Hua Jie immediately thought of the row of empty shops behind Fuyun Building on the back street. They were large and affordable because the back street lacked foot traffic, and had been vacant since Fuyun Building’s opening.
Since the rent was cheap, she considered renting them to use as a warehouse. Like IKEA, customers could directly pick up items from the ground floor, avoiding the hassle of navigating up and down seven floors.
Moreover, her father could do the assembly and carving right there in the ground-floor warehouse, which would also optimize his working environment.
She wondered if those ground-floor shops were for sale. In a year, as the Jinsong city center developed and the area was rebuilt into a new commercial district, today’s back street would transform into a bustling hot spot.
Buying them now could be an investment, even if they no longer pursued the furniture business.
But… her earnings from selling paintings plus her savings were nearly depleted by the startup costs. It was a significant risk to expand and invest further without having fully recouped their initial outlay. She wondered if she could persuade her parents.
Additionally, they were intent on saving money for her college education, keeping aside 10,000 yuan as untouchable.
Investing further, such as renting a storefront on the ground floor to serve as a showroom warehouse for storing furniture and various parts, would require even more money.
Purchasing more property for investment might be too risky, even if her parents were willing. Their family simply might not have the funds.
Hua Jie looked worriedly. She had dreamed that once they had some money, they could invest in real estate in Shanghai or Beijing, but it seemed she was getting ahead of herself.
Planning for making money seemed too premature.
While troubled, she continued to serve the uncles and aunties coming in for quotes, selling products, collecting money, and recording transactions. In a moment, she began to flip through today’s orders, tallying the day’s income and the deposits received—
Huh?
Hmm?
Eh?
Wait a minute!
She swallowed, pulled out her keys to unlock and open the drawer, revealing stacks of banknotes inside—hundreds, fifties, and twenty-fives. Although she had arranged them neatly when she put them in, the old bills were soft and had loosened up a bit over time.
However, there was enough money that it all stayed clumped together without sprawling messily.
It seemed, upon inspection, that there was actually more money than the 100,000 yuan composed entirely of hundred-yuan notes she had previously brought back.
Her parents ran this shop, and even with hiring two saleswomen, they hadn’t spent 70,000 yuan. To her disbelief, her ledger now showed more than 80,000 yuan???
This was even considering that many orders were only partially paid for with deposits, and full payments were not yet received…
When someone else came to inquire about prices, she quickly shut the drawer, locked it diligently, and tightly wrapped the keychain around her wrist, swallowing her disbelief.
She… she hadn’t miscounted, had she?
Her cheeks flushed, she enthusiastically described Shanghai’s old western-style house decorations and home accessories to the middle-aged uncle who had come to inquire. Her voice rose with excitement involuntarily.
A middle-aged man, who had watched too many Western movies and yearned for that lifestyle, gazed at the twinkling eyes of the young cashier. Listening to her increasingly impassioned pitch, he felt an infectious burst of vitality.
It was as if he had just found several hundred yuan—thrilled and secretly delighted.
Indeed, emotions are contagious.
After their conversation, he ordered an old English-style large wooden bed, a matching living room coffee table, and two leather half-covered single sofas in the same color scheme.
“Miss, I also want a custom set of bookshelves to be embedded in the wall, along with wooden wall decorations, like in many movies, with thin dividers every few steps, reaching nearly to the ceiling with geometrical…” the middle-aged man struggled to describe his vision to Hua Jie.
Hua Jie listened attentively, sketched swiftly in her notebook, and then showed him:
“Uncle, is this what you mean?”
“Ah! Yes, yes! That’s it!” the middle-aged man exclaimed joyfully, clapping his hands.
“It can be done,” Hua Jie nodded and smiled. “But we need to measure the dimensions at your place, and the work might need to be done on-site. Would you be okay with that?”
“Of course, that’s fine.”
“Then, Uncle, leave your phone number, please. I need to discuss the pricing of this custom wall-mounted bookshelf and decorations with my father. We’ll call you to discuss further. Is that alright?” she asked.
“Certainly, you’re very clever, young lady.” Thus, the middle-aged man paid his deposit for the custom furniture, left his information, and departed happily.
The drawer that was empty in the morning was now bursting at the seams, nearly unable to contain any more money.
She locked the money away, thinking she should tell her mother soon to take the money to the Bank of China for deposit.
Her earnings were increasing so rapidly that she even considered giving up painting to join her father in business.
While she was pondering this, suddenly a kraft paper bag was slapped down on the table. Before Hua Jie could see what was inside, she already smelled the scent of money.
Looking up, she realized it was Bai Shuxin who had just arrived, and she said with a smile:
“Uncle Bai, have you come to pay the deposit?”
“Yes, count the money,” Bai Shuxin pushed the money toward the young girl.
Hua Jie took the money out of the kraft paper bag and began counting it earnestly.
As she counted, she lifted the bills up to the light to check their authenticity.
Just then, a crisp voice called out Hua Jie’s name:
“Hua Jie! What are you doing here?”
“Ah, Bai Xue senior!” Hua Jie looked up and arched an eyebrow, surprised to see it was Zhao Qinglou’s girlfriend from their school, a senior who had bought a portrait sketch from her.
Previously, when Zhao Qinglou and Shen Mo fought, senior Bai Xue had helped pull them apart.
“Dahua Furniture, it’s not owned by your family, is it?” Bai Xue stared in disbelief.
“Yes,” nodded Hua Jie.
Standing beside her, Bai Shuxin gently patted Bai Xue’s head, his touch gentle, but his words were admonishing:
“Don’t interrupt, she’s counting money.”
Hua Jie glanced at Bai Xue, then at Uncle Bai Shuxin, who looked strikingly similar and both shared the surname Bai, undoubtedly father and daughter.
She smiled at Bai Shuxin and Bai Xue, then lowered her head to continue counting the money, but… how much had she counted up to again?
She had to start over.
Today really was a day of counting money until her hands were tired…
She never thought she’d see such a day!
To enjoy this sweet hardship.
After counting the money and making sure there were no counterfeits, she crossed out “Deposit Pending” in her notebook, carefully tucked the money into the drawer, and locked it.
Bai Shuxin was ready to take his wife and daughter to a nearby restaurant for a meal, calling them out to meet here and also to take a look at the furniture he had decided on.
Now that the deposit was paid, it was time to leave.
Bai Xue curiously looked around and then turned to her father, saying:
“Dad, you and mom go ahead, I’ll play around a bit and then come.”
After her father left, Bai Xue immediately moved behind the counter, standing in front of Hua Jie to view the shop from her perspective.
“Wow, your shop is so cool! The moment I walked in, it felt like entering a super wealthy person’s home, like those others have. I really love the European-style interior and furniture in the master bedroom, but unfortunately, my dad likes dark, gloomy browns, and he calls all the shots at home.” She sighed and complained, then added:
“But I also really like that side study. Did your dad make all of this?”
Hua Jie nodded.
“That’s amazing,” Bai Xue said sincerely.
As another customer came to inquire about furniture, Bai Xue fell silent and quietly watched, her beautiful eyes sparkling with curiosity.
When the customer turned away to further examine the furniture, Bai Xue whispered:
“Hua Jie, you’re really impressive, talking like an adult.”
Just as Hua Jie was about to modestly respond, a young man walked in from outside.
With one arm cradling a small dog and the other carrying a bag of drinks, he, a tall, cool-looking, and stern young man, now seemed like a posh lady shopping on the streets of Paris with her dog.
Bai Xue was dumbfounded. She still remembered Shen Mo swinging his fists, big as sandbags, beating her boyfriend to a pulp.
He had looked fierce and murderous, enough to give her nightmares for a month, the kind that would scare a child into silence.
And now… how could he possibly have such an image?
Wasn’t the contrast too stark?
Shen Mo’s gaze swept over Bai Xue’s face briefly, then her clothing and hairstyle, confirming that this woman was not Hua Jie’s mother, then simply ignored her.
He placed a bag of juice on the table, pulled out a cup for Hua Jie, and carried the rest to look for Hua’s mother and father in other model rooms.
Huanhuan lay softly in his arms, a small creature contentedly gazing around with big eyes. Seeing Hua Jie, it merely wagged its tail, perfectly happy nestled in the man’s embrace, too lazy to make any more effort, like a little fox spirit.
Bai Xue stared in astonishment at the cup of juice, then at Shen Mo’s retreating figure, unsure whether to envy Hua Jie or to be shocked at Shen Mo’s boldness in making himself so at home in Hua Jie’s family store, acting as if he were the man of the house.
“Senior sister, would you like some juice?” Hua Jie asked shyly, holding out the juice, though there was only one cup.
“No no, Shen Mo bought it for you, I couldn’t possibly drink it,” Bai Xue turned her head, her face breaking into a gossip-filled smile. Looking around to see that no one was nearby, she lowered her head and asked softly:
“Why is he even coming to your family’s shop? And openly buying drinks for your mom and dad too, have things progressed so fast between you? Have you already met each other’s parents? Your parents are so open-minded to agree!”
She wouldn’t dare mention her own situation with Zhao Qinglou to her father.
If he found out, he would break her legs.
But then again, Zhao Qinglou, despite being tough at school, was seen as a bad example by parents.
Shen Mo was different, known to be the top of the grade.
No wonder Hua Jie’s parents approved; a top student is always the favorite of parents and teachers.
“It’s not like that, not at all.”
Listen to me, senior sister!
Hua Jie, somewhat embarrassed, smiled as she explained:
“Shen Mo is my desk mate, and his father is my art teacher, so our families know each other, but we are not in that kind of relationship.”
“…” Bai Xue pursed her lips, her face clearly saying, ‘Yeah right! Who are you trying to fool? There’s nothing to be embarrassed about admitting it. I’ve been through this; I definitely can’t be wrong!’
“Um…” Faced with Bai Xue’s highly expressive look, Hua Jie’s face turned red.
It’s not that, although she might have the inclination, the truth was certainly not as it seemed.
Shen Mo was just a young boy, handsome, charming, smart, and wise though he might be… he was still just fifteen or sixteen, a young man not yet grown.
No matter how wolf-like she might be, she couldn’t possibly make a move on him.
Moreover, as time passed since her rebirth, she increasingly identified with her 15-year-old self, feeling more and more in sync with her current age and experiencing the freshness of youth.
There was absolutely no chance of puppy love!
How could a diligent good student indulge in such a thing?
It’s better to quietly admire from afar, which is more relaxing and enjoyable.
Bai Xue smirked mischievously and turned to look at Shen Mo’s retreating figure as he walked out of the store, exclaiming:
“Shen Mo is so handsome, no wonder he became our school’s heartthrob so quickly.”
“He’s much better looking than Zhao Qinglou, truly the dream of countless young girls.”
“Look at those long legs, broad shoulders, and narrow hips, he really has a great figure.”
“There was this one time they were playing basketball, Shen Mo jumped to shoot and his shirt accidentally lifted—did you know? Your boyfriend’s abs! Wow!”
“The girls nearby were all drooling.”
Hua Jie turned her head to look at Bai Xue.
Senior sister, control yourself, aren’t you only seventeen or eighteen?!
“I definitely wasn’t drooling, I wouldn’t covet someone else’s boyfriend, and besides, things are going pretty well with Zhao Qinglou, he treats me nicely.”
Even though just now Shen Mo coolly walked over, put down the juice, and left looking too handsome… she really wasn’t drooling… not at all!
Hua Jie just smiled.
She hadn’t said anything, why had senior Bai Xue started explaining?
“Hey!” Bai Xue suddenly nudged Hua Jie with her elbow, “Have you two done that yet?”
She said, raising her hands and pointing her index fingers at each other.
Hua Jie’s face instantly turned red.
“No way? He’s really something, you two are so close and even your parents approve, and he can still hold back?” Bai Xue frowned, “Even though it’s only the first year of high school, boys mature early in that aspect, they understand by middle school.”
Hua Jie wanted to cover her senior’s mouth.
“Although he looks tough in fights, he’s actually a very, very shy boy, isn’t he?” Bai Xue suddenly raised her eyebrows, her cheeks flushing with excitement:
“Ah! In novels, this type is simply divine! Oh my gosh! Shen Mo is too perfect! Hua Jie, you have to keep him tied down, make sure no little vixens whisk him away! I’ve heard that a lot of seniors are chasing after him.”
“…”
Senior sister, your imagination is so rich, you could write novels with those thoughts!
“?” Bai Xue turned to see Hua Jie’s face flushed, staring at her with a naive expression, and asked incredulously:
“You don’t understand anything, do you?”
“Understand what?” Hua Jie gave a bitter smile.
She had lived almost thirty years and hadn’t experienced it.
Does theoretical knowledge even count as understanding?
Looking at it this way, she really knew less about certain things than senior sister Bai Xue, who had her first kiss at the age of six or seven!
“It’s very sweet,” Bai Xue patted Hua Jie on the shoulder, adding, “Young girls should date more to understand what kind of men are good and what kind are not.
“That’s what they write in novels.
“Hey, I have something perfect for you, I’ll lend it to you first to broaden your horizons, and you can return it to me after you’re done.”
With that, Bai Xue suddenly pulled out a book from the small backpack she was carrying, and stealthily slipped it under Hua Jie’s drawing board.
Then, without waiting for any reaction from Hua Jie, she waved and ran off to have dinner with her parents.
“…” Hua Jie waved back woodenly, unable to help but reflect: Real young girls are truly wonderful, brimming with an infectious, fearless enthusiasm.
With that thought, she pulled out the book Bai Xue had tucked under her drawing board.
Turning it over, it wasn’t a Taiwanese romance novel by authors like Xi Juan, Yu Qing, or Zuo Qingwen, but a manga.
She focused on the cover: “Sakura Diaries.”
“??!!!”
Hua Jie was startled and quickly pressed the manga under her drawing board, then sneaked it into her backpack when no one was looking, securely hiding it.
It was a manga that served as a sexual awakening for many young boys and girls of that generation!
And it’s distinctly from a male perspective.
The female protagonist in the story chases after the male lead in various ways, like stripping and throwing herself into his arms, or letting him touch her chest—essentially using every trick in the book to offer herself to him.
Bai Xue actually recommended such a risqué comic to her?!
Senior sister, what exactly are you trying to do?
She absolutely refuses to read such inappropriate comics with questionable morals!