Chi Wu resolved that from now on, he would despise any man who read tattered books muttering about "this ski" or "that si."

Cheng Ying felt rather cheerful about managing to connect with the heartthrob; it seemed both career and romance were blooming perfectly. Good heavens, why was life suddenly so full of promise? Chi Wu, however, felt the sky was a dull, dreary gray—a sure sign he was about to be cuckolded. He glanced back at the office, and his mood plummeted even further. Rushing home with Cheng Ying, he pedaled the bike so fast it felt like it might take flight. By the time they reached the doorstep, Cheng Ying exploded, "What kind of awful riding technique is this? You're making me carsick! Have you ever heard of bicycle sickness?" Chi Wu pushed the bike inside, his face stone-cold. Turning back to Cheng Ying, he retorted, "Your vision is poor, and the company you keep is disgusting. Get sick from that, don't drag my bike into it." He turned and walked away without sparing Cheng Ying another glance. Cheng Ying felt a tightness in her chest from anger, wondering why this kid's rebellious phase seemed to be repeating itself. What a life. Just wait until she bought a car; she’d never have to rely on this rotten driver again.

After a night of rest, Chi Wu managed to adjust his state of mind. Yingzi was only looking, after all. He had even offered to scrub the lunchboxes for Boss Cheng back in the village; it wasn't like he meant anything by it. Perhaps Yingzi was just saying things out loud. Besides, Chi Wu genuinely felt he was far superior to that literature teacher; there was no reason Cheng Ying would look down on him for that old bookworm. Winter break had arrived, meaning Yingzi probably wouldn't have much chance to interact with the teacher. He just needed to keep a closer watch. Yingzi had such a terrible memory; maybe after the New Year, she would have completely forgotten the man. Furthermore, Chi Wu was busy leading up to the New Year. Many people were getting married right before the holiday, and many others were buying furniture. His small shop couldn't handle the workload as it was. On top of that, Chi Wu still needed to sort out the paperwork for the adjacent courtyard before the end of the year; he was completely tied up. If Chi Wu was busy, Cheng Ying was even busier. Although she had spoken with her crush and could seek his guidance whenever she pleased, she genuinely couldn't carve out any time. With the New Year approaching, she had to attend to everyone in the household. There were now nearly a dozen people working in and around the premises. She had payroll, New Year's bonuses, and provisions for the craftsmen's holiday goods to prepare. She needed to finalize the accounts—the income and expenses from the past half-year. During the ten-plus days of the holiday break, Cheng Ying was so swamped she didn't have a free moment. Forget about a chance encounter with the teacher; she didn't even have time to think about men.

After the twentieth day of the twelfth lunar month, virtually no more weddings were scheduled. Cheng Ying's furniture shop finally quieted down. Only then could she and Chi Wu finally sit down and relax. The neighboring courtyard—those who were supposed to move out had done so, and the payments and necessary paperwork had all been completed. Cheng Ying kept a few craftsmen on for a couple more days; they would need the storefront for the grand reopening next year. The dozen or so people took two days to demolish what needed to go in the smaller adjacent yard. The front shop space was successfully cleared. It was true that craftsmen worked quickly, especially when working for themselves. It wasn't until the twenty-third, the Little New Year, that Cheng Ying finally gave the craftsmen their holiday. Not counting their wages, each craftsman received a generous red envelope, plus gifts of chicken, duck, fish, and meat for the New Year. Having sent everyone home happily satisfied, Cheng Ying finally breathed a sigh of relief. Her own yard was finally quiet. After the New Year, any new workers would move directly into the adjacent courtyard to live and work. Cheng Ying, who handled the cooking, had already made arrangements: if suitable people came along, they could bring them over. When a couple arrived, Cheng Ying would pay their wages. Then came the profit-sharing with Chi Wu. The Old Lady, looking at the bank passbooks on the table, was so delighted her voice nearly squeaked, "Money really comes faster from the city; you young people are truly capable." Even though she couldn't read, she still asked Cheng Ying to read out the figures on the passbooks. Cheng Ying looked at the Old Lady and asked, "Grandma, you don't need to take those Sanhuang pills anymore, do you?" The Old Lady’s legendary "Shadowless Kick" flew over instantly. Drat the clumsy child, why bring up that topic?

Chi Wu felt that Cheng Ying depositing the profit share into two separate passbooks was a sign of her distancing herself from him. So, even though the figures on the passbooks were satisfying, Chi Wu's mood wasn't particularly bright. It seemed nothing truly joyous had happened recently. Cheng Ying and Chi Wu tallied the inventory in the storeroom. The handcrafted solid wood furniture, which she had painstakingly polished at great expense, remained in surplus. The sofas and veneered furniture sold much better. People nowadays just didn't have an eye for quality. Cheng Ying knew very well that her sofas were upholstered with very inferior fabric. Yet, it was the solid wood retro-style furniture that was piling up. Cheng Ying could only conclude that she couldn't judge the market with her vision from her previous life; people now craved novelty. Times had changed, and so had aesthetic appreciation. Chi Wu offered, "Maybe we should have the craftsmen make more sofas later on?" Cheng Ying shook her head, "It's fine. I plan to push these solid wood pieces as high-end items. Don't worry; just because they aren't selling well now doesn't mean they won't later." Chi Wu asked, "What do you mean?" Cheng Ying explained, "It means we'll spin off a specialty line for the furniture shop—the kind that might not sell for a year, but when it does, it makes a year's profit." Chi Wu mused, "Even so, you shouldn't say it out loud like that. Oh, by the way, Brother Li is here. See when you have time to chat with him." Cheng Ying snapped her fingers, "Look how busy I've been, I completely forgot about that." Chi Wu clarified, "It's business. It looks like he's also interested in getting into this trade." Cheng Ying replied, "That's fine. How about this evening? I'll cook, and we can invite Brother Li over for dinner. Speaking of which, I really owe Brother Li a thank-you for all his help over the last six months, and I haven't properly thanked him yet. It's already the twenty-third, and I need to return to the village before the twenty-fifth." Chi Wu looked surprised. "You're going back to the village right before the New Year?" Cheng Ying asserted, "Of course, I have to go back. I need to visit my father's grave during the New Year. I haven't been home for half a year; I can't leave my father feeling neglected." The Old Lady, overhearing this from outside the door, turned and walked away. The child had her priorities straight. Chi Wu offered, "I'll go back with you." Cheng Ying refused, "No need; you should celebrate the New Year properly with your family. Oh, right, if you can borrow a vehicle, lend me one. It'll be much more convenient than taking the long-distance bus back and forth." Chi Wu questioned, "Can you manage that? It's quite a distance each way." Cheng Ying scoffed, "Hmph, my driving skills are definitely better than yours." She thought to herself: I have a driver's license, after all. She couldn't be bothered to argue further. They made sure the door was securely locked before stepping out.

Chi Wu invited this Boss Li to their home as a guest. The Old Lady was always warm toward anyone her children invited home. It wasn't Boss Li's first time visiting the young woman's home, but it was the first time he had seen it arranged with such meticulous care. He looked at the furniture, the decorations, and that pot of ginseng—though he wasn't truly surprised, given the young woman raised such things in her home. Then he took in the overall setup. The outdoor greenhouse was like springtime. What a comfortable life they led! "Sister, every time I visit your home, Brother gets a little jealous." Cheng Ying smiled thinly, "Brother Li, you're just teasing me. Why don't we discuss business?" Boss Li got straight to the point. "Cheng Ying, I can see it clearly. Despite your young age, you handle things better than I do, Brother Li. I concede. I was thinking of setting up a furniture shop like yours in a busy area of the city. Yingzi, what do you think?" Cheng Ying replied, "That's certainly possible. Brother Li has many connections; your business will surely thrive." Boss Li chuckled, "May your words come true. However, Cheng Ying, I need your help." Cheng Ying immediately grew wary. "Brother Li, we are both in business. Don't tell me you're trying to poach my craftsmen; you'd be digging up my foundation!" Chi Wu interjected, "We'll help where we can, but we can't promise everything." Boss Li quickly clarified, "Do you think Brother Li is that kind of person? Let me be frank: I don't want to set up such a large operation. I was hoping to source goods from you two, and you just leave me a decent profit margin." Cheng Ying regarded Boss Li as quite the entrepreneur; he was looking to make easy money. For her, however, shifting from retail to wholesale meant profits would naturally increase, provided her team could meet the output. Cheng Ying asked, "Brother Li, what kind of arrangement are you proposing?" Boss Li explained, "I’ve thought it through. Since I'm far from you, you can give me a lower price so I can keep some profit, but I'll definitely sell at a higher price than you do here." Cheng Ying pondered the offer. "Brother Li, I can certainly give you a price lower than my retail rate. But if my retail price here is too low, it might negatively affect your sales later on." Boss Li conceded, "That’s true. But if I source from you, I’ll naturally earn less. It’s fine." Cheng Ying proposed, "How about this, Brother Li: We maintain a unified retail price across all our furniture sales." Boss Li frowned; he had never heard of such an arrangement. "Are you trying to favor me?" Cheng Ying countered, "Not entirely. Brother Li has wide connections, and you'll sell a high volume. If an item I sell for two hundred yuan sits here, but someone in your area would snatch it up for five hundred, I'd be blocking your path to wealth." Boss Li laughed heartily. While she was flattering him, she had spoken a truth. It was good that the girl understood that. Cheng Ying continued, "Brother Li, here is my final proposal: After the New Year, Wu Zi and I plan to register a trademark. You will sell our furniture, adhering to the same unified retail price. For every set you sell, aside from the usual margin, I will give you an additional five percent commission." Boss Li lowered his head to consider. "Sister, you are thinking on a grand scale. Since you put it this way, I'll act as your vanguard. Let's try it out first." He wasn't fully committed yet, wanting to see the results first. Cheng Ying agreed, "Fine. But Brother Li, what styles do you need? I have to prepare the inventory for you in advance." Boss Li replied, "Sister, show me all the styles you have, and get a set of each for me. My furniture store won't be any smaller than yours." Cheng Ying pursed her lips. This old fox already had his shop ready and was still talking about 'trying it out.' "Done." Chi Wu raised an eyebrow; Yingzi was surely right. But registering the trademark meant he would be running around a lot after the New Year. Cheng Ying was in excellent spirits. She didn't have to open a branch store; someone was already paving the way for her sales network.

On the twenty-fourth of the twelfth lunar month, Cheng Ying and the Old Lady, carrying gifts, went to pay a social call to Chi Wu’s family. This was the Old Lady's first visit to her in-laws since coming to the city. Truthfully, the Old Lady had delayed as long as she could; the two families' relationship was too intertwined to ignore, and living in the same city made a reciprocal visit unavoidable. Chi Wu knew his Old Lady was coming and had returned home early. He understood his own mother’s character, so preparing was certainly necessary. When they opened the door, the entire Chi family was waiting at the entrance to welcome them. Their enthusiasm was undeniable. Chi Wu’s father led the Old Lady, saying, "Come in quickly, dear in-law!" The warmth of the reception greatly eased the Old Lady’s mind.

ps: A tiny question, dear readers, do you still have any Pink Tickets left? Please vote. RP

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