Chapter 101: Afternoon Warmth

Chapter 101: Afternoon Warmth

Jiangcheng. Jiangnan Beauty Clothing Store.

The business at the clothing store has been steady. While it may not be as popular as when it first opened, the flagship store still maintains a daily turnover of around 20,000 yuan.

Considering it's 1991, 20,000 yuan is far from a small sum. After covering expenses, the net profit is at least 7,000 yuan per day. This profit is equivalent to what an ordinary factory worker would earn in five years. For someone with a master's degree, this is quite an impressive profit!

Thanks to the growing reputation of Jiangnan Beauty, customers from neighboring counties and cities now frequently visit the store. The fashion trends, which have only recently become popular in coastal areas, are incredibly novel and attractive to them.

With the store now on a solid track, daily turnover has stabilized, which makes Xu Qingnan feel quite pleased.

However, there's one thing that still bothers her: ever since Li Yi left, the store has felt emptier, and her enthusiasm for running it has waned.

At that moment, Xu Qingnan was sitting in the office chair, slumped lazily on the table, fighting off sleep. The electric fan nearby hummed, amplifying the oppressive heat of the summer.

Suddenly, a sneaky figure entered through the store door.

It was Li Yi.

Li Yi hadn't gone home. He knew Xu Qingnan would likely be at the store at this time, so he took a taxi directly here.

Since it was lunchtime, there weren't many customers in the store.

Upon seeing Li Yi, the shop assistants were about to greet him, but he motioned for them to stay quiet.

He quietly approached the cashier and saw Xu Qingnan, who was drowsily lying on the table. A smile spread across his face.

Instead of waking her, Li Yi quietly bent down, gently lifted Xu Qingnan's slender legs, and carried her to the lounge.

While she rested, Li Yi opened the drawer and began reviewing recent delivery orders.

Overall, things were going well, and sales were stable.

The delivery order indicated that short-sleeve shirts, shorts, and windbreakers were the best sellers, followed by flight jackets, which would later become iconic in the fashion industry.

Li Yi estimated that, from the store's opening on the 25th until now, less than 20 days had passed, and the total turnover for the flagship store had reached 780,000 yuan.

To be honest, this turnover exceeded Li Yi's expectations.

And this was just from one store. If the old city store was included, the numbers would be even higher!

Next, Li Yi picked out the popular items from the delivery order for future reference. These would guide future stock decisions. He also noted the less popular items, which would need to be ordered in smaller quantities, or not at all.

Over half an hour passed, and just when Li Yi felt his stomach growling, he heard some noise behind him.

He turned around and saw Xu Qingnan yawning as she walked out of the bedroom.

When she saw Li Yi, her eyes widened.

Then, she did something that made Li Yi laugh and feel a bit exasperated... Xu Qingnan rubbed her eyes, as if unsure whether she was dreaming.

Before Li Yi left, he hadn't mentioned when he would return, so Xu Qingnan had assumed it would take at least ten days to half a month.

While she was at the store during lunchtime, she felt like someone had gently picked her up and put her to bed, but she had thought nothing of it.

Now, upon waking up and finding herself in bed, she was startled. But upon checking the situation, she couldn't believe her eyes: Li Yi was back!

After confirming she wasn't dreaming, Xu Qingnan rushed to him.

Li Yi, smiling, stood up from his chair and opened his arms to embrace her.

"Sister, did you miss me?" he teased.

Xu Qingnan blushed slightly, saying nothing but still wrapping her arms around his waist. That simple gesture spoke volumes.

"You won't leave again, right?" Xu Qingnan asked, looking at him with concern.

Li Yi smiled and nodded. "For the foreseeable future, my focus will be here in Jiangcheng. I shouldn't leave!"

Xu Qingnan breathed a sigh of relief. For some reason, she had grown fond of having Li Yi by her side.

Li Yi could feel the warmth in his heart at hearing her words. He knew that their bond was different from ordinary couples. It wasn't just because Xu Qingnan was older than him, but because their relationship had started with family affection, not love.

Before their marriage, Xu Qingnan wasn't entirely sure of her feelings. She saw him more like a younger brother than a romantic partner.

Her decision to marry him was driven by her desire to alleviate her parents' worries and to ensure they continued to take care of Li Yi, alongside the kindness the Li family had shown her over the years.

Thus, compared to the love between a typical husband and wife, Xu Qingnan's feelings for him were stronger, grounded in familial affection. That's why, no matter what, she always showed patience and care toward him.

It wasn't until Xu Qingnan's suicide attempt that Li Yi realized the depth of his own feelings.

Now, reborn and with a new understanding of their bond, Li Yi cherished everything around him even more.

Feeling the warmth of Xu Qingnan beside him, Li Yi closed his eyes, savoring the peacefulness of the afternoon.

After a while, Xu Qingnan asked curiously, "Where's Sanpao? Why don't I see him?"

Li Yi remembered that Wei Sanpao had asked him to deliver a letter to Wei Kangan. He stood up and replied, "Laosan plans to stay in Haidong City for a while. Before leaving, he gave me a letter for Uncle Wei."

"Do you mean you bullied Laosan?"

"No, I'm not that kind of person. It's that brat who wanted to experience the outside world."

"Is he okay alone in a strange city?"

"Don't worry, I've arranged for some friends in Haidong to look after him. He'll be back soon!"

"Okay then."

At that moment, Li Yi added, "Sister, I need to go to Uncle Wei's house now. You'll have to look after the store."

Xu Qingnan nodded in agreement, signaling that Li Yi should go ahead with his business.

Li Yi picked up the letter from the desk, walked out through the store's yard, and headed for Wei Kangan's house.

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