Chapter 23
Han Meng asked in surprise, "A distinguished guest wants to see me? Now?"
She never expected that such a distinguished guest would arrive on the very first day of her foot massage parlor's opening.
Chen Miaoyin: "Yes, she should still be in the shop next door. I haven't seen her leave."
Chen Miaoyin deliberately kept Han Meng in suspense, which piqued Han Meng's interest in the identity of the distinguished guest, so she immediately went next door.
Next door were small cubicles separated by curtains, where other guests were staying, so Han Meng didn't feel comfortable going in rashly.
While waiting, Xiao Liu came out to refill the guests' water. Han Meng asked him if he knew which room the distinguished guest was in. Xiao Liu looked blank and shook his head, saying he didn't know any distinguished guest.
Just as Han Meng was puzzled, a pretty woman came out and said, "Miss Han, the service in your shop is indeed very good. I saw it when I was buying medicine. I originally thought that this shop only served men, but after thinking about Miss Han's character, I decided to come in and take a look."
"It turned out to be quite good." The woman looked around with a smile.
"We seem to have met somewhere before." Han Meng looked the other person up and down, feeling that they looked familiar.
The woman smiled and said, "It seems Miss Han doesn't often listen to operas."
Han Meng finally remembered: "You're that leading lady..."
"Yes, my real name is Lin Yi."
Han Meng asked curiously, "Then what about your stage name?"
Lin Yi's lips parted slightly, but she hesitated for a moment, "Stage name: Xiao Yi."
Han Meng was stunned: "But I heard that Master Xiaoyi is a man?" Not only that, this actress with the stage name Xiaoyi is a famous opera star in the original book, and Shen Jianhe also likes to listen to her operas.
Lin Yi smiled and said, "Miss Han, this is my secret. I usually don't let outsiders know."
"Then why are you willing to tell me? Aren't you afraid of being overheard by others?" Han Meng glanced at the curtains in the other cubicles. The curtains blocked the view, but not the hearing.
"I'm retiring soon, so it won't make a difference if people know in advance."
Lin Yi stopped smiling, and a hint of regret seemed to linger in her beautiful eyes.
Han Meng was very surprised: "Why did you retire?"
"There are more important things to do."
Han Meng could tell from Lin Yi's ambiguous answer that she was actually unwilling to talk more about her retirement.
"Miss Han, actually I lied to you. I knew you opened a new store here, and I guessed you would definitely come back today, so I came here specifically to find you."
Han Meng: "What do you want from me?"
Lin Yiping looked at her gently: "I'd like to buy more of that throat medicine you recommended last time."
Han Meng smiled and said, "Of course! You can just buy it directly."
During the Republic of China era, there were no purchase restrictions in Chinese medicine pharmacies, and throat-soothing pills were not rare or precious items. If needed, one could simply buy them.
“Not nearly enough.” Lin Yi shook her head and explained, “Miss Han, don’t let my youthful appearance fool you. I’ve been performing for over a decade and have many friends in the industry. When I retire, I’ll definitely throw a grand banquet. For us opera singers, the most important thing is to take good care of our voices, so I thought I’d give those pills as a gift to my friends in the industry.”
Han Meng realized: "Oh, you're ordering in bulk!"
"That is the intention."
Han Meng: "No problem. Just tell me exactly how much you need and when you need it, and I will deliver it on time."
“I have about a hundred friends in my circle, let’s say a hundred and twenty. Each person gets one bottle. My banquet is tentatively scheduled for the end of next month. Miss Han, just reserve a few days for me to check the goods,” Lin Yi said.
Han Meng agreed. After Lin Yi left, she went to the Chinese medicine pharmacy and asked about the cost price of the throat-soothing pills.
After receiving a definite answer, she quickly calculated the net profit of the deal.
"Sigh, there's still so much to go." After finishing the calculations, she stared at the numbers in the ledger, looking worried.
Accountant: "This is already very good."
Han Meng remained silent. Business at the pharmacy was indeed good, and Lin Yi's order had contributed significantly to the profits, but it was still far from the amount she needed to reach.
*
evening.
When Han Xianfei got home, he was humming a song as he changed his shoes, looking very happy.
Tang Ying was looking at the accounts in the living room when she looked up and asked, "What good thing happened to make you so happy?"
Han Xianfei's eyes lit up with joy: "Madam, our daughter has really made something of herself!"
Tang Ying raised an eyebrow slightly, "What kind of success?"
Han Xianfei picked up the tea on the coffee table, drank it in one gulp, calmed his excited emotions, and then said, "Today, the great writer Xu asked someone to contact me to order our new products. I heard from that person that it's all because of Mengmeng."
He followed the example of the people Xu Shuyi had sent today and explained things to Tang Ying in detail.
At this moment, Han Meng, who had heard her parents talking from afar on the second floor, came down from upstairs and said, "Dad, I was just lucky. It was a blind cat catching a dead mouse."
To be honest, when she showed off her tea skills and introduced herself in front of Xu Shuyi, she wasn't very confident. After all, he was a highly educated intellectual, and such people are very smart and rational, not easy to "fool".
Unexpectedly, the other party was not only willing to buy the Han family's new tea, but also wanted to buy it in the name of Honglin University, so that it could be used as the special tea for the university's teachers and professors when they held meetings.
Tang Ying stared at Han Meng, a complex emotion flashing in her eyes: "Mengmeng, you may have been lucky in this matter, but compared to before, you have undergone earth-shattering changes in both temperament and ability. These past few days, I feel like you've become a completely different person."
Han Meng froze, her eyes filled with guilt as she dared not look at Tang Ying.
He's just become a different person.
Tang Ying handed the ledger to Han Xianfei, saying, "Didn't you give Mengmeng a pharmacy? I looked at the pharmacy's accounts from last month, and Mengmeng did a great job with the business!"
Han Meng was worried that Tang Ying would find out about her, so she quickly made up an excuse: "Uh, it's because I recruited a very capable employee. She originally studied Western medicine, but after she came, she came up with a lot of ideas for the pharmacy."
"You're so lucky!" Tang Ying said with a smile.
Han Meng couldn't quite tell whether Tang Ying believed it or not.
Although both Tang Ying and Han Xianfei had parents who lacked companionship with their original owners, Tang Ying's observation skills were much sharper than Han Xianfei's.
Tang Ying nudged her husband with her elbow: "It's good that Mengmeng is lucky. You need good luck to do business. Xianfei, don't you think?"
Han Xianfei was taken aback: "Does Madam mean... to take Mengmeng into the shopping district?"
Seeing Tang Ying nod, Han Meng finally confirmed that Tang Ying did not doubt her identity; rather, she was simply delighted by her "daughter's" growth.
This time, Han Xianfei unusually objected to Tang Ying's opinion: "There's no need for that. First of all, Mengmeng's marriage to that Lu family boy is already arranged. The Lu family is no less wealthy than our family. Mengmeng will be able to enjoy a life of luxury after she marries into the Lu family."
He had already taken care of things with the Lu family a long time ago.
"Secondly, doing business can sometimes make you a lot of money and sometimes make you a lot of money. Especially for a business of our size, we are always dealing with those old foxes in the industry, so it's not an easy business."
"Thirdly, there's my older brother; he's more suitable than me." Han Meng added this third point for Han Xianfei.
However, she didn't mean to fight for the inheritance in advance; she just sincerely hoped that her parents could think it through before making a decision.
The brother is studying abroad and will be back sooner or later. The siblings have vastly different reputations among the wealthy; they say the sister is spoiled and willful, but they always praise the brother.
Because the original owner's older brother was indeed very outstanding. He was obedient and sensible from a young age, and he was also smart in learning things. He was the type of "other people's child".
If nothing unexpected happens, Han Xianfei and Tang Ying must think the same way.
"Mengmeng, you and your brother are both Mom's darlings." Tang Ying stood up and walked towards Han Meng, speaking earnestly, "Bringing you into this industry has no necessary connection to whether you will manage the family business in the future..."
Han Meng: "Let's talk about it later. I want to catch up with my schoolwork in the meantime."
The couple exchanged a glance and finally agreed to her request.
After Han Meng went upstairs and entered her room, Tang Ying lowered her voice and said to Han Xianfei, "Maybe I haven't spent enough time with her, but I always feel that Mengmeng and I are a bit unfamiliar. But I have been doing business with you for so many years, and I can tell at a glance that this child is smart. She is definitely suitable for this line of work."
“Madam, you are too impatient. Besides, making tea and running a pharmacy are not the same thing. Just because she can do well in the pharmacy business doesn’t mean she can do well in the tea business.”
*
Half an hour later, Xiao Liu and Yu Zhi returned and reported to Han Meng about their experiences working at the new store on their first day.
Before opening the foot massage shop, the two of them had received a period of training. Even though their skills were still a bit rusty, the times weren't that sophisticated, and most customers were quite satisfied with their service.
"Yes, it's a good trend. I estimate it will soon be more profitable than the pharmacy," Han Meng analyzed casually.
Xiao Liu glanced at her discreetly and said, "Miss, you don't seem very happy."
Her gaze turned slightly cold: "I'm not upset, don't talk nonsense. It's getting late, you've all had a long day, go and get some rest."
Han Meng gave them the order to leave, and the two of them slowly departed.
That night, she tossed and turned in bed, lost in thought for a long time, unable to fall asleep.
Even though she didn't have parents in her original world, she couldn't keep clinging to the kinship of this world forever. After all, she wasn't Han Xianfei and Tang Ying's daughter... Was it really okay to keep hiding this from them?
In the following days, Tang Ying did not mention taking her into the business district again, but she treated her exceptionally well in her daily life, as if she was making up for the maternal love she owed the original owner many years ago.
The more Tang Ying did this, the more conflicted Han Meng felt.
*
However, just when she was feeling uneasy, the arrival of Young Master Lu gave her some inspiration.
It was a sunny day, and the late summer heat was just as intense as it is in July and August.
Even Lu Sanshao, that sickly fellow, was wearing a white short-sleeved shirt today. And perhaps because of the clothing, Han Meng felt that the man had lost some of his frail and gloomy air, and gained a bit more refined and elegant features.
"Long time no see, Miss Han. I've come to see you again today," he said with a smile.
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