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In just two days, the school's final exams would begin, followed by the long winter break, which, for those who worked, was essentially the Chinese New Year holiday.
Zhuang Longbao left his hometown, and his Rolls-Royce, with its plates from both Guangdong and Macau, disappeared with him, leaving behind only a legendary story.
This legendary tale stirred the curiosity of many, including Liu Ping. Although she never managed to get the Hermes handbag, she did add Zhuang Longbao on WeChat. It was something new, as no one really used QQ anymore, switching instead to the simpler interface of WeChat.
Zhuang Longbao enthusiastically invited Liu Ping's family to come on a Hong Kong-Macau trip during the winter break. Once they arrived, all meals, accommodation, and entertainment would be on him. This wasn't just a polite offer; it was a sincere invitation.
Liu Ping was tempted. She wanted to go, but she didn't want to take her husband along.
Gao Peng, however, was definitely going. He had already made plans with Director Yu to meet in the Pearl of the Orient.
His son, Gao Xiaopan, was still in detention at the local jail. He had spoken with the head of the detention center, and while life there wouldn't be too hard, it was certainly nothing compared to the freedom on the outside. The prosecution had formally pressed charges, and he was being tried for traffic manslaughter. He would likely be sentenced to one or two years in prison. Initially, there was room for a suspended sentence, but because of the public attention the case had attracted, it was expected to be a prison sentence.
Gao Xiaopan had been expelled from his job, and his future was now gone along with his position. Gao Peng, a man who took revenge for even the smallest grievance, had his sights set on the victim's family. He was incredibly patient—he always knew that a gentleman could wait ten years for revenge. Anyone who crossed him would have to be cautious for the rest of their lives.
When dealing with lowly workers from the lower class, Gao Peng didn't need to wait ten years. He had investigated the victim's family—the mother and child were poor, the adult worked washing dishes in a small restaurant, and the child attended a school for migrant workers' children. They were already struggling, and there was little space for further oppression. Could he break the child's legs by hiring a black car to run them over?
This was something Gao Peng couldn't do. He considered himself a noble and influential man.
But just because he didn't go after women and children didn't mean the matter was over. Gao Peng and Wang Jinhai didn't know the specifics of the victim's family's decision-making. From their experience, they believed that someone must have interfered in the matter. That person was Huang Pihu, the "Yellow Tiger."
Huang Pihu was an outsider who had only been in town for less than a month but had already gained immense popularity. He turned a struggling small restaurant into a successful online hotspot, bringing in huge profits. This wasn't right.
To deal with such a restaurant, a direct approach was more effective than a secret one. On a snowy night, during the prime time for customers, the urban management team deployed three vehicles and over fifty officers to deal with the illegal temporary structure at Yu Mei Restaurant. They ordered the removal of the tent and fined them.
Yi Leng didn't resort to violent resistance. He had principles and never crossed the line. He knew the tent business would be shut down eventually, so he wasn't surprised when it happened.
Wu Yumei and the others had already prepared for this, so no one made any extreme moves. However, the customers weren't happy. They were enjoying hotpot and drinking when they were suddenly interrupted and told that the tent would be taken down, leaving them exposed to the cold and snow. Since most of them were regulars who had a good relationship with the owner, some started protesting and refused to leave, challenging anyone to try taking the tent down.
Urban management officers were now more civilized. The officers were formally trained, and the chaotic personnel of the past no longer existed. They enforced the law firmly, no matter who you were.
The stand-off continued until 1 a.m. Finally, after the last table of customers left, the officers, braving the bitter cold, dismantled and removed the tent.
Old Huang cooperated fully, even making a pot of ginger soup for the officers to warm up.
The loss of two tents was worth around 10,000 yuan, but the profits from this period far exceeded that amount.
The next morning, something unusual happened—the Industrial and Commercial Bank across the street closed, with a notice on the gate saying the bank had moved to another location.
Yi Leng had already arranged for Wu Yumei to negotiate with the property owner to rent the old bank location. They planned to rent both the second and third floors, and they could get a discount on the price.
The plan proceeded faster than expected. The renovation had to be sped up so they could make a profit during the Chinese New Year period. According to Old Huang's idea, they didn't need a fancy renovation—just fix up the kitchen. The restaurant's focus was on taste and atmosphere, not on decor. There was no need to spend unnecessary money. Money should be spent where it mattered most—on the kitchen equipment.
This change of business location was a big deal for the Yumei restaurant team. Just a month ago, Wu Yumei had been running a small restaurant of just a few dozen square meters, struggling to make ends meet. Now, they were about to take over a thousand-square-meter restaurant across three floors. It was a big leap.
A larger restaurant required more investment and staff. Whether they could manage it and make a profit was still uncertain.
Currently, there were five employees at the restaurant, with Wu Yumei as the nominal leader, but everyone knew that the true spiritual leader of Yumei Catering was Huang Pihu.
Wu Yumei didn't feel any jealousy, as she was a woman—single and always prepared to marry Old Huang. That way, they could officially run the business together. In her private moments, she often wondered why the restaurant had managed to turn things around. The answer was simple—people.
It was because of Old Huang, Zhang Cong, Xie Wenxia, Du Li, and the investor Ou Li. Of course, even Xiao Hong could be considered part of the team. Together, they formed an unbreakable group. One person could take on the work of three. That was the key to success.
She had an immature idea: to give everyone shares in the business. Could employees and shareholders be treated the same?
It was late, and Wu Yumei was starting to feel sleepy. She quietly opened the door and saw Old Huang still busy at the computer. She couldn't help but feel a mix of pity and frustration.
Old Huang looked like an ordinary man, often cracking crude jokes, but when it came down to serious business, he was always cautious. Aside from Xiao Hong, Wu Yumei considered Xie Wenxia, Du Li, and Yan Aihua as her competitors. But Old Huang was always careful—he never made any moves on the side.
Could it be that he liked the style of A Li?
Wu Yumei was startled by her own sudden thought. Men like young, beautiful, and highly-educated women, but such women wouldn't choose a middle-aged, oily man who was decades older than them.
...
A Li was tutoring Nuan Nuan next door.
When Nuan Nuan was studying in Jijiang, her grades had been good. However, after her mother passed away in a car accident, her emotions plummeted, and her grades suffered as a result. After transferring to her hometown, she struggled to catch up, becoming a target for bullying. But thanks to the help of good people like Uncle Huang and Teacher A Li, Nuan Nuan regained her confidence and got back on track in her studies. In the classroom, she stood tall, no longer a victim of bullying.
A Li had been the greatest help in her studies. It was like having a free tutor, one-on-one.
A Li lived just upstairs, and after dinner, Nuan Nuan would go upstairs to study. When her grandfather found out, he invited A Li to their house. That was when everything changed.
How should she describe it? Everything at 201 gave A Li a sense of peace, just like going back to her old home in Shanghai. Nuan Nuan's grandparents were kind and polite, and they got along wonderfully.
What made A Li feel the best was Nuan Nuan's bedroom. The old desk, the green lampshade, the books on the bookshelf, including old copies of The Thousand Whys, Uncle Tom's Cabin, The Fortress, One Hundred Years of Solitude, and Shelley's Poems... everything felt so warm and familiar, as if she had once lived here.
A Li casually took a book from the shelf, and as she opened it, a name appeared: Xiang Mo.
Beneath the name was the book's purchase date and location: bought from Xinhua Bookstore, or from a second-hand book stall in the Flower and Bird Market. The handwriting was neat and quiet, much like the person it belonged to—Nuan Nuan's mother, whose image now formed in A Li's mind.
Nuan Nuan brought down a box from the top of the shelf, which contained two photo albums. In the days before digital cameras, people used film cameras to capture moments that would last forever.
The albums followed Xiang Mo from childhood to adolescence, then to university and motherhood. The albums told the story of a life—A Li was deeply moved as she flipped through them, and she felt a warm sensation rising within her.
But the main thing was to continue tutoring Nuan Nuan. A Li was a top student. Even though she said her math wasn't great, it was more than enough to teach a middle schooler. Other subjects were no problem at all.
The room was warm, with the yellow light from a 15-watt ceiling lamp. The lampshade had some black spots from summer mosquitoes. The main light came from a desk lamp that had once been used by Xiang Mo. The desk had green felt and a glass top, with photos and poems from twenty years ago tucked under the glass.
A Li sat in the chair that Xiang Mo had once used, holding a textbook, helping Nuan Nuan, who was sitting on the edge of the bed.
The child was smart and well-behaved, unlike the kind of student who just couldn't learn. Nuan Nuan understood everything immediately, and tutoring her was effortless. Teachers loved students like this.
Grandma brought in some fruit and encouraged Nuan Nuan to learn from the teacher, apologizing to A Li for taking up her time.
"It's nothing, I'm happy to help," A Li said, taking the fruit.
This scene melted her heart, and she reflected on the vast differences between people. So much of it depended on how you were born. For instance, her own life had been shaped by being born into the European family, where, as long as she didn't make too many mistakes, she was guaranteed a bright future. But for someone like Du Li, she would have to work ten times harder to succeed.
Fate was beautiful, wasn't it? A Li, born in Shanghai and raised abroad, was now experiencing a life completely different from her own path. In this unfamiliar city, in the home of strangers, she was tutoring someone else's child. It was ordinary yet profound, a small light in the vast world, but it felt as though it was meant to be.
The place where the heart finds peace is probably just like this.