Chapter 77: Aunt’s Advice

Jiang Ning had no idea what was happening at home.

At this moment, she had already arrived downstairs at her cousin’s apartment.

She parked the car.

Went upstairs.

As soon as she stepped inside, she saw Tian Wenhao curled up on the sofa like a quail. In front of him, her aunt sat as still as a statue—expressionless, unmoving.

It was the first time Jiang Ning had seen her aunt like this.

There was an indescribable authority about her.

She couldn’t help but feel a little nervous.

“Aunt, um… about my family… uh…”

Jiang Ning chuckled awkwardly and closed the door behind her.

Just as she was considering whether to retreat to a room to avoid the storm, her aunt suddenly beckoned her over.

“Ningning, come here.”

“I have something to ask you.”

“Oh…” Jiang Ning shrank her neck slightly, grinning sheepishly as she sat on the sofa beside Tian Wenhao.

After a brief silence, her aunt finally spoke.

“What’s the deal with that shop?”

Hearing this, Jiang Ning discreetly glanced at her cousin.

From his refusal to meet her eyes, she more or less figured out what had happened.

Cursing him inwardly, she maintained her awkward smile and asked,

“Aunt, um, which part do you want to know about?”

“All of it. From the initial funding to its current development and your future plans.”

Her aunt’s tone was gentle, but her intent was clear.

She wanted to know everything.

Jiang Ning thought for a moment and decided to start from the very beginning—when she first had the idea of making money.

Then she mentioned how she stumbled upon the street vendor business and planned with Tian Wenhao to sell toys.

How they used the profits from selling toys to accumulate capital.

And how they eventually managed to open a fried chicken shop.

At this point, Jiang Ning glanced at her aunt, only to find that while she looked somewhat surprised, she didn’t seem particularly emotional.

Seeing this, Jiang Ning decided there was no need to hold back.

She even told her about the new store.

By now, her aunt’s initial surprise had turned into silence.

“Li Mingyu… Is she the eldest daughter of District Chief Li’s family?”

“What’s your relationship with her?”

Jiang Ning knew what her aunt was worried about.

After all, at the end of the day, she was just a seventeen-year-old girl. Even with her dopey cousin by her side, in her aunt’s eyes, their combined social experience didn’t compare to Li Mingyu’s.

“A business partnership.”

Her aunt had no idea that this so-called partnership also involved Top Entertainment.

So, her frown deepened.

Seeing this, Jiang Ning nudged the “quail” beside her with her foot.

“Aunt, don’t worry. It’s just a basic business collaboration. There’s no involvement in the store’s core interests.”

Tian Wenhao, after getting kicked, quickly chimed in,

“Yeah, Mom! It’s really just a normal partnership.”

“She’s only handling the renovations for both stores through her company.”

“Really?” Tian Cuixiang glanced skeptically at the two juniors before her, her eyes full of doubt.

But given the current situation, this was the most reasonable explanation.

After a moment of silence, she finally asked the most critical question.

“How much money do you have on hand now?”

Hearing this, Jiang Ning exchanged a look with Tian Wenhao.

Then, Tian Wenhao pulled out two bank cards from his pocket.

“Mom, this one still has over twenty thousand in it—it’s for the store’s ingredient supply…”

As he spoke, he pointed to the other card.

“This one holds the money we’ve saved from recent profits, about fifty thousand.”

Twenty thousand plus fifty thousand.

That was seventy thousand in total.

When Tian Cuixiang heard this number, her mind went blank.

Seventy thousand yuan.

In this era, when the average salary was only around 800 yuan a month, seventy thousand was a fortune that would take an ordinary family years to accumulate.

And yet, these two barely grown kids had made it in just two or three months.

For a moment, Tian Cuixiang felt as if she were in a dream.

But she had been through tough times before.

After a brief period of shock, she regained her composure and looked at the two children again—though her gaze now carried a hint of complexity.

“What do you plan to do with this money?”

Hearing his mother’s tone, Tian Wenhao immediately understood that the hardest part of this conversation was over.

As long as they handled this money well, he was confident his mother wouldn’t interfere with their business anymore.

The thought that his family issues might finally be resolved filled Tian Wenhao with excitement.

Pointing at one of the cards, he explained,

“Mom, this card with twenty thousand is for keeping the stores running.”

“Every day, we set aside a third of our sales into this account to cover expenses like inventory, utilities, and salaries.”

“And what about the fifty-thousand card?” his aunt asked, pointing to the other one on the table.

Before Tian Wenhao could answer, Jiang Ning suddenly spoke up.

“Aunt, why don’t you keep this card for us?”

Keep the card?

Tian Wenhao was stunned for a moment, then seemed to understand her intent. Shrinking his neck, he resumed his quail-like posture, huddled on the sofa, saying nothing.

Tian Cuixiang clearly hadn’t expected Jiang Ning to hand over the card.

After a brief moment of surprise, she shook her head and pushed it back.

“Aunt doesn’t want your money.”

“You’ll need it.”

“I just wanted to offer some advice.”

With that, Tian Cuixiang turned her gaze to Jiang Ning. Looking at her sharp-witted niece, she sighed slightly and said,

“If you have extra money, you should buy a house.”

Huh?

Jiang Ning was momentarily stunned.

But as someone quick on the uptake, she immediately understood her aunt’s reasoning.

It was both a form of security and a contingency plan.

After all, their current home was small, with only two bedrooms.

If Tian Wenhao brought Xiao Mingxiu home in the future, and her stepfather suddenly showed up again—where would she stay?

Would she have to rent a hotel?

Now that she had some money, buying a house…

Thinking along these lines, Jiang Ning realized she had been stuck in a mindset.

Before, when she only had a few tens of thousands, she never even considered buying property.

Because, in her subconscious, a house would cost at least hundreds of thousands or even millions.

But that was in the future—after the 2008 financial crisis and the massive stimulus package that drove real estate prices up.

Right now?

A city-center apartment cost less than 800 yuan per square meter.

With the money she had now, she could easily buy a 100 to 200 square meter apartment and just hold onto it.

Even if she didn’t live in it, its value would appreciate over time.

So…

Buying a house was actually a great idea.

As for which location…

Jiang Ning decided she’d do some research once she got home.

(End of Chapter)