Since spring started to heat up this year, which was around mid-April, the Huaihai Road store's business was completely over. Sometimes there were not as many customers as there were employees at the end of the day.
Jiang Xiaoping thought about it for a long time and felt that even if the decoration was upgraded, [-]% of the money would be wasted. Finally, she decided to transfer the store and treat the small losses as gains.
There are many local people who want to take over. "Pingshui Hot Spring" has been open for so many years, and it has gained some reputation.
However, the conditions offered by private owners are quite average, and most of them don't want to keep the old employees in the store.
"Boss Jiang, don't think I'm too blunt. Your old employees are really good at their craftsmanship. But the problem is, these days, how many guests come to take a bath based on the skills of the scrub masters?"
A few days ago, the Qianshen Shuihui headquarters contacted Jiang Xiaoping.
We met today and had a brief chat. The conditions offered by the other party are really good, and most of the employees can stay. However, Qianshen hopes that Jiang Xiaoping can also stay and continue to manage the store.
Jiang Xiaoping was quite hesitant.
If I agree to this, I will have to study in another city in September at the earliest. No matter how fast I study, it will take more than half a year to finish.
She really didn't want to go, so Gan Jieping helped with the bathing. Speaking of it, she was the one who took the initiative, but now she happened to encounter some troubles. Now that she left, she was simply abandoning her husband and cheating on her daughter. It was no longer a thing.
"Don't worry, I've already asked. I'm not a netizen this time, so it's not a big problem."
Jiang He completely misread the complicated expression on Jiang Xiaoping's face, and quickly added, "Actually, you have seen that person before. The time we were vomiting in the corridor when Mr. Liang was opposite the door last time..."
"You mean Zhu Qiwu?" Jiang Xiaoping paused.
"Ah? What... what Zhu Qiwu... no, how do you know this person's name?"
Jiang He looked at her mother in surprise. Jiang Xiaoping, who had put on slippers, looked at Jiang He thoughtfully.
"If I tell you, you must never..."
"I guarantee that it will rot in my stomach. God knows it, the earth knows it, you know it, and I know it. Other than that, no other person will know."
Jiang Hete came up, immediately raised his hands as if to swear, and diligently brought the coffee he had just taken two sips to Jiang Xiaoping with both hands.
Two minutes later, Jiang He, who was sitting on the edge of the sofa with her knees in her arms, looked at her mother in disbelief as if she had been struck by lightning.
"...What? Zhu Qiwu also chased you?"
"If you speak louder, I'll call you out. It will be so fun for the three of us to chat together."
Jiang Xiaoping took a sip of coffee and reminded angrily.
Jiang He quickly covered his mouth and listened for a long time to what was going on in Liang Xiujing's house.
"It's okay, grandma's snoring hasn't stopped. Please tell me quickly what's going on!"
After Zhu Qiwu added Jiang Xiaoping's WeChat account that day, he sent a long piece of nonsense self-introduction that night.
"Zhu, whose zodiac sign is Tiger, is 62 years old. He was the former deputy director of the Second Machinery Factory. He has three houses under his name, no loans, with a total value of about 1 million (still rising in value), a pension of more than [-], and his wife died young. , the only son has now married and started a business, and is currently the deputy director of the office of the No. [-] Machinery Factory (professor level). Mr. Liang Yusheng once said, 'Sigh, the beauty is unparalleled, and she never grows old. She has made a promise for a hundred years and lived up to her promise.' I wonder what Ms. Jiang would like?"
Jiang Xiaoping felt dizzy after just one glance, and didn't bother to pay attention to him at all.
But the man surnamed Zhu actually persevered. For a month, he kept saying hello in the morning, noon and night, and every now and then he would either send pictures of scenery or write acrostic poems.
It was just a matter of straightening out the weak, and Jiang Xiaoping just ignored her. The trouble was, he actually introduced several customers.
Jiang Xiaoping felt that it would not be a problem if this continued, so she simply made an appointment with him at the Huaihai Road store, thinking of explaining it to him face to face.
"You...are the proprietress of Pingshui Tangquan?" When Zhu Qiwu came in, he happened to see Jiang Xiaoping chatting with a regular customer and asked with a surprised look on his face.
"It's not the boss lady, it's the boss." Jiang Xiaoping corrected.
She raised her chin slightly and gestured to the small bouquet of 19 yuan and 9 yuan that Zhu Qiwu held in his hand, "Is it for me?"
The bouquet of flowers looked like they were bought at the subway entrance. They usually come in two price ranges, 9 yuan 9 and 19 yuan 9.
The platycodon was obviously wilted, and the only rose was just okay. Compared with the exquisite bouquet that Gu Xiahui came to bring to the old lady, it was a light year away from the exquisite bouquet that was comparable to a work of art.
"...Ah, yes." Zhu Qiwu quickly handed the bouquet to Jiang Xiaoping, and Jiang Xiaoping casually placed it on the bar.
The front desk handed over two hands of cards, and Jiang Xiaoping gave one to Zhu Qiwu, "Do you want to soak it first, or should we go and eat something first?"
Zhu Qiwu seemed to be struggling. Just when Jiang Xiaoping was about to ask him to take a bath first, he finally made up his mind, "Eat first, I haven't had breakfast yet!"
Facts have proved that Zhu Qiwu did not lie. He worked hard for half an hour before he finally found time to speak.
"Your business is not that small. Why do you think of helping the elderly bathe? That's so dirty!"
"Business is not doing well right now, so I want to see if there are any other ways."
Jiang Xiaoping told the truth, but Zhu Qiwu obviously didn't believe it.
He had spent too many years in a state-owned factory and had no real skills. He had only gotten up by flattering others. He and Jiang Xiaoping were completely different from each other. From the time he followed her, he couldn't understand her asking for trouble.
After Zhu Qiwu had eaten and drank enough, he began to put on a show and dropped his book bag crazily.
Jiang Xiaoping felt that talking to him was more difficult than talking to those disabled old people who had been paralyzed for many years and had unclear speech. Zhu Qiwu obviously didn't think so. He felt that he and Jiang Xiaoping had a "very happy conversation."
"Boss Jiang, we are not young anymore, so I will not beat around the bush. I hope Boss Jiang will never refuse to speak out!"
Zhu Qiwu put down the teacup Shiranly, and Jiang Xiaoping felt sick to her stomach at the sight of his persuasive leadership style.
"When I was young, I thought it was good to be alone, 'the body is free and the mind is free'. But now I am getting older and my children have started families and have children of their own. I live here alone. Living in such a big house, I feel lonely every day, and I feel quite lonely. I just want to find someone who I know and love to accompany me until I grow old."
Zhu Qiwu pondered for a moment, and just when Jiang Xiaoping suspected that he had forgotten the words, he continued leisurely.
"After all, the relationship between husband and wife is the most important thing in human relations. When there is a disease or disaster in the future, we can still take care of each other, what do you think?" Zhu Qiwu said it nicely, but Jiang Xiaoping knew very well that "obey the voice and listen to the voice." " principle.
After this man found out that he was the owner of Pingshui Tangquan, he obviously lost the enthusiasm for flirting online. He obviously felt that Jiang Xiaoping was cool enough to serve him in bed, but he was not willing to give up just now, so Thinking of giving it a try one last time.
"Husbands and wives are like birds in the same forest, but when disaster strikes, they all fly separately, let alone a husband and wife halfway through. What do you think, Director Zhu?"
Jiang Xiaoping deliberately called him the wrong position, which made Zhu Qiwu's square face turn purple on the spot.
Later, I heard from the store manager that Zhu Qiwu was so angry that he tried all the items in the store.
The moment he saw the bill at the checkout, his lips trembled with fear. When he finally realized that it was Jiang Xiaoping who was treating the guests, he felt as if he had received an amnesty. When he went out and went down the steps, his legs were still weak and he almost sprained his ankle.
"Hey! Is this person looking for a girlfriend or a caregiver? Although this matter...it's 'whoever takes the bait', but it's so utilitarian and boring."
Jiang He felt indescribably uncomfortable when he thought of Zhang Jiefang dressing up carefully and going to the appointment happily, while Zhu Qiwu simply wanted to find a free nanny who could take care of him for the rest of his life.
"Don't worry about it. I'll talk to Jiefang when she comes back."
Jiang Xiaoping held the coffee in both hands and looked at Jiang Hezhuo pulling on his slippers to the bar. She couldn't help but say, "He'er, what if I..."
"What if?" Jiang He waited for a long time and asked simply without waiting for the second half of the sentence.
"If you have to go somewhere else... forget it, just pretend I didn't say anything."
Jiang Xiaoping waved her hands indiscriminately and decided to reject the Qian Shen Shui Club immediately. She could make more money, but she only had one daughter.
She raised her head and drank the last bit of coffee, got up from the sofa, threw the cup into the dishwasher, and was about to go back to the bedroom to change clothes, but was stopped by Jiang He.
Jiang He's eyes slowly moved from the computer screen to Jiang Xiaoping's face, his brows furrowed into a deep "Sichuan" character.
"Mom, I'm 32...no, 33, not 3 years old. Unless you don't want to see me and keep your name anonymous, otherwise where are you going and I can't catch you?"
"Why is it related to 'anonymity'?"
"Yes, you are not anonymous, so what am I afraid of? Are you afraid? Are you afraid that I will cry and make a fuss, hold your thigh and shout, 'Mom, don't leave', 'Mom, don't abandon me'?"
The stylus in Jiang He's hand was spinning rapidly, and he yelled at Jiang Xiaoping at the top of his voice. Jiang Xiaoping was so embarrassed that she didn't dare to look at Jiang He.
"You want to be happy, I will just say, 'Go, go, come back with more money'!"
"You are a little money-crazy, you are really obsessed with money. How old are you and I, your mother, and you don't even let me retire?"
Jiang Xiaoping laughed and cursed, but the worry about gains and losses in her heart suddenly felt much more at ease.
"Are you retiring? Oh, if you can stay at home for two weeks then, I'll be happy with you!"
Jiang He had already seen through her mother. Jiang Xiaoping's restlessness was innate and grew from her bones. She couldn't cut it off, let alone suppress it.
She knew that Jiang Xiaoping had always felt guilty for abandoning her when she was a child, but she also knew that if it happened again, Jiang Xiaoping would definitely do the same thing again.
When Jiang He was young, she couldn't understand why her mother was so different from her classmates' mothers.
"Focusing solely on the child" is simply a fantasy for Jiang Xiaoping.
Jiang Xiaoping is selfish and strong enough. She always puts herself first as a matter of course. Jiang He, the daughter, and Liang Xiujing, the mother, have to take a step back.
"You, go wherever you want, I will never stop you, but please remember to help check whether the local bathing aid for the elderly is feasible. Whenever I miss you, I will take my grandma to find you!"
As soon as Jiang He finished speaking, there was movement in Liang Xiujing's room. Before she even woke up, she called He'er in confusion.
"Hey, grandma, I'm here!"
Jiang He immediately took half a cup of warm water and trotted into Liang Xiujing's room. Soon there was the lively sound of the two laughing and joking.
"Sister Xiaoping, don't worry, I won't pay a penny this time."
It was almost 10 o'clock when Zhang Jiefang arrived home. She was holding a large dark green paper bag in her hand, plus a small bouquet of 9 yuan 9 flowers decorated with disposable light strings.
The whole person looked very tired but extremely excited. His eyes, which were usually dull in the past, now seemed to be filled with stars.
The last time Jiang Xiaoping saw her like this was when she received the bouquet of roses from "Broad Sea and Sky" on Chinese Valentine's Day the year before last.
Jiang Xiaoping didn't want to disappoint Zhang Jiefang, so she was still thinking about how to speak, but Zhang Jiefang already patted her chest with confidence.
"Lao Zhu is indeed a little older, but I can see that he is still in good health. Furthermore, his conditions are not bad. He has several houses at home, his pension is quite high, and his spending is generous. Look at today, Not only did he treat me to a movie, he also took me to some internet celebrity afternoon tea, a small piece of cake cost dozens of dollars, and he had a buffet barbecue in the evening, which cost a lot in total!"
Zhang Jiefang's tone contained a hint of showing off that she wanted to hide but couldn't. This was the first time a man had taken the initiative to chase her and spend money on her, even though he was a retired old man who was more than a round older than her.
However, this old man looks respectable and speaks in a polite manner. He always says "what he said" and "what he said to you". Zhang Jiefang can't understand most of them, but it's okay if she doesn't understand. If she understands everything, That's nothing special.
"... As long as you think it's good, then this is considered the 'inspection' stage?" Jiang Xiaoping asked tentatively.
"Lao Zhu asked me if I would move to his place."
Zhang Jiefang sat down on the shoe bench and took off her Jenny shoes with difficulty. She hadn't worn leather shoes for a long time. She walked back and forth for a long time today. Her heels and insteps were worn in several places, so she had to wear band-aids. It didn't work much, it was still bruised and bloody.
"Lao Zhu said that the house he lives in now has several empty rooms. If I move in, I don't have to pay rent. I can just help with cleaning occasionally and cook two meals."
Jiang Xiaoping didn't expect that the progress bar of the two of them would move up so quickly. They had just met once, and they were about to live together? In addition, judging from what Zhang Jiefang meant, Zhu Qiwu was looking for a free nanny! "Go live with him. Isn't this... a bit too fast? You can live with me. If you leave, half of the family will be separated. I can't take care of the old and the young." Jiang Xiaoping He showed weakness to Zhang Jiefang and started playing the emotional card.
"Sister Xiaoping, I know you asked me to take care of my grandma and dragged Jiang He along to help me bathe. You felt sorry for me and wanted me to earn more money and quickly plug up the big hole, but I can't I will depend on you for the rest of my life, let alone live here with you for the rest of my life."
Jiang Xiaoping was about to retort, but Zhang Jiefang waved her hand, "Sister Xiaoping, please listen to me first. In fact, my grandma's health has been almost better since last month, and basically there is no need for me."
(End of this chapter)