Chapter 612 | Chapter 613 | Chapter 614
Chapter 612: The Plan to Visit Shanghai
“If you don’t take it, I won’t have the heart to let Yi Yi go.”
“You child…”
Mother Sheng knew exactly what her daughter was trying to do, so she could only shake her head with a smile and accept it.
“I’ll see you all off to the station.”
“Alright.”
With five adults and two children, it was a tight squeeze, but they could still fit into the car with the children sitting on the adults’ laps.
Once they arrived at the train station, Yi Yi was incredibly excited. Like a little heartbreaker, she didn’t show even a shred of reluctance to leave.
Sheng Wanyan and Gu Tingxiao, on the other hand, were loath to part with her. Seeing Yi Yi’s heartless behavior only made them feel more helpless.
The child was growing up and had her own thoughts. No matter how reluctant they were, there was nothing they could do.
“Dad, Mom, I’m entrusting Yi Yi to you.”
Sheng Wanyan gave a few instructions. Hearing this, Father and Mother Sheng hurriedly told her to put her mind at ease, promising they would take excellent care of Yi Yi.
“Don’t worry, just leave Yi Yi to us.”
“Take good care of the two younger ones, and we’ll leave the shops to you too.”
With Grandpa Sheng, Grandma Sheng, Father Sheng, and Mother Sheng away, the responsibilities of the shops fell entirely onto Sheng Wanyan’s shoulders alone.
Father Sheng was naturally worried. He knew exactly how busy things were right now. Summer vacation was the peak season for foot traffic, with many people coming to the Capital for leisure.
Furthermore, his daughter’s clothing brand had opened several new branch stores in the Capital, keeping her up to her ears in work.
He had also heard that some foreign clients wanted to cooperate with his daughter’s clothing store, though he wasn’t sure what the current status of that was.
“Don’t worry.”
Sheng Wanyan assured them. Since she was staying in the Capital and the children had a nanny to look after them, she would have plenty of time to manage everything.
“The train is about to leave, hurry up and board.”
Time was running short. Sheng Wanyan didn’t linger on overly sentimental farewells and urged Father Sheng and the others to get moving.
Yi Yi waved goodbye to them with a bright smile. Looking at her, Sheng Wanyan secretly wished she could give this little heartbreaker a good lesson.
She wondered who the girl had inherited it from to be so detached.
Sheng Wanyan shot Gu Tingxiao a cross glare. Gu Tingxiao looked back at his wife, completely baffled.
Wait… why is she glaring at me?
Sheng Wanyan left the train station with a sullen face, and Gu Tingxiao hurriedly followed behind, terrified his wife would abandon him.
Since he was rarely on leave, he didn’t want to go home just yet to face those two stinky brats.
“Wife, let’s go watch a movie.”
Gu Tingxiao climbed into the passenger seat and looked at Sheng Wanyan in the driver’s seat. Sheng Wanyan glanced back at the man.
“The children are at home.”
“Auntie Hu is home, it’ll be fine.”
Sheng Wanyan still didn’t verbally relent, but her hands on the steering wheel consciously steered the car in a different direction. The corners of Gu Tingxiao’s mouth curled upward.
When they arrived at the cinema, the people outside instantly took interest upon seeing a private car. When they saw a woman step out from the driver’s seat, their jaws dropped in absolute shock.
This woman can actually drive???
Are our eyes playing tricks on us???
The people at the cinema entrance could hardly believe their eyes, failing to snap out of their daze even long after Sheng Wanyan and Gu Tingxiao had entered the building.
The crowd couldn’t help but click their tongues in admiration. Just how wealthy must a family be to let a woman drive a motorcar nowadays?
The movie Sheng Wanyan and Gu Tingxiao were watching was a newly released film: Romance on Lushan Mountain.
This movie would become an absolute classic in the future. She wanted to experience firsthand the bashfulness of young people toward love in this era.
As expected, the cinema was packed full of young couples and youth.
Sheng Wanyan and Gu Tingxiao’s seats were right in the middle. From time to time, she could catch the shy expressions of the young couples sitting in front of them.
Sheng Wanyan couldn’t help but chuckle. How absolutely innocent!
Gu Tingxiao turned his head to look at her. Seeing her thoroughly indulging her gossiping hobby, he felt incredibly helpless.
His wife’s little guilty pleasures occasionally truly embarrassed him. After all, she just loved to engage in these slightly unseemly… observations.
Amused but helpless, Gu Tingxiao turned her head back around, telling her to focus on the movie instead of paying attention to other people.
“What?”
“Watch the movie.”
Seeing that she had been caught red-handed, Sheng Wanyan could only awkwardly pretend that nothing had happened, staring straight ahead with an exceptionally solemn expression.
Anyone who didn’t know better would truly think she was deeply engrossed in the film’s plot.
By the time they finished the movie and returned home, the two younger ones had already been coaxed to sleep by Aunt Hu. With Yi Yi away, the house felt instantly quiet.
Truth be told, she was a bit unaccustomed to such a quiet atmosphere at home, feeling as though something was missing.
She hadn’t realized that it wasn’t Yi Yi who couldn’t leave her, but rather she who couldn’t bear to be apart from the child.
Sheng Wanyan let out a sigh. Knowing what was on her mind, Gu Tingxiao could only find ways to divert her attention.
“Ah… gently…”
With a rare summer vacation on her hands, it was impossible for Sheng Wanyan to just idle away. Since there wasn’t much going on at home, she wanted to take a trip to Shanghai.
The arrangements for the branch stores needed to be set in motion. In a couple of years, the lane houses and land parcels in Shanghai wouldn’t be so easy to buy.
Lailai and Maomao were still small right now. Once they grew a bit bigger, she wouldn’t be able to leave even if she wanted to. Aunt Hu was perfectly capable of taking excellent care of the twins.
She could be said to be entirely unburdened, free to leave whenever she wished. However, she still needed to do some ideological work on a certain man first.
When Sheng Wanyan shared her plans with Gu Tingxiao that evening, Gu Tingxiao was filled with helplessness upon hearing them.
He knew it. His wife simply couldn’t idle down, her mind always brimming with countless bold ideas.
“Is it absolutely necessary to go?”
“Yes.”
Seeing how determined she was, it was naturally impossible for Gu Tingxiao to hinder her career development.
“How long will you be gone?”
“A month and a half at most. I’ll try my best to come back early.”
If she was going, she would definitely return only after all the arrangements over there were properly settled.
Transportation wasn’t convenient nowadays, so she had to find a trustworthy manager on the ground there. Only then could she return with peace of mind.
“You’ll have to keep an eye on the children.”
Sheng Wanyan’s primary concern was that she couldn’t put her mind at ease regarding the two children. As for Gu Tingxiao… the military base had everything; he wouldn’t starve to death.
Gu Tingxiao nodded helplessly. He still had plenty of leave left. If he discussed it with Father Gu, leaving work a bit earlier wouldn’t be an issue.
“Don’t worry.”
“When you go to Shanghai, you must prioritize your safety above all else.”
“I know.”
Gu Tingxiao still couldn’t fully set his mind at ease. He spent the entire night giving her numerous reminders and even shared some of his personal connections in Shanghai with her.
If anything came up, she could go to them for help. Furthermore, with Gu Second Uncle’s family stationed in Shanghai, Gu Tingxiao could feel a bit more reassured.
“I’ll set out the day after tomorrow. I’ll bring two of the clothing store managers along with me.”
“Don’t worry, the three of us will look out for one another.”
Sheng Wanyan naturally couldn’t go all by herself. With such a prime learning opportunity, she definitely had to bring her employees along.
It would be best if they could independently familiarize themselves with the process of opening a branch store, so she could just dispatch staff for business trips in the future.
When Father and Mother Gu learned of her trip to Shanghai, they straight up had Aunt Hu bring the two children back to the compound to stay, making it more convenient to look after them.
This way, Gu Tingxiao could also go to work with peace of mind, without having to worry about emergencies at home.
Knowing she was heading to Shanghai, Grandpa and Grandma Gu placed a call to Gu Second Uncle, asking them to arrange for someone to pick her up at the station and secure a place for them to stay.
When Gu Second Aunt found out, she was absolutely thrilled, immediately busy-ing herself with preparing their accommodations.
Chapter 613: Setting Off for Shanghai
Usually, they were the ones returning to the Capital, so having family from the Capital come to Shanghai to see them made them unbelievably excited.
Sheng Wanyan didn’t have to arrange a single thing. Grandpa Gu, Grandma Gu, and the others had handled everything flawlessly for her.
“Wanyan, these are things for your Second Uncle’s family.”
“And this is a gift for the children. Take them all along with you.”
Mother Gu had prepared a great abundance of things. Since her daughter-in-law was going, how could she not bring some gifts?
Sheng Wanyan understood this social courtesy well and had intended to pull some gifts from her space before leaving, but Mother Gu had already prepared everything perfectly.
“Mom, don’t worry, I’ll deliver them to Second Uncle’s family.”
“Alright, alright. Be careful on the road, safety first.”
“With you three girls on the train, buy a private compartment—it’s safer.”
“Okay.”
Sheng Wanyan had intended to do exactly that. With three women traveling, she would rather spend the extra money for an additional ticket than invite any trouble to their door.
The Gu family had prepared quite a lot of things for her. Lailai and Maomao had also been carried over to the compound, with Aunt Hu dedicating herself to looking after them.
Sheng Wanyan hadn’t forgotten to bring back the twins’ rations either.
After all, Big Sister-in-Law’s household now had three children to raise. The couple was currently pinching pennies wherever they could, wanting to save a bit more money for the three kids.
Sheng Wanyan made a trip to the clothing store and selected two managers to accompany her to Shanghai.
An all-expenses-paid business trip with full wages, plus the chance to go see Shanghai—no one was unwilling.
Sheng Wanyan had five managers but could only take two, making the other three managers incredibly envious.
“Alright, everyone will get a turn.”
“When the opportunity arises, I’ll take you all abroad for a trip.”
Hearing Sheng Wanyan’s words, the three remaining managers smiled. At the mention of going abroad, they rubbed their hands together in pure excitement.
“Boss!!! Abroad???”
“Yes, abroad.”
“When we’ve opened our clothing stores all across the country, we will charge into the international market!”
“When that time comes, you’ll all tag along to learn and have fun!”
“You can even bring your husbands. Going abroad requires having some men around after all.”
The five managers couldn’t help but squeal with delight. They couldn’t even imagine what the scenery in foreign countries looked like.
“You three need to keep a close eye on the shops. There mustn’t be any errors in the accounts.”
“Boss, please rest assured.”
The other three managers patted their chests in absolute guarantee, promising they would guard the shops flawlessly and not let the boss suffer any losses.
Their boss was so wonderful; they had to work hard to help shoulder the pressure for her.
“Boss! You are the best boss in the entire universe!”
The youngest manager couldn’t resist kissing up to her. Sheng Wanyan gave them an amused but exasperated look. These girls truly were something else.
“Stop flattering me.”
“Hehehe~”
Sheng Wanyan shook her head with a smile, telling the two managers who were coming to Shanghai to head home and pack their things. They were to gather at the train station at nine tomorrow morning.
After arranging the subsequent workflow for the grocery stores and clothing shops, Sheng Wanyan also went home to pack her belongings.
The day of departure for Shanghai arrived very quickly. Sheng Wanyan woke up at half past seven the next morning, had breakfast, and set off.
Gu Tingxiao drove her to the train station. Sheng Wanyan looked down at her neck, which was densely covered in the fruits of Gu Tingxiao’s vigorous efforts from last night.
Since the two children and Aunt Hu had gone to the compound, Gu Tingxiao had let himself go completely unchecked.
Sheng Wanyan buttoned her collar all the way up. The clothes she had packed all had high collars or were button-up shirts.
When Sheng Wanyan arrived at the train station, she saw the two managers waiting at the entrance, munching on steamed buns.
Spotting her car, the two managers hurriedly waved their hands. Seeing them, Sheng Wanyan waved back to signal them over.
“Boss, Regiment Commander Gu.”
The two managers greeted them. Gu Tingxiao nodded with a cold expression, escorting Sheng Wanyan inside to board the train.
Following closely behind, the two managers exchanged a look and shuddered slightly. The boss’s husband was just too frosty.
They didn’t even dare to speak loudly; just looking at Regiment Commander Gu’s icy face made them chicken out.
“Go on back.”
“I’ll call you when I arrive.”
Seeing that Gu Tingxiao was lingering and refused to leave, Sheng Wanyan spoke up to urge him to go. This man truly was quite clingy.
“I know. Board the train.”
Sheng Wanyan nodded. After she boarded the train with the two managers, Gu Tingxiao waited for a moment before finally turning around to leave.
Sheng Wanyan hadn’t brought much—just one duffel bag and a sack of gifts for Gu Second Uncle’s family.
Once the three of them located their compartment, they instantly dropped their luggage, rubbing their aching arms and shoulders.
The two managers had brought quite a bit of luggage. After all, they would be away for so long, so they had packed everything they might need.
They had also brought a few sets of more formal attire, lest they bring shame to their boss when negotiating business cooperations.
Sheng Wanyan kept her money and coupons safely inside her space. The duffel bag only contained superficial belongings, so she had nothing to worry about.
However, the two managers were a bit anxious. After all, they carried cash on them and were terrified of being pickpocketed.
“Relax, we have this entire compartment to ourselves.”
Hearing this, the two managers instantly put their minds at ease, letting go of the anxiety gripping their hearts.
“Boss, isn’t this a bit too extravagant?”
A single private ticket wasn’t cheap. Their boss was truly incredibly generous, but they still felt a bit bad about the money spent.
“It’s fine. Safety is the most important thing when traveling on a business trip.”
“It will be the same whenever you travel for business in the future. Your personal safety always comes first.”
The two managers smiled upon hearing her words. This was the first time they had ever heard a boss say that the expenses of a business trip didn’t matter and that they, the employees, were what mattered most.
“Boss, you are truly wonderful.”
“Exactly.”
Sheng Wanyan shook her head with a smile. All this flattery was actually making her blush a little. These managers of hers had tongues sweeter than the next.
“Alright, settle in. It takes two days to get to Shanghai.”
Hearing this, the two managers hurriedly arranged their belongings. They had both brought their own rations and didn’t intend to go to the train’s dining car to eat today.
Gu Tingxiao had also prepared quite a bit of food for her, but due to the hot weather, those could only last for today.
Nowadays, more and more foreigners were appearing on the trains. Since Sheng Wanyan’s purpose was to bring her employees out to broaden their horizons, she naturally intended to walk around.
In the afternoon, Sheng Wanyan brought the two managers to the dining area. Ordering three cups of water and some pastries, they sat there to listen to the conversations around them.
Looking at several groups of foreigners, the two managers felt somewhat astonished. While the Capital had no shortage of foreigners, they rarely had the chance to see them closely.
Now that over a dozen foreigners of different descriptions were right before their eyes, it was impossible for them not to be amazed.
“Boss, what are they talking about?”
“They’re talking about investing in our country’s infrastructure construction.”
“Ah! How can our country’s infrastructure be left to foreigners to invest in…”
The common people didn’t understand the underlying strategic motives; they simply felt that their country’s land ought to be developed by their own people.
However, currently, HuaXia required massive amounts of capital as well as foreign technology. Accepting foreign investment was an absolute necessity.
Yet one particular thought struck a chord with Sheng Wanyan—their country’s land could absolutely not be allowed to fall into the hands of foreigners…
Thinking about the money she possessed, Sheng Wanyan wondered if she would be able to purchase a few prime plots of land during this trip to Shanghai.
Chapter 614: Gu Second Uncle’s House, the Rise of Gaming
Shanghai was a place that could not be overlooked. In the future, it would become the economic capital—a city yearned for by everyone.
“The country needs development, and foreign countries possess the technology. It’s inevitable.” Sheng Wanyan explained. “As more foreigners come in, we can also earn foreign currency from them, right?”
Hearing her words, the two managers exchanged glances, deeply moved. They finally realized where the difference lay between them and their boss.
They only saw the unfairness, but their boss saw the profit and the needs of the nation.
Along the way, the two managers learned a great deal. The corners of Sheng Wanyan’s mouth curled upward. She vaguely recalled that some foreign enterprises had wanted to negotiate a partnership with her clothing store.
They wanted to trade foreign resources and publicity for shares, but Sheng Wanyan had turned them all down.
Venturing into the international market was only a matter of time; she had no need to make that kind of trade.
Power was always better kept in one’s own hands.
Over the past two days, Sheng Wanyan had observed the performance of the two managers, and she had a clear assessment in her mind.
Sustained by their curiosity about the foreigners, the past two days on the train passed very pleasantly. They arrived in Shanghai two days later.
Everyone alighted with their luggage. It was only ten in the morning when they arrived in Shanghai. The moment they stepped out, they saw Gu Tingen—her eldest cousin—and his orderly waiting for them.
“Third Cousin-in-Law!”
Gu Tingen and his orderly strode forward and took the luggage from their hands.
“Cousin.”
Sheng Wanyan let out a sigh of relief upon seeing him. Seeing that she looked a bit tired, Gu Tingen didn’t say much and immediately ushered them to the car to go back and rest.
“Cousin-in-law, my parents have prepared a meal. After eating, you all should get some good rest.”
“Whatever business you have can wait until you’ve rested well.”
Gu Tingen and his family lived in the military compound. Gu Second Aunt and her eldest daughter-in-law had already prepared the food and were waiting.
“Thank you, Cousin. I’m sorry to trouble Second Uncle and Second Aunt this time.”
“We’re family, no need to be polite.”
Gu Tingen waved his hand. Since she had come to Shanghai, his family would naturally take good care of her.
When the two managers heard they were going to the military compound, they immediately waved their hands in refusal. They hadn’t brought any gifts for the visit, so how could they have the face to go?
Besides, they had never met such high-ranking officials before, and they were quite terrified in their hearts.
Seeing that they truly didn’t want to go, Sheng Wanyan didn’t force them. She asked Gu Tingen to drop them off at a guest house first.
“Cousin, my two managers are a bit tired…”
Before Sheng Wanyan could finish, Gu Tingen caught her drift and said directly, “During this trip, you all can stay in my wife’s small courtyard.”
“Your cousin-in-law has already prepared everything. It just so happens to have three or four rooms.”
This courtyard belonged to Gu Tingen’s wife. Her maternal home was right here in Shanghai, and this courtyard was part of her dowry.
“Your cousin-in-law has prepared food over at the courtyard as well.”
“Don’t be polite during this period. Just treat it like your own home.”
Gu Tingen directed his last sentence toward the two managers. The two managers hurriedly nodded politely.
“Thank you very much for the hospitality, Mr. Gu and Sister-in-Law.”
Gu Tingen nodded, then turned to Sheng Wanyan and said, “Are you staying at the main house? A room has already been prepared for you.”
Sheng Wanyan felt helpless upon hearing this. She really wasn’t used to living with Gu Second Uncle and Gu Second Aunt. After all, they were their own family unit, and it felt a bit improper for her to stay there.
“Cousin, I came here for work this time. Staying there might make coming and going a bit inconvenient.”
“It’s better if I stay at the courtyard with my two employees.”
“That works too.”
Gu Tingen didn’t push. He had already anticipated Sheng Wanyan’s decision; staying at the main family home would inevitably come with some inconveniences.
“I’ll arrange a car for you later to make things easier.”
“Will it be too much trouble?”
“Not at all. Everything has been cleared.”
It went without saying who it had been cleared with. Given the contributions Sheng Wanyan had made, using a car was a trivial matter.
“Then thank you very much, Eldest Cousin.”
With Gu Tingen arranging everything for her, Sheng Wanyan didn’t have to worry at all.
After first dropping the two managers off at the courtyard and putting Sheng Wanyan’s luggage inside, she went back to the military compound with Gu Tingen to have lunch.
Upon returning to Gu Second Uncle’s home, Gu Second Aunt immediately came out to greet her joyfully the moment she saw her arrive.
“Wanyan.”
“Second Uncle, Second Aunt, Cousin-in-Law.”
Sheng Wanyan was also delighted to see them. Gu Second Uncle and Gu Second Aunt pulled her inside with smiles.
“You child are truly bold, daring to come to Shanghai all by yourself.”
“When Big Brother and Big Sister-in-Law called, they scared me half to death.”
Gu Second Aunt chattered on, and Sheng Wanyan listened patiently, exchanging a smile with her eldest cousin-in-law, Li Jiaying.
“Second Aunt, I’m already the mother of three children. I’m twenty-seven.”
“You’re still a child to us, so young.”
Gu Second Aunt pulled her hand to sit down. Sheng Wanyan took out the things she had brought. There were items prepared by the family back home, as well as gifts she had prepared herself.
“Cousin-Aunt!”
Gu Tingen’s children instantly swarmed her upon seeing her. Gu Jinshou was already half a young man. Wishing only to join the military, he had trained himself to be broad-shouldered and tall.
“Little Shou, you’ve grown quite a bit taller again.”
Sheng Wanyan ruffled his hair. Gu Jinshou smiled and rubbed his head. He was already so big, yet his cousin-aunt still treated him like a child.
“Hehehe~ Cousin-Aunt, how long are you staying this time?”
“I can take you out to play. Shanghai is incredibly fun right now.”
Gu Jinshou pulled at her, speaking non-stop about how bustling Shanghai was these days. Hearing this, Gu Second Aunt immediately slapped him.
“I think you’re the one who wants to go play.”
“And you’re even dragging your cousin-aunt into it.”
Gu Jinshou wasn’t embarrassed at being exposed. His cousin-aunt was the easiest to talk to and loved taking them out to play the most, so he definitely had to drag her out to see.
“Is it really that fun?”
“Incredibly fun! There are so many novel things now.”
Gu Jinshou described the fun places and facilities to her, such as arcade games, including Super Mario Bros., Tekken, Contra, Metal Slug, and so on.
There were also games like Tetris, Mario Bros., Tank Battalion, and more.
The fashion was the same, influenced by the currently popular Black music, cassette tapes, and compact discs.
Consequently, the styles leaned toward sportswear and Western clothing, which were incredibly rich and varied. Sheng Wanyan’s shops also closely followed these fashion trends.
Sheng Wanyan was quite curious to hear this. The development here was indeed slightly ahead of the Capital. After all, this was the capital for earning foreign exchange.
“Alright, your cousin-aunt has been traveling by train for two days. She needs to eat well and rest.”
“She came here for work, she doesn’t have time to accompany you to play.”
Gu Second Aunt could also see the changes in Shanghai. Nowadays, those games completely captivated the students.
While national development was good, these games could also be the root cause of ruining the children.
“Second Uncle, Second Aunt, Little Shou knows his boundaries.”
Sheng Wanyan glanced at Gu Jinshou. Gu Jinshou nodded quickly. He hadn’t actually played any of those; he had only seen them.
He knew the family elders disliked them looking lazy and passive, so he hadn’t touched them at all.
He wanted to play, but he didn’t dare.
“Grandpa, Grandma, I swear, I didn’t go play.”
Gu Second Uncle and Gu Second Aunt naturally believed him, but they were still deeply worried in their hearts, fearing these games would lead the younger generation astray.
