HLnovel Chapter 18 It's better to have your own store when doing business.
Chapter 18 It's better to have your own store when doing business.
The next day, the family of five went to school. Wenjing and Wenxin walked in front, filled with curiosity and anticipation for their new school. Deng Xiuzhen walked behind, holding Wenyu's hand and walking alongside Qin Yanlin.
The school gate was packed with people. A few of us weaved through the crowd to the conference room. Yesterday, the clerk had instructed us that new students should first register and complete the formalities at the conference room today, and then each class's homeroom teacher would lead their students away.
Qin Yanlin and his family arrived early, but they didn't expect that there were many people who had arrived even earlier than them; the entrance to the conference room was already crowded with people.
The paperwork didn't begin until 8:30. By the time Qin Yanlin finished processing the paperwork for all three children, it was already past 9:00. It wasn't until the teachers took the children away that 10:30.
The two planned to go to their second aunt's place to ask about buying a shop, then buy groceries and cook dinner. Just as they reached the door, they saw a familiar face—Yuan Qiwen.
Fortunately, Yuan Qiwen was talking to someone with his head turned to the side and didn't look this way.
But it was coming this way.
The two looked around and saw that there were two doors in the conference room. One door had just been closed and locked by the staff. By the time they got there, it would probably be locked again, and Yuan Qiwen should be coming in soon.
The other door was the one they were about to use to leave, and Yuan Qiwen was walking towards them.
Leaving is impossible, but if we don't leave, it will be troublesome if Yuan Qiwen sees us.
The two quickly retreated to the wall and hid in a room filled with clutter. They quickly closed the door and listened to the sounds outside.
Thinking that Yuan Qiwen might be here to see the new students enroll, and now that the children have been taken away by the teachers, they should leave soon.
To everyone's surprise, they not only didn't leave, but instead started a serious meeting.
The meeting was to discuss an incident that happened at school yesterday: a student was being naughty and not doing his homework, so the teacher slapped his palm. Surprisingly, the teacher used one of those old bamboo rulers, which left the child's hand bright red. Last night, the child not only had red marks but also kept crying out in pain when he got home.
The parents were immediately furious and called the school leaders demanding an explanation.
This morning I filed another complaint with the Education Bureau, saying that the teacher abused students and must be severely punished, otherwise I will file a complaint with the city!
So the bureau sent Yuan Qiwen and his team to handle it.
Soon, two viewpoints emerged among the attendees. One side believed the teacher was not wrong. Everyone had read the Three Character Classic, which states, "If a child is not taught, it is the father's fault; if the teaching is not strict, it is the teacher's laziness." Teachers should be strict when educating children. If even spanking is not enough for those unruly and completely disobedient children, how can such children be educated?
One argument is that children are the future of the country and the apple of their parents' eyes. Hitting someone else's child will definitely cause resentment. Put yourself in their shoes; if your child were hit, wouldn't you feel heartbroken? As teachers, we cannot treat children harshly. We must influence them with loving hearts and persuade them with gentle words.
Some people say that children are also human beings and have human rights, and that hitting children violates their human rights.
The meeting lasted for an hour or so, but the two viewpoints still could not be reconciled.
However, Qin Yanlin and Deng Xiuzhen shared the same idea: When we made mistakes at school as children, didn't we get our hands slapped? Even if they were swollen, we didn't dare to say anything when we got home, otherwise our parents would beat us again.
Why is this even a topic of discussion now? And why punish the teacher? Does this mean they want their children to be left unattended in the future? Do they want their children to fly to the heavens?
The school's handling of the situation is none of their business. What they need to do now is quickly buy groceries, go home, and cook, because the children will be out of school soon.
But when the meeting ended and everyone else left, Yuan Qiwen and one other person stayed behind. The two whispered to each other, and it was hard to hear what they were saying, but we could hear them talking about an old man.
After everyone had finally left, Qin Yanlin and Deng Xiuzhen quickly came out and ran towards the school gate, hiding as if afraid of running into Yuan Qiwen.
"Hey, what are you doing here?" Someone patted Deng Xiuzhen on the shoulder not far from the school gate.
Deng Xiuzhen was startled, fearing it might be Yuan Qiwen. But when she turned around, she saw Liu Xiaozhen, who had brought Qin Wenyu home—her benefactor! She greeted her warmly and called out to Qin Yanlin.
Qin Yanlin was very excited to see Song Qinghua and Liu Xiaozhen when he came over, and repeatedly thanked them.
The two waved their hands and said it was alright. They then asked why Qin Yanlin and Deng Xiuzhen were there.
Qin Yanlin told them that he had moved his whole family to the city and that his children had transferred to the Third Primary School.
Upon learning that they were also out buying groceries, Qin Yanlin warmly invited them to his home for a meal.
The two didn't refuse much, but they bought some groceries with their own money and went to Qin Yanlin's house together, saying that it was rare for them to cook, so it would be nice to have a meal together.
The children returned quickly. Song Qinghua and Liu Xiaozhen greeted Qin Wenyu warmly, and Wenyu was also very friendly with them.
Deng Xiuzhen and Liu Xiaozhen cooked the meal, with the help of Qin Yanlin and Song Qinghua, and it was ready quickly.
There were many people, the food was plentiful, and Qin Yanlin even bought some wine.
After the children finished eating, they went to rest. Qin Yanlin and Song Qinghua were still drinking, while Liu Xiaozhen and Deng Xiuzhen kept them company. The more they talked, the more they hit it off, as if they had known each other for a long time.
In particular, when Qin Yanlin and Deng Xiuzhen mentioned their plans to start their own business instead of working for others, Song Qinghua clapped his hands in agreement, stood up and said loudly, "I don't have any capital, but if I did, I would buy a shop and start my own business."
"Now many factories are starting to go bankrupt, so business must be tough, right?" Deng Xiuzhen recalled that the wave of layoffs in her previous life seemed to have started in 93, and after that, the layoffs became uncontrollable.
"Let me tell you a secret, I got word that this factory collapse is just the beginning. More factories will collapse soon, not just the small ones, even the big state-owned enterprises. People who used to have a stable monthly salary will soon be crying their eyes out." Song Qinghua took a sip of his drink, slurped it down, and continued, "You guys, if you want to do business, do it early. Don't wait until everyone's been laid off and there are too many people wanting to start a business, then it will be too late."
"But everyone has been laid off, and no one has any income or money. Who will buy our products?" Qin Yanlin's face was flushed from drinking, and he was somewhat drunk, but his mind was still clear.
"That's really not a problem. It's not that those who consume a lot of money are farmers or workers who earn wages. As for who they are, you can figure it out yourself."
"I told you, those farmers and workers with little income still need to buy things, don't they? Hehehe," Song Qinghua laughed, raising his wine glass to Qin Yanlin.
Qin Yanlin clinked glasses with him and said, "So what kind of business do you think would be good?"
“Well, you can do any business. For example, I can make money selling snacks, though not much. And those people selling clothes and small commodities at the alley entrance, aren’t they all making money? And look at those selling big items, they make a fortune! But…” Song Qinghua paused and then ate with Qin Yanlin again.
Deng Xiuzhen listened attentively. She thought Song Qinghua was quite capable; after all, at that time, most people wouldn't have known about the impending wave of layoffs, with so many people losing their jobs at once. Not only was his information early and accurate, but Song Qinghua also had insightful thinking.
"But what? Brother Song, you'd better give me some pointers." Qin Yanlin raised his glass to Song Qinghua again.
"Don't overthink it. I'm not one to keep secrets from my friends. What I mean is, no matter what business you're in, you still need to buy a storefront. Otherwise, you can only set up a stall. How big of a business can you do with a stall? And you can't do business if the weather changes. Like us, it's drizzling today, so we have to pack up and pack up, otherwise we'll get soaked."
"Renting a storefront is expensive, and you never know when someone will raise their rent. Not only will you have to give up a portion of your profits, but you also have to worry about others raising their prices or refusing to rent to you," Song Qinghua explained.
"Do you know where I can buy it?" Qin Yanlin asked.
"You want to buy a store?" Song Qinghua paused, staring wide-eyed at Qin Yanlin.
"After listening to what Brother Song said, I think you're right. Buying a storefront is a safer bet when doing business."
"The stores aren't cheap. I've inquired about them many times, but unfortunately I don't have the money, so I always give up." Song Qinghua shook his head and sighed, lamenting his bad luck and his inability to seize opportunities to make money.
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