novelraw Chapter 448 "Making money isn't the goal"
Chapter 448 "Making money isn't the goal"
Chapter 448 "Making money isn't the goal"
“Anything is fine. Mom said that there are opportunities everywhere at this time of year, and I think she's right. There's room for everyone to make their mark, it just depends on what you want to do,” Gu Zhiheng replied to his sister’s question.
"I don't know," Yao Bao said, tugging at her second brother's clothes.
Gu Zhiheng pulled back his clothes, dusted them off, thought for a moment, and asked, "What do you like?"
"I like pretty clothes, I like cosmetics, I like flowers, and I also like..."
Listening to Yao Bao's endless chatter, Gu Zhiheng was at his wit's end and hurriedly interrupted her, "Why don't you open a flower shop?"
"A flower shop?" Yao Bao hesitated.
"Don't you like it?" Gu Zhiheng said helplessly.
"Is it worth it? What if we lose money?" Yao Bao asked with concern.
Gu Zhiheng laughed directly, "Are you kidding me? Why would we need you to make money? If you make money, what am I supposed to do?! I've already said, you can open whatever store you want, I'll be there to back you up, I'll make up for any losses you incur."
Yao Bao's smile blossomed like a flower, "Second Brother, how can you be so kind?"
"Now you know how good your brother is?" Gu Zhiheng's smile almost reached the back of his head. "Now that you know how good your brother is, stop going against him."
"No way, this is my fun." Yao Bao deliberately went against her second brother, not even blinking when he raised his hand as if to hit her.
Gu Zhiheng chuckled, "It's really big now, scare tactics won't work."
Hearing him sigh, Yao Bao smiled and said, "Second Brother, don't be disappointed. I'll cooperate with you next time."
"...Thank you so much."
"You're welcome."
As they were talking, Yao Bao saw her own car, and her eyes lit up slightly. She pulled her second brother and ran over to it.
As they approached, the car door opened, and Lin Zhao stepped out, opening her arms to Yao Bao.
"Mommy!" Yao Bao threw herself into Lin Zhao's arms, rubbing her face against her shoulder. "Mommy, I missed you so much. Did you miss me too?"
"I did think about it. Did you have fun?" Lin Zhao gently put her arm around her daughter's shoulder, her expression tender.
"I'm so happy!" Yao Bao's voice rose slightly. "Mom, there are so many fun things to do in Hong Kong. Next time you come with me, I'll show you around."
"You saw a big star?" Lin Zhao released Yao Bao and helped her into the car.
From afar, she saw Lin Yu waving at her as he got into another car, indicating that they could talk when they got home.
Lin Zhao smiled in response and got into the driver's seat.
Yao Bao fastened her seatbelt and said excitedly, "I saw it! I saw it! And I took lots of pictures!"
Thinking of the Lin family members she had met in Hong Kong, she quickly added, "Mom, there are so many people in the Lin family, I can hardly recognize them all."
As her grandfather's favorite granddaughter, Lin Zhao naturally knew that the Lin family was like a large, flourishing tree with a huge number of members.
"You'll get used to it eventually." Lin Zhao started the car and drove home.
Knowing that the children were coming back, she drove all the way to Haicheng just to pick them up.
"Mmm," Yao Bao replied obediently.
She looked at her mother in the driver's seat, her eyes sparkling with admiration.
"Mom, you look so beautiful when you drive!"
Lin Zhao glanced at her, then quickly looked away, focusing her gaze straight ahead. "You should learn too. You'll definitely look good driving."
Yao Bao was a little scared and hadn't made up her mind to learn to drive until now.
"Okay, I'll learn."
Lin Zhao: "Zhiheng, teach Yaobao."
Hengbao has improved his skills and mileage, and he's even taken on some apprentices. He'll definitely have no problem teaching his sister.
"Understood." Gu Zhiheng replied without hesitation.
“Yaobao, study hard, and when you graduate... I'll give you a car,” he promised.
"Really?" Yao Bao's eyes were burning.
"Of course it's true. When have I ever lied to you?" Gu Zhiheng leaned back, shifting to a more comfortable position.
Yao Bao thought about it carefully, "It seems not."
"What do you mean 'seems like'? There's absolutely no such thing!"
The brother and sister bickered as the car drove into the Lin family's ancestral home, where the mother and her two children got out.
When they arrived, the bodyguards had already taken the gifts they brought out of the car and were placing them on the table.
"Oh my, these are the gifts I picked out!" Yao Bao pulled Lin Zhao forward. "Mommy, I bought you and Daddy lots of gifts. Come and see if you like them!"
“You chose it yourself, so whatever it is, your father and I will like it.” Lin Zhao’s eyes softened and lifted.
Hearing this, the little girl who had carefully prepared the gift was even happier.
Yao Bao asked the housekeeper for scissors, intending to unpack the box. The housekeeper hurriedly said, "Unpacking the box? I can do it. There's no need for you to do it. Miss, please sit down and rest. I'll unpack it and call you when I'm done."
Yao Bao picked out so many gifts, five big boxes in total.
It really feels like I'm going to be a personal shopper.
"It's okay, I'll watch you take it apart." Yao Bao's voice was sweet and gentle, unwilling to leave.
"Take this one first, this is what I prepared for Mom," she reminded her.
“Okay, let’s start by dismantling this one,” the nanny said solicitously.
She beat out many competitors to get into the Lin family's ancestral home. Her starting salary was already quite high. She thought that with such a high salary, there must be a catch, and that this family would be difficult to deal with. Before coming in, she mentally prepared herself: "I'm here to make money. It's normal to be made difficult by people. I'll endure it for the sake of such a high salary."
I don't know.
The people she was thinking of making things difficult for weren't there at all!
The Lin family members are all very well-mannered, without any of the arrogance of capitalists. They speak politely and respectfully, making people feel very comfortable.
The group of nannies silently rolled up their sleeves. They had no choice; the job was too good, and they wanted to do their best. Otherwise, they would feel guilty taking such a high salary.
"Don't rush, be careful." Lin Zhao saw how quickly and efficiently the nanny was unpacking the box, and worried that she might hurt her hands, so she couldn't help but speak up.
"Okay." The nanny didn't say that she was very skilled and wouldn't hurt anyone, but obediently replied, slowing down her pace.
Lin Zhao's brow relaxed.
Yao Bao is a very thoughtful and meticulous girl. She knows her family's preferences and chooses gifts that are exactly what they want. She has considered almost everyone's needs, including Qiao Hui.
Lin Zhao and Gu Chenghuai had the most. They had a suit and a cheongsam made for each of them at the best shop in the city, according to their parents' sizes. They also bought a pair of matching watches for them...
Lin Zhao liked every single one of them.
"Yaobao has such good taste! I hope your little treasure trove isn't empty yet."
Yao Bao smiled and shook her head, "I don't have time, I'm still very full."
Lin Yu interjected, "How could she be empty-handed? It's Yao Bao's first time home. Who wouldn't give her a gift? She's had a very fruitful trip, hasn't she?"
"Yes, it was a very fruitful experience," Yao Bao said happily.
Lin Ssu-nien and the others had to go to work and couldn't get leave, so they didn't go to Hong Kong and weren't home right now.
None of the Lin family's children are arrogant or domineering; they are all very down-to-earth. Even if they don't lack money, they still work honestly and strive to realize their own value.
Lin Zhao gently patted her daughter's head. Her precious daughter was so wonderful and deserved to be loved.
After staying at their ancestral home for two days, the mother and daughter set off back to the capital.
Yao Bao is about to start school, so we need to get things ready. Gu Chenghuai's gaze softened when he received his daughter's gift.
"I am also enjoying my daughter's filial piety," he said.
"Look at what you're saying, Yu Bao and the others have been quite generous to you, haven't they?" Lin Zhao raised her eyes.
"It feels different."
Lin Zhao, not noticing anything different, asked, "Your daughter wants to open a flower shop. Could you find someone to help renovate the storefront? Keep it simple, with floor-to-ceiling windows on all four sides, so it's easily visible. Yao Bao also said she wants to hang wind chimes at the entrance..."
"Open a flower shop? Can that make money?" Gu Chenghuai didn't understand.
"Making money isn't the goal; we should find something to do," Lin Zhao said.
Gu Chenghuai was speechless and choked with emotion. He didn't ask any more questions. "Tell me what other requirements she has, and I'll have someone design one."
Lin Zhao mentioned a few more points, which Gu Chenghuai understood, and he immediately found a designer to implement them.
He was always in high spirits when doing chores for his daughter.
If it were about his son, he wouldn't be so proactive; at most, he'd help find a reliable person and send them a phone number.
Before the design was even finished, Yao Bao started school.
On this day, Gu Chenghuai set aside a day to personally take his daughter to school.
The last person to receive this treatment was Lin Zhao; Gu Zhiheng was just an afterthought.
Gu Chenghuai was tall and upright, and his years of military service gave him an air of authority that was different from that of ordinary people.
Now that school has just started, male students are allowed to enter the girls' dormitories.
Gu Chenghuai then came to Yaobao's dormitory to check on her.
The four-person dormitory wasn't shabby, but the father still felt the conditions were terrible and that his daughter wasn't used to it.
Seeing the man standing there in a daze, Lin Zhao patted his arm. "What are you standing there for? Hurry up and make the bed for your daughter. Or should I do it?"
Gu Chenghuai snapped out of his daze, a rare hint of hesitation appearing in his usually sharp and capable eyes. "Yaobao has never lived in a dormitory before, won't she find it difficult to adjust?"
They're practically telling her outright that Yaobao will be a day student.
“It’s not like I live at school every day. I stay when I have a lot of classes, and when I don’t have much to do, I go home,” Lin Zhao said. “Besides, you don’t want Yao Bao to be a lone wolf, without even someone to eat with or get water with, right?!”
Gu Chenghuai imagined it for a moment, then frowned.
He didn't say anything more and obediently made the bed.
Yao Bao didn't like the bed near the door, nor did she like the lower bunk, so there were only two options left. In the end, she chose the one on the left, which offered slightly more privacy.
Lin Zhao carried a basin to boil water and cleaned the cabinets and tables with Yao Bao.
Yao Bao looked at her father, then at her mother, and smiled foolishly.
"What are you laughing at?" Gu Chenghuai finished making the bed, jumped down, and clapped his hands.
"I'm so happy!" Yao Bao's smile became even brighter.
Silly.
Gu Chenghuai was always worried that his daughter would be bullied. There were girls like Ling Zhi in this world, and he was really afraid that Yaobao would be hurt.
Yes, he also learned about Ling Zhi's plan and her bullying tactics.
If he put himself in the shoes of the fathers of those bullied girls, he felt like he was about to explode!
Just then, Yao Bao's other roommates arrived one after another.
Gu Chenghuai used his expertise as a reconnaissance soldier to scan the group, analyzing everything from their accents to their clothing, and finally concluded that they were alright and not troublesome.
Gu Zhiyao greeted her roommates politely, "Hello, my name is Gu Zhiyao, and these are my parents."
One of the roommates, who seemed to have a more outgoing personality, replied with a smile, "My name is Ai Qing. Your parents look really young."
She greeted her roommate's parents, "Uncle, Auntie."
"Hello, Ai." Lin Zhao brought some small cakes today and took them out to share with her daughter's three roommates. "Hello to you all too. These are a small gift I prepared for you. I hope you can take care of each other in the future."
Ai Qing looked at the cake packaging, a hint of surprise flashing in her eyes, but she accepted it generously. "We will, thank you, Auntie. Gu Zhiyao is the top scorer in the province, and we still need to learn from her."
Lin Zhao had a good impression of the girl, and his smile became more genuine.
"You're all good too, let's learn from each other."
Everything was packed up. There were too many people in the dormitory, so Lin Zhao left first with her husband and daughter.
The family of three went to the cafeteria.
The cafeteria is open, and the aroma of food wafts through the air as soon as you enter.
Lin Zhao smiled and said, "It smells pretty good. No wonder it was carefully selected by your second brother."
"Yes, yes, my second brother came here specifically to try the food, and he told me which window's food suited my taste." Yao Bao's lips curled up.
"Is your second brother good to you?"
“Okay, my family is all well.” Yao Bao treated everyone equally. “My second brother even said that if I didn’t like the food, he would have someone bring me food. I said no, I’m not that delicate and don’t want special treatment.”
She's not delicate at all. She doesn't eat much if the food is a little bland, and she gets rashes if the fabric of her clothes is a little rough...
Lin Zhao had nothing to say about how she and her father had spoiled her.
"Silly girl, what's this about getting special treatment?" Gu Chenghuai looked at Yaobao with a helpless expression. "I work tirelessly day and night so that you can be comfortable. Don't put the cart before the horse."
“I know, Dad,” Yao Bao said sweetly.
……
There weren't many classes at university, and whenever Yao Bao didn't have classes in the morning, she would go home to sleep. Lin Zhao and Gu Chenghuai saw her even more often than before.
The couple was very happy, especially Lin Zhao, who would take his daughter out for afternoon tea, visit newly opened restaurants, and decorate the flower shop whenever he had the chance. He was living a very fulfilling life.
Gu Chenghuai helped find a reliable supplier, and a batch of flowers is delivered to the door every day. The flower shop is about to open.
Therefore, Gu Zhiheng hired a lion dance troupe.
After several days of rehearsals, on the day of the official opening, there were firecrackers and lion dances, making it a very lively event.
The renovation cost a lot of money, and the store looks great.
Lin Zhao introduced a reliable shop assistant, and the flower shop officially opened.
Fearing an awkward silence, Gu Zhiheng invited several of his friends to fill in, and the flower shop suddenly became lively, bustling with people.
Yao Bao sensed something was wrong and kept an eye on the guests. When she saw a familiar face, she knew without a doubt that it was her second brother's doing.
"Second brother, did you hire someone?"
Gu Zhiheng said matter-of-factly, "That's right, I was afraid you'd be sad if no one came, so I specially arranged for people to support you. How about that, not bad, right?"
The Lin family's business philosophy: In business, learning how to create momentum is key.
He applied what he learned.
Yao Bao understood, "...Thank you, Second Brother."
Although she was mentally prepared for no business in the early stages, or even for no one to care.
She believed that business would never be slow, and there would never be a shortage of wealthy people; the target audience for this store was precisely those who were not short of money.
Thinking of the movie she and her second brother had seen in Hong Kong that had just been released, she felt that opening a flower shop was a great business opportunity.
She has no rental costs, so even if there are losses, it's not an exaggeration. She can just consider it paying for her own hobbies and keep driving.
Yaobao didn't expect the first batch of orders to come in so quickly.