Chapter 66 Part 2

After the Spring Festival ended, Lin Qining set off for Guangzhou with Lin Youle, who had been cleared to fly after a check-up. Meanwhile, Lin Wanjia and Zhang Mingfang borrowed a car and drove off to travel on their own.

The massive courtyard suddenly became empty. Before Lin Wanjia left, she even gave this entire house to Su Ye; no matter how Su Ye stubbornly refused, the name on the property deed was changed to hers.

After all, she might not necessarily return to An City anymore.

Su Ye sat opposite the earthen wall that stretched between the two courtyards, resting her chin in her hands, looking a bit unhappy.

Yue Chengqi walked over and stroked her head. “What’s wrong, Ah Ye?”

“I feel a bit unhappy,” Su Ye said, sounding somewhat dejected. “It’s so empty. This courtyard… it suddenly became so empty, and there’s no one left.”

It was already spring, and the temperature had returned to above freezing, but she still felt very cold. It wasn’t the chill of the air, but the coldness of desolation.

She leaned into Yue Chengqi’s embrace and said slowly, “When we have money, let’s buy a house of our own. I haven’t found one with a bathtub yet, so let’s get one where we can install a shower first, okay?”

Yue Chengqi laughed, pinched her face, and said okay.

Su Ye said, “I saw a little novelty while watching TV dramas these past two days—one of those hanging basket chairs. It can be placed on the balcony. Let’s buy one, too; one that can hold both of us, okay?”

“Alright.”

Su Ye lay nestled in her arms, slowly talking about everything she wanted. Yue Chengqi agreed to each one; they still had more than a year, and they would surely be able to fulfill all these wishes.

However, as the temperature gradually began to rise, the economy seemed to be vaguely taking a downturn.

April wasn’t a particularly busy month. Su Ye finally got a moment to rest, sitting behind the counter to check the accounts. Yue Chengqi watched her for a while before going back to arranging the goods.

Qi Sheng sat not far away, preparing for her night school graduation exam.

Su Ye went over the accounts for March and April twice, scratching her head. “How can business in April be this bad? It’s almost been cut in half.”

“It started getting bad right after the New Year.” Yue Chengqi carried a crate of drinks in from the doorway. “According to the delivery people, their shipment volumes have all dropped by more than half. It’s terrifying.”

Su Ye flipped through it once more and sighed. “What’s even more troublesome is that the government has no money. The hundred fans and twenty Electric Water Heaters ordered by the hospital haven’t been paid for yet. Every time I ask, they say there’s no money, or that the funds haven’t been allocated…”

She gnashed her teeth, suddenly understanding a bit of what Lin Wanjia meant by focusing on small orders. She had only completed one large order, yet this significant deficit was already staring her in the face; it was an eyesore. She estimated it wouldn’t be until the end of the year that this gap could be filled.

It might even be dragged out until next year.

Su Ye could feel someone approaching. She tilted her head slightly and naturally leaned against Yue Chengqi’s white T-shirt, her head rubbing gently against her soft lower abdomen through the layer of clothing.

Yue Chengqi raised her hand, pressing against her head to turn it aside.

“It’s broad daylight; stop all that rubbing!”

She took Su Ye’s hand and leaned over. “Let me see the books. Is the deficit severe?”

It was indeed severe; the entire ledger was maintaining a precarious sense of balance. The disposable cash flow in their hands had dropped to an extremely low point. What lay before them was either money that hadn’t been collected yet or money waiting to be paid out. It could be said that a collapse at any minor point would cause the entire balance sheet to crumble.

It might even cause their entire shop to collapse.

Yue Chengqi lightly pursed her lips, pondering for a moment before asking, “Has the subsidy money for this month from Qining Group not been transferred yet?”

After all, these subsidies weren’t solely for their benefit. They were paying for the shop’s own promotional subsidies themselves, but they had always just been advancing the funds for the additional subsidies required by Qining Group. Things had gone smoothly for the past three months; why hadn’t they been given the money yet this month?

“Not yet,” Su Ye sighed, rubbing her temples. “The money for those one hundred orders at the end of last month hasn’t been settled yet either.”

“I’ll call Lin Qining.”

“I did, but it was no use. I even asked Sister Wanjia to ask around, but nothing worked. I don’t know what that fellow is doing.”

Su Ye spread her hands, looking utterly helpless.

“How about we end the subsidy activity early? It was originally supposed to end on June 1st, but if we have to keep advancing the payments until then, things really might fall apart completely.”

Yue Chengqi rejected her idea and told her to think about why.

Su Ye naturally knew why. It was because this concerned the shop’s reputation and their commercial credit. They could afford to earn less money, but their business reputation and credit could not be compromised in the slightest.

Last year, when they fought without restraint, they had already been taught a lesson by various manufacturers. This year, it was even less likely they would fall into the same trap twice.

“We can shift the money around first,” Yue Chengqi thought, lightly tapping the unsettled payments for Red Sun. “Discuss it with Deputy Factory Director Xie; we’ll buy on credit for April, May, and June first. Once the subsidies end and our cash flow improves, we’ll settle the accounts with them. I think Director Xie will agree.”

Su Ye felt even more troubled, rubbing the space between her eyebrows. “That’s the only way. I’ll go discuss it. Ah Huan.”

Yue Chengqi tilted her head to look at her, but a somewhat cool finger rested on her brow, gently rubbing her furrowed skin.

But before she could even be moved, the young girl pouted and said, “You’re already older than me anyway; what if you get wrinkles?”

Yue Chengqi: …She shouldn’t have expected this person to say anything romantic while in a bad mood.

One evening, during the season when one could already wear short-sleeved pajamas, Su Ye was dressed in her lacy sleeveless pajamas, obediently letting Yue Chengqi hold her ankle for a hot compress. Her own hands were propped under her chin, pretending to be a flower.

Yue Chengqi couldn’t help but pinch her cheek.

The girl dodged slightly, saying with disdain, “Don’t use the hands that just touched my feet to pinch my face!”

Yue Chengqi: “?”

“Fine, fine, fine. It’s only been three months and you’re already tired of me, is that it? The honeymoon phase is over, huh?”

She went out to pour some water, washed her hands meticulously, and walked back. She sat down sideways directly on Su Ye’s lap, wrapping her arms around her neck.

She couldn’t be that lacking in charm, could she—only able to attract Su Ye for a mere three months? That would be far too pathetic.

Yet, the young girl truly remained unmoved.

Or rather, she had no mind to be moved; while her gaze was clear, the depths of her eyes were filled with accumulated worry and melancholy.

“Don’t worry.” Yue Chengqi held her tight, rubbing the back of her neck. “This is just a normal fluctuation in business; don’t worry, don’t be afraid, it’s no problem.”

“Really?” Su Ye bit Yue Chengqi’s shoulder anxiously. “Ah Huan, is it possible that we’ve inadvertently changed the world line? Is it possible that the current me won’t be able to succeed?”

Yue Chengqi pulled back slightly to look at her, studying her features, and asked, “Then, do you wish for things to have changed, or to have remained the same?”

Su Ye curled her lip.

How was she supposed to choose!

If nothing changed, perhaps in less than a year, her Ah Huan would disappear; but if things did change, her money might disappear instead.

“How am I supposed to choose!”

She playfully sealed Yue Chengqi’s mouth, unable to resist tightening her arms around her waist, only speaking while they were all clingy with each other, “You’re cheating! There’s simply no way to choose this!”

In the gaps between their kisses, Yue Chengqi chuckled softly a couple of times.

It was wonderful. In Su Ye’s heart, she actually had the power to compete with money now. She might still lose, but the feeling was actually quite refreshing.

She had no human love rivals; her rivals were all kinds of currencies, gold, silver, and treasures. This feeling was… hard to describe.

Until they were both out of breath, Yue Chengqi pressed down this person—who hadn’t properly enjoyed herself or been served for several days—to lie down, but the young girl was still anxious.

Now it was Yue Chengqi’s turn to massage her brow. While she rubbed, she kissed the profile of her face where the baby fat was gradually disappearing, trailing kisses down along the bones that were already becoming distinct. As she passed her neck, she secretly added a touch of sharpness.

Tomorrow, she wasn’t allowed to worry about the business anymore; tomorrow, she should worry about how to explain this red mark on her neck to all the people coming and going.

Yue Chengqi sat up straight and lightly wiped the corner of her lips. With a hint of smugness, she lowered her eyes to look at the young girl whose eyes were already misted with tears.

At least at a time like this, she didn’t belong to her career; she belonged only to her.

But Su Ye’s concern was not without merit. In April and May, the subsidy money had not been issued. Some sales outlets had already secretly stopped the subsidies, and only Everguest and a portion of the service points held out until June. Among them, Everguest had the greatest reputation and attracted the most customers.

This meant their capital expenditure was also larger, and the pressure on their accounts was naturally greater as well.

The economy had recovered slightly, but for Everguest, whose cash flow felt like falling into an ice cave, it wasn’t enough—completely insufficient.

June in An City this year was a normal and ordinary June; there was no heavy rain, no flash floods, and no dams on the verge of bursting—only temperatures racing headlong toward thirty degrees.

By mid-June, the weather had become so hot that staying in the shop was unbearable. However, as Su Ye sat behind the counter, staring at the ledger in front of her, she couldn’t feel any heat at all; only waves of chill rising from the soles of her feet.

Yue Chengqi had rushed back as soon as she received the call. When she came in, sweat was still dripping from her head. Without waiting to catch her breath, she said urgently, “It won’t work. We can’t take on large orders like this right now. If the school doesn’t settle the payment in person, our capital chain will break immediately!”

Su Ye clutched at her hair in frustration. “But Ah Huan, we don’t even have two yuan to our names right now!”

“Look. The income for March, April, and May is all negative. Income was already low to begin with, and all the money we earned was poured back into subsidies. Meanwhile, Lin Qining is still beating around the bush, refusing to give a specific time for the payment. After settling the accounts, our current income can barely sustain our livelihoods.”

“Didn’t Factory Director Xie say that we don’t have to settle the accounts for this half-year and wait until the end of the year to settle them all at once? As long as the money we have on hand is enough to live on, it’s fine. Don’t take on any more big orders, Su Ye.” Yue Chengqi decided to bring up Lin Wanjia. “Have you forgotten what Sister Wanjia said? The capital proportion of large orders cannot exceed 30%. Do you remember?”

Su Ye grew even more frustrated. “I have no choice! Ah Huan, I need cash flow.”

“We have enough to spend, and even a little surplus. We just need to work hard and pull through these next six months. Didn’t Sister Wanjia say the same? Once we get through this half-year, everything will be fine.”

Yue Chengqi advised her earnestly, speaking until her throat was dry, but the young girl didn’t listen at all. She simply stood up and paced the shop twice, from front to back and back to front, before suddenly slamming the table. “No, I must take this order. The school said the bill can be settled in June. I need this money.”

Yue Chengqi looked at her in confusion, finding it completely baffling.

She had never seen such a resolute side of Su Ye, especially since they both clearly knew that the matter at hand was wrong, yet Su Ye still wanted to throw herself into it, charging forward without looking back.

Why? What was Su Ye trying to do?

Soon, she had no time to ponder this question, because Su Ye hung a “House for Sale” advertisement outside the door, selling the two courtyards that Lin Wanjia had given them.

Yue Chengqi looked at that piece of paper, so furious she felt as if her heart had stopped. She tore the paper down, rushed into the room, and looked at Su Ye, asking in disbelief, “Sister Wanjia gave this to you, and you’re going to sell it too?”

“Ah Ye, what on earth are you trying to do by messing around with all this nonsense?!”