ebookslot Chapter 217: I'm laying my cards on the table, I'm not pretending anymore.
Chapter 217: I'm laying my cards on the table, I'm not pretending anymore.
The money has been transferred, the contract has been signed, and all that's left is to go through the procedures and get the necessary documents.
The transfer of an internet cafe involves fire safety, cultural affairs, business registration, and taxation, requiring a whole host of stamps.
That evening, Song Huan stacked the materials together, clipped them together, and placed them on the table.
He leaned back in his chair, thought for a moment, went to the living room, picked up the phone, and dialed Xiao Yunqing's number.
"Go back and tell your dad that he might need to put in a good word for you with the paperwork at the internet cafe."
Xiao Yunqing responded with an "Mmm" on the other end of the phone.
"Anything else?"
"That's all," Song Huan said.
"Okay, I'll go talk to my dad."
Xiao Yunqing is dead.
That evening, Xiao Haifeng returned home early, which was unusual for him.
Since the last case, Xiao Haifeng's status in the bureau has risen sharply, and he is expected to be promoted to bureau chief soon.
He took off his police uniform and hung it on a hanger. Wearing a gray wool sweater, he sat on the sofa, picked up the remote control, and was about to turn on the TV.
Xiao Yunqing ran out of the room, plopped down next to him, and took his arm.
"Dad, I need to tell you something."
Xiao Haifeng put down the remote control, looked at her, and asked, "What is it?"
Xiao Yunqing recounted how Song Huan bought the internet cafe.
As Xiao Haifeng listened, his expression changed from calm to surprise, and from surprise to disbelief.
"Where did he get so much money?" Xu Wan also poked her head out from the kitchen, holding a spatula in her hand.
Xiao Yunqing proudly raised her chin, "I made money selling food cards and running a food alliance."
Xu Wan paused for a moment, put down the spatula, and walked out.
"Was he the one who started that food alliance at No. 1 High School?"
Xiao Yunqing's eyes lit up. "Mom, you know about this too?"
Xu Wan sat down on the sofa and looked at Xiao Haifeng. "The bureau had discussed it before, saying that a student from No. 1 Middle School had started some kind of food alliance. We were wondering if we should stop it."
Xiao Yunqing grew anxious and grabbed Xu Wan's hand, "Mom, you have to support me!"
Xu Wan was both amused and exasperated. "It was all his doing, how could I not support him? But the department is still a little worried about a high school student causing such a commotion."
Xiao Haifeng leaned back on the sofa and tapped his fingers twice on the armrest.
"I'll talk to my colleagues another day and give him the green light if there are no problems with the program, as a way of supporting his startup."
Xiao Yunqing jumped up from the sofa with joy, bent down and kissed Xiao Haifeng on the cheek, then ran to Xu Wan and kissed her on the cheek as well.
"Mom and Dad, you're the best!"
Xu Wan and Xiao Haifeng exchanged a glance, both of them finding it both funny and exasperating.
This girl...
Xiao Haifeng touched his kissed face and smiled.
Xu Wan stood up, walked back to the kitchen, picked up the spatula, and stir-fried the food a couple of times.
She thought to herself, the more capable Song Huan is, the more at ease she feels.
At least Xiao Yunqing's future will not be bad.
Why am I even thinking about the future?
Xu Wan shook her head.
……
Meanwhile, at Song Huan's home, the family of three sat around the dining table.
Zhang Xuejuan picked up a piece of pork rib and placed it in Song Wentao's bowl, muttering to herself.
"Pork prices have gone up again, and the butcher even said they'll go up again after the Lunar New Year."
Song Wentao nodded, ate the ribs, and picked up another piece. "The vegetables are cheap, spinach is only one yuan a bunch."
Zhang Xuejuan said anxiously, "Can spinach be compared to meat?"
Song Wentao smiled but didn't reply.
Song Huan sat opposite them, looking at her parents.
It's strange, really. Song Wentao, a graduate of a top-tier university, actually listened to Zhang Xuejuan, a woman with only a junior high school education, discussing which vegetables were expensive and which were cheap at the market.
It is said that Song Wentao and Zhang Xuejuan were junior high school classmates, both attending junior high school in the same county.
Later, both Song Wentao and Zhang Xuejuan were admitted to high school, but Song Wentao's grades were better.
However, his grandparents didn't have the money at the time, so they didn't plan to send him to school.
Zhang Xuejuan's family wouldn't let her go to school, so she simply went out to work, saving some of the money and sending the rest to Song Wentao for tuition.
Song Wentao finished high school with many stumbles along the way.
Even half of the cost of studying at Sun Yat-sen University in Guangzhou was covered by Zhang Xuejuan's hard work in the textile factory.
Later, I took the civil service exam and entered the officialdom, where I was fortunate enough to be promoted by my superiors...
Song Wentao did not disappoint Zhang Xuejuan; after his career stabilized, he married her.
Maybe this is love.
Song Huan thought to herself.
He stood up, picked up his chopsticks, took a piece of pork rib and put it in Song Wentao's bowl, then took another piece and put it in Zhang Xuejuan's bowl.
The two of them stopped eating at the same time and turned to look at him.
Zhang Xuejuan narrowed her eyes.
Song Wentao frowned.
"Have you gotten into trouble again?" the two asked in unison.
Song Huan was both amused and exasperated.
"Dad, Mom, can't I even show my filial piety?"
Song Wentao and Zhang Xuejuan exchanged a glance.
They knew this kid's temperament all too well; he wouldn't do anything without a reason.
I usually have to call him three times to get him to eat, so his sudden attentiveness today is definitely suspicious.
"Mom and Dad, you're overthinking it."
Song Huan sat down, picked up a soup spoon, and ladled a bowl of soup for Song Wentao and another for Zhang Xuejuan.
"I'm just growing up and realizing that you're getting old. Mom has more wrinkles, and Dad's hair is turning white. I feel sentimental and want to be there for you all."
His voice lowered, trembling slightly, "I fear that I may wish to care for my parents, but they will no longer be there."
Zhang Xuejuan's eyes instantly reddened.
She reached out and patted Song Huan's head. "Huanhuan has grown up."
Song Wentao nodded, picked up the soup bowl, and brought it to his lips.
He was also moved.
Song Huan's words came from the bottom of her heart.
In his previous life, when he was a senior in college, he was naive and impulsive. He took 250,000 yuan from his family to start a business, which he then squandered.
However, Song Wentao and Zhang Xuejuan did not blame him too much. Instead, they encouraged him to come back and take the civil service exam, which would make it easier to find him a job later.
But Song Huan wouldn't have it either.
At that time, he was focused on making money to earn enough for a dowry of 88 yuan to marry Lin Yue, but he neglected the fact that his parents were even more upset and worried than he was.
Song Wentao brought the soup bowl to his lips, about to drink it.
Song Huan changed the subject, saying with a grin, "But I do have some things I need your help with."
"puff!"
Song Wentao spat out a mouthful of soup.
Soup spilled on the table.
Zhang Xuejuan quickly grabbed some tissues to wipe the table, then handed one to Song Wentao to wipe his mouth.
She glared at Song Huan. "Can't you just finish your sentence in one go?"
Song Huan chuckled.
"Speak, what is it?" Song Wentao wiped his mouth and leaned back in his chair.
Song Huan put down her chopsticks and sat up straight.
"I started a business, created a food alliance, and made some money. Then I used the money to take over an internet cafe."
The tissue in Zhang Xuejuan's hand fell onto the table.
Her eyes widened as she stared at Song Huan, her mouth agape. "You're the student in the newspaper?"
Song Huan nodded.
My face was all smiles, like I was asking my mom to praise me.
Zhang Xuejuan was stunned for several seconds, then suddenly slammed her hand on the table.
"What's the point of earning this little bit of money if you don't study hard? If you don't get into a good university, your life will be ruined!"
Song Wentao sat beside him without saying a word.
But he was thinking about something else entirely.
[If only I had asked for more money that day, I could have gotten a better car later.]
Song Huan's lips twitched slightly.
Dad, can you please stop being so cunning!
Song Huan was too lazy to argue with her mother and turned to look at Song Wentao.
This is the true intellectual.
Song Wentao picked up his teacup, took a sip, and put it down.
"Making money is a good thing; it shows you're capable."
He looked at Song Huan, his tone softening, "But you can't neglect your studies. Learning isn't just about gaining knowledge, but also about gaining experience and knowledge. No matter what job you do in the future, or if you continue to start your own business, these are indispensable."
Song Huan immediately nodded like a chick pecking at rice, "Dad is right, Dad is absolutely right."
He leaned forward slightly. "Dad, there's something else. Could you talk to the district and ask them to look after my newly opened shop? Don't let them come to inspect the fire safety every now and then."
Song Wentao waved his hand, everything was understood without words.
Song Huan chuckled, thinking, "This is it."
Zhang Xuejuan sat beside them, watching the father and son sing in unison. She opened her mouth as if to say something, but then swallowed it back.
She was torn between making money and studying.
In fact, this is a question that is unclear not only for her generation, but also for twenty years to come.
She sighed, picked up her chopsticks, took a piece of pork rib, and placed it in Song Huan's bowl.
"Eat."
Song Huan looked down at the piece of pork rib in her bowl, smiled, picked it up, and put it in her mouth.