Rebirth: She is Ready for a Counterattack!-Chapter 274 - 273: Winter Break Again

After driving Han Xiao away, Gu Xiaoqing packed her luggage and moved into the apartment. With only three days left until winter break, the milk tea shop was also closing for the holidays. Gu Xiaoqing gave the Li Sisters a holiday break for the New Year.

Even though there was still a week before the official holiday, she bought train tickets for the sisters to go home. Li Caimian and Li Caiqing were overwhelmed with gratitude, continuously expressing their thanks. They had never met such a good boss; they were genuinely thankful to Gu Xiaoqing from the bottom of their hearts.

The two of them were determined to work hard for Gu Xiaoqing as a way to repay her kindness.

Where else could one find such a compassionate boss?

Their wages were never delayed, and they had moved into a two-bedroom suite upstairs. Initially, they didn’t want to move, but Gu Xiaoqing mentioned that living inside the shop was unsafe; in case of an inspection by health or fire departments, the shop might be considered non-compliant, leading to fines or, worse, business closure for rectification.

So they decided to move upstairs.

This kind of treatment was something they had never experienced, but it also reinforced their resolve to work hard to be worthy of Gu Xiaoqing’s kindness.

The sisters, being simple village girls, didn’t know how to express their gratitude. They kept the entire shop immaculate, spick and span, and in terms of making milk tea, not only did they perfect Gu Xiaoqing’s existing products, but they also used their creativity to develop new varieties.

This is what Gu Xiaoqing found truly precious. Employees were easy to come by—most workers from the 90s came from rural areas, without much choice about salary or work, and were mostly uneducated laborers hoping to earn money to improve their family life.

Therefore, Gu Xiaoqing wouldn’t lack new employees, but the Li Sisters’ rarity lay in their gratitude towards the job, genuinely putting their hearts into their work with dedication to running the milk tea shop well.

That was the most valuable aspect.

This was why Gu Xiaoqing was willing to treat the Li Sisters well. Relationships are reciprocal; when you are good to me, I will naturally reciprocate. 𝐟𝚛𝕖𝚎𝕨𝗲𝐛𝚗𝐨𝐯𝐞𝕝.𝐜𝗼𝗺

Gu Xiaoqing had already booked her train ticket home, mainly because she couldn’t get a plane ticket this year.

So Gu Xiaoqing could only take the train home with Guo Donghua and He Yan. During summer break, she didn’t go home and got scolded by Gu Ruhai and Li Xuemei countless times. The two almost worriedly considered coming down to Shanghai directly.

If Gu Xiaoqing dared not to go home for the New Year during winter break, the whole family might just come over.

Gu Xiaoqing dared not do such a thing.

Besides, she really missed home.

Thinking about Li Xuemei’s braised pork and fried meatballs made her mouth water.

After arranging things with the Li Sisters, Gu Xiaoqing gave each of them a red envelope containing one month’s salary as a token of goodwill.

This gesture reflected her intention as their boss; after all, she had promised there would be red envelopes at the end of the year.

She instructed the sisters to lock the shop door well and ensure that all equipment and power were turned off to avoid any hazards.

Then Gu Xiaoqing and Guo Donghua set off on the train home.

This time, it was a sleeper train, and coincidentally, both Gu Xiaoqing and Guo Donghua had lower berths, while He Yan had a middle berth. It seemed that after a year, everything was just like their first trip.

This time, Gu Xiaoqing bought a lot of food, mainly New Year goods for the family, such as Jinhua ham, traditional pastries, and nougat—White Rabbit candy was a must. She also bought clothes for the whole family, noting a big difference between clothes from Shanghai and those from elsewhere.

Isn’t it said that Great Shanghai’s clothing leads the latest trends?

Guo Donghua also came with big bags. This year she recouped her capital investment, and in the last month alone, she earned a ten thousand yuan bonus. Guo Donghua wanted to surprise her parents.

After all, spending her parents’ money all the time, this was her first time buying gifts for them with her own money.

The intention mattered most.

Of course, Guo Donghua was largely influenced by Gu Xiaoqing; the two seemed to have become close friends who shared everything, leading Gu Xiaoqing and Guo Donghua to sometimes marvel at the wonders of life.

Two people who were once at odds became such good friends, so close they could wear the same skirt.

Gu Xiaoqing pointed at Guo Donghua and said, "Meeting you is like a karmic tie."

Guo Donghua cheerfully replied, "In my past life, I must have done many virtuous deeds, especially for you, so that’s why you’re here to repay me."

In response, Gu Xiaoqing rolled her eyes again and again. Who boasts like that?

Once they boarded the train, He Yan clearly restrained herself this time. Unlike last time, she didn’t cause any trouble, showing a bit of a city college student demeanor. She stashed her belongings neatly under the pillow’s corner and sat on Gu Xiaoqing’s bunk.

The three got along fine, ultimately sharing the food because Gu Xiaoqing and Guo Donghua had grown very close, and Guo Donghua joyfully found everything Gu Xiaoqing had to be so delicious and fascinating that she would often take something from Gu Xiaoqing’s stash to eat, and Gu Xiaoqing couldn’t exclude He Yan.

Eventually, it became three of them sharing food together.

Their journey was filled with laughter and chatting, starkly contrasting their previous trip, making this homeward journey much more enjoyable.

Gu Xiaoqing looked at He Yan with newfound admiration; this girl was capable of such change, and it was impressive indeed.

This time off the train, it was still Gu Ruhai who came to pick them up.

Guo Donghua was very nonchalant, not bothering to inform her family to pick her up, while He Yan’s family didn’t have the means. So all three of them got into Gu Ruhai’s car.

Gu Ruhai had a new car.

It was an impressive Mercedes.

Black.

When Gu Xiaoqing saw it, she was quite shocked.

At this time, driving a Mercedes wasn’t cheap. Could her stingy and frugal parents make such a generous purchase? What a huge upgrade after just half a year.

Seeing Gu Xiaoqing brought a big smile to Gu Ruhai’s face, his smile blooming like a flower.

Everything seemed better when he saw his daughter.

But when Fang Shaohan stepped out of the driver’s seat, Gu Xiaoqing was caught off guard.

What was going on?

She hadn’t told Fang Shaohan her return timing; their contact was rare, except for a few calls from Fang Shaohan, which Gu Xiaoqing tried to avoid, by claiming she was out or making different bizarre excuses.

Gu Xiaoqing thought that over time, things would naturally cool down.

But seeing Fang Shaohan’s handsome and rugged face now made her realize she had miscalculated.