“What are you talking about! I’m not that capable. You... might have taken after your father. I picked up all these skills from you!” Li Gui said embarrassedly.
“You can keep this money. I still have enough money. When the time comes, we can use this as our initial capital. Otherwise, it’ll be difficult to settle the accounts,” Qiao Mei said with a smile.
“How can we do that! I keep all the money while the capital comes from you. Then aren’t you making a loss?” Li Gui said.
“Look at it this way, our business is getting bigger and bigger now. I’m the person in charge of all these businesses. In the hierarchy, I’m the boss! You’re my deputy! The money I’m providing this time is all we have for now. In the future, we have to do the accounts every day!” Qiao Mei’s vivid description made Li Gui laugh. She made it sound as if they were operating in a bandits’ nest.
Ever since Li Gui was determined to make a name for herself, she had started attending classes with the children. She had learned many different things and now knew how to settle accounts and write. She also knew how to write down the details related to business matters. She might not be good with other things, but it was enough for now.
“I’ll take note of it. I’ll also do the accounts well. That’ll make it easier for you to check later,” Li Gui said with a smile.
She took out all the small change from the box and put the money back properly before returning the box to its original place. The small change would come in useful when they needed to give change to customers.
It was rare for Qiao Mei to come and sit in Li Gui’s room for a while. In the past, she did not even have time to observe the interior properly. She did not know that Li Gui had printed out their family photo and hung it on the wall. There were also many other photos of some of their most unforgettable moments.
“Mom, when did you do all this?” Qiao Mei asked curiously.
“When I found out that Xia Fan and Xia Xing were born. I passed by a photo studio and they told me what I need to prepare for them to print the photos. Isn’t it nice?” Li Gui asked.
“Yes, I have already forgotten that we have previously taken so many photos,” Qiao Mei said, feeling touched.
Xia Wen had a camera that he specially brought along to take photos at family gatherings. They would take many photos each time. However, Xia Wen was usually very busy and everyone had their own things to do, so no one went to get the photos developed.
Another important reason was that it was very expensive. It cost 50 cents to develop one photo. An amount of 50 cents could buy two pounds of pork! Who would spend 50 cents on a photo for no reason?
The owner of the photo studio must be overjoyed to see Li Gui. It was definitely not a small transaction since Li Gui developed so many photos.
After putting away the things, Li Gui looked at Qiao Mei and asked, “Mei Mei, have you thought about what you want Qian’e to do here?”
“I’m thinking about giving her the popcorn business. It’s up to her to decide on the quantity she wants to make. However, we can’t just give it to her for free. Let’s split it 40-60. After all, we’re the ones providing the raw materials and recipe,” Qiao Mei said after thinking carefully.
Li Gui also agreed with this plan. The popcorn business was still doing very well now, but it was almost the Spring Festival soon and every family would start to buy new year goodies. Popcorn would definitely not be as profitable as seeds at that time.
One always had to give up something to gain something else. One could not have one’s cake and eat it too. Li Gui decided to choose whatever was more important to her. This way, it would not take up too much of her energy.
Li Gui now had a lot of money every month. She was no longer the person who had to spend every cent carefully. She did not even hesitate when she had to buy things that cost 100 to 200 dollars.
However, she still adhered to the principle of being frugal. Even if her family was rich now, they could not be extravagant. She provided the children with the best when it came to material items, but when it came to their daily living expenses, she still maintained the same principle as when they were poor in the past.
She could live frugally, but she could not be frugal with the children’s knowledge. Li Gui was very willing to spend money on things related to the children’s education. She just hoped that these children would be successful in the future.
“No problem. I’ll take your lead on these matters,” Li Gui said.
“In the future, you’ll have to take care of the braised meat, seeds and popcorn businesses! I have to focus on taking care of Xia Fan and Xia Xing,” Qiao Mei said as she held Li Gui’s hand.
“That’s a lot. I can’t handle them all by myself. I can’t be the one making decisions!” Li Gui said worriedly.