Free Web NovelChapter 317: Chapter 317: Love at First Sight
New Year’s Eve passed by in a lively and festive mood.
On the first day of the New Year, Wu Qihua gave Su Li and Little Tang Mo red envelopes with money.
"Here, one for each of you."
Wu Qihua placed the red envelopes in their hands, saying, "I hope you’ll be healthy, fortunate, and safe in the new year."
’Su Li could understand Little Tang Mo getting one, but for her to receive one as well...’
Su Li was a little flustered.
"In my eyes, you’re still a child, so just accept it,"
Wu Qihua explained simply.
Su Li nodded vigorously. "Thank you, Auntie."
After thanking her, she also took out a red envelope she had prepared in advance and handed it to Wu Qihua. "Auntie, this is for you."
Wu Qihua accepted it graciously. "Now *this* is ’New Year’s money.’ The ones I gave you are ’warding money’ to keep evil spirits away."
From the first to the third day of the New Year, they didn’t eat every single meal together, but they did have dinner together all three nights. The first night was at the Wu Family’s home, while the second and third were at Su Li’s.
After spending the New Year holiday together, Wu Qihua had grown much closer to Su Li and her son.
And just like that, the lively New Year celebration came to an end.
After the holiday, Su Li rested for two days, ate vegetarian meals to cleanse her system, and then threw herself into her work.
She was busy with the Imperial City branch factory. Starting a branch factory was no easy task; there were countless things to handle, both inside and out.
After the eighth day of the New Year, Li Hongqin and Yin Cuihua arrived in the Imperial City.
Their children were still on vacation, and not wanting to leave them unattended, they brought them along.
This worked out well. Including Little Tang Mo, the three children already knew each other, so they had company to play with, giving the adults one less thing to worry about.
Su Li was even more direct. She hadn’t forgotten their plan to learn sign language. Even though Little Tang Mo could speak now, knowing sign language was still a good skill. So, she took out the sign language books she had bought earlier and had the three children learn from them.
Whatever they learned, they would teach to her when she came home in the evening.
The children were all sensible, so they didn’t cause any trouble for Su Li and the others while they were busy.
The three women continued to work according to their previous division of labor. After several days of working day and night, the branch factory slowly began to take shape.
Yin Cuihua was becoming increasingly skilled at procurement. After arriving, she and her assistant visited all the fabric factories and other suppliers in the Imperial City’s vicinity.
That’s right, both Yin Cuihua and Li Hongqin had assistants now. Back when they were swamped and had to handle every little thing themselves, Su Li had suggested they hire assistants.
At first, neither of them thought it was necessary; they had never imagined reaching a point where they would need assistants.
But as time went on and the business expanded, they went and hired them on their own, without Su Li even needing to bring it up again.
After hiring them, they were still very busy, but things were much better than before.
Once the general terms were agreed upon, the assistants would handle communicating the contract details, and Yin Cuihua would just give the final approval and sign.
Su Li was busy recruiting staff, handling various legal procedures, and establishing the company’s structure. It was a branch factory, but besides the factory itself, the other departments were just as important.
This time of year was both the best and the worst for recruiting, and Su Li put a lot of thought and effort into it.
Li Hongqin was also busy, managing training, finished garments, and pattern making. She was completely run off her feet.
However, their hard work paid off. Once the fifteenth day of the first lunar month passed,
after an initial wave of recruitment, Pinjun’s Beijing Branch factory officially opened and began production.
Although things were still a bit chaotic, everything was getting on track, and Su Li, Yin Cuihua, and Li Hongqin could finally breathe a small sigh of relief.
Many positions were still unfilled, but they knew they couldn’t rush it.
Hiring people, especially the right people, sometimes came down to fate and opportunity.
After the Lantern Festival, whether it was shops or other businesses, almost everything had returned to normal operations.
Su Li took advantage of a break in her schedule to go look at retail spaces.
For this new line of youth apparel, Su Li wanted to open specialty stores. Once they advertised and built up the brand, anyone who wanted to sell their clothes would have to become a franchisee.
Even though the factory had just opened, production was already ramping up. Between market research, finding storefronts, renovations, and promotion... time was tight.
Su Li spent two days scouting, getting a general understanding of the market and prices.
After considering all factors, she selected a few potential locations.
After that, there was an endless stream of miscellaneous tasks, and Su Li spent many more days buried in work.
It wasn’t just her; Yin Cuihua and Li Hongqin were the same. Working overtime was a daily affair.
It was true—the more you wanted to achieve, the more you had to give.
The little bit of roundness they had gained from the New Year’s feasts disappeared in the blink of an eye; they had even lost weight.
Winter break slipped by quietly amidst all the hustle and bustle.
Because she was so busy, she thought about the company from the moment she woke up until the moment she fell asleep, so Su Li had no time to think about Wu Sheng.
Just as she finally reached a lull in her work, the weather had begun to warm up.
March was approaching, and school was about to start.
Chang E and the others had also returned early, reopening their bookstore for business.
Seeing that the factory work had mostly settled down, Su Li planned to take a two-day break before school started, giving herself a short vacation.
Li Hongqin and Yin Cuihua took turns making a trip back home to take care of their affairs before returning to the Imperial City.
They weren’t short on money now and had already hired an agent to buy homes for them. They would probably be settling down in the Imperial City for the long haul.
Their children’s school transfers had also been processed, and they would be attending the same elementary school as Little Tang Mo.
Li Hongqin, being just a mother and daughter without a husband, found it convenient to be anywhere.
Yin Cuihua, however, did have a husband. She wanted to pursue greater opportunities, but her husband was a bit timid and unwilling to quit his job at the factory.
So, for the time being, they had to live apart.
Su Li had originally planned to rest for two days, but after just one day off, she found her second day was no longer free.
This was because a new acquaintance—a potential business partner and suitor—had come looking for her, wanting to tour her factory.
While she was scouting for shops, Su Li had coincidentally met Young President Yang of the department store.
This Young President Yang’s surname was Yang, and his given name was Jiu. She had met him when she was looking to buy a retail space.
This Young President Yang was the owner of that very space. When he heard that Su Li was planning to sell clothes, and in a specialty store no less, he became interested.
His family was about to open a new department store—the kind that was a prototype of later-generation malls, with a full range of goods and a focus on brand-name specialty shops.
Hearing the address, how could Su Li not be thrilled? This was a department store that would still exist far into the future!
If she could get a spot in it right from its grand opening, it would be absolutely perfect.
"Because we have very high standards for quality, I’d like to tour your factory first and see the quality of the clothes for myself."
After Yang Jiu finished speaking, Su Li immediately nodded. "It would be my honor to have you inspect our facilities."
Yang Jiu shook his head. "Don’t be so formal. You know full well that half the reason I came for an ’inspection’ is to see you."
With that, he turned, opened a car door, and said, "Please."
’So chivalrous!’
This Yang Jiu was handsome with a great physique, a blend of domineering, gentle, and chivalrous. He had the classic vibe of a "gentle-yet-overbearing CEO" from future romance novels.
Most importantly, he had fallen for Su Li at first sight.
After falling for her, he began a sincere pursuit, not even flinching when he met Little Tang Mo and learned that Su Li was a divorcée with a child.
His courtship was earnest, and he wasn’t afraid to spend money. He had sent jade, jewelry, and flowers, and even nearly bought Su Li a car because she didn’t have one.
He was practically throwing money at her with reckless abandon. Any other girl would have probably been swept off her feet by now.
