The Zhu family was numerous and influential, with family members distributed across various units and departments. In Hu Yongcai’s wife’s eyes, they were an incredibly prestigious family.

Xia Xiaolan had dealt with leaders before – Zhu Fang’s father was truly just a minor official.

While a minor official compared to her previous life’s status, the current Xia Xiaolan, was truly difficult to handle. With Zhu family relatives spread across various units and departments, wouldn’t it be easy for them to make things difficult for a private business owner?

The situation was troublesome, but she didn’t regret beating up Zhu Fang’s mother.

How could she not fight back when they bullied her?

If the Zhu family truly held a grudge, Xia Xiaolan would have to deal with whatever came her way. Business couldn’t always be smooth sailing – she viewed the Zhu family as just another trial on her path to success… Though she would need to change her street vending locations, staying in one place too long made it easier for people to cause trouble.

Xia Xiaolan hadn’t planned to open a fixed store so soon, but with the Zhu family’s potential threat, she needed to end this guerrilla-style business.

Opening a store meant dealing with paperwork – with a business license, others would need to expend more effort to cause trouble. Of course, it might also make it easier for them to target her, as a fixed store couldn’t just pack up and leave – you can chase away the monk, but not the temple.

Compared to the troubles of opening a store, street vending was more dangerous.

There weren’t yet the “Urban Management” officers that would later terrorize street vendors, but who handled city management then? City appearance, industry, commerce, health, traffic… even public security and city government – every department could manage vendors, each enforcing their own rules, keeping street vendors firmly in check.

Xia Xiaolan was also grateful she hadn’t opened a food stall.

Selling food seemed the least technical, but required consideration of many more aspects. Could you make money just with skills? What if customers got sick? What about thugs coming to extort or cause trouble? Selling clothes didn’t require such strict hygiene conditions, but with a food stall, anyone could find fault – forget industry and commerce inspections, even the health department could make you submit.

Viewed this way, Xia Ziyu’s family’s ability to open two storefronts near Anqing County First Middle School showed real capability. Xia Xiaolan guessed “Zhang’s Snacks” must have had protection. For countryside folks without connections doing business in the city, others would surely envy their profits – extortion by thugs was common, and they might even directly take over the business.

Though Xia Xiaolan didn’t know everything, “Zhang’s Snacks” did indeed have backing – Principal Sun of Anqing County First Middle School.

Principal Sun didn’t protect the snack shop for money or profit; he simply liked good students like Xia Ziyu.

University-bound students were all good students and those who didn’t forget their studies despite poverty – how could Principal Sun not like Xia Ziyu’s character?

He helped Zhang Cui secure the prime location near the school after seeing two thugs overturn her stall one day, spilling everything. Zhang Cui cried on the ground, saying she was useless as a mother, while Xia Ziyu, who had just received a scholarship from Principal Sun, crouched down helping her countryside mother pick up bowls, saying she would quit school, both mother and daughter crying together.

How could she quit school with such good grades and high hopes for university?

Principal Sun chased away the thugs and asked Xia Ziyu what help she needed.

Xia Ziyu was very sensible and didn’t make any requests, though she stopped talking about quitting school. Principal Sun encountered Zhang Cui several more times afterward – a single woman supporting her daughter’s education through a food stall was incredibly difficult.

Back then, Xia Ziyu was still in her first year of high school. In 1980, there weren’t many street vendors in the county town, people didn’t have much money, and the snack business wasn’t particularly good. Principal Sun was quite angry at the time – didn’t the Xia family have anyone else?

Later he learned the situation indirectly – the large Xia family all opposed Xia Ziyu, a girl, continuing her education, offering no support to the mother and daughter.

“Girls can’t go to university?” Principal Sun had said at home, keeping the hardships of this diligent, honest student in mind. Last year, when Xia Ziyu entered her final year and her mock exam scores became unstable, Principal Sun finally stepped in to help her focus on her studies – there were two shops opposite the school, and he thought Zhang Cui could transform her street stall into a proper store.

If not for helping Xia Ziyu concentrate on her studies, Principal Sun wouldn’t have gotten involved.

But Zhang Cui’s timing for opening a store was right, making Principal Sun’s help effective. After two years of struggle, Zhang Cui had not only mastered her cooking skills but also saved money to open a store.

“Zhang’s Snacks” did good business, and with Xia Ziyu no longer worried about livelihood, her grades stabilized.

This year she even got into Beijing Normal University, as a genuine undergraduate student, making Principal Sun feel his help hadn’t been wasted. Though a county key middle school principal wasn’t much in official circles, even the county education bureau leaders might not be as popular as Principal Sun – forget his former students, who didn’t have children trying for university now?

If not their own children, then nephews and nieces. “Zhang’s Snacks” operated without harassment because of Principal Sun’s personal intervention, though he sought no returns, honestly just wanting to help good students from poor backgrounds.

Of course, it also helped that Xia Ziyu’s family was sensible and didn’t cause trouble under his protection.

Now with Xia Changzheng repeatedly bringing gifts, Principal Sun assumed they had some difficult problem. The first day a pig leg, the second time lamb chops, the third time a goose… Such rural-style gifts were too much for Principal Sun.

And such frequent visits suggested their trouble wasn’t small.

Principal Sun had to urge his wife to intervene. The principal’s wife went to eat at Zhang’s once, but Zhang Cui didn’t mention any requests. Instead, she returned home full of gossip:

“Old Sun, apparently another Xia family member got into First Middle School – Xia Ziyu’s cousin.”

Principal Sun was puzzled – was Xia Changzheng’s frequent gift-giving about looking after this niece?

Principal Sun felt displeased, not having seen the Xia family show such concern for Xia Ziyu before.

His wife hesitated: “The Xia family is anxious because Xia Ziyu’s cousin got into county First Middle School, and this child has some… issues…”

What issues? She specifically liked opposing Xia Ziyu.

Zhang Cui maintained a very humble attitude, asking Principal Sun to look after her, saying this niece had previously gone astray but finally reformed, and couldn’t be allowed to return to wrong paths. The principal’s wife felt uncomfortable – had they admitted a loose woman to the school?

“Won’t she corrupt the atmosphere in the exam class?”

Young men in their prime, how could they resist a female classmate’s seduction? Zhang Cui’s face wrinkled with worry as she mentioned seeing her niece going around with a male student. Zhang Cui’s exact words were “We can’t let her harm other people’s children,” making the principal’s wife tremble with fear.

From her tone, this wasn’t the first person she’d harmed?

Another Xia family girl helping at the snack shop spoke quickly about Xia Xiaolan’s various misdeeds.

The principal’s wife, already biased, trusted Zhang Cui and others completely. Hearing that Xia Xiaolan had loose morals, disrespected elders at home, encouraged her parents to divorce, then somehow got into county First Middle School… It would have been strange if the principal’s wife liked Xia Xiaolan.

Principal Sun was also quite unhappy after hearing this, but he remained rational:

“Let me inquire about this student’s situation.”