Chapter 36

It seemed that something big had happened!

“Don’t rush! Don’t rush! Let Pingzi rest for a bit first!” Mother-in-law Liu Yufen squeezed in and handed her a cup of hot water.

“It’s fine.” She took the water and smiled: “Take your time and tell me.”

It turned out that the batch of goods she had provided to Mei Sheng Department Store was selling very well.

As soon as it hit the market, over a hundred items were snatched up on the first day, and surprisingly, even customers from neighboring cities came to buy! Seeing that 280 items would clearly not be enough, Mei Sheng’s manager found a friend in Du Gen County and sent a letter, eager to restock.

“I understand.” This was all within her expectations. “Tomorrow, tomorrow we’ll set off.”

At this time, it was already evening, and it was too late to do anything. She needed to rest well for the night before diving into the new work. Everyone was happy as well. Liu Yufen and Gu Youlian quickly set the table, and the family ate while talking.

Lin Qingping also took the opportunity to share her thoughts with them. “In the future, the road ahead will definitely get wider for me. However, with it comes both risks and profits. I may make money, or I may lose everything. But this is the path I’ve decided to take. Eldest sister, do you want to come with me? Think it over carefully.”

Gu Youlian hesitated for a moment, but Du Gen was very resolute. 

“Go! We must go!” 

“Don’t rush to make a decision. Tomorrow, let’s see how it goes first.” 

“Sis, I’ll go with you.” Lin Qingyun’s voice rang out.

“Don’t even think about it!” Lin Qingping said. “Do you remember the task I gave you? And Zhiyuan, have you finished your studies? After dinner, I’ll check.”

Zhiyuan: ??? 

He quietly ate his meal, not saying a word, yet suddenly, the pan fell from the sky?

Lin Qingping then noticed Xiao Mai, who had been quietly eating. “Xiao Mai, next year you should be going to school as well, so it’s a good time to join Zhiyuan now and start your basic education.”

Gu Youlian smiled. “A girl, it’s no big deal if she starts school a little later…”

“What’s wrong with a girl? Girls also need to broaden their horizons, to go out of the countryside and see the outside world, and to go to university.” Lin Qingping had been a CEO for several decades in her past life, and her speech was straightforward and decisive, with an air of unquestionable authority.

After she finished speaking, Gu Youlian and the others fell silent. They had already seen their younger sister-in-law’s capabilities, so if she said school was the way to go, then it was probably for the best. It wasn’t a bad thing. 

After dinner, Lin Qingping really did check the homework she had assigned to Lin Qingyun and Zhiyuan. Zhiyuan hadn’t finished. 

“What do you think we should do?” Lin Qingping’s tone was very serious—serious enough that even the adults felt a little tense. 

Liu Fen tried to smooth things over. “He’s still so young, what child doesn’t like to play? Just teach him slowly…” 

“Mother, it’s not about age.” Lin Qingping replied firmly. “Children must be taught from a young age! Once they develop bad habits, it’s hard to correct them.” She looked at Zhiyuan. “A man who can’t do what he promises, who doesn’t keep his word—does that sound like a real man?” 

Liu Fen didn’t dare say anything more. 

Zhiyuan lowered his head and took his homework back. “I’ll write it ten times.”

“Go ahead.” Lin Qingping said. She estimated that with the amount of homework she had assigned, writing it ten times wouldn’t take too long. The punishment wasn’t the goal; she wanted Zhiyuan to understand that no matter what he did, he had to face the consequences.

Even Gu Youlian was a little taken aback by her younger sister-in-law’s actions. She grabbed Du Gen and Xiao Mai to go back and rest, deciding they would come over early the next morning. 

Liu Fen, looking at Lin Qingping, was still a bit nervous, but she took Lin Qingping aside and started a private conversation. 

“Did you talk to Chengzi about having children this time?” 

Mother-in-law was pushing for grandchildren… If it had been in her previous life, Lin Qingping would have been annoyed, even scolding her mother-in-law. However, in this life, she did want children—children that belonged to her and Gu Juncheng. But perhaps Mother-in-law didn’t know about Gu Juncheng’s situation?

Lin Qingping’s mood immediately dropped, but she still spoke to Mother-in-law. 

“Yes, we talked about it. We don’t see each other much, so we’re just letting things happen naturally.”

As soon as Liu Fen heard that, she was relieved. “Let nature take its course, it will happen eventually. They are still young!”

Lin Qingping, worried that Mother-in-law might ask more questions, used the excuse of needing rest and headed back to her room. Once inside, she took out her drawings to make some revisions.

In her past life, Lin Qingping had become very successful in business and paid particular attention to her clothing. She knew several fashion designers and even designed clothes herself.

Unfortunately, she was not professionally trained, so the designs she created were not as polished as those of a professional designer.

Lin Qingyun watched her draw, feeling curious. Lin Qingping glanced at her. “Do you want to learn?”

“Mm.” Lin Qingyun’s eyes lit up at the idea of helping her sister.

Lin Qingping put away the drawings. “Then focus on your studies, go to university, and learn from the experts there. Once you’ve learned from them, you can come help me. If you follow me now, you can only be a seamstress. But if you go to university, you’ll gain real skills—top-notch knowledge!”

No matter what Second Sister wanted to learn in the future, the first step was to get into school!

Lin Qingyun blinked and fell silent, as though she had understood.

“Sleep now…”

The next day, Du Gen and Gu Youlian arrived as scheduled. Lin Qingping wasn’t in a hurry. She even gave Zhiyuan a lesson before leaving. 

They first went to the Clothing Factory and sought out the head of the sales department. This time, Lin Qingping requested all their inventory. The sales department head was startled by the request. However, Lin Qingping wasn’t planning to take all the goods; she had a proposal for cooperation. 

She suggested that she would provide a redesign plan, and the workers at the Clothing Factory would modify the existing inventory accordingly. 

It was then that Gu Youlian finally understood. Her younger sister-in-law’s words implied that they no longer had to do the work themselves. Instead, they would hire workers to make the modifications. But then, what would Lin Qingping do? Gu Youlian was confused.

However, Section Chief Fu wasn’t very interested in the matter. He thought it sounded like a hassle—changing all the inventory clothes? Wasn’t that too tiring? After all, whether the Clothing Factory sold a lot or had many returns, their salaries were paid regardless.

Lin Qingping smiled. “It seems I’ve approached the wrong person. I’ll have to speak to your factory manager.”

Section Chief Fu smiled back. “Our factory manager isn’t someone you can easily meet. Sales matters are under my control.”

“Alright, let me put it this way.” Lin Qingping said. “I can make your clothes’ factory price increase by ten times. Are you willing to do that? Can you make that decision? If you can’t, I’ll simply go to your factory manager. Do you think you can stop me?” Lin Qingping interlaced her fingers and made a “ten” gesture in front of Section Chief Fu.

Section Chief Fu was shocked. “Are you joking?”

“Fine, then I’ll go find your factory manager.” Lin Qingping said as she turned to leave.

“Wait!” Section Chief Fu called after her. “I’ll take you there.”

He led them directly to the factory manager’s office. The factory manager, a man in his forties with the surname Hu, was quite polite, much more so than Section Chief Fu had been earlier. Lin Qingping explained her purpose, and the manager was confused. “No one’s ever done this before!”

Lin Qingping continued: “Look, if I just talk, you won’t believe me. So, here’s what I want. I need one promise from you: if I bring the order contract, you agree to start production. If I don’t bring you the contract, then just consider today’s visit a joke, and a waste of your time.”