I have few friends, but many childhood sweethearts.

Chapter 130. Zhang Yiyi's Background

"How is it? Does it look good?" Xu Qingfan, dressed in a blue robe and white gown, came out of the room and asked, shaking his long sleeves.

“It’s a little big, it will fit perfectly next year.” Zhang Chunxue’s eyes lit up and she nodded.

"Dang-dang-dang!"

As soon as he finished speaking, Lin Wanning and Zhang Yiyi came out of another room hand in hand. "Hehe~ Aren't they pretty?"

Both children wore festive, antique-style red cotton-padded coats, the hems of which extended to their calves, and the patterns embroidered stitch by stitch were simple yet elegant.

Lin Wanning and Zhang Yiyi were both naturally beautiful, and the clothes they wore made them look just like the eldest daughter of a wealthy family in ancient times.

"Beautiful! Beautiful!" Xu Qingfan was stunned for a moment, and then exclaimed repeatedly after he realized what was happening.

"Clothes look good only when people look good." Zhang Chunxue affectionately pinched their small faces.

"Brother Qingfan is so handsome!" Lin Wanning looked at him with sparkling eyes.

"Brother, you're so handsome!" Zhang Yiyi said with a smile.

With Zhang Chunxue present, he still couldn't bring himself to say anything like "When am I not handsome?"

"It's no use saying nice things; you actually came back secretly without telling me." Xu Qingfan pretended to be angry and put on a stern face.

Back in Yanjing, Lin Wanning had mentioned to him on the phone that Yi Yi had brought them gifts and a little secret.

The gift is naturally the outfit I'm wearing now. As for the little secret, it's that Zhang Yiyi is going back to China on the fifth day of the Lunar New Year, and the two of them haven't told him about it.

"What a surprise~" Lin Wanning said, clinging to his arm and acting cute.

"Surprise!" Zhang Yi put on the exquisitely crafted fox mask, then took it off when he got close to Xu Qingfan's face.

"This is a one-time exception." Xu Qingfan patted the two of them on the head lightly.

"Hehe~"

Zhang Chunxue rested her chin on her hand, watching the interaction between the three with great interest.

"You three stand still, Auntie will take a picture of you," Zhang Chunxue said to the three of them, opening her phone.

"Mom, I want to!" Zhang Yi handed his phone to Zhang Chunxue, indicating that he wanted to take pictures with this phone too.

The three little ones stood straight and proper, with Zhang Yiyi and Lin Wanning standing on either side of Xu Qingfan.

"Wanning, look at the camera! Don't just stare at Xiaofan." Zhang Chunxue turned her gaze away from the screen and looked at Lin Wanning.

"Uh-huh!"

"Xiao Fan, open your fan, let's take another one." Zhang Chunxue gave an 'OK' sign and said with a smile.

"Okay."

"Ningning wants to see!" Lin Wanning couldn't wait and ran over.

Several people huddled together, heads close together, looking at two photos on their phones.

After setting the photo as her screensaver, Zhang Chunxue took out two red envelopes from her bag. "Happy New Year, Xiaofan and Ningning. These are red envelopes from Auntie."

"Thank you, aunt!"

Happy New Year, Auntie!

The two happily accepted the red envelopes.

Xu Qingfan knew immediately upon touching the thickness that it was definitely worth over a thousand yuan.

"If I had known the clothes would fit this well, I would have bought two more sets," Zhang Chunxue said with satisfaction, looking at her new phone wallpaper.

"Auntie, where did you buy this dress?"

These days, it's rare to find shops that still insist on hand-sewing clothes. Firstly, mass-produced clothes by machine are more economical, and secondly, wealthy people will choose more prestigious luxury brands even if they want custom-made clothes.

Shops that hand-sew traditional Hanfu have almost disappeared.

"I saw him while shopping in Chinatown. He was an old man in his seventies. I don't know if he'll still be there next year."

Xu Qingfan opened his mouth into an 'o' shape and nodded repeatedly.

It must be said that overseas Chinese do a better job than those in China in valuing traditional culture; otherwise, South Korea wouldn't have been able to apply for UNESCO World Heritage status for so many traditional festivals and intangible cultural heritage.

Lin Wanning and Zhang Yiyi went back to their room to work on their braids, leaving only Xu Qingfan and Zhang Chunxue in the living room.

"Oh, right, Xiao Fan."

"Oh, right, Auntie."

The two spoke at the same time, exchanged a smile, and Xu Qingfan said first, "Auntie, you go first."

Zhang Chunxue smiled slightly and said, "It's like this, Yiyi is going to her maternal grandfather's house with me tomorrow, and I'd like you to come along too. Xiaofan, are you free tomorrow?"

Xu Qingfan agreed without hesitation, "Sure, what time tomorrow? I'm free, Auntie."

"Around nine o'clock in the morning, I'll drive to your house to pick you up."

"Mhm!" Xu Qingfan nodded.

Apart from taking Zhang Yiyi home for Chinese New Year once in the year she was born, Zhang Chunxue has spent the following years abroad with her daughter alone.

It's less about spending the Lunar New Year abroad and more about escaping the pressure from back home.

Zhang Chunxue's family can be considered a prominent and well-connected family. Her great-grandfather lived through a time of war and chaos, and their family and Yi Yi's father's family have been on good terms for generations.

For such a large family to consolidate its position, marriage was naturally a good choice. In addition, Zhang Chunxue and that person had been childhood sweethearts since they were young. After graduating from university, the two registered their marriage and successfully conceived Zhang Yiyi.

The problem is that Zhang Yi is a girl, and he is the only male in the man's family of this generation. If Zhang Yi is born, the couple will not be able to have any more children.

The fine for having more children than allowed is nothing to the two families, but for a man who wants to achieve something in his career, this kind of stain is something he absolutely cannot have.

This led to a conflict. Both families advised Zhang Chunxue to give up on having an abortion, but she refused to agree.

The man was deeply in love with Zhang Chunxue, and in the end he had no choice but to compromise. At worst, he would find a son-in-law to live with him in the future, and the children would take the mother's surname.

Just when everyone thought the matter was over, it was discovered that the baby girl had a congenital ear defect shortly after she was born.

The man's family started causing trouble again, suggesting that Zhang Chunxue send the child away so that it wouldn't prevent the couple from having a second child.

Zhang Chunxue naturally disagreed with the idea of ​​having her child, whom she carried for ten months, call another woman "Mom."

This incident completely destroyed the more than 20-year relationship between the two and became the fuse for their divorce. On the day Zhang Yiyi turned one month old, Zhang Chunxue secretly went to the Civil Affairs Bureau to complete the divorce procedures without telling her family or her husband.

From that day on, Zhang Chunxue understood that marriage is essentially an invisible shackle used to bind those who do not follow the rules.

The two families had been on good terms for centuries and had helped each other in their careers. Zhang Chunxue's actions immediately angered the public. After Zhang Youwen, Zhang Chunxue's father, said "I don't have a daughter like you" in front of both families, she never went back to him again.

But blood is thicker than water, and after Zhang Chaoqun's (the character who appeared in the chapter about the staged accident) repeated requests, Zhang Chunxue finally agreed to go home for the Spring Festival this year. Worried that her family might make things difficult for Zhang Yiyi, she suddenly had the idea to bring Xu Qingfan along as well. After all, Zhang Chunxue still vividly remembered the scene where that kid angrily confronted the parents of those two children in the office.

Xu Qingfan was naturally unaware of all the twists and turns involved; if he had known, he would have agreed even more readily.

"It's your turn, Xiao Fan. What were you about to say?" Zhang Chunxue rubbed his head and asked with a smile.

"Auntie, take a look at this first." Xu Qingfan opened the file he had cached in his QQ email on Zhang Chunxue's computer.

The above is a rough record of his ideas and plans for opening a chain of duck neck stores. Xu Qingfan naturally couldn't write a complete business plan, but he could still turn the ideas in his mind into words.

Zhang Chunxue patiently read through the article. It was short, only a little over three thousand words. It didn't mention anything like market research or product competitiveness, which are essential for a business plan. However, considering Xu Qingfan's age, the fact that he could write such a paper was enough to impress Zhang Chunxue.

"Auntie, what do you think?" Xu Qingfan asked impatiently after the other person finished reading.

"You wrote this?" Zhang Chunxue blinked and looked at him.

"Hmm, Auntie, do you think it's feasible? I think if we can open a duck neck shop, then Xiaoyu's father will have the money to go to America for medical treatment."

"When it comes to running a restaurant, it all comes down to the taste. I haven't tried the duck neck you mentioned, so I can't really comment. But based on my prediction, your strategy of buying a shop, taking out a mortgage, and then buying another shop is still quite feasible."

Being in the financial sector, she naturally knows better than anyone where domestic cash flows, and real estate undoubtedly has great potential.

Xu Qingfan's idea is somewhat similar to McDonald's: once he opens a store, he buys the land there. It's more like he's doing real estate business than food business.

"Auntie, you should have eaten it before. I gave Yiyi a small bag last semester. Didn't she take it home?"

Zhang Chunxue had eaten the duck necks made by Li Meijuan before. Once, Zhang Yiyi brought duck necks back from school, saying that her brother Qingfan had given them to her. After tasting one, Zhang Chunxue couldn't stop eating them and finished them off as snacks in no time.

"Oh~ the duck necks last time were made by Xiaoyu's mom. I thought it was you who bought them somewhere." Zhang Chunxue suddenly remembered.

"How is it? Delicious, right?" Xu Qingfan said proudly.

“It’s delicious, but running a business is very complicated. There’s management, finance, procurement, a lot of manpower, store location selection, and employee training. I can’t explain it to you in just a few words,” Zhang Chunxue said, counting on her fingers.

"That's why we need the help of our beautiful and intelligent Sister Zhang. I've already found a manager; she's our homeroom teacher's college roommate. I'll bring her to meet you after the New Year, okay?" Xu Qingfan buried his head in Zhang Chunxue's large chest and acted coquettishly.

"You have the sweetest tongue. Auntie will take a look at you later. All you do is cause me trouble every day." Zhang Chunxue smiled and pushed away Xu Qingfan, who was acting coquettishly in her arms.

"Thank you, Auntie!" Xu Qingfan excitedly leaned forward and pecked Zhang Chunxue on the cheek.

Zhang Yiyi and Lin Wanning came out again not long after, both of them with their hair styled in pretty flowing cloud buns, enough to charm a bunch of four, five, six, seven or eight-year-old boys on the street.

"Is Brother Qingfan handsome?" Lin Wanning imitated the smiles and frowns of the ancient beauties in the TV series. Unfortunately, he was still too young. If he were ten years older, he would definitely be able to make Xu Qingfan fall head over heels for him.

"Let's go out and I'll take some photos for you!" His eyes lit up, and countless awesome compositions flashed through his mind.

"ヾ(▽)ノ Okay~ Take some beautiful photos and make them into an album!"

Zhang Chunxue looked at the three little ones with doting eyes, her gaze tender and gentle: "Remember to be careful, and don't go to places with few people."

"Mmmmmmm!"

Goodbye, Mom!

"Goodbye, aunt!"

Lin Wanning and Zhang Yi nodded vigorously, kissed Zhang Chunxue on the cheek, and then put on their shoes and went out with Xu Qingfan.

The three of them walked down the wide street and immediately became the center of attention.

Xu Qingfan, holding a camera, reminded them, "You two, act naturally and pretend to glance back at me casually."

Lin Wanning and Zhang Yiyi ran hand in hand down the street, with Xu Qingfan following behind with a video camera. When they reached the pre-arranged spot, the two turned around and smiled, their temples fluttering in the breeze, creating an indescribable sense of naturalness.

"Hehe~ Are you done taking pictures?"

Xu Qingfan ran up to the two of them and took pictures of the smiles on their faces.

If this were released more than ten years later, and paired with a background music track like "Memoirs of My Deceased Wife," it would definitely become a viral hit.

"Okay!" Xu Qingfan saved the video and played it for them.

"Wow~╰(*°▽°*)╯" Both of them grinned in surprise, amazed by how beautiful they looked on the screen.

"Wow, that was amazing! Brother Qingfan, you're so talented!"

"Brother, awesome!"

"Brother Qingfan, you go run too! Ningning and Yiyi will take pictures for you!" Lin Wanning said, her eyes sparkling as she took the camera.

"Me? Forget it. I don't like taking pictures of myself. I'll take pictures of you guys." Xu Qingfan shook his head. He didn't know why, but he always felt uncomfortable in front of the camera.

"No way~ Brother Qingfan, let's all take a picture together!"

"Take the photo!"

Lin Wanning and Zhang Yiyi each shook his arm and acted coquettishly.

"Okay, okay, I'll take the picture." Xu Qingfan was defeated by the two and helplessly raised his hand to make a pause gesture.

"Great!!"

The roles were reversed; Xu Qingfan ran ahead, while Lin Wanning and Zhang Yiyi chased after him, each holding a camera in one hand.

"Brother Qingfan, turn around!" Lin Wanning reminded him when they had almost run the distance.

Xu Qingfan slowly came to a stop, mimicking the cold 45-degree angle of an ancient swordsman's turn. He felt that he was Ximen Chuixue at this moment.

[You guys aren't impressed by how handsome he is.] Xu Qingfan thought to himself as he saw many young girls around his age stopping to watch.

As Lin Wanning and Zhang Yiyi ran up to him, Xu Qingfan eagerly clicked on the replay, and then the confident smile on his face quickly froze.

In the video, his movements were extremely stiff when he ran. If you really want to make a comparison, Xu Qingfan thinks he looks a lot like Gazi stealing a dog in "Hardcore Sniper". The only consolation is that he looked pretty cool when he turned around at the end.

"Pfft~ Hahahaha, Brother Qingfan, I'm sorry!" Lin Wanning burst into laughter at the sight of the zombie running in the video, covering his mouth as he spoke.

"Looks good, brother, you're handsome!" Zhang Yiyi forced a smile and said something against her will.

"Taking photos is an art, let me take the pictures for you." Xu Qingfan gently flicked their foreheads and took the camera back.

"Hee hee hee~", the two little ones stuck out their tongues and started running ahead hand in hand again.

Xu Qingfan shook his head with amusement. Having been reborn, he found himself particularly fond of recording and taking photos.

Of course, he was referring to proper video recording and photography, not the kind of computer repair that Mr. Chen does.

"Brother Qingfan, why are you still standing there?"

"Coming!"

(End of this chapter)