Chapter 13: None of It Is for You The weather was too hot; by the time she got home, the remaining three popsicles had softened a bit. Qian Qing unwrapped one to taste. Honestly, these expensive popsicles were worth every penny. The moment they touched her tongue, a rich milky aroma filled her mouth. The sweetness wasn't cloying but the fresh, natural sweetness of milk itself, with a smooth, creamy texture. The only downside was the price; in places like cinemas or commercial streets, people would buy them, but here in the compound, demand was limited. Still, it was good business overall. Today's batch of one hundred popsicles had earned her over ten yuan. She'd definitely stock up even more this afternoon. At this rate, she could make at least thirty yuan a day. Even excluding Sundays, that meant five or six hundred yuan a month. But it was already late August; the popsicle business could last at most another month.

Just as she was thinking this, a knock came at the door. Qian Qing set aside the finished popsicle and went to open it. Chen Xinran stood at the doorway, holding two packages of dried fish: "These were sent from my uncle's family by the sea. I usually eat at the canteen, so I can't finish them all. I thought I'd share some with you and your next-door neighbor."

"Thank you so much! You can tell at a glance these are high-quality dried fish sun-dried by the seaside. Oh, wait a moment."

Qian Qing hurried inside and returned with two ice cream bars.

"Have a taste. I've set up a popsicle stall opposite the No. 1 Primary School for staff children. From now on, if you feel like having some, just let me know, and I'll bring some back for you."

Chen Xinran seemed momentarily surprised but quickly smiled and accepted the gesture: "That's wonderful; it'll be very convenient." A thought struck Qian Qing.

Only after doing the math just now did she realize how precious time was; selling popsicles brought in money quickly. But she couldn't rely solely on the popsicle stall forever. Her rental contract was only for one year. All things considered, she could run the popsicle business for one month this year and two months next year. Even so, three months' revenue would be enough to make others green with envy. If the office building went into use next year, all would be well; the gatehouse would naturally revert to its original purpose. But if there were other arrangements for the office building, she certainly wouldn't be able to keep that small gatehouse; plenty of people would be waiting to take it over. She needed to start another business, but every venture required capital. With less than two hundred yuan currently on hand, what kind of business could she possibly start?

The only option was to save up some capital during this remaining month.

"Comrade Chen, are there many people working at the office building?" Chen Xinran thought for a moment:

"Our factory's office building has now merged with Plant One's. There are fewer people in the morning since many go out on field duties, but more stay at their desks in the afternoon."

Qian Qing thought, Perfect; as long as there are people, it's fine.

With only one month left, relying solely on student customers wasn't enough. After exchanging a few pleasantries, Chen Xinran took her leave and headed to the house next door to Qian Qing's. She knocked twice, but no one answered. Perhaps nobody was home, she thought, and was about to leave when suddenly the door was yanked open from inside with great force. Wan Zhenzhen stood there, her face stiff: "Who is it?"

She had gotten up early today to prepare breakfast, only to be criticized from head to toe by that old hag. First, the porridge wasn't cooked long enough; then, the dishes were too salty. It made her want to flip the table. What chilled her heart even more was that Wang Hua didn't stand up for her at all; no matter how his mother berated her, he pretended not to see or hear anything. While Wan Zhenzhen bustled about, the mother and son simply lay in the room watching her work, without lifting a finger to help. She wanted to scream, to curse, to slam Qian Qing to the ground and beat her senseless. But she couldn't; she couldn't even touch the hem of Qian Qing's clothes. Today, Qian Qing seemed to have left early in the morning; she hadn't been seen at all. After much deliberation, Wan Zhenzhen decided to reconcile with Qian Qing first.

In her previous life, she had lived into her sixties or seventies; surely she could handle a mere young girl like Qian Qing. Probably, she had been too impatient last time, revealing her hand and arousing Qian Qing's suspicion. Now that she was in such dire straits, if she went to Qian Qing to pour out her troubles, Qian Qing would surely forgive her. Most importantly, Wan Zhenzhen had run out of money.She arrived with only two quilts as her dowry and a mere ten yuan she had secretly saved before marriage. The household finances were entirely controlled by her mother-in-law, while her husband carried just three or five yuan in pocket money given by his own mother. She had nothing at all, treated like a live-in nanny—serving everyone front and back, yet receiving no wages! Wan Zhenzhen dared not delay any longer. Since they had only just married, there was still time to turn things around.

If she could earn even once from Qian Qing's luck, that would be enough. Just a few hundred yuan would suffice to change her destiny. Overwhelmed with anxiety, Wan Zhenzhen's temper grew increasingly irritable.

"Hello, I'm Chen Xinran from Room 307. From now on, we'll be neighbors…"

Before she could finish speaking, Wan Zhenzhen impatiently snatched the items from her hands.

"I'm Wan Zhenzhen. I've got food cooking on the stove, so I can't chat long."

At the moment of closing the door, she noticed Chen Xinran still holding two popsicles and instinctively assumed they were meant for her. Reaching out to take them while offering perfunctory pleasantries, she said, "Oh my, the dried fish is more than enough; why bring popsicles too? You're being far too formal…"

Before she could finish, Chen Xinran blocked the door with her foot, examining her expressionlessly. Their hands froze over one popsicle, neither yielding. In an instant, Chen Xinran curved into a smile, somehow skillfully extracting the popsicle, then casually took the dried fish from Wan Zhenzhen's arms as well.

"Sorry, none of these things are for you."