Following Shang Qingyan's advice, Tao Xiaoxi went to the Industry and Commerce Bureau to apply for a business license. She also registered the trademark "Taoli Pharmaceutical." Zhao Bin, who knew these procedures better than she did, handled them for her.
Tao Xiaoxi originally wanted to register the business jointly with Zhao Bin, but Zhao Bin firmly disagreed, saying that this time, the credit was mainly due to Li Nanshan. He couldn't take credit for Tao Xiaoxi's success the first time and then take credit for Li Nanshan's success the second time, becoming a professional profiteer. He didn't want that and would continue to run his own pharmacy. They just wanted to do business together in the future.
Tao Xiaoxi agreed and promised, "I'll first meet your needs with the medicine I grow before selling it to others."
Zhao Bin readily agreed and had no other requests.
Li Nanshan was still busy with his medicinal herb fields, while Tao Xiaoxi was mainly responsible for the herb shed. Sometimes she would see Li Nanshan sitting in the herb fields in a daze, and when she went over to ask him, he would say he was not thinking about anything.
After returning from this trip to Bozhou, their living standards have improved significantly. Although they don't have meat for every meal, getting enough to eat is no longer a problem. In more than half a month, Beibei has gained 2 kilograms and has grown noticeably taller.
"Mom, do we have money again?" Beibei asked, holding a white meat bun in his hand.
"Why do you ask that?" Tao Xiaoxi asked.
"Look, we have white steamed buns and meat buns for every meal." Beibei showed the evidence to his mother.
"Yes, we will all have enough to eat from now on. Beibei can eat as much as she wants. I will also buy you a beautiful dress and colorful hairbands. Aren't you happy?"
"Happy!" Beibei jumped up happily, "But you have to spend it sparingly." Beibei reminded again.
Tao Xiaoxi burst out laughing and scratched her nose, "Got it, housekeeper!"
********
In mid-October, my sister-in-law Zhou Lan went into labor but suffered a difficult delivery. At the critical moment, Tao Xiaoxi lobbied vigorously, and the Li family finally sent my sister-in-law to the hospital. After a day and night of struggling with death, she gave birth to a baby girl. Although mother and daughter were safe, they were both seriously injured.
After returning from the hospital, the eldest sister-in-law stayed in bed, her nasal discharge never stopping. Because she was breastfeeding, she didn't dare take medication. Tao Xiaoxi prescribed special medicine, which finally eased the pain somewhat, but she was still very weak, breaking into sweats after walking even a few steps. And because she gave birth to a girl, her status in the Li family declined rather than improved, and she was completely undermined by her second sister-in-law, Yang Rongzhi.
The eldest sister-in-law was depressed because of this, and her milk was not enough. The girl was like this, one day she was full and the next she was hungry. She was half a year old and could not crawl or cry. For this reason, everyone called her "Silent Girl", which means dumb and cannot speak.
In the past few months, Tao Xiaoxi's business license and trademark have been registered. Under Shang Qingyan's care, she has sold several batches of goods one after another. However, it takes time for medicinal materials to grow, and she dare not be too blatant to sell too much medicine in the space, so she made some money, but it was far from making a fortune.
But Li Nanshan's daze became more and more frequent.
One day, Tao Xiaoxi pulled Li Nanshan aside, looked at him, and asked him what he was thinking about.
Li Nanshan knew he couldn't fool his wife, so he smiled and said, "I wonder if there really is a school like the one Brother Shang described?"
Tao Xiaoxi was stunned for a moment, then suddenly understood, "Do you really want to study architectural design?"
Li Nanshan didn't answer directly, but said, "Every time I draw a house, I feel very peaceful, as if the whole world has quieted down. No matter how long I draw, I never feel tired."
"But I haven't seen you painting recently."
Li Nanshan stood up and went out, carrying in a dusty wooden box. "Look, it's all inside."
When Tao Xiaoxi opened the lid of the box, he saw a thick stack of drawing paper lying inside. There was a house on each piece of paper, from earthen kilns to brick kilns, from tiled houses to bungalows, as well as high-rise buildings in the city and single-family Western-style buildings. There was everything he wanted.
Tao Xiaoxi was speechless for a long time. It turned out that he had such a big secret in his heart. She blamed herself for realizing it too late, making him do things he didn't like to do every day.
"You should have told me earlier." Tao Xiaoxi looked at the drawing papers, a layer of mist rising in his eyes, and said slowly.
Li Nanshan wiped her eyes with his fingertips and said with a smile, "Silly girl, I can't leave you and your mother either. I am very satisfied with my current life."
"It can be even better, go ahead." Tao Xiaoxi said.
"Where are you going?" Li Nanshan didn't understand.
"Go pursue your dreams. I will support you at home. It's great to have dreams. I'm glad that my man is a man with dreams." Tao Xiaoxi encouraged.
Li Nanshan hugged his wife and said, "No, I won't go. I won't leave you behind."
"Then draw a new home for Beibei and me, and we'll build a new home."
"Okay!" Li Nanshan solemnly promised that this time, he must draw a house that he is most satisfied with.
Li Nanshan spent a single night painting his new home. It was a brick kiln with a courtyard. He had painted it before, but it wasn't feasible back then, so he'd let his imagination run wild. Now that he had the ability, he took his painting seriously, aiming for both beauty and practicality.
This time, Old Man Li finally had a smile on his face. On the day when the new kiln was groundbreaking, he brought a long string of firecrackers and asked his wife to distribute flower buns to the villagers one by one.
It has been many years since anyone built a new kiln in Mantou Village. People who came to watch the fun gathered in a circle, and half of Mantou Village was bustling with activity.
Among them were several familiar faces to Tao Xiaoxi. One was Ni Linli, who had come to offer sincere congratulations. Another was Sun Wangcai, standing in the front. He shamelessly accepted the flower bun offered by Li Pozi, but deep down, he was filled with resentment. Any comfort Tao Xiaoxi felt would reveal his incompetence, so he couldn't bear to see such a scene. Another was Yao Youhua, who stood farther away, at the outermost edge of the crowd. She didn't even reach out to take the bun, her eyes fixed on Li Nanshan and Tao Xiaoxi, her thoughts unclear, her face betraying neither joy nor sorrow.
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