Kai zi gave An Xin a once-over, whistling as he smirked mischievously.

“Little girl, do you even know the way to the provincial capital? And… do you dare drive?”

Kai zi had been in this line of work for a long time and considered himself well-informed. Yet today, this young girl managed to surprise him.

Currently, there weren’t too many taxis heading to the provincial capital, but there weren’t too few either. One thing was certain: every taxi driver was a man. Not a single woman had yet made a living in this male-dominated industry.

To Kai zi, driving a minivan taxi to ferry passengers was strictly a man’s job. Especially for someone like this delicate-looking young girl with her pretty face. She probably didn’t even know where the gas pedal was, yet here she was claiming she wanted to drive a taxi.

Unbelievable!

Seeing the amused expression on Kai zi’s face, An Xin immediately understood what was going through his mind. Without bothering to explain, she spoke plainly.

“Let’s cut to the chase. Whether I can drive a taxi or find my way isn’t your concern. What you need to decide is whether you’re renting me a taxi or not.”

These people worried too much. She came here to rent a car, not to find a husband.

Seeing how confident she looked, Kai zi crossed his arms and spoke slowly.

“Little girl, my minivan is only rented to skilled and experienced drivers. If you end up crashing my car here and there, making it unrecognizable after just a trip or two, how am I supposed to maintain my reputation and make a living?”

For people like him, who earned their keep through hard work in all kinds of weather, the cars they rented out couldn’t afford to be damaged. Otherwise, the losses would be huge.

An Xin stepped forward and said directly, “Stop wasting time. Show me the van. I’ll give you a demonstration, and then you can decide if you want to rent it to me.”

Instead of wasting time arguing, she’d rather show him her driving skills. As someone who’d traveled from the 21st century, navigating modern traffic, her driving skills were top-notch.

Kai zi was taken aback by her boldness. This woman wanted to show off her driving skills right in front of him? Whistling again, his tone turned excited.

“Well, well, I didn’t expect this little girl to be so fiery. Fine, follow me.”

He turned and walked toward the courtyard, with An Xin following without hesitation.

As someone who oversaw the provincial capital’s taxi business, Kai zi naturally had several minivans parked in his yard. To protect them from the elements, he kept them covered with tarps.

When they reached a military-green canvas cover, Kai zi stopped, pulled it back with one hand, and revealed a minivan to An Xin.

“Alright, little girl, hop in and show me what you’ve got.”

Let’s see if she’d run away crying or if she actually had some skills worth showcasing.

Without hesitation, An Xin confidently stepped forward and stretched out her hand.

“Hand over the keys!”

Kai zi, now looking more like a valet than a gang leader, handed over the keys without a word and took a couple of steps back.

Watching her confidence, Kai zi suddenly felt like this girl might actually know how to drive—and might even drive well.

An Xin climbed into the van, swiftly starting the engine, shifting gears, and pressing the accelerator in one smooth motion. The van roared to life and began speeding through Kaizi’s courtyard. To demonstrate her exceptional driving skills, An Xin even threw in a few drifts.

The screeching sound of the tires against the ground made Kai zi grit his teeth in pain.

“Oh no, my tires! If she keeps going, they’re going to burst.”

But instead of hearing a tire pop, he saw An Xin bring the car to a steady stop. She stepped out of the vehicle, tossed the keys into the air in a perfect arc, and let them fall into Kai zi’s hand.

“Well? Ready to rent me the car now?”

An Xin looked at Kai zi with a challenging smile. Her driving demonstration was complete, and she believed her skills were superior to most men.

“No problem. Come with me to pay the rental fee!”

This time, Kai zi didn’t argue further. He quickly led An Xin to complete the rental formalities. The rental fee was 120 yuan per day, but if she paid in foreign exchange coupons, it was only 100 yuan.

Foreign exchange coupons were much more versatile than regular currency. For instance, to buy a sewing machine in a store, foreign exchange coupons would waive the need for industrial tickets. Without them, one would have to pay an extra 20 yuan and present an industrial ticket.

In the taxi business, most transactions were done in foreign exchange coupons. They were easy to acquire and just as easy to spend.

An Xin paid 100 yuan in foreign exchange coupons and signed several guarantee agreements, promising not to damage the taxi or drive it out of the provincial capital. She successfully drove the minivan out of Kai zi’s yard.

The usually cold and indifferent Kai zi watched the dust kicked up by the departing van, a playful smile appearing on his lips.

“This woman is interesting!”

Not only did she have excellent driving skills, but she also carried foreign exchange coupons, proving she knew her way around the business.

Because of this, Kai zi didn’t even ask her for a deposit. He wasn’t worried she’d drive the taxi out of the provincial capital or steal it.

A true professional in this industry would never break its rules. Doing so would lead to severe consequences.

Not far away, Bai Yichen stood atop a truck, overseeing workers unloading goods. The cargo was being transferred to smaller vehicles for distribution in batches.

As he glanced up, he saw a minivan speeding down the road outside the yard. Minivans frequently came and went, so it wasn’t unusual. What caught his attention was that the driver was a woman, whose side profile looked oddly familiar. However, he couldn’t recall where he’d seen her before.

Forget it. Now wasn’t the time to dwell on who might be driving the minivan. He had more pressing matters to handle. Turning back, Bai Yichen addressed a young man in a red vest.

“Xiao Hu, unload the sugar and store it somewhere. I’ll take it back to the village when I return.”

The young man called Xiao Hu looked up in confusion and asked, “Sugar? That’s a hot commodity right now. Why are you taking so much back? Didn’t we already sell a ton of it before? You’ve never asked for any.”

It was puzzling—Bai Yichen, who usually didn’t care for sugar, suddenly wanted so much of it.

Bai Yichen glanced at Xiao Hu, his expression turning serious.

“I’m getting married in a few days. The sugar is for handing out to the villagers as wedding candy.”