The 1970s: Married First, Fell in Love Later-Chapter 215 - 214: Desktop Calculator

Coming out of the classroom, Xue Yue saw Mr. Qin waiting outside.

"Is there something else you need?" Xue Yue asked.

Mr. Qin said, "It’s nothing major. Just a selfish thought from an old man like me. Haoze’s parents both work for special units and can’t come back all year. Plus, I’m busy myself. At home, besides the nanny and the guards, he’s all alone. That’s why he hasn’t learned how to get along with other children or how to express himself. Lately, I often hear him mention your children’s names when he comes home, and I can tell he’s quite happy. When the guard brought him back last night, he took the initiative to admit his mistake. He’s just worried you won’t let your kids play with him anymore."

Xue Yue was a little surprised to hear this.

"When it comes to our children, all parents feel the same. I can’t demand who my children make friends with, but I won’t stop them either."

Mr. Qin nodded. "That’s good, that’s good."

After speaking, he also asked where Xue Yue was heading, offering her a ride in their car, but Xue Yue declined.

That evening, Xue Yue made a point to ask Ruanruan, "Did you have fun playing with Qin Haize today?"

Ruanruan nodded. "It was great! He really didn’t bully me anymore. He even told me he has lots of different model airplanes at his house and invited me over to see them."

She then looked at Xue Yue. "Mom, can I go?"

Xue Yue thought for a moment. "You can, but someone has to go with you. Do you know where Qin Haize lives?"

"I do! Qin Haize told me. It’s called the Military District Courtyard. Mom, is his house really big?"

’Just as I thought.’ When Qin Haize’s grandfather mentioned having guards at home, Xue Yue had already guessed he wasn’t an ordinary person. Now, hearing he lived in the Military District Courtyard only confirmed it.

「In mid-November, He Lang returned from Shanghai.」

He was lugging big and small bags, and he had brought gifts for everyone in the family.

The first thing he did upon returning was ask about his father’s leg recovery.

Xue Yue said, "Last week, I took Dad to the hospital for a follow-up. Doctor Wen said he’s recovering well and told him to walk more with his crutches to exercise his leg muscles."

He Lang nodded. "That’s good."

"How was your tour in Shanghai?" Xue Yue asked him.

He Lang grew excited talking about it. "It was pretty good. They’re definitely making money, but it also seemed a bit chaotic. We can hire a few more staff when the time comes. They just opened recently and are still in their soft opening phase, but the customer traffic is huge. Almost no one who goes in leaves empty-handed. While buying groceries, many people also pick up daily necessities."

Then, He Lang excitedly told them, "I also bought a big gadget. It cost me 800 yuan!"

Mrs. He asked in surprise, "You didn’t buy another TV, did you?"

He Lang clapped his hands. "Nope! Although it’s not as big as a TV, it still weighs over ten pounds. That thing is heavy and bulky. It was a real hassle to bring it back."

As he spoke, he opened the large duffel bag he’d brought back and pulled out something that looked like a typewriter.

Mrs. He went over and touched it. "Isn’t this a TV?"

He Lang shook his head with a smile. "Mom, this is called a desktop calculator. It can calculate things really quickly, so we won’t have to do it by hand. It saves time, saves effort, and is accurate."

Xue Yue looked at it curiously. It did look a bit like a typewriter, but not quite.

Mrs. He scolded He Lang, "I think you just have money to burn! An abacus can calculate everything just fine. This thing is so expensive! How much money do you need to calculate anyway? Besides, who even knows how to use it?"

He Lang raised an eyebrow. "I do! I specifically learned how. It’s very simple; I could teach you in no time. Besides, Mom, do you have any idea what the daily revenue is for a supermarket in Shanghai? It’s at least in the tens of thousands. If we had to calculate that much money by hand, we’d work ourselves to death. Not to mention it’s slow and affects efficiency."

"I think it’s a good idea, Mom," Xue Yue said. "This is high-tech. We can give it a try. It might really save us a lot of trouble."

Xue Yue thought it was a great idea. If there was an easy and convenient method, why do the calculations by hand? It would be so easy to make a mistake.

Mr. He asked him, "Are you really sure you want to open a supermarket? Do you have a plan? How much money will you need?"

He Lang said, "No rush on that. I need to find a location first. One step at a time. But we will definitely be open by this time next year."

Mr. He nodded. "As long as you have a plan."

When the children came home from school and saw He Lang was back, they hugged his legs affectionately.

"Dad, I made two new friends at school! They even brought me tasty snacks."

"Dad, my teacher praised me today! I got first place in my class on a test."

He Lang said with a smile, "Wow, our Ruanruan is so amazing! In that case, Daddy should give you a reward. Look what Daddy brought for you from Shanghai."

"Wow, what is this? It sings!"

"It’s called a music box. When you open it, the little person inside spins around, and it plays music."

Ruanruan held it happily, her eyes fixed on the little figure spinning inside the box.

Shiyi tugged on He Lang’s pant leg. "Dad, what about me? I made friends, too."

He Lang laughed and pinched his little cheek. "Of course, you get one too. Everyone gets something."

He took a small toy car out of his bag. "This is yours. Look, if you put it on the ground and pull it back, it will drive forward on its own."

"Yay! I love it!" Shiyi clapped his hands happily.

He Lang then handed something to Daya. "The shopkeeper said this is called a spinning wind chime. If you hang it up, it will spin and make music whenever there’s a breeze."

"Thank you, Uncle. I love it too."

Daya held her gift, a wide smile on her face as she looked at it.

Having finally settled the children, He Lang went to take a shower and then headed to his room to catch up on sleep.

He woke up the next morning. The house was quiet, and Xue Yue wasn’t there.

He Lang went outside and saw his father walking in the courtyard with his crutches, beads of sweat on the tip of his nose.

"Dad, are you exercising? Where are Mom and the others?"

Mr. He slowly sat down, took a deep breath, and wiped the sweat from his face before saying, "Your wife and the children went to school. Your mom went out to buy groceries; she should be back soon."

Then he looked at He Lang. "What about your clothing store? Is it okay for you to be away for so long? Little Chen and Shitou have been staying at the shop these past few days and haven’t come home."

He Lang nodded. "It’s fine. I’ll head over this afternoon after I eat."

When He Lang arrived at the clothing store that afternoon, Shitou and the others were all idle.

Seeing He Lang enter, they all stood up.

"Third Brother, you’re back?"

He Lang nodded and asked, "Yeah. Why aren’t there any customers?"

At the mention of this, Shitou became furious. "You must have seen it on your way here. A new clothing store opened up across the street. Their clothes are very similar to our styles, but most importantly, they’re less than half our price! Over the past few days, we’ve had fewer and fewer customers. They’ve all gone to the new store."