The short, stout man was clearly Ma Sanbao.
Standing to the side, Ma Sanbao's wife also said with some annoyance.
"Exactly! Do you know how much money our family spent opening up transportation channels to the south? With you interfering, how are we supposed to do our business?"
Su Jianguo remained calm and unhurried.
"Mr. Ma, business is all about skill. My vegetables are grown in local greenhouses, so my costs are naturally lower than yours, which are shipped from the south. Customers choose whose vegetables to buy; that's the law of the market."
"fart!"
Ma Sanbao slammed his hand on the table.
"What market rules? In Beijing, my brother-in-law is the rule!"
Deputy District Chief Liu raised his hand to stop his brother-in-law's roar and stared at Su Jianguo.
"Mr. Su, I'm giving you two options. First, close down your business, and I can arrange a job for you in a state-owned enterprise, which is much more respectable than selling vegetables."
Su Jianguo remained calm and composed.
"What about the second option?"
"cooperate."
Deputy District Head Liu gave a meaningful smile.
"Your greenhouse technology is excellent; we can cooperate. You'll handle production, and De Cai will handle sales, with profits split 30/70."
"How come it's only the seventh floor?"
Su Jianguo said with a hint of sarcasm.
"The seventh floor belongs to my three children, and the third floor is for you."
Ma Sanbao's wife spoke again.
"You should be secretly happy. Giving you this opportunity is a sign of respect!"
Su Jianguo was silent for a moment, then suddenly laughed.
"District Chief Liu, are you trying to force a sale?"
Deputy District Chief Liu spoke casually, his expression indifferent.
"Su Jianguo, don't push your luck. Today is just the beginning; more departments will be coming to 'check up on' your shop tomorrow. Fines are a small matter; believe me, I'll make sure your shop goes out of business!"
Ma Sanbao added proudly.
"And that greenhouse of yours, they could tear it down on any pretext!"
The smile on Su Jianguo's face gradually disappeared. He slowly stood up and looked at Deputy District Chief Liu.
"District Chief Liu, I, Su Jianguo, started from scratch and got to where I am today through sheer ability. If you want to play dirty tricks, I'll play along to the end."
Deputy District Chief Liu was clearly taken aback by the fact that a small vendor dared to speak to him like that, and his face instantly turned ashen.
"Good! Very good! Su Jianguo, you've got guts! We'll see!"
After saying that, he suddenly stood up and angrily left the shop with Ma Sanbao and his wife.
The black sedan sped away.
Su Jianguo stood at the shop entrance, watching the departing car, his eyes gradually turning cold.
...
at the same time.
On the other side.
The school where Su Mingfu works.
The classroom was so quiet that the only sound was the scratching of pens on paper.
Su Mingfu frowned, staring at the math test paper in front of him, fine beads of sweat appearing on his forehead.
In the last exam of the semester, this solid geometry problem had been troubling him for ten minutes.
"Prove that two planes are perpendicular..."
He muttered to himself, his fingers unconsciously drawing guide lines on the table.
"Half an hour left to hand in the exam."
The proctor's voice came from the podium, making Su Mingfu's heart beat a little faster.
He looked up at the clock at the front of the classroom; the hands mercilessly pointed to 3:45.
"Damn it."
He bit his lower lip, forcing himself to refocus.
Just as he was about to review the question again, the classroom door was gently pushed open.
The homeroom teacher, Ms. Li, peeked in and whispered a few words to the proctor.
The proctor nodded, his gaze sweeping across the classroom before finally settling on Su Mingfu.
"Su Mingfu, your sister is waiting for you at the school gate. She said there's an emergency at home."
The pencil in Su Mingfu's hand fell to the table with a "thud," sounding particularly jarring in the quiet classroom.
elder sister?
Is this Sister Yufen?
What happened at home?
Is my father's greenhouse business in trouble?
Or is Mother sick?
"Teacher, I..."
He stood up in a panic, with most of the questions on the exam paper still blank.
"Go ahead, you can retake the exam in special circumstances."
The proctor nodded in understanding.
"Hand in your exam papers."
Su Mingfu hurriedly packed up his stationery and rushed out of the classroom.
His family has never come looking for him during his exams; something serious must have happened!
As he ran down the stairs, he nearly bumped into several younger students.
"sorry!"
He shouted without turning his head and continued running towards the school gate.
The school gate was deserted, except for the old gatekeeper sitting in the gatehouse smoking.
Su Mingfu ran to the school gate, panting.
He squinted and looked around, but couldn't see his older sister.
Just as he was wondering, a familiar voice came from his side and behind him.
"Mingfu~"
The voice was so sweet it was like it was coated in honey, with a slight upward slant at the end.
Su Mingfu froze, and the hairs on the back of his neck stood on end.
He slowly turned around and saw Xiaomei leaning against the locust tree next to the school gate, waving at him.
She wore a bright red wool coat today, with a section of her snow-white neck showing at the neckline, which stood out particularly in the gray winter day.
"Xiao... Sister Xiaomei?"
Su Mingfu stammered as he spoke, his throat suddenly becoming extremely dry.
He instinctively took two steps back, his father's warning flashing through his mind.
"Stay away from that widow!"
"Would you choose to go to school, or choose to be a widow?"
Xiaomei, however, had already walked briskly over in her shiny leather shoes. The hem of her coat swayed with her steps, and her slender legs encased in black stockings could be vaguely seen.
A rich fragrance wafted from her, making Su Mingfu dizzy.
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