Did Old Lady Xia know about this?

It seemed she didn’t.

Or perhaps she did, which would be even more despicable. Zhang Cui earned considerable money, yet Old Lady Xia still squeezed others dry. Was Xia Ziyu a beloved granddaughter while others were mere roadside weeds?

Xia Xiaolan finished her noodles and paid, “Auntie, your cooking is excellent. Haven’t you thought about expanding the business, turning your noodle stand into a proper shop?”

How could Auntie Huang not want that?

While her noodle stand made some money daily, it was far less than ‘Zhang’s.’

Auntie Huang wanted to discuss more with Xia Xiaolan but held back, only vaguely saying:

“Opening a shop needs capital, and storefronts are hard to rent. It’s not easy…”

Xia Xiaolan understood – continuing the conversation would be too familiar too soon. She had an idea, but having not yet earned enough capital herself, disrupting ‘Zhang’s’ couldn’t be rushed. Xia Xiaolan had a feeling the Xia family wouldn’t let her pursue her new life easily, so let them all scheme against each other and see what happens!

After spending half the day at school and having lunch at Auntie Huang’s noodle stand, Xia Xiaolan headed to the Anqing Guesthouse.

If she didn’t meet Zhou Cheng today, she wouldn’t keep waiting but would head to Yangcheng instead.

Xia Xiaolan smiled when she spotted the familiar Dongfeng truck in the distance.

Zhou Cheng had been waiting for half a day, several times almost running to Qijing Village to find her, but since she might not be there either, he waited at the Anqing Guesthouse as agreed in the telegram.

Just as his patience was wearing thin, Xia Xiaolan finally appeared.

Zhou Cheng gazed at her greedily, from head to toe – he adored everything about her!

“Xiaolan!”

Zhou Cheng strode over, though he couldn’t embrace her tightly in public.

“You finally came.”

Xia Xiaolan smiled at Zhou Cheng. She wasn’t sure if she liked him, but he was pleasing to look at. Among all the males her age around her, none were as likable as Zhou Cheng. He was straightforward, showing his enthusiasm without restraint – a bit mischievous but not sleazy young man… With such an attractive young man showing such earnest interest, Xia Xiaolan found it hard to dislike him.

“Brother Zhou, have you been here long?”

Zhou Cheng shook his head, “Just arrived a little while ago.”

Kang Wei, returning with lunch, happened to hear this and marveled at Brother Cheng’s ability to lie so brazenly.

Just arrived?

They’d waited four or five hours, driving overnight to Anqing County, and instead of resting in their room at the guesthouse, he insisted on waiting by the truck, afraid of missing Xia Xiaolan’s visit!

“Sister-in-law Xiaolan, I brought lunch, want to join us?”

Kang Wei directly called her sister-in-law. Xia Xiaolan glared at him, though her soft eyes carried little threat.

“So you haven’t eaten yet? Go ahead and eat first – I already ate before coming.”

Zhou Cheng thought Kang Wei was tactless – how could he think about food at a time like this? But when the lunch boxes were opened and the aroma wafted up, Zhou Cheng realized he was famished too. Using the first-floor coffee table as their dining table, Zhou Cheng ate while stealing glances at Xia Xiaolan. With his beloved present, even Kang Wei’s randomly bought food tasted better!

After they finished eating, Xia Xiaolan shared her plans:

“I’m heading to the train station soon to buy a ticket to Yangcheng. If I hadn’t received your telegram, I might have left days ago. Are you just passing through Anqing again?”

Deliberately waiting two days to avoid missing Zhou Cheng already showed how much she valued him.

It wasn’t appropriate for her to stay in Anqing County playing host.

Zhou Cheng paused, then smiled: “You’re going to Yangcheng to stock up?”

He had planned to stay in Anqing County for two days before heading south but realized Xia Xiaolan couldn’t spare the time. Just a brief meeting couldn’t cure his lovesickness. Though naturally domineering, he wasn’t stupid… It wasn’t the right time to show possessiveness. Zhou Cheng could sense Xia Xiaolan’s serious nature – while her delicate appearance made people want to protect her, she was very strong-minded.

Especially when it came to business matters, Zhou Cheng didn’t think he held more importance in Xia Xiaolan’s heart.

At least not yet.

Zhou Cheng’s judgment was correct!

Kang Wei opened his mouth to say something, but Xia Xiaolan pretended not to notice. Zhou Cheng’s attitude pleased her and made their interaction feel relaxed:

“Yes, I want to buy some women’s clothing in Yangcheng to sell here.”

When she said this, there was no pride or showing off, but her whole being seemed to glow.

Kang Wei thought Brother Cheng’s love interest was quite enterprising. Wasn’t she selling eggs not long ago? Then she dealt in eels, and now she was even bolder, planning to go south to Yangcheng alone for stock – how much could these small businesses earn? Kang Wei couldn’t understand. Couldn’t Xia Xiaolan see how much Brother Cheng liked her? If she just asked, Brother Cheng would give her their entire truckload of goods!

The value of their cargo would take Xia Xiaolan who knows how long to earn on her own.

With such a money tree right in front of her, Xia Xiaolan deliberately ignored it. Kang Wei had to admire her determination.

How could Zhou Cheng not understand what Kang Wei was thinking?

Zhou Cheng had already offered – he couldn’t bear to see Xia Xiaolan working so hard. But Xia Xiaolan clearly enjoyed it herself. He admired his beloved’s spirit, feeling both concerned and impressed. Momentary attraction might be just admiration for appearances, but lasting affection, regardless of gender, must come from seeing admirable qualities in the other person.

“Women’s clothing… you’ve saved up enough capital already?”

“Not much, but it’s my first attempt at stocking up, just testing the market response.”

From her first visit to Shangdu City’s agricultural market, Xia Xiaolan had her eye on this business. Zhou Cheng understood Xia Xiaolan’s situation well – when mother and daughter were driven from the Xia family, they couldn’t receive much money, which was why Xia Xiaolan chose businesses with low capital requirements through hard work… Compared to trading eggs and eels, going to Yangcheng to wholesale women’s clothing required more capital.

Xia Xiaolan must have saved up some money for stock.

Zhou Cheng had seen the profits from eggs and eels. They’d only been apart for a short while, but Xia Xiaolan must have been working non-stop to earn money, no wonder she looked a bit thinner this time.

“We’re heading to Yangcheng too, though it’s not suitable for you to travel with us. Have you bought your train ticket yet? When do you plan to leave?”

Even if they weren’t originally going to Yangcheng, Zhou Cheng would have made the trip anyway.

Of course, he would have loved to have Xia Xiaolan sitting in the passenger seat, traveling together. But his and Kang Wei’s cargo transportation involved unknown risks – it would be safer for Xia Xiaolan to take the train south.

“I want to leave today if I can still get a ticket.”

Who plans a long trip but waits until the afternoon to buy tickets? Zhou Cheng was pleased – she had waited to see him. Xia Xiaolan’s words were serious, but Zhou Cheng’s thoughts weren’t – he heard honey in her straightforward words.

His voice was also sweet as honey:

“Come on, I’ll go with you to buy tickets. If there aren’t any today, there’s no rush – you can rest at the guesthouse and leave tomorrow.”