Chapter 138: Comfort

Development in Pengcheng is in full swing. Anyone with resources and capital wants to seize the opportunity, and as a result, factories are sprouting up like bamboo shoots after a spring rain.

"I’ll give him a call tomorrow to ask."

Xia Xiyun gazed at the star-like lights filling the room, her red lips curving upward. "I never expected Lu Yan to be such a romantic. He made this gift for you with his own hands; other men might have money, but they don't have this kind of talent."

Yes, she was referring to her own younger brother, who didn't know the immensity of heaven and earth—not that Shen Qingyi would understand what she meant.

Shen Qingyi gave a shy smile and did not deny it.

Xia Xiyun flipped through the sketches in her hand, closed them again, and glanced at her watch. "It’s getting late, we should head back. You give Lu Yan a call; if there’s any news, call the courtyard house in Kyoto. I’ll be staying there for the next few days."

"Alright!"

Early the next morning, Shen Qingyi got up and had breakfast with everyone. After the meal, Xiao Yang drove back to the base, and because new stock had arrived yesterday, Lu Caiqing had to go out to deliver goods and set up her stall.

Before Lu Caiqing left, Shen Qingyi asked her to take the insoles made by Feng Erqiu along. "Try selling them for one yuan a pair."

Lu Caiqing took them and agreed, "Will do!"

After Lu Caiqing left, Shen Qingyi stayed home waiting for An'an to wake up. Perhaps exhausted from the car ride the day before, An'an didn't wake up until eight. After getting up, he brushed his teeth, washed his face, and ate breakfast.

Shen Qingyi sat beside him, waiting. "Eat quickly; once you're done, I’m going to call your father."

At the mention of the phone call, An'an was thrilled. "Yay, that’s great! Let me talk a bit, too."

Shen Qingyi rested her chin on her hand and watched her son. She wondered how he and Lu Yan could have so much to talk about all day long—she certainly didn't.

An'an quickly finished his noodles and waited obediently for Shen Qingyi to finish the dishes. Once the chores were done, she took An'an to the supply and marketing cooperative to make the call. After dialing, the operator told her to wait five minutes and try again.

When she called back, Lu Yan answered the phone.

"Hello?" Lu Yan’s voice carried a hint of fatigue.

Shen Qingyi spoke up, "Lu Yan, there’s something I need to talk to you about."

"Go ahead."

"Regarding the lamp you gave me, someone wants to buy your patent. Are you willing to sell it?"

"It’s already yours; you can decide for yourself," Lu Yan replied, his tone devoid of excitement.

Shen Qingyi felt that he likely didn't realize the value of the patent, which was why he sounded so calm. "The friend Xia Xiyun brought said that her relative looked into foreign patents, and the patent fee alone is 400,000 yuan, without even including technical consultation or support."

"Do you want to sell it?"

Shen Qingyi listened to his voice on the other end, which remained completely level. "If we can get that much money, it would certainly be better to sell it."

"Fine, I’ll leave it to you. But I don't have time to provide technical guidance right now; we’ll have to wait until this project is finished," Lu Yan said.

"Understood, I’ll give them an answer today."

"Good. How is Old Qian?" Lu Yan couldn't help but ask.

Shen Qingyi was silent for a moment. "He told me not to visit him anymore, to focus on raising An'an at home, and to just come when he passes away."

Lu Yan sensed the sorrow in his wife's voice and didn't know how to comfort her for a moment. After a long pause, he said, "Don't think too much about it. Life, old age, sickness, and death are the natural laws of the world."

Shen Qingyi: !!!

Though, that was exactly the kind of thing Lu Yan would say.

"Are you still coughing?" she asked.

"No, it’s gone."

"An'an wants to talk to you," she said, handing the phone to their son.

An'an happily took the phone and told Lu Yan that Xia Xiyue had bought him a robot, then asked about the principles behind the joint movements of its limbs. Lu Yan hadn't seen it in person and couldn't judge, so he promised to explain it when he returned next month.

The father and son chatted a while longer before hanging up.

After finishing the call, Shen Qingyi dialed Xia Xiyun. Upon hearing the news, Xia Xiyun told A-Yue to return immediately to discuss it with their Uncle Hong.

Xia Xiyue sat nearby, his expression indifferent.

Seeing her brother’s look, Xia Xiyun quickly softened her tone. "A-Yue, losing to Lu Yan is nothing to be ashamed of. Let's find someone even better—what do you think of A-Yue?"

Xia Xiyue’s face remained blank. "Not interested."

"I told you before, you can only compete with him in terms of looks, but his appearance is the least of his advantages. You might not even be able to beat him in a fight. The men Zhao Chu brought over were all taken down by him. You used to think you were wealthy, right? Look at him—he pulls out a small patent and it’s worth hundreds of thousands. With his brain, he probably has more than just one patent. He’s also a great father; let alone Qingyi, even I would choose him."

Xia Xiyue didn't argue this time, only saying heavily, "I know." With that, he walked away.

Xia Xiyun watched her brother’s retreating back, at a loss for words.

After the calls, Shen Qingyi took An'an out to buy groceries. When they returned home, Lu Caiqing was back. She quickly took the bags from Shen Qingyi, looked inside, and cheered, "Wow, I really love the days when Second Sister-in-law is home!"

"How did the sales go today?" Shen Qingyi asked, glancing at the bag on the back of her bicycle.

"The wallets and bags sold quite well, and I’m even getting repeat customers. After visiting the two wholesale clients, I kept thirty-five for myself; there are only three bags left. But the insoles are a bit troublesome. I sold two pairs, but they were returned. The customer said there’s a stall not far away selling the exact same insoles for eighty cents."

"The exact same?" Shen Qingyi was startled.

Lu Caiqing nodded. "Yes. I didn't believe it at first and refused the return, thinking the customer was trying to pull a fast one, but they gave me the specific location and told me to go check. Since it was almost time to come home and cook, and I didn't have many bags left, I packed up the stall and went to look. It turns out, they really do have them. So, Second Sister-in-law, these insoles aren't very competitive. The profit margin is thin, and on top of that, we have a rival."

Shen Qingyi only heard the part about there being another stall selling those insoles; everything else Lu Caiqing said faded into the background.

Back home, she told Lu Caiqing, "Give me the specific location of that stall. I’ll go check it out. Please watch An'an for me; if I’m not back in time for lunch, don't wait for me."

Lu Caiqing agreed and gave her the address.

Shen Qingyi rode her bicycle to the location. She caught a glimpse from a distance and was instantly stunned.

The woman sitting there looked exactly like the Wang Chunhua described by Feng Erqiu, just with a few more wrinkles and a weary air.

The names Wang Chunhua and He Xiangcao sounded completely unrelated, but the demeanor and temperament were identical. She hadn't noticed it when looking at the sketch before.

Shen Qingyi had a gut feeling that these two could not be unrelated.

She wondered if this was a sign from heaven, unable to bear watching her father die with such injustice. With that thought in mind, she pushed her bicycle forward...