CHAPTER 426: CHAPTER 426: ACCUMULATION

It’s just a pity that in this life, it can no longer be.

Qin Xiangmei is not Grandpa Mao; she is just Qin Xiangmei, a golden phoenix who flew out of the mountains and became a mother turkey when she fell into the city.

But Qin Xiangnuan listened to these stories without allowing the name Qin Xiangmei to linger much in her own life. Even if they became Emperors, what did it have to do with her?

A while ago, Jian Zhiqing said he needed to borrow Conghua for a few days to go out. Now that he’s gone, it seems much quieter at home. What he is borrowing Conghua for, he wouldn’t say; all secretive—no, more like crafty and energetic.

She didn’t care much about it anymore, focusing on being busy at school. The seniors had already graduated, and now it’s not bad, some even assigned to jobs. If their families were a bit better off, they could land a really nice job; and for those with just average family conditions, as long as they worked hard, they wouldn’t fare too badly.

The last anniversary celebration at Jing University was quite a moment for the design department, showing that their students had skills, technology, and brains. They were seen as material worthy of becoming designers and the future hope of the nation’s fashion industry. Plenty of employers have come over and snapped up many talented students, just waiting for them to graduate and join their ranks. And her senior peers seemed proud, modest as they might be, already seeing themselves as the new stars of the fashion world. To this, Qin Xiangnuan could only respond with a chuckle.

It’s unpredictable where their future achievements will lie—perhaps they’ll reach great heights.

However, from what she knows, if history doesn’t deviate, none of the designers from Jing University’s recent cohorts have made a name for themselves. She knows the direction fashion will take in the future, but whether others understand that, they must follow history and the times.

A few months later, with the new year approaching, it just happens that the new internet cafe building is finished ahead of schedule. The accounts for the café are settled, and Jian Zhiqing found some connections to get a batch of almost new computers. They’re not brand new, but in terms of appearance and performance, they’re close, and most importantly, they’re nearly half the price. This means that the old internet cafe can also upgrade its computers. We’re slowly transitioning to an era of high tech. The internet cafe now has more and more customers, and the daily turnover is frighteningly high, so even replacing all the old computers isn’t considered excessive and will attract even more patrons.

The old machines were all sold by Jian Zhiqing. Even if old, computers are still computers, so they won’t be too cheap; when bought, one was over four thousand, but when sold, each went for two thousand to some other places, probably to be used in internet cafes too.

Before the New Year, all their machines are replaced with new ones, and the new Red Forest Internet Cafe is open for business. The new venue spans two floors, both of which are owned by them—no rent needed. Next to it, they’ve opened several restaurants for 24-hour service. With a lot of foot traffic at the internet cafe, these family-run places by veterans are doing well. Paired with the internet café’s income, if they keep working hard for a few more years, they could afford to buy a house in Capital City and truly become Kyoto people.

Seeing how well Qin Xiangnuan’s internet cafe is doing, Teacher Wang doesn’t even want to teach anymore; instead, he’s thinking of going into business. He was never too dull to begin with, so harboring such ambitions isn’t out of the norm. However, he doesn’t have the capital to open an internet cafe. Instead, he’s considering starting a school to teach computer and English classes.

Qin Jinuan naturally supports him. The field of computers, with internet cafes experiencing a golden age, is also the prime time for various computer training schools to flourish. Not too many computers are needed—a dozen or so will suffice. The place doesn’t need to be big; as long as it fits the computers, it will be fine.

Charging for computer lessons is expected, and so is practicing.

So now, Teacher Wang is teaching Qin Xiangyang English, and Qin Xiangyang is teaching Teacher Wang about computers. Qin Xiangyang’s English is excellent; even though he hasn’t taken any tests, his spoken English is particularly strong. Last time when foreigners visited the school, Qin Xiangyang served as the translator and communicated smoothly, earning praise from the leadership. Indeed, these days, every industry needs talents proficient in high technology.

With the New Year around the corner, the new internet café can finally open for business. The two cafes together are doing unprecedented promotions: recharge a hundred and get fifty extra, and have divided areas for VIPs, a ladies-only section, gaming zone, and private rooms. Meals are convenient too; step out the door, and there are options, plus the staff can bring food orders to the customers. The prices are reasonable, comparable to outside, so naturally, everyone prefers to have food delivered to their tables, and afterwards, just have the bowls taken away.

The café also stocks drinks and cigarettes, but because of electronics, smoking inside is not allowed. Typically, internet cafes are considered dirty and messy, but Red Mangrove is not. It’s clean, and smoking is prohibited. Although cigarettes are sold, there’s a designated smoking area, making the space particularly favored by women, especially the ladies’ section which avoids the embarrassment of mixed seating and is exceptionally clean, with attractive machines. Previous chairs have been replaced with sofas, suitable for lying, sitting, or even sleeping on, so spending the night here is quite comfortable. With ready-to-eat meals available and the eateries outside operating 24-hours, one might wonder if Red Mangrove Internet Cafe, this little butterfly, has contributed to turning the area into a hotspot and a thriving business district. Many stores have begun operating around the clock, creating a well-known culinary street. To Qin Xiangnuan, this development is quite unexpected.

In her past life, the culinary street was not located here; how did it end up neighboring them this year? It’s driving the economy of the area, blooming with prosperity.

But this is good. In a decade or so, when internet cafes start to decline, the prosperity of this street can allow them to exchange these two-story buildings for anything they desire. Qin Xiangnuan has discussed with Jian Zhiqing the idea of buying several parking lot spaces, knowing that in the future, private cars will increase. Cars are easy to drive but not so easy to park.

Jian Zhiqing thought it over, but didn’t think too much about it, because after all, he wasn’t reborn.