Chapter 44: Arrangements at the Store

Regarding the incident where Qi Wen’s love letter was delivered along with a sanitary pad—

Jiang Ning told no one.

But even if she kept quiet, rumors had a way of spreading.

In just three days, the first rumor successfully reached Jiang Ning through Sun Qian.

“Jiang Jiang, I heard you gave Tao Tao from Class Nine a sanitary pad. Why?”

Damn, I’d like to know why too!

Jiang Ning rolled her eyes at her and said nothing.

Then, that same afternoon, Luo Shanshan, who had just returned from a trip to the supermarket, came rushing over with a shocked expression.

“Jiang Jiang, did you already know that Tao Tao is actually a girl?!”

“Pfft!!!”

Jiang Ning nearly spat out the brown sugar water she was drinking.

What the hell? A girl?!

Is there really a girl who looks that masculine…?

Just as she was roasting the idea in her head, for some reason, Jiang Ning actually started considering the possibility.

Fair skin, well-defined features—if they had long hair instead…

Hiss.

Honestly, that’d be pretty good-looking!

And those long legs…

Unbelievable!

The more she thought about it, the brighter Jiang Ning’s eyes became. She even felt the urge to go up and ask directly.

Of course, she also wanted to ask what reply Qi Wen had received in return.

Because for the past few days, that girl had shown no reaction at all.

No matter how they asked, she wouldn’t say a word.

This left Jiang Ning and Luo Shanshan feeling unbearably curious.

Oh well, if she doesn’t want to talk, so be it.

Right now, Jiang Ning had a more pressing issue to deal with—

That damn sanitary pad.

Sigh.

How did that thing even get delivered along with the letter?

That afternoon after school, Jiang Ning didn’t rush off to eat.

Instead, she pulled Zhu Hui, who was good at drawing, to help update the class bulletin board.

“Jiang Jiang, how about a flower here?”

“Too cliché.”

“Then… a tree?”

“Doesn’t match.”

“A bird, maybe?”

“Forget it, just draw the flower.”

A short while later, Zhu Hui had drawn a soft pink chrysanthemum on the board.

To be fair, the shading was detailed, and the petals were distinct.

At first glance, it looked surprisingly realistic.

“Not bad, Zhu Hui.”

“With skills like yours, you should seriously consider studying art in your second year.”

In the previous timeline, Zhu Hui only turned to art in her third year when she couldn’t keep up with academics anymore.

But by then, it was already late. She barely managed to get into a lower-tier art school.

After graduation, she struggled to find a job and ended up staying at home for a long time.

Hearing Jiang Ning’s suggestion, Zhu Hui hesitated for a moment before replying,

“I heard art schools are really hard to get into. I still want to try the regular path first.”

Realizing Zhu Hui’s thinking was the same as before, Jiang Ning immediately persuaded her,

“Studying art isn’t a shortcut—it’s a way for you to access better universities.”

“Look at your latest monthly exam results—”

“Do you think you have a shot at a 985 university?”

Zhu Hui shook her head, clearly discouraged.

“Forget 985, I’m not even confident about a 211.”

“Then what if I told you that through the art track, you’d have a high chance of getting into a 985 university? Would you believe me?”

At that moment, Jiang Ning’s expression turned mysteriously confident.

Zhu Hui didn’t understand why, but she still kept Jiang Ning’s words in mind.

——

Time passed quickly.

Before she knew it, Saturday had arrived.

Early in the morning, Jiang Ning was still fast asleep when her mother’s voice rang out.

“Today is your aunt’s birthday. Your uncle booked a restaurant for dinner—no excuses, no being late.”

“And dress nicely. Don’t embarrass me.”

“Mmm…” Jiang Ning sleepily mumbled in response before rolling over and dozing off again.

It wasn’t until her bladder protested that she finally dragged herself out of bed.

Wearing slippers, yawning, she shuffled into the bathroom.

Lowered her pants, reached down—

Oh.

Brother has left the building.

Oops.

Jiang Ning muttered to herself, sat down, and sighed.

A little while later, after a quick wash-up, she stepped out of the bathroom—already 10:30 AM.

Given the awkward timing, she decided to skip breakfast and head straight to her little goldmine of a store.

Calling it a goldmine wasn’t an exaggeration.

In the past half-month since opening, the store’s daily revenue had consistently hit five-figure numbers.

After deducting rent, utilities, staff salaries, and Tian Wenhao’s share—

Jiang Ning’s daily net earnings still reached ten thousand yuan.

In just over ten days, her bank balance had already surpassed a hundred thousand.

But that wasn’t even the best part.

What truly excited her was how well the delivery team was running.

It made her seriously consider scaling up the business.

Thinking about the market value of food delivery giants in the future, Jiang Ning could almost see golden coins jumping in her mind.

However, she wasn’t the type to get ahead of herself.

The reason the delivery service was working so well was that Shi Ning Ji itself was booming.

Without a strong foundation, even with financial backing, the delivery team would just be a rootless weed, unable to last long.

So, her top priority was still to grow Shi Ning Ji.

As she biked to the store, she strategized her next move.

Soon, she arrived at the shop entrance.

There, Sister-in-law Xiao Mingxiu was holding a form and discussing something with Xia Ling.

When Jiang Ning got closer, she realized they were recounting the previous day’s delivery numbers.

Apparently, there was a discrepancy in the records.

Seeing this, Jiang Ning didn’t interrupt. She simply greeted them and walked into the store.

At the same time, she wondered if she should get a computer for the store.

After all, keeping records digitally would be far more efficient and accurate than relying on paper logs.

She brought up the idea with Tian Wenhao, who quickly agreed.

With that, the plan to install a computer was set in motion.

For the rest of the day, Jiang Ning rolled up her sleeves and worked alongside the employees.

Her enthusiasm naturally boosted everyone’s morale.

Especially the male staff members, who seemed particularly energetic.

By evening, as she was wiping down tables, Tian Wenhao suddenly approached her.

“Let’s go, cousin.”

“Go where?” Jiang Ning asked, puzzled.

Tian Wenhao looked at her in disbelief.

“My mom’s birthday dinner—did you forget?”

Oh, crap!

She’d been so busy that it totally slipped her mind!

——