Qiao Wanqing bought a sturdy wooden table and placed it in the only room of the vegetarian restaurant.

Though it made the space a bit cramped, it would still suffice for Mr. Gu to use as an office.

The room’s window faced a view of the rolling hills, providing a wide and open vista, which should be a pleasant environment for working.

Gu Yanqing was surprised at how efficient Qiao Wanqing was.

Watching Kouko excitedly crawl over the table, he remarked, “With this level of efficiency, you’d be promoted and getting a raise if this were a job.”

Qiao Wanqing thought to herself, “I’m only this diligent because it’s for you. If it were anyone else, I wouldn’t be nearly as enthusiastic.”

Of course, she kept these thoughts to herself, not wanting to let Gu Yanqing get too smug.

“Promoted and getting a raise, huh? Does Mr. Gu want to make me CEO and marry me off to a rich and handsome man?”

Gu Yanqing gave her a playful look, “How about becoming the CEO’s wife and marrying a rich and handsome man?”

Qiao Wanqing had intended to tease him but ended up being teased instead.

Unable to come up with a retort, she could only respond, “Keep dreaming.”

Gu Yanqing wasn’t going to let her off easily. “I just said becoming the CEO’s wife and marrying a rich and handsome man. I didn’t specify it was me. Did Miss Qiao automatically assume it was me?”

“…Maybe I haven’t bantered with him enough lately, and now he’s getting cocky,” Qiao Wanqing thought.

She glared at him and said, “I originally assumed it was you, but now that you’ve put it that way, you’ve broadened my horizons. I’ll go on a dating site soon to see if any rich and handsome men want me to become their CEO’s wife.”

Gu Yanqing found her flustered reaction oddly cute and was about to smooth things over when they heard Kouko laughing.

Both of them had a bad feeling and turned to look.

Sure enough, they saw Kouko playing on the desk, having drawn a little map on what was supposed to be a “first gift” from his mom to his dad.

—Kouko had just had his diaper changed and hadn’t yet been put in a new one.

“You little rascal,” Gu Yanqing said as he scooped up Kouko, who had just interrupted their moment.

He gave Kouko’s soft little bottom a playful squeeze as a punishment. “So much pee, huh?”

Koko, completely unaware that his dad was annoyed, leaned in with a silly grin, “Daddy, kiss.”

Gu Yanqing put on a stern face, “No kisses.”

“Kiss, kiss~” Kouko wasn’t afraid and continued to plead for a kiss.

Gu Yanqing refused to kiss him, curious to see what Kouko would do.

After a bit of cute pleading and pouting without any response from his dad, Kouko turned to his mom, who was fetching a pair of pants and a diaper for him. “Mommy, hold me.”

He kicked his little feet, signaling that he wanted out of his dad’s arms, clearly showing his displeasure with his dad.

“You little smart cookie,” Gu Yanqing chuckled, tightening his hold to prevent Kouko from slipping out and leaned in to kiss his chubby cheek.

But Kouko was already upset.

He turned his face away, refusing the kiss, and wriggled in his dad’s arms to get to his mom.

Qiao Wanqing took him and started putting on his pants.

Despite Gu Yanqing’s attempts to play with him, Kouko buried his head in his mom’s chest, ignoring his dad.

Seeing Gu Yanqing flustered, Qiao Wanqing teased, “This is what happens when you bring it on yourself.”

After a while of playful banter, Qiao Wanqing went out to wash vegetables as they were expecting customers soon.

With the great start from the first day, the second day’s customer turnout and revenue doubled.

They were so short-handed that even Uncle and Auntie had to step in to help serve and clear tables.

Their vegetarian restaurant offered great value, with a wide variety of delicious dishes for just 23 yuan per meal.

Once word got out about the quality and affordability, more people flocked to their restaurant.

The third day saw slightly fewer customers than the second, but it was still very good.

Over the three days, Qiao Wanqing earned nearly 20,000 yuan, making her feel like she was on her way to achieving great success.

However, reality dealt her a harsh blow on the fourth day as the number of customers sharply decreased.

Although she had anticipated this, seeing the previously bustling restaurant, which had customers waiting for seats just the day before, suddenly become quiet left Qiao Wanqing a bit disappointed.

To make matters worse, Gu Yanqing had to return home the previous day due to some family matters and wouldn’t be able to come back for about a week.

When she didn’t like him as much, it didn’t bother her.

But now, with her budding feelings, Qiao Wanqing found herself missing him terribly.

Even when she saw a beautiful wildflower on the road, she couldn’t help but want to take a picture and share it with him.

So this is what being in love feels like?

Unfortunately, Gu Yanqing seemed quite busy on his end.

He only replied to her messages in the evenings, with brief video calls, and his phone remained silent the rest of the time.

Qiao Wanqing, too, was mostly occupied with work, rarely having time to check her phone.

During her free moments, she held meetings with the staff to summarize the experiences and improvements needed from the past three days to better manage the restaurant.

Thankfully, her uncle and aunt took over the responsibilities at home, leaving her with one less thing to worry about.

All she had to do was occasionally mix Koko’s urine into the organic fertilizer.

One day, when she finally had some leisure time, there happened to be a market in town.

Qiao Wanqing decided to go shopping for a few things.

She carried Kouko, who was now quite big, making it a bit of a struggle to carry him while shopping.

As they walked, she teased him, “Mommy is finding it harder and harder to carry Kouko.

What should we do?”

Kouko, who was playing with the necklace that Gu Yanqing had given her, wiggled his butt and tried to get down from her arms, saying, “Kouko walk.”

“You want to walk by yourself?” Qiao Wanqing laughed, seeing how sensible he was. “But what if you walk too slowly?”

This question stumped Kouko.

He tilted his head, thought for a while, and then said, “Kouko… crawl.”

“Crawl, huh?” Qiao Wanqing was amused by his logic. “If you can’t walk fast, you crawl. You’re so clever, baby.”

However, Kouko really was quite fast when he crawled.

Perhaps it was because, back when he could only crawl and didn’t have a walker, he often had to chase after Huang?

“Kouko crawl… crawl… fast!” Kouko managed to convey his thoughts with some difficulty.

Qiao Wanqing kissed him and said, “Yes, Kouko crawls very fast. Mommy can’t even keep up.”

“Excuse me, ma’am. May I take a few minutes of your time? Do you shop online?”

Just as Qiao Wanqing and Kouko were having a pleasant chat, a young girl approached them.

It was clear she was a salesperson.

Qiao Wanqing noticed a temporary sunshade tent set up by the roadside with a few tables underneath.

Other young women dressed similarly were sitting there, likely promoting mobile telecom packages.

Out of politeness, Qiao Wanqing stopped and said, “Occasionally. What’s this about?”

“It’s like this,” the young girl said, her face lighting up with a smile, likely relieved to find someone willing to listen after numerous rejections. “Our company, in collaboration with the county government and Linhe Vocational High School, is launching a rural e-commerce support program. The goal is to help local farmers and producers in Linhe County and surrounding towns use Taobao to sell their products nationwide and create a brand for Linhe County’s agricultural products. Would you be interested in participating?”

If this had been six months ago, when Qiao Wanqing had just started growing vegetables and had no market for them, she would have eagerly signed up for such a program.

After all, she had always wanted to open an online store to sell dried fruits and vegetables.

But now… managing the vegetarian restaurant had drained all her energy.

She had no time or mental space to think about starting a Taobao store.

Moreover, after researching the requirements herself, Qiao Wanqing realized how difficult and time-consuming it would be to build a Taobao store from scratch.

It required significant investment of both money and effort, and success was largely dependent on luck.

So, Qiao Wanqing happily chose to abandon the idea.

Suddenly, the world seemed brighter.

Seeing her indifference, the young girl persisted, “Our project is linked to the county’s poverty alleviation program, which includes the distribution of subsidy funds. It won’t just stop midway. We’ve prepared a series of training courses and invited top Taobao sellers and executives from e-commerce companies to share their expertise. As long as you are determined, we’ll guide you step by step. Our goal is to transform Linhe County into an e-commerce hub, where every household understands e-commerce and everyone can lift themselves out of poverty through it.”

“…” She had her pitch down pat.

“Um, I’ll think about it,” Qiao Wanqing said, trying to make her escape.

The young girl’s eyes lit up, “That’s fine, miss. Just scan this QR code to follow our project’s public account. Here’s a brochure about the project. Take it home, read it, and if you’re interested, you can contact us via the phone number or WeChat listed, or sign up directly through our WeChat public account.”

Unable to refuse the enthusiastic offer, Qiao Wanqing scanned the QR code and followed their WeChat public account.

She also took the brochure, promising to consider it, and finally managed to make her escape.

Phew.

“Qiao Wanqing.” Just as she breathed a sigh of relief, someone called her from behind, startling her.

“Sorry, didn’t mean to scare you,” Huang Kewei said apologetically.

“It’s fine, Director Huang. Long time no see. Aren’t you working today?”

“Day off,” Huang Kewei said. “It has been a while. Are you here alone?”

Qiao Wanqing understood what he meant by “alone” and responded, “Well, I have the little one with me. Kouko, say hi to Uncle.”

Kouko, still shy and not used to strangers, buried his face.

Huang Kewei didn’t mind and continued, “I heard you opened a vegetarian restaurant in Xishan?”

“Yes, drop by when you have time and try our dishes.”

“Sure, I’ll definitely visit. It seems I’ll have to call you Boss Qiao from now on.”

Huang Kewei smiled, feeling a bit relieved that he hadn’t made any rash decisions in the past.

If Qiao Wanqing had decided to open her restaurant here, he would have faced the dilemma of either staying to support her, convincing her not to open it here, or possibly breaking up.

He wasn’t ready for a long-distance relationship and couldn’t accept being separated by distance.

Qiao Wanqing replied, “Don’t tease me. I’m just trying things out. Whether I can keep it running is still uncertain.”

“Next time I visit your restaurant, I’ll wish you prosperous business in advance.”

“Thanks.”

After saying goodbye to Huang Kewei, Qiao Wanqing sighed lightly.

Reflecting on the past after her uncle’s situation was resolved, she realized that Huang Kewei had shown subtle signs of interest in her.

If not for Gu Yanqing, she might have developed feelings for someone like Huang Kewei, who was refined and reserved.

Thinking about Gu Yanqing, Qiao Wanqing couldn’t help but smile. He would be back in a day or two.

Qiao Wanqing finished her shopping and returned to the vegetarian restaurant with Koko.

Although Gu Yanqing had left, he had left Chen Feng and the car behind, so she could get rides to and from the restaurant.

Otherwise, she would have had to ride her uncle’s tricycle with Koko.

As she got out of the car, she noticed a few customers sitting at a table under the restaurant’s eaves.

Upon closer inspection, she was surprised to see who they were.

It was Tan Yue, Miss Tan, whom she hadn’t seen in a long time.

Why were they here?