mtlumby2d Chapter 422
Chapter 422
...Meanwhile, at the Zhou family's home.
Si Nian sneezed twice.
She poured a cup of tea for the woman sitting across from her.
From what she had just learned, this woman was Miao Chunhua, 35 years old, and the boss of a clothing factory.
She wasn't from Jing City; she was from Jinhua.
In her early years, she followed her parents in business and met Chen Nan, who had also ventured into business with his parents. They got to know each other and eventually married.
Although she wasn't a local, her family's financial conditions were excellent.
Her parents ran a wholesale clothing factory in Jinhua.
Whether she had inherited her parents' talent or not, she started her own clothing brand after getting married.
A couple of years ago, when Chen Nan's business was struggling, it was her financial support that allowed him to keep his electronics business afloat.
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In short, she was a very formidable woman.
Si Nian didn't like doing business; she hated dealing with stressful things.
Perhaps she just didn't have such grand ambitions. Being an ordinary person was fine with her. As long as she had enough money to spend and didn't have to worry about food and clothing, she was satisfied.
But rich people had their own troubles. For example, Sister Miao in front of her was currently looking miserable, crying about her hardships.
"What's the use of making money? My husband's heart isn't with me. He even despises me for being old and messes around with young people all day long."
Si Nian's mouth twitched. "Actually, you aren't old. Um... it's just that your style of dress makes you look a bit mature."
Truth be told, Miao Chunhua's outfit was the most fashionable style for wealthy ladies at the moment.
It certainly gave off a commanding presence.
One look and you could tell she was a rich woman.
It's just that men all prefer young and beautiful women.
That's true in any era.
It was clearly the man's fault, yet the woman had to bear the pain.
If you asked Si Nian, if she were in Miao Chunhua's shoes, wouldn't she just keep half a dozen handsome young boy toys?
Why fixate on that old bald guy?
It wasn't like she lacked money.
"Sister, then what kind of clothes do you think would suit me?"
Si Nian felt a headache coming on. You run a clothing business and don't even know what suits you? Is your business success really just because of the Jinhua merchant halo?
She said, "You could straighten your hair; curly hair makes you look too old. Also, while this outfit is nice, it doesn't suit your skin tone. Your skin is quite fair, and the color of these clothes is too dark. Your lipstick should be a lighter shade too..."
She spoke based on her own aesthetic sense.
Miao Chunhua listened very earnestly. "You are so pretty, I trust you."
Si Nian thought: Well, thank you very much.
"By the way, did you come to find me just to see what I look like?"
Si Nian asked.
Was this big boss really that free?
Miao Chunhua smiled awkwardly. "Not exactly. Actually, there is another important matter. I heard that a murder took place here ten years ago, causing many people in the neighborhood to move away. Is that right?"
Si Nian nodded.
"Lao Chen told me about this. He said it was his fault for selling the house to you without mentioning this issue beforehand. I happen to have a younger cousin who is a deputy director at the local police station. I'll have him get some people to thoroughly investigate it, try to overturn the case, and get this matter resolved so you can live here in peace."
"Actually, I think this location is quite good. It's close to the center and near everything. The way I see it, aside from the ugly rumors, there's no downside at all. Who knows, maybe one day the government will support real estate trading, and when housing prices go up, you guys won't lose out!"
Miao Chunhua carefully observed her surroundings, growing more fond of the place the longer she looked. "I don't know why, but walking into your home makes me feel incredibly comfortable. Even the air smells sweet; it has a really good aura. You might not believe it, but in my line of work, we know a bit about feng shui. I'm very accurate when it comes to reading houses and people!"
Si Nian was impressed. "You're really amazing!"
She meant it from the bottom of her heart.
To think that Miao Chunhua could spot the geographical advantages this early on, and even predict the future surge in housing prices. As expected of a businesswoman, she relied on more than just luck!
Miao Chunhua smiled. "Originally, when I heard Lao Chen say he couldn't sell the house, I thought about telling him to hold onto it and wait and see. He isn't short on money anyway. I didn't expect you guys to buy it."
Hearing this, Si Nian felt a bit guilty.
Right now, it might not seem like much, but she knew just how terrifyingly the price of this house would skyrocket in ten or twenty years.
With Miao Chunhua putting it like that, she suddenly felt guilty, as if she had stolen someone else's fortune.
Alas, one really shouldn't do anything with a guilty conscience.
"But Lao Chen is too busy and hates dealing with the hassle. It's really thanks to you guys that he was able to get rid of this headache. Speaking of which, I should be thanking you and your husband."
Si Nian smiled. "You're too polite."
Miao Chunhua pulled her aside to chat some more. Perhaps because Si Nian had helped her catch a thief, she was particularly fond of her.
She even asked if Si Nian wanted to get into business, offering to show her the ropes.
Si Nian hadn't actually thought about it, though investing wasn't entirely out of the question.
Of course, she couldn't rush into it, so she said she would think it over.
Miao Chunhua didn't press the matter and even invited her to go shopping together sometime.
Perhaps because Si Nian herself wasn't exactly young either, she didn't feel any generation gap between them.
Women always had so much to talk about, and before they knew it, the sky had grown dark.
Only then did Miao Chunhua hurry to head home.
Si Nian liked her quite a bit too. She originally wanted to invite her to stay for dinner, but seeing that she was in a rush and had things to do, she walked her out instead.
On her way back, she happened to run into Song Zhaodi from across the street, who was returning from grocery shopping.
Seeing her, Song Zhaodi smiled and greeted, "Si Nian, are you not having classes today?"
Si Nian nodded. Just as she was about to turn and leave, she suddenly saw a hand clinging to the wall of Song Zhaodi's house.
Si Nian: "..."
She turned back and smiled. "That's right. Are you not busy today?"
She had heard that Song Zhaodi ran a few grocery stores and business was good. Since today was Saturday, there should be even more customers.
Because of these stores, Song Zhaodi hadn't needed to go out and work a regular job like everyone else.
Her life could be considered quite comfortable.
"It's alright, there are people watching the stores, so it's manageable," Song Zhaodi said with a smile.
Si Nian struggled to find a topic. Truth be told, although Song Zhaodi seemed friendly to everyone, she usually kept to herself.
She always went grocery shopping alone, and rarely did anyone visit her home.
Even though everyone had a good impression of her and pitied her, she didn't have any close friends.
Si Nian didn't know what else to say and was just trying to find a topic to stall for time when Song Zhaodi took the initiative to speak: "Has that Wang Ergou been harassing you these past few days?"
Si Nian shook her head. "No, we keep such a big dog at home, he wouldn't dare."
Song Zhaodi smiled. "That's true."
The two chatted for a few more sentences, and then Song Zhaodi left.
Lin Sisi spent a few days asking around before finally locating the alley that roughly matched the one she had heard about in her previous life.
Shortly after walking inside, she spotted the sealed courtyard house everyone had been talking about.
This was the very place where the incident had occurred.
Seeing that it was still sealed off meant the issue hadn't been resolved yet.
Lin Sisi breathed a sigh of relief; it seemed she still had a chance.
The incident had been heavily reported back then. She had paid special attention to it, so the memories remained fresh in her mind.
After it was resolved, the female boss and Si Nian had specifically demolished the place and built a temple in its stead. They would come to burn incense during festivals, claiming it served to suppress the negative energy.
Businessmen in this era were quite superstitious.
But rumor had it that because the temple was incredibly effective, everyone who moved in later made a fortune.
Therefore, it wouldn't be long before this area became a highly coveted, prime piece of real estate.
...
Si Nian had no idea that Lin Sisi knew about the events of their past life and had rushed to Beijing to pursue her own dreams.
On Monday, Si Nian and Lu Yao were called into the office together.
The English teacher said, I have reviewed both of your translation documents.
Lu Yao's expression tightened. Teacher, how is it? Are there any problems?
Let's start with you, Lu Yao. I told you that you had two days and could take your time. You were too eager for quick success, and there are issues with many of your translations. In official documents, mistranslating professional vocabulary can completely change the meaning. Do you think something like this can be submitted?
Reprimanded so mercilessly, Lu Yao's face flushed bright red.
It was true. Even though she had excellent grades, she was still just a college freshman. Applying her knowledge to real-world scenarios was still quite difficult for her.
Moreover, since she couldn't ask anyone for help, she had stayed up translating by candlelight while constantly flipping through her vocabulary book.
Even so, Lu Yao had thought there wouldn't be any major issues.
Now about Si Nian.
The English teacher shifted her gaze as she spoke.
Si Nian replied, Please go ahead, Teacher.
Your translation has no issues. It is fluent, professional, and precise. It does not look like your first time doing this.
As her words fell, Lu Yao instantly felt her cheeks burn.
It felt as though she had been given a vicious slap across the face.
But why did you wait until the very last minute to hand it in to me?
The English teacher raised an eyebrow in displeasure.
Si Nian answered, Teacher, I am very happy that you were willing to give me this opportunity, but I have several children to take care of myself. I cannot burn the midnight oil like Lu Yao does. I hope you can understand.
My situation is a bit special, which the school is aware of. Secondly, I feel that this translation work doesn't actually help me improve my skills or benefit me much. This job might be better suited for other students; it is not quite right for me.
The English teacher's face darkened. I praise you a little, and you let it go to your head, is that it?
Not at all. I just think that such a precious opportunity is better suited for students who need the help and want to continue improving their skills. Giving it to me seems like a bit of a waste.
The English teacher pondered for a moment, then nodded. You have a point. I mainly gave this to you both to improve your learning abilities. Since it poses no challenge to you, we certainly shouldn't waste it.
With that, she looked at Lu Yao. Lu Yao, your ambition is worth learning from, but you are a bit too competitive. I want you to properly settle down and focus. I gave you plenty of time, so there is no need to be so eager for quick success just for the sake of competition, understand?
Lu Yao didn't expect Si Nian to give up a job she could easily get and hand it over to her instead. After her initial shock, she felt a bit conflicted.
She nodded and said she understood.
The English teacher told the two to go back to class.
Walking out of the office, Lu Yao couldn't help but ask, "Si Nian, why aren't you angry?"
Si Nian looked at her in confusion. "What is there to be angry about?"
"I stole your opportunity, and everyone looks down on me. You can't possibly have no feelings about it, right?" Lu Yao said. "Why aren't you angry?"
Si Nian smiled. "Competition isn't shameful. I should actually thank you. I don't need this job, so your appearance actually did me a favor and gave me a chance to turn the teacher down."
"There's nothing wrong with a girl being a bit ambitious, and there's nothing wrong with studying hard and aiming high. But you have to know that there will always be people in the world who are better than us. If you try to compete and fight with everyone, won't you exhaust yourself to death?"
After Si Nian finished speaking, she ignored Lu Yao's astonished expression and went back to the dorm.
As soon as she walked to her bed, she found a small gift box on it with a note attached.
It was written by Zhang Xue: "Sister Si Nian, I'm sorry. I misunderstood you and Chen Haoran. Yesterday, Chen Haoran and Nana explained everything clearly to me. I'm really sorry and too ashamed to face you. These are some pastries I made myself; I hope you can accept them."
She reached out to open it and found delicate rose pastries inside.
Si Nian suddenly felt that she was in a pretty good mood.
When she got home, she put the pastries in the fridge.
In the afternoon, Second Child came back crying.
He said he got beaten up.
Si Nian was greatly surprised and almost cut her hand in shock.
She quickly asked him, "Where did you get hit? Who hit you?"
Second Child pointed to the dark circles under his eyes and said, "Here."
Si Nian: "..." Uh, she thought those were just dark circles from lack of sleep.
Second Child started crying again but absolutely refused to say who had hit him.
It wasn't until Zhou Zedong spoke up: "He was beaten up by a girl. It was Uncle Yu's niece, the one who went to Mom's college acceptance banquet before. Serves him right for showing off how tough he is at school every day."
So he was beaten by a girl—no wonder he wouldn't say.
Second Child now practiced boxing every day in addition to running.
Not only did he throw punches with great vigor, but his stance was also very stable.
However, Zhou Yueshen was currently only training his physical fitness, so his progress wasn't that fast.
She remembered Yu Dong's niece; she seemed to have studied Taekwondo or something since she was little.
It was normal that Second Child couldn't beat her.
What she couldn't understand, though, was why the two of them were fighting.
Zhou Zedong quickly answered this question for her.
"He and that girl were fighting over who gets to be the boss of the second grade. They said whoever lost would become the other's underling, and then he lost."
Si Nian: ...Good heavens. It's no wonder you become a gangster in the future; you already know how to fight for turf and be a boss at such a young age.
Even though it was just a different setting.
The essence remained the same.
Si Nian's head was full of imaginary black lines.
Seeing her son crying with an expression of utter despair, as if life wasn't worth living, she still couldn't help but want to laugh.
"Alright Xiaohan, you just can't beat her temporarily. When you grow up, maybe you'll be able to win, and then you might get to be the boss."
Zhou Zehan sobbed, sniffing back a snot bubble. "Really, Mom?"
Si Nian said, feeling a bit at a loss for words, "Of course, but Mom doesn't want you fighting with girls. That's not right."
Second Child protested, "She was the one who forced me to fight her, and she even wants me to carry her backpack from now on."
Si Nian: "..."
"It's just carrying a backpack. Just treat it as exercise."
"I know, Mom. I won't fight with her anymore."
Comforted by Si Nian, Second Child cheered up again. He felt that carrying a backpack was no big deal. Didn't his older brother carry his younger sister's backpack every day?
He could just treat her like a younger sister, right?
Having figured this out, he ran out briskly. "Mom, I'm taking Da Huang out for a run."
Si Nian nodded.
Second Child would get scared running alone in the morning, so Si Nian told him to take Da Huang along.
Having a dog by his side was also safer.
When Second Child ran back, covered in sweat, he saw a crowd of people gathered at the neighbor's door.
Da Huang also walked over there, as if sniffing something out.
He pulled on the leash but couldn't even hold the dog back.