The middle-aged man glanced at Xia Xiaolan. This young girl was quite clever with her words – one could easily be deceived by her if not careful.
Every strand of her hair radiated cleverness. She was more likely to turn the tables and trick that clumsy human trafficker into being sold instead. Even without his help, Xia Xiaolan would have managed just fine. However, her intelligence fell into the category of quick-witted and endearing rather than scheming, so the middle-aged man didn’t dislike her.
He felt a certain connection with Xia Xiaolan – they had met three times in less than half a year. The first time was on the train, the second in Yang City, and unexpectedly, they met again after he came to work in Peng City. He was curious about her situation in Peng City – wasn’t she some kind of private business owner?
Not wanting to hear Xia Xiaolan’s nonsense, the man said, “I remember your surname is Xia. I’m Tang Hongen.”
“Uncle Tang, your memory is excellent! Let me formally introduce myself – I’m Xia Xiaolan.”
Tang Hongen nodded, “Seems you’re doing well – even hired bodyguards? Quite like a Hong Kong boss’s style.”
Xia Xiaolan smiled awkwardly, “They’re not bodyguards, just two friends accompanying me to Peng City. I was afraid to come alone.”
Tang Hongen pointed to a small building ahead, “Didn’t you say you wanted to thank me? Let’s go, there’s a small restaurant ahead. Treat me to lunch.”
“Of course, Uncle Tang! Please go ahead, I’ll let my friends know.”
Tang Hongen’s car window rolled up, and the vehicle drove away.
Master Wan watched Xia Xiaolan return alone, wondering if she had failed to make a connection.
“Senior Brothers, I just met an elder who invited me to lunch at the restaurant ahead. Let’s hurry over.”
So she did know him after all.
Master Wan dared not speculate further. He had seen how many people had gathered around that middle-aged man in the car. Despite Xia Xiaolan’s good nature, she was someone who could stand up to Ke Yixiong. Even though Ke Yixiong wouldn’t give a face to the Bai Family Martial Arts School, he had been intimidated by the people behind Xia Xiaolan. Xia Xiaolan knew important people in Peng City, and Master Wan’s attitude became much more respectful.
Xia Xiaolan led them to the small restaurant where Tang Hongen had already ordered. Driver Wang sat at another table instinctively, and somehow Wan and Li felt they should sit with Little Wang. The restaurant tables were rather greasy, and neither the naturally dignified Tang Hongen nor the beautiful Xia Xiaolan seemed to belong in such a place. Yet both sat comfortably at the same small table to eat.
After putting down his chopsticks, Tang Hongen finally got to the main point: “What were you doing hanging around the construction site? What kind of business could a young girl like you possibly be involved in there?”
Construction meant money. From material procurement to labor supply, from workers’ meals to construction waste disposal – every aspect was profitable. The buildings were being constructed by state development units, and Tang Hongen knew many people were desperately trying to get involved, even fighting over construction waste disposal rights. The locals were united, with entire villages mobilizing. Xia Xiaolan thinking she could compete with locals by hiring just two bodyguards was truly wishful thinking.
“These buildings will need interior decoration once completed, right?”
Xia Xiaolan’s response was unexpected to Tang Hongen.
While they couldn’t compete with locals for construction waste – where might made right – what about interior decoration? That required some professional skills, not something a group of fishing village people could simply take over. Xia Xiaolan certainly knew building construction was the most profitable, but she currently lacked the capital to enter that field.
So she would start with decoration – it didn’t require any construction qualifications. Activities like wall painting and floor tiling couldn’t possibly turn buildings into dangerous structures.
“Interior decoration, you mean renovations?”
This industry was quite rare in China. Rural homes didn’t need decoration, urban workers’ housing was state-allocated, and it was only in recent years that people’s lives had improved enough to spend beyond necessities. After filling their stomachs, people were willing to spend on clothing and daily goods. Tang Hongen had noticed the changes in clothing styles from Yang City to Peng City. Blue and black no longer dominated people’s wardrobes, with Yang City being more open than inland areas – people on the streets wore bold colors and diverse styles.
As for daily goods, smuggling was practically unstoppable in Peng City. Small commodities from Hong Kong were smuggled to the mainland by fishing boats, and customs couldn’t possibly stop it all. Entire villages participated in smuggling, covering for each other. From old to young, everyone was involved – they couldn’t possibly arrest an entire village.
Of mainland visitors to Peng City, over 80% came to the Special Zone to “receive goods.”
Tang Hongen had assumed Xia Xiaolan came to deal in smuggled goods, but surprisingly, she wanted to enter the unfamiliar field of home decoration.
Unlike smuggling, this was a legitimate, long-term business.
Tang Hongen mentally approved but asked Xia Xiaolan several more questions. Her detailed answers showed she had done her homework in the “decoration” industry. Without real experience, one couldn’t answer so thoroughly. Fearing young people might become arrogant, he deliberately challenged her:
“Finding individual clients for home decoration will be difficult, and while foreign-invested companies need decoration, can you handle their projects? They all hire decoration companies from Hong Kong.”
Xia Xiaolan’s heart stirred – Uncle Tang’s words implied he wanted to “help” her.
She deliberately remained modest: “I can’t take on large-scale projects right now since we’re just starting – I don’t want to damage our reputation. But as locals doing decoration, we have advantages over Hong Kong companies, especially in labor costs, which will reduce overall expenses.”
The same work done by Hong Kong workers versus mainland workers commanded completely different wages.
When the Peng City Special Zone was first established, besides tax benefits, cheap mainland labor was a major attraction for foreign investment, helping companies reduce costs significantly. A monthly salary of 400 yuan dazzled people from inland cities, but in Hong Kong, you couldn’t hire anyone for that amount.
Tang Hongen and Xia Xiaolan’s conversation meandered, seemingly without focus, jumping from topic to topic. He asked about her current business, where she’d been in Peng City, and her thoughts about the city.
The tableware had long been cleared, and the restaurant owner had glanced at their tables many times.
After about an hour of chatting, Driver Wang checked his watch three times before finally coming over to remind them: “Sir, you have a meeting this afternoon…”
“You’re an interesting young lady. Our chat has given me some insights. Little Wang, give your contact information to Comrade Xiaolan.”
Little Wang was quite surprised.
A leader’s driver and secretary were close confidants. By having his driver share contact details, Tang Hongen was tacitly allowing Xia Xiaolan to seek help through Little Wang. Of course, what kind of help and how often would depend on Xia Xiaolan’s judgment.
Tang Hongen figured if Xia Xiaolan showed poor judgment, he might help once, but by the second time, Little Wang’s phone would mysteriously become unreachable.
Little Wang gave Xia Xiaolan an office phone number, and she quickly wrote down her contact address… Once back in Shang City, she’d inquire about installing a phone – relying on telegrams for outside communication wasn’t always convenient.
She still didn’t know Tang Hongen’s exact position.
But clearly, he preferred phone calls to telegrams. If there was anything, call!
“Uncle Tang, I won’t keep you from your work then.”
Xia Xiaolan was particularly well-behaved. She was truly beautiful, and though Tang Hongen could see right through her clever nature, he didn’t mind her enthusiasm and flattery, probably partly due to her attractive appearance.
Humans are visual creatures.
Tang Hongen was old enough to be Xia Xiaolan’s father and certainly harbored no inappropriate thoughts about a young girl. But this didn’t prevent him from feeling a familial fondness for her. Smart, thoughtful, and ambitious young people were always likable, and when such a young person was also pleasing to the eye, even a brief conversation could improve one’s mood.
Though Tang Hongen said Xia Xiaolan should treat him to a meal, she genuinely wanted to pay.
Everyone ate simply, and it wasn’t expensive. Ordinary people with money couldn’t even get Tang Hongen to accept their invitation. Like those people at the construction site who watched Tang Hongen’s car leave, if given a chance to treat him, they would have run faster than his car to arrange a banquet at the best restaurant nearby.
This meal, Xia Xiaolan paid willingly.
Though Xia Xiaolan got the phone number, she resisted the urge to test it.
It was best not to bother Driver Wang unnecessarily – such contact should be saved for crucial moments. Xia Xiaolan continued touring construction sites with Masters Wan and Li. This time, Master Wan had no objections – Tang Hongen’s official car and driver had left quite an impression on him.
Xia Xiaolan spent two days thoroughly exploring Peng City, constantly comparing the current Peng City with how it would look thirty years later. She probably understood the city’s landmark buildings and future development plans better than current Special Zone leaders.
Five-year plans and ten-year plans were the norm now.
No one planning city construction would think thirty years ahead. The country was currently “crossing the river by feeling the stones,” and even the chief architect of Reform and Opening Up probably couldn’t imagine how prosperous China would become in thirty years.
After Xia Xiaolan finished touring Peng City, having two temporary bodyguards proved convenient – no one bothered her when she returned to the People’s Bridge Small Commodities Market.
After the eleventh day of the first lunar month, business at Bai Zhenzhu’s stall was booming.
After closing up shop, Bai Zhenzhu wiped the sweat from her neck, “I know the village just got a new batch of goods. Do you dare take them?”