In those days, the bold grew rich while the timid went hungry.
People in the transportation fleet had plenty of opportunities to make money. They traveled everywhere and enjoyed countless advantages.
Still, Qin Man had her reservations.
She and Jin Feng weren’t that close, and she didn’t know what kind of person Jin Feng really was.
If possible, a partnership would be ideal.
But once the goods were handed over to Jin Feng’s brother-in-law, how would the profits be divided?
After all, Jin Feng and her brother-in-law were on the same side.
If the two of them understood that the source of the products was entirely under Qin Man’s control, then everything would work out nicely.
In short, there were many issues to consider going forward.
Then again, Qin Man wasn’t about to give up simply because things were complicated.
Starting next year, the political movement that had lasted a full decade would finally come to an end.
In another two or three years, Reform and Opening Up would begin, and Shenzhen in the south would rapidly flourish.
She intended to earn her first pot of gold before the male lead did.
And when the time came, she’d use that money to crush that scumbag with it.
“Xiao Man, I’m only making a suggestion. Take your time and think it over.”
Sitting beside Qin Man, Jin Feng noticed the hospital badge pinned to her chest. Hearing that she was an intern doctor at the provincial hospital made her smile even more warmly.
It was already past lunchtime, and the state-owned restaurant wasn’t very busy.
Jin Feng ordered herself a bowl of egg drop soup, sat across from Qin Man, and said mysteriously,
“This morning, someone from the Tian family came. It was Chen Yuxiu, the Women’s Federation director who tried to buy you off with money.”
“What did she come for?”
Qin Man put down her chopsticks, suddenly interested.
“What else?” Jin Feng rolled her eyes. “To make trouble.”
Ever since Qin Man had appeared, the engagement banquet between the two families had been completely ruined.
In just two days, rumors had spread everywhere.
“I heard Tian Dan cried so much that she didn’t even go to work. She can’t even face people anymore, but she’s still insisting on seeing Zhou Huaimin.”
Losing face like that was especially painful for a prominent family like the Tians.
The marriage between the Zhou and Tian families had completely fallen apart.
Everything had happened exactly as Qin Man expected.
Truthfully, what embarrassed the Tian family most wasn’t that Zhou Huaimin had once been engaged to Qin Man.
It was the love letters Qin Man still possessed.
The broken engagement could easily have been explained away with some convenient excuse, preserving the Tian family’s reputation as much as possible.
But those love letters were another matter entirely.
Especially the intimate, suggestive language inside them.
For people living in such a conservative era, they were an absolutely devastating weapon.
“If the marriage’s off, what does that have to do with the state-owned restaurant?”
The very person who had caused everything, Qin Man, smiled calmly without the slightest trace of guilt.
“Don’t tell me they’re blaming the restaurant for letting me in?”
“No.”
Remembering Chen Yuxiu’s expression, Jin Feng couldn’t help laughing.
“She came to pay.”
The banquet expenses had originally been agreed upon as the Zhou family’s responsibility.
That had already been settled beforehand.
Since the Tian family planned to provide a generous dowry, they hadn’t insisted on paying.
“But now that the marriage has fallen through, the Tian family doesn’t want any financial ties with the Zhous.”
Early that morning, as soon as the restaurant opened, Chen Yuxiu had arrived carrying the money.
Jin Feng continued enthusiastically,
“The bill had already been paid, so of course the cashier couldn’t accept payment a second time. But Comrade Chen Yuxiu insisted on paying anyway. She nearly made the cashier cry!”
“That’s between the Tian and Zhou families. Why make things difficult for the cashier?”
Thinking about Chen Yuxiu’s superior attitude, Qin Man wasn’t surprised.
It was exactly the sort of thing the Tian family would do.
Unwilling to have any further dealings with the Zhou family, they came to the restaurant to make a scene.
They simply wanted the restaurant to accept the money and pass it along to the Zhou family.
Jin Feng was indignant.
“Exactly! But we have rules too. Why should we run errands for her?”
Besides, Chen Yuxiu’s attitude had been unbelievably rude.
“The state-owned restaurant doesn’t belong to the Tian family!”
The cashier had refused no matter what, but after being pressured relentlessly, she burst into tears and took half a day’s leave.
Jin Feng had no choice but to take over her duties.
Unlike the cashier, however, she wasn’t nearly as patient.
If anyone from the Tian family dared to come back, she’d curse them out at the top of her lungs.
“So what if the Tian family has connections? My family does too!”
She snorted.
“If they offend me, I’ll make sure nobody in the Tian family can even buy a single pair of socks!”
Her own uncle happened to be the director of a sock factory.
After saying that, Jin Feng finally felt much better.
Qin Man simply laughed it off.
“Tian Dan’s parents care about saving face, but they’re still thinking clearly. Their daughter, though… not so much.”
Then again, perhaps Tian Dan wasn’t entirely to blame.
Zhou Huaimin had an incredibly sweet tongue.
More importantly, he didn’t look like the kind of man who smiled while hiding a knife behind his back.
His appearance naturally radiated honesty and righteousness, making people lower their guard.
Even if the Tian family objected, Tian Dan might not give up.
But that had nothing to do with Qin Man anymore.
Changing the subject, Qin Man asked,
“Do you happen to know anyone nearby who’s renting out a place?”
She didn’t have much luggage.
Everything was still stored in Yang Xiaoyun’s dormitory.
Once she returned from the countryside this time, she’d need to find somewhere to live.
Otherwise, she’d have no choice but to push a few office desks together into a makeshift bed and sleep on hard wooden boards.
Jin Feng widened her eyes in surprise.
“You want to rent a place?”
“Yes. The hospital dormitories and family housing are completely full. I don’t have anywhere to stay.”
Qin Man explained her situation.
She only needed a small place of her own.
As for the rent, everything was negotiable.
Originally, Qin Man had only asked because Jin Feng worked at the state-owned restaurant and knew many people.
She hadn’t expected much.
To her surprise, Jin Feng thought for a moment, then got up to ask another waitress.
A few minutes later, Jin Feng came running back.
The moment Qin Man saw her expression, she knew there was hope.
“Xiao Man, what luck—you asked the right person.”
After taking a sip of soup, Jin Feng quickly explained,
“There’s an elderly couple living in the Postal Street residential compound. They have one daughter and one son. Their daughter works at a machinery factory in Liaoning Province, but their son passed away in an accident a few years ago.”
The couple had both retired this year.
Instead of passing their jobs on to family, they’d sold the positions to a relative of one of the factory leaders.
Since they had influential backing, no one dared compete for their spacious two-bedroom apartment.
“Their daughter lives quite far away, but she’s very devoted. She plans to take her parents to stay with her for a few months every year.”
During those months, the apartment would sit empty, and relatives from their hometown had already started eyeing it.
“A few days ago, the old couple came to eat at our restaurant. They mentioned wanting to find someone trustworthy to look after the apartment.”
The tenant had to be reliable.
Preferably someone living alone.
Otherwise, if an entire family moved in and later refused to leave, the elderly couple wouldn’t be able to do anything about it.
“Xiao Man, you’re absolutely perfect for it!”
Jin Feng knew the neighborhood well.
“The Postal Street residential compound was built just last year. The buildings are practically new, and the heating is excellent during winter.”
“Really?”
It was exactly what Qin Man had been hoping for.
Postal Street was only a few hundred meters from the provincial hospital—a ten-minute walk.
Since the elderly couple would often be away, she would essentially have the entire place to herself.
Afraid someone else might rent it first, Qin Man quickly asked,
“Do you know where they live? I’d like to go take a look.”
Finding a rental wasn’t easy, and she knew the elderly couple would have standards for choosing a tenant.
Qin Man wasn’t exactly a neat freak, but she was organized, kept things clean, and would never mistreat someone else’s home.
“I know exactly where it is. I’ll take a little time off and bring you there myself!”
Seeing that Qin Man had almost finished eating, the impatient Jin Feng immediately pulled her to her feet.
Before they could even leave the restaurant, another waitress came running over in a panic.
“Sister Jin Feng! That Women’s Federation director is back again!”