Chapter 32.2

As they approached the courtyard, they saw Lin Fang standing at the door, her eyes red as she looked outside, trembling with anger and looking quite pitiful.

Seeing that Zhou Jianghai was indeed gone, Lin Fang, ignoring Wen Yue and Zhou Yao’s presence, sat down and began to wail, hitting her thighs.

“Oh, my poor life! Zhou Jianghai, you bastard! You paid money without even telling me! That money was all I saved for Yaozu to go to college! You bastard! Do you even care about this family?!”

Zhou Guangzong and Zhou Yaozu quickly came out to try to pull Lin Fang up, but she struggled and refused to move, crying and throwing a tantrum.

In the end, it was Zhou Yaozu who managed to persuade her to get up.

Wen Yue noticed that Zhou Guangzong’s expression wasn’t good. This eldest son didn’t have Lin Fang’s favor. She clearly favored her younger son, who was good at studying.

Zhou Guangzong stood at the door for a while, then pressed his lips together and went inside.

“What are you looking at? Come eat.” Zhou Yao’s voice sounded in her ear.

Feeling a bit tired today, Wen Yue didn’t want to cook, so Zhou Yao had bought takeout from the town, which just needed to be heated.

He glanced at the empty steps, then looked away. “You didn’t eat much for lunch, so make sure to eat more at dinner. You’ve just started to gain some weight; don’t starve it off.”

“I wasn’t looking at anything. I just noticed that your second aunt is a bit biased,” Wen Yue blinked and followed Zhou Yao into his room.

Zhou Yao chuckled. “Her favoritism isn’t a new thing. Zhou Guangzong is such a simpleton. If I were him, I would have gone out to find a job long ago instead of staying home to endure this.”

“Everyone has different personalities,” Wen Yue said as she picked up her bowl.

People who lack love often crave parental care more and are more likely to develop a pleasing personality. Parents have a significant impact on their children.

Wen Yue took a couple of bites of rice, then thought of what Zhou Yao had previously said about his father, realizing that his father’s influence on him was quite substantial. If Zhou Yao’s father hadn’t treated him like that, his personality might have been much better.

“Is your second uncle really not coming back tonight?” It was already dark outside, and Zhou Jianghai was still nowhere to be seen.

Zhou Yao casually replied, “He’s probably staying at a friend’s house. I’ll go boil some water for a bath.”

Wen Yue nodded. “Mm-hmm.”

For the next few days, Zhou Jianghai continued to stay out, and eventually, Lin Fang couldn’t stand it any longer. She went to apologize and promised never to act like that again, and only then did Zhou Jianghai return home.

This incident was considered resolved.

After this, Lin Fang did indeed behave a lot more obediently.

The number of finished jewelry products produced by Wen Yue and Li Nianqiu is increasing. They will surely sell well after the summer vacation.

In the last week of summer vacation, Wen Yue and Zhou Yao went to resolve her enrollment issue.

Wen Yue took a test to prove her academic level, and the principal agreed to enroll her without hesitation, placing her in the third year of high school. For a student with the potential to enter university, the principal wouldn’t miss the opportunity and didn’t charge any extra fees. She only needed to pay the regular tuition and textbook fees when school started.

Two days before enrollment, Wen Yue settled the wages for a few girls she had worked with.

The most diligent one, a girl named Liu Yingnan, earned nearly five hundred yuan! When she received the money, she was completely stunned, unable to believe it. “So much money? Is it all mine? Really all mine?”

Wen Yue smiled warmly. “Yes, it’s all yours. You earned it through your hard work. Take good care of it, and don’t lose it.”

“Thank you, thank you…” Liu Yingnan’s eyes turned red as she trembled while taking the money, repeatedly expressing her gratitude.

She was the most hardworking among the group. Wen Yue knew that she would sneak back to Grandma Fang’s house after everyone else in her family had gone to sleep, lighting a kerosene lamp and working hard in the dim light.

Wen Yue originally wanted to talk to her about taking care of her health, but after learning about Liu Yingnan’s family situation from Li Nianqiu, she abandoned that idea.

Liu Yingnan was about to be sold by her mother to a fool from the neighboring village, and she worked so hard to earn money in order to escape that family and get away from a life that had no hope.

The other girls also received over three hundred yuan in wages, but the bulk of the money went to Li Mingjin’s wife. After all, her family owned a sewing machine, and she could make at least forty bows a day, which was worth twenty yuan!

The items hadn’t even gone on sale yet, and nearly three thousand had already been spent, two thousand of which was paid in advance with the money Zhou Yao gave her last time.

This made Wen Yue start to worry about whether they would be able to make it back, but thinking that the female lead had high hopes for this, she calmed down a bit.

On the day of registration, Wen Yue, under Li Nianqiu’s strong recommendation, wore the light yellow dress that she had repaired, pairing it with a matching big bow for a high ponytail, looking youthful and radiant.

She also used the lipstick Zhou Yao had given her to add some color to her face.

Although Wen Yue’s original lip color was already nice, it was a bit too light. After applying some lipstick, her lips looked more like cherries—full and bright red, making them appear even more tender and beautiful.

Zhou Yao was momentarily stunned as he watched, his gaze fixed on Wen Yue’s plump, red lips, his eyes darkening.

Wen Yue raised her gaze to him and asked, “How is it? Does it look good?” She was referring to the hair accessory on her head and the necklace around her neck.

Zhou Yao pursed his lips, answered in a low voice, but his gaze was still glued to Wen Yue’s lips. “It looks good, very good.”

“Today, I’ll need to trouble you and Old Fang to set up a stall on South Street.” Wen Yue lowered her eyes to adjust her dress, her red lips opening and closing, “Nianqiu and I are going to register. You all remember the prices, right?”

Zhou Yao replied with an “Mm.”

Wen Yue nodded with satisfaction, playfully saying, “Then it’ll be hard work for you.”

Today was the day for school registration, and there were many students and parents gathered at the entrance of the county high school, creating a lively atmosphere filled with chatter and laughter.

When Wen Yue and Li Nianqiu arrived, they attracted a lot of attention. The reason was simple: both of them were good-looking, with unique styles, making them the most eye-catching girls in the crowd, the kind that would draw attention at first glance.

While boys noticed their faces, girls were not only focused on looks but also on their clothing and accessories.

“Those hair accessories they’re wearing are so pretty! I wonder where they bought them?”

“They’re sparkling! Oh, their necklaces and bracelets are so beautiful, and they have such unique styles. I’ve never seen anything like them!”

“They definitely didn’t buy them in the city. I just went to the department store yesterday, and they didn’t have these kinds of accessories! I guess they’re from another province? Ah, I love them! I want them so badly…”

“Wait, isn’t that Li Nianqiu? I know her, I’ll go ask her…”

Wen Yue could feel the gazes from the people around her, most of them lingering on her hair and the accessories on her neck and wrists, making her unable to suppress her smile.

After registering and paying all the fees, she and Li Nianqiu were surrounded by people.

“Li Nianqiu, where did you buy that hairpin on your head? It’s so pretty! I want one too! And how much for your necklace and bracelet?”

Li Nianqiu was somewhat well-known at school, often tutoring others, so many people recognized her and rushed over to ask.

“The necklace is eight yuan each, the bracelet is free with the purchase of a necklace, and the hairpin is three yuan for two pairs,” Li Nianqiu replied calmly. “I just bought them today, over by South Street. The vendor said these accessories are new arrivals from Shencheng and are currently quite rare.”

The bracelet she wore was quite simple—a red string with a few beautiful plastic beads, with a rabbit-shaped pendant hanging in the middle. This bracelet was meant as a giveaway and wasn’t worth much.

However, the “buy one get one free” promotion sounded appealing, especially in this era that hadn’t experienced various marketing gimmicks yet.

The idea of giveaways was brought up by Wen Yue, but Li Nianqiu determined the prices.

Wen Yue didn’t have as clear an understanding of the prices in this era as Li Nianqiu did; she just nodded and listened to whatever Li Nianqiu said.

If they could sell at these prices… the profit would be quite high.

The cost of materials and labor for the necklace and bracelet didn’t even exceed one yuan!

“Wow, this beautiful bracelet is actually free?” The girls were a bit excited. “But this price is a bit steep…”

Eight yuan was equivalent to an ordinary person’s monthly living expenses.

“Eight yuan, with the bracelet free with the necklace, that averages out to four yuan each. I think it’s okay. Mainly, it’s really pretty! I’ll ask my mom to take me to buy one later!” One girl, whose family wasn’t too poor, decisively decided.

Li Nianqiu had previously mentioned that their target market for the products wasn’t these students, as students had limited spending power. They just needed these girls to promote their products for free.

Seeing the excitement and envy on the faces of the girls in front of her, Wen Yue thought this promotion was definitely effective. She wondered if Zhou Yao had any customers on his end.

On South Street in the county.

This was where the county market was set up. Today wasn’t a market day, so there weren’t as many people as usual, and most of the passersby were elderly folks who wouldn’t spend their spare money on such items.

Ren Yeliang helped take things out of the backpack, looking at the items and exclaiming, “Wow, these are really pretty! Brother, what do you think about taking some to Shencheng to sell? I wonder if they have anything like this there…”

Zhou Yao frowned and refused to speak.

He was in a bad mood. He should be accompanying his little wife to register for school, but instead, he had to come here to set up a stall with Ren Yeliang and Fang Shitao. He was not pleased.

However, this was his little wife’s request, and he had to fulfill it, so he directed his irritation at Ren Yeliang and Fang Shitao.

“Come on, brother, don’t look so serious. If customers come and see your face like that, they’ll be scared away,” Ren Yeliang joked.

Hearing this, Zhou Yao reluctantly relaxed his furrowed brow.