Married but Untouched! Her Soldier Husband Came Home Dumbfounded! - Chapter 25

Ye Fangfei nodded. The shop had been rented; she’d need to go back home to take care of a few things.

Shen Jianhua and Sun Xiujun had treated her kindly. Although Ye Fangfei felt she didn’t need her in-laws’ permission to do business, at the very least, she wanted to inform them out of respect.

“Cuiluan, Zhanqiang, I’ll be going into the city this afternoon. I might be a little late coming back. Will you two go back first, or wait for me?”

“Sis-in-law, Zhanqiang and I want to visit our eldest sister this afternoon, so we won’t go with you,” Shen Cuiluan replied.

Fearing she might misunderstand, she added, “Sis-in-law, we came over today just to visit you. If you want to stay a few more days and spend time with Grandma and Grandpa, don’t rush back. Zhanqiang and I can come pick you up later.”

“Not letting your sister-in-law stay? She’s going home today. She’s not helping with anything here, and both your Grandpa and I are a bit annoyed with her,” Zhou Hongyu chimed in, teasing.

While she was putting her own daughter down, Zhou Hongyu didn’t forget to compliment the in-laws: “Cuiluan, only your parents have a good temper. If your sister-in-law had gotten stricter in-laws, she’d have been sent back already with her attitude.”

“No, no,” Shen Cuiluan quickly waved her hands. “Grandma, my sister-in-law is really wonderful. We all like her very much.”

“Cuiluan, you don’t need to defend her. I know exactly how she is,” Zhou Hongyu said, giving Ye Fangfei a sharp glance before adding two slices of luncheon meat to Cuiluan and Zhanqiang’s plates. “Don’t be polite. I don’t have fancy dishes but eat your fill—even if it’s simple food.”

“Sis, please don’t say that. Today’s meal is richer than any New Year feast. I know it’s because you and Grandpa value us,” Ye Fangfei said with a smile.

Listening to the polite back-and-forth, Ye Fangfei found eating a meal surprisingly exhausting.

Just then, Xiang Dong from the Ye Erhu family lifted his head from his dumpling bowl and stared at Zhou Hongyu in surprise. “Grandma, how can you say there’s nothing good to eat? That’s not true!”

Zhou Hongyu froze, torn between laughter and exasperation, shooting a glare at her troublesome grandson.

Xiang Nan, seven years old and also from the Ye Dahu family, rolled his eyes at his cousin. “Xiang Dong, are you dumb? Grandma was just being polite. Can’t you tell?”

Zhou Hongyu…

Ye Fangfei couldn’t help bursting into laughter.

With children’s innocent chatter, the meal became lively. Shen Cuiluan and Shen Zhanqiang loosened up as well.

After lunch, the Shen siblings went to their eldest sister’s in Xiao Zhoukou, while Ye Fangfei headed into the city to sign the contract.

Since the price had already been agreed upon, the signing went smoothly.

Li Qiuping and her husband were present. The contract had been drafted by Li Qiuping’s husband, and Ye Fangfei added a few clauses. Both parties signed and pressed their seals.

After paying the rent and receiving the courtyard keys, Ye Fangfei said to Ye Xihu, “Brother Xihu, could you take care of setting up the oven and getting the molds?”

“It’s all arranged. The oven technician can come tomorrow, and the molds are already being made,” Ye Xihu replied.

Originally, he had planned to take his eldest brother and father to the food factory to learn about building the oven and then do it himself.

But Ye Fangfei was in a hurry, and the oven was complicated. Xihu didn’t want to risk failure and delay his sister’s opening, so this expense was unavoidable.

Looking at the newly rented courtyard, Ye Fangfei felt a surge of energy. Since she couldn’t go back, she would make a name for herself in this era.

With the shop rented and the oven and molds arranged, the next step was sourcing ingredients.

Even though the reform and opening-up era had begun, production capacity still couldn’t meet market demand for many goods.

For making sponge cakes, she’d need lots of flour, sugar, and eggs.

Eggs and flour were manageable, but sugar would be tricky. The free market had it, but given the large quantities she’d need, she had to find a reliable supplier for a steady, long-term supply.

For food, ingredients were paramount, there could be no compromise.

Once the shop opened, Ye Fangfei would be both the pastry chef and the product developer, as well as monitor sales. She wouldn’t have time to handle procurement herself.

Running a shop meant encountering all kinds of people. She needed a trustworthy partner to manage unforeseen problems and purchase safe ingredients.

After careful consideration, Ye Fangfei decided Ye Xihu was the perfect partner.

Xihu was tactful and capable; she could trust him with procurement. But would he want to become her business partner?

After some thought, she decided to test the water.

“Brother Xihu, I need a partner to help manage daily affairs. Would you like to join me? I’ll share the profits with you.”

Xihu was surprised but then smiled. “Little sister, if you need me to run errands, just ask. We’re siblings—no need for profit-sharing. Dad would never let me get away with that anyway.”

Ye Fangfei shook her head. “Brother Xihu, I know you care about me. Helping me once or twice is fine, but if you help me long-term, even if you and your wife don’t say anything, I’d feel bad.”

“Even though we’re full siblings, it’s important to keep accounts clear. I can’t make the whole family work for my business. Otherwise, I’d be a leech and couldn’t face my family.”

“Don’t talk nonsense. Helping me with errands isn’t a big deal,” Xihu said, rolling his eyes at her for being overly formal.

“It’s give-and-take that ensures long-term success,” Ye Fangfei replied. She explained her reasoning.

“If you agree to partner with me, we’ll work together and help the family prosper. If not, I’ll find someone else.”

Xihu’s heart stirred at the thought of helping the family grow wealthy. He also realized that partnering would give him an advantage.

After a moment’s thought, he said, “Little sister, you don’t need to share profits. Just pay me a salary later if we make money. Forget about the other brothers.”

“Salary is one thing. I’ll also give you a 20% stake in the business.”

Seeing him try to refuse, Ye Fangfei gestured firmly. “Brother Xihu, I know your abilities. You’re worth every bit of it.”

Xihu smiled. “Since you value me so highly, I won’t let you down. I’ll partner with you, but you can’t bear all the expenses alone.”

“Fine. I’ll contribute based on the 20% stake. You calculate the amount, and I’ll give you the money tomorrow.”

Xihu knew that even with money invested, he’d be the one benefiting—after all, not everyone could bake like Ye Fangfei.

Ye Fangfei thought for a moment. “Alright, I won’t be polite then.”

They discussed the shop’s final details. As the day grew late, Xihu left the cart and freezer in the courtyard, and the siblings rode their bikes home.