mtl008 Chapter 59 This idea is indeed good.
Chapter 59 This idea is indeed good.
Deng Xiuzhen initially thought that Yao Huaying was impatient and had many ideas, and misunderstood that she was unwilling to partner with her.
After getting home and thinking it over carefully, he realized that Yao Huaying might not want to be his partner anymore and was deliberately creating trouble to shift the blame onto him.
I was somewhat unhappy, but then I thought that it was a good thing not to cooperate with this kind of person, and I calmed myself down.
There was no rush to open a shop, so there was no need to rent a place immediately; she could wait for news from Tian Guoqiang. She settled down and focused on cooking.
She thought Yao Huaying wouldn't come to her house for a while, but to her surprise, Yao Huaying came as soon as she cooked a dish, drawn by the aroma.
He came in shouting, "You're cooking cured pork again?"
"Well, we still have some cured meat at home, so we thought we'd just stir-fry it and eat it." Deng Xiuzhen didn't welcome Yao Huaying, but since they were neighbors, she didn't want to turn against her.
"I want to talk to you about something. How much cured meat do you have left? Can you sell it all to me?" Yao Huaying stared intently at the cured meat in the pot, looking so greedy that it seemed like she was about to drool.
"It's just a little bit, something I prepared for myself, there's really nothing for sale. If you like, I can bring you some to take back later."
"How could I possibly accept this?" Yao Huaying said politely, but her eyes were shining.
"It's alright, we're neighbors!" Deng Xiuzhen stir-fried the vegetables and turned the heat down. She turned around, took out a piece of cured meat from the cupboard, cut it in half, put it in a bag, and handed it to Yao Huaying.
Yao Huaying took it, smelled it, and said, "This cured meat is different from the cured meat I usually eat. It doesn't have a smoky smell, but it has a very strong smoky meat aroma. The meat is also shiny and translucent, which looks extraordinary. How did you make this cured meat?"
"The method is simple, but the conditions are quite special. It requires a long time of slow smoking over a low flame." Deng Xiuzhen answered all her questions without reservation. After all, smoking cured meat is common in the countryside, and everyone knows it. It's not a trade secret, so she had no need to hide it.
"Xiuzhen, actually, I'm not very good at business. The idea of doing business was just to get you to cook for me, not because I really wanted to do business. But after my husband and mother-in-law talked to me about it, I realized they were right, so I backed out. You won't blame me, will you?" Yao Huaying said somewhat awkwardly.
"What are you talking about? How could I blame you? We haven't even started the shop yet, we haven't invested anything, no one has lost anything, why would I blame you, right? Okay, take it back and stir-fry it, don't overthink it," Deng Xiuzhen said with a smile.
She initially wanted to say that she also bore some responsibility for not vacating the house in time. However, considering Yao Huaying's words and actions today, she decided it was better not to take the blame upon herself.
Although she didn't know Yao Huaying's personality, she knew that there were people in this world who, once they found fault with someone else, would forget their own ninety-nine percent of mistakes and cling to that one bit of fault, even attributing all the blame to the other person and pestering them endlessly.
She felt it was necessary to protect herself appropriately, as the old saying goes: "One should not have the heart to harm others, but one should not be without the heart to guard against others."
In the following days, Deng Xiuzhen stopped cooking cured meat, and Yao Huaying didn't come over either. Many houses in the alley had been almost completely renovated, and people started dragging shelves or furniture into their houses.
The alley became lively with more people coming and going, and Deng Xiuzhen also began to open her door and occasionally sit in front of it.
That day, she was sitting at the door folding clothes when Zhao Chunyan came over and asked, "Didn't you say you were opening a clothing store? Why hasn't construction started yet?"
"That was my initial thought, but then I felt that the alley wasn't really suitable for selling clothes, so I gave up." Deng Xiuzhen stood up, holding the clothes.
"That's true. The alley is quite narrow and a bit out of the way. And from what everyone is saying, it seems like they're planning to do some small commodity wholesale and retail business."
"Most of the people who come in are people from the countryside buying goods or daily necessities; generally, no one comes in to buy clothes," Zhao Chunyan analyzed.
Deng Xiuzhen listened and felt a strong sense of sympathy. She unconsciously felt that their relationship had become much closer. She asked Zhao Chunyan to wait a moment, then turned around and went inside. She took out the half-eaten piece of cured meat that she had given to Yao Huaying last time and handed it to Zhao Chunyan.
"I can't accept this," Zhao Chunyan waved her hands repeatedly and walked home.
"I made this myself. Try it. If you like it, we can make some together at the end of the year." Deng Xiuzhen followed behind, carrying the cured meat.
"You're so kind, I'll accept it. I'm really sorry!" Zhao Chunyan turned around and took the cured meat, then looked at it and asked Deng Xiuzhen, "Have you decided what to do with it?"
Deng Xiuzhen shook her head.
"If you haven't thought it through, I'll offer a suggestion. It's just my personal opinion, for your reference only. If it's wrong, please don't take it to heart."
Deng Xiuzhen quickly expressed her gratitude and politely thanked her.
Zhao Chunyan took Deng Xiuzhen to her home. Seeing the neatly arranged tables and chairs, Deng Xiuzhen realized that Zhao Chunyan was a teacher and that she was preparing to tutor the children.
Zhao Chunyan put the cured meat in the cabinet behind her and said to Deng Xiuzhen, "I plan to open a small tutoring class here."
Your house isn't big, so it's not easy to do other businesses, but you could open a stationery store selling school supplies. School supplies don't require much space, which would suit your shop.
Deng Xiuzhen's eyes lit up. This was indeed a good idea. Opening a stationery store here was a hundred times more suitable than opening a clothing store.
This cured meat was really worth it; it gave me such a great suggestion in return!
Deng Xiuzhen thanked her repeatedly, saying that Zhao Chunyan's idea was excellent, a thousand times excellent, ten thousand times excellent.
Zhao Chunyan smiled and said, "If you think it's good, then it's good. But before it opens, try not to tell anyone. If someone else opens it first, it will have an impact."
Deng Xiuzhen nodded repeatedly.
Back home, the more I thought about it, the better I felt it was.
I want to open the shop quickly, but then I'll have to worry about finding a place to live.
She's afraid to rent a place right now; Tian Guoqiang told her not to go anywhere for the time being. He could tell it was for her safety.
Having finally been reborn, she cherishes her life and will never go out alone until the crisis is over.
Reaching the door, I looked around and suddenly realized I hadn't seen Old Man Zhao in a long time. He hadn't returned since going to the capital in January.
What's he doing in Kyoto? Why has he been staying there for so long? Is he staying at this house? If not, could he stay here for a while?
I'm afraid that won't work. After all, Old Zhao hasn't returned, and I don't know who to ask to stay with him.
As she was lost in thought, she saw Tian Guoqiang walking briskly towards her from afar. He walked straight past her into her house, beaming, and said, "Great news, wonderful news!"
"Is the case solved?" Deng Xiuzhen asked hesitantly.
"Yes, it's broken!" Tian Guoqiang's voice couldn't hide his excitement. He was actually a person who was particularly good at controlling his emotions. In ordinary matters, big or small, in any situation, he could keep his emotions hidden.
But this time, he was so happy that he couldn't control himself and was eager to tell Deng Xiuzhen, the key figure in solving the case.