The next day, when Su Ruyi and Wang Huiting arrived at the main courtyard, only Zhang Laoyezi, Zhang Qingfeng, and Zhang Qingyun remained; everyone else had already left.
Zhang Laoyezi smiled and asked, "How did you sleep last night? Did you like that courtyard?"
"It was all wonderful." Su Ruyi gave him a thumbs up. "Grandpa Zhang, your taste is top-notch."
"As long as you like it. That courtyard was specifically reserved for you. You can stay there from now on."
Su Ruyi: "Thank you for your kindness, but I still need to work. It wouldn't be convenient here."
"What's inconvenient about it? You can work at our company. With me keeping an eye out, your mother won't have to worry about you being bullied outside."
Zhang Qingfeng chimed in at the right moment: "The company currently needs a lot of talent, and there are many positions for you to choose from."
"No way." Su Ruyi refused without hesitation. "I finally broke free from my mother's influence and came to a place where no one knows me to be my own boss. I, Su Ruyi, want to carve out my own path through my own efforts."
Zhang Laoyezi shook his head with a smile: "You're overthinking things, child. Everyone needs help sometimes."
"Anyway, I want to do it on my own. I appreciate your kindness."
"Then you can still stay here with me, to keep me company. It's not safe for a young woman to live alone outside."
Su Ruyi linked arms with Wang Huiting: "I'm not alone. I have my sisters with me."
"You're staying in the county?" Zhang Laoyezi shook his head disapprovingly. "There are more opportunities in the provincial capital, and the development pace is incomparable to a small county town."
"The journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step. I'm still young, I'm not in a hurry. Besides, I want to see what kind of place my father used to live in."
Hearing this, Zhang Laoyezi didn't press further, only saying:
"Come visit me when you have time. If you need any help, just let me know."
Su Ruyi agreed cheerfully. She liked it here very much, but she absolutely wouldn't agree to stay.
She hadn't wanted to get involved with the Zhang family before, and now she wanted it even less—this family was too complicated.
While it could offer her shortcuts, it would also bring many troubles.
Su Ruyi liked to take it easy, but only under the premise of having no restraints and truly being in control of her own destiny.
Learning that Su Ruyi was leaving today, Zhang Laoyezi was quite reluctant.
"Can't you stay a few more days to keep this old man company?"
Su Ruyi hinted subtly: "Actually, it's not really appropriate for me to stay over now. Staying one night yesterday was already somewhat improper."
Although it had been two or three months since Tong Aihua's incident, for Su Ruyi, she had only just learned about it.
Zhang Laoyezi sighed and didn't try to persuade her to stay any longer.
When leaving, Zhang Qingfeng offered: "I happen to be going out, I can give them a ride on my way."
Zhang Qingyun quickly raised her hand: "Take me too, I need to go back as well."
She had wanted to leave with her parents yesterday, but her mother had insisted she stay.
Usually, such tasks were given to her brother, to let him get closer to their grandfather, but for some reason yesterday it was changed to her.
When getting in the car, since Zhang Qingyun and Wang Huiting kept whispering together, looking inseparable, Zhang Qingfeng had them sit in the back seat and placed Su Ruyi in the front passenger seat.
Zhang Qingfeng very gallantly opened the car door for Su Ruyi, even placing his hand above the frame to prevent her head from bumping against it—his movements were natural and considerate.
Su Ruyi could feel Wang Huiting's burning gaze and barely restrained herself from screaming, completely forgetting how she had criticized this man just yesterday.
"Thank you," Su Ruyi said graciously.
After getting in the car, just as Zhang Qingfeng was about to turn and reach out, he saw that Su Ruyi had already fastened her seatbelt.
Zhang Qingfeng was slightly taken aback, completely unprepared for Su Ruyi buckling her own seatbelt.
In these times, most people had little awareness of safety, and very few proactively wore seatbelts. Many hadn't even ridden in a car before and had no idea such a thing existed.
Zhang Qingfeng's hand changed course mid-air, and he coughed lightly into it.
Su Ruyi pretended not to notice the surprise in his eyes or his awkward attempt to save face.
"It's still early—would you like to take a stroll around the provincial capital? I'm free today and can be your personal driver."
"No need, thank you. We'd better head back early to avoid missing the bus."
Zhang Qingfeng smiled. "If you do miss it, I can drive you back. The newly built highway is open now, making it very convenient to get to Liulin County."
Previously, the trip from Liulin County to the provincial capital took at least six or seven hours, but the highway had cut that time by more than half. Cars generally moved faster than buses with their frequent stops, so the journey would only take two or three hours.
Zhang Qingyun looked excitedly at Wang Huiting, eager to go shopping with her.
She was usually strictly controlled by her mother, had few friends, and rarely had the chance to wander around freely.
While chatting with Wang Huiting yesterday, she realized she knew even less about the provincial capital than Wang Huiting did.
Wang Huiting, however, remained silent. Though she very much wanted to agree—having someone drive them would certainly be more convenient, and she got along well with Zhang Qingyun and wanted to spend time together—she didn't want to put Su Ruyi in an awkward position, and they had their own plans.
Su Ruyi said, "No, thank you. That would be too much trouble for you."
"I have my own motives too—I have business there as well, and I can personally check on your situation to reassure Grandpa."
Su Ruyi firmly declined, "Thank you for your kindness, but let's not."
Zhang Qingfeng didn't insist further. He simply drove Su Ruyi to the location she mentioned without questioning why they were stopping there, showing great tact and respect for boundaries.
As they parted, he handed Su Ruyi his business card.
"It has my office number and Big Brother phone number. You can call me anytime, no matter what happens. Grandpa is getting older, and there are some matters I can handle for him."
He didn't forget to add to Wang Huiting, "You two girls should be careful out there."
After the car had driven out of sight, Wang Huiting excitedly stamped her feet on the spot, her eyes sparkling.
"Sis, he's so gentlemanly! Just like foreigners in TV shows! Is this a business card? I've only ever seen them on TV!"
Su Ruyi didn't know whether to laugh or cry. "Weren't you saying yesterday that he was like a homeroom teacher? How come you're swooning over him today?"
"But he's really different! Sis, I think he's actually quite nice."
It wasn't just Wang Huiting—even girls from the city rarely encountered such attentive and considerate men.
The driver who had picked them up earlier had merely opened the car door, yet Wang Huiting already considered that top-tier service.
These days, the service industry's attitude was much better than during the planned economy era, but it basically just meant no more harsh words—the service mindset still wasn't truly there. Especially in small towns, the old customs persisted.
Zhang Qingfeng's movements were natural, as if he genuinely cared about everything concerning you, which made his attentiveness so thorough. With his tall, handsome appearance, he also carried an elegant, gentlemanly air.
The suits nowadays were loose and shapeless, looking rather unflattering.
But Zhang Qingfeng's outfit was clearly custom-tailored, with sharp lines that accentuated his broad shoulders and long legs, exuding a mature masculine charm.
All of this was unfamiliar to Wang Huiting, making him stand out as particularly special.
Yesterday at the old residence, there were too many things Wang Huiting had never seen before, which distracted her. Today, in a relatively familiar environment, Zhang Qingfeng's uniqueness stood out even more.
Su Ruyi also had to admit that Zhang Qingfeng was indeed exuding charm today.
Along the way, he used his deep, magnetic voice to introduce the scenery and describe the changes over the years.
His choice of words made him seem both knowledgeable and witty, without losing his sense of humor.
It was no wonder that her teenage self had become infatuated with such a person.
He was like a gateway to a mysterious world, easily enticing a teenage girl with little life experience and full of romantic fantasies to want to explore further.
Wealthy, gentle, considerate, and learned.
He had all the traits of a Qiong Yao male lead.
Su Ruyi flicked Wang Huiting's forehead: "Snap out of it and come back to reality."
Wang Huiting rubbed her sore head, seeming to sober up a bit: "Sis…"
Everything about the Zhang family felt incredibly disjointed and dreamlike to Su Ruyi, like a castle in the air that could vanish at any moment, leaving her with a constant sense of unreality.
It wasn't until she stepped out of the car and set foot on this land that she regained a feeling of solid ground.
The streets were mostly filled with bicycles, the buildings weren't as tall, and the roads weren't as wide as they would be decades later, but everyone had thick hair, high spirits, and was busy yet full of hope for the future.
"You should forget everything about the Zhang family. It's better for us that way."
Wang Huiting's earlier excitement gradually faded: "Sis, you're right."
She hadn't been completely unaware of the strange looks she'd received at the Zhang family.
There were scrutinizing gazes, disdainful ones, and some that simply dismissed her.
Even with Zhang Qingyun, there was occasionally a hint of superiority in her words.
It was just that she had been too excited at the time to notice many things.
"Alright, we've had a taste of the wealthy life—that's an experience in itself. Now it's time for us to go make our own money. We may not be able to benefit from the Zhang family's advantages, but we can create a good life for ourselves."
Wang Huiting nodded vigorously: "Sis, I want to go to the Wholesale Market."
During the car ride, Su Ruyi had told Wang Huiting that they would be staying in the provincial city for a few more days and might even spend a night at the Zhang family.
However, if Wang Huiting felt uncomfortable, she didn't have to go to the Zhang family with Su Ruyi and could wait at the library instead.
The environment there was relatively less complicated and safer.
Wang Huiting insisted on staying with Su Ruyi and agreed to follow her arrangements, but asked for some time and for Su Ruyi to accompany her to one place.
"Wholesale Market?"
"There's a Dakang Road Wholesale Market in the provincial capital – it's the largest wholesale market in our province. They sell everything there: daily necessities, clothing, hardware, general merchandise, and so on. I heard things are cheap there. Not just people from our province, but even neighboring provinces go there to wholesale goods."
"How do you know about this wholesale market?"
"I learned about it when I went clothes shopping. A clothing vendor told me she only sources her clothes from Dakang Road Wholesale Market in the provincial capital. She said they have an enormous variety of products, with goods shipped from all over the country."
The clothing vendor had emphasized that she only purchased from the provincial capital's Dakang Road Wholesale Market to prove her clothes were better quality, unlike others who sourced locally. Although travel time from the county to the city was similar to going to the provincial capital, taking the highway to the provincial capital required toll fees, making ticket prices significantly higher. That's why most people sourced goods locally, resulting in much fewer style options.
"Alright, let's go then. Are you planning to buy clothes?" Su Ruyi had frequented wholesale markets often during her university days.
"I want to make money." Wang Huiting looked somewhat embarrassed, watching Su Ruyi with an anxious expression. "Sis, you don't think I'm being ridiculous, do you?"
"Wanting to make money isn't ridiculous at all. What do you want to sell?"
Wang Huiting felt relieved hearing this. She had been worried people would think she was being unrealistic.
Could business really be done so casually? What could a student like her possibly accomplish?
"I've saved some money before, and my mother gave me quite a bit this time. I calculated I could spare about twenty yuan. I definitely can't afford big items, so I was thinking of buying some hair clips and hair ties to sell. These kinds of items sell really well – everyone rushes to buy the pretty ones."
Su Ruyi smiled. This had been her first business venture too.
During university, she had wholesaled hair clips, earrings, and other accessories to sell on the pedestrian street behind the university town. During peak business, she could earn four to five hundred in one evening, and even on ordinary days, she'd make one to two hundred.
Back then, her classmates couldn't understand why someone as wealthy as her would bother with such hardship.
But who ever complained about having too much money?
Earning money without the pressure of survival was a hobby, an acknowledgment of value.
Her small business was nothing compared to her neighbor aunt before the demolition – who drove a Mercedes to her cleaning jobs.