Song Yao rubbed her full belly, half-reclining on the sofa. "I'm so full. But Qiqi, why don't we go shopping?" Earlier, Song Yao had overheard her younger brother planning to take his wife shopping, which instantly sparked an idea in her mind. Since their parents were free to watch her son, she could finally drag Gong Peixing and Wang Qiqi out with her. But Wang Qiqi disagreed, insisting they'd just be a third wheel. A third wheel? Song Yao wondered how Yang Jing could possibly enjoy shopping with her brother if they were a pair.

Wang Qiqi watched Song Yao, who still looked dissatisfied. Meanwhile, Wang Damei, who usually kept Song Yao in check, and Luo Hongjuan were tucked away in a corner of the sofa, chatting about something. Wang Qiqi truly couldn't fathom how the conversation had flowed so easily from the lunch table all the way back home.

Song Wenbo and Gong Peixing, the father-in-law and son-in-law, were already seated at the dining table, immersed in a game of Chinese chess. Wang Qiqi simply didn't understand the appeal of the game, nor why Song Yao was left sulking on the sofa.

Wang Qiqi placed a glass of milk in front of Song Yao. Song Yao shot her a look of utter disdain, clearly unhappy. "I don't want milk. I want Coke." Coke, Sprite—Song Yao suddenly longed for these sodas. She couldn't recall the last time she'd had one. Song Yao genuinely worried that if much more time passed, she'd forget the taste of Coke and Sprite entirely.

Wang Qiqi shook her head. "We don't have any." She wasn't lying to Song Yao; Wang Qiqi wasn't fond of carbonated drinks and certainly didn't keep them on hand. Luckily, she hadn't, or Wang Qiqi wouldn't know how to handle Song Yao throwing a tantrum. "Milk is good for your skin. If you drink Coke, Taotao will indirectly drink it too, which isn't good for his health."

Song Yao understood the reasoning perfectly. She had been extremely careful during her pregnancy, and after her son was born prematurely, she avoided anything detrimental to his health. Today, however, she was utterly exasperated by Wang Qiqi and the others. "Fine, fine, I'll drink it." Song Yao noticed Wang Qiqi continually glancing toward Wang Damei and realized she was being obtuse if she didn't understand the situation.

Wang Qiqi sipped her brewed Tieguanyin. "How long can we really shop today? We might as well pick a day during the holiday and shop from morning till evening without Song Ziwen, how about that?" To appease Song Yao, Wang Qiqi promptly betrayed Song Ziwen. "Don't you think Song Ziwen will look even more awkward then?"

Song Yao, who had been pouting, saw her mood instantly shift from overcast to sunny upon hearing Wang Qiqi's mischievous suggestion. "Mmm, let's pick a day when Song Ziwen is home." Asking Yang Jing out when he was working would be utterly boring—it wouldn't provoke Song Ziwen at all.

Wang Qiqi hadn't expected Song Yao to be so ruthless, but she let it go. Internally, she offered a silent condolence to Song Ziwen. Brother, it's not that your sister isn't helping you, but when you walked off with your sister-in-law just now, you looked way too smug. If Song Yao didn't seek revenge now, it would be truly abnormal.

With her spirits lifted, Song Yao turned the conversation to matters of building wealth with Wang Qiqi. "Qiqi, didn't you say last time you were planning to buy a house in the Capital? Have you finalized one?"

"Around May or June," Wang Qiqi recalled that Zhu Lina had mentioned the first batch of properties from her family's real estate company would be released around then. "Did your brother-in-law agree?"

Song Yao hummed in assent. "If we buy here, we'll attract too much envy. Your brother and I decided to buy in the Capital, where they can't stare. Let's see how envious they can be. By the way, Qiqi, what do you think about houses in Shencheng?" Gong Peixing actually thought establishing property in Shencheng wouldn't be any worse than in the Capital. More importantly, Shencheng was only a three or four-hour drive from their hometown, making management convenient. But since Song Yao hadn't heard Wang Qiqi mention buying in Shencheng, they felt uncertain.

Establishing property in Shencheng? Wang Qiqi thought it sounded quite good too. "Buying property these few years is the most worthwhile investment. Prices aren't outrageous yet. Once the stock market inevitably dips, those who made money there will flood the real estate market, and prices will rise. Plus, more university graduates will move to big cities for work. How many will actually buy homes? Foreign companies won't provide dorms, so won't they all end up renting?"

Wang Qiqi actually wanted to suggest that buying in the city center of Shencheng wasn't necessary—the high prices were several times that of suburban properties, and rental income wouldn't be lower in areas near the development zones. However, she knew people nowadays might not be receptive to such advice.

Song Yao and Gong Peixing had visited Shencheng several times. Each time, they inquired about housing prices, and each time they left the real estate agencies with their mouths agape. The speed at which prices were climbing genuinely astonished them. Prices weren't cheap to begin with, and at that rate of increase... "Are Shencheng residents' salaries really that high?" Prices were already in the thousands, and houses they liked easily hit ten thousand. Song Yao sighed as she thought of her own meager savings.

"If you compare prices to salaries, buying homes over ten years ago was the best deal. Sister, you have to remember that housing prices don't follow wage growth. If you don't buy now, it will only get harder, or you'll have to buy further and further out." Wang Qiqi mused internally about how, by 2012, a website would launch a survey asking what single sentence people would say to their ten-years-younger selves if they could go back. Many would choose: Buy property at any cost. This showed how entangled people were with housing prices, and many people earned their first fortune through real estate. "I imagine you understand property quite well by now."

Song Yao nodded. "Yes, I'm currently renting out my houses to university students."

Song Yao cupped the empty milk glass, miming the action of pouring milk into her mouth. Wang Qiqi, seeing this, could only stifle a laugh. "Oh, Qiqi, you mentioned if I bought a house in Shencheng, I wouldn't necessarily have to be in the downtown area. Last time, your brother and I inquired, and it seemed houses near the development zones weren't expensive, though the transportation wasn't convenient at the moment." Song Yao knew a good property needed not only a nearby population requiring rentals but also convenient transportation, at least to the city center, so the university students, even if they lived a line between work and home, still needed places for recreation.

Wang Qiqi hadn't expected Song Yao to arrive at the exact same idea she had about houses near the development zones. Although the current price might be around four thousand-plus, in ten years, the price would surely exceed fifty thousand, and more importantly, the rental market there was quite tight. "Is there a subway nearby?"

Song Yao shook her head, then tried to recall. "But I heard they might be building a subway line." At the time, she had only casually glanced at the listings; Song Yao hadn't imagined she'd actually need to buy property in Shencheng, much less in such a remote area, so she hadn't asked for more details. But thinking about her limited funds now, perhaps that was the only option.

Seeing Song Yao take an interest in suburban properties, Wang Qiqi didn't press the issue. She closed her eyes, leaning back against the sofa to think. Hearing Song Yao's thoughts now, Wang Qiqi wondered if she should also follow Song Yao to Shencheng to expand her real estate portfolio. Money left in the bank was just depreciating anyway, better in property. However, this would place considerable financial pressure on Jiaozi.

Song Yao looked at Wang Damei, who was still chatting earnestly, and Wang Qiqi, who was focused on her chess game. She slowly edged closer to Wang Qiqi. "Qiqi, are you still trading stocks?"

Wang Qiqi was momentarily stunned, then looked toward Wang Damei. She knew her mother strongly opposed family members trading stocks, with Wang Damei having once remarked that stock trading was practically akin to gambling. "Yeah, why?"

Song Yao had expected Wang Qiqi to nervously glance at her mother and deny trading stocks. "Well, Qiqi, the stock market looks good right now, but it's going to crash by April or May at the latest, and it'll take two or three years to recover." Wang Qiqi first gave Song Yao the overall picture. Her intent was to ensure Song Yao didn't get carried away by the current market frenzy. Who would expect such a quick collapse? So, the warning shot had to be fired first. If Song Yao hadn't asked, Wang Qiqi would have been happy to pretend she didn't know Song Yao was trading. But now that Song Yao had brought it up, how could Wang Qiqi avoid it?

Hearing Wang Qiqi's assessment, Song Yao's heart chilled. She worried Wang Qiqi might refuse to offer any specific guidance. But while Song Yao could snap at Song Ziwen, she couldn't afford to lose her temper with Wang Qiqi, and the atmosphere between them grew slightly tense.

Wang Qiqi cautiously checked on Wang Damei again, then whispered six numbers. "Feng Xuanxiang—that's Manman's friend—said this stock is good. There should be a surge after the New Year. If you have the money, put it all in." This was the stock everyone was targeting to make a killing, especially Wang Qiqi, who planned to liquidate everything by the end of April to switch to real estate, so she intended to make as much as possible without holding back.

Hearing Wang Qiqi's advice, Song Yao immediately repeated the six numbers under her breath. "Thank you, Qiqi. Don't worry, your sister remembers this favor." Song Yao was afraid she might forget the six numbers that could make her rich, so she rushed to Wang Qiqi's room, carefully wrote them down, and tucked the note into her wallet. "By the way, Qiqi, at what price should I sell this stock?"

"I'll call you when the time comes." Wang Qiqi remembered the general future trend, but for this specific stock, she needed input from an expert. "When I tell you to sell, you must sell everything, no matter how good the market looks. Understand that the waters here run deep; it's not comparable to small capital like ours."

Song Yao nodded emphatically, putting on an air of perfect obedience and compliance.

PS: Hopefully, scheduled posting won't be disrupted.