"What if we lose money?" Xu Jiang was somewhat timid, hesitating as he looked at his daughter.

"Then we’ll start small. Even if we lose, it won’t be much. We have quite a bit of savings now," Xu Xue said earnestly, feeling quite stifled by her father’s cowardice.

The building next door was already finished, but it was still a bit damp for the time being; they would have to let it dry out for a while before moving in.

"I think it’s a good idea. Should we give it a try?" Qian Ying tugged at Xu Jiang’s clothes, feeling very tempted. Even their in-laws were making money, so she didn’t expect to earn much, just as long as they didn’t incur losses.

The second household quickly came to an agreement; faced with the hopeful eyes of his wife and two daughters, Xu Jiang could only brace himself and agree.

The eldest daughter had already opened a shop and made money. With her experience leading the way, they should be able to make money, right? 𝑓𝓇𝘦ℯ𝘸𝘦𝑏𝓃𝑜𝘷ℯ𝑙.𝑐𝑜𝓂

The fourth household was also in discussion. Xu Po wanted to hear the opinions of the two children, "Little Tao, Jiaojiao, what should we sell?"

"You don’t know much about business, but Dad is pretty skilled at farming. Why not grow vegetables or fruit trees? Vegetables have a short cycle and aren’t very expensive, while fruits need a lot of care but sell for more," Xu Jiaojiao pondered, having gained a lot of experience from traveling over the years.

"Let’s grow fruit trees! Brother-in-law’s farm already grows a bunch. He must have connections, so we can lease a piece of land to specialize in growing higher-priced fruits. If we grow them well, we can definitely make money," Xu Tao said excitedly, spurred by the thought of sweet fruits and urged his dad to plant them.

"Vegetables are fine. As for fruits, I’ve never grown them before," Xu Po said, somewhat tempted.

"You can learn, Dad. Right now, you’re learning to read with us. Tomorrow, we’ll go to the county and buy some books on fruit cultivation for you to study," Xu Jiaojiao said earnestly, as she also liked fruits.

"Yes, Dad and Mom, we’ll teach you to read. The eldest uncle’s family has already learned, so you must learn too," Xu Tao said with a bright smile. Although the family wasn’t lacking money, seeing the eldest household making money made them want to kickstart something of their own.

"Reading, too?" Xu Po’s face contorted for a moment. What should he do if he feels like planting vegetables more?

"I think the kids have good points. Let’s learn to read together," Qian Ying said with a smile, fully understanding what her husband meant, but she thought it would be good to learn more words so as not to embarrass their children.

"Alright, alright, it’s obvious you’ve all had this planned out for a while," Xu Po rolled his eyes. What can he say? Since his wife agreed, he would just go along.

The third household didn’t need any more prompting. Xu He and his wife had been intrigued for a while, and getting into making simple things like buns and fritters was straightforward for them; they quickly got started, with support from the elderly parents. Within two days, Xu He had gotten a small cart and began selling them outside the shoe factory.

Although the taste wasn’t top-notch, just average, the absence of street vendors in the area made their business pretty good.

The shoe factory hadn’t started operations yet, but quite a few people were living there.

After catching a whiff of success, Lin Juan quit her job, as her wages weren’t even enough to buy materials—selling buns was more lucrative.

Xu Mumu had no idea that they were already thriving here. She spent her days reading, with arrangements already made for the shop, located at the entrance of Xu Minghui’s college, two adjacent stores rented out. Only a kitchen needed to be set up for snacks and fast food.

Li Caixia and the others were planning to sell stationery, with Xu Hai introduced by Yin Yang’s people to the wholesale market for stocking up, busy as a spinning top.

As the New Year approached, the shelves were filled. Besides various stationery, there were snacks and some daily necessities, turning the small store into a comprehensive outlet.

"Daughter, how does it look?" Li Caixia pulled Xu Mumu into the store, where items were neatly arranged on the shelves, giving an excellent impression.

"Not bad at all. I didn’t think you’d be so thorough. It looks like you’re a natural at this," Xu Mumu complimented with a sly smile, noting that this location was indeed strategic. Once they made money, they would surely find a way to purchase it.

"My daughter sure knows how to talk. It was actually my idea; otherwise, how would he have thought of it?" Li Caixia said proudly.

"Yes, yes, your mom is the best," Xu Hai chimed in enthusiastically from the side.

Xu Mumu’s mouth twitched as she chose to ignore the elderly couple’s affectionate banter and looked around, then headed next door. The kitchen was still under construction but looked promising, and the store’s sign had already been put up.

"Mom and Dad, you’ll have to work hard. Grandma’s end will also need your help," Xu Mumu said to the couple.

"No problem, we’ll take turns watching our store and then go over to your grandma’s place," Xu Hai replied with a cheerful smile, eager to contribute to the family’s venture, after all.

In the past, they could afford to be lazy with the team divvying tasks and not much benefit coming from doing them. Now, working on this could earn a lot of money, and the couple was highly motivated.

Alright then, no need to say more; after all, the money earned would eventually end up in their pockets.

With Xu Minglei going off to school, Xu Mumu gave him over a hundred from her earnings to save as pocket money.

The young boy actually had saved quite a bit himself, with Xu Hai even setting up a savings account just for the prize money he had won.

Among the children at home, except for the youngest, the other siblings required little attention from the couple, being unusually easygoing.

That’s not quite right; now there’s still something for them to worry about—the son’s marriage. The rascal still hadn’t settled down despite his age.

Everything that needed to be prepared in the store was ready, they were just waiting for the New Year to pass and then open for business.

As Xu Hai and the others were here, Madam Chen didn’t plan to hire extra help. Various pancakes were now second nature to her, along with cool skin potatoes, not to mention that fast food was simpler still.

It didn’t have to be gourmet; just simple home-style dishes, both meat and vegetables separately packaged; when people asked, Madam Chen patiently explained.

Finding it troublesome, Xu Mumu wrote down the information on fast food on a piece of paper and posted it outside.