The old lady gave a cold laugh.
"You're just too impatient. Who is Su Jianguo? Anyone who can establish themselves in the market is a shrewd person. He saw through your little tricks in an instant."
Xiaomei tugged at her collar in frustration.
"What can we do then? We can't just let it go like this, can we? The Su family is the richest in the alley now; their vegetable shop alone makes several hundred yuan a day!"
The old lady's eyes lit up, and she moved closer.
"Who said it's over? If Su Jianguo isn't good enough, aren't there other options?"
"who?"
Xiaomei looked at her mother-in-law with a puzzled expression.
The old lady smiled.
"You forgot? His third son, Su Mingfu, isn't he in high school?"
Xiaomei was stunned for a moment.
"Doesn't he live at school and not come back?"
A calculating glint flashed in the old woman's eyes.
"Silly girl, if he doesn't come back, won't you go look for him?"
Then it dawned on me.
You mean...
"That young man is hot-blooded and has a crush on you."
The old lady whispered.
"He's much easier to handle than that old fox, his father."
A calculating look gradually appeared in Xiaomei's eyes.
"So...how exactly do we do it?"
The old lady moved even closer.
"I've inquired; Su Mingfu lives at school, but he goes home every Friday afternoon. Just go to the school gate and wait for him, pretending it's a chance encounter."
"Then what?"
"Then?"
The old woman gave a sinister smile.
"Invite him out for a meal and some drinks. Young people... isn't it normal for them to have casual sex after drinking?"
Xiaomei's face flushed red, but she quickly regained her composure.
"You mean...you want me to be with him..."
"right!"
The old lady slammed her hand on the table.
"Once the deed is done, I'll pretend to go to their door and catch them in the act! Then, either the Su family will formally marry you, or..."
She rubbed her fingers together.
"Let's sue him for rape! Let's see if Su Jianguo cares about saving face or letting his son go to jail!"
Xiaomei's eyes widened, and her breathing became rapid.
This plan, though shameless, is indeed feasible.
She recalled the spacious courtyard of the Su family home and the endless stream of customers in front of "Su's Vegetable Shop"...
"good!"
She stood up abruptly, her eyes flashing with determination.
"Let's do it this way!"
The old lady nodded in satisfaction.
"This is the Xiaomei I know. Go, change into something brighter; we're going to school soon."
Xiaomei hurried towards the inner room, her heart pounding.
She didn't care whether the methods were despicable or not; as long as she could climb onto the Su family's coattails, any price was worth paying.
In front of the wardrobe, she carefully selected a red sweater that best accentuated her figure, and then pulled out a black wool skirt.
This is her most presentable outfit; she usually can't bear to wear it.
"Su Mingfu!"
She murmured to herself in front of the mirror, her fingers tracing her beautiful face.
"You can't escape now."
The old lady stood at the door, looking at her daughter-in-law's carefully dressed appearance, and smiled with satisfaction.
She could almost see the Su family's money flowing into her own pockets, and she and Xiaomei moving into the Su family's spacious courtyard, never having to worry about making a living again.
"remember."
The old lady gave her final words of advice.
"Make sure he touches you, the more obvious the better. Then he won't be able to deny it!"
Xiaomei applied bright lipstick in front of the mirror, a cold smile curling at the corner of her lips.
"Don't worry, Mom. I know what to do."
...
Su Jianguo had just arrived at the store not long ago.
A long queue had already formed in front of "Su Ji Vegetable Shop".
Su Jianguo stood behind the counter, looking at the customers eagerly waiting outside, and the corners of his mouth unconsciously turned up.
He raised his hand and glanced at his watch.
It was only 6:15, half an hour earlier than usual when the market opened, but there were already more than 20 people waiting.
"Open the door."
Su Jianguo nodded to Li Hongmei beside him.
As the store doors opened, customers filed in.
At the front was an elderly woman with gray hair, carrying a bamboo basket, her eyes fixed on the fresh-looking cucumbers behind the counter.
"Boss Su, give me two pounds of cucumbers, the ones with the flowers and thorns still on!"
The old lady had a loud voice.
"My grandson tried it yesterday and said it was delicious, so he insisted that I buy it again today."
Su Jianguo replied with a smile.
"Don't worry, they were just picked from the greenhouse this morning, they're very fresh."
He skillfully picked up the scale and placed a few of the freshest cucumbers on it.
"Look, it's two jin and one liang, I'll give you two jin exactly."
On the other side of the counter, Wang Li was deftly packing tomatoes for a middle-aged man who looked like an official.
"Comrade, it's three jin and two liang, but we'll charge you three jin, that's two yuan and forty cents."
The middle-aged man pushed up his glasses.
"I heard your tomatoes are grown out of season? How come they're so much more expensive than the ones at the state-run vegetable stores?"
Upon hearing this, Su Jianguo turned around with a sincere smile on his face.
"Comrade, this is greenhouse cultivation. The cost of the plastic film and heating alone is several times that of ordinary vegetables. You'll know once you try it; the taste is absolutely different."
The middle-aged man took a bite with some skepticism, then his eyes lit up.
"Mmm! It's really sweet! This money was well spent!"
The shop was bustling with activity. Su Jianguo moved among the shelves, helping customers choose vegetables and answering their questions.
His gaze swept across the shelves and he noticed that most of the tofu had already been sold.
"How much of the tofu that Yufen delivered this morning is left?"
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