Ning Yuan twisted her waist, put the sack of clothes on her back onto the tricycle, and wiped the sweat from her brow.
"You said it yourself, if a little bit leaks between someone's fingers, I won't have to worry about food and drink. But if someone doesn't want to leak anymore, then I'll starve?"
The Ning family's fortune was considered a windfall, but since ancient times, windfalls have been hard to come by; one is likely to survive but suffer greatly.
She'll take whatever she can get, as if it's a child support payment the family owes her.
Ou Minglang swiftly grabbed the radio cassette player she was about to load onto the tricycle and placed it there.
"How could that be? You're just a young girl. What could you possibly do to make the Ning family and Brother Yu ignore you, even if you're family?"
Ning Yuan curled her lips into a sly smile, her eyes gleaming with a mischievous glint: "That's not necessarily true. What if I puncture their lungs?"
She had a strange premonition that Jade Chili was involved in power and money.
If she doesn't hand over this thing, it's the least of her worries if they disown her; they might have other tricks up their sleeves.
Ou Minglang was startled by her bright yet sinister gaze and frowned—
"Don't scare yourself. The Ning family has plenty of money. They could support a hundred of you. There's no need for this!"
What he didn't say was that the Ning family's successive heads of the family had great foresight.
Nowadays, even at the risk of offending foreigners, Ning is willing to engage in cooperation in mainland China.
With such unique insight and ability, one can understand why the Ning family has developed from a family of scholars and farmers in the mid-Qing Dynasty to a well-known business tycoon in the Asia-Pacific region.
Ning Yuan shrugged, her face covered in dust, and went to pick up the bag of clothes: "Who knows? Relying on mountains will lead to their collapse, relying on people will lead to their departure. I'll still rely on myself."
The network and market she built herself are all her own, and the Ning family can't cut them off.
She relies on the Ning family. The more comfortable she is in the beginning, the more painful it will be when the Ning family holds her by the throat and threatens her.
Seeing this, Ou Minglang couldn't help but frown and snatched the bag of clothes away first: "You're injured yourself, don't you know how to take it easy?"
Ning Yuan chuckled, hands on her hips: "Aren't you and Sister Manhua also wounded? We all fight on despite minor injuries. Back in the countryside, when we were busy with the autumn harvest, women were just as capable as men. We weren't so delicate."
She wiped the sweat from her neck with the towel: "Alright, let's pack up and quickly put the goods back at the guesthouse. Sister Xin said she's going to treat us to morning tea at Beiyuan Restaurant!"
Manhua's eyes lit up immediately: "Is this the Beiyuan Restaurant that Mr. Guo Moruo went to? It's so expensive!"
Ning Yuan was somewhat surprised: "Sister Manhua knows too?"
That's right. Sister Manhua did go to high school, otherwise she wouldn't have been chosen as a wife by the old Party Secretary and become the village's work point recorder.
Sister Manhua nodded: "I heard from the receptionist at the guesthouse that we'll get some of those two items... to go to the hospital to see Hua Zi."
"One pot and two dishes, not expensive at Beiyuan Restaurant, only six cents!" Ning Yuan nodded.
The three of them chatted and laughed as they boarded the rickshaw, and the driver took them away from the bustling Gaodi Street towards the guesthouse.
Under the old arcade buildings with a Nanyang style on Gaodi Street.
A slick-haired young man in a denim jacket, looking miserable, was packing up his now mostly empty stall while loudly complaining in Cantonese—
"Big sister, why are you helping this pretty girl so much? We've worked so hard, and this is what we're doing!"
(Hey lady, why are you helping that girl so much? We worked so hard and didn't get anything in return!)
Liang Xin was sweeping dust near the stall with a feather duster when she waved it at his forehead as a warning—
"You little brat, if you say anything nasty while we're having dim sum later, I'll smash your head in!"
(Hey kid, if you say this when we're having dim sum later, I'll smash your head in.)
Liang Xin glanced in the direction Ning Yuan and the others had left, narrowed her eyes, and said earnestly, "One should be loyal to others, and besides, Ning will be successful sooner or later!"
As the Lunar New Year approached, the winter sun in Lingnan was warm in the early 1980s, and new leaves began to sprout on the kapok trees, giving the feeling that spring was approaching.
Ning Yuan took a light breath; the air was filled with a fresh scent, as if it could blow away the dust from everyone's heart!
As the saying goes, "ducks are the first to know when the river warms in spring." In Guangzhou, the city closest to the forefront of reform and opening up, people exude a vibrant spirit and stride confidently forward.
The neighbors sat under the arcade, selling breakfast, busy yet full of life.
People's clothes are no longer uniformly green, gray, black, and blue; beautiful and novel styles have emerged.
Looking at the vibrant and refreshing spring scenery, Ning Yuan couldn't help but smile as she gazed at the warm sunshine through her large, round eyes.
Springtime is in full bloom, and a hundred boats are racing!
Regardless of the winds blowing from east, west, north, or south, everyone has their own path to take. I will forge my own way through thorns and brambles, striving upwards, so as not to have lived in vain!
...
Time flies, and it's time to head back.
Ning Bingyu, Cha Meiling, and their group had done almost everything they needed to do and were ready to return to the Hong Kong government.
Rong Zhaonan came to the guesthouse to see him off.
Ning Bingyu glanced at his car but didn't see Ning Yuan. He asked, "Didn't Ning Yuan come?"
Rong Zhaonan said calmly, "She's going back to Shanghai tomorrow, and her older brother is helping her pack."
Ning Bingyu instinctively wanted to ask when he had helped her pack her things.
Later, I suddenly realized that this "elder brother" was not the same as the "elder brother" in the story. He was probably Ning Yuan's elder brother from her family in mainland China.
Everyone knew perfectly well that Ning Yuan meant—sorry, we're not the kind of people who can see each other off.
But Ning Bingyu, with excellent manners, smiled slightly and said, "Will you, as her cousin, also have to help her pack her things later?"
Rong Zhaonan said coolly, "Yeah, I, as her brother, will also help her pack her things. She doesn't need a brother."
His wife doesn't like her brother-in-law, so he doesn't like him either. If it weren't for the fact that they would have to work together in the future, and that his brother-in-law had given him "teaching materials," he wouldn't even bother coming.
Even with his excellent composure, Ning Bingyu couldn't help but let his expression turn cold.
Cha Meiling smiled and took Ning Bingyu's arm: "Big brother is thinking of his little sister. Why don't we just apply to go north after the New Year to see her?"
Rong Zhaonan raised an eyebrow, his expression unreadable, and asked, "Are you going to Shanghai after the New Year?"
Ning Bingyu said expressionlessly, "The border crossings are not fully open yet. Ning Yuan's procedures to go to Hong Kong will probably be more complicated than ours to come to the mainland. My mother is worried about my younger sister and will definitely go north to visit her."
Rong Zhaonan didn't say anything, just nodded: "Yes, have a safe trip."
The group got into their respective cars. Cha Meiling looked at Rong Zhaonan's tall, white figure, lost in thought.
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