wanted to rent it. When he went over, he saw several small vendors coming to rent it.
Some people were scared away when they heard the price, while others carefully inquired about the price of a storefront without a second floor.
Qin Xiang was confident that there was no better shop in the area than hers, and she insisted on asking for 15 or 25 yuan. To her, the rent was essentially just the profit from one or two pieces of clothing, a long-term profit.
In the end, including the two small rooms at the corner, there were a total of six storefronts. Three were rented out first, and the others were rented out within two days. Only the one at the very edge with the second floor was not rented out. Some people even asked about it specifically and felt it was a pity not to rent it out.
Some of these businesses that rent storefronts sell student supplies, some sell small items like underwear, socks, and of course some sell clothes.
This has nothing to do with Qin Xiang. The clothing industry is still relatively small now. In a few years, everyone will see the profits of clothing and rush in. Competition is a matter of time. Qin Xiang is very confident in his vision and the goods he has obtained.
And now it is finally July 30th, and the college entrance examination results are about to be released.
When I woke up this morning and turned on the radio, all I heard was talking about the college entrance examination results being announced at nine o'clock this morning.
Qin Xiang had just finished washing up when Sister Gu from a nearby public phone came over and called out to her, "Qin Xiang, someone's calling you. Go and answer the phone."
Qin Xiang guessed that it should be Teacher Ning at this time. She had been busy with Qin Juan's affairs recently and had not contacted Teacher Ning.
She trotted over to answer the phone. It was indeed Teacher Ning on the other end of the line. Teacher Ning seemed a little nervous, a rare sight, but she was still trying to comfort Qin Xiang. "Qin Xiang, don't be nervous. You can definitely do it. We've carefully checked your answers on the paper and we think you'll definitely score no less than 600. As long as you can get into the top 40 in the province, you'll have a great chance of getting into Tsinghua University."
Qin Xiang was too embarrassed to say that she was not really nervous after hearing what Teacher Ning said. She even forgot about it if she hadn't listened to the radio.
She chuckled, "Okay, Teacher Ning, I'm not nervous, and you shouldn't be nervous either. You'll know when the time comes."
Ning Sumei laughed, "If you have time, come back?"
Qin Xiang thought for a moment and said, "Teacher Ning, I will definitely be back in a couple of days. I will then host a banquet for you and Principal Cao, but not today. I have rented out my shop and we agreed to sign the lease agreement today."
Ning Sumei felt a little regretful after hearing this, but still said, "Okay, then call me after nine o'clock and I'll tell you the score, okay?"
Qin Xiang agreed, "Okay, thank you, Teacher Ning."
Ning Sumei smiled and said, "You're still being polite to me. If you students can get into the university of your choice, I won't have any regrets."
Qin Xiang felt a warm feeling in her heart as she listened to her words. Teachers in this era were truly honest and simple. Just thinking about future generations... well, let's not talk about it. Because the two ungrateful people attended an aristocratic school, the tuition was expensive, and they had to flatter the teachers and buy them gifts during festivals. Even after class, they still had to hire a private tutor to teach them some of the knowledge.
Teacher Ning is eager to teach her students everything she knows, and she is worried that it will put pressure on her students if you buy her something.
After hanging up the phone, Qin Xiang breathed a sigh of relief. Now she finally felt a little nervous.
Secretly, she wanted to go to Tsinghua University, the best university, who wouldn't want that?
When they returned to the store, Mi Hongjun had already prepared breakfast, but the atmosphere was not very good. Mi Hongjun and Qin Yang used to chat, but today they ignored each other. Mi Hongjun looked particularly aggrieved. When he saw Qin Xiang, he called out in grievance, "Sister Xiangxiang..."
Qin Xiang smiled and responded, "What's wrong?"
Mi Hongjun glared at Qin Yang and asked Qin Xiang, "If you go to the capital, can I go with you?"
Hearing this, Qin Xiang didn't know whether to laugh or cry. "I'm going to school, why are you following me?"
Mi Hongjun hurriedly said, "I can cook for you, wash your clothes, and take care of you."
Qin Xiang: "...I'm going there to study, not to enjoy myself, and I can live on campus."
"Then don't you plan to open our store in the capital?" Mi Hongjun said anxiously, "I heard that people in the capital are richer and their products are easier to sell."
Qin Xiang was stunned. She had indeed thought about it, but she was not very familiar with the capital at that time. She had to wait until things were stable here before opening a store. She shook her head and said, "Don't rush for now. You stay in the provincial capital and take care of things in the university town for me first."
Since the third brother doesn't intend to take the profits from other stores, Qin Xiang can only let Mi Hongjun be in charge of the university town.
Mi Hongjun's face suddenly fell and he looked depressed.
Seeing her like this, Qin Xiang felt a little sorry for her, so she comforted her, "We will definitely open a branch, but don't be impatient. I have to find out more about the capital first, don't you agree?"
Mi Hongjun asked, "Will you let me go then?"
"Okay, I'll let you go when the time comes." Qin Xiang smiled. Although Mi Hongjun looked a little childish, he was very steady when doing things. When the university town was open and stable, she could ask her third brother to help look after it, let Tan Xiu be the store manager to look after the new store, and then train new people, and let Mi Hongjun follow her to the capital to build an empire.
There are several streets in the capital that are great places for shopping in the future. Her idea is to buy it now while it is cheap. It will definitely be a great fortune in the future.
But thinking of Mi Hongjun's thoughts, Qin Xiang felt helpless. After taking a few steps, he turned back and said, "Xiaomi."
Mi Hongjun grinned, "Hey. Sister."
Qin Xiang smiled and said, "Since you call me sister, I will be your sister for the rest of my life. I don't have any biological brothers, so you are my biological brother."
After saying that, she patted his shoulder, turned around and left. Mi Hongjun stood there with a bitter taste in his mouth. Why couldn't he? Although he called her sister, he didn't want to be a younger brother.
After dinner, Qin Xiang went to the university town to sign a lease contract. Several tenants rented the apartment at this time in anticipation of the provincial university's opening at the end of August. Because during the holidays, the university town was almost empty.
The lease requirement is one month's deposit and three months' rent in advance, but except for one store that only signed a six-month contract, all the other stores signed a one-year contract with her.
After signing, Qin Xiang took the agreement and money to her store to take a look. Tan Xiu had been transferred there. Mi Hongjun was temporarily the store manager and Tan Xiu was the deputy store manager.
Seeing Qin Xiang coming over, Tan Xiu told her about the situation here, "Most of the clothes are autumn clothes, with a small amount of summer clothes. Boss, because there are not many stocks over there, we have to take some over here temporarily. Boss, we should restock in the next few days."
Qin Xiang glanced at the inventory and calculated the time. "Okay, I'll go back to Qingshui County in the next two days, and then go to Yangcheng when I come back."
At around nine o'clock, Qin Xiang found a public phone and called Ning Sumei. The phone was picked up almost as soon as it rang. Qin Xiang thought that Ning Sumei might have been waiting for her call.
I looked at the time and it was already ten o'clock. The results should have come out long ago.
"Qin Xiang."
Ning Sumei was very excited.
Qin Xiang smiled and said, "Sorry, I was so busy just now that I forgot the time."
"It's okay." Ning Sumei was extremely happy at the moment, and this emotion was also conveyed to Qin Xiang through the microphone.
Qin Xiang also felt a little nervous and expectant. From Ning Sumei's tone, Qin Xiang almost concluded that she had done well in the exam.
Ning Sumei said excitedly, "Qin Xiang, the results are out. Yours is the first one out. Do you know how many points you got?"
Almost without asking, Ning Sumei raised her voice and said, "635 points, Qin Xiang, you scored 635 points, first in the province."
Even though she was mentally prepared, Qin Xiang was still shocked. "What?"
Does that mean she only lost 65 points in seven courses?
Ning Sumei's voice was distorted with excitement. "Yes, 635 points. Math 118 points, the highest score in the province. Chinese 115 points, the highest score in the province. English 98 points, the highest score in the province. Physics 84 points. Chemistry 85 points. Politics 89 points. Biology 46 points. Qin Xiang, you are the well-deserved provincial champion in science."
As she said this, Ning Sumei burst into tears with excitement. This was a glorious moment for Qin Xiang, and also the most glorious moment for Qingshui County, a high school that had never been valued.
As soon as nine o'clock arrived, leaders of relevant departments in the city and province called to inquire about Qin Xiang, which made Ning Sumei and Principal Cao excited to tears.
They have already foreseen that because of Qin Xiang's test score, the school will reach a new level in the future, with more educational resources and support from relevant departments to follow.
Hearing Teacher Ning cry, Qin Xiang felt happy. She felt she had done well on the test, but she hadn't expected such a high score. Not to mention the other subjects, the math alone had brought so many people to tears. Who could have imagined that she could score 118 on such a difficult test?
Qin Xiang couldn't believe it herself. She comforted him, "Teacher Ning, I'll go back to the county this afternoon. I'll treat you, Principal Cao, and Teacher He to dinner tonight. Thank you."
"We should be thanking you." Ning Sumei was trembling with excitement. "It was you who gave our school the opportunity and gave us the honor of being your teachers. But we haven't given you any help in the past few months. We feel unworthy of your kindness. But come over, we'll treat you to a meal."
She paused and added, "The school pays for it."
Qin Xiang laughed and said, "Okay."
After hanging up the phone, Qin Xiang was a little bit unbelievable, but with that score, getting into Tsinghua University was a sure thing. Qin Xiang felt refreshed and returned to the store. Qin Xiang said to Tan Xiu, "I'll give everyone a snack at noon. It's my treat."
Seeing her so happy, Tan Xiu said happily, "Sister Xiangxiang, your score is out?"
Qin Xiang smiled and said, "Yes, it's out."
Fortunately, she was strong in Chinese, math, and English. Otherwise, with her physics and chemistry skills, it would have been impossible for her to get such a high score. "But I have to go back to the county town at noon. You can entertain me then."
Tan Xiu nodded hurriedly.
The two of them closed the shop door and returned to the square, where they saw many people gathered at the door, making it look very lively.
Qin Xiang's heart skipped a beat. What happened?
She pushed through the crowd and walked in, facing a large camera. Someone shouted, "She is Qin Xiang."
Qin Xiang was startled. A woman in a white shirt and black trousers looked at her with a smile and asked, "Excuse me, are you Qin Xiang?"
Qin Xiang was relieved. Looking at the expressions of these people and the excitement of Mi Hongjun and others beside her, she could guess what it was about. She nodded calmly, "Yes, I am Qin Xiang."
"Excuse me, did you take the college entrance examination this year? Do you know how many points you got?" The female reporter was also very excited. After receiving this task, she quickly organized people to come over.
The top student in science in the province.
She had never thought that the top student in science was not only good at studying, but also opened a shop to run a business. She had been to this shop many times and had met the owner several times. She had never thought that he was also a top student.
Qin Xiang smiled and said, "I know. I got 635 points. My teacher just called me."
As soon as these words were spoken, everyone watching took a deep breath.
635 points!
Many of the onlookers have children at home and are aware of the difficulty of this year's college entrance examination.
It's really frustrating to compare yourself with others. After their own children or relatives finish the exam, they shout "pills off" and say they didn't do well. But they are all human beings, and others can get more than 600 points.
Hao Jingjing looked at Qin Xiang with starry eyes, at least she hadn't forgotten her interview mission. "Then do you know how many points higher you are than the second place in the province?"
Qin Xiang shook her head, "I really don't know."
"15 points! You're a full 15 points higher than the second place," Hao Jingjing exclaimed, excitedly. "Jie Zong has been number one in the province since he started high school. This time, many people expected him to take the top spot in science. Unexpectedly, Qin Xiang turned out to be a dark horse and became the undisputed number one in science."
Not far away, Wang Junsheng walked forward with a gloomy face. Cui Hong followed him a few steps and took his arm. "Junsheng, I'm following you and taking care of you so humbly, serving you in bed and out of bed. What else do you want?"
"I don't want anything to happen." Wang Junsheng was extremely irritated. The reason he returned to the provincial capital was to establish a good relationship with Huang Yuqin and find ways to assign him to a good unit when he graduated. However, he didn't expect Cui Hong to come out and make trouble again and again.
Just as he was about to say something, Wang Junsheng suddenly saw someone in the crowd not far away asking, "Student Qin Xiang, how do you feel about getting the provincial top scorer in science?"
Wang Junsheng froze in place.
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