"Pah!" Fu Xu retorted playfully. "Nonsense! Nobody can take my gun!"
"I'll fight anyone who tries to take it from me!" Zhou Xuan joked with a grin. Fu Ying was completely under his thumb now, being both gentle and considerate. As soon as Zhou Xuan used these tactics, Fu Ying would immediately back down.
However, it depends on the situation. If it's something that doesn't seem dangerous to everyone, then it's fine. But if it's something like what happened in Luoyang last time, she wouldn't agree to it no matter what.
Zhou Xuan estimated that there wouldn't be any major trouble. It would simply involve going to Tengchong in Yunnan to see if he could acquire any good rough stones and establish a long-term trading network. At worst, he might not find any jadeite rough stones, thus failing to acquire any goods and the business would fail. But it shouldn't be dangerous; it would be like a leisurely trip.
They didn't pack much that night, just a few changes of clothes in a small box, nothing else. Zhao Lao Er didn't sleep well all night, and when he woke up in the morning, his eyes were dark circles. Zhou Xuan knew that the guy was too excited. He had experienced the same thing before. Fortunately, the previous events were not a big deal, and he had time to rest.
When it was time for breakfast, Zhou Tao surprisingly came back. When she saw Zhou Xuan, she looked a little awkward and opened her mouth but hesitated, as if she wanted to say something to Zhou Xuan.
Zhou Xuan knew he had something to say, so he smiled and said, "Brother, come upstairs with me for a moment. I have something to tell you."
Zhou Tao quickly followed behind him, and secretly glanced at his mother, sister, and Fu Ying.
Zhou Xuan immediately understood that it must be about Li Li. If it were anything else in the store, Zhou Tao would definitely have said it in front of everyone, instead of hiding it like this.
Once they reached the living room on the second floor, Zhou Xuan sat down on the sofa and then smiled, saying, "Is Li Li coming to work at the store?"
Zhou Tao was taken aback. Then he said, "Brother, how did you know? You... I think you're smarter than before!"
Zhou Xuan laughed and scolded, "How dare you talk to me like that? With your evasive expression, it would be strange if you didn't guess it was about Li Li!"
Zhou Tao blushed and lowered his voice; he stammered, "Brother, Li..." Li Li suddenly came this morning, saying she wanted to work at our store, and... As he spoke, he looked at Zhou Xuan, his face turning as red as a pig's liver, and he couldn't say the rest.
"Speak, what else is there?" Zhou Xuan said with a grin. "I'm backing you up. If you want to pursue Li Li, go for it. Don't underestimate yourself, you know? With just your 10% stake, your net worth is already over ten million, and it will only increase more in the future, you know? Have confidence. My brother is not someone ordinary people can compare to. If Li Li realizes this and likes you, that would be her good fortune!"
Zhou Tao lowered her head even further, her face turned even redder, and even her neck turned red.
“Brother, she,” Li Li said, inviting us to her house for a meal, saying her father was really getting better. Although he was still weak, he could get out of bed, walk a little, and eat, drink, and use the toilet normally. She came to our shop because her parents wanted her to, saying that people should know how to repay kindness,” Zhou Tao stammered, “After she came to the shop, as you said, she helped Xiaoying manage the finances, and she was busy at it. When I saw her, I panicked. So I ran back!”
Zhou Xuan was both amused and exasperated by his younger brother. He was so afraid of girls! He liked her, but was too shy to work with her. How was he supposed to pursue her?
He stood up, his smile vanished, and shouted, "You! You! Get back to the shop right now!"
"I..." Zhou Tao looked at Zhou Xuan with a pitiful expression. "You disappear!" Zhou Xuan said irritably. "If you don't leave, I'll tell Mom and have her intervene. You know what Mom's power is; she won't stop until she makes Li Li our daughter-in-law!"
"I'm leaving! Fine, I'm leaving!" Zhou Tao quickly slipped out the door. If his mother went, this small matter would become a big one, and she might scare Li Li away, which would make him even more upset. Although he was a little timid, being able to see her every day and work with her was like being in heaven. It was much better than her leaving the antique shop. Deep down, he wanted her to work in the shop.
The flight was at 1:30, and it was only 9:30 now, so there were still four hours. Zhou Xuan wasn't in a hurry, so he asked Fu Ying to drive him and Zhou Tao to the antique shop.
After He Laosan collapsed, Fatty Chi briefly peeked out, then quickly retreated. The other shopkeepers, though unaware of the details, understood that Fatty Chi had previously contacted them about Li Li's jade cicada. The fact that Li Li had sold the jade cicada at Zhou Zhang's shop was undoubtedly a slap in the face to Fatty Chi. They also witnessed him taking action; the police had come and taken away the people from Zhou Zhang's shop. However, later, Chief Zhou Yucheng personally brought Zhou Cangsong back. Fatty Chi rushed over like a grandson, even treating him to a meal. Although the others hadn't witnessed what Fatty Chi said or did, they could all surmise that Zhou Zhang's shop was not to be touched!
Other shops, even those that couldn't compete with Fatty Chi, how dare they mess with Zhou and Zhang's shops? Fortunately, something happened at Xiaobeishan. Now, in Panjiayuan New Street, everyone is doing their own business, and no one engages in the vicious competition of the past anymore.
**She was unaware that Zhou Xuan was going to Yunnan today. She was stunned when she heard the news and asked, "Little brother, why are you leaving so suddenly without making any preparations?"
"What's there to prepare?" Zhou Xuan said with a smile. "Besides, the shop is short of supplies right now. The sooner I go, the sooner I'll be back."
He said somewhat awkwardly, "But Lao Wu and I haven't sold the luminous pearl and those emeralds yet. We haven't prepared the money!"
"Is this the problem?" Zhou Xuan shook his head with a smile. "I still have 200 million yuan in cash in my bank account. Money is not a problem. This time, I only got my second brother's passport. Originally, it would have been best if the three of us brothers went together to have some fun. But now that the store has grown to this size, I can't leave. So you have to stay here."
I also feel a bit regretful. The fun I had with Zhou Xuan goes without saying, but I really can't leave the shop now. It's okay for Lao Wu to handle the business, but he's not good at the business outside the shop. Zhou Tao and Zhou Cangsong are even less capable, and Zhou Ying is even less capable. The two assistants have also taken on this task, and Li Li, who just joined us today, is only a finance major.
Speaking of finances, he asked suspiciously, "Little brother, what are you up to? That Li Li... something seems off about her!"
"What's wrong?" Zhou Xuan asked, puzzled. "She seems perfectly fine to me. She's a lovely girl, and a college student at that. Our store is lacking in real talent; Xiaoying isn't up to the task in finance yet."
Xiaoxiao said, "I'm not saying Li Li is bad, but what I feel is wrong is that my second brother Zhou Tao and this Li Li seem to have a strange relationship."
Zhou Xuan chuckled and said, "Boss, I have to admire your eye for talent. Let me tell you, after glancing around to make sure no one was paying attention, I whispered to the boss, 'Boss, Zhou Tao likes that girl, and I think she's nice too, so I'm thinking of setting them up. You need to create some opportunities for them in the shop!'"
He paused for a moment, then laughed heartily, "You rascal, in the end, this shop has become part of our family business. That's good, that's good. I think Xiao Li is very down-to-earth, quite different from ordinary girls. She's simple, honest, generous, and unpretentious. She's also pretty, a good match for my second brother!"
As soon as Zhou Xuan sat down, Li Li poured him tea. Then she said respectfully, "Brother Zhou, no, no, I should call you Boss Zhou now. Thank you. My mom said she wanted to treat you and Zhou Tao to a meal, something she cooked herself. She just wanted to express her appreciation!"
Seeing Li Li's expression, Zhou Xuan smiled and said, "Don't call me that, it sounds awkward. I'm good at everything, except being a boss. Boss Zhang is the way to do it. You should just call me Brother Zhou, haha. As for the meal, of course, no problem, but it'll take a few days. I'm going to Yunnan to buy some goods today, and we can talk about it when I get back, okay?"
Li Li's eyes reddened, and she whispered, "Brother Zhou, my dad is really better. My mom went with him to the hospital for another checkup. I don't know how to thank you enough!"
"Hehe, no need to thank me. If you want to thank someone, thank your gray dragonfish. It was the bead inside the dragonfish that saved your dad!" Zhou Xuan casually brushed it off, but his gratitude was still clear. If it weren't for him, even if they had the dragonfish and the bead, they wouldn't have discovered it. Besides, even if they did, no one would know that the bead could save her father's life. In the end, Zhou Xuan was still their family's benefactor. It's just that Zhou Xuan didn't want them to know that he was the one who saved the man with his special abilities, and attributing the cause to the bead was undoubtedly the best excuse.
Zhou Xuan glanced at Zhou Tao, who was secretly watching Li Li, and smiled before asking, "Xiao Li, are you getting used to working in the store? If there's anything you're not used to or need, just tell ** and Zhou Tao, don't be shy. From now on, treat this place like your home!"
Li Li answered sincerely, "I think it's great. I'm used to it, and the work in the store is easy to learn. The workload isn't too heavy yet. Everything is just starting out, so it's very easy to do, Brother Zhou. Don't worry, I will definitely treat this place as my own home. My mother said that people should repay kindness."
Zhou Xuan told her to treat this place as her home, and both ** and Zhou Tao understood the true meaning behind his words. Of course, Li Li herself didn't understand.
"Don't mention gratitude or anything like that in the future. Remember, you're doing this because you like it. You can't do anything against your own will. You need to understand that, understand?"
Li Li's eyes immediately reddened, and she said, her voice choked with emotion, "I understand!"
Zhou Xuan gave Fu Ying a few more instructions before leaving the shop.
On the way, Fu Ying glanced at Zhou Xuan while driving, snorted, and said, "Zhou Xuan, something's off about that new girl in your shop!"
Something's not right again!
Volume One: The Lotus Buds Just Begin to Emerge, Chapter 148: Military Orders Are Like Mountains
Something's not right. Zhou Xiao smirked, a half-smile playing on his lips. Fu Ying snorted, "Something's not right, that's right. You're being too good to her!"
"Oh. How so? Is it better than being with you?" Zhou Xuan asked with a smile, then sniffed and said, "Hmm, why do I smell something sour?"
Fu Ying couldn't help but reach out and tap Zhou Xuan on the head, scolding, "You big dummy, do you think I'm stupid? Look at you and Zhou Tao acting so suspiciously, did you find a girlfriend for your second brother?"
Zhou Xuan was taken aback. He then praised, "Ah, my wife is so smart! It seems I can't hide anything from you anymore!"