Otherwise, how could her brother-in-law’s salary alone cover her mother’s massive medical expenses?

An Yang was born in the countryside. Even though she was still a student, she was no stranger to physical labor.

Kids from rural areas often learned about the hardships of life much earlier than their urban peers.

Since her elder sister had already found work, An Yang thought she should follow her and earn whatever she could. Otherwise, her sister alone bearing the family’s financial burden would be too overwhelming.

Looking at her thoughtful and sensible younger sister, An Xin smiled softly.

“If you come with me, who will look after Mom? And what about our two naughty younger brothers? What if they wander off and get lost?”

“This…”

Her sister’s words left An Yang speechless.

After thinking for a while, she realized her elder sister was right. Their mother was still lying in bed, in need of care, and someone had to watch over their two little brothers. If she left as well, who would take care of all that?

Seizing the opportunity, An Xin pressed on gently.

“Alright, don’t make things harder. Trust me; your big sister will definitely earn enough money one day to give you all a better life.”

An Yang stomped her foot in frustration, finally expressing her concern.

“But this is too hard on you, Sister!”

How could such a large family relying solely on her brother-in-law’s salary? Thinking of how much her elder sister was enduring, An Yang’s heart ached even more.

An Xin softly patted her sister’s hair, her tone tender.

“It’s okay. As long as you all are doing well, behaving yourselves, and taking good care of Mom, I won’t feel it’s hard at all. I’ll make sure you all grow up to be talented individuals.”

An Yang: “…”

Her sister seemed different these days—more responsible and mature. Even the way she spoke felt deeper and more profound.

It almost sounded like something their principal would say during a school assembly, only more relatable and inspiring, stirring up hope for a brighter future.

While An Yang was lost in thought, An Xin gave her a gentle pat on the shoulder and walked off, leaving her with a few words floating in the distance.

“Alright, stop standing there. Go home and take good care of Mom and the boys. Remember to make Mom some nutritious soup.”

In this era, there weren’t advanced supplements or nutritional injections like in modern times. Recovery for surgery patients mainly relied on dietary nourishment.

Since An Xin was about to leave to earn money, she had to count on An Yang to make soups for their mother more often.

To ensure there was enough food, An Xin had already discreetly moved many supplies from the portable warehouse to their tiny rental house. She had even taken out extra supplies to cover her absence, planning to bring back more later to avoid suspicion.

Having stopped by the doctor’s office, An Xin finally arrived at the alley where Kaizi rented cars. From a distance, she spotted someone leaning casually against the alley wall. A cigarette dangled from the corner of his mouth, and a rebellious, wild air surrounded him. The swirling smoke blurred his features.

As she got closer, An Xin realized it was Kaizi. At the same moment, his lazy gaze shifted toward her, and he spoke casually.

“Hey, An Xin, you’re usually pretty punctual when you come to rent a car. Running late today, aren’t you?”

In Kaizi’s mind, An Xin had always been extremely punctual—probably because her drive to earn money motivated her to never waste time. Rarely had he seen her this late. He had already been waiting for ages, with several cigarette butts littering the ground.

Kaizi had even told himself, If she doesn’t show up by the time I finish this cigarette, I’m leaving.

Unaware of his thoughts, An Xin stopped several steps away, wrinkling her nose at the smoke lingering around him. With a hint of displeasure, she asked,

“What’s the matter, Kaizi? Renting a car from you now requires you to personally come meet me at the alley?”

Yesterday, she’d asked him to reserve a car for her today, but she hadn’t expected the boss himself to greet her.

Truth be told, An Xin disliked secondhand smoke, which stemmed from her previous work environment. She had once worked for a prestigious corporation.

There, surrounded by highly educated individuals—PhDs, postdocs, and international elites—no one smoked.

Smoking not only harmed the smoker but also affected colleagues. For professionals with bright futures, ruining their health for smoking was simply unthinkable.

But who could have guessed she’d end up in the 1980s? Here, to survive, she was forced to associate with a group of gangsters. These people, aside from their roguish demeanor and limited education, all shared one common trait: an addiction to smoking.

They smoked relentlessly, one cigarette after another, as if they couldn’t rest until they finished a whole pack in one sitting.

Take Kaizi, for example. While he was loyal and principled, never pulling shady tricks, his smoking was unbearable. Just looking at the pile of cigarette butts at his feet spoke volumes about his addiction.

Ignoring her playful tone, Kaizi cut straight to the point.

“You’re here to run a cab today, right?”

“Mm.”

An Xin nodded, confirming his assumption. After all, they had agreed on it yesterday, so asking again felt unnecessary.

“About that…” Kai Zi hesitated, scratching his head before continuing. “An Xin, how about we discuss something? That shipment we started hauling yesterday still isn’t finished. So, uh…”

Here, he trailed off, clearly hoping she’d understand what he was getting at.

An Xin quickly pieced it together. He wanted her to continue helping with the haul.

Kaizi, frustrated by her silence, scratched his head again. If the goods weren’t delivered on time, the penalty fee was a steep 1,000 yuan. The client had made that abundantly clear when they signed the contract.

Unfortunately, he didn’t have enough drivers he could trust. Left with no other options, he had to rely on An Xin to help finish the job.

But An Xin was reluctant. Hauling goods was exhausting compared to running a cab.

After a moment of hesitation, she finally voiced her concern.

“But we agreed—you’d reserve a car for me today.”

She preferred running a taxi. It was quicker money and far less tiring. Yesterday’s haul had left her so drained that she’d fallen asleep right after bathing.

She even hugged Bai Yichen like a stuffed bear all night, thinking it was just a dream. Remembering it now still made her face burn with embarrassment.