Chapter 587 - 617: Gentle Deception
Chapter 587: Chapter 617: Gentle Deception
Qin Jiao understood Meng Lanlan. She wasn’t a complex person, but she was easily deceived.
’She’d been deceived by Lin Nian before, and now she was being cheated by Lu Jiuan. Honestly... Why does everyone always fleece the same sheep?’
Qin Jiao patiently explained the concept of a franchise. She smiled and said, "There’s no such thing as a free lunch. If you want a return, you have to make an investment. We provide the techniques, the secret recipes, and the personnel management. In reality, the franchisees only need to provide the money; they don’t have to worry about anything else."
After hearing Qin Jiao’s detailed explanation, Meng Lanlan immediately grew flustered. She said, embarrassed, "I’m sorry, Qin Jiao. I didn’t understand all that. Just... pretend I never said anything."
"The main rules can’t be changed. But since they’re your relatives, I’m willing to give them a discount where I can."
"That would be great!"
As she was seeing Meng Lanlan out, Qin Jiao mentioned casually, "I’ve heard it’s easier to get housing allocated if you have your marriage certificate. But every work unit has different requirements. You should have your husband ask around again when you get a chance. Make sure you don’t miss out."
Meng Lanlan nodded. "Okay, thank you, Qin Jiao!"
She walked off happily. Qin Jiao watched her retreating figure and sighed softly. ’Old classmate, this is as much as I can do for you.’
’If Lu Jiuan really doesn’t plan on marrying you, then leaving him sooner rather than later is the only smart move.’
After Meng Lanlan got home, she waited for Lu Jiuan to get off work and told him what Qin Jiao had said. "Qin Jiao said she’ll give your family a discount!" she announced happily.
A flicker of ridicule flashed in Lu Jiuan’s eyes, but his voice was gentle. "Lanlan, I told you, you don’t have to get involved and owe her a favor. Even though I have money invested in my uncle’s restaurant, these are small matters I can handle myself."
"You invested in it too?"
"Mhm."
Meng Lanlan’s spirits sank a little. They were still living in a collective dormitory. It wasn’t very spacious, and they had to share the kitchen and bathroom with everyone else on their floor.
She really wanted to live in a bigger place.
Remembering what Qin Jiao had said, Meng Lanlan said to Lu Jiuan, "Jiuan, I heard that the work units prioritize married couples when they allocate housing. Why don’t you ask again, just in case there was a mistake? If that’s the rule, we should get our certificate soon."
Lu Jiuan’s brow twitched, but his tone was nonchalant. "Oh, is that right? I’ll ask around again later, then. What suddenly made you think of this?"
Meng Lanlan said sheepishly, "We have to share a kitchen to cook, and someone took the bottle of chili oil I bought... It’s just all so inconvenient."
’A bottle of chili oil wasn’t worth making a fuss over, but what would happen if it was meat next time?’
Meng Lanlan’s family in Ping’an Town had been quite well-off. But before she started her life with Lu Jiuan, her parents had reminded her to be frugal and not to spend money recklessly.
Men didn’t like women who were spendthrifts.
Because she cared so much for Lu Jiuan, Meng Lanlan was exceptionally frugal. In all the time she’d been in North City, she hadn’t bought herself a single new piece of clothing.
Her newest outfit was a gift from Jiang Xiaoyue, who worked at a clothing company.
A look of guilt crossed Lu Jiuan’s face. "It’s all my fault. I’m sorry, Lanlan. But don’t worry, as soon as I make enough money, we’ll be able to live in a big house."
Lu Jiuan had taken the dowry money from Meng Lanlan’s family, along with his own savings, and invested it all.
That was why money was a little tight for them at the moment.
The moment Meng Lanlan heard Lu Jiuan apologize, she quickly changed the subject. They embraced, and after a little while, Meng Lanlan heard her stomach rumble. Embarrassed, she hurried off to the kitchen to get busy.
The moment she was out of the room, the tenderness in Lu Jiuan’s eyes vanished without a trace.