The light of gossip flickered in Zhuo Na’s face.
Senior Gong Yang was very talented – could it be that Xia Xiaolan had taken a liking to him?
Before Xia Xiaolan could speak, Zhuo Weiping slapped her sister’s head: “Does anyone need to report their whereabouts to you? Hurry up and get ready to help, I have to work this afternoon!”
Zhuo Weiping felt her sister was too carefree – that was the positive way to put it; the negative would be lacking propriety.
Why meddle so much in others’ private affairs, being even more concerned than the police?
Xia Xiaolan knew Zhuo Na meant no harm. Her innocent nature and unmasked thoughts came from growing up in a good environment with an especially happy family. Could Xia Xiaolan hold a grudge just because Zhuo Na didn’t accept poster orders? Besides, though Zhuo Na called it troublesome to help get the entry pass, she hadn’t refused.
Speaking of annoying privileged girls, her cousin Liang Huan took the crown. Xia Xiaolan had only met her once, but the impression was truly deep.
“Senior Gong went to Beijing to help with some work. I don’t know when he’ll be back – this job isn’t from my side.”
Zhuo Na remained curious but didn’t dare to ask more in front of Zhuo Weiping.
After getting ready, she led them around campus, finding several people before finally securing a library entry pass for Xia Xiaolan.
“The library opens at 8 AM, and there are lots of people studying every day. If you arrive at 8:30, you probably won’t get a seat.”
“Thank you, Senior Zhuo. I’ll remember that.”
It was already 1 PM when everything was settled. Xia Xiaolan insisted on treating the Zhuo sisters to lunch. Zhuo Weiping refused, but Zhuo Na wasn’t so polite.
“Sister Zhuo, this is our friendship – what’s wrong with having a meal together? Look, it’s not even work hours now…”
Having finally convinced Zhuo Weiping, they found a small restaurant near the university gate. Zhuo Weiping ordered two inexpensive dishes, and when Xia Xiaolan learned Zhuo Na liked beef, she ordered a jin of braised beef.
“Xia Xiaolan, I’ve noticed you’re quite generous.”
The braised beef was sliced thin, each piece combining the flavors of the braising sauce and meat. Zhuo Na’s eyes narrowed in enjoyment.
Xia Xiaolan chuckled – Zhuo Na was a foodie with quite innocent thoughts.
After getting the entry pass and finishing lunch, Xia Xiaolan bid farewell to the Zhuo sisters and stopped by her store before heading home. A small car was parked across the street, but Xia Xiaolan didn’t pay much attention. Going inside, she saw Auntie Li from a few days ago browsing clothes.
Only Auntie Li was there – Liu Fang hadn’t come today.
Not having to deal with her aunt, Xia Xiaolan was quite pleased.
Seeing Xia Xiaolan, Auntie Li put down the clothes, her expression delighted:
“I thought you weren’t here today. Come help Auntie pick out some clothes.”
Auntie Li seemed to trust Xia Xiaolan’s taste – she was wearing the cashmere sweater Xia Xiaolan had helped her choose before.
When a customer with purchasing power arrived, Xia Xiaolan naturally gave more smiles: “You’re here to buy clothes again. What would you like today? Let me make some recommendations.”
New goods had just arrived from Yangcheng, the last spring collection of the year.
No matter how picky Auntie Li was, Chen Xiliang’s goods always had something she liked. Auntie Li was also very easy to talk to – she bought all the styles Xia Xiaolan recommended that suited her, spending several hundred yuan in total. While helping pack the clothes into bags, Xia Xiaolan took out two silk scarves from under the counter:
“I noticed you didn’t seem to like the belts and wallets, so let me give you these two silk scarves instead. You can mix and match them.”
Spring was the perfect season for scarves – a light jacket with a scarf, when matched well, showed more elegance and taste.
Auntie Li was clearly pleased, lingering at the door with her purchases, chatting with Xia Xiaolan for quite a while.
Xia Xiaolan felt like someone was watching her – she was quite sensitive to such things.
After Auntie Li took her purchases to the small car across the street, Xia Xiaolan discovered the source of the gaze. A medium-sized man got out to open the car door for Auntie Li. He somewhat resembled her, but while Auntie Li was gentle, the man looked quite intimidating. He appeared to be in his thirties or forties, likely Auntie Li’s nephew or son.
Xia Xiaolan didn’t think much of it – it was perfectly normal for Auntie Li’s relative to accompany her shopping, and men usually disliked shopping, preferring to wait in the car.
As the car drove away, Xia Xiaolan turned back to the store.
“The library entry pass is sorted out. Starting tomorrow, I’ll go to the library to study. I won’t come home for lunch, Mom, so don’t worry about my meals.”
After hiring Ma Wei, Li Fengmei and one other person could leave the store early in the afternoon. Liu Fen thought she might as well pick up Taotao from school and bring him home, watching him while cooking. When Xiaolan returned from studying at the library, dinner would be ready.
Li Fengmei agreed: “With exams coming up, you need to eat well. In our building, others preparing for college entrance exams have eggs and milk every day…”
“We’ve never gone without milk and eggs at home!”
Xia Xiaolan’s voice was completely ignored – the elders didn’t think they were making a fuss at all. Getting into university was so important – not just from a 1983 perspective, but even 30 years later, wealthy families still maintained high educational standards for their descendants. Business was unpredictable; if fortunes reversed one day, having an education meant you wouldn’t starve.
Xia Xiaolan’s family thought exactly this way – the money earned made them uneasy, but if Xia Xiaolan got into university, her future would truly be secure.
The new employee Ma Wei looked at Xia Xiaolan with admiration – how could there be such a person? About the same age, the young boss not only ran her own business but was also taking the college entrance exam.
They said her grades were very good – she was going to pass this year.
In the car, Auntie Li noticed her son Fan Zhenchuan’s lingering gaze.
She knew he was interested.
Fan Zhenchuan hadn’t come to the provincial capital specifically to see Xia Xiaolan – he was here for a meeting. Knowing he would be here, Auntie Li came along. After the morning meeting ended and Auntie Li said she wanted to buy clothes, Fan Zhenchuan knew what his mother was planning. Since they were already here, he might as well look. Fan Zhenchuan had met Liang Huan before – she had a childish face but was honestly quite pretty. If Liang Huan had been two or three years older, Fan Zhenchuan might have been interested.
Since they were cousins, and Liu Fang dared to recommend her, with his mother also seeming confident, Fan Zhenchuan had some mental preparation.
However, when they first arrived at the clothing store and Auntie Li didn’t come out for a long time, Fan Zhenchuan knew she wasn’t there.
Later, when a young girl rode up on a bicycle and stopped at Blue Phoenix’s entrance, Fan Zhenchuan was stunned – it must be her, it had to be her! He had guessed Liu Fang’s niece would be pretty, but knowing she was from the countryside, he’d assumed she’d be like the maid Xiao Yu when she first came to the city – pretty but plain and uninteresting.
Of course, he had transformed that plain, uninteresting country girl into an alluring young woman.
Fan Zhenchuan could never be satisfied with just one woman, and he was getting tired of the little maid.
But seeing Xia Xiaolan for the first time, Fan Zhenchuan knew he had been wrong!
His previous women weren’t of low quality, but compared to Xia Xiaolan, they all became ordinary. What was Xiao Yu compared to her? She couldn’t compete with Xia Xiaolan at all… Xia Xiaolan’s allure was natural, radiating from her face, her figure, her very bones. Though naturally alluring, she had an indescribable quality that balanced this allure, half-hidden and half-revealed, making it all the more enticing.
Such a woman was truly meant for him, Fan Zhenchuan!