Did Old Madam Xia know about it?

Judging by her behavior, probably not.

Then again, maybe she did—which would make it even worse. Zhang Cui was already earning plenty of money, yet Old Madam Xia still squeezed every last bit of profit from everyone else. Xia Ziyu was her precious granddaughter, while everyone else might as well have been weeds growing by the roadside.

After finishing her noodles and paying the bill, Xia Xiaolan smiled at Aunt Huang.

“ Your cooking is excellent. Have you ever thought about expanding? Turning this noodle stall into an actual noodle shop? ”

How could Aunt Huang not have thought about it?

Zhang Ji earned a fortune every day. Her noodle stall made money too, but compared to Zhang Ji, it was nothing. She wanted to say more, then swallowed the words back.

“ Opening a shop takes capital. And finding a place to rent isn't easy. It's complicated… ”

Xia Xiaolan understood.

Anything further would be overstepping.

Still, an idea was already taking shape in her mind. Unfortunately, she hadn't accumulated enough capital yet. There was no rush to challenge Zhang Ji. Besides, she had a feeling the Xia family wouldn't simply let her walk away into a better life.

Fine.

They could fight it out later.

The school entrance exam had taken half the day, and lunch at Aunt Huang's stall had taken another chunk of time. By the time Xia Xiaolan headed toward the Anqing Guesthouse, it was already afternoon.

If Zhou Cheng wasn't there today, she wouldn't wait around any longer. She would leave for Guangzhou first.

Then she spotted the familiar Dongfeng truck in the distance.

A smile immediately appeared on her face.

— — —

Zhou Cheng had been waiting for nearly half a day.

Several times, he'd almost driven straight to Qijing Village to look for her. 

But she might not even be there, so he stuck to the place they'd agreed on in the telegram and waited at the guesthouse instead.

His patience was almost exhausted when Xia Xiaolan finally appeared.

His gaze swept greedily over her—from head to toe.

Everything about her was beautiful to him.

" Xiaolan! "

He strode toward her.

In public, he couldn't exactly pull her into his arms.

" You finally came. "

Xia Xiaolan smiled back. She wasn't entirely sure whether she liked Zhou Cheng yet.

But he was undeniably pleasant to look at. Among all the young men around her, none came close.

Zhou Cheng was straightforward and open about his feelings. There was a bit of roguish charm about him, but nothing sleazy. 

A handsome young man showing such sincere affection was difficult to dislike.

" Brother Zhou, have you been here long? "

Zhou Cheng shook his head.

" Not long. "

At that exact moment, Kang Wei returned carrying lunch and nearly choked. Not long?

They had driven through the night to get here. After arriving, Zhou Cheng had refused to go upstairs and sleep, insisting on waiting in the truck in case Xia Xiaolan showed up.

Four or five hours wasn't not long.

The man's ability to lie with a straight face was truly impressive.

" Xiaolan-saozi, I brought lunch. Want to join us? " Just Kang Wei casually called her saozi— sister-in-law.

Xia Xiaolan shot him a glare. Unfortunately, the glare was so soft it had absolutely no effect.

" You still haven't eaten? Go ahead. I already had lunch before coming. "

Zhou Cheng wanted to tell Kang Wei to shut up. How was he supposed to care about food right now? Yet once the lunchboxes were opened and the aroma drifted out, he realized he was starving.

The three of them sat around a small tea table in the guesthouse lobby. As he ate, Zhou Cheng kept looking up at Xia Xiaolan.

When you were sitting across from someone you liked, even ordinary food tasted better.

After they finished eating, Xia Xiaolan finally explained her plans.

" I'm heading to the train station later to buy a ticket to Guangzhou. If your telegram hadn't arrived, I probably would've left two days ago. You're just passing through Anqing again, right? "

The fact that she had deliberately delayed her trip for two days so he wouldn't miss her was already a significant gesture by Xia Xiaolan's standards.

But she wasn't about to stay in Anqing playing host. Business came first.

Zhou Cheng paused briefly before smiling.

" Going to Guangzhou for inventory? "

Originally, he had planned to stay in Anqing for a couple of days before heading south. Now he realized Xia Xiaolan simply didn't have the time.

One short meeting wasn't nearly enough to cure his lovesickness. Zhou Cheng was naturally possessive, but he wasn't stupid. This wasn't the time to show it.

Despite her delicate appearance, Xia Xiaolan was surprisingly determined and independent.

And when it came to serious matters… Zhou Cheng knew his place in her priorities wasn't quite that high yet.

At least for now.

His judgment was completely correct.

Kang Wei opened his mouth, wanting to say something. Xia Xiaolan pretended not to notice. Zhou Cheng's reaction, on the other hand, pleased her.

It made things feel easy between them.

" Yes. " she said. 

" I want to buy women's clothing in Guangzhou and bring it back to sell. "

She wasn't bragging.

She spoke matter-of-factly.

Yet there was a spark in her eyes. A confidence that made her glow.

Kang Wei thought to himself: Brother Cheng really fell for someone extraordinary.

Not long ago she had been selling eggs. Then eels.

Now she wanted to travel all the way to Guangzhou alone to source clothing.

Kang Wei couldn't understand it.

Didn't she realize how much Zhou Cheng liked her?

If she asked, Zhou Cheng would probably hand over the entire truckload of merchandise they were transporting. The value of that cargo was worth more than she could earn after months of hard work.

The God of Wealth was standing right in front of her.

And she stubbornly refused to worship him.

It was honestly impressive.

Of course Zhou Cheng understood all that too. He had already offered to help before. The last thing he wanted was for Xia Xiaolan to struggle. But she clearly preferred earning her own way.

That stubborn pride was one of the things he admired most.

Physical attraction might begin with appearance. But lasting affection came from the qualities that truly moved someone's heart.

" Women's clothing… " Zhou Cheng asked.

" You've already saved enough capital that quickly? "

" Not much. The first trip is just an experiment. I want to see how the market responds. "

The first time she'd visited Shangdu's wholesale market, she'd already spotted the opportunity.

Zhou Cheng knew her situation well. After being driven out of the Xia family home, she and her mother had received practically nothing.

That was why she'd chosen businesses with low startup costs, even if they were exhausting. Compared to selling eggs and eels, wholesale clothing required significantly more capital.

Which meant she'd already managed to save a respectable amount. 

And that meant months of nonstop work.

Looking at her now, Zhou Cheng thought she seemed even thinner than before.

" We're actually heading to Guangzhou too. " he said. 

" But it wouldn't be suitable for you to travel with us. Have you bought your train ticket yet? When are you leaving? "

Even if Guangzhou hadn't originally been part of the plan, Zhou Cheng would have made the trip anyway.

Naturally, he wanted Xia Xiaolan sitting beside him in the passenger seat. But transporting goods came with unpredictable risks.

The train was safer.

"I'd like to leave today," Xia Xiaolan replied. "Assuming I can still get a ticket."

Who plans a long-distance trip and waits until afternoon to buy a ticket?

Zhou Cheng couldn't help feeling pleased. She had clearly stayed behind because she wanted to see him.

Her words were perfectly ordinary. Yet somehow, in Zhou Cheng's ears, they sounded sweet as honey.

His own voice softened accordingly.

" Come on. I'll go buy the ticket with you. And if there aren't any tickets today, don't worry. "

His smile deepened. 

" You can stay at the guesthouse for a night and leave tomorrow. "