Tang Hongen enjoyed this meal thoroughly.
The food didn’t need to be elaborate – after his surgery, Tang Hongen only ate until 70% full at each meal anyway.
But this dining atmosphere was rare – just pure dining, not social obligations or business meals.
Xia Xiaolan wasn’t naive. Grandmother Yu had been too obvious. As soon as Tang Hongen left, while washing dishes, she humbly asked Grandmother Yu for guidance.
Grandmother Yu chuckled:
“You haven’t noticed?”
She had noticed, which was why it was hard to believe!
Xia Xiaolan racked her brain – Tang Hongen had barely interacted with her mother, how could he have such intentions?
Xia Xiaolan didn’t think Liu Fen was unworthy of being loved. She knew better than anyone how wonderful Liu Fen was.
But seeking connections was one thing – now their supporter seemed to be becoming something else, and Xia Xiaolan wasn’t sure how to adjust. If her mother could start a new relationship, Xia Xiaolan would welcome it. Children’s companionship was different from a partner’s, and Xia Xiaolan had her own life; she couldn’t always prioritize her mother’s thoughts. But this first hint of romance was quite unexpected.
She trusted Tang Hongen’s character.
He was a principled person. In his position, most people wouldn’t care about Hong Kong investors’ backgrounds – if they could create economic benefits for Peng City, that would count toward Tang Hongen’s achievements, and everyone would benefit from turning a blind eye.
Of course, Tang Hongen wasn’t completely saintly. Within his capacity, he wasn’t entirely impersonal – after becoming close with Xia Xiaolan, he had given Yuan Hui a chance to bid. Coincidentally, Yuan Hui had performed beyond expectations, winning the entire municipal government guesthouse renovation project, which had surprised even Tang Hongen.
Yuan Hui hadn’t embarrassed Tang Hongen, so naturally they could continue their association.
Others said Tang Hongen was Yuan Hui’s patron, but he never explained. As one of the parties involved, Xia Xiaolan knew clearly that Yuan Hui and Tang Hongen had absolutely no financial ties.
Tang Hongen didn’t care if others misunderstood, because he had strong capabilities, confidence, and strict self-discipline.
If you don’t take bribes or engage in corruption, you needn’t fear what others say.
From this perspective, Tang Hongen himself was very “safe.”
Even if his career suffered setbacks, at least he wouldn’t face imprisonment!
“I can’t control the rain falling from the sky or my mother getting married.”
It was far too early to worry about such things. Xia Xiaolan felt that currently Uncle Tang just somewhat admired her mother. He hadn’t even spoken of it directly – why should she, the younger generation, worry? Tang Hongen was trustworthy and wouldn’t do anything to hurt her mother. Everything else could follow its natural course!
Grandmother Yu thought for a moment and surprisingly agreed with Xia Xiaolan’s view:
“You’re quite open-minded, and that’s exactly right.”
Liu Fen herself was completely unaware – what use was there in the old lady worrying?
Xia Xiaolan was open-minded, letting things take their course. As things stood now, nothing had even begun to develop. Grandmother Yu realized she was overthinking out of concern – how frustrating! She could have lived her peaceful life, but once she got involved in Liu Fen’s affairs, there was no end to it.
Why should she care? She wasn’t Liu Fen’s mother!
She had been unknowingly drawn in by this mother-daughter pair. Grandmother Yu threw down her dishcloth, her face as dark as if it had been smoked:
“You wash them yourself!”
“Well, I never asked you to help anyway, please go rest…”
The old lady was being temperamental again, and Xia Xiaolan treated her like a child. After Tang Hongen left, Xia Xiaolan didn’t say anything to Liu Fen. Liu Fen hadn’t noticed anything and spent the afternoon with Xia Xiaolan looking at storefronts in Xidan.
Xidan was already quite lively now, with convenient transportation – bicycles for nearby places, buses for slightly further distances.
Xidan had many busy shops, and some vacant spaces too.
Liu Fen would choose locations, and Xia Xiaolan would analyze their pros and cons.
Overall, they had many options. In late 1984, there wasn’t much competition in specialized clothing stores.
Private clothing vendors were still setting up street stalls.
Street vending was certainly profitable – Xia Xiaolan had earned her first pot of gold that way. However, street vending had many limitations. During wind and rain, it was impossible to carry goods out to set up stalls. Thanks to Ding Aizhen’s threats back then, Xia Xiaolan had early on transformed from street vending to store operations… Costs increased, but the quality of goods sold went up too, and profits became larger.
Staying one step ahead of others meant staying ahead at every step, right?
Xia Xiaolan had originally planned to focus on university for a few years and develop the business slowly, but the Ji family incident had provoked her, and she was burning with determination!
If others thought she couldn’t do it, Xia Xiaolan would prove them wrong.
People need to challenge themselves to make greater progress. Over the afternoon, Xia Xiaolan and Liu Fen slowly surveyed all of Xidan.
“This isn’t far from our home. It’ll be convenient for you to run the store here every day.”
Less than 10 kilometers wasn’t considered far in Beijing. Later, people living in North Hebei and working in Beijing would face truly exhausting commute times. Liu Fen knew that after buying the house, Xia Xiaolan didn’t have much money left:
“Do we have enough money?”
“It’s manageable. Once we secure the storefront, the shop in Shangdu should pay dividends… Mom, I want to separate the two stores for easier management. The Shangdu store can go to my aunt – the business is already established there, and she can run it alone. You can open up the new market in Beijing.”
How much was the “Blue Phoenix” in Shangdu worth?
At market value, it was hard to say.
The people of Shangdu had accepted this clothing store, and it would continue to generate profits. Xia Xiaolan wasn’t too concerned about the management rights of one clothing store. Giving it to her aunt Li Feimei, Xia Xiaolan could start fresh in Beijing.
Liu Fen wasn’t reluctant either, just confused:
“So we won’t be partners anymore?”
“Not partners, but we’ll still cooperate, jointly operating the ‘Blue Phoenix’ retail brand.”
Each store would operate independently, responsible for its profits and losses.
They would cooperate strategically, but the specific operations of the two stores would be separate. When Xia Xiaolan had initially brought Li Feimei in to run the clothing store together, she wanted to help her uncle’s family live better. After a year of development, “Blue Phoenix” had gotten on track, and Li Feimei could operate independently. Xia Xiaolan didn’t need to keep the two businesses mixed anymore.
With Liu Fen coming to Beijing, the mother-daughter pair could barely contribute to the Shangdu clothing store anymore. Xia Xiaolan didn’t feel right taking 60% of the profits.
Relations between relatives shouldn’t be unclear. It wasn’t good for either side to take too much advantage. With Aunt Li Feimei running the Shangdu clothing store and Uncle running his renovation company, their family income level was already far above most families of that era.
“Cooperation” was defined differently from “partnership.” After listening for a while, Liu Fen felt her daughter had a point.
But she still double-checked:
“If the Shangdu store has trouble, we’ll still help manage it, right?”
Xia Xiaolan nodded, and Liu Fen’s heart settled. That meant the Shangdu store’s profits would go to Li Feimei, while the Beijing store’s profits would go to her and Xiaolan.
They would also be responsible for their losses. Liu Fen felt the heavy weight of responsibility.