Time passed day by day, and before we knew it, it was early May.
Ning Yuan was extremely busy with work and studies. Most of the goods had been shipped out, and the payments had been collected in large quantities, which she then wired to Liang Xin and his wife.
That evening, while she was having dinner at Tang's house, she received a call from Rong Zhaonan, half a month later.
He will escort the second wife of the Ning family, Ning Bingyu, Cha Meiling and others to Shanghai in mid-May.
Ning Yuan's mood instantly improved, but she said with a hint of displeasure, "You finally decided to come back! You didn't miss me at all!"
After saying that, she blushed a little.
Thank goodness, thank goodness the person on the other end of the phone can't see... Honestly, she's so old, yet she's still so mushy!
Rong Zhaonan, on the other end of the phone, couldn't help but laugh out loud: "Of course I think about it, I think about it every day."
After saying that, he lowered his voice on the other end of the phone and said hoarsely, "I miss you so much that I have to take a cold shower. You'll know how much I miss you when you get back. Take good care of yourself."
Ning Yuan: "..."
Her ears instantly burned. He had the appearance of a cool and aloof young master, but inside he was a rough and tough soldier who actually said such explicit things on the phone!
The two talked for a long time, even about everyday things, for an hour or two, as if they were talking about their sweethearts.
Finally, Rong Zhaonan reluctantly suggested hanging up the phone first.
Nothing more than poverty.
He's spent all his salary on phone bills these past few months.
Public telephones are free, but those calls are all classified and monitored.
Therefore, he could only call the curly-haired rabbit spirit from ordinary public telephones at post offices in various places.
He frowned as he walked out of the post office, counting the twenty-two dollars and sixty-eight cents he had left in his pocket.
Phone bills are so expensive! He's been away for so long and hasn't had any money to buy a gift for Curly Rabbit!
He stroked his chin and began to calculate. The several thousand yuan that Chen Chen had left behind, he had invested in the curly-haired rabbit spirit business to support his young wife. Now it was time for the interest to compound, and he couldn't withdraw it.
Comrade Rong Zhaonan looked up at the sky, calculated according to the old almanac, and concluded that today was an auspicious day for receiving wealth.
Great, it's time to swindle another sum of retirement money from the old man!
...
The next day, in an office in the suburbs of Beijing
"What? That kid broke his leg?" A composed figure in a Zhongshan suit stood up instantly.
The imposing presence emanating from the high-ranking leader made Secretary Ke involuntarily shrink back: "Yes, it was a telegram sent by Comrade Chen Chen."
Rong Wenwu spun around twice, his face grim: "He was on such a dangerous mission before, and it was even more difficult when he was demoted a few years ago, but it wasn't like this. What happened? What powerful enemy did he encounter?"
He knew very well what the brat was capable of.
Secretary Ke, the second secretary, was timid and could only shrink back and say, "Comrade Chen Chen did not write it in the telegram."
Rong Wenwu couldn't help but slam his fist on the table, his anger blazing: "Those old bastards got their hands on my son, and this is how they treat him, driving him to his death?!"
Secretary Ke knew that when it came to matters involving the eldest son, the leader was prone to losing his temper, so he could only lower his head and make his presence known.
Rong Wenwu paced around for a while, wanting to make a phone call, but then he remembered that when he made a call before, he was ridiculed by his old comrades who had been through thick and thin with him for decades, and they still refused to reveal Rong Zhaonan's whereabouts.
He couldn't help but get angry, but he forced himself to suppress it: "Give Chen Chen another five hundred... no, a thousand yuan."
Secretary Ke was stunned: "Well, you don't have much money left in your account."
Although the leader's food, drink, and personal hygiene are free, when it comes to social engagements, unless it's for official business, he absolutely will not take any advantage of public funds.
Rong Wenwu looked a little embarrassed and said impatiently, "Alright, I haven't been feeling well lately and don't want to go out for social events. I'll eat in the company cafeteria and at home."
Secretary Ke carefully observed her boss's expression and said, "Okay."
But recently, the housekeeper who cooks at home has taken leave. Mrs. He Su is good at making delicate Jiangzhe cuisine, but her boss likes spicy food.
Rong Wenwu watched him leave, then suddenly remembered something: "Oh right, didn't Old Wang, who lives next door, just come back from his vacation in Beidaihe? I heard he hired a Sichuan chef. Tell him I'll be going to his house for dinner and to play chess with him in the evenings these days."
Secretary Ke: "Yes, sir..."
Where did the leader learn this ability to shamelessly and brazenly take advantage of others?
Well, looking at such a dignified and upright leader, he probably just wanted to exchange skills with Old Wang and have a meal together.
...
Everything went smoothly for Ning Yuan during this period, and she waited happily for Rong Zhaonan to return.
But she didn't expect that trouble would still come knocking.
Several business administration officials, dressed in gray-blue uniforms and wearing peaked caps, stood at the entrance of the Heart of the Era, holding seals.
They said coldly, "Your shop doesn't have a business license and doesn't meet the operating standards. You're not allowed to sell anything anymore. Close down. Shop owner, come with us!"
In the 1980s, the local industrial and commercial bureaus were powerful departments with special uniforms and even armed personnel.
Manhua and Huazi were both stunned. What? You need a business license to open a shop?
Ning Yuan's expression turned cold. With Uncle Fang and Uncle Jiu around, thugs and bullies couldn't do anything to her. Was this a plan to openly deal with her? Who was it?
Ah Heng frowned and whispered in her ear, "I heard yesterday that Fatty Jin's case has been transferred to the procuratorate. He'll probably go to jail, but Old Jin has already finished his investigation and been released."
Kim Jong-un's actions of instigating attacks on foreign guests and damaging diplomatic relations, coupled with his previous history of bullying and monopolistic practices, mean he faces a minimum sentence of ten years in prison.
But it's not easy to force a charge of espionage.
Moreover, his father, Lao Jin, was indeed not involved in those things. At most, whenever Fatty Jin caused trouble, he would help his son clean up the mess.
So this time he didn't go to jail, but he was transferred from his position as the top leader in charge of the region and became a powerless researcher just waiting to retire.
Ning Yuan narrowed her big eyes: "Looks like even after Old Jin is out, he's still not keeping to himself."
Old Jin has been in Shanghai for decades. Even though his power has waned and he's now forgotten, his connections from all those years will still be of some use.
And the point he used to attack her was indeed valid—she didn't have a business license.
In March 1980, the National Conference of Directors of the State Administration for Industry and Commerce decided that, based on social needs, some unemployed urban residents could be approved to engage in self-employment.
Since the meeting in March, she has submitted the application as quickly as possible and asked Mr. Tang's students in the relevant unit to help keep track of the license approval process.
But who would have thought that the store would be shut down before the license was even issued?
Customers who came to Epoch Heart to buy clothes, stock up on goods, and drink coffee were all kicked out.
Seeing the annoyed people, Manhua couldn't help but ask in a low voice, "Xiao Ning, last time that foreign expert stepped in and dealt with the thugs, should we ask a few more foreign experts to help this time?"
Ning Yuan shook her head indifferently: "No, this time the situation is different. Old Jin and his wife are waiting for me to find someone to plead on their behalf. If they accuse me of bribery and violating regulations, it will be very troublesome."
Ah Heng frowned but didn't say anything.
This isn't a battlefield filled with the smoke of gunpowder, where you can kill the enemy directly and then eliminate them completely. Fatty Jin was defeated by Ning Yuan, and Old Jin lost his good job. It's normal for him to hate Ning Yuan.
"So we're just going to leave it like this?" Manhua bit her lip.
They worked hard to move two train cars of goods, and the money they earned was all hard-earned.
Ning Yuan's eyes were somewhat dark. Then, she calmly watched as the business administration personnel sealed off her shop and went to the business administration office to pay the fine.
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