Shen Rong bought some plain cotton fabric at the wholesale fabric market. After sending the children away during the day, she and Grandma made a few quilts and over a dozen sets of bed sheets and covers.

The rooms were re-planned, using Liang Hongmei’s house as the main entrance of the inn. Upon entering, there were two rooms in the east wing, two rooms on the left and right of the main house, the central living room remained the same, and the study was also turned into a bedroom.

A room in the west wing was cleared out for office space, with the kitchen still next door, allowing her to provide breakfast.

Lin Wan’s side was the same: the living room and kitchen stayed unchanged, and everything else was turned into bedrooms, just like on Lin Yinghui’s side.

In addition to this, Shen Rong hired someone to expand the toilets and bathrooms in each courtyard by two sizes, making bathing and using the toilet less embarrassing.

Shen Rong invested all her remaining money into this venture. Besides spending some money on buying fabric and cotton, the rest was provided by Wang Huilan. The bathroom renovations were helped by her uncle, who assisted his daughter with everything but buying some of the necessary items, doing the manual work themselves.

Lin Wan didn’t expect her aunt to be so good to her daughter this time, actually taking the initiative to help her with things.

Perhaps Aunt was moved after seeing how hard it was for her daughter after the divorce. No matter the motive, the end result was good.

In a month, Shen Rong’s "Anxin Family Inn" opened its doors.

The first few days were slow, with few visitors, and Grandma and Aunt were anxious for her. But Shen Rong was not afraid of hardship. She took a sign and stood by the main road to find customers. Sure enough, she managed to attract a couple of guests.

The guests were initially worried this place might be a shady establishment, but after staying the night, they were very satisfied. It was clean, had ample hot water, and the bathroom was clean. The wash area was a common household stone trough. The key was that it was affordable, just one yuan per night.

Moreover, they sold breakfast here: rice porridge, two dishes, eggs, and steamed buns, all for fifty cents per person, all you can eat. It was quite a bargain, and they noticed that the kitchen here was very clean.

With the first business secured, the family sighed in relief. During the day, Shen Rong sent the children to kindergarten and pushed Grandma directly to the workshop. She had set up a bed there, so Grandma could rest and lay down when necessary, helping Shen Rong check guests in and take short walks in the courtyard.

Shen Rong changed bed sheets and cleaned during the day, and in the afternoon, she began searching for guests outside.

Though the work was hard, she managed to bring in two or three guests by the end of the day. Sometimes business was good, and she could fill all the rooms.

When Aunt, her other aunt, and mother-in-law came to see Grandma, they also helped look after the children and cooked meals.

They helped promote the inn at their workplaces too.

Within just over a month, Shen Rong was making over a hundred yuan, and after deducting the cost of food and rent, she could keep eighty to ninety yuan. Of course, this was just the first month.

It was fortuitous that Shen Rong opened the inn just in time for the peak season.

Shen Rong’s greatest satisfaction in running the inn came from Grandma. Ever since she fell ill, this granddaughter had been by her side, taking care of her. Watching her granddaughter take care of a child and herself, Grandma felt guilty, as it shouldn’t have been her responsibility.

Sometimes, facing challenges isn’t always bad; they can quickly help someone grow.

Knowing the burden her granddaughter bore daily due to her care, Grandma was always urging her to go out and find work, even asking the eldest to find another factory job for Shen Rong.

But her granddaughter refused, saying she had discovered a way to make money but was afraid to mention it.

In the end, pressured by Grandma, Shen Rong revealed her intention to start an inn business, and Grandma was supportive, thinking it was worth trying regardless of success, given their family previously engaged in business.

Equipped with business wisdom, the key fear in entrepreneurship is hesitance. Asking Lin Yinghui for advice, Grandma subtly encouraged her granddaughter to pursue a business venture.

Unexpectedly, they agreed. It was a good thing, presenting an opportunity for her granddaughter. Therefore, a family meeting was convened to ensure support for Shen Rong’s endeavors. As parents, they all hoped for their children’s success. She knew the eldest’s wife was fond of her granddaughter.

Shen Rong’s business gradually took off, and operations slowly got on track.

Grandma, heartened by Shen Rong’s business, felt her spirits lifted and relieved, as she could somewhat help and keep herself busy.

Knowing that Grandma’s side was doing well reassured Lin Wan.

She now stayed at home with the child, helping Little Star with phonetics, learning more Chinese characters, enhancing reading volume, improving comprehension skills so future elementary subjects wouldn’t be difficult.

In her spare time, she prepared clothing designs for this summer and spring-autumn seasons.

The summer collection was already in production. For the spring-autumn season, Lin Wan imitated styles from newly released films, designing several jeans and long denim skirts, pairing short and mid-length coats, with casual, loose underlayers.

Lin Wan suggested Su Ling find a girl with a good figure to model their brand, creating a brochure for their spring-autumn collection.

Lin Wan discussed this with Xia Xin and others over the phone, feeling it was feasible. They were already selecting photographers and models.

By the end of June, when Han Yi returned one morning, he unexpectedly brought back Hu Dong, accompanied by Yang Kui Bao.

The two drove directly from Shanghai.

Lin Wan learned they were on summer break.

"Yang Brother, how come you’re here too? Do your family members know?" Lin Wan asked while they amused Dingding, curious as the Yang family’s young master usually went out with several followers, yet drove here alone this time.