Su Yun nodded. "Yes, about that. And right, your Aunt Du mentioned wanting to invest in our restaurant. With the money your dad and I have saved, we could open a small breakfast stall, but if Aunt Du invests, we could probably open a proper little restaurant."

Qin Jiao remembered that. Du Liya had mentioned it during their New Year’s dinner.

She asked, "Mom, what’s your take on it?"

"Your dad and I have discussed it. Expenses are high in the provincial capital—everything is more expensive than it is here. Of course, there are also better opportunities, so we need to earn more money. Not to mention, you’re starting university and Xiao Shi has to transfer schools. Both of those are big expenses. Besides, it’s a problem that our family of four still doesn’t have a home of our own. I want to save up and buy a house."

Qin Jiao nodded in agreement. "More and more people are going to move to the provincial capital, so housing will definitely get more expensive. It’s a good idea to buy a place as soon as we have the money. If it appreciates in value, we’ll have made a profit."

Qin Jiao had already been thinking along the same lines—that her parents should buy a house in the provincial capital as soon as they had the money. She’d once heard a story about someone who bought a house in Shen City for two hundred thousand yuan, and twenty years later, its value had increased fifty-fold!

’It’s bound to be the same in the provincial capital. After all, land there is worth its weight in gold.’

Su Yun said, "Mhm, so your dad and I agreed. When Aunt Du comes back to Ping’an Town, we’ll talk to her about the investment."

’Her parents were honest people, but they weren’t stuck in their ways. They knew they had to keep growing and learning. By expanding their horizons, they could build a more prosperous life for themselves. This was a good thing.’

Qin Jiao was actually a little shocked by her parents’ decision. After all, in her past life, she had always considered them far too timid and conventional.

’After all, in this day and age, many people were still uncomfortable with the idea of taking on investors. For Du Liya to have made the suggestion, there were two reasons. First, she was genuinely wealthy after her divorce. She owned more than one business, a courtyard home, and had plenty of cash.’

’Second, Du Liya deeply trusted Qin Zhonghui and his wife, and she was grateful to them for always taking care of her father.’

’That kind of bond is forged in the small moments of everyday life. No one is a fool; you can see clearly who is genuine with whom.’

And so, the matter was settled. Although Qin Jiao didn’t want any entanglements with Shen Yi, she was very fond of Mr. Du. Now that Du Liya was willing to trust her parents and invest in their restaurant, Qin Jiao found herself liking Du Liya more and more.

Their relationship was much better than it had been in her past life.

Once that was settled, Su Yun frowned and said, "Oh, right, Xiao Jiao. What are we going to do about the old house back home after we leave? The other day, I heard from your uncle that your father’s younger brother has his eye on it."

Qin Jiao frowned. "That’s the most run-down house of the lot. Wasn’t it given to our family when the inheritance was split?"

"It’s because we stopped giving them money for the past six months. Your grandmother got sick again, and truth be told, your grandparents don’t have any money. It’s like it slips right through their fingers. And it’s not just money—they’ve long since given anything of value to your father’s younger brother. I guess they’ve finally burned through all their savings and now they’re coming after our house."

Qin Jiao asked, "What does Dad think?"

"Your dad says the house is ours, and he’s not giving it up!"

Qin Jiao nodded. "He’s right to stand his ground."

’In any case, even though the old house is uninhabitable, the deed is in Dad’s name. As long as Qin Zhonghui doesn’t agree, there’s nothing Qin Jiqun can do.’