After the incident was resolved, the mother and her two daughters walked home. They planned to summarize everything once they got back.
As they were nearing the door, He Qiutang saw Zhao Huai’an waiting nearby and quickly gave him a signal, telling him to leave quickly. Zhao Huai’an made a gesture with his fingers in response, and she understood—he had left a note for her through the crack in the door. All of this was seen by He Suqin, though Shen Lanxiang, who was opening the door, did not notice.
After they went inside, Shen Lanxiang took a big gulp of water and said:
“I told you that girl from the Yu family wasn’t truly your friend. You were so sincere with her, and look what happened—you would’ve been set up if not for your sister!”
“These five yuan are compensation money. Keep it. There are some things you don’t need to handle yourself. If you did, who knows how badly you’d mess things up.”
“As for the Yu family’s apology, it’s definitely necessary—but how much they pay matters. If it’s too much, they can’t afford it and people will think we’re extorting them. If it’s too little, it won’t be a warning, and any small rumor in the future will be tied back to you again. This amount is just right—not enough to hurt them badly, but enough to make them remember.”
Shen Lanxiang was worried that her silly daughter might feel bad for them and secretly return the money. He Qiutang assured her she wasn’t that foolish—once the money was in her pocket, it wasn’t going anywhere.
At that moment, He Suqin calmly said from the side:
“Alright, it’s just the three of us at home now. Tell us about that driver too.”
“What driver?” Shen Lanxiang was confused. “Isn’t that all just rumors? There’s actually a driver?”
He Suqin replied calmly:
“One half of the rumor is true, one half is false. The true part is that your daughter really did meet a driver. The false part is that he’s not a burly man—I saw him. He’s tall and slim, and quite decent-looking.”
Shen Lanxiang was stunned. “She really found a driver?!”
He Qiutang immediately panicked. “Sis, when did you even see that?”
“Just now. When Mom was opening the door, I saw you two exchanging looks. Your little sister even passed a note through the crack in the door. I don’t know what it said.”
Hearing this, He Qiutang swallowed nervously. Her sister didn’t look like someone working at a textile factory—she looked more like someone investigating spies.
Before she could explain, she was suddenly grabbed by the ear by Shen Lanxiang.
“You little brat! You’ve got quite the nerve! Tell me—what’s going on with that driver?”
“Ow, Mom!” she quickly protested, escaping her mother’s grip. “It’s nothing serious. I just don’t like Xu Zikai. Can’t I like someone else instead?”
Shen Lanxiang nearly fainted.
“You’re how old? Do you even know what liking someone means? Don’t let yourself be fooled by some young punk!”
She lectured her daughter just like parents in later generations.
“I do know!” He Qiutang insisted. “When I like someone, I feel happy when I see him, and I want to be with him.”
As she spoke, she seemed to recall sweet moments, smiling unconsciously. That shy, lovestruck expression immediately made both her mother and sister realize—this was serious. The girl was already completely fallen.
Then she pulled out the small note and stepped away to read it carefully. It was from Zhao Huai’an, asking her to meet him on Sunday at a small park in the south to talk about something.
In this era, most people carried paper and pen to write down things like this.
“Alright, Mom, I’ll ask her slowly later,” He Suqin said, stopping her mother. “Right now, this girl can’t explain anything anyway.”
Judging by her expression, this situation was even more serious than liking Xu Zikai.
Meanwhile, Zhao Huai’an’s trip had also yielded many gains. Every driver had their own network and connections at different places and units. These relationships were not easily replaceable. For example, Uncle Bao’s connection with the supply and marketing cooperative director—those were real channels for profit.
If Zhao Huai’an wanted to move goods in the future, he would need to build his own network.
But as a driver, there were always people trying to get close to him. The first person to approach him came through his older brother, Zhao Huaguo.
This was also Zhao Huai’an’s first time visiting the house where his brother and sister-in-law had been assigned to live.
They did not go to a state-owned restaurant. That kind of place was too public, and such matters could attract unwanted attention or even reports. Besides, the brother couldn’t afford it. It was better to cook at home.
This was also the first time Zhao Huai’an saw his sister-in-law being so enthusiastic.
“Sit, sit. Two more dishes are almost ready. Just sit and talk first!”
She was very excited—if this connection worked out, their household income would improve significantly that month. With that, she could finally have more financial freedom.
And she might even be able to rely on her brother-in-law’s status when buying goods in the black market.
That’s right—this contact was originally introduced by Zhou Cuicui, and she had met them in the black market.
After completely separating from the Zhao family, Zhou Cuicui felt the sky had become bluer and the air fresher. With money and ration coupons in hand, she finally had control over her own life. The only problem was that sometimes even money couldn’t get her what she wanted.
Especially grain—she often had to buy it from the black market.
There, she had met a small-time leader named Tian Hui. At first, Tian Hui looked down on Zhou Cuicui’s bold personality, but after a few conversations, she learned that her younger brother-in-law had just become a driver—young and inexperienced, exactly the type that was easiest to approach and manipulate.
So Tian Hui decided to involve Zhao Huai’an in their operations. They were in desperate need of goods, and many items were stuck in transit. A driver was exactly what they needed to move things around.
“You see, these goods come from all over. Many drivers help us transport them. But you also know they have their own assigned routes. They just help us a little while doing their regular runs. That’s why we want to connect with more drivers. The more connections we have, the more goods we can move. And if you help us make this connection work, I’ll give you this amount.”