Chapter 99

If possible, please put the book on the shelf. It will be convenient for you and also support me. Thank you very much!

After Feng Hongbing's mother persuaded both sides, the emotions of both parties eased somewhat.

Feng Yuxuan knew that no matter what, what she had done was not justified. Her crying was partly to gain the upper hand. Now that there was a way out, she naturally took it. With red eyes, she told Feng Hongbing's mother about her experiences in the city over the years, giving various reasons for why she had not returned home.

Feng Zhenchang was still angry. After finishing a cigarette, he went into the house, took a straw hat and a sickle, and left. Feng Hongbing's mother called out from behind, "Uncle, come back early. We'll have dinner at Xinhua's house tonight."

Like Mei Qiuping, Feng Zhenchang also went up the mountain to check on his fields and economic forest. Although he hadn't farmed for the past two years, he was still a farmer. Since he had come back with great effort, he naturally wanted to take a good look.

When they returned from dinner at Xinhua's house, it was almost nine o'clock. Seeing that her father was in a good mood, Feng Yuxuan mentioned her idea. Without hesitation, Feng Zhenchang rejected his daughter's request, "Don't think about other things. In a few days, go to the provincial capital with me. We have everything arranged. Once the store opens, my wife and I won't be enough. You can go and help."

Feng Yuxuan finally understood that even if her mother had come back with her father, her original ideas would not be realized.

After giving up, she reflected. Indeed, after being away for three years, she only had a little over four hundred yuan in her pocket. Now, asking for ten thousand yuan from home seemed a bit... excessive?

With no other options, she decided that going to the provincial capital was not a bad choice. The provincial capital must be more prosperous than the city.

This year's chestnut harvest was not as good as last year's. After drying, only about three hundred pounds of suitable chestnuts were picked. Feng Zhenchang used cash to buy over a thousand pounds from the village, and he asked his daughter to take care of the drying while he went to the school to see Feng Yiping.

Feng Yiping had been very busy these days. Not only during the day, but also until nearly midnight at night. Opening the first noodle shop was very important to him because it was the first in his planned chain. He wanted to make this shop a model.

He thought it would be simple, but as he delved deeper, he found that opening the first shop was not easy. The more he delved, the more problems he encountered. He had never been involved in the catering industry before, so he now looked at many issues from a customer's perspective. However, he thought this was not bad; these designs should indeed be customer-oriented.

When Feng Zhenchang arrived at his son's place, he saw Feng Yiping take out a large stack of paper. He thought his son was going to review his lessons, but Feng Yiping said it was for him. He said he had asked many teachers and looked up many books to summarize some rules for opening a noodle shop.

Feng Zhenchang flipped through a page. The first page was hand-drawn, a designed trademark, followed by renderings of the storefront and interior decoration. The following pages were a mix of illustrations and simple tables, explaining various aspects. He looked at Feng Yiping in confusion, "We're opening a noodle shop, right?"

Feng Yiping said with some regret, "This is all I can think of for now. Let's open the shop first and then improve it gradually."

Just this much? If I were to open a restaurant, how much would you prepare?

Feng Zhenchang slapped the papers on the table. He was about to scold his son, but then he thought that his son had put a lot of effort into it, even if it was a bit overdone. He tried to speak in a calm tone, "We know more about these things than you do. Your mother and I have also looked at many noodle shops. We have a good idea of what we want. You don't need to worry; just focus on your studies."

Feng Yiping, who was drinking water, was taken aback. He didn't expect his father to have this attitude! His hard work and enthusiasm were not recognized, and he felt very depressed.

But seeing his father's serious expression, he knew it would be hard to persuade him. After some thought, he asked, "Then I want to ask, what do you and Mom think about the lease contract? How many years will you rent for, how will you pay the rent, and how will you handle breaches?"

Seeing his son quiz him, Feng Zhenchang became impatient, "We know how to handle these things. You don't need to worry. Boss Cai said the rent will be paid annually, and the lease will be as long as possible. We plan to sign a three-year lease, just like his factory."

Feng Yiping felt frustrated, "Dad, we can't compare ourselves to Old Cai. He has good relations with the street office and spends money to maintain them. We, on the other hand, have no roots in the provincial capital. For example, if the business is good and the landlord wants to rent it to someone else for the same business, what will we do? Or if the landlord sees the business is good and raises the rent significantly the next year, what will we do? Or if the landlord sells the shop, what will we do?"

Feng Zhenchang was stunned. He hadn't thought about these possibilities in detail.

"Also, how do you and Mom plan to handle the money?" Feng Yiping asked again.

"What's there to prepare? Just like other noodle shops, pay when you leave after eating."

"What if, during peak hours in the morning and noon, you are too busy to notice, and someone leaves without paying? Besides, in the first shop, it's all family, so it doesn't matter who collects the money. But for the second shop, who will collect the money? Can you trust an outsider to do it? What if they take the money and put it in their own pocket?"

Like Mei Qiuping, Feng Zhenchang took money matters very seriously. Seeing that his father was finally listening, Feng Yiping patted the papers, "When you have time, you and Mom should take a look, okay? During the summer, I read a lot of books in the provincial capital and asked many people at the university. They must have some valid points."

Feng Yiping knew his father still didn't fully trust him, so he had to bring up others.

"Alright," Feng Zhenchang reluctantly agreed, but Feng Yiping believed that once his parents read through it, they would accept many of his ideas. After all, at this time, very few people were doing corporate image design, and his ideas were still quite novel and could attract attention.

On the morning of the Cold Dew, Feng Family Village was unusually lively. Feng Zhenchang and Feng Yuxuan led the way, followed by the Feng Mingzhi couple, the Dongming couple, Feng Weidong's younger brother, and the Feng Xinhua couple. Three families, with five or six strong laborers helping to carry things, formed a group of over a dozen people, all carrying loads, heading to the roadside.

Many villagers, still holding their bowls of breakfast, gathered to watch. Everyone was very enthusiastic. Including Feng Yiping's family, four families were going to the provincial capital. If they did well, more families could go next year.

Including the Wang Changning family, four new families were going. This time, they brought a lot of things, so Feng Zhenchang found a truck to deliver everything directly to the provincial capital. Dongming and Feng Yuxuan went with the truck.

Feng Yiping, after much pleading with his homeroom teacher, finally got a two-period leave and went to Mei Family Village with Wang Changning to see everyone off to the provincial capital.

Seeing Feng Yiping, Feng Yuxuan was still angry. She was upset that her brother didn't support her and that she had been scolded by Feng Zhenchang at home. Seeing that everyone on the journey liked her brother even more, she was even more annoyed and decided not to talk to him.

Feng Zhenchang was better. As a man, even if he was reluctant, he wouldn't show it. Besides, he had gotten used to it over the past two years, and his son had never given him any worries.

It was Wang Changning's mother, like Mei Qiuping, who was very reluctant to let her son go. She held Wang Changning's hand, giving him many instructions. When she got in the car, both mother and son had red eyes.

Thank you very much for everyone's support! Special thanks to book friends Bright V Saint V Knight and Flower Appreciation Jade for your donations!

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