Chapter 442: Afternoon Tea
Chapter 442: Afternoon Tea
Zong Shimen called Lu Jiaxin to invite her to afternoon tea. "I asked Meotong and Xinyu, and they're both free tomorrow afternoon."
"I'm on vacation now, so I'm free anytime," Lu Jiaxin replied.
Wanting to avoid insects, Lu Jiaxin chose to wear a dark gray t-shirt and straight-cut blue jeans instead of a dress for the afternoon tea gathering at the manor.
When Shiyuan saw her, she exclaimed, "I never noticed how long your legs are before!"
Lu Jiaxin usually wore long skirts when meeting with them, which made her look tall, but hid her legs. These pants, however, showcased the full length of her legs.
Zong Shimen sighed, feeling that youth was indeed a blessing, as everything seemed to look good on the young. Unlike herself, after having three children, no amount of dieting seemed to bring her back to her pre-pregnancy weight. And whenever she brought up dieting, her mother-in-law and grandmother-in-law would object, insisting that thin women looked unattractive and brought bad luck to the family.
After a cup of Qihong tea, Zong Shimen said with a smile, "I heard from Zhifang that you and Nie Zhan went deep-sea fishing the other day?"
Lu Jiaxin knew it was pointless to hide it. "Yes! He saw that I was bored, and since he wanted to take a break himself, we spent a day at sea. We were quite lucky and caught a 30-pound-plus tuna and a 20-pound-plus grouper. We had a wonderful fish banquet for lunch."
She attributed her good luck to two factors: her own good fortune and the abundance of marine resources at present. Unlike in the future, three decades from now, when overfishing would lead to a sharp decline in marine resources.
Shiyuan pulled on her arm and said, "Jiaxin, if you go out to sea again, you must take me with you. I also want to try deep-sea fishing!"
Zong Shimen laughed, "If Jiaxin goes out to sea with Nie Zhan, do you think you'll be able to handle seeing their lovey-dovey display the entire time?"
Shiyuan knew she wouldn't be able to bear witness to their sweet moments either. "Of course, I would bring Tao Yong along too! If they want to be affectionate, I can be too!"
She never compared Nie Zhan and Tao Yong. Nie Zhan had been exceptionally bright since childhood, and his family had provided him with the best resources. Nowadays, he oversaw several companies. However, her boyfriend, Tao Yong, had built his own success independently. He had started an investment company in Gang City and amassed a fortune worth hundreds of millions, which was equally impressive.
Lu Jiaxin appreciated Shiyuan's straightforward nature. "If you guys want to go out to sea too, then let's go by ourselves without the men. They'll just get in the way."
Shiyuan widened her eyes in disbelief. "You dare to say that Nie Zhan gets in the way?"
Lu Jiaxin saw no issue with her statement. "Of course, they'll be in the way if they come with us. With just the four of us girls, we can say and do whatever we want. But if they're there, we'll have to be mindful of our words and actions."
In reality, it made little difference to her. The last time they had gathered, Zong Shimen and Yu Meotong had spent time caring for their other halves.
Yu Meotong asked, "Aren't you afraid that Nie Zhan will get angry if he hears what you just said?"
Lu Jiaxin replied with a hint of confusion, "Why would I be afraid of him being angry? When he goes out with his friends, he doesn't always invite me along."
Shiyuan disagreed, "If Tao Yong wants to go out with his friends and doesn't take me along, I'd be upset."
Yu Meotong remained silent.
Lu Jiaxin didn't criticize their way of thinking; she understood that everyone had different needs. "I value having my own social circle. However, if we get along well with his friends, we can hang out together. If not, we can do our own thing."
She felt a close bond with these three women and enjoyed their company. If she didn't click with someone, she wouldn't force herself to spend time with them just because of Nie Zhan.
Zong Shimen smiled and said, "Since Nie Zhan doesn't live with his elders, you won't have to worry about that when you get married. Otherwise, with your personality, you'd definitely be at a disadvantage."
Yu Meotong was shocked. "You'd give up on such a great man as Nie Zhan?" she exclaimed, knowing how well Nie Zhan treated Lu Jiaxin and how many young ladies regretted not making a move because of his cold demeanor.
Lu Jiaxin smiled. "If his family lets me suffer without intervening, then he's not a good man. I'm quite self-centered and won't let anyone mistreat me."
Shi Yuan nodded in agreement. "My dad and mommy say the same thing. They won't let anyone bully me, and if Tao Yong bullies me, they'll teach him a lesson."
Zong Shimen listened with envy. Lu Jiaxin could speak so boldly because she had the means to back it up; Shi Yuan, on the other hand, had the support of her parents and brothers.
Upon hearing this, Yu Meotong felt a pang of sadness. She had endured several grievances from the Fu family, but her parents didn't stand up for her, and her fiance thought she was making a big deal out of nothing. Too proud to complain, she instead turned to Lu Jiaxin for advice. "Jiaxin, I want to get a job. What do you think?"
Lu Jiaxin was a bit surprised to hear her talk about getting a job instead of starting a business. However, she fully supported the idea. "Of course, it's a great idea. Working will make you feel more fulfilled."
Yu Meotong looked troubled as she explained, "But Fu Ye doesn't like the idea of me working. He says that a single handbag I buy could cost several months' worth of my salary. He tells me that if I want to keep busy, I should just go dancing, learn flower arrangement, or take up cooking, but I'm not interested in any of those things."
Without commenting on Fu Ye's words, Lu Jiaxin pointed out, "If you want to start a business, you need to gain work experience and understand how things work first."
Yu Meotong understood her implication. "Jiaxin, I want to apply for a job at Wufu Jewelry."
Lu Jiaxin, of course, would not object. Meotong had a genuine passion for jewelry design and had even won a design award during her university days. She had real talent and wasn't just idling her time away like He Yanyan. Smiling, Lu Jiaxin encouraged her. "Wufu Jewelry is short-staffed right now, so you'll definitely succeed if you apply. But you should still discuss this with Fu Ye first so that it doesn't hurt your relationship."
"Jiaxin, thank you."
"What are you thanking me for? I haven't done anything."
Suddenly, Zong Shimen asked, "Jiaxin, you have Green Forest for retail and Qirui for fast-moving consumer goods. Are you planning to get into ready-to-wear clothing and children's apparel in the future as well?"
Lu Jiaxin nodded. "Yes, I plan to expand into ready-to-wear, children's clothing, and even lingerie. But I'm still studying now and don't want to tire myself out, so I'll leave that for next year."
In addition to clothing and jewelry, she also intended to venture into cosmetics and perfumes. Of course, she wouldn't start a cosmetics company from scratch, as it would take too long to build and establish. Instead, she planned to acquire a cosmetics company after the stock market crash.
"Jiaxin, I want to get into children's clothing too," Zong Shimen said.
Lu Jiaxin smiled, having expected as much. "Then go for it! The market is huge, and how much you can do and earn depends on your own abilities."
Yu Meotong worriedly added, "Sis-in-law, if you get into the children's clothing business, Uncle Fu and Aunt Fu probably won't agree."
"I'll convince them," Lu Jiaxin assured her.
(End of Chapter)
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