Yu Minglang took a look, his Xiao Mei was being surrounded, how could this be allowed?
He decisively stepped in!
âDear neighbors, Xiao Qianâs current identity is indeed somewhat special, and itâs not convenient to talk about. If you say too much, itâll leak secrets and violate regulations. If any of you want to ask for her help, you can wait until she opens her studio and queues up to call. All the neighbors can go there and get a 15% discount. Thatâs the friend price!â
âSeriously? Even for a few words, she charges money?â
âOf course, she doesnât just talk for free. Do you know how much money she made from just a few sentences she said on TV today?â
The crowd all stretched their necks, waiting to hear.
Xiao Qian smiled as she watched Yu Minglang fooling people, and Chen Zilong, who was nibbling on an apple on the side, muttered to himself, âArenât these all my sisterâs tactics? Can he even learn them?â
âToday, Xiao Qian can make at least 88,000! Who among you wants to ask her about anything? Come and line up at my place to register. My Xiao Qian can answer everything, Auntie, do you want to consult her about your sonâs marriage and emotional problems? My Xiao Qian is good at that!â
The one who had just grabbed Xiao Qian the most fiercely now shook her head like a rattle drum.
âNo, no, no, there are just some conflicts between the young couple. We can go home and mediate them ourselves. No need to bother Qianâer!â 88,000! How much is that even after a 15% discount!
Yu Minglang, even more enthusiastically, turned to another side, âAuntie, what do you want to ask, marriage and emotional dissatisfaction?â
âThatâs just a minor issue, I can just divorce when I go home!â This one was even more blunt. Who would want another personâs help when itâs so expensive? They all thought Xiao Qian would help them for free.
Yu Minglang raised his head and amicably scanned the circle of neighbors who had just been thinking about getting Xiao Qianâs help in persuasion, enlightenment, and relief. They averted their gaze and fled as fast as they could.
âI just remembered that I still have a pot of food at home. Da Longâs mom, Iâll come back tomorrow!â
âRight, Da Longâs mom has raised such a good girl. Look at her, how much money she can make at homeâ¦â Everyone was sour.
It cost tens of thousands to take a look. Were they raising bandits to rob people?
Another aunt muttered quietly, âIs this something run by the state? Why else would the police come to her tooâ¦â
Xiao Qian almost burst out laughing. These people still didnât understand her profession and mixed her up with those fortune-tellers in the village.
State-run? Why didnât they say she was begging on imperial orders? Itâs a good thing the nickname Boss Qian was given early on, or else she might have become Fairy Qianâer!
From the corner of her eye, she saw Yu Minglang, who was indeed very good at dealing with people. He wasnât stupid at all. As she promptly stepped on the pain points of these middle-aged and elderly women who liked to take advantage of people, they left faster than anything.
Yu Minglang enthusiastically waved to the neighbors, âIf you need help, make sure to come to my Xiao Qian! Donât be shy, everyone is welcome!â
The neighbors made haste to leave, fearing that if they were too late, Yu Minglang would solicit business for them.
When most of the people had left, Xiao Qian asked Yu Minglang.
âWhen did I become someone with a special status, and whatâs with the 88,000? Comrade in the military, your current level of awareness is really worrying.â
Yu Minglang imitated Xiao Qianâs typical blinking action, even the tone was imitating Xiao Qian, âWhat I said, theyâre all true.â
Facing Xiao Qianâs teasing gaze, Yu Minglang spread his hands.
âYour status is special, youâre a quasi-military dependent, and you belong to a highly confidential department. Isnât that special?â n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om
Jia Xiufang looked on, feeling a little guilty.
âQianâer, these people are our neighbors, is it okay to do so?â
âAbsolutely not a problem! Aunt, we canât let a precedent be set. Our Xiao Qian is excellent, but thatâs because of her own hard work and achievements. Why should these people want to take advantage of her? After Xiao Qian graduates, sheâll be a consultant, and itâs supposed to be a paid service. If all these people keep coming for free help, what will she become?â
Yu Minglang said seriously, and Xiao Qian nodded. He understood her well.
âMom, Minglang did nothing wrong. I canât bring trouble to myself just to please everyone. These people usually donât interact much, but they think I can handle problems easily and want to take advantage of it. If everyone comes to me for free help, what will I become?â
âJust think of it this way. If our Xiao Qian were to open a steamed bun shop, wouldnât she charge for the buns? Her job is the same, itâs all paying for labor, whether itâs mental or physical. We canât let her do everything for free.â
Jia Xiufang snapped her mouth shut, not saying anything.
Although what Yu Minglang said made sense, she felt strange. She actually wanted to ask when her daughter had become âour Xiao Qianâ?
âSo, brother-in-law, how did you say that my sister made 88,000 in one day?â Chen Zilong asked while eating his apple.
âThatâs becauseââ Yu Minglang glanced at his mother, who had been watching the excitement. Oh, look at our sonâs eager face, and he is so talkative in front of Xiao Qianâs mother. How come we never saw him so talkative at home?
So raising a son is not as good as raising a daughter, who is more considerate. He went to his mother-in-lawâs house, and with his glib tongue, he flattered Xiao Qianâs mother so much that she was speechless. When Mother Yu thought of telling her spouse about this when he returned from his business trip, she chuckled inwardly.
While silently complaining about her son, her face showed no expression. Mother Yu didnât forget her mission, and today she had to settle the matter.
Mother Yu stepped forward, affectionately holding Jia Xiufangâs hand.
âMy younger sister, I wanted to come over long ago. I just wanted to see who raised our girl so well â so sensible and understanding. Today, at first sight, itâs true that like mother, like daughter. Raising Xiao Qian to be such a good girl isnât easy, my younger sister!â
This intimate address, this sincere expression, this undisguised show of flattering â it was exactly like Yu Minglang. Xiao Qian laughed and glanced at Yu Minglang, knowing who he must have inherited his EQ from.
Although these obviously exaggerated compliments were somewhat extravagant, Jia Xiufang enjoyed them. Who wouldnât like to hear their child being praised?
She modestly replied, âItâs not as good as you say. But my daughter followed after me, with good character. Although our familyâs conditions are average, we take childrenâs education very seriously.â
âThatâs right, good character is important. I was really attracted to Xiao Qianâs virtue. Today, Iâm not here to ask for an invitation, but to discuss the engagement of our two children. I really like our Xiao Qian! Sheâs so sensible and knows when to advance or retreat. Our entire family likes her very much. Of course, the person who likes her most is our youngest son. While our Xiao Qian is still studying, we really canât wait any longer, so weâre asking you to let Xiao Qian and our youngest get engaged first. Donât worry, with us, our youngest son will definitely treat our Xiao Qian well.â
Xiao Qian was officially renamed as âour Xiao Qian,â and it rolled smoothly off the tongue.