CHAPTER 495: CHAPTER 495: GUESSED CORRECTLY

"What do you guys think?" Zhao Xuran asked directly once they were outside in the courtyard.

Zhan Banxia and the others knew that regardless of their big brother’s answer, they had to live here. If possible, they wanted to act coy and persuade their brother to stay.

But seeing their brother’s unhappy face, Zhan Banxia and the others didn’t dare act spoiled, fearing it might annoy him.

Zhao Guangran expressed indifference, "I think this place is good. After school, we can set up a book stall here."

"The business here should be better than where we lived before." Throughout the way, Zhao Guangran saw several children. The key point was that their clothes indicated to him that these kids had a good living.

Even if they don’t have much money, they might still be willing to spend a penny or two to read a novel, far better than the place they were living in.

The previous place, Zhao Guangran didn’t even want to mention it. It was too remote. If it weren’t for their Beijing-accented way of speaking, it felt like being in the Northeast.

In an environment like that, making money seemed a total waste of time, right?

The only question was whether their quail eggs business could continue. Maybe once they got to know Grandpa Zhuge better, they could consider it.

Everyone was dumbfounded. Originally, they thought Zhao Guangran agreed so readily because he felt this was the city center of Beijing, or perhaps the teachers here were good. They didn’t expect such an answer from him, and even Zhao Xuran kept shaking his head.

"I think living here is fine. Ni Zi, how about you?" Though his brother’s answer wasn’t tactful, Zhao Xuran also felt staying here was better.

What do you think? Gong Ruini really wanted to say that if she could choose, she’d prefer living in the rural parts of Beijing, as it felt similar to the Northeastern countryside. And did she really lack understanding of elementary schoolwork?

But Gong Ruini couldn’t be so selfish. If she said she didn’t want to study in the city, her brother Gong Ruwen would definitely do the same foolish thing.

Gong Ruini didn’t need to care about those things, but Gong Ruwen was different. He couldn’t afford to disregard them. His future depended on his own efforts. If he could meet more people in Beijing, who knows, it might significantly help their future careers.

"I think we can consider it. Brother, what do you think?" Gong Ruini didn’t make a definitive statement and turned to look at Gong Ruwen.

Actually, knowing that Zhao Xuran and the others could attend a good school in the city made Gong Ruwen’s heart flutter. But this was thanks to Aunt Zhan Jing’s connections; he could only fantasize about it in his mind and never expected the day would come when his dream would come true.

"I’m willing." Gong Ruwen knew his little sister might not be very willing to do this, but he really wanted to stay in the city to study, and his sister should also stay in the city for school.

Though his sister previously said she could continue studying at home, was it really good to always study at home?

In that case, Gong Ruwen decided he had to take charge himself.

The expected answer came, "Then we’re staying here, but I won’t share a bed with you guys."

"Don’t worry, you definitely won’t have to. There are plenty of houses here." Gong Ruwen noticed the houses here were large, so it couldn’t be that there was no place for him and his sister to sleep.

Moreover, they weren’t the ones who asked for this, but others proactively invited them. It seemed they had planned this for a while; otherwise, they wouldn’t have spoken so smoothly.

The important thing was that this was their own request, so they wouldn’t lose face.

"Have you finished discussing?" Zhuge Zhi didn’t expect the kids to come back this quickly. It seemed their opinions were quite unified, though he didn’t know what their answers would be.

"Thank you, Grandpa Zhuge." Zhao Xuran expressed that although they didn’t know why the other party was considering helping, they must thank him.

Zhuge Zhi, impressed by their politeness, eagerly awaited their answer.

"We’ll need to rely on Grandpa Zhuge’s care in the future." Following Zhao Xuran’s lead, the children thanked Zhuge Zhi again.

"It’s all right, it’s all right. It’s not a trouble, not a trouble." Zhuge Zhi was thrilled; these were such good kids. He couldn’t remember the last time this big house had been so lively. It would likely become even more lively in the future.

"Of course, although you live here, many things need to be done by yourselves." Zhuge Zhi said they shouldn’t think they could just do nothing because Old Ge was around.

Even without Zhuge Zhi’s reminder, Zhao Xuran and the others wouldn’t dare impose on Ge Yunkui and the others, whom they had to call uncle, and as juniors, they ought not to trouble their elders.

"We’ll manage our own affairs." Actually, they could wash simple clothes themselves, handle simple house cleaning without needing any adult assistance.

"Can we set up a stall at the entrance in the future?" Zhao Guangran was so impatient that he couldn’t bear it. They were here as guests, not to enjoy life, so how could they expect someone else to look after them?

Even if anyone were to be looked after, it should be Ban Xia, given their age and relationship with Grandpa Zhuge, which Zhao Guangran understood quite clearly.

Sigh, Zhao Guangran was so impatient. Gong Ruini almost wanted to kneel to him. While he was known to be impulsive, he couldn’t be so rash, especially since they had no leverage to exchange benefits with Zhuge Zhi.

A stall? He guessed it. However, he was really curious about the business Gong Ruini and the others wanted to do. Not considering whether the kids could get a license, given their young age, didn’t they still have to attend classes?

"What kind of stall is it?" Zhuge Zhi looked interested.

"A book rental stall. We have a lot of books." Zhao Guangran said they had already planned how to do business and how to handle customers.

Renting books? Could that make money? After so many years, many people weren’t that concerned about studying. Even though college entrance exams had resumed, could they take them?

"Comics," Gong Ruini added when she noticed Zhao Xuran’s puzzled expression. "We’ll just rent them to the kids in the neighborhood."

Seeing Zhuge Zhi’s impassive look, Gong Ruini thought he was worried their book rental stall might cause him trouble.

"Rent to the kids here? Can you make money?" There weren’t exactly many wealthy people around, and how many kids would be willing to spend their pocket money to read? Zhuge Zhi really didn’t understand.

Of course, money could be made. Before online novels, many rented books, and with online novels, people paid to read.

Gong Ruini mentioned she wanted to start training many people to understand that reading came at a cost, teaching them to pay for legitimate copies in the future.

Although none of the kids spoke, they all puffed their chests confidently, determined to prove themselves. Oh well, let them encounter a dead end first before addressing the issue.

"Okay, there’s a gatehouse where you can set up your stall." Zhuge Zhi thought for a moment and quickly found a place for Zhao Guangran and the others.

"Thank you, Grandpa Zhuge." That was good, really good. Even though they could set up a stall at the entrance, having a place at the gatehouse would shield them from the wind and rain.