How could money be so easy to make?

One trip to Yangcheng could double the investment.

From 900 to 1,800, and then from 1,800 to over 3,000?

Liu Fen’s eyes were dazzled counting the money. Another trip to Yangcheng would turn it into over 7,000.

Xia Xiaolan shook her head, “I can only carry so much merchandise by myself, and it’s impossible to stock too much at once.”

Although Shangdu had many people, her stall could only be so large. Even today, not every piece of clothing is sold out. In ’83, people’s purchasing power was limited – the more stock she had, the longer it would take to sell.

Before having a fixed shop, Xia Xiaolan didn’t plan to stock too much. Even with sufficient capital, she set herself a limit of not exceeding 2,000 yuan per stock purchase.

“Mom, selling oil dregs is too exhausting. Why don’t you stop?”

She made more than 20 yuan profit on one wool coat, while Liu Fen had to sell 300 jin of oil dregs to earn about 20 yuan. She had to make two trips to the oil press factory daily just to match the profit of one wool coat.

Liu Fen was already earning quite well – selling several hundred jin of oil dregs daily, except during rain or bad weather, she made six to seven hundred yuan monthly.

It was only because Xia Xiaolan’s new business had such terrifying profits that Liu Fen’s oil dregs business seemed insignificant.

Back at the Xia family, if she could earn over 600 yuan monthly, would Old Lady Xia still despise Liu Fen for not bearing a son? Would Xia Dajun still beat her? Perhaps they would – character determines destiny. If Liu Fen didn’t become stronger herself, even having a profitable skill would be useless; others in the Xia family would just take it away.

Leaving the Xia family quickly had been Xia Xiaolan’s most correct decision.

Liu Fen now had her ideas. Though Xia Xiaolan worried for her, she thought the oil dregs business was too good:

“Mother wants to continue selling.”

With hundreds of jin of oil dregs daily, there was already a gap in the factory’s waste pile. Before emptying the factory’s oil dregs, Liu Fen wouldn’t let go.

Selling oil dregs was only hard because of transporting goods to the countryside. Liu Fen wasn’t confused about how much to charge or collect. She didn’t have Xia Xiaolan’s clever tongue to persuade city women to buy clothes, but selling oil dregs didn’t need eloquence – pig-farming peasants needed it and would pay for it!

Liu Fen felt this business-suited her. What was hardship? She had strength – should she stay idle at home relying on her daughter instead of earning money?

Xia Xiaolan couldn’t force her mother – their foundation was still too thin, which was why her mother wanted to save money.

For Liu Fen, giving up a business that brought in thousands of yuan annually would be too wasteful.

Mother and daughter talked half the night. Early the next morning, Xia Xiaolan got up again to see Zhou Cheng off. This time Liu Fen wrapped dumplings – as usual, Xia Xiaolan mixed the filling. They used two whole jin of meat filling, making dumplings for Zhou Cheng and Kang Wei to eat on the road.

Zhou Cheng was reluctant to leave.

Xia Xiaolan stuffed the dumplings to him, “Don’t be sentimental, I’ll come to Beijing to see you when I have time.”

Heartless girl.

Zhou Cheng drove away, and Xia Xiaolan returned home.

Out of her sight, Zhou Cheng’s car turned toward the Huanghe Restaurant.

Spotting the restaurant building from afar, Kang Wei made a strange cry, “Oh, that guy who’s after Sister-in-law works here?”

“Stop being sarcastic. I noticed that while your sister-in-law wasn’t interested in him, she didn’t dislike him either. It’s just his mother who’s too hateful – I’m worried that woman will cause more trouble.”

The Huanghe Restaurant served foreigners.

With red carpets at the entrance, it also served local Shangdu people, but those who dared enter were either rich or noble.

To ordinary people, truck drivers could make money, but at the Huanghe Restaurant, that wasn’t impressive. However, Zhou Cheng and Kang Wei weren’t timid, and the restaurant couldn’t keep people out.

Zhou Cheng and Kang Wei sat down in the restaurant and ordered shark fin first thing in the morning!

The server looked at the two country bumpkins with difficulty, “Shark fin needs time to rehydrate, it must be ordered in advance.”

Do you think it’s glass noodles?

Just add hot water and serve hot and sour noodles in twenty minutes!

This was shark fin – it needed long rehydration time and complex preparation.

“Then serve us Eight Treasures Bear Paw, one Lotus Monkey Head, one Oil-Splashed Flying Dragon…” Kang Wei smacked his lips, unsatisfied, pulling out a stack of hundred-yuan notes and placing them on the table to show he could pay.

The Huanghe Restaurant did serve bear paw – the most expensive was the large Braised Bear Paw at 330 yuan!

Eight Treasures Bear Paw wasn’t cheap either at 230 yuan.

Lotus Monkey Head wasn’t monkey head but monkey head mushroom.

Oil-Splashed Flying Dragon wasn’t a real dragon either – “Flying Dragon” was a special chicken from the Xing’an Mountains region, about the size of a pigeon, weighing less than one jin, with pure white tender meat – a delicacy to gourmets. “Dragon meat in the sky, donkey meat on the ground” – the dragon meat referred to flying dragon bird.

The server was sweating. Compared to the extremely expensive Eight Treasures Bear Paw, Lotus Monkey Head was only 35 yuan, and Oil-Splashed Flying Dragon just 40 yuan per serving.

But bear paw, monkey head mushroom, and flying dragon – even the Huanghe Restaurant didn’t stock these ingredients regularly… Who the hell would suddenly come to order such dishes?!

“I’m sorry, we don’t have any of these… Let me ask the kitchen what we can serve you gentlemen today?”

The server’s attitude was very polite.

Without Kang Wei’s money on the table, these two would be troublemakers.

They were still making trouble, but rich troublemakers couldn’t just be thrown out. As the server stumbled from Kang Wei’s torment, Kang Wei drawled:

“Oh, you don’t have any of these? Your restaurant’s purchasing agent must be quite incompetent.”

Kang Wei pulled several bills from his stack, perhaps over ten, and handed them to the server: “It’s not easy just to get a meal. Here’s your tip – could I meet your purchasing agent?”

What?

No bear paw, monkey head mushroom, or flying dragon – what did that have to do with Purchasing Agent Zhu Fang?

The server looked at Kang Wei’s serious face and the generous tip, suddenly understanding: they weren’t here to cause trouble for the restaurant but for Purchaser Zhu!

The Huanghe Restaurant could accept tips – it didn’t violate policy if customers gave willingly.

So she could take this money, right?

Calling Zhu Fang out wasn’t pressure for her – she didn’t like him anyway.

Zhu Fang was confused – restaurant customers sometimes asked to meet chefs, but never a purchasing agent. But Zhu Fang hadn’t done anything dishonest – even for kickbacks, his arrogance made him do it less than others. He had nothing to be nervous about, so he came out.

He didn’t recognize Zhou Cheng or Kang Wei, but both young men were extremely outstanding.

“You must be Zhu Fang. Please sit down, I have a few words for you.”

Zhou Cheng had an authoritative air. While Zhu Fang usually had some pride, Zhou Cheng’s pride wasn’t willingly displayed, but it was ingrained in his bones. Put crudely, the habitually pretentious Zhu Fang met genuinely impressive Zhou Cheng, and his presence crumbled – he couldn’t help but follow Zhou Cheng’s lead.

Zhu Fang sat down, telling himself the other was a restaurant customer, he’d just listen.

Zhou Cheng’s single sentence almost made Zhu Fang, who had barely touched the chair, jump up:

“I am Xia Xiaolan’s boyfriend.”

Xia Xiaolan’s boyfriend?

Zhu Fang couldn’t believe it.

He didn’t want to accept this fact, but Zhou Cheng looked far from joking. Yes, Zhou Cheng was handsome and could afford to dine at the Huanghe Restaurant – he wasn’t ordinary. Zhu Fang’s heart nearly shattered as he gritted his teeth in denial:

“I don’t believe it. Xiaolan never mentioned you…”

Zhou Cheng looked at him like an idiot. “Why would Xiaolan mention me to you? It doesn’t matter if you believe it or not. I came to the restaurant for two purposes: first, to thank you for taking care of Xiaolan before, and second, to hope you can restrain your mother… She insulted Xiaolan on the street, and I have a very bad impression of her. Dealing with women isn’t my habit, especially older female comrades.”

Zhu Fang’s heart felt like someone had stuffed it with a sour lemon.

Zhou Cheng had come to declare his ownership!