Five days after their daughter was born, the nurse collected heel blood for newborn screening. The little one had mild jaundice and was put into the phototherapy box under the light for eight hours.
Every half hour, Qin Sheng would go to the screen outside the nursery to check on his daughter. Fortunately, the numbers gradually returned to normal. She went into the box in the morning and was sent back in the evening.
Although Qin Shui always insisted that the child would not inherit her hearing impairment, deep down, this was what she worried about most. When the doctor did the hearing and vision tests, she stared firmly at Huojia’s reactions, while Qin Sheng didn’t look worried at all.
Little Huojia gave very obvious responses. The child’s hearing, vision, weight, and all indicators passed. Qin Shui spent the whole day holding her daughter more and more, grateful that she was a blessed, good child with a healthy body.
Fortunately, there had been no episiotomy during the vaginal delivery. Qin Shui’s body and spirit recovered well; her bleeding was normal, and she could also get out of bed and move around. On the sixth day after delivery, the family went to the confinement center.
It was more spacious there, and professionals took care of them. Only after everything was settled did Qin Sheng notify Yan Jiabao and their relatives and friends to come visit.
He returned to work as usual. The confinement center only allowed one person to accompany the mother, so Qin Sheng went after work, ate dinner there as well, and stayed with Qin Shui while accompanying their daughter.
Huojia’s skin was very fair and tender, taking after her mother. Even the nurses caring for them said this little girl was very good at inheriting her parents’ strengths. She was pretty, and her needs were not high. She ate well and slept well, and she cried less than babies of the same age.
The older generation always said that the mother’s mood and environment during pregnancy affected the child’s personality. While little Huojia was still in Qin Shui’s belly, Qin Sheng often thought of those words.
No matter how noisy and chaotic the outside world was, Qin Shui lived as if in a sterile bubble and was never disturbed. Qin Sheng firmly believed that his daughter could feel that her parents loved her. He did his utmost to create a happy and stable family environment for her. With that, it would be hard for a child like this not to be well-behaved.
Qin Shui felt their daughter looked like Qin Sheng, and Qin Sheng’s opinion was the exact opposite. The little one already knew how to smile very well. If you teased her a bit, she would giggle.
Late at night, Huojia fell asleep. After washing up, Qin Sheng passed by the crib and, as if addicted, bent down to admire his daughter again, reaching out to touch her tiny sleeve cuff. Qin Shui stared at the muted TV. CCTV8 was rerunning the subtitled version of “Minning Town.” During her confinement period, she was bored, so she watched it again.
Qin Sheng left only a bedside lamp on and sat by Qin Shui’s bed. He lightly signed, “I’ve done research over the past half year and also asked for the opinions of several senior masters. They’re all willing to follow me and work with me. They want to buy shares.”
She pulled her attention away from the drama and bit her lip as she signed, “This is a good thing, but if too many people join in, you need to consult a professional lawyer first. Otherwise, it’ll be hard to manage later. If the business makes money, it’s fine, but if the business is not good… there will be big problems with capital distribution.”
He smiled and said, “That’s what I mean too. In the early stage, I only plan to bring in one master I’m closest to as a partner, Engineer Yang from Beidaihe car factory. You know him.”
“Engineer Yang is a good person.” Qin Shui held her cup and thought for a moment, then reminded him, “Don’t leak the news yet. After all, nothing is settled. Don’t affect the current job.”
“Only the two of us know.”
The nurse brought Qin Shui chicken soup for a late-night snack. Qin Sheng took it over himself, locked the room door, and continued explaining to Qin Shui, “Originally, I didn’t plan to tell anyone in the factory, but Engineer Yang suddenly told me privately in May that he applied for early retirement. I asked a few questions and felt the situation was suitable, so I directly brought him in.”
Qin Sheng sighed. “Since his partner passed away, his mental state hasn’t been very good. The boss at Beidaihe talked to him several times, and it seems they want to optimize him out.”
Qin Shui didn’t respond, but it wasn’t hard to see that Qin Sheng was very disappointed by this, his attitude dejected.
The senior master had worked diligently in the factory for half his life, relying on skill to earn profit, maintain clients, and earn a fixed salary to support his family. Now his energy and physical strength couldn’t keep up, and his family had also suffered a change. The boss and HR seemed to want to talk to him three times a day, openly and subtly urging him to retire early and make room for young apprentices.
This was also one of the reasons Qin Shui had wanted him to set up his own business. While he was still young and had energy, it was better to fight earlier. Even if it didn’t work out, the family still had the ability to support him.
“How far has it progressed?” she asked.
“I’ve considered the direction and positioning of the shop. I wrote it down. Take a look.” Qin Sheng took a notebook out of his bag and sat close to Qin Shui’s quilt. “I contacted some old classmates with strong skills who have stayed in the auto repair industry all these years. On one hand, I learned about the market. On the other, I also pulled in a skilled worker whose unit’s economic benefits aren’t good and who is willing to start a business now.”
“Engineer Yang, Engineer Zhao, and I all have senior auto repair certificates. If things go well at the start, we’ll gradually recruit workers skilled in engine repair, chassis repair, electrical system repair, and other areas. In the beginning, the base salary won’t be very high, but we’ll set a system based on skill and years of service, so everyone can take home around five thousand a month after tax.”
Qin Shui asked, “How will you do the wage system and the safety production system? Besides technical jobs, what about management?”
Qin Sheng suddenly chuckled. “We already have ready-made systems here. For operations, we only need to hire one person. They don’t need to sit in the office. Wang Quan introduced someone he knows. The resume is good. Back then, this person helped him develop the travel agency business and plan branch stores, and has wide connections. We’ve already met and eaten together. The first operational goal is to bind with five private units and become their designated repair point. That’s very useful for our start.”
Hearing this, Qin Shui suddenly understood and strongly agreed. “Designated repair points are indeed important. It’s fine if he doesn’t sit in the office. As long as business deals can be made, we’ll share the dividends.”
“My friend Jiang Yang’s dad does business in the city. Should I ask her? If we can sign an agreement and unify the unit’s official vehicles and employees’ private cars under our shop, offering considerable discounts, it might be a win-win choice.”
Qin Sheng hesitated for a long time and rejected the suggestion. “Wife, you don’t need to bring this up for me. Don’t let this affect your relationship.”
She smiled very happily and pushed the remaining half bowl of hot soup to Qin Sheng. “Jiang Yang and I are fine. This kind of relationship is more reliable. We need to get as many customers as possible at the very beginning.”
Watching Qin Sheng drink the soup, Qin Shui asked, “Then what about the location?”
“I considered two choices. One is near the North Passenger Station, where there’s a lot of foot and car traffic. There are more walk-in customers, but there are also many different car models. The other is around the fast arterial road in the south of the city. There’s a bus stop and Metro Line 8, so it’s convenient for customers to come and go. At the same time, there are many communities within a two-and-a-half-kilometer radius, with a pretty high occupancy rate.”
He said, “The latter has slightly higher rent. The area is nearly five hundred square meters, and there’s also a small second floor. Since we’re doing a comprehensive main business, the area is just right.”
Qin Shui nodded, flipping through the notebook again and again, carefully reviewing his existing site plan.
Both locations had already been inspected on site. Qin Sheng preferred the second one. It was currently operating as an elderly care center and planned to relocate to the eastern suburbs by the end of the year, so the timing was suitable too.
Based on the photos they took, he and Engineer Yang had already arranged the car wash and maintenance area, reception area, customer lounge, parts display area, and the warehouse for consumables and engine oil. They left enough spacious room to install the gantry and lifting machines, ensuring three quick repair and quick maintenance areas, one inspection area, and three major repair areas.
Qin Shui didn’t really understand these details. She only raised her thumb and pressed her lips as she signed, asking, “How many masters are confirmed to be able to come now? How will you arrange the staff?”
Qin Sheng put an arm around Qin Shui’s shoulder and picked up a pen, drawing it out on a blank page of the notebook. “Engineer Yang and I can handle the work inside the shop. Engineer Zhao will handle car washing, spray painting, and film application. Then we only need one management position that doesn’t need to sit in the office.”
“Then what about the front desk?” Qin Shui asked again.
“I can handle the front desk. I’ve been in this line of work for over ten years. I repair whenever possible instead of replacing parts, and I’ve built up quite a lot of regular customers. Once I get in touch with them, maybe seventy percent will come back to me. Neither Engineer Yang nor I are the type who just bury our heads and do brute labor. He’s much more meticulous than I am. If it really gets too busy, we can call Yan Jiabao over. Isn’t she always complaining to you that her hotel job is boring?”
Qin Shui smiled and shrugged, picked up her phone and was about to video call Jiang Yang. Qin Sheng quickly stopped her. “It’s so late. Talk about it tomorrow. My precious daughter has already been asleep for hours. Set a good example for you.”
“Jiang Yang is abroad. The time difference is right at this time.” She put in her earphones, pushed Qin Sheng aside, and video-called Jiang Yang on her own.
Jiang Yang was her high school classmate. They both got into universities in the provincial capital, and their friendship was much closer than Qin Sheng imagined. Her father, Jiang Chang’an, started a business selling instruments and teaching aids twenty years ago. His financial situation was good, and he sent Jiang Yang to New Zealand for a master’s degree.
From what Qin Shui knew, Uncle Jiang’s business was quite large, with at least two hundred employees in the company. Qin Shui told her very frankly about her and Qin Sheng’s plan. Jiang Yang immediately agreed. “This is a good thing! I’ll let my dad know later. Usually, when they repair official cars, they let the drivers find a 4S shop nearby. It’s pretty expensive, and sometimes the people under him even take kickbacks. Plus, my dad’s own car needs maintenance. We’ll see if we can just designate it to you in the future.”
Jiang Yang brought her laptop over and typed notes, asking, “Tell me roughly. When are you planning to open? Where will you open? What services will you have?”
Qin Shui waved for Qin Sheng to come over and carefully explained it to Jiang Yang. Jiang Yang asked again, “How much service can you provide in the early stage? If there are many people, will you have schedule pressure?”
Qin Sheng nodded. “Right now, there are only three workers, because the customer flow is still very uncertain. At the moment, there are two tracks. One is the operations and management we found ourselves, who are helping us negotiate designated repair points. The other track is your father’s side. We’ll see if we can work both ends at once and secure the customer base first.”
Jiang Yang opened a navigation app on her computer, held it up to the camera, and smiled. “Don’t worry about that. Your shop is only about a fifteen-minute drive from my dad’s company. It’s very suitable. Plus, Qin Shui just gave birth, and I’ll be back in China for summer break soon. I guarantee I’ll support your startup. One dinner together will be enough to settle Old Jiang.”
“Don’t force it, Yangyang,” Qin Shui signed toward the camera. “Look at Uncle’s situation first. Don’t argue with your dad over this.”
“How could I?” Jiang Yang said. “I’m still completely dependent on Old Jiang financially. I’m obedient beyond belief. Besides, cooperating with you comes with discounts, and it saves money for our family too. Also, remember to have Qin Sheng think of more ways. Attracting walk-in customers is very important as well.”
Qin Sheng nodded. “We will. When the time comes, we’ll find people to promote it and do proper marketing.”
That reminded Jiang Yang of something. She sent a contact card to Qin Shui on WeChat and revealed mysteriously with hand gestures, “My new boyfriend. He’s from Jiangsu, a senior from my university, studying media. He has his own self-media account doing all kinds of collectible figure reviews, with over a hundred thousand followers. He’ll return to China this October. When the time comes, hire him to shoot a short video for you. Have a car-review influencer with good traffic post it. What do you think?”
Qin Shui burst out laughing. “You’re going to sell your looks for my sake?”
“Either way, someone has to be sacrificed. Might as well make use of him,” Jiang Yang said, putting her hands together in a pleading gesture. “Please let me at least last through this year. At least let me stay together with him until he finishes filming the video for you before we break up…”
Qin Shui made a gesture of covering her mouth at her. Jiang Yang impatiently urged, “Alright, hurry up before you go to sleep. Let me see the little princess. Take some pictures for me!”
Qin Sheng took the phone to the crib and filmed little Huojia. Jiang Yang sent an emoji showing she couldn’t put her down, and lavishly praised Qin Shui as she walked over, marveling at how she hadn’t realized before how amazing Qin Shui was, to be able to give birth to such a beautiful daughter.
Little Huojia woke up several times at night. Each time, the nurse and Qin Sheng handled it. Qin Shui was always troubled that she couldn’t hear the baby crying, so Qin Sheng bought her a pager with strong vibration alerts and placed it under her pillow every night, ensuring that after leaving the confinement center, she could still wake up in time to take care of their daughter.
Soon, Huojia reached her one-month milestone.
The style of the full-month banquet was very similar to the wedding, just with more guests. Family and friends gathered to eat together and celebrate little Huojia’s safe arrival into the world for a full month. After the banquet, Qin Shui also moved out of the confinement center and returned home.
When she worked on new writing or handled work matters on the balcony, she would push the stroller beside her and carefully draw most of the curtains, making sure that aside from her small head, the rest of the baby’s body could get sunlight.
She had written works of various genres before, touching only lightly on marriage and childbirth. After personally giving birth, she realized that what she had previously written about delivery had been far too understated. The pain at that time couldn’t be described with any words, not even with writing.
But seeing her healthy and beautiful daughter, Qin Shui felt she was truly fortunate.
Over the next half year, the family and career advanced in stages. Huojia and Qin Sheng’s car shop grew almost simultaneously. By the time the little girl was half a year old, her father’s shop had already been fully established.
During the years Qin Shui spent writing and running accounts, she had gained a group of followers. The shop’s renovation was recommended by one of them, a professional designer. She and Qin Sheng met the person offline back then and were quite satisfied. The price was reasonable too. The construction team followed their ideas, achieving a clean and efficient look while ensuring a comfortable reception area.
They paid extra to design a logo and storefront signage. The overall effect was much better than the Beidaihe car factory, but it didn’t look overly high-end. After all, Qin Shui still wanted them to focus on simplicity and technical skill. Everything else was secondary, only adding icing on the cake.
For daily supplies, they still asked Wang Quan, the professional, to help. Qin Shui handled everything herself and purchased a batch of decent second-hand coffee tables, rack beds, leather sofas, and other decorative items at the most affordable prices, fully equipping the reception room, lounge, and restrooms.
As for professional equipment like automotive diagnostic scanners, oscilloscopes, and exhaust gas analyzers, everything was entrusted to Engineer Yang and Qin Sheng.
The painter brought in a batch of welding machines, shaping machines, frame straighteners, and spray guns he had acquired earlier, opening up a paint-baking room outside the shop.
In the early stage, four out of five enterprises were successfully negotiated. Adding Jiang Chang’an’s company and the introduced customer resources, the customer flow at opening was higher than expected, basically ensuring they wouldn’t lose money in the short term.
Yan Jiabao indeed proactively came to work part-time at the front desk. She was an experienced salesperson and took Qin Shui to the advertising trademark market to print a batch of business cards. The back was a discount card, specifically given to managers of cooperating enterprises, allowing them to enjoy free car washing and maintenance each month with the card.
Ever since hearing Qin Sheng’s plan to start a business, Engineer Yang had completely resigned from the Beidaihe car factory. Although his current life was not any more relaxed than before, Qin Sheng only allowed him to buy original shares, which put the senior master’s mind at ease.
During this period, Qin Sheng was busy going out to drink and talk business. Qin Shui coordinated renovation crews, and Yan Jiabao, who handled reception, was cheerful and fun. Engineer Yang knew very well that Qin Sheng and his wife were truly good people, and this was the fundamental reason he was willing to invest one hundred fifty thousand.
After the lifelong partner he had shared joys and hardships with passed away, and then being completely laid off and left idle at home, it was simply too painful.
Engineer Yang had always worked hard. Now that he was working for himself, his mental outlook was completely refreshed. His old customers were all contacted again. He even posted shop advertisements on his Moments for promotion, gaining more satisfaction than he ever had at his previous company.
The video commissioned from Jiang Yang’s boyfriend was posted by car-review bloggers on several different platforms. They paid for promotion, and the view count was good. Not long after, several automotive bloggers with tens of thousands of followers came to visit the shop.
The shop’s decor was simple and generous, and all necessary equipment was present. Engineer Yang, Engineer Zhao, and Qin Sheng were all veterans, having worked on countless SUVs, Mercedes, BBA models, and Land Rovers. Naturally, they understood much more than hobbyist bloggers.
When bloggers came to shoot review videos, it was often spontaneous, sometimes even in the form of undercover visits to attract attention. But after experiencing the technical skill and service, most of them left fully satisfied.
Yan Jiabao, in particular, treated car owners according to beauty salon service standards. Regardless of age or gender, if she could persuade them to get a membership card, she would try. She sent people off happily every time.
The response to several videos was good. One of them received the most likes because Qin Shui appeared on camera for three seconds, holding little Huojia, who was wearing a mask, and greeted everyone.
A small number of people praised her beauty, and a considerable portion of car owners joked that shops like this, where the boss personally repairs cars and the wife and child are always around, were the most reliable.
As a result, there were more local walk-in customers.
Although repairing BBA models was the most profitable, they were equally conscientious with ordinary car models. If old customers brought their own qualified parts, Qin Sheng and the others would still install them, charging only labor fees.
Work orders increased to more than twice the original amount. After the discussion, Qin Sheng said he wanted to hire another worker for quick repairs and maintenance, but Engineer Yang and Engineer Zhao suggested stabilizing for a while longer. For now, they could still manage.
The key was to see how repeat customer rates and new customer rates would be after this wave of popularity passed. If they remained good, they would then hire another highly skilled master to share the pressure.
Another half year passed. When Qin Huojia turned one, she was already able to run around steadily in the shop’s lounge.
The number of masters in the shop increased from three to five. Professional electrical and engine repairs were also established, building a reputation in the area. Ride-hailing and taxi drivers gradually started coming by. Qin Sheng gave familiar masters a flat fifteen percent discount and asked them to help promote more.
Qin Shui began bringing her computer to the shop. On weekdays, she went to work together with Qin Sheng, entrusting Huojia to a childcare aunt. As the weather turned cold, the noise and smells in the shop became heavier, so the child came by less often.
At the end of the year, everyone received cash dividends. Although the new shop had only been open for a year and a half and had material, operational, and utility costs along the way, everyone was still satisfied with the money they received. It was higher than what they earned back at the Beidaihe car factory. Engineer Yang was especially happy and invested two-thirds of it back in as shares.
The shop’s performance was good. On ordinary days, Qin Shui ordered lunches and made snacks for everyone, ensuring they ate and drank healthily. Engineer Yang felt content. With his retirement pension, he didn’t care whether he could recoup the principal. All he wanted was a sense of purpose.
Moreover, he had confidence in Qin Sheng. The young man was even more capable than he had been when he was younger, and his future would be better than it had been at Beidaihe.
Qin Sheng received a generous year-end bonus, and Qin Shui’s income for the year was also stable. He began considering upgrading their housing. In the coming years, when Huojia needed to attend primary school, she would be able to enter a better one smoothly.
Parents must plan far ahead for their children. Qin Sheng hadn’t suffered academically, but he had suffered in society. If it hadn’t been for that rear-end collision where he met Qin Shui, his outcome might not have been much different from Engineer Yang’s, just muddling through life.
Now he was working desperately to start a business so his wife could live in a better house, his daughter could receive a better education, and have more choices.
Qin Sheng believed he had to keep moving forward on this path.