Zhao Youlin was a little startled, but then she remembered the old man mentioning that she could seek help from Zhao Shunrong if she wanted to open her own shop, and he could also talk to him first on her behalf.
Zhao Youlin had not given it much thought at that moment, but she truly had not expected the old man to really tell Zhao Shunrong about it!
Zhao Youlin went blank for a while, but she quickly nodded.
“Are you still considering launching a shop? Have you found any preferred shop-lots?” Zhao Shunrong paused for a moment before continuing to inquire.
Zhao Youlin firmly nodded her head. For her, there was not much conflict between her returning to the Zhao Family and opening her own shop.
Returning to the Zhao Family did not imply that she is entitled to anything; in her eyes, the old man and Zhao Shunrong owned everything in the Zhao Family. And she was not so greedy to go about stealing things that were not hers, to begin with.
She wore the empty title of heiress on her head. The only benefit she got from it was to be a moving target for others. The old man had indeed turned her into the prey for people out there and it only added to her irritation. If she brought Joy back to the Zhao Family, she did not believe that it was the ideal environment for Joy to grow up in.
Her son had already been through a lot in his first few years of life, and she hoped that the grudges the adults held against each other would not interfere with his life in the future.
Of course, on the other hand, it was for Duan Yarong, because that woman had shown true concern toward them, and she very much appreciated it.
Therefore, one of her backup plans was to invest in shop lots. This shop-lot would be her and Joy’s last line of income, regardless of whether she stayed at the Zhao Family permanently or not.
And as the saying went, a foxy person had more than one hideout. It was not that she did not trust Duan Yarong or the others; it’s just that she had died once, so she had formed the habit of having plan Bs, just in case.
“I recently spotted a bakery on the west end that was ready to be rented. I think it’s not bad.”
Zhao Shunrong pondered for a while and said, “Hmm, the crowd flow is quite good there. Opening a bakery there is a good choice. Later I’ll tell the secretary to prepare-”
Zhao Shunrong had not finished his sentence when Zhao Youlin hurriedly stopped him and said, smiling, “Dad, I can handle this small matter on my own.”
It did not make sense if her newly acknowledged parents do all the hard work for her when she was the one who wanted to open the shop in the first place. Especially if Zhao Shunrong intervened, then perhaps her original intentions to open the shop would change.
Zhao Shunrong was a little startled when he heard her refer to him as her father, so he remained silent after coughing dryly to express his awkwardness.
Duan Yarong could not disguise her amusement seeing him in that state, and she looked at Zhao Shunrong strangely. “Let her be if she says she can manage it on her own. She’s no longer a child, and she’ll have to take care of a lot of things on her own in the future. You won’t be able to help her all of the time; she’ll have to figure things out on her own. ”
“Okay then, the decision is up to you now,” Zhao Shunrong finally said after a minute of silence.
He paused for a beat, then as if he remembered something, “But if you really can’t manage it, please let us know. You call us your parents for a reason,” he said awkwardly.
Zhao Youlin was taken aback as she glanced at Zhao Shunrong, and she quietly wondered, ‘Is this man perhaps…embarrassed?’
“Pfft…” Zhao Youlin could not help but snort at the thought. She exchanged a few glances with Duan Yarong, and she knew she was equally amused.
As the family chatted happily, time flew by in a hurry.
Zhao Youlin had intended to keep the two for lunch, but Zhao Shunrong and Duan Yarong both claimed to be preoccupied with company matters, so they could not stay for long. After some brief exchanges with Zhao Youlin, their phones began buzzing with company phone calls.
Duan Yarong reluctantly said her goodbyes to Zhao Youlin and Joy, but not before showering her grandson with additional hugs and kisses.
If circumstances allowed, Zhao Youlin believed Duan Yarong would just kidnap Joy right then and there. Her actions had shown she was only a step away from that.
Three days after their visit, the moving company and Zhao Shunrong were already at her doorstep, packing everything up, including Zhao Youlin and her son, and moving them to the Zhao Family.
Uncle Zhao, and of course that crafty old fox was there to personally greet them. However, the old master would never, in all his dignity, remain at the main door and await Zhao Youlin’s arrival like Uncle Zhao did. He would only pretend to sit in the living room, with a newspaper in his hands, and wait for Zhao Youlin to enter. When he saw her, he acted all-natural and said, “You are back.”
Zhao Youlin cast a calm glance at the old man hiding behind the newspaper. You would not have to look to know that behind it, he was snickering.
With a smirk, Zhao Youlin said, “It seems like you are reading the papers upside-down, Grandfather.”
“Pfft…” the servants there really wanted to laugh out loud, but they knew they couldn’t, so they almost went blue in their faces while holding it in.
The old man had been completely focused on the movements outside and his ears had perked up from the start, so he did not even notice the contents of the newspaper.
Now after Zhao Youlin had mentioned it, he pulled the newspaper down and it was only then when he realized that he was holding it upside down the whole time.
The old man’s image was completely shattered after being exposed in front of so many people. After sheepishly staring at her for a while, he decided to quit pretending.
After putting away the newspaper, he stood up and cheerfully walked towards the duo, clapped his hands gleefully in Joy’s direction and said, “Joy, come, give Great Grandfather a hug. I missed you so much.”
This display of friendly demeanor by the old man surprised many elderly servants of the family. Despite the fact that the old man had stepped down from his prominent position years ago, he could still rule the Zhao Family with dignity and power.
He had always been strict with the family’s younger members, and as a result, they all still feared him to this day.
But the eldest lady, who rarely appeared in the main residence had made fun of the old man, and the most surprising thing was that it did not bother him one bit. He was even being pleasant with them! As a result, a few bright servants were already calculating this lady’s future status in the main residence.
Zhao Youlin noticed the stunned expressions of the servants around her. Her eyes twinkled because that was exactly what she wanted to see.
She did not want to make the same mistakes she did in the Mu Family when she returned to the Zhao Family this time. It was best if the servants here clearly understood her position in the family, and they better not mess with her or Joy!
When Zhao Youlin noticed the old man charging towards them, she shifted her body to the side and slipped away, causing the old man to hug the air.
“Grandfather, if my memory serves me well, we only met three days ago. Your memory has clearly failed you in your old age. But, as the saying goes, you eat what you lack, so Uncle Zhao, please remember to order some stewed pork brains for Grandfather from the kitchen. Also, Grandfather, don’t forget that you reached seventy just a few days ago, and you’re still acting like a reckless little kid. It’s not a huge problem if Joy falls, but it would be a big deal if you injure your back by accident.”
