After Gu’er finished speaking, everyone looked at her.
"How does your mind work? This idea is brilliant! It’s not just good for us, but for Uncle Lin too. Excellent, excellent. I’m sure it’ll work."
Li Zhi gave her a thumbs-up again and again. He had just impulsively blurted out an idea, not expecting Gu’er to have thought it through so thoroughly in the blink of an eye.
Dingzi said nothing, but his gaze held a trace of admiration. Gu’er was a girl, yet she was smarter than any of them.
Sun Jiaming watched Gu’er with a gentle expression. He would support anything she wanted to do, especially since this was a good thing.
"Gu’er, it’s a great idea, but even so, it’s going to cost a lot of money, right?"
Liu Yuan also thought Gu’er’s proposal was excellent, but he really didn’t have much money. He could probably scrape together a few hundred, but was this a matter of just a few hundred?
"Don’t worry, Brother Liu Yuan. If you’re short, we can cover your share for now. The rest of us won’t be around much, so even if we do this, everything from the renovations to the managent will probably fall on you. You’ll have to work a little harder."
Gu’er had already thought it all through.
"What are you talking about? It’s not hard work. Never mind that you’re willing to give a share—even if it were all yours, if you needed my help, just say the word and I’ll be there."
Liu Yuan was quite moved. These were friends worth having; they were true brothers.
"Great, then it’s settled. Gu’er, you should go back and tell Uncle Lin quickly. Lin Shan will definitely approve of sothing this good."
Li Zhi was incredibly excited. He felt like they were taking a huge step this ti.
"Alright, I will."
Gu’er nodded, her heart also filled with anticipation.
Sun Jiaming walked Gu’er back to the Lin Family’s ho. Chen Fengjiao watched Gu’er with a hint of resentnt. ’She’s my own daughter, but she’s never ho! Never mind her trip to the Soviet Union; now that she’s back, she spends all day at the Sun Family’s house. She’s not even married yet! Once she is, is she going to forget all about her own family?’
Gu’er, however, wasn’t thinking about any of that. The mont she entered, she excitedly called out for Lin Shan, then grabbed his arm and pulled him into her room.
Staring at the closed door, Chen Fengjiao felt extrely dejected. ’Aren’t daughters supposed to be their mothers’ little sweethearts? Why isn’t this daughter close to at all? She gets along so well with Lin Shan, though. Is it because Lin Shan is useful, and I, her mother, am useless?’
Chen Fengjiao sighed and sat down in the living room. Lin Zheng was squirming restlessly on the sofa. He really wanted to go talk with Gu’er and Lin Shan, but he also knew his sister must have sothing important to discuss with their dad. He told himself he would go after they were done, but his anticipation made it hard to sit still.
"Have you got ants in your pants? If you don’t want to sit, go back to your room."
Lin Sui’er was also thoroughly miserable, so seeing Lin Zheng’s restlessness, she snapped at him.
"Sui’er, Xiao Zheng is still little. Why would you talk to him like that?"
Chen Fengjiao’s heart ached seeing her son’s hurt expression.
Lin Sui’er’s heart was also full of resentnt. ’Why is this happening? Now Li Zhi doesn’t even co to the house anymore, not even to see . He spends all his ti with Gu’er and the others. School is so strict, and I can’t keep up with my lessons, so the teachers are always criticizing . And my family doesn’t dote on like they used to. I’m so sick of it all!’
"Xiao Zheng, go check on your dad and your big sister. Ask them if they want so water. If they do, I’ll make so tea and bring it in."
Chen Fengjiao sent Lin Zheng to find Gu’er and Lin Shan.
"Okay."
Lin Zheng was very obedient and stood up happily. He ran to Gu’er’s door, knocked, and went inside.
After he went in, Chen Fengjiao sat on the sofa, sipping water and watching TV, but her eyes kept darting toward Gu’er’s door.
"Mom, should I go in and check for you?"
Lin Sui’er understood what her mom was thinking. She wanted to know what her dad and Gu’er were talking about but was too embarrassed to eavesdrop, which was why she’d sent her little brother. But that kid had no idea what their mom really wanted.
"No need. If it’s anything important, your dad will tell . I was just worried they might be thirsty. If they don’t need tea, it saves the trouble."
Chen Fengjiao shook her head.
Lin Sui’er pouted. ’Mom’s tone is so sour. She’s just jealous of Dad’s good relationship with Lin Gu’er. It’s actually a good thing that Gu’er isn’t close to Mom, otherwise there’d be no place left for .’
Lin Zheng ca out.
"Well?"
Chen Fengjiao eagerly asked her son.
"My dad and my sister said they have water in there, so they don’t need Mom to make tea."
Lin Zheng answered Chen Fengjiao’s question honestly.
Chen Fengjiao was a little speechless.
"What are your dad and your sister talking about? Why have they been in there for so long?"
Chen Fengjiao asked again.
"I don’t know. Sothing about a building, and contracting sothing, and how much money... I didn’t understand it."
Lin Zheng shook his little head. He really hadn’t understood what his dad and big sister were talking about.
’A building? Contracting? Money? Why would Gu’er be talking to Lin Shan about these things? Is she stirring up so new kind of trouble? Lin Shan is soone who never discusses public business at ho. Even when I have ti to ask, he refuses to talk, saying so things are confidential and can’t be discussed. How co he’s so willing to talk about it with his daughter?’
Gu’er and Lin Shan were indeed discussing contracting a building. Gu’er had been reminded by Li Zhi’s comnt earlier: if they were going to open a private departnt store, then contracting an entire building was the best way to do it.
Gu’er thought of a five-story building in Lin Shan’s Yonghong District. It wasn’t new, but it wasn’t old either, and it was in a good location. With a few renovations, it would be a ready-made departnt store. The spending power in that area wasn’t low either, so business was sure to be good.
Lin Shan frowned slightly. He knew the building Gu’er was talking about. Soone was running a business there now, but it was barely staying afloat and on the verge of closing down. The idea of contracting it out had been considered, but a five-story building was more than most people could handle. Besides, contracting it would be fraught with problems. It wasn’t sothing you could secure just by throwing money at it. If he contracted the building to Gu’er, even if she paid the standard rate, people would still accuse him, Lin Shan, of abusing his power for personal gain. They’d say Gu’er used her father’s influence to get the building at a low price, which would cause trouble down the line. If he was no longer in Yonghong District and soone ca looking for trouble, he was afraid Gu’er wouldn’t be able to keep the business going.
"Dad, you don’t have to be the one to contract this building. You can ntion it to the secretary, and then we can report it to the city."
Gu’er knew what Lin Shan was thinking.
Lin Shan raised an eyebrow. His daughter seed incredibly confident. She even wanted to report it to the city leadership. How could she possibly persuade them?
"Dad, here’s my thinking. Besides paying the standard contracting fee, I can also help our city solve the employnt problem for fifty workers. We can prioritize hiring these fifty people from Yonghong District. With fifty job positions on the table, I don’t think the secretary will refuse. The city leaders will probably agree too, right?"
Gu’er was indeed full of confidence. In this day and age, not every problem could be solved with money. Everyone had different needs. She needed a building to do business; Lin Shan and the Yonghong District secretary needed political achievents; the city leaders needed urban prosperity; and the workers needed jobs to support their families. Since she was offering to pay the fee *and* solve the employnt issue for fifty people, they would be overjoyed.
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Finally finished writing. I can go put the kids to bed and get so sleep myself. Goodnight, everyone.
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