The blood-selling incident involving Chen Shouwang passed with much ado about nothing; it wasn’t clear whether it was because Chen Shouwang himself felt guilty or because it was embarrassing, but he knew that Qi Taiguo must have told Cheng Su about what had happened, so every ti he saw Cheng Su, he felt a bit awkward and uncomfortable.
Hualing, who noticed this, couldn’t help feeling uncomfortable as well, always rembering the scene of Cheng Su supporting Chen Shouwang, although she knew it was a misunderstanding and that Cheng Su had good intentions, it still left a bad taste in her mouth.
Therefore, Hualing simply chose not to ntion her own impolite remarks that day and considered it water under the bridge.
Cheng Su, on the other hand, did not bother to guess at the couple’s thoughts. She wasn’t one to gossip and stir up trouble in other people’s marriages; she behaved as if she knew nothing, greeted them with her usual generosity, which only made Chen Shouwang feel even more ashad.
Regardless, the matter faded into insignificance.
By mid to late August, families in the compound gradually moved out, leaving many empty houses. So people weren’t eligible for housing allocation, so there were quite a few who hoped to pull so strings to get a whole or half a set of rooms.
Since Cheng Su’s family already had their apartnt assigned, they didn’t ddle in such matters and focused solely on their business and studies.
After Cheng Su and Old Zhou discussed going into business in the southern city, they visited their son and then told Qi Taiguo and the others about their decision to try their luck in Shenzhen.
Qi Taiguo felt reluctant to let them go but also knew it was a good decision. They got together once more at Old Zhou’s house, took Cheng Su’s valuable advice, packed up, and headed for Shenzhen.
After Old Zhou and the others left, Qi Taiguo was sowhat disheartened for a few days, until Cheng Su teased him for being sentintal, which helped him regain his composure and commit wholeheartedly to his military duties.
Life went on in an orderly manner; once the Mid-Autumn Festival passed, the mooncakes were eaten, the scorching heat of sumr subsided, and the grape wine Cheng Su brewed and sold or drank herself was all gone.
By late August, Cheng Su’s small restaurant business was booming; she hired an aunty nad Aunt Zhen to wash dishes and vegetables, and a young man nad Cao Xiaohu to handle deliveries and miscellaneous tasks.
During this period, Cheng Su gave out wages for the first ti and after consulting with Old Song, they decided to serve als twice a day, lunch and dinner, starting in September, and to correspondingly raise everyone’s wages.
No one objected to this proposal. After all, more money was always good; work was inevitably tiring regardless.
To facilitate ordering takeout, Cheng Su spent a lot of money installing a telephone line; the day it was set up, she called both her in-laws and her own parents to give them the new number, telling them to call if they needed anything.
Curious about Cheng Su’s restaurant, her in-laws asked indirectly how much money she was making. Cheng Su gave a rough estimate. Mother Qi didn’t say much at the ti but later brought it up again in a call to Qi Taiguo, telling him to keep a tight grip on Cheng Su, not to spend recklessly, and that if they felt they couldn’t save any money, they should send it back, and she would keep it for them for later use.
Cheng Su chose to ignore such an absurd suggestion and ’threatened’ Qi Taiguo in bed, insisting that he ally himself firmly with her.
A joke indeed, surrendering the money she earned to her mother-in-law? This wasn’t ancient tis!
At the end of August, Cheng Su intended to expand her restaurant’s operations, so she inquired about whether the shops around her restaurant were for rent, hoping to take them over and join them together.
That day, during the lunch service, as Cheng Su was busy collecting money and selling al coupons, a large head suddenly appeared before her, grinning and greeting her, "Hi, I, Fourth Young Master Ning, have returned!"
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