Zhou Cheng hung up the phone.

Though he couldn’t leave Beijing, fortunately, he had several childhood friends he could rely on.

Since Kang Wei knew Xiao Lan, he would talk to him first about this matter. When Kang Wei heard that Xiao Lan had been targeted by local thugs in Yang City, his reaction was even more intense than Zhou Cheng’s:

“Those bastards, how dare they think they’re worthy?”

Since confirming that Xiao Lan was Brother Cheng’s woman, Kang Wei had completely suppressed any slight interest he had previously harbored in her.

But now these thugs dared to set their sights on Xiao Lan – did they think they were made of mud?

Kang Wei was especially angry, even more furious than if it had been his wife being coveted.

“Whether they’re worthy or not depends on if they know their place, but there aren’t many sensible people in this world. You’ve seen how hard your sister-in-law works to run her own business. Now they’ve scared her so much she doesn’t dare go to Yang City easily. I won’t be at ease until this trouble is resolved.”

As Zhou Cheng spoke, Kang Wei nodded vigorously.

Initially, Kang Wei had been struck by Xiao Lan’s stunning looks, but after hearing rumors about her, he became suspicious and even disgusted. After several interactions, he began to understand her character, especially admiring her insistence on making it on her own.

Kang Wei felt he couldn’t do the same – who doesn’t want to take shortcuts? He relied on Zhou Cheng to make money.

But Xiao Lan could refuse this path. Even with the cigarette business, when Brother Cheng wanted to give her his share, she firmly declined. Running between Yang City and Shang City, each one-way trip took over 30 hours by train – how exhausting! He heard she could make one or two thousand yuan per trip… For ordinary people that was a lot, but compared to the cigarette business, it wasn’t much. Even if Xiao Lan made weekly trips to Yang City, earning several thousand per month, her yearly earnings would only match what they made in one run.

Xiao Lan had turned down not just tens of thousands, but many times that amount!

“Brother Cheng, I’ll do whatever you decide, I’ll follow your lead.”

“Next time your sister-in-law goes to Yang City, accompany her and take a look at this gang leader yourself.”

Zhou Cheng wasn’t calling for violence – this wasn’t something for Kang Wei to handle. But Kang Wei surely had other methods, and he chuckled: “Great! We were talking about expanding business to Yang City anyway, the perfect time to check things out!”

Zhou Cheng didn’t participate in the runs, and it wasn’t safe for Kang Wei to go alone.

They had already planned a new approach.

The connections and channels would remain unchanged, moving goods directly by train. As long as Zhou Cheng’s relationships were held, cigarettes could still circulate and be sold along the railway route from Beijing to Shanghai. The troublesome part was that Kang Wei had to manage how much cargo each train carried. He had become so familiar with train schedules everywhere that even if they quit this business, he could get a job in the railway system with these skills alone.

“But Brother Cheng, really can’t we bring sister-in-law into our business?”

Even after resolving this incident, there could be future troubles.

Being too beautiful made it easy to attract trouble when traveling, and they might not always be so lucky.

In Kang Wei’s opinion, they should give Xiao Lan the Shang City route, letting her manage cargo reception at Shang City station and at most arrange shipments there. She’d still earn more in a year than selling clothes.

Give Xiao Lan a route?

Zhou Cheng fell silent.

He had received Xiao Lan’s letter containing 850 yuan, which made him want to strangle the buyer called Zhu Fang. What kind of man runs to complain to Xiao Lan? What a useless piece of work!

Though Xiao Lan hadn’t scolded him, just mentioning “mutual respect” in her letter was enough to make Zhou Cheng deeply troubled.

He didn’t know where he had failed to show respect to Xiao Lan, but he knew she wasn’t an ordinary girl. She had her own ideas, and plans, and could achieve them herself… Zhou Cheng was worried about Xiao Lan asking if he’d received her letter, but fortunately, this thug situation in Yang City had pushed the “mutual respect” question aside.

“Your sister-in-law has her ideas, ask her yourself.”

Was this what counted as mutual respect?

Kang Wei was the first person Zhou Cheng approached, Xiao Guang was the second. Xiao Guang’s full name was Shao Guang Rong, also part of their circle. From borrowing his uncle’s help to rescue Liu Yong from the smuggling gang, to now asking for help finding someone in Shang City, Shao Guang Rong felt like seven or eight cats were scratching his heart!

While Zhou Cheng was still making phone calls, Shao Guang Rong went straight to confront people.

He grabbed Kang Wei by the neck as soon as they met, “Kang, tell your brother the truth – does Cheng have something going on in Shang City? I see him caring so much about that place. Though he’s back in Beijing, seems like someone’s got his heart tied up there?”

The Zhou family had no connection to Shang City.

Zhou Cheng hadn’t particularly tried to hide anything, which first made Shao Guang Rong suspicious.

Kang Wei initially didn’t want to say anything, but Shao Guang Rong kept pestering him, following him everywhere until Kang Wei nearly got down on his knees:

“I can’t tell!”

Who knew if Zhou Cheng had told his family about his relationship? Right now, only Kang Wei in their circle knows about it. Shao Guang Rong was a big mouth – if he spread it around and word got back to the Zhou family, what then?

Shao Guang Rong raised his eyebrows: “I already know her name, think I can’t find her? Fine, if you won’t tell me, I’ll go to Shang City myself!”

When Shao Guang Rong accurately said “Xia Xiao Lan,” Kang Wei panicked:

“You can’t go!”

“Why not? I’m going to visit my uncle!”

Kang Wei had no choice but to make Shao Guang Rong swear to heaven not to tell anyone else before briefly explaining the situation.

Shao Guang Rong was shocked – Zhou Cheng knew how to date!

Among their group, only Kang Wei was strictly controlled by his family, while many of them had been pursuing girls since their teens. From when Shao Guang Rong first started dating until now, he’d had seven or eight proper girlfriends, plus some brief encounters.

Only Zhou Cheng was different. Though his family surely wouldn’t interfere, Shao Guang Rong and others privately joked that Zhou Cheng would dedicate his youth to the country, waiting for the state to assign him a wife… Well well, so he’d secretly found someone in Shang City?

Shao Guang Rong was desperately curious about “Xia Xiao Lan,” but Kang Wei didn’t reveal much, only saying under pressure that she was beautiful.

Shao Guang Rong wondered just how beautiful she could be. To captivate Zhou Cheng, wasn’t she some kind of enchantress?

True to his reputation as a blabbermouth, his oath meant as little as a fart, and when drunk he spilled everything. Now those friendly with Zhou Cheng wanted to see their future sister-in-law, while those who disliked him secretly mocked – being captivated by a beautiful girl from elsewhere, haha, how much could beauty be worth?

“Everyone says Zhou Cheng is something special, but he’s just the same as anyone.”

“I thought when he rejected my sister, he must have someone better in mind!”

“Maybe he’s just playing around. You’re celebrating too early – let’s wait and see the fun when he brings her to the Zhou family.”

Could she be brought into the Zhou family?

Though unwilling to admit it, the Zhou family’s standards were indeed higher than their own.

“Achoo!”

Xiao Lan rubbed her nose – she’d fallen ill after returning to Shang City.

The seed of illness planted in Yueyang, or rather the accumulated fatigue from months of busy work, was triggered by the Yueyang incident and finally broke out. Liu Fen told her to rest well at home, and Xiao Lan spent the 1984 New Year’s Day in bed.

At Liu Fen’s insistence, Xiao Lan spent several days being waited on hand and foot, then came the final exams at County No. 1 Middle School.

The business was temporarily left entirely to Li Feng Mei, as Xiao Lan couldn’t receive special treatment for the final exams – she had to take them just like everyone else. Since she didn’t have a dormitory at school, she had to stay one night at the Anqing County guest house.

When she appeared in the classroom, there were waves of gasps.