Chapter 14: Her First Victory

Li Juan was busily searching for a house, combing through the alley next to the courtyard Tao Yu had mentioned.

Before long, she really did find one—
the largest house at the entrance of the alley, currently vacant.

That night, she couldn’t stop chattering about it to Tao Yu:

“I heard from someone that the house at the alley’s entrance belongs to the Song family in the courtyard. It used to be used for storing miscellaneous items, and it recently became vacant again.”

“That house must be a top-notch one. Just look at its grand entrance—you can tell it’s one of those spacious old mansions from before Liberation, complete with front and rear wings.”

“The house has to be quite large, and I reckon the rent won’t be cheap. I’m just not sure if the owners would be willing to rent it to us. Do we even have enough money?”

The Song family in the courtyard?

Tao Yu immediately caught on to the key information.

Could this Song family in the courtyard be Song Hecheng’s Song family?

For now, though, the house hunt had hit a temporary roadblock. Although it was the only vacant house Li Juan had heard about, she couldn’t find a way to contact the owner since they couldn’t even get inside the courtyard.

Thus, the house search was put on hold.

Li Juan, however, didn’t idle away. She discussed with Tao Yu that, in addition to buying fabric, she would also scout the black market to see if she could find a second-hand sewing machine.

No matter what, she had to keep busy. Her plan was simple: once they secured the house, she would pay for it, move everything into their new home, and start their fresh life.

Even though it was just a rental, the thought of their future new life filled Li Juan with energy.

Yes, renting was their only option. After buying all the essentials, they would barely have enough left for rent—purchasing a house wasn’t even on the table.

Carrying a tray, Tao Yu once again headed to the office. As she walked, Li Juan’s mention of the “Song family’s house” lingered in her mind, her eyes flickering with thought.

By coincidence, Xiao Zhang was also at the factory director’s secretariat, waiting for Song Hecheng.

When he spotted Tao Yu, he looked surprised before quickly greeting her.

Tao Yu responded politely and, holding the tray, said softly to Xu Guochao,
“Comrade Xu, I brought soup today, and it’s a bit full. Let me carry it inside.”

Xu Guochao was momentarily stunned before hurriedly agreeing.
“Oh, oh! Please, please! Put it here, right here!”

Xu Guochao was overjoyed. She actually remembered his name!

Did you hear that? She called him “Comrade Xu”! She remembered his surname!

The realization made him so nervous that he didn’t know where to put his hands or feet.

Xiao Zhang, observing this, immediately understood.

He couldn’t blame him—the girl was truly stunning, with an ability to dazzle anyone.

Xiao Zhang felt a strange sense of serendipity seeing Tao Yu again.

Since Song Hecheng was still in a mee,ting and wouldn’t be leaving anytime soon, Xiao Zhang struck up a conversation with Tao Yu.

Tao Yu answered his questions one by one, satisfying Xiao Zhang’s curiosity about her name, her job at the factory, and more. Her serene demeanor was incredibly soothing.

Internally, though, Tao Yu sneered. Since when did I become so patient, chatting idly like this…

Meanwhile, Xiao Zhang and Xu Guochao began sharing details about themselves, finding common ground as young comrades.

But Tao Yu didn’t listen to a single word.

Behind her composed façade, her gaze drifted toward the “Chairman’s Office.”

The door was slightly ajar.

Inside, Song Hecheng stood by the desk, conversing with three other men.

Though the distance made it impossible for her to hear their discussion, it didn’t stop Tao Yu from scrutinizing Song Hecheng.

Her eyes lingered on his flawless face. That high, straight nose, she thought, it’s the most striking feature—a touch of arrogance, begging to be tamed.

Her gaze traveled downwards, landing on his lips. Perfectly shaped, not too thin or too thick—effortlessly charming.

Then she looked further—broad, firm shoulders; muscular, defined arms; and veins running across his hands that made her pause for a moment longer.

Finally, her eyes caught his olive-green work military boots.

Tao Yu raised an eyebrow, her lips curling into an almost imperceptible smile.

Across the room, Song Hecheng seemed to sense a bold, audacious gaze on him.

He furrowed his brow slightly and turned toward the secretariat.

By then, Tao Yu had already finished her conversation with Xiao Zhang and Xu Guochao.

Before leaving, she confidently turned and glanced in Song Hecheng’s direction.

For a fleeting moment, their eyes met.

Tao Yu gave him a light, fleeting smile, then walked away, the hem of her pale skirt disappearing around the corner.

On her way back to the canteen, Tao Yu thought about Xiao Zhang’s words, a faint smirk appearing on her lips.

He saw me selling vegetables?

And selling clothes at the market?

One thing was certain—there was only one Song family in that courtyard.

Which meant the vacant house at the alley’s entrance was indeed Song Hecheng’s.

Tao Yu chuckled coldly to herself.

Maybe today’s gamble paid off after all.

It was worth bringing that extra-full serving of soup.

In the car, Xiao Zhang noticed Song Hecheng sitting in silence in the backseat.

Unable to hold back, Xiao Zhang started enthusiastically recounting the day’s events, including his encounter with Tao Yu.

He even carefully recounted everything he had learned, dumping it all in one go.

In the end, he cautiously mentioned Tao Yu’s interest in renting the vacant house at the entrance of the alley.

With an awkward smile, Xiao Zhang added,
“Boss Song, I just casually asked on Comrade Tao’s behalf. I happened to know about the house—Uncle Yu mentioned all the clutter inside has been cleared out. Anyway, it’s just sitting there empty, so I figured I’d ask if it’s up for rent…”

When Xiao Zhang finally finished, silence fell in the car for a long while.

So long, in fact, that Xiao Zhang began to think Song Hecheng didn’t intend to respond at all.

Then, Song Hecheng glanced at Xiao Zhang through the rearview mirror.

Immediately, Xiao Zhang straightened up, stiff as a board.
“Hehe, Boss Song, I overstepped. I was just trying to be helpful. If it’s inappropriate, I’ll let Comrade Tao know tomorrow…”

Before Xiao Zhang could continue rambling, Song Hecheng coldly interrupted him with two words:
“Too noisy.”

That shut Xiao Zhang up for good.

Song Hecheng’s deep gaze shifted to the scenery racing past the car window.

As for Xiao Zhang’s inquiry, he neither confirmed nor denied it.

Over the next two days, Tao Yu continued delivering meals to the factory director’s office as usual.

Every time, the office door was left ajar, and she could see Song Hecheng inside, busy at work.

However, he seemed to have stopped noticing her presence.

Instead, it was Xiao Zhang who appeared again.

The moment he spotted Tao Yu, he excitedly shared some good news:
“I spoke to Uncle Yu, and he said the house at the alley’s entrance is available for rent. If you’re interested, just leave a message at the gatehouse after work, and he’ll take you to see it.”

Finishing his explanation, Xiao Zhang even gave Tao Yu a playful wink, as if to say, See how helpful I am?

Tao Yu quickly put on a cheerful and grateful expression, thanking Xiao Zhang profusely and promising to leave a message after work.

Feeling a little guilty, Xiao Zhang waved his hands hastily.
“Oh, this isn’t my doing! I don’t have the authority to make decisions about that house—it’s just that the person in charge didn’t forbid me from mentioning it…”

After expressing her thanks, Tao Yu didn’t linger. She cast a quick glance toward the office before leaving.

Inside, Song Hecheng remained focused on discussing blueprints with others, seemingly unaware of what was happening.

On the deserted path back to the canteen, Tao Yu’s serene and graceful demeanor vanished.

She raised a faint smile—one with a trace of mischief.

So, I was right after all.

Song Hecheng really did agree to rent the house to me…