TRAIN STATION.

Du Rui has already bought train tickets for ten students.

"Wang Peng, let's go to the waiting room first. Keep an eye on the time, don't be late." She glanced at her watch.

"Okay." Wang Peng nodded.

Du Rui led the students into the waiting hall.

“Tomorrow, go check out my video arcade,” Wang Peng said. “I’ve already earned several hundred yuan in just ten days since it opened.”

"If nothing unexpected happens, I should be able to break even on my 10,000 yuan investment in two years at most," he said.

"Can your stationery business make money?" Li Mingzhu walked up to the bicycle selling candied hawthorns and bought three candied hawthorns.

Wang Peng ate a hawthorn cake; it was sweet and sour, and tasted good.

"The video arcade is just a side business of mine. The stationery business is more profitable than the video arcade, mainly because it is more stable."

“I already have twenty-eight distributors in Ping’an County, and they all sell my products.”

"As long as I have enough distributors, I can make money."

Wang Peng helped her carry her schoolbag and was in a good mood.

The stationery business is on track and operating steadily, accumulating initial capital.

Once I get into university, I'll have to give up my business in Ping'an County, so I need to accumulate capital now to do business in a big city.

"Brother, is there really no way to mend your relationship with your parents?" Li Mingzhu asked softly.

"Hmm? Why are you asking this?" Wang Peng frowned.

He hadn't received any news from home for a long time, and he didn't want to pay attention to those awful relatives.

"Brother, they really went too far, but I'm worried. I'm worried that people will talk badly about you behind your back."

"No matter what, they are family."

“When a father and son quarrel, no matter how bad the father is or how wronged the son is, others will always say it is the son’s fault.”

In the end, Li Mingzhu noticed that Wang Peng's expression was very unpleasant, and she couldn't help but feel a little scared.

"Don't mention them, it'll ruin your mood," Wang Peng said, gently taking her hand. "We still have some time, how about we go to the video arcade?"

When her hand was grasped, Li Mingzhu tensed up, and her face turned red again.

However, the man's grip is very light; you only need to use a little force to break free from his grasp.

She hesitated for two seconds, but still didn't break free.

The two arrived at the ticket booth of the video arcade.

"Mengjiao, here you go." Li Mingzhu gave her a candied hawthorn.

"I'm only a few days younger than Wang Peng, you should call me 'older sister'." Li Mengjiao took the candied hawthorn and smiled, "Thank you, little sister."

"Mengjiao, your grades are only slightly worse than Wang Peng's. You'll definitely get into Tsinghua University someday. I'm so envious of you."

"My grades are not good. I am only below average in my class, and I can't even rank in the whole grade."

"I'm only slightly better at math, but my results in the last math competition were absolutely terrible."

Li Mingzhu smiled.

"Good luck is worse than good grades." Li Mengjiao glanced at Wang Peng and smiled, "Little sister, let's go check out my family's video arcade."

They both insisted on calling each other "sister".

Wang Peng couldn't understand the reason, so he laughed and said, "Mengjiao, let's send Fangjie off to her wedding together on the 22nd of the twelfth lunar month."

He has already told Li Longfei about this, and Li Longfei will definitely go.

"Great!" Li Mengjiao smiled. "Brother Peng, what does Sister Fang like? What gift should I prepare for her?"

"It doesn't matter," Wang Peng waved his hand and said, "No matter what you prepare, she will like it."

"I'm planning to buy her a three-piece bedding set, including sheets, a duvet cover, and pillows. What do you think?" Li Mengjiao asked.

Wang Peng shook his head. "There's really no need. Uncle Li and Aunt Li will prepare a generous gift for Sister Fang. You can just give her a small token. It'll be a nice gift that isn't expensive."

“It’s decided then. I’ll buy her the best three-piece bedding set,” Li Mengjiao said.

Having said that, Wang Peng said nothing more and led Li Mingzhu into the video arcade.

There were so many people watching the video; everywhere you looked, there were heads.

The smoky smell was so strong that Li Mingzhu immediately covered her nose.

"Brother Peng, the smoke here is too strong." She couldn't help but cough twice.

"Then let's go outside." Wang Peng couldn't stand the smell of smoke either.

"No." Li Mingzhu immediately shook her head.

Wang Peng led her into the screening room and introduced her to Li Longfei.

“Miss Mingzhu, Mengjiao mentioned you to me, saying that your painting skills are excellent,” Li Longfei said with a smile.

"Uncle Li, you flatter me," Li Mingzhu quickly said modestly.

"Haha, don't be nervous," Li Longfei laughed. "Two Li characters can't be written in one stroke. We were one family five hundred years ago."

After exchanging a few casual words, they were considered to have gotten to know each other.

Ten minutes later, Wang Peng left the video arcade and escorted Li Mingzhu to the train station ticket hall.

Then I followed her into the station and saw her onto the train.

As the train started moving, the two waved goodbye.

Wang Peng left the train station and drove to the People's Department Store.

My cousin Li Fang's stationery shop was frequented by my second uncle and aunt.

"Second Uncle, how are the wedding preparations going?" Wang Peng asked.

Li Guixi beams with joy whenever marriage is mentioned; he is now the most handsome man in the entire Li Village.

A country girl marrying a city boy, especially a high school teacher, would definitely cause a sensation.

“Dapeng, those old ladies in the village are all thanks to the good fortune of our Li family’s ancestral graves.”

Li Gui said with a smile, "Yesterday morning, I specially bought several kilograms of yellow paper to burn for our ancestors in the ancestral graves."

"Haha, it's not that bad," Wang Peng laughed. "Second Uncle, don't think like that. Marriage is fair; don't feel like we're climbing the social ladder."

“Xiaopeng knows how to talk,” said his second aunt. “Child, what are the customs in the provincial capital? How much dowry should we prepare for your sister?”

Wang Peng scratched his head. "Sister Fang, did Brother Qingshu give you a bride price?"

“He offered it to me, but I don’t want it,” Li Fang said. “His father told him to give me five hundred, but I don’t want it.”

“Then let’s not prepare any dowry,” Wang Peng said. “We won’t do these formalities; we’ll treat everyone fairly.”

Chen Qingshu is the only son in the Chen family, and he will inherit the family business in the future, so there is no need to demand a dowry.

Just then, someone came to buy stationery.

After some haggling, the middle-aged woman bought her son a pencil case and two ballpoint pens.

After the guests left, Wang Peng said, "Sister Fang, did Brother Qingshu mention the steel mill reorganization to you?"

“He said a few things,” Li Fang nodded. “He said Uncle Chen is now the deputy factory director, in charge of production and personnel.”

Wang Peng smiled slightly, "After the wedding, you can whisper sweet nothings in his ear and ask Uncle Chen to get my second uncle and aunt into the steel rolling mill."

"Ah?" Li Guixi hurriedly waved his hand, "No, no, I'm just an old farmer, all I know is farming, I don't know anything else?"

“I’m not going,” my second aunt refused outright. “I’m selling tickets in the video arcade booth; that’s very important.”

Selling tickets meant controlling the revenue, and she was worried that Li Longfei would swindle her nephew out of his money.

Wang Peng waved his hand, "I'll go talk to Uncle Chen and tell you all to just wait to go to the city to work."