She glanced at the wall clock. It was already past eight.
"Have the children gone to sleep?" she asked, standing up.
"Mm."
Chen Lishu walked over and glanced at the cover of the book on the table. She was slightly taken aback.
It was an economics book.
She couldn't help but admire Gu Xingdong even more. Not only was his adaptability strong, but his learning ability was also outstanding. If it weren't for the circumstances, with his capabilities, he would have no problem getting into a key university.
As she was lost in thought, her waist suddenly tightened. Gu Xingdong pressed her against the table and then lowered his head to kiss her.
Chen Lishu was slightly stunned. She quickly reached out to hug Gu Xingdong, feeling his urgency, almost pressing her into the table.
"Mmph." Chen Lishu gently pressed a hand against his chest and, with some difficulty, turned her head. "I can't... I can't breathe..."
Gu Xingdong slowed his movements. Then, he gently kissed Chen Lishu's earlobe. Chen Lishu immediately gasped, her heart trembling, feeling as if half her body had gone soft.
Ever since she found out she was pregnant, they had refrained from intimacy for the sake of the child. After confinement, a series of events had followed. Gu Xingdong's current impatience resonated with her own desires.
Gu Xingdong asked in a husky voice, "Back to the room?"
Meeting his eyes, which were as deep as a bottomless pool, Chen Lishu suddenly felt her mouth go dry. She couldn't help but lick her lips.
Gu Xingdong's dark eyes suddenly narrowed. He lowered his head and bit down on her fair neck.
"Mmm."
Faint sounds uncontrollably escaped her throat, and the temperature in the room instantly rose by several degrees.
Chen Lishu couldn't remember when she had returned to the room, or even when she had fallen asleep.
When she woke up, she vaguely heard a child crying. Drowsily, she prepared to get up, but the person beside her had already risen.
"You sleep. I'll go get the child."
The next day, she opened her eyes to find it was already past eight.
Gu Xingdong had gone to the company after breakfast, and Rui Rui had gone to school. Li Xiulan, to avoid disturbing her sleep, had changed the diapers of both children and taken them downstairs.
Now, the two little ones lay side by side on the sofa, sucking their fingers and babbling as they kicked their little legs. Li Xiulan and Zhao Qiuyue were quietly chatting.
"Mom," Chen Lishu called out sheepishly.
Li Xiulan, being experienced, was naturally happy to see the couple so in love. She smiled and said, "Breakfast is still warm in the pot. Go eat."
Chen Lishu nodded and went to the kitchen.
Breakfast consisted of steamed buns, porridge, and eggs. After eating, Chen Lishu fed the children, then informed Li Xiulan before leaving the house.
It was the season for selling cashmere sweaters again. The market had opened up considerably in the past two years, but the wool textile factory's output was also increasing year by year. Besides export orders, according to the contracts signed at the time, the current sales were still far from the target.
Then there was the matter with Sun Wu in the north. Ever since Liang Chunsheng left, no one had personally gone to follow up. The quality of the wool materials sent by the other party a few days ago was clearly not good.
Wang Dazhu was honest and capable of hard work, but he wasn't cut out for business.
Lin Qi had been sent to a processing plant in a neighboring province, and Chen Lishu couldn't get away. They were in urgent need of someone for sales.
After much thought, Chen Lishu felt that the most suitable person among her acquaintances was Zhao Xingwang.
Having been involved in reselling foreign exchange certificates for so many years, he had honed his interpersonal skills. Moreover, he occasionally obtained goods from Chen Lishu to sell, profiting from the resale. Sales would be a familiar field for him.
However, he was already earning a good income, and Chen Lishu was unsure if he would be willing to come work for her.
"Sister wants to hire me?" Zhao Xingwang was quite taken aback when he heard her words. Then, he said with a hint of self-mockery, "I have no education, at most I know my own name. Please don't joke with me."
Chen Lishu said seriously, "I'm not joking. I've always felt that Brother Zhao's abilities are very strong. As for salary, I offer a base salary plus commission, which is about three to four hundred per month. Travel expenses are reimbursed, and year-end bonuses are calculated separately. If you develop well, there's also the possibility of company housing and vehicles. I won't make any long-term promises, so as not to make Brother Zhao feel like I'm just painting a pretty picture."
Having interacted for so long, Zhao Xingwang knew Chen Lishu's character and that she would keep her word.
In fact, even if she hadn't approached him, Zhao Xingwang had been considering a career change.
Although he lacked education, he could still understand the general trend. With the reform and opening up, there were more individual businesses and foreigners. In a couple more years, the Overseas Chinese Store might not be as popular.
Things available there were also available outside. Who would come to him to exchange foreign exchange certificates?
Becoming an agent for Chen Lishu and buying goods from her to sell himself was a viable option, but he felt it would be better to work with Chen Lishu directly.
He knew very little of written Chinese, which was his biggest limitation. Although he had made some money now, his future path wouldn't be long. Conversely, Chen Lishu was short-handed now, and he would be highly valued. Even if he lost his utility later, given their current relationship, Chen Lishu wouldn't treat him unfairly.
With this in mind, Zhao Xingwang nodded. "Money is hard-earned and shit is hard to eat. I've had enough of crouching by the wall in the cold. If Sister doesn't mind that I'm a rough fellow, then it's fine."
Saying that, he picked up the steaming mug on the table and took a sip. A warm current flowed down his throat into his stomach, making him feel much more comfortable all over.
Hearing his words, Chen Lishu knew he had agreed and was very pleased. They agreed to sign the contract at the store the next day and discuss specific work arrangements. After Chen Lishu settled the bill with the waitress, they parted ways after leaving the shop.
The next day, Zhao Xingwang officially signed an employment contract with Chen Lishu. Chen Lishu immediately assigned him a task: to go to the county below to promote cashmere sweaters.
With the implementation of household contract responsibility system and favorable weather conditions, villagers' finances had improved considerably in the past two years. Their living standards had risen, which was naturally reflected in their food, clothing, housing, and transportation. Promoting cashmere sweaters should be more convenient.
Zhao Xingwang accepted the task and bought a ticket to leave that afternoon.
Chen Lishu then went to the coal station with Wang Dazhu.
Buying coal still required a coal purchase permit, but the supply quota was very small. Each household received a fixed amount of coal balls based on the number of people. For example, an ordinary family of three would be allocated sixty coal balls per month.
Gu Xingdong had already taken care of the coal at home. Chen Lishu was buying it for Lin Yuliang and Yuan Lihua this time. They were not urban residents, and burning firewood was quite laborious for them. Moreover, burning coal was warmer than burning charcoal in winter.
After buying the coal balls, Wang Dazhu loaded them onto the tricycle, and they went together to Yuan Lihua's residence.
Since Chen Lishu had sent clothes to Han Shenglin's wife, Zhu Jinfeng, and Han Shengquan's wife, the two sisters-in-law, customers for custom-made clothes had gradually started to come.