After Qi Yun put away the contract, he went around asking the shops again to make sure there were no other stores for rent, then took a taxi home.

Although he regretted not winning the Ming Dynasty porcelain bowl today, successfully renting two shops was still a gain.

He planned to leave those two shops there for the time being. Once the city hospital put up its sign, the rent for that area would naturally rise, and he could sublease it directly, which should bring in a stable few tens of thousands every month.

It was not yet dark, and Qi Yun bought some fresh ingredients from the supermarket at the door. Upon reaching home, he started preparing dinner.

In no time, a table full of aromatic dishes was ready.

Qi Yun was about to call Nuannuan and Zhao Qing to eat when Liu Meng's phone call came through.

"Old Qi, all the goods have been delivered, and there's over eight hundred yuan left. I'll transfer it to you on WeChat later."

Qi Yun smiled helplessly: "No need to give it to me, keep it for yourself as your wages."

On the other end, Liu Meng quickly refused, "What wages? I was just helping you deliver some goods, I don't need it."

"Alright then, thanks, Brother Meng." Qi Yun knew his temperament and didn't insist any further, planning to find another opportunity to repay him.

Liu Meng laughed heartily and said, "Why are you being so polite with me? If there's nothing else, I'll hang up."

"Alright."

After putting down the phone, Qi Yun walked to the opposite side and knocked on Zhao Qing's door.

Soon, the door opened, and Zhao Qing appeared in yoga clothes, her graceful figure revealed perfectly.

The slim, straight legs were very eye-catching in the yoga pants.

The bare waist in the air had no excess fat, and above it were high peaks...

Thankfully, there was underfloor heating in the house; otherwise, she would definitely catch a cold dressed like that.

Qi Yun glanced for a moment, then awkwardly averted his eyes.

Zhao Qing instantly realized her attire was inappropriate, blushing and turning her head slightly.

"Brother Qi, sorry, I was just doing yoga and didn't notice."

"Wait a moment, I'll go and change."

Qi Yun quickly waved his hand: "It's fine, it's fine, I just came to call you for dinner; the food is ready."

Zhao Qing nodded, turned around, and walked briskly back into her room.

"Nuannuan, come home with Dad to eat." Qi Yun shouted into the room.

The little girl heard his call, finally willing to set down her paintbrush and slowly got up from the floor.

Soon, Zhao Qing emerged in a loose dress with her hair simply tied at the back. She looked gentle and comfy.

She held Nuannuan's small hand and said softly, "Come on, let's see what delicious food your dad has made!"

The three of them walked into Qi Yun's home together. Nuannuan slipped from Zhao Qing's hand, quickly running to the dining table, her eyes lighting up upon seeing the spread of dishes.

"Wow, Daddy, you made so much yummy food, I want that big chicken leg!" The little girl was very happy, reaching out to grab it.

Zhao Qing gently patted her hand and said softly, "Nuannuan, wash your hands first, you can eat after washing them."

The little girl stuck out her tongue and obediently ran to wash her hands.

Looking at the spread of dishes, Zhao Qing praised, "Brother Qi, your cooking skills are getting better, it smells so good."

"Hehe, then eat more, have a seat, I'll go get you a bowl." Qi Yun said as he turned to the kitchen to get the bowls and chopsticks.

Nuan Nuan returned after washing her hands, sitting in her spot, looking eagerly at the dishes, contemplating which to start with.

"Here, eat more vegetables." Qi Yun handed the little girl's bowl to her.

To his surprise, she pretended to put her hands on her hips and mumbled, "I don't want to eat vegetables today!"

Zhao Qing couldn't help but chuckle at her cute demeanor, rubbing her nose, and said gently, "Nuannuan, you can't skip vegetables, eating them will make you grow tall and become prettier."

The little girl tilted her head, her eyes rolling around as if pondering Zhao Qing's words.

"Really? Eating vegetables will make me as pretty as Sister Qing?" Nuannuan asked innocently.

Zhao Qing smiled and nodded, "Of course, so Nuannuan should be a good kid and not be picky."

"Alright then, I'll listen to Sister Qing and just eat a little bit."

Qi Yun could see through this little mischief, knowing she used to never be picky with food; today, with Zhao Qing joining for dinner, she started being picky.

"Alright, Sister Qing, eat quickly before the food gets cold."

Zhao Qing responded, picking up a piece of yam and chewed it thoroughly, praising again, "Brother Qi, your cooking is really delicious, much better than mine."

Before Qi Yun could reply, the little girl chimed in, "Then Sister Qing, why don't you come live with us, then we can have meals together every day, and Dad will make lots of delicious food."

Upon hearing this, Zhao Qing blushed slightly, brushing her hair behind her ear, not knowing how to respond.

Qi Yun noticed her embarrassment, smiling as he patted his daughter's head, "You just want Sister Qing to play with you every day, don't you? Hurry up and eat your meal."

Nuannuan stuck out her tongue and picked up the chopsticks, starting to eat, while occasionally glancing at Zhao Qing.

Zhao Qing slowly relaxed as well, and the three of them happily chatted while having their meal.

The little girl had a small appetite, and soon she was full and ran off to watch cartoons.

This left Qi Yun and Zhao Qing looking at each other, and the atmosphere became somewhat delicate once again.

"Ahem, Zhao Qing, have some more, the fish is quite fresh," Qi Yun cleared his throat and said with a smile.

"Oh, okay." Zhao Qing picked up a piece of fish and then looked down at her bowl.

Then there was another bout of silence...

"Um..."

"Right..."

Both of them looked up at the same time, trying to find a topic, but neither expected the other to speak at that moment, making the atmosphere somewhat tense.

Zhao Qing tactically smoothed her hair and softly asked, "Um... Brother Qi, what were you going to say just now?"

"Oh, I was just going to ask what you like to do besides practicing yoga." That topic was the result of Qi Yun wracking his brain for a long time.

Zhao Qing raised her hand to support her chin, thought for a moment, and replied, "Most of the time, I'm reading books, occasionally hiking, and then... I also make time to volunteer at the welfare institute."

Upon hearing the words 'welfare institute', Qi Yun immediately remembered the photo wall he saw at the Star Children's Welfare Institute last time.

So he pretended to be curious and said, "Why did you decide to volunteer at a welfare institute?"

"Because I grew up in a welfare institute; it used to be my home," Zhao Qing said without reservation.

Qi Yun suddenly understood, no wonder the children in the photos were so close to her.

He felt a surge of admiration in his heart for her strength and courage, while also feeling a tinge of apology for his presumptiveness.

He nodded slightly and said softly, "Zhao Qing, your ability to return to the place where you grew up and help those children is truly remarkable."

Zhao Qing shook her head with a smile, "It's nothing remarkable, I just want to pass the love and warmth I once received there to the children now."

Qi Yun nodded and didn't continue with the heavy topic.

"By the way, Brother Qi, what do you do for work?" Zhao Qing's beautiful eyes flashed with curiosity as she asked.

"Me?~" Qi Yun thought for a moment, realizing he didn't really have a proper job right now, "I used to deliver food and set up stalls."

Zhao Qing wrinkled her delicate nose and looked disbelieving.

"But I don't get the feeling that you would do delivery work, Brother Qi."

Qi Yun laughed and asked, "Oh? What makes you say that?"

Zhao Qing tilted her head, seriously sizing Qi Yun up and lightly biting her lip, "I can't really say, it's just that your demeanor is very calm and gentle, and you speak and act with such poise, not like the delivery workers I have in mind.

And there's also a sense of having gone through many things, like you've experienced a lot."

Qi Yun laughed heartily at this, with a hint of reminiscence in his eyes, nodding slightly, "I wouldn't say I've been through the wringer, but I have encountered a few setbacks."

Zhao Qing rested her chin on her hands, her beautiful eyes filled with curiosity, "Then tell me about it."

"You want to hear?"

"Yes, I do."

"Then let me tell you."

Qi Yun put down his chopsticks, squinted his eyes slightly, and as if his thoughts drifted back to the past, he slowly began recounting...

"Later, I made some money selling frozen shrimp with a friend and brought Nuannuan back and moved here. Currently, I don't have a stable job, just doing small business with a few friends."

The content he spoke was all true in the first half, but he made a few minor modifications to the things after acquiring the system.

Zhao Qing listened attentively, occasionally frowning and sometimes smiling.

Unknowingly, there was a different kind of light in her eyes as she looked at Qi Yun.

"Brother Qi, it's been really tough for you, but now that Nuannuan is by your side, everything will get better and better."

Qi Yun turned his head, looking at his daughter who had somehow fallen asleep on the sofa, a gentle smile appearing on his face.

"Yes, for her, no matter how tough it is, it doesn't matter. Fortunately, it's all in the past, just as you've said, everything will keep getting better."

Zhao Qing turned her head away, raised her hand to quietly wipe the corner of her eye, and then whispered, "Brother Qi, it's getting late, I should be going."

"Alright, let's go." Qi Yun said and got up to see her off.

Stepping out of the door, Zhao Qing turned back to smile at Qi Yun, "Thank you for preparing the dinner and for your story."

Qi Yun was slightly taken aback, then smiled as well, "Yes, get some rest early."

After seeing Zhao Qing off, Qi Yun returned inside, cleaned up the dishes, and carried the little one to her bedroom, before leaning on the sofa and turning on his phone.

On his mobile banking app, the balance showed 178330 yuan.

The original 360,000 went to paying the 270,000 rent in the afternoon, and the 84,000 payment for the treadmills had all been received.

The clock on the wall pointed to 12 o'clock, and today's intelligence was finally refreshed.

[Today's Intelligence 1 (Red): A large batch of ripe strawberries in Ding Kang's strawberry garden a hundred kilometers away in Bayin Town is unsold and being sold at a low price]

[Today's Intelligence 2 (Red): The merchant Mendeleyev from Russia arrived in this city two days ago, his purpose being to purchase a batch of cashmere carpets, but the progress has not been smooth. Contact number 188xxxx]

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