Chapter Seventy-One: Fang Pin's Tea

  "Ah, boss, our trademark registration has been approved. I thought it would cost a lot of money to register a trademark, but it only costs a few thousand yuan. Unfortunately, we're doing OEM orders and customers have their own brands, so they don't need the brand we registered." Zhang Yu poured tea for Ning Qingming and invited him over to drink, saying "You had someone design a signboard, right? They'll bring samples over tomorrow for you to take a look."

  "We may be doing OEM business, but to expand our business, we still need to rely on the domestic market. Now is the off-season, and manufacturers are thinking about new samples for autumn. I will draw some pictures myself and ask manufacturers to make some suitable samples for domestic sales, put our brand on them, and try to open up the domestic market. In the long run, the domestic market is a piece of fat meat." Ning Qingming smiled and said: "It's just in time for summer vacation now, I have plenty of time, and I can use it to think about sample designs."

  "The boss has a lot of ideas and knows how to use the computer to piece together designs. The patterns he comes up with are so impressive that even the manufacturers are amazed, saying their own designers can't compare to him!" Zhang Yu chuckled, "Last time, the boss took some leftover rhinestone designs, casually arranged a few letters, and used the iron to help me iron them onto this T-shirt on the chest and collar. Zheng Jingchun even asked me where I bought this shirt and wanted to buy one too, haha!"

  Ning Qing smiled, "You used a hair straightener to iron it yourself, the heat wasn't enough, after washing it several times, that rhinestone might just fall off. Fortunately, your clothes are old anyway, so it doesn't matter."

  "It's probably an imported drill, it's sticky enough and hasn't fallen off yet!" Zhang Yu pulled at the T-shirt he was wearing and laughed: "Originally I said this shirt was old clothes, if it got burned I wouldn't want it, but it didn't get burned, instead it became a special T-shirt."

  Just then, Ning's mom called and said she was back home. She laughed and said: "Your aunt just called and said that tomorrow she wants to come with your cousin to our place to play for a bit, and asked if there is a place to stay? I told them it's okay, they can just come over."

  "Okay, ask them what time they're arriving and I'll go pick them up." Ning Qing heard that her aunt and cousin Fang Pin were coming over and was delighted, complaining why they didn't say so earlier. She offered to help buy some daily necessities for them first.

  "I'll just go to the supermarket with your grandma to buy things for them." Ning's mom also smiled and said: "Your aunt saw me and your grandma on a food TV show, she's been shouting about wanting to come see us, coincidentally Pinming is on holiday, so it's perfect timing for everyone to come together."

  "Why don't we invite Uncle and Aunt to come over together?" Ning Qing reminded her mother, "Just have Big Aunt and Cousin come over, it's not good to leave Uncle at home alone!"

  "Your uncle still has to go to work, how can he have time to come over!" Ning's mom laughed, "You think everyone is like you students, having winter and summer breaks."

  Ning Qingmin patted his head and laughed: "I almost forgot that my uncle is in the company, unlike my aunt who is a primary school teacher and also has summer vacation."

  The next day. Ning Qingmin looked at the clock and rushed with his mother to the train station to pick up Auntie Ning and Cousin Fang Pinbei.

  Aunt Ning and Fang Pinmou were shocked when they saw Ning Qingmian. They couldn't believe their eyes and walked around him in a circle, looking him up and down from head to toe, front and back. They exclaimed: "My goodness! He's been reborn!"

  "Wow, if it wasn't for this short hair and these nearsighted eyes that haven't changed, I really wouldn't dare to recognize you. Just now, from a distance, I thought, 'Who is that beautiful girl standing with Little Auntie? She's so familiar.' Such a pretty girl, I must get Little Auntie to introduce us. Who would have thought that the beauty was actually Qingming? Wow, those boys who used to ignore you will be green with regret if they see how you've changed."

  Ning Qingmin was not fond of talking since she was a child. At one point, it even made her mother and grandmother mistakenly think that she had autism as mentioned by the teacher. They were so anxious that they kept seeking help from Ning's aunt, who was an elementary school teacher. Ning's aunt could only bring her son Fang Pinbei to play with Ning Qingmin whenever she had time. Fang Pinbei also knew some things about Ning Qingmin's father and was very fond of her, treating her like his own younger sister. When Ning Qingmin went to college, Fang Pinbei still didn't feel at ease and asked his good friend Guo Shangliang to take care of her. As a result, Ning Qingmin was also quite close to Fang Pinbei.

  As soon as they met, Fang Pinming started talking non-stop. Ning Qingmin couldn't help but smile and say: "Fang Pinming, you're still the same as before, more talkative than a tea drinker." As she spoke, she helped Ning's mother with her luggage and slapped away Fang Pinming's hand that was about to ruffle her hair again. "Your words are still so exaggerated."

  "It's still the same as before. Refusing to call him brother, and instead calling him by his full name." Fang Pinming was also used to Ning Qingmin's way of addressing him. Smiling, he said: "Not bad, you're learning to talk back."

  Aunt Ning saw that Qingmian was more lively than before and smiled, saying: "Qingmian has really changed a lot. I remember when she was in high school, she wouldn't say a word all day, it was really worrying. Now she's better, girls should be chatty and lively like this."

  Ning's mother said with a spring breeze on her face: "Girls change when they turn eighteen, becoming more beautiful and their personalities become more outgoing, unlike before when they were so quiet and suffocating to watch."

  "Mom, was I really that bad before?" Ning Qing heard Ning Auntie and Ning Mom talking about his past and jumped in fright. No wonder he had been hitting a brick wall everywhere back then.

  "On the basis of having a good appearance, one's character is more important than their looks." Ning Aunt smiled at Ning Qingming, "Qingming, your personality isn't as awkward as it used to be, and your facial features have softened a lot, making you look even prettier. Your facial features used to be too stiff, which made you unlikable."

  "Haha, mom is right! I said Qingmian's nose is still the same nose, eyes are still those eyes, how come her face looks more beautiful and radiant than before? It turns out that her facial features have softened!" Fang Pinbei giggled and stared at Ning Qingmian, then turned to ask Ning's mother: "Mom, don't you think Qingmian walks more beautifully too?"

  "It's confident now, no longer just looking at the ground." Ning Aunt smiled, "A person's walking posture sometimes also reflects a person's mentality."

  "Mom, I give up on you. Psychology isn't useless after all." Fang Pinmiao sighed, "Dad is completely devoted to you, it seems like he's been thoroughly studied by you and has no chance of rebelling."

  Ning Qing quickly turned around and asked: "Fang Pinming, after summer vacation, you'll be a junior, do you have a girlfriend?"

  "No one wants me!" Fang Pinbei made a pitiful face. "Qing Min, you introduce one to me."

  "In high school, there were so many girls around you, now in college, no girlfriend? I don't believe it!" Ning Qingmin said with a smile: "I'll ask Guo Shangliang, he must know about your situation."

  "Guo Shangliang is busy accompanying his girlfriend, where does he have time to ask about me!" Fang Pinming shook her head, "He values romance over friendship! I told him I'd come find you and we could go back to our hometown together later, he agreed and said he'd definitely come pick me up at the train station, but look, not even a ghost is here."

  "Should I call to get in touch? Maybe with Ming Na together." Ning Qingming said, the mobile phone rang, and on the other end was Guo Shangliang's voice: "Qingming, tell Pinhui that I have something urgent today and can't pick him up. Let's contact again tomorrow."

  Guo Shangliang's voice was hoarse and there were many noises around him. Ning Qingming couldn't help but ask, "Is anything wrong?"

  "It's okay, let's talk about it tomorrow!" Guo Shangliang said, hanging up the phone.