The four of them sat down in the restaurant.

Ruan Xi sat on the chair and looked at Ruan Jie, then at Chen Weidong, "Have you been in touch for a long time?"

Ruan Jie pursed her lips and nodded, and after a moment she said, "Not long after you and Xu Zhuo reunited."

Xu Zhuo told Chen Weidong the address of Ruan Jie's school, and Chen Weidong wrote to him shamelessly. The two of them corresponded for two years. Chen Weidong was transferred to Beijing this summer, and he would go to the school to see Ruan Jie every Sunday.

Ruan Xi raised her hand and poked Ruan Jie on the forehead, "You didn't even let me know."

Ruan Jie smiled and whispered, "I haven't thought about how to say it."

She felt embarrassed, so she didn't mention it.

Ruan Xi didn't really care, she had never planned to mix it up. Ruan Jie is already an adult, and now she is about to enter the society after four years of college. She is in charge of her own feelings and life.

And Chen Weidong is really good. He has liked Ruan Jie for so many years and has never given up. He has known her for so long and knows her inside out. He has a good family background and is the son of an official. Now he has been transferred to Beijing for work.

If nothing unexpected happens, he and Ruan Jie should be able to be together smoothly.

Both of them have stable jobs here, and they can live a happy and stable life after marriage.

After talking about Chen Weidong and Ruan Jie, Chen Weidong looked at Ruan Xi and asked, "Ruan Xi, what are your plans? You have graduated from college and are not young anymore. Isn't it time to think about your life?"

He glanced at Xu Zhuo next to Ruan Xi.

Ruan Xi's eyes suddenly narrowed after hearing this and asked him, "I am only 22 years old, so I am not young anymore?"

22 years old is obviously still very young, right?

22 years old is still so tender that you can pinch water out of your face, right?

What is the point? Chen Weidong hesitated, "Xiao...Xiao can also consider the major event of his life."

Ruan Xi was so busy every day that she felt dizzy. There were so many things to consider that she couldn't spare any space in her mind to think about this matter, so she didn't have anything to say. She just said, "I'll talk about it later. There's no rush for now."

Chen Weidong glanced at Xu Zhuo again, and seeing that Xu Zhuo himself didn't say anything, he didn't continue talking.

The four of them ate together, chatted and talked about the past, and time passed.

Because the countryside was far away, Ruan Xi and Ruan Jie didn't stay in the city for long after dinner. They pushed their bicycles outside the restaurant, chatted with Xu Zhuo and Chen Weidong for a few more words, and then rode away.

Watching Ruan Xi and Ruan Jie disappear in the night, Chen Weidong turned around to look at Xu Zhuo.

They did not go back immediately, but found a park to sit for a while.

The two sat in the night and felt the cold wind. Chen Weidong asked Xu Zhuo: "What's wrong with you?"

Xu Zhuo did not speak, and he said: "You used to be the wildest among us brothers, why are you so frightened now? Don't wait until the brothers are married and you are still hanging around. If you want to be together, just say it."

Xu Zhuo turned around and looked at him, "Can we be together if you say it?"

Chen Weidong: "You definitely can't be together if you don't say it."

Xu Zhuo turned around and looked at the moon in the sky.

Chen Weidong continued, "She has graduated now and is old enough to get married. If you don't take action now, how long are you going to wait? If someone else snatches her away, you'll be crying." Xu Zhuo

took a deep breath and said after a moment, "She doesn't have that kind of feeling for me."

Chen Weidong said, "Brother, that kind of feeling is cultivated. The little girl didn't have that kind of feeling for me at the beginning either. I think it's good now. I'm going to be the sun in her heart soon."

Xu Zhuo: "..."

Blind self-confidence is also good.

He said, "She is not Ruan Jie. If I were as shameless as you, I guess we wouldn't even be friends anymore."

Chen Weidong looked at him, "So do you plan to be friends with her for life? As for me, you still have six months to graduate. You can use this six months to quickly decide your life-long affairs."

Xu Zhuo took a deep breath again and said after a long while, "Let's talk about it later."

Maybe when friends have been together for too long and are used to this mode of getting along, they don't know how to break it. There are some things that they can't say, and they are worried that they will no longer be friends.

Of course, he has other concerns, such as graduating next summer and returning to the army.

He doesn't know how long he will be away, and he can't say what will happen in the future.

Ruan Xi would definitely not abandon everything to go with him. It was obvious that she wanted to stay here. After all, she brought all her family members here, and they would definitely settle down here in the future. She

has a lot of considerations, and she is indeed not as arrogant as she was when she was young.

Chen Weidong was right, she was just scared.

Seeing him say this, Chen Weidong did not interfere any more, after all, outsiders could not interfere in this matter. They

chatted about something else, and when she got up, she just told him: "Wait for me when you go home."

In the blink of an eye, it was the Chinese New Year again.

It was time to go home for the Chinese New Year again.

After the Spring Festival this year, Ruan Zhigao and Liu Xinghua still did not come to the city together, but stayed in the countryside to accompany the land of their neighbors, and often heard Ruan Changgui and Sun Xiaohui complain about their injustice.

Ruan Changgui and Sun Xiaohui asked for the old tailor's house, but Ruan Zhigao refused to give it to them.

After the Chinese New Year, Ruan Xi and Ruan Jie started to work in their respective units.

Ruan Xi went to the Industry and Commerce Bureau, while Ruan Jie went to the Education Bureau.

Ruan Xi had no interest in the work within the system, but she still reported to the unit on time, intending to experience the life within the system. After all, it was the golden rice bowl that she had worked hard to earn, and she had to take it.

After entering the unit to work, Ruan Xi really felt like her whole face was covered with gold. But she has never been obsessed with this kind of decency in the secular concept, and after getting addicted to it, she felt that it was not very meaningful.

However, working in the Industry and Commerce Bureau gave her a clearer understanding of the market, and she also naturally knew how chaotic the domestic market order was during the period of transition from a planned economy to a market economy.

But chaotic order does not mean that there are no rules at all. In such a special historical background, many legal systems are slowly being explored and established, including the Trademark Law that Ruan Xi is waiting for.

Although she didn't like life in the system, Ruan Xi still took her work seriously. So her daily routine became working in the company from Monday to Saturday, and going to the countryside to make clothes on Sunday.

Her busyness was not fake, and it was also true that she had no time to think about other things.

On the last day of June, she received a call from Ruan Jie in the midst of her busyness.

Ruan Jie said to her, "Chen Weidong said Xu Zhuo will leave tomorrow, let's go out for dinner in the evening."

So the four of them got together again in the evening to celebrate Xu Zhuo's death.

Year after year passed, from sixteen or seventeen to twenty-two or twenty-three years old, the four of them had all grown up, and the childishness on their faces had long since disappeared. Parting and meeting, meeting and parting, seemed to be an endlessly repeated cycle.

Because it was more convenient to live in the company, Ruan Xi and Ruan Jie did not go back immediately after dinner.

The four of them went for a stroll in the park and enjoyed the lake breeze.

Chen Weidong took Ruan Jie, Ruan Xi and Xu Zhuo apart in the park to create some space for himself and Ruan Jie, and also for Xu Zhuo and Ruan Xi, so that Xu Zhuo and Ruan Xi could talk more.

Xu Zhuo and Ruan Xi did talk a lot, from the age of seventeen to the age of twenty-three.

But the sentence Xu Zhuo wanted to say the most, he never said it.

After sending Ruan Xi and Ruan Jie back to the unit, on the way back, Chen Weidong asked him: "Did you say it?"

Xu Zhuo asked knowingly: "What?"

Chen Weidong said: "Let her wait for you."

Xu Zhuo was silent for a moment and said: "If she is still alone and calm when we meet next time, I will definitely marry her."

Then you tell her!

Chen Weidong slapped his thigh: "You really make me anxious to death!"

The emperor is not as anxious as the eunuch.

All the separations and reunions between friends have little impact on Ruan Xi, after all, separation is the norm in life.

Because she is busy with work and the garment workshop, she has no energy or mind to think about other things.

In comparison, Ruan Jie is much more relaxed than her. In addition to going to work step by step every day, she spends the rest of her time dating Chen Weidong and talking about love, eating or going to the park to watch movies. Ruan Jie

's personality is more suitable for a job within the system, and she likes this job very much.

Compared to a life full of risks and changes, she prefers a stable and down-to-earth life.

Ruan Jie and Chen Weidong got together not long after returning from the Chinese New Year. They have been very happy together for the past six months and have made plans for the future. They plan to get married after Ruan Jie has a stable job.

Ruan Xi, who takes "young and strong, you should work hard" as her life motto, certainly did not plan her life to be so simple, stable and down-to-earth. She also did not plan to work in the Industrial and Commercial Bureau for a long time.

August 23, 1982, was a special and turning point.

After work in the evening, Ruan Xi asked Ruan Jie out for dinner.

When she was half full, she said to Ruan Jie, "Today, the 24th meeting of the Fifth National People's Congress Standing Committee was held. The Trademark Law was passed at the meeting. Today, I submitted my resignation application to my company."

She had had enough of the golden rice bowl for half a year, and she decided to pack up and go back to concentrate on making clothes.

Ruan Jie was putting a piece of meat into her mouth, and she was stunned when she heard Ruan Xi say this. Then she chewed the meat slowly in her mouth, and said aloud for a long time: "Sister, you really can't bear to give it up?"

Ruan Xi smiled, "What's there to be reluctant about?"

Ruan Jie said, "Then your four years of college were in vain?"

It was not easy to get into college and get a job, which made her stable for the rest of her life. I don't know how many people were jealous of her, but she quit after only six months. Thinking about it, she naturally felt it was a pity. She would definitely not be willing to let someone else go.

Ruan Xi said, "I didn't go to college to get a good job assigned to me by the country. The four years of college are my own life experience. The academic qualifications are mine, the things I learned are mine, and the friends I made are mine. How could it be in vain?"

Even the six months of classes she attended were not in vain. They will help her in her future career.

Ruan Jie thought about it, pursed her lips and said, "If you have made up your mind, then I support you. You can do what you want to do boldly. Even if you don't do well in the future, it doesn't matter. I will definitely support you."

Ruan Xi laughed out loud at what she said, and after laughing, she said, "Thank you, our Xiao Jie."

The news that Ruan Xi proposed to resign spread in the unit the next day, and everyone was so shocked that their eyes almost popped out. You have to know that this rice bowl is only for people who try their best to grab it, but they throw it away before they even get it.

In such a big city, who has ever heard of a civil servant resigning?

Even those at the grassroots level are reluctant to give up this rice bowl.

Colleagues were shocked and discussed privately. Then they came to Ruan Xi and asked her face to face with disbelief: "I heard that you submitted your resignation application, right?"

Ruan Xi nodded and said: "Yes, I submitted it yesterday."

Colleagues patted her on the shoulder and said: "You are crazy! This is the Municipal Bureau. Many people have been working for more than ten years and still can't get in. You just resigned. Do your family know?"

Ruan Xi knew how good her job was in the eyes of others, and naturally knew how crazy she was in the eyes of others for resigning. At this time, civil servants are the most respectable and promising in the eyes of others.

She fully understood her colleagues' reactions and just smiled and said: "I can make the decision myself."

Oh my God, such a big thing, she was simply making a joke of her life. After working hard to get into college and studying for four years, she finally got this position, but she just quit as if it was a joke.

Her colleagues advised her: "Ruan Xi, stop making trouble. Go and get your application back before it's approved, otherwise you will regret it in the future. It's easy to quit, but you can't come back if you want to!"

Ruan Xi still smiled and said, "I've thought about it, I won't regret it."

The colleague looked at her, "Believe me! You will definitely regret it!"

Ruan Xi smiled, "If you regret it, my sister will support me."

Colleagues: "..."

She must be crazy.

Ruan Xi was unmoved, and several colleagues advised her a few more words and then stopped persuading her. Then they shook their heads and talked about it privately, saying that Ruan Xi was so willful, and he would definitely pay the price for his willfulness today in the future.

Ruan Xi's attitude was as firm as a rock, without the slightest hesitation. On Saturday

, she received the approval from the appointment and dismissal authority, and the approval result was notified to her unit and herself in writing. When she returned to the countryside after work in the evening, she took out the resignation approval and showed it to Ruan Cuizhi and others.

Ruan Cuizhi and others were also stunned for a long time when they saw the approval document, and they did not react for a long time.

After all, this is a golden rice bowl allocated by the state, and many people can't even dream of it.

Ruan Cuizhi blinked and asked, "Are you really resigning?"

When she asked this question, she felt her heart bleeding. It was such an enviable job!

Ruan Xi didn't look reluctant at all, and nodded to her and said, "I'm quitting. I'll go over to hand over the work next week. After the handover, I'll come back and concentrate on making and selling clothes with you guys."

Since she had already quit, there was no need to say that it was a pity.

Yue Haofeng said, "Then let's work hard together."

Ruan Xi nodded, "Let's do it big."

After all, Ruan Xi had only worked in the unit for half a year, and the handover work didn't take long. After the handover, she packed up her personal belongings in the unit dormitory and left the unit completely.

After resigning and returning home, she naturally put all her thoughts on making clothes.

Now that she has sufficient funds, she thinks it is time to upgrade the specifications and expand the scale. So she and Yue Haofeng went around the city for a few days and rented two stores, one in Dazhalan and one in Wangfujing.

After renting the stores, they started to renovate them immediately, and naturally Ruan Changsheng and Qian Chuan became the store managers.

After seeing the progress of the store renovation in the city today, she gathered everyone in the garment workshop together for a meeting after dinner, including the five girls.

After all, they have been together for two or three years, and now they are all familiar with each other. Ruan Cuizhi is particularly familiar with the craftsmanship of the five girls, and before the meeting, she has identified two people she wants for Ruan Xi.

During the meeting, Ruan Xi took out a bunch of keys, looked at the two girls and said: "Xiaohui and Xiaolan, from today on, I will promote you two to team leaders. Take the keys, and I will assign you a separate yard, and then recruit three people each, train and lead yourselves. From now on, you will work together as a team."

Promotion means promotion. Xiaohui and Xiaolan were very happy, and said in unison: "We guarantee to complete the task! "

Ruan Xi was afraid that the other three girls would be unhappy, so she said to them, "You should also work hard, and you will all have opportunities in the future. The next time we recruit people, you will be the team leaders, okay?"

The three girls also laughed and said in unison, "Okay!"

After promoting Xiaohui and Xiaolan to team leaders, Ruan Xi naturally purchased the necessary equipment. In fact, the main ones were sewing machines, and the others were not so urgent, especially recruiting people was particularly easy.

Because the five girls made a lot of money from them, and the people in the village more or less knew about it, so it was not difficult to recruit people now, and many girls had long wanted to join them.

And it was not difficult for Ruan Xi to find some sewing machines by herself now. Her half a year at the Industrial and Commercial Bureau was not in vain. Now she has mastered a lot of things about most of the reselling, whether in the open or in the dark.

Because the market order was chaotic, many things were actually turned a blind eye.

These two things went smoothly. Xiaohui and Xiaolan went to another empty house as if they were splitting up, and each recruited three girls to start training. Soon they saw results and began to make clothes easily.

After Ruan Changsheng and Qian Chuan moved the stall into the store, they were very proud.

Qian Chuan didn't want to see Sun Wei, the bastard, again, so he naturally chose the store in Wangfujing and turned a blind eye.

Ruan Changsheng took over the store in Dazhalan, and on the opening day, he almost made Sun Wei's eyes red with anxiety.

Sun Wei came into the store to take a look, and said with a strange smile: "It's so fashionable, it's already opened a store."

Ruan Changsheng also smiled and said: "Are you jealous again? If you have the ability, you can open one too."

Sun Wei crossed his arms and kept smiling, "It's not a matter of time."

Ruan Changsheng also kept smiling, "Then I'll wait."

Ruan Xi naturally knew about the things between Ruan Changsheng and Sun Wei. Because the market order was chaotic, they couldn't do anything to Sun Wei, so Sun Wei had been very rampant in the past two years, taking shamelessness as a skill.

He was shameless in the first year and the second year. In the third year, he naturally didn't restrain himself. He continued to make money by imitating Ruan Xi's clothes without any scruples, and still shamelessly sewed the label of Rose Pavilion on the clothes.

With his appetite and courage puffed up, he and Ruan Changsheng were competing with each other, so he became more and more shameless, and took the word "shameless" to the extreme, so extreme that it was outrageous.

Ruan Changsheng watched him rent a shop across the street, watched him renovate the shop, and then watched him hang a plaque exactly the same as his shop on the lintel of the shop - Rose Pavilion.

When he saw the plaque hung up that day, even if he was mentally prepared, Ruan Changsheng almost broke the counter.

If he hadn't been mentally prepared, he would have gone across the street and smashed the broken shop on the spot!

Sun Wei came over wearing sunglasses and said to him with a smile: "I will open on August 8, which is tomorrow. Come and play then."

Ruan Changsheng gritted his teeth and looked at him and laughed - You are kidding me!

Tomorrow I will make you, a dog, unable to laugh.

August 8, 1983, was a sunny summer day.

After washing up in the morning, Ruan Xi breathed in the morning air and went out with Ruan Changsheng and Qian Chuan. After arriving in the city, Qian Chuan rode his bike to open his own store, and Ruan Xi followed Ruan Changsheng to the store in Dazhalan and sat down.

Today was the opening day of Sun Wei's clothing store, so she naturally came to see the excitement.

Of course, if you want to see the excitement, you have to look like you are in a lively mood. She and Ruan Changsheng bought some melon seeds and put them in the store. They also boiled water and made a pot of good tea. Then, they ate the melon seeds and drank tea while watching Sun Wei busy greeting customers across the street.

He invited quite a few people to support him, and there were so many flower baskets that the door could hardly fit them all.

The opening of a new store is always lively, and soon people gathered outside Sun Wei's clothing store.

Sun Wei stood in front of the crowd and said loudly: "Everyone! Our store is open today, and there will be discounts as long as you buy something. I also promise that everything in my store will be cheaper than the Rose Pavilion across the street!"

After he finished speaking, he made way, and the people outside swarmed in.

Whether or not to buy anything is another matter, but one must join in the excitement.

After the string of firecrackers across the street had finished exploding, Ruan Xi said while eating melon seeds, "Uncle Wu, how much do you think he can sell today?"

Ruan Changsheng said while eating sunflower seeds, "At this rate, we should be able to make a few thousand yuan."

Ruan Xi looked across and replied slowly, "Maybe even tens of thousands."

Because Sun Wei's opening attracted all the customers, there were few people in Ruan Changsheng's store today. Ruan Xi and Ruan Changsheng watched the excitement in the store leisurely for a day, watching Sun Wei grinning and bending his back with fatigue.

It was not until the evening that Sun Wei's store became a little deserted.

At this time, Ruan Changsheng got up and walked across the street to take a look at Sun Wei's store.

Sun Wei was so proud that his tail was about to fly up to the sky. When he saw Ruan Changsheng coming, he deliberately took out a wad of money from his bag, slammed it into his palm in front of Ruan Changsheng, and said with a smile: "How is it? My store is not worse than yours, right?"

Ruan Changsheng praised him, "You run it better than me, much better."

After saying that, an embarrassed smile suddenly appeared on his face, and he continued: "It's just... you make so much money for us, I still feel a little embarrassed. Thank you."

Sun Wei didn't know what he was talking about, and said with a silent smile on his face: "I help you make money? This is my, Sun Wei's store, and all the money earned is mine. You are not angry, are you?"

Ruan Changsheng leaned against the counter with a relaxed body. He seemed to be in a particularly good mood. Okay, with a smile on his face, he looked at him and asked in a nice voice: "Hey, did you know that the country passed the Trademark Law last year?"

Sun Wei said that he didn't understand and didn't want to talk nonsense with Ruan Changsheng anymore, so he said angrily: "I don't know what Trademark Law is. If you are jealous of me, just say it directly, don't talk to me about these nonsense here."

Ruan Changsheng tapped his fingers on the counter twice, and continued to talk to him with a smile: "I finally understand. This guy really needs to read more books, otherwise he will be no different from a fool."

Sun Wei was too lazy to talk to Ruan Changsheng, and raised his hand and said: "I don't have time to talk to you, I'll go and greet the guests."

As a result, he didn't even take a step, and suddenly saw four men in navy blue uniforms coming in from outside the door. Anyone who does business knows this uniform, and also knows that these people are inspectors from the Industry and Commerce Bureau, and they have great power.

Seeing that he didn't move, Ruan Changsheng turned his head and said, "A customer is here, why don't you greet him?"

But before Sun Wei could say anything, the leader of the inspectors asked, "Who is Sun Wei?"

Sun Wei quickly put on a smile, "Comrade, I'm Sun Wei, what are you doing? I don't seem to have done anything wrong, right?"

The leading inspector looked at him coldly, and spoke in a tone harder than a stone, "Someone complained that you deliberately infringed on other people's trademarks, used other people's trademarks to make profits, and did not listen to advice many times. Over a long period of time, you have made huge profits. Please come with us for investigation."

Sun Wei's face darkened when he heard this, and the other customers who were looking at clothes immediately stopped what they were doing. He subconsciously took two steps back and said to the leading inspector: "Comrade, you must have made a mistake, right?" The

leading inspector looked at him without moving, and said something unpleasant with a hard expression: "Do you think we are all blind? You even stole the store sign from someone else, it's exactly the same as theirs, and you still say I made a mistake?"

Sun Wei argued: "What's wrong with me being the same as him? Why can he use it but I can't?"

The inspectors came with all the evidence, so they didn't want to waste time talking to Sun Wei, and several of them went up and pressed him. Sun Wei was not willing to commit a crime, and he hid back while saying: "I didn't commit a crime, why are you arresting me?!"

Seeing that this was going to cause a fight, the customers in the store were so scared that they turned around and ran out. I ran out but didn't want to leave because I wanted to see the excitement, so I lay down at the door of the store and looked inside, watching four people in uniform performing a catching show inside.

Soon many people gathered at the door, whispering to each other -

"What's going on? What are they doing? Why are people from the Industry and Commerce Bureau here?"

"The inspectors from the Industry and Commerce Bureau are here to arrest people, so they must have committed a crime, and it's not a small crime."

"Look, it must be the store opposite that sued them. He is standing inside now. Alas, he chooses to disrupt other people's business when they are open."

"If you ask me, Sun Wei deserves it. He has been making money by pirating clothes from the Rose Pavilion. He doesn't know how to restrain himself and often goes to the door to provoke others. He should have been arrested long ago. Sometimes I get angry just watching him. He is really the most shameless person. He is so fucking despicable!"

"But he has been doing this for so many years, and no one cares. Why are they suddenly caring about it?"

"Don't you guys pay attention to current affairs when you do business? In August last year, the country passed the Trademark Law, and Rose Pavilion must have registered a trademark. Stealing other people's trademarks is bad luck, and the more you earn, the heavier the fine."

"Really? How will you be punished?"

"If you make money using other people's things, then you have to pay them back. It's hard to calculate how much they lost, so just calculate it based on how much they earned during the infringement period. After all, there are various procedures and accounts, and you can tell the difference with a check. In a more serious case, fine him five times the money he earned."

"Five times???"

"Of course, not only will you be asked to spit it out, you will also be punished."

"Will Sun Wei be fined so heavily?"

"This is the first case of malicious infringement since the Trademark Law was passed, and there have been multiple conflicts. The company has refused to change despite repeated reminders. I guess they will not let it go easily. In this case, we need to catch a big example, which can effectively regulate the market order. Because society has been too chaotic in recent years, I heard that the country is preparing to crack down on it. He will not have a good ending."

"The first bird to be shot hits the head. He has been going too far. It's his own fault."

...

The four inspectors gestured with Sun Wei inside the store. Two inspectors held Sun Wei in their hands and the leader said to the other two inspectors, "Confiscate all the clothes here and take away the sign outside!"

Sun Wei's eyes turned red with anxiety at this time. He was not at ease even when being held by the inspectors. He struggled with red ears and neck and shouted, "Why?! I rented this store with my own money! I also paid for the clothes! Why do you confiscate my clothes? Why do you take down my sign?"

Seeing the two inspectors escorting Sun Wei out, the people who were blocking the store door to watch the excitement immediately dispersed to the side.

Sun Wei was taken away in a car. The two inspectors who stayed behind began to collect the remaining clothes in Sun Wei's store, rolled them up and stuffed them into sacks. After collecting them, they came out and climbed up the ladder to the door lintel to remove the sign.

People who were watching the excitement gathered around and looked up. Someone said, "Oh, it was just put up yesterday..."

When the inspectors arrived, Ruan Xi moved a stool across the street and sat outside the store to watch the excitement. Watching Sun Wei being taken away and the inspectors removing the sign, she leisurely crossed her legs and drank cool tea from a teacup.

Suddenly, two girls walked by hand in hand. One of them looked at the other and said in surprise: "Huh? Didn't this store just open today? How come it's demolished now?"