When I became curious about the woman playing the accordion, my attention became less focused, so much so that the pottery shop owner repeated the same sentence to me twice before I finally gave him an answer.

Five minutes later, the woman finished playing the accordion. She placed it beside the chair and then wiped her hands with a towel. She seemed to be a germaphobe, but to me, these little details didn't matter. I just wanted to see her face clearly...

I think I have a condition where I want to find out the truth about anyone whose physical characteristics resemble Ye Zhi in some way, even if I know it's not her. This is a manifestation of obsessive addiction...

Unfortunately, the woman didn't give me a chance to see her face clearly. After putting down the handkerchief, she left without looking back or turning around.

I felt disappointed and unwilling to give up, so I waited for another ten minutes or so...

There was no result; she never appeared again after leaving the window through which I could see her.

I forcibly suppressed this morbid urge before leaving the "bed sheet factory" with the pottery jars that Yang Sisi had made. Then I found a courier company that could handle overseas business and sent the pottery jars to the address Yang Sisi had given me.

And that's what I did all morning.

...

At noon, Chen Jin and I had lunch together. During the meal, we talked about what Lao Nie and I had discussed the night before. Chen Jin was overjoyed, saying that we had met a benefactor.

We're due to meet a benefactor soon; otherwise, if all we encounter in this entrepreneurial journey are people like Cao Jinbo who constantly create difficulties, our entrepreneurial luck will truly be terrible. After all, our ideas and execution are fine; all we need is this little bit of luck.

Perhaps because he was in a good mood, Chen Jin asked the waiter for two more bottles of beer and insisted that I drink one with him, saying it was a "temporary" celebration.

These past few days have indeed been full of good news. We not only reached a cooperation agreement with the clothing company where Lu Jia works, but also obtained the operating rights to Chen Yi's six shops. After that, we also received help from Lao Nie.

Just now, Lao Nie called me and said that he had already spoken to the "Ancient City Protection Administration" and that the approval documents would be delivered to us in three days at most. We can now go and talk to the construction company that installs the streetlights at any time to discuss cooperation.

This is a huge favor from Lao Nie to our studio. You know, before, we offered a project budget of 160,000 yuan, but no construction company was willing to cooperate with us. Now that we have the "Ancient City Protection Administration" permit, we only need to do this according to the original budget of 70,000 yuan.

If this favor were to be materialized, it would amount to a full 90,000 yuan, equivalent to a year's salary for an average white-collar worker.

...

That evening, I met with Lu Jia, who had already returned from Lijiang. Tomorrow, she will leave to continue her studies abroad, so this dinner was both a way of thanking her and a farewell.

While we were waiting for our food, she spoke first and asked me, "Have you sorted out the issue of installing streetlights over there?"

"A friend helped us with the approval process at the Ancient City Protection Administration today, so it should be a sure thing."

“That’s good… A few days ago, Manager Wu mentioned this to me, saying that our decision to open a flagship store on Jiulongju Commercial Street was a bit too hasty. We didn’t even know beforehand that there weren’t any streetlights on this commercial street… I told her that you are a very reliable and cooperative person, so you can definitely get the streetlights sorted out and won’t let our partners down… Sure enough, you brought me good news today… Otherwise, I wouldn’t feel at ease walking around.”

I looked at Lu Jia for a long while before finally saying, "Thank you..."

Why are you thanking me?

“Our studio really needs this opportunity.”

"If that's the case, then I'm actually a little curious. When you say thank you, are you saying it on behalf of yourself or your studio?"

Does it make a difference?

"For personal matters, there's no need for that; I prefer to handle business strictly..."

After a brief pause, Lu Jia said to me again, "While you are thanking me, I would also like to ask you for a favor."

"What kind of help?"

Lu Jia and I looked at each other, her expression turning serious. She then said, "Our company has already opened a flagship store on your commercial street. Compared to the company, I personally care more about the success or failure of this store, because I designed many of the products inside... I crave recognition and the realization of my value... But all of this has prerequisites. First, people need to have the opportunity to know that I have these designs before they will feel a sense of recognition... So, I hope you can promote this flagship store in Dali, which is also a way of indirectly promoting my designs..."

I nodded and replied, "I understand what you mean. On this point, our interests are aligned. If we can generate buzz for your flagship store, the subsequent recruitment process will be easier. I think your flagship store is the kind of model we need to focus on establishing in the future."

"So you'll spare no effort, right?"

"Yes, give it your all!"

Lu Jia smiled and then raised her glass to me. The moment our glasses clinked, we felt more like business partners with shared interests, and the past seemed to fade away...

...

After dinner, Lu Jia and I stood at the restaurant entrance. This time, I spoke first and asked her, "What time are we leaving tomorrow?"

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