msmithbooks Chapter 173 Was it a coincidence?
Chapter 173 Was it a coincidence?
Chapter 173 Was it a coincidence?
Knowing her habit of only contacting him when she needed something, Yu Huan calmly typed a three-word reply: 'And then?'
"It's so late at night, I'm all scared being alone. Brother Huan, come pick me up!"
Upon seeing this news, Yu Huan couldn't help but shudder.
Having not seen her for so long, I should indeed pick her up at the airport myself, but to be honest, my little cousin is really not as important as my first wife, right?
The first wife finally made it back to Xingcheng, and who knows what tomorrow will bring, so naturally I have to accompany her to the very end!
Yu Chengcheng is the kind of kid who gets disliked by everyone after just three days at home. But when she comes back to China, she stays for at least half a month, so there are plenty of opportunities to play with her.
Yu Huan suddenly turned her head away.
In an instant.
Yu Songnian, who was standing behind him, suddenly straightened up and stood still, his eyes fixed straight ahead.
Yu Huan had long since noticed that this guy was spying on her from behind, so she went straight to the point and suggested, "Why don't you go? After you pick her up, you can go back to the village on the way."
Yu Songnian scratched his forehead: "But the university hasn't started winter break yet, and my uncle and the others are still in Tancheng and haven't come back. Isn't there no one at Sister Cheng's house right now?"
"We can bring her to your house for a few days and then we'll talk about it," Yu Huan said, making the decision with a wave of her hand.
“That works too.” Yu Songnian nodded.
Yu Huan didn't say she wouldn't go, and replied to Yu Chengcheng with high emotional intelligence: 'Don't worry, at least one of us, Song Nian and I, will be at the airport at 9 PM tomorrow night to warmly welcome the New York tycoon to Xingcheng for her work guidance.'
"Isn't Songnian living in our hometown? I need to go straight to Xingcheng. I've made plans to hang out with my classmates for a few days until my mom gets back."
See this.
Yu Huan didn't say anything else, but simply replied to Yu Chengcheng: "He hasn't been living in his hometown recently, he's been in Xingcheng."
"Okay." Yu Chengcheng replied simply with one word.
"Then I'll take my leave now, and contact you again later."
Yu Huan was about to exit WeChat when she suddenly remembered the most important matter, so she quickly sent another message to remind her:
Don't forget my phone and SIM card!
'How could I forget Brother Huan's instructions?'
Yu Huan chuckled softly and glanced up casually, only to see Xu Qian already hailing a taxi.
So he hurriedly followed Yu Songnian, taking steps while his fingers flew across the screen:
"I can't chat with you any longer, I have things to do. Have a safe trip, Orange."
'okk.'
Yu Huan sat in the front passenger seat of the taxi, put her phone in her pocket, and turned to the taxi driver, saying, "Driver, to Xiangchun Road."
"okay!"
The taxi driver responded and then slowly pressed the accelerator, and the vehicle smoothly drove away from the curb.
Yu Songnian, sitting in the right rear seat with his hands gripping the guardrail, excitedly said to Yu Huan in front of him, "This year's Spring Festival is so lively! Huan-ge, Sister Chengzi is back from her winter vacation!"
Catching the first sentence in his ear, Yu Huan turned around and looked at him speechlessly, asking, "Song Nian, do you think Americans celebrate the Spring Festival?"
"But?" Yu Songnian asked, his face full of doubt.
Xu Qian chimed in, "Doesn't the US have Chinatown?"
Yu Huan sighed: "American schools have winter break to celebrate Christmas. The Orange people left long before the Spring Festival."
"Oh, I see." Yu Songnian's tone was full of regret.
These three are considered to get along quite well among siblings.
The Spring Festival activities during my childhood usually involved teaming up to blast fish and cow dung with detonators, setting fire to dry grass in the fields, and stealing chickens from home to roast and eat in the wild.
Yu Songnian caught and killed a chicken.
Yu Chengcheng boiled water and plucked the feathers.
Yu Huan built an earthen kiln.
The division of labor was extremely clear.
The older I get, the less fun it is to celebrate the Lunar New Year.
The journey from the Public Security Bureau to Xiangchun Road wasn't far, less than a ten-minute drive. Yu Huan gazed at the scenery outside the car window, lost in thought.
In the blink of an eye, the vehicle had already stopped next to the shop.
As the driver stepped on the brakes, the vehicle jerked violently.
Yu Huan snapped out of her daze and quickly took out her wallet from her pocket, ready to pay.
"Brother Huan, let me pay." Yu Songnian held a twenty-yuan bill between two fingers, reached over the guardrail, and extended it to the driver's side.
"Row."
Seeing this, Yu Huan didn't stand on ceremony with him: "I'll go to the bank to withdraw cash first, so I can get my salary paid."
After saying that, he pushed open the car door and got out.
"Take care, Mr. Yu~" Yu Songnian called out jokingly from inside the car.
His strange accent was like that of a young eunuch.
Yu Huan smiled and shook her head, then lightly took a few steps away.
There is a China Construction Bank less than 200 meters away from the shops, and you don't even need to cross the road.
Yu Huan walked quickly to and from the ATM, withdrew the money, and returned. The whole process took less than ten minutes.
When he pushed open the shop door and went inside, he was greeted by a scene of utter chaos, with most of the tables, chairs, and benches lying over in disarray.
On a table by the window, Xu Qian had already prepared the contract and health certificate, which were neatly arranged on the table.
Yu Songnian and Xu Hui stood with their hands on their hips to one side. The rustling sound of Yu Huan stepping on broken glass echoed in the quiet shop.
Zhou Jianlin, who was sitting with his back to the door, turned around when he heard the noise. When he saw that it was Yu Huan, his face immediately lit up with a fawning smile: "Boss Yu, congratulations! You're about to become a recipient of demolition compensation!"
Upon hearing this, He Xiaoqin also hurriedly turned her head to look.
Yu Huan strode to the table and looked down at Zhou Jianlin.
Noticing his thinning hair, she jokingly said, "Auntie and Uncle, are you afraid I'll run away? You came here so early in the morning to ask for your wages."
He Xiaoqin smiled so hard her eyes narrowed into slits, her crow's feet deepening into deep wrinkles: "Boss Yu, it's not easy for us laborers to earn a living."
“That’s right.” Yu Huan nodded in deep agreement.
However, if someone acts one way in public and another way in private, and then shows a bad attitude towards his little brother, it can be quite unpleasant.
He pulled out a chair, sat down, unzipped his coat, took out a wad of red banknotes from his inner pocket, and placed them on the table.
"We officially opened for business on the 6th of this month, and it's been 23 days as of yesterday. Your salary is 1800 yuan per month, which is 60 yuan per day, totaling 1380 yuan."
Yu Huan paused, tapping her fingertips lightly on the table, and said with a smile:
"Alright then, since everyone's in high spirits, I'll give you all 1,500 each. It's settled then, both parties agree, sign and seal the document, and the labor contract is terminated."
Zhou Jianlin immediately clasped his hands in thanks: "Thank you, Boss Yu!"
He Xiaoqin quickly echoed this sentiment.
They initially thought that even if the small business owner didn't run away, he would still reluctantly delay paying wages.
After settling things with the two people, Yu Huan politely let them take their health certificates and go home.
Next, he began to count out twenty red bills for Xu Qian, which would be her entire month's salary.
While counting the money, he said to Xu Qian, "Qianqian, keep your contract with Xu Hui for now."
"Huh?" Xu Qian looked confused.
Yu Huan looked up at her and explained with a smile, "Those two people don't understand the policy. When shops are demolished, the expropriation department usually provides employees with extra compensation for their wages."
Yu Songnian pulled out a chair and sat down next to Yu Huan, asking in a low voice, "Is that so?"
"You think I'm joking?" Yu Huan counted out the money and handed it to Xu Qian.
Yu Songnian chuckled and teased, "Brother Huan, you're starting to look like you're hiding a knife behind your smile."
Yu Huan turned to look at Yu Songnian's fleshy face: "What do you mean by 'smiling with a knife hidden in one's mouth'? I'm just thick-skinned and ruthless!"
"Thick-skinned and black-hearted?"
"You're shameless and heartless!" Yu Huan turned around and saw Xu Qian waving her hand at him, refusing to take the money. He joked, "Qianqian, why don't you want your salary? Is it because you think it's too little?"
“How could that be! Brother Huan, Xu Hui already talked to me about what you told him to do last night. In addition to the five thousand you gave Xu Hui, we have a total of more than twenty-nine thousand yuan in our account these past few days.”
Xu Qian shook her head and continued:
"So, I won't take the salary. We'll settle the gas and water bills later, and give you an extra six thousand yuan for rent. Brother Huan, this is just a token of my gratitude. I'm very grateful that you value him so much!"
Xu Hui walked to the side, placed his hands on the table, and nodded firmly: "Yes, Brother Huan."
Yu Songnian looked at Xu Qian with a blank expression, and asked curiously, "Qianqian, what did Brother Huan tell Xu Hui?"
"One yard owned by a yard."
Yu Huan resolutely pushed the red bills onto Xu Qian's table, then turned to Yu Songnian and explained:
“Your sister-in-law wants to invest in opening a restaurant next year and needs to hire someone who is both trustworthy and a good cook to manage the kitchen, so I approached Xu Hui.”
"Oh." Yu Songnian scratched his head, still looking confused.
Seeing Xu Qian trying to push the money back, Yu Huan stood up, pressed down on the stack of banknotes, and said with a smile, "Qianqian, you keep your salary. The gas and water bills will be deducted from Xu Hui's education fund, understand?"
He emphasized the words "Academic Fund".
Nearly 30,000 yuan was spent, and after paying for gas and water, it was at least 20,000 yuan. In this day and age, that's no small sum.
Xu Hui, that simpleton, I hope his family doesn't take all his money as soon as he gets home.
Xu Qian wasn't a naive girl, and immediately replied, "I'll settle the accounts clearly and then deposit all the money into his bank card. Huan-ge, I'll make sure he uses this money for good!"
“I don’t smoke or drink, and I don’t have many expenses, so where else can I spend this money?” Xu Hui plopped down next to his older sister, feeling utterly exhausted.
Yu Huan stood there and looked around. The restaurant had been vandalized and was simply unbearable to look at.
You could see that there were still some people eating at the time, but Yang Pangzi and his beasts spilled all the soup and water on the ground.
Yu Huan, however, bluntly instructed, "You guys, once the price bureau comes and assesses the damage, if you have time, come and help me clean up the shop."
While compensation for losses due to production and business closures is unlikely, it's still possible to secure funds for store renovations and equipment relocation and replacement.
“No problem, Huan-ge.” Yu Songnian was the first to agree.
Thanks to Brother Huan, he was able to earn 30,000 yuan.
For at least the entire year of 2012, he had to follow Huan Ge's lead.
The two siblings quickly responded.
Xu Qian turned to look at the wall clock and said, "Brother Huan, there are still a lot of dishes left at the restaurant. How about we have lunch at the place Songnian and I rent?"
Yu Songnian raised an eyebrow: "Yeah, Brother Huan, you've never even visited my little place."
"Sure." Yu Huan nodded, then a thought flashed through his mind, and he suddenly asked curiously, "Is one of the toilet stalls blocked?"
Yu Songnian clapped his hands and laughed, "Yes, it's been blocked for two days. The cleaning lady was unwilling to do it. I was just about to contact someone to unclog the toilet when Fatty Yang and his gang came knocking on the door."
"Isn't that a coincidence?" Yu Huanle laughed.
Everyone looked at each other and burst into laughter.
(End of this chapter)