"Was it Secretary Song who saved me that night?" She turned her head, fixed her gaze on a daffodil, and asked softly.
Yan Hung didn't speak rashly. He stood up and carefully chose his words, saying, "Miss Wanqing, Secretary Song's shop is opening today, and I need to be there before noon to show my support. Why don't I accompany you to meet Secretary Song? There are some things that are better said to Secretary Song in person."
Chapter 192 British-German Western Pharmacy
Song Tianyao did indeed open a shop for his family. It was a street-facing shop on the first floor of Tai Wo Street that had been vacant since his family moved in. Unlike other shops on the same street that used China -sounding names like Li Heng, the shop was simply called British-German Western Pharmacy.
This pharmacy wasn't opened by Song Tianyao himself, who wanted to pursue a career in medicine. It was for his family. Although Song Tianyao wasn't a big shot now, he couldn't let his parents work as shoe repairmen on the street or as odd jobs in teahouses. For Song Tianyao, the goal of opening this pharmacy wasn't to make too much money, but mainly to allow his parents to sit on the street and chat with the neighbors every day, so they wouldn't be so bored and would have something to do to pass the time.
Song Tianyao didn't value the shop, but Song Chunliang and Zhao Meizhen considered it their top priority. They didn't know the difference between Likang and Chu Xiaoxin before and now; they only knew that their son was still working as a secretary for the Chu Family. This kind of secretary job was ultimately not as stable as having property in his own hands. So when Song Tianyao took out money to open a shop for the family, the two were so happy that they couldn't sleep well for several nights in a row.
The next morning, they hired neighborhood workers to help tidy up the shop, build shelves and counters, and make signs. They also specially consulted a fortune teller to choose an auspicious day and set the official opening date as today.
Song Tianyao's parents changed into new clothes early this morning and went to the shop to do the final cleaning. Song Wenwen also changed into a clean Western-style dress and wandered around the shop. In addition to the Song Family of three, there was also Scribe Hui, Xianyu Shuan's wife Sister Fen, Xianyu Shuan's daughter, the well-behaved and sensible Wu Xiu'er, and Lou Fengyun, who no longer needed anyone's help or cane and could move freely at a slower pace.
Just after eight o'clock, Scribe Hui stood outside the shop door with a rag in his hand, leaning against the door like a waiting-for-husband stone, gazing at the street, muttering to himself from time to time:
Why hasn't Secretary Song arrived yet?
Song Wenwen popped some dried fruit into her mouth and, seeing Scribe Hui's expression, said with amusement, "Brother Hui, be careful you don't turn into a waiting-for-husband stone! The fortune teller said the official opening and firecrackers won't start until noon. My brother might not even be out of bed in the hotel yet. He's the laziest guy ever!"
Hearing her daughter say her son was lazy, Zhao Meizhen put down her work and glared at Song Wenwen: "Lazybones! You're the laziest in the whole family! When I was your age, I was good at everything—washing clothes, cooking, sewing shoes, tailoring clothes. Unlike you, you can't even tailor a garment. Be careful you don't end up getting married! All you do when you come to work is eat. Those dried fruits were bought by your brother to treat the neighbors who came to congratulate us, not for you to sneak a bite."
Song Wenwen awkwardly put down the dried fruit in her hand and went over to help her father organize the shelves. Lou Fengyun flipped through the account books, calculating the amount of medicine on the abacus, and said softly to Zhao Meizhen:
"Wenwen is still young; she'll be better when she's older."
"You brat, I'd be content if you were half as capable as me. You can't even do housework properly, and you're not like me at all, able to keep accounts and write," Zhao Meizhen sighed, then continued with her work.
Lou Fengyun wore a crimson short-sleeved cheongsam with a slit on the left side that reached her knee, embroidered with light-colored plum blossoms. Her hair was not tied up but was loose, which, combined with her classic oval face, added a touch of charm. The cheongsam made her waist appear even more slender, especially with her full and high breasts. She was leaning slightly over the counter, her hips rising and falling slightly. She wore a pair of high heels, which made her legs look even longer and her figure taller. She looked every bit the charming and sophisticated young woman.
The couple Song Chunliang Zhao Meizhen had no idea what Song Tianyao was busy with, but Lou Fengyun knew a little. Besides the fact that her Scribe Hui had run errands for Song Tianyao and said a few words to her, Lou Fengyun had also given money to the Fuyixing members who helped take care of the Song Family on behalf of Song Tianyao's parents, so that their hard work wouldn't be in vain. She had also managed to extract bits and pieces of information about Song Tianyao from those people, and by buying some newspapers for reference and piecing together the information, she became increasingly certain that this Secretary Song had helped Likang bring down the Zhang Family during this period.
Living in the same building as the Song Family for some time, Lou Fengyun had come to understand Song Tianyao's character somewhat. When this young man was doing serious business, he wouldn't spare a single thought for women. However, when he had nothing to do, his eyes would light up at the sight of a pretty woman. Song Wenwen had secretly told her several times that her brother had been sitting at the sugarcane juice shop on Tai Wo Street these past two days, sipping his sweet drink while leering at the pretty women passing by. Moreover, Lou Fengyun had also heard from the Scribe Hui about how Song Tianyao had rushed to see her the night she went to Kowloon. This made Lou Fengyun realize that Song Tianyao was actually just a man, not an invincible genius, and seemed more real.
However, when Song Tianyao was busy dealing with the Zhang Family, even if he occasionally came home to stay, even if he knew that she lived upstairs, he would not have the intention to look for her. But when he finished dealing with the Zhang Family and came home to open a shop for his parents, he would see her again and his eyes would be glued to her. His casual remarks and jokes could make this woman, who had seen all kinds of people in the Gambling den, blush.
In the next day or two, Song Tianyao will probably be unable to resist going upstairs to meet him in secret, right?
Even Song Tianyao's parents have noticed Song Tianyao's attitude towards her, and even Song Wenwen has privately asked her several times if she has become her sister-in-law.
As Lou Fengyun worked on the abacus, she thought about what might happen in the future.
It was already past ten o'clock, and many neighbors had already flocked in to join the Song Family in setting off firecrackers to celebrate the opening of the pharmacy. Song Tianyao had not yet shown up, and even Song Chunliang and Zhao Meizhen were getting restless, taking the opportunity to peek outside every now and then and muttering a few complaints.