Madam, Please Behave-Chapter 166: Starting a Side Business

Lan Yixian was momentarily dazed, but once she processed what she had just heard, a wave of helplessness washed over her.

Running the breakfast shop was profitable enough to cover her and her daughter’s daily expenses, but the debt she owed Liu Changqing weighed on her like a massive stone.

Still, she had no complaints.

Compared to the past, when debt collectors would constantly harass her, now that her creditor was Liu Changqing, at least she no longer had to fear for her daughter’s safety.

She had only worked an afternoon shift today. Business had been poor, and for the past two days, they had been closing early at six.

Tonight, she hadn’t even taken home the leftover pastries. After saying goodbye to a coworker, she wheeled her bicycle down the shop’s steps and rode off toward home.

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Perhaps because the reality of losing her job had just set in, she pedaled absentmindedly, her mind elsewhere.

"Beep beep!"

The sharp honk of a car horn snapped her out of her daze. She turned her head and saw a familiar face through the open car window.

Confused, she instinctively squeezed the brakes, bringing her bike to a stop.

"Liu Changqing?"

"Where are you headed?"

Before she could respond, Liu Changqing continued,

"Wait a sec, let me find a place to park."

He drove a bit further, pulled over, and got out of the car after instructing his daughter to stay inside and not run off. Then, he walked over to Lan Yixian.

Stopping beside her, he glanced at her posture—one foot on the ground, the other resting on a pedal.

"You work nearby?"

"Yeah, I work at a Chinese pastry shop just up ahead. Afternoon shifts."

"This place is pretty far from your house. Must take you at least half an hour to bike home, right?"

"It’s not too bad. I don’t mind."

She answered his question, then followed up with one of her own.

"What are you doing around here? Is your company nearby?"

Liu Changqing shook his head.

"Nah. I was out shopping for clothes with a friend earlier. When I got home, my daughter saw I had changed into something new and started making a fuss about getting new clothes too. So, I brought her out to buy an outfit just now."

"You’re off work… this early?"

That caught Lan Yixian’s attention.

When she had been staying at Liu Changqing’s place, she distinctly remembered that he never got home before 9 p.m., sometimes even later.

She had never seen him off work as early as six before.

Liu Changqing nodded.

"The new project hasn’t started yet, so I’ve been clocking out at 5:30 on the dot. I ran a red light earlier and thought I saw someone who looked like you biking past. When I honked twice and took a closer look, it turned out to really be you."

He shifted slightly to the side.

"Need a ride?"

"No, I’ve got my bike."

"Alright then."

A brief silence fell between them.

Liu Changqing studied Lan Yixian.

They hadn’t seen each other in almost a month, and now that they had reunited, he noticed that she looked more exhausted than before.

The fatigue was visible between her brows.

He had paid off her debts, partly to prevent potential conflicts if she and her daughter had continued staying at his place.

But mostly, he had wanted to ease her burden—to make her life a little less stressful.

He hadn’t expected that after losing her supermarket job, she would take on another one at a pastry shop.

After a moment of thought, Liu Changqing spoke up.

"I already told you before—there’s no rush to pay me back."

"…"

"Besides, your daughter spends a lot of time home alone. Now that school has started, it’s not as bad, but during breaks, if you’re working late into the evening, don’t you think that’s a little unsafe? Not just for you, but for her too."

"…"

Her grip on the handlebars tightened slightly, and she lowered her head.

Noticing her subtle reaction, Liu Changqing paused, unsure of what else to say.

Lan Yixian was a good person.

She was also a responsible mother.

Back when she had been staying at his place, those had been some of the most peaceful days Liu Changqing had experienced since arriving in this world.

Whenever he came home, the living room lights were on, and there was food waiting in the kitchen.

He knew she did it out of courtesy, since she was staying at his house, but at the time, it had genuinely moved him.

He wasn’t made of stone. He had emotions—joy, anger, sorrow, and frustration, just like anyone else.

And he felt that someone as kind as Lan Yixian deserved a better life.

"I’ll be done with this job by the end of the month. The shop’s getting transferred to a new owner, so I’ll have to find something else," she finally said, breaking the silence.

Hearing this, Liu Changqing frowned.

He didn’t quite understand her thought process.

Lan Yixian wasn’t the type to be stubborn.

He had told her multiple times that she didn’t need to rush repaying him.

Looking at the woman in front of him, her head still lowered, Liu Changqing thought for a moment before calmly suggesting,

"If the shop’s changing hands, then don’t bother finding another job."

"I need to save up to pay you back—"

"Start a side business instead."

"Huh?"

Lan Yixian was caught off guard.

She lifted her head and looked at Liu Changqing, her face full of confusion.

"A side business?"

"Your breakfast shop only runs until around ten in the morning, right? You close after that and go to work in the afternoon?"

"Yeah…"

"Why bother? You’ve already got the storefront. Instead of leaving it empty in the afternoons, why not sell something else? Your breakfast business does well—why not offer dumplings or jiangxiang bing in the afternoons? It’d probably be better than working another half-day shift."

"Jiangxiang bing in the afternoon?"

Lan Yixian mumbled to herself, looking at him questioningly.

"What’s jiangxiang bing?"

"It’s like a Chinese-style pizza. Never had it before?"

"I know jiang bing exists… but I’ve never heard of jiangxiang bing. Is it a local specialty?"

"It’s pretty famous, actually. A traditional street food from Hubei—"

Liu Changqing abruptly stopped talking.

Only after the words left his mouth did he remember—this world didn’t have a place called Hubei.

"Hubei?"

Lan Yixian tried to recall the name, but no such place came to mind.

She shook her head slightly.

"Never heard of it…"