Chapter 10

Fan Hua remembered that Zheng Zening had fallen for the female lead Xie Yuting at first sight. Ever since then, he silently protected her, playing the role of the warm and caring “backup” second male lead!

More importantly, Zheng Zening came from an incredibly powerful family. In a few years, his father, Zheng Yongxian, would become the chief commander of development for the entire southern economic zone.

His mother would be the head of the Yangcheng newspaper agency, with a massive network of connections in Yangcheng!

His older brother, Zheng Ze’an, had entered politics in the capital. At a young age, he was already the head of the disciplinary inspection department and was even a schoolmate of He Siyen, sharing a deep relationship!

As for Zheng Zening himself, he was among the first wave of entrepreneurial leaders after the Reform and Opening Up policy. He had already founded his own company early on, working in the highly lucrative construction industry!!!

In the business world, he was just as legendary as Zhao Yilu. People called them “Zhao of the North, Zheng of the South”!

Fan Hua couldn’t believe that she had met such a legendary person under these circumstances. She couldn’t help but marvel—what a twist of fate!

She guessed that in the original novel, the original character Fan Lihua must’ve switched seats on the train. Otherwise, staying in this carriage would have meant meeting both the cannon fodder younger brother Zhao Yilu and the second male lead Zheng Zening. Even casually knowing either of them would’ve changed her tragic fate!

Fan Hua had secretly rooted for the female lead and Zheng Zening to end up together more than once while reading the story!

Not for any other reason—just the fact that He Siyen had slept with the original Fan Lihua made her feel he was no longer “clean.” Compared to him, Zheng Zening—warm, handsome, sunny, and enthusiastic—was far better than the family-laden male lead!

Recalling all the descriptions of Zheng Zening in her mind, Fan Hua couldn’t help but study him. This legendary man who would one day be ruthless in business but warm in life was now just a sunny youth with a hint of immaturity!

Zheng Zening noticed Fan Hua staring at him intensely and awkwardly asked, “Ahem, comrade, why are you looking at me like that? Have we met before?”

Next to her, Geng Ailing nudged the dazed Fan Hua and quickly replied with a smile, “Her name is Fan Lihua, and I’m Geng Ailing. We’re from the same place, heading to Yangcheng to… to look for work.”

Zheng Zening and Jiang Wenli were both surprised. Traveling so far just for work was unusual—were they returning urban youth?

Jiang Wenli curiously asked, “Are you returning zhiqing (educated youth)? What kind of work are you looking for in Yangcheng?”

Fan Hua had snapped out of her shock by now. “We’re not zhiqing, but we figured the policies are becoming more relaxed. There may be more job opportunities in the South, so we decided to go take a look.”

The mother and son were even more shocked. Heading into the city without a job—wasn’t that what people called “blind drifters”? But they were open-minded and didn’t look down on them—just amazed at their bravery!

Jiang Wenli continued, “Do you have any work direction in mind? You can’t just go without any plans, right?”

Fan Hua replied earnestly, “We might start by sewing clothes for others. I’m pretty good at designing, and Sister Geng’s needlework is excellent. We should be able to make a living with our skills.”

Jiang Wenli was surprised to hear this. Her husband was a government official, and she worked as a newspaper editor, so she had some knowledge of policy trends. Though it was still a planned economy, there was ongoing debate about allowing private business. Jiang Wenli believed economic liberalization was inevitable and didn’t want to discourage Fan Hua.

She said, “Didn’t expect someone your age to have such clear plans. Young lady, design something for me first. I have a lot of friends in Yangcheng. If your designs are good, I’ll recommend you—and maybe even get you a job at a textile factory!”

“Really?” Fan Hua and Geng Ailing were overjoyed—what luck to meet such a benefactor!

Fan Hua added, “Please give me your contact info. Once we settle in Yangcheng, I’ll make something for you. I promise you’ll be happy with our craftsmanship!”

Fan Hua was genuinely confident about her clothing design skills.

“Sure. By the way, do you have a place to stay in Yangcheng?” Jiang Wenli asked.

Fan Hua replied a bit awkwardly, “Not yet. We plan to stay in a guesthouse at first and look for a place after that.”

Jiang Wenli glanced at Fan Hua, and for some reason, felt that this girl had a clear and intelligent look—she might become very successful in the future.

With the intention of forming a good connection, she thought for a moment and said, “We happen to have an old house in Yangcheng that’s currently empty. It was assigned by my work unit, but after Zening’s father got a better place from his job, we moved out. I used to stay there occasionally when working late, so the unit never took it back.”

“This year his father was given a car by the unit, so he picks me up after work now, and I haven’t stayed there again.”

“The place isn’t big, but it’s in a great location. Very convenient. Why don’t you two stay there for now? If anyone asks, just say you’re my distant nieces, here for a short stay.”

Fan Hua was moved but hesitant. Though she wanted to accept immediately, she felt it wasn’t right to take advantage of others.

“Thank you, Aunt Jiang, but that place has such a good location and is a work-assigned unit house. You’ve never rented it out before—how can we just live there for free? We’ll look for a place once we arrive in Yangcheng. If we really can’t find anything, we’ll trouble you then.”

Geng Ailing also quickly added, “Lihua’s right. We’ll find our own place—we can’t inconvenience you like that.”

Jiang Wenli had initially acted on impulse when offering the house, but seeing how polite the two girls were, she truly wanted to help.

“To me, it’s just a small gesture. I trust you’ll take good care of the place. And I’m not letting you stay for free—you’ll be paying rent.”

Zheng Zening chimed in, “My mom’s right. The place is just sitting empty. Yangcheng is humid—if it stays vacant too long, it’ll get moldy. You living there helps, and we get rent too. It’s a win-win.”

Fan Hua considered this—if Jiang Wenli really wanted to rent it out, then this was perfect.

“Thank you, Aunt Jiang. Once we get there, please show us the place. If it suits us, we’ll stay. How much is the rent?”

“Five yuan a month. You can pay monthly or yearly.”

Fan Hua and Geng Ailing exchanged happy glances. “Alright, we’ll do as you say!”

Fan Hua thought to herself: rent is so cheap in this era! Who would believe that forty years later, renting a place in Yangcheng would cost thousands a month?

Once she got to Yangcheng, she had to work hard. In a few years, the country would start selling commercial housing. She planned to buy a couple of properties in every major city and wait for them to appreciate!

The four of them had a great time chatting. Later, no one knew where Zheng Zening got a deck of cards, but they started playing a lively game. The previously dull train journey suddenly became filled with joy!

Their frequent cheers and laughter even drew attention from nearby passengers who came over to watch!

After two days together on the train, a strong friendship had formed between them, and Fan Hua became even more excited for her new life in Yangcheng…

After all, they had latched onto a golden opportunity on this train ride!