Linfengchun

Kapitel 57

Qian Xin remained silent, shooed her husband away, and called the housekeeper to change the sofa cover. She shook it vigorously, and dust flew into his nostrils, causing him to sneeze loudly.

Gu Junjie sighed helplessly, "Women and petty men are the hardest to deal with. I won't argue with you!" He turned around, knocked on the door, and went to the study to chat with his father, avoiding the accident-prone area.

Qian Xin complained to the aunt who had worked for Gu Jia for many years: "Look at how he finds things troublesome—if he hadn't been constantly nagging me about Qiu Shanglin, how much Qiu Shanglin's company was making and what new policies they were introducing, people would have thought Qiu Shanglin was his real daughter!"

The aunt laughed and said in a Hebei dialect, "Your husband stayed home today, which shows how much he values her."

In their hometown, people of high status are addressed as "Mr." Having lived with the Gu family for over twenty years, practically raising Gu Junjie and then Gu Zhiyuan, they still couldn't shake the old custom of addressing Gu Cheng as "Mr."

Thinking of her husband's effusive praise for the girl, her son's utmost admiration for her, and all the information she had gathered about how diligently she studied and how exceptionally intelligent she was, and considering her father-in-law's evaluation, Qian Xin thought that it wouldn't be bad to find a daughter-in-law like her in the future...

There are many exceptionally intelligent people, but it's rare to find someone who knows how to work hard; she's destined for greatness.

My father-in-law has rarely misjudged anyone in his life. To receive such high praise after only meeting her once from afar shows that Qiu Shanglin is truly outstanding.

It's just that her background isn't very good... but that's not a big deal. She herself doesn't come from an ordinary family either. So what if her parents aren't highly educated? This girl has been proficient in classical Chinese literature and poetry since she was young, so her parents can't be found to be very well-educated either.

I also discussed it with the aunt: "Zhiyuan said she also likes spicy food, but the doctor said it's best for Zhiyuan to avoid spicy food, and my husband's health isn't suitable for eating too much spicy food either..."

The mother-in-law is in poor health and has a bad relationship with the father-in-law. They have lived separately for many years. The mother-in-law likes the weather in the south and is taken care of by her sister-in-law. Qian Xin has been living with her father-in-law since she entered the family and also calls him "sir" like her aunt.

Just as the two decided on the menu, there was a knock at the door. She exclaimed happily, "Coming!"

She touched her hair, straightened her clothes, and considered opening the door herself, but felt it would be beneath her dignity. Her aunt laughed at her for being too nervous, reminding her that she was still the younger generation, not some ugly daughter-in-law meeting her in-laws. Qian Xin felt embarrassed and realized she was being overly nervous. In the end, her aunt opened the door, took the gift box from Gu Zhiyuan, and cheerfully let the two of them in.

Shang Lin stood in the entryway. Gu Zhiyuan gestured for her to change her shoes and whispered a reminder: "These are new shoes I bought yesterday."

She smiled gratefully, though she felt a little uneasy.

Qian Xin deliberately sat on the sofa pretending to watch TV, and only got up when she heard a noise, her eyes lighting up.

What a radiant girl!

She took off her navy blue coat, revealing a pure white fitted sweater that flattered her figure. Although she hadn't developed a full bust yet, her slender waist and arched back made her appear even more attractive. A long, red polka-dot scarf was wrapped around her neck and hung down. Her eyes were large and bright, and her skin was fair and delicate. Having just stepped from the cold outside into the warm air, her cheeks were flushed, and she looked at Qian Xin with a polite yet curious expression.

Gu Zhiyuan smiled and said, "My mother. Mom, Qiu Shanglin."

Her chubby little face immediately broke into a smile: "Hello, Auntie."

Qian Xin looked at him with delight, her smile spreading across her face: "Hello, hello, come in quickly, you must be freezing!"

Before they knew it, the two had arrived in the living room. Gu Zhiyuan held the bouquet that Shang Lin had chosen in his hands, not allowing the nanny to touch it, and presented it to Qian Xin as a treasure: "Mom, isn't it beautiful?"

Qian Xin was pleasantly surprised. Pink paper wrapped around pure white lilies, interspersed with a few red roses and green bamboo leaves. The delicate petals, not yet adapted to the change in temperature, were still trembling slightly. Suddenly, the moisture evaporated into crystal dewdrops, rolling off the bouquet.

No woman dislikes flowers, especially in northern cities where spring is still chilly and flowers are rarely in full bloom.

I couldn't put it down: "What beautiful flowers!"

Gu Zhiyuan smiled smugly, as if he himself were the one who delivered the flowers.

"Shanglin got up early to pick and cut them by hand."

Hearing the noise, Gu Junjie came out of the study: "Shang Lin is here."

He and Qiu Shanglin met quite often, and being the younger generation, he didn't have the same sense of mystery about his wife.

He was taken aback when he saw the flowers in his wife's hand: "Where did you get flowers at this time of year?"

Shang Lin smiled and said, "Hello, Uncle Gu. I started building a greenhouse last year to cultivate them."

Research on the flower business is underway.

He responded, instructed them to greet the guests, and then went back to his study to inform his father that the guests had arrived.

Gu Cheng wasn't an arrogant person, and he liked Shang Lin very much. After finishing his official business, he left the study. Shang Lin was drinking tea at Qian Xin's invitation. Hearing the voice, she stood up and bowed respectfully: "Governor, hello."

Gu Cheng chuckled: "You little devil! Call me Grandpa Gu!"

Shang Lin smiled and said, "I'm nervous."

Gu Junjie joked, "I didn't notice that? You were just enjoying your tea immensely!"

Sticking out her tongue, she said apologetically, "I didn't drink any water on the way here, so I'm a little thirsty."

Qian Xin genuinely liked her, and quickly handed her a teacup, urging, "Have some tea first, we'll eat soon!"

After sitting down and chatting for a while, Gu Zhiyuan told his father and grandfather about what he had just witnessed as a joke. Gu Junjie didn't take it seriously, but Gu Cheng pondered and asked, "What do you want to do about it?"

Shanglin had already prepared a plan in mind, and he handled it with ease and composure.

"Training".

Not only the head office needs training, but all branch offices, including those at headquarters, require training. Professional ethics, conduct, and standards will be taught in batches and by region. We're willing to sacrifice temporary profits to prioritize employee training. Additionally, there's the reward and punishment system, which is a trade secret and cannot be disclosed.

Fortunately, Gu Cheng understood. One was in politics and the other in business, so it wasn't convenient for him to ask too many questions about the company's internal affairs.

When talking about the Huaiyin District development project, Gu Cheng was filled with emotion. He was just puzzled as to why she had such foresight. It seemed as if she had foreseen the future of Huaiyin District long ago and had made a big investment in several plots of land. Recently, the development project had not yet been approved and was still just an immature proposal, but the land price in Huaiyin District had tripled.

And she wants to buy land in Daliushu Village!

Anyone with a basic understanding of economics can understand this, okay?

Looking at the map of Huaiqiao City, there are six districts and three counties. Not to mention the Shizhong District, which is saturated with population and has no development prospects, the other districts are either in remote locations with inconvenient transportation or too small to be suitable for development. The only place that is most suitable for developing a commercial area is Huaiyin District, which is adjacent to Shizhong District but is slightly remote.

Furthermore, Huaiyin District is also the closest to the provincial government!

After she explained briefly, Gu Junjie laughed repeatedly: "What if they develop other districts and leave Huaiyin District behind?"

Shang Lin pouted: "Uncle Gu, you must not have studied geography well in elementary school - Huaiyin District has convenient transportation and a good geographical location. Anyone would think it would be unwise to give it up!"

Hey, if I hadn't realized this, I wouldn't have dared to buy three plots of land and even strongly encouraged my mom to buy land and build a house. Who knows if the butterfly effect might steer history in a different direction?

After the meal, both host and guests enjoyed themselves immensely.

Shang Lin can talk to Gu Cheng about urban development and urban planning, and she can also talk to Qian Xin about dressing up, gardening and planting plants, not to mention her tacit understanding with Gu Zhiyuan in literature.

Qian Xin liked her more and more as she looked at her. After dinner, Shang Lin was called into the study to talk about something. She grabbed the aunt's hand and said, "How about she be our Zhiyuan's wife?"

The aunt chuckled: "Xiaoxin, Zhiyuan is only fourteen years old!"

Qian Xin didn't care: "So what if she's fourteen? Kids these days mature very early. I think Zhiyuan likes her quite a bit, so we should settle things up early to avoid her being snatched away by someone else later."

The aunt shook her head repeatedly: "That girl is only ten years old!"

This finally convinced Qian Xin, but she still didn't give up. She secretly planned that the two families would visit each other frequently in the future, and that they would establish a relationship when her son came of age, which would be a good thing.

In other political families, choosing a daughter-in-law would naturally involve selecting someone from a similar family background, so that the two families could help each other in the future. But Qian Xin is different. She herself doesn't come from a high social standing, and her family still relies on her husband's family's influence. She doesn't want to marry a pampered girl in the future, not only because she can't enjoy the treatment of a mother-in-law, but also because she has to serve her daughter-in-law.

Furthermore, Qian Xin did not want her son to go into politics in the future.

What's so good about it? Look at her husband and father, worrying and working hard in the political arena. Her son is mild-mannered and not good at competing with others. It would be better for her to find a stable job, get married, have children, and live a peaceful life under the protection of her family.

Qiu Shanglin is clever, obedient, and has a good business sense. From what she heard, it seemed that her company was going to expand and had great prospects. Her husband also praised the girl, saying that she was not arrogant and knew how to hide her talents. They said that such a girl was hard to find, and it was even more rare that Zhiyuan was on good terms with her...

The atmosphere in the study was no longer as relaxed as in the living room; it was rather somber.

"Develop greenhouses for flower cultivation?" Gu Cheng asked.

Shang Lin nodded, no longer the charming ten-year-old girl she had been in the living room. Now she was a shrewd businesswoman: "It's not just about cultivating flowers. Province C is mostly mountainous with very few large plains. Vegetable fields require meticulous cultivation, and during the winter off-season, I don't see much value in them. But if we build greenhouses—no, not even greenhouses, even plastic greenhouses—we can still produce vegetables in winter. Aren't you always worried that Province C isn't an industrial base and doesn't have any major pillar industries? Actually, if agriculture is done well, it can still increase the national output."

Gu Cheng pondered: "Summer vegetables planted in winter?"

Vegetables are scarce in northern China during winter. If fresh vegetables could be produced even in winter, the profit margin would be enormous... If this were promoted citywide or even provincewide...

If you hadn't lectured me on how frivolous pursuits can lead to neglecting my duties, and that all things in nature have their own laws that shouldn't be violated, I wouldn't have suddenly thought of greenhouse vegetables.

She started cultivating flowers in greenhouses partly because she anticipated the booming flower market of future generations, but more importantly, it was for her own benefit...

Today, Gu Cheng called her into his study and criticized her for indulging in frivolous pursuits and living a life of extravagance. Suddenly, the idea of greenhouse vegetables popped into her head. She blurted it out, but the more she thought about it, the more feasible it seemed. Province C is a major agricultural province, but its agricultural technology is not very advanced, and its output value is naturally mediocre. If greenhouse vegetables could be developed and supplied to the whole country in the future, the profit margin would be no smaller than that of stationery and clothing.