Back To The 80s-Chapter 507 - 519: Consideration_1
Bai Xiaolan, standing beneath the grape trellis, listens and laughs out loud, "Xiaobei, I wanted to say when you talked about it the other day... You said it’s a nursery, but kids can’t go to kindergarten until they’re four. When I was young, I even went to a full-time kindergarten, only coming home once a week on Sundays."
Gu Xiaobei didn’t quite understand this subject, but she was thinking that if the military kindergarten across from the residential compound was completed, she could go there instead.
After planting the vegetables, Gu Xiaobei took the two kids to wash their hands under the grape trellis. Bai Xiaolan looked at Xiaopang and said, "Our little Xiaopang won’t be taken advantage of at school. She’s sweet-talking and pretty - teachers love that kind of student."
"I just fear she might be too mischievous and domineering. She bullies Mo Wang at home, and she might bully other kids at school," Gu Xiaobei said with a laugh.
"You wouldn’t understand. Kids always listen to their teachers. A teacher’s word is law. When we were in school, if a teacher asked us to bring a cloth to class and we couldn’t find one at home for fear of being scolded, I secretly cut a piece from the back of my father’s autumn shirt. Hahaha. My mother chased me around the courtyard, hitting me because my father only had two autumn shirts, one of which was patched. I had cut the good one," Bai Xiaolan said, laughing while recounting the story.
Gu Xiaobei agreed that it sounded correct. When she was in primary school, she was also very fearful of her teachers. When a teacher asked each student to bring a flower to school, she didn’t dare to ask her aunt for one. So, she stole a yellow chrysanthemum from a roadside flowerbed, planted it in an empty pot, then took it to school, leaving her teacher bewildered.
While they were chatting, Qin Li arrived hastily on her bicycle.
She was sweating profusely and seemed to be out of breath.
Gu Xiaobei was surprised. "What’s the matter? Did something happen at the store?"
Qin Li waved her hand, wiped the sweat off, and said with a laugh, "No, there’s someone who came to propose a business deal. I wasn’t sure about it, so I came over to discuss it with you."
"Is it a big deal?"
Qin Li nodded. "That’s right. The individual is from the South and is interested in partnering with us to introduce pastries. Considering people here like to have some dry snacks while drinking tea, I didn’t turn him down."
"This is a good thing. Pastries are indeed a good complement to tea, and you can have them as a separate snack, too," Gu Xiaobei thought this idea was good.
"That’s why I didn’t reject the idea right away. But I also didn’t agree straight away as I am not very familiar with this kind of business. It sounds like a good thing, but partnerships usually come with many issues," Qin Li said while pouring herself a large glass of water and gulping it down.
Looking at Qin Li, Gu Xiaobei suddenly felt like she was seeing her grow into a young woman. Now, Qin Li was only lacking a little in negotiation skills and resilience. She handled everything else quite well, although these two qualities would take time to develop.
"You’re right. A partnership to develop pastries does have many drawbacks. On the other hand, it would be beneficial to have a discussion and learn some business strategies. This is mutual learning," Gu Xiaobei said, handing Qin Li a stool and asking her to take a seat and talk more about it.
Qin Li was puzzled. "If we’re not partnering, why should we talk?"
"There’s no absolute certainty in business. Not partnering doesn’t mean we can’t associate with each other. This is the dual nature of things. We can’t outright reject or accept it. For instance, we may not partner to make pastries, but there could be opportunities for cooperation. Like bundling New Year gift boxes for sale. We can do all these things, but for now, we can’t do them on a large scale. We should wait until our financial situation is better. Otherwise, if supply exceeds demand, we would be at a loss," Gu Xiaobei said, laughing.
Qin Li finally understood. She nodded and said, "When you’re free, we can meet him for a talk. He gave me an address."
Gu Xiaobei thought about it for a moment. The weather was getting hotter, and the cakes were prone to drying out and deteriorating because of the reduced use of preservatives. To Qin Li, she said, "Okay, we can go and have a talk. Learn a thing or two."
After discussing the business matter, Qin Li prepared to go back to the store. Wen Xiuqing called after her, "It’s already noon. Have lunch before you go. We’re making egg and leek pancakes for lunch."
Gu Xiaobei added, "Yes, have lunch before you leave."
Qin Li didn’t decline the invitation any further and went over to play with Xiaopang.
Wen Xiuqing made pancakes with two different fillings for lunch. One was egg and leek for Lu Songyuan she made wild vegetable and egg. The wild vegetable she used was shepherd’s purse, which helps clear heat from the body.
During lunch, Wen Xiuqing checked with Bai Xiaolan, "Did you tell your mom that you’re pregnant again?"
Bai Xiaolan shook her head, "Not yet. I’m afraid if I tell her too early, she might come too soon. I’m thinking about telling her in June." She was also aware of the current situation at home. Wen Xiuqing would be too busy to manage when she was in confinement after giving birth. It depended on whether Zhou Siping would have time to come.
Wen Xiuqing nodded and said a little hesitatingly, "I also want to suggest, ask your mom if she can come and help for a month. I’m afraid I won’t be able to handle it all by myself. Doudou will likely have left by then."
Touching her not very big belly, Bai Xiaolan said, "I also think the same. My dad said he’ll retire this year. If that’s true, then it would be good if my mom and dad could come together."
When Wen Xiuqing heard this, she frowned, "Our house is too small. We should build two more rooms."
Gu Xiaobei was very supportive, "The vacant area on the west side of the house could be used to build two small rooms. Why not wait for my elder brother and Zhanguo to come back, take some measurements, and get the rooms constructed in a few days?"
Wen Xiuqing was stunned. This child seemed to make decisions on a whim. Isn’t building a house a big deal?
"Even if the house isn’t ready by then, you and my dad could stay on the residential compound, and my sister-in-law’s parents could stay here," Gu Xiaobei suggested.
Wen Xiuqing shook her head, "Let’s discuss it later. With your dad’s health, it’s better for him to live in a single-story house. It’s more comfortable for him to move in and out."
"We bought a house in the suburbs, right? If worst comes to worst, we could live there." Seeing Wen Xiuqing worried about the living situation, Bai Xiaolan chimed in.
That evening, when Ji Xiangdong and Lu Zhanguo came back, Wen Xiuqing discussed the matter of building a house with them.
Ji Xiangdong thought for a while and said, "Are we going to build an adobe house or a brick house? To be honest, here in the Northwest, the insulation effect of adobe houses is better than that of brick houses. Unless it’s a 36-brick house, a regular brick house is just good-looking but not warm."
Lu Zhanguo also agreed, but Gu Xiaobei thought a brick house would be better, as it was more attractive, and they could use heaters in winter anyway.
After further discussion, they decided to build an adobe house, which would save money and be more practical. Moreover, the two new rooms they were planning to build would match the existing house. When they could afford to rebuild in the future, they planned to demolish the whole block and build a row of large houses with green bricks and blue tiles. 𝗳𝐫𝚎𝗲𝚠𝚎𝗯𝕟𝐨𝘃𝚎𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝗺
Gu Xiaobei agreed with this viewpoint. Otherwise, it would look mismatched. It was better to rebuild the entire thing a few years from now when their situation improved.
The task of organizing the house construction was given to Ji Xiangdong, while Wen Xiuqing was responsible for the expenses.
