In fact, over the years, few people in Guanjia Village have talked about Sun Qingshu's affairs, unless Guan Baiyu deliberately asks about it.

But not many people knew anything about him. At most, the older folks would talk about Sun Qingshu’s childhood. Later, Sun Qingshu was taken away by Sun Pingfu… and then nobody knew what happened to him.

Sun Qingshu died in 1979, but he was taken away more than a decade earlier, in the 1960s.

Back then, the people of Guanjia Village would never go to Changxi City.

It wasn't until the end of 1978, when Sun Qingshu passed away, that his family informed them of his death. Then, his grandmother went to Changxi City and brought him back.

Only his grandmother was involved in this whole affair.

The villagers always said that the Sun family treated Sun Qingshu badly, didn't want him or his children, and that's why they abandoned him to his grandmother after he died.

These were also things his grandmother said.

Guan Baiyu never talks about his grandmother, after all, she raised him. If it weren't for her, he might not exist anymore. But he knows her inside story all too well.

He knew perfectly well what kind of person his grandmother was.

Guan Baiyu had doubts, but quickly dismissed them.

Who knows what kind of dirty tricks the Sun family has up their sleeves that made them disown him?

Or perhaps there was some problem with his mother that prevented the Sun family from knowing she was pregnant.

Otherwise... what's wrong with his brother?

It's impossible that his brother mistook someone else for someone else, right?

Guan Baiyu led Qiu Yunxin and the others around the village, introducing them to the vegetables in the fields and taking them across the narrow, somewhat old stone bridges in the village.

Yesterday, Qiu Yunxin came to Anshan Town with Guan Baiyu. On the bus, Guan Baiyu ignored her the whole time, which made her feel a little depressed. She thought that Guan Baiyu might be poor and didn't want them to see that, which made her feel a little better.

She wouldn't look down on Guan Baiyu for being poor, so there's no reason for Guan Baiyu to ignore her!

Now Guan Baiyu is treating her very well... She feels that Guan Baiyu must know what she's thinking.

Qiu Yunxin was very happy throughout, her eyes sparkling.

Guan Baiyu, however, had gradually calmed down by this time.

He didn't know his background or what exactly happened.

But he's living a good life now, so there's no rush to investigate further.

In the rural areas of the 1990s, the free-range chickens and ducks that roamed around were actually quite beautiful.

At least at this point, the river was not yet polluted.

Moreover, although winters are cold in Changxi City, they are not particularly cold. Farmers' private plots actually grow a lot of vegetables, which is quite rare for people who have lived in the city since childhood.

After wandering around for a while, the group returned to Guan Baiyu's house and mentioned their plan to cook a picnic there.

Guan Baiyu originally didn't want to talk to them much and was thinking of making an excuse that he was busy and letting them play by themselves.

But then Sun Qiqi suddenly said something... Guan Baiyu ultimately couldn't figure out how to get rid of her.

It's nothing more than cooking a simple meal next to his house.

"Can you cook? Is what you cook edible?" Li Dongchen asked.

Of the five people who came this time, three girls chatted with Guan Baiyu the whole time, and one of the two boys was like a ghost, just admiring the natural scenery the whole time. As for Li Dongchen, he occasionally expressed his dissatisfaction.

"Then don't eat it! Nobody's forcing you to eat it!" Qiu Yunxin said irritably.

Although Qiu Yunxin and the others grew up in the city, the primary and junior high schools they attended were quite good. The schools would organize spring and autumn outings, and they even cooked picnics and tea eggs at school.

This is also why Qiu Yunxin and her team came up with the idea to do this.

At this moment, the three girls got to work, trying to build a stove using the broken bricks in front of Guan Baiyu's house.

These broken bricks were collected by Shi Zhen while he was assembling bricks for someone recently, and he kept them for future use.

With his skills and enough bricks, he could easily build a small house next to Guan Baiyu's house by himself; bricks are truly useful.

Guan Baiyu took out the pot from his house and washed it carefully. Then he saw three girls laughing and joking as they tried to build a stove in front of his house. They didn't know how to build it at all, and it was obvious that the pot would collapse if they put it on.

He had no choice but to build a stove himself.

The girls brought candied dates, glutinous rice, and white sugar, intending to cook candied date and glutinous rice. He helped them add water and light the fire.

He didn't intend to eat this food, which was meant for other people, so he went inside to cook for himself and Shi Zhen.

He cooked rice in the rice cooker, steamed an egg on top, and stir-fried two vegetables.

While he was cooking, he didn't forget to go out and check if the jujube and glutinous rice for the five people outside was ready, and promptly told them to stop, lest they cook a pot of burnt rice.

Qiu Yunxin looked at Guan Baiyu and liked him more and more.

To be honest, Guan Baiyu's family was extremely poor, which was a bit unexpected for her.

But the more this happened... the more she felt Guan Baiyu was amazing.

Guan Baiyu is like a lotus flower that grows out of the mud!

"Guan Baiyu's family is so poor, you really can't tell from school. Doesn't he have pretty good food and things? Is it really true, like what others say, that he gets everything from Liang Qinxuan?" Li Dongchen started again. "Isn't he embarrassed at all?"

Qiu Yunxin said, "No one will think you're mute if you don't speak! Liang Qinxuan is doing it willingly, what does it have to do with Guan Baiyu?"

Qiu Yunxin now feels that Guan Baiyu is good in every way.

Guan Baiyu can even cook! Her dad can't, and even if he can't, he'll still complain when her mom cooks!

She dislikes her father the most.

“Xin Xin…” Li Dongchen was even angrier. After thinking for a moment, he added, “By the way, Guan Baiyu kept talking to Sun Qiqi. Does he like Sun Qiqi?”

Qiu Yunxin got even angrier: "You actually tried to sow discord between me and Qiqi!"

For a while, Guan Baiyu did talk a lot with Sun Qiqi, but they only talked about Sun Qiqi's uncle, and they didn't talk about anything else!

Even Sun Qiqi now dislikes Li Dongchen. Does Li Dongchen think everyone will have a puppy love relationship? She has no intention of having one at all!

Even if she were to start dating early, she wouldn't choose her best friend's boyfriend!

Not long after Guan Baiyu finished cooking, Shi Zhen brought over the dishes that Zhao Qiujuan had delivered.

Meanwhile, Qiu Yunxin and the others had just started eating the jujube and glutinous rice they had made themselves.

Sweet glutinous rice is not difficult to make, and as for the taste... well, it's just sweet.

Shi Zhen invited them to sit down and have something to eat. The five of them didn't refuse and sat down. However, the two boys looked at the table with disgust and didn't touch any of the food.

At this point, Shi Zhen also began to dislike them a little.

These two boys clearly had a problem with Guan Baiyu.

Shi Zhen had originally wanted to chat with them, but seeing the situation, his interest waned. He quickly finished his meal and went to Guan Jianguo to continue with his own business.

It was at this moment that several girls asked where they could use the restroom.

Guan Baiyu thought for a moment and then took them directly to Guan Jian's country, letting them use the restroom there.

Guan Jianguo's house was well-built, and the toilet was also decent. Although they were all outhouses, his outhouse was clean.

The girls went to the restroom, and Li Dongchen suddenly said, "Guan Baiyu, don't think that just because Xin Xin likes you, you can be with her. Xin Xin's parents would definitely look down on a country bumpkin like you."

"I know." Guan Baiyu remained calm; he didn't need anyone's attention.

Li Dongchen had prepared a lot to say to Guan Baiyu, but Guan Baiyu's words shut him up completely. In the end, he blushed and didn't know what to say.

Guan Baiyu was a little envious of him.

Li Dongchen likes girls, so he can openly and honestly confess his feelings.

And then there's Qiu Yunxin. She's a girl, yet she's able to openly and clearly express her feelings.

If Shi Zhen were a woman... well, that sounds weird. If he were a woman, he and Shi Zhen...

Wait, they're cousins!

Guan Baiyu rubbed his forehead, then thought about his background.

He was confused and didn't know who to ask for answers.

The outhouses in Guanjian Country were relatively clean. It was winter, so there were no flies or maggots crawling around. The three girls went to the toilet without any discomfort.

They even started thinking about making tea eggs.

Guan Baiyu didn't stop him.

However, while they were making tea eggs, Guan Baiyu gestured to Qiu Yunxin to go for a walk outside with him.

Qiu Yunxin blushed and followed Guan Baiyu out.

Not far from Guan Baiyu's house is a cement road, and further ahead is a river. Between the cement road and the river, there are several trees.

He led Qiu Yunxin to the tree and said directly, "Qiu, let's talk."

"What do you want to say?" Qiu Yunxin asked expectantly. She had already taken the initiative, and if she were to confess, she would definitely hope that Guan Baiyu would do it.

"You've seen my family situation. For me, the most important thing is studying, otherwise I'd be letting my brother down. I'll study hard in high school and college too. I only want to study, nothing else." Guan Baiyu didn't explicitly reject him, after all, the other person hadn't confessed.

But his meaning was also very clear: he wouldn't date during high school or college.

Qiu Yunxin was taken aback.

Guan Baiyu smiled: "Your classmate is waiting for you, go back."

Qiu Yunxin said, "Wait, I won't disturb your studies..."

“If you hadn’t come today, I would have studied,” Guan Baiyu said.

Qiu Yunxin said, "Your grades are already very good..."

"I want to be number one."

"you……"

"I just want to study."

Qiu Yunxin was speechless. Looking at Guan Baiyu's face and thinking about his family background, she couldn't bring herself to be angry.

She went back indignantly to cook tea eggs.

Li Dongchen said, "Xin Xin, what did he say to you? Don't believe his sweet words!"

“You think it’s all you?” Qiu Yunxin said.

Li Dongchen just couldn't understand why Qiu Yunxin would fall for Guan Baiyu. What was so great about Guan Baiyu besides his good looks?

Sun Qiqi and Cheng Tian exchanged a glance, then whispered to Qiu Yunxin, "Did he confess his feelings to you?"

Qiu Yunxin said helplessly, "No!"

Guan Baiyu's failure to confess his feelings to her was clearly a rejection!

Sun Qiqi and Cheng Tian looked at each other, unsure of what to say.

Qiu Yunxin lost interest in staying any longer. After making the tea eggs, she took them and went back to town.

It wasn't until they were far away from Guan Baiyu's house that Qiu Yunxin told her two best friends what Guan Baiyu had said to her.

Cheng Tian said, "Actually, what he said makes a lot of sense. With his family like that, what else can he do if he doesn't study hard?"

Qiu Yunxin pouted: "But he still spends all his time with Liang Qinxuan, doesn't he?"

“But Liang Qinxuan is rich…” Cheng Tian said.

Qiu Yunxin was a little angry: "In the future, I will definitely make a lot of money! Then I'll make sure Guan Baiyu has no choice but to follow me!"

"Sure, Xin Xin!" Cheng Tian encouraged.

Although Qiu Yunxin was rejected, it wasn't exactly a heartbreak, since Guan Baiyu wasn't dating anyone else.

She encouraged herself, planning to study hard so that she could go to the same university as Guan Baiyu and work in the same company in the future. Then Guan Baiyu wouldn't be able to use studying as an excuse to refuse her again!

Young people's thoughts are always simple and straightforward.

On the other hand, that very evening, Li Dongchen couldn't wait to call his friend in Changxi City to complain about Guan Baiyu, emphasizing how poor Guan Baiyu's family was.

The very poor Guan Baiyu carried five thousand yuan on his back and headed to Changxi City the next day.

Shi Zhen had previously asked Guan Baiyu if he wanted to deposit the five thousand yuan, but Guan Baiyu said no, so Shi Zhen didn't stop him.

Although bank interest rates are high now, even the highest interest rates can't keep up with the rate of currency devaluation...

When Guan Baiyu came to Changxi City, he told Shi Zhen that he wanted to get himself an ID card.

Shi Zhen had no doubts.

At sixteen, one can actually get an ID card. Once you're sixteen or older, you're no longer considered a child laborer.

Having an ID card would indeed make things much more convenient for Guan Baiyu.

After arriving in Changxi City, Guan Baiyu did get an ID card, but after taking his photo, he immediately went to a nearby clothing factory with Liang Qinxuan.

Guan Baiyu and Liang Qinxuan went to each garment factory to ask if they did OEM/ODM business.

Those large garment factories rejected it without even thinking about it.

Now, whatever they produce is in high demand, so why would they bother with OEM manufacturing? If they were to do OEM manufacturing, they should focus on manufacturing for international brand-name clothing—that's where the profits are truly high!

Foreign companies that set up factories in China can pay their ordinary workers several thousand yuan a month, and they also pay domestic companies extra money to process their clothes.

Since they wouldn't work for the big factories, Guan Baiyu and Liang Qinxuan opted for smaller workshops instead.

As for how to find small workshops...

When Guan Baiyu visited a large company before, he took a few packs of cigarettes and chatted with the old men who guarded the gates. That's how he learned the addresses of some small workshops.

Many people who run small workshops are people who left these large companies to go out on their own.

Or they might simply be relatives of the leaders of these large companies, working together as well.

Guan Baiyu and Liang Qinxuan quickly found a small workshop.

The small workshop was located in a farmhouse near Changxi City. As you entered, you could see a lot of clothes piled up outside, including long-sleeved and short-sleeved ones, all in simple styles.

A capable woman in her forties was tidying up clothes. When she saw them, she asked, "Are you here to buy goods?"

"No, we want to ask if you do OEM business, that is, to help us produce things that we can use."

Without a second thought, the woman said, "Do it!"

Guan Baiyu chatted with the woman and found that the processing fee she charged was very cheap. He followed her inside... Inside her house, there were about ten workers operating sewing machines, each one buried in their work, never stopping.

These small workshops basically charge by the piece, and no one wants to stop operating.

After Guan Baiyu got the details, he asked about the price of the fabric and the price of the zipper, and the woman answered him in detail.

The amount of fabric needed to make a pencil case is very small, and the cost of one pencil case can be kept to within one yuan, or even within fifty cents.

If I were to sell it... I could easily get two yuan for it.

The problem now is that he can't sell them himself, and the students in Changxi City... how many students are there at most? They can't all buy his pencil cases.

Guan Baiyu thought for a moment and then said, "Let's go check out the big garment factory area... it seems like they have distributors there."

He doesn't understand sales, but he can wholesale to others.

Just now... Guan Baiyu realized that they could also make schoolbags.

If I can make clothes, I can definitely make backpacks too. At worst, I'll just make something simple first.

Liang Qinxuan followed Guan Baiyu around, seemingly without any ideas, but when they met people, he was quite eloquent, probably because he had been influenced by his father.

However, he refused Guan Baiyu now: "Guan Baiyu, it's too late now!"

Guan Baiyu was taken aback, only then realizing that it was already five o'clock in the evening and it was almost dark: "Take me to the station immediately, or there won't be any more buses if it's too late."

"Let my cousin take you home," Liang Qinxuan said. "He'll pick you up tomorrow morning! Sigh, do you want to stay at my house? Okay, okay, I won't make such an unreasonable request."

When Liang Qinxuan mentioned inviting Guan Baiyu to stay at his house, Guan Baiyu frowned and immediately dared not bring it up again.

Guan Baiyu said, "Your stepmother probably doesn't like me, so I'd better go home."

His brother is still at home!