Shen Nanzhi held the egg and applied it to her face.
The warm sensation felt like someone gently caressing her cheek with their palm—very comforting.
It was completely the opposite of the cold compress earlier.
“Who would’ve thought—Lu Xiangyang is actually quite responsible.”
He had given her a decent wedding when she suddenly remarried.
After learning that she had beaten a powerful young man, he rushed back to support her and protect her.
Seeing that she was injured, he applied ice for her and even had Aunt Wang prepare a boiled egg for a warm compress.
A man like that was rare to find.
How could she let him go?
In this era, if men and women of marriageable age didn’t get married, people would gossip.
Especially someone like her—an orphan with no background, raised in a government compound, and entangled with two privileged young men.
If she didn’t marry, she would likely be the subject of gossip for the rest of her life.
Since she had to marry anyway, rather than marrying someone like Jiang Feng—who was two-faced—she would much rather marry Lu Xiangyang, who treated her with gentleness and care.
Shen Nanzhi made up her mind to cling to Lu Xiangyang no matter what.
Of course, relying on a man wasn’t enough—money, more money, was her real guarantee for independence.
She glanced at her watch. It was already 9:30.
She wondered if Zhou Wenxuan had gone to collect the goods and set up at the supply and marketing cooperative.
The more she thought about it, the more anxious she became.
Without bothering to tidy up, Shen Nanzhi put the egg back on the plate, took it to the kitchen, then got on her bicycle and hurried out of the compound.
Since it wasn’t rush hour, she rode quickly and reached the cooperative in less than an hour.
At this time, there weren’t many customers, but the appliance section had attracted quite a crowd because of electronic watches and high-end appliances.
“This watch is really beautiful, and it keeps time accurately—it’s just a bit expensive.”
“This fan is small and delicate, but the wind is strong. It doesn’t take up space on a desk. When I have money, I’ll definitely buy one.”
The crowd chatted among themselves, surrounding Zhou Wenxuan with questions, hoping he would sell them at a lower price.
Zhou Wenxuan had already been anxious since he didn’t see Shen Nanzhi when he arrived.
Now, being surrounded by people asking endless questions had completely worn down his patience.
Annoyed, he said, “No bargaining. Ask again, and there won’t even be a discount.”
His attitude startled everyone, leaving them stunned.
Some left angrily, while others criticized him for not knowing how to do business.
The counter was soon nearly empty.
Zhou Wenxuan grew both anxious and irritated.
He worried that when Shen Nanzhi arrived and found out he had driven customers away, she might fire him.
Others worked themselves to exhaustion and might not even earn 55 yuan a month, while he earned that much in just a few hours a day—it felt like money falling from the sky.
As he nervously thought about how to explain things to Shen Nanzhi, Director Huang suddenly walked over.
“Boss Zhou, hasn’t Lu Xiangyang’s wife come to work yet?”
Hearing Shen Nanzhi mentioned, Zhou Wenxuan looked at him in confusion. “Do you need her for something?”
Director Huang leaned closer and spoke in a low voice only the two of them could hear, “I just received a call from the Jiang family. They said you must fire her, or they’ll make sure you can’t do business in this city.”
Hearing this, Zhou Wenxuan was furious.
Shen Nanzhi had told him about her issues with the Jiang family, but he hadn’t expected them to use such despicable methods to threaten her.
However, this wasn’t something he could decide on his own.
Director Huang patted his shoulder meaningfully. “Boss Zhou, you can’t afford to offend either the Lu or Jiang families. Talk it over with Madam Lu.”
With that, he left.
Not long after, Shen Nanzhi arrived.
As soon as he saw her, Zhou Wenxuan asked urgently, “Nanzhi, have you fallen out with the Jiang family?”
“I beat Jiang Feng into the hospital,” she said bluntly. “Did they come looking for trouble?”
Thinking of Jiang’s mother causing a scene earlier and failing to gain the upper hand—while even losing a bodyguard—Shen Nanzhi knew they wouldn’t let it go.
Zhou Wenxuan frowned deeply, looking helpless. “The Jiang family called Director Huang and told me to fire you. Otherwise, I can forget about doing business here. What do you think…”
Shen Nanzhi didn’t look too surprised. She simply smiled faintly.
“Oh? Is that so? Then what do you think?”
Zhou Wenxuan spread his hands helplessly. “If you trust me, I can work here for a few days. Once things settle down, you can come back.”
Shen Nanzhi didn’t answer immediately.
She was considering whether that would work.
But her goods were valuable. Even if Zhou Wenxuan had no bad intentions, being busy might give others a chance to steal.
Just as she hesitated, the system suddenly sent a new message.
She casually tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and took the opportunity to check it.
[The system has detected a new request from the ten-thousand-yuan household host. Based on your current situation, the system offers a solution: you can purchase a comprehensive surveillance system with no blind spots, along with anti-theft tags for each product. With this system, you can monitor your goods at all times. Pricing is as follows…]
Seeing the prices, Shen Nanzhi was shocked.
The most expensive package—the virtual goods supermarket system—cost 100,000 yuan per month, followed by 90,000, 80,000… even the cheapest cost 2,000 yuan.
Her current savings were only 11,000 yuan.
If she bought the system, she would no longer qualify as a “ten-thousand-yuan household,” and she would lose the system’s benefits.
Moreover, the purchased equipment would only last seven days unless she became a ten-thousand-yuan household again.
“Nanzhi, what’s wrong?” Zhou Wenxuan asked, seeing her frozen and her expression constantly changing.
She snapped out of it and smiled lightly. “Nothing, just thinking if there’s a better solution.”
Zhou Wenxuan scratched his head, unsure what to do, and waited quietly.
Another message from the system popped up. Shen Nanzhi checked it.
It was a special discount.
[First-time use of the surveillance system: packages under 5,000 yuan are 50% off this month.]
Seeing this, Shen Nanzhi’s eyes lit up, and she smiled happily.
As if she had found a treasure, she immediately bought the cheapest option.
Then she leaned close to Zhou Wenxuan and whispered a few words in his ear.
After that, she stepped back, blinked playfully, and said in a clear voice, “Boss Zhou, to avoid causing you trouble, I quit. You can hire someone else.”
The appliance section had been doing well lately, attracting attention.
Her voice wasn’t quiet, and many people quickly gathered, asking Zhou Wenxuan about hiring requirements and monthly pay.
Zhou Wenxuan had already learned about other workers’ wages and replied without hesitation, “55 yuan a month. Good appearance, good speaking skills, and sales ability. Also, any damaged or lost goods must be compensated.”
That last sentence hit like a hammer, scaring many people away. No one wanted to apply anymore.
At noon, when the cooperative had almost no customers, Shen Nanzhi and Zhou Wenxuan went to a newly opened restaurant next door for lunch.
“Nanzhi, aren’t you afraid I’ll secretly sell the goods?” Zhou Wenxuan asked jokingly.