The main thing is to make money, and the rest is just a matter of convenience.

Qiao Si's men pointed their guns at Hua Yan, but Hua Yan shrugged, completely ignoring them.

"Be careful with your guns, don't let them go off accidentally. If I'm gone, Uncle Joe will go with me."

Hua Yan has such an infuriating look that it makes people grit their teeth in hatred.

Qiao Si was so vomiting that he couldn't speak, so he could only wave his hand to tell them not to make any rash moves.

Everyone just heard Qiao Si's gunshot, but they didn't see where it hit. At the same time, he was poisoned, which made them afraid to act rashly. They were just standing there shouting and yelling with their guns, but they didn't actually do anything.

Having tortured himself to the point of being unrecognizable, Qiao Si slumped to the ground, clutching his chest in pain, his eyes filled with resentment and unwillingness as he looked at Hua Yan.

It's unbelievable that someone as well-known as him in Heilongjiang Province would be defeated by this little girl. He's so ashamed he can't face anyone now.

"Can we talk about this?"

Hua Yan, seeing that the fire was almost done, asked with a bright smile.

"Who exactly are you, and what is your purpose?"

Qiao Si couldn't understand how collecting protection money could have gotten him into trouble!

"Hehe! Uncle Qiao, your question is a bit absurd. What purpose could I possibly have? If you hadn't been robbing us, we wouldn't have had the chance to meet."

"You guys are so amazing, how come I've never heard of you before?"

"We are not powerful; this is just a means of self-defense. Our principle has always been: we will not attack unless attacked, and if attacked, we will retaliate."

"What do you want to talk about?"

Qiao Si asked weakly.

“We’ll be using this road often in the future. This is the first and last time. I don’t want to be robbed again. And you have to guarantee our safety in Heilongjiang Province. If there are any problems, I’ll hold you accountable.”

Hua Yan said this in a very formal and uncompromising manner, leaving no room for negotiation.

"hehe!"

Qiao Si was so angry he laughed. In all these years, no one had ever spoken to him like that.

"So you mean we not only can't rob you, but we also have to protect you?"

"Yes! That makes sense."

Hua Yan nodded shamelessly.

"You think I can't do anything to you just because you poisoned me?"

Qiao Si asked, somewhat skeptical.

"Yes! You're right, because only I can cure your poison. And it will flare up once a month from now on. Without the antidote, you'll suffer a fate worse than death."

Hua Yan flicked her nails, looking nonchalant.

"Heh! You're mistaken. The person I, Qiao Fei, hate most is being threatened. Brothers, take these guys down."

Qiao Si revealed a cruel smile, waved his hand, and the people behind him raised their pistols and began to fire.

The eighteen or so men made a show of fighting back, but the bullets seemed to hit a barrier and did no harm to them at all.

Eighteen and the others were stunned, as were Qiao Si and the others.

Hua Yan looked at everyone calmly, completely unaffected by the tense atmosphere.

At this moment, Qiao Si remembered what Er Biao had told him. The words "unpredictable" popped into his mind, startling him into a cold sweat.

Despite the pain in his chest, Qiao Si shouted, "Retreat!"

"Wait a minute, the matter isn't resolved yet, why are you already thinking of leaving? Did you even ask for my opinion?"

Hua Yan used her internal energy, making her voice deafening.

"What do you want?"

Qiao Si panicked a little.

"As I said before, you must ensure the safety of my goods within Heilongjiang Province. If any problems arise, your antidote will be discontinued."

Hua Yan didn't make any excessive demands; she just wanted to be able to conduct trade smoothly.

"Okay! I promise."

Qiao Si's move was a delaying tactic. He didn't believe that anyone else could cure his poison. Once the poison was cured, he would definitely take revenge on Hua Yan.

Hua Yan knew his little scheme, but she didn't expose it. She let him hold onto hope until it was shattered, and then he devoted himself to doing things for her.

"Let's sign an agreement. If you can't do it, you have to compensate me for my losses. If you do it well, I'll consider cooperating with you in other areas."

Hua Yan doesn't miss any opportunity to gather information. Qiao Si is currently under evaluation; once he passes the evaluation, they'll consider cooperation.

Hua Yan took out a pre-prepared agreement from her handbag and handed it to Qiao Si. After both parties signed it, Hua Yan left with her people.

Holding the agreement and the antidote, Qiao Si felt as if his parents had died.

When they arrived in Harbin, Chai Lu had already unloaded all the goods.

Animal fur was sourced from local garment factories, and the fur was processed according to the design drawings provided by Faye Wong. This marked the first time the "One Life, One Love" brand had produced fur.

Eight cartloads of grain were transported; four were left in Harbin for consumption, and the other four were taken back to Shengjing for consumption. Grain is still a scarce commodity, and it cannot all be left in Harbin; some must also be allocated to Shengjing to alleviate some of the shortage.

Jiuer Trading Harbin Branch: Chai Lu and Hua Yan have already recruited management personnel for relevant positions, so the rest of the work will be handed over to these people, and the two of them are preparing to return to Shengjing.

On this trip back to Shengjing, Hua Yan had another important matter to attend to: building a temple for Tongle, as she had promised. There were also many things to do in Chailu, one of which was building a large-scale shopping mall.

Carrying four truckloads of grain, after a ten-hour journey, they finally arrived in Shengjing.

Hua Yan hauled all the grain to Sihe Department Store, but there was too much to fit in the yard, so Hua Jingxing went to the street office and asked the director to help find a warehouse.

She didn't have the energy to deal with these matters; she needed to rest and then settle things at the temple.

There were temples in Shengjing, but they were all destroyed after the Cultural Revolution and are currently in a state of disrepair.

Through Ren Yi's connections, Hua Yan found the director of the Cultural Bureau and said that she wanted to fund the renovation of these temples, preserve the ancient buildings, and leave a cultural legacy for the future.

Fortunately, that campaign has been over for some time, and now no one is afraid to talk about it anymore, so it was approved quickly.

Hua Yan's only request was to invite a highly virtuous monk to preside over the work, and that was enough.

Under the guise of repairing the temple, Hua Yan established a construction company, which was headed by Kong Wen, laying the foundation for her future foray into the real estate industry.

Kong Wen was in charge of the main work, and Grandpa Fu Lu gave a lot of advice and suggestions. Tong Le was also assigned the task of supervising the temple's renovation work.

By the time all these tasks were completed, it was already November.

After Kong Wen got a specific job, he could no longer follow Hua Yan. He felt a little lost, but he was also full of energy.

“Master, the heavy responsibility of promoting Buddhist culture in Shengjing will fall on your shoulders from now on.”

Hua Yan sat opposite Tong Liao, looking at him with a relaxed expression.

Their destiny began in a past life and continues into this one, making them unparalleled.

"Little benefactor Huayan, thank you for everything you have done for Buddhism and for me. Buddha will bless you with a peaceful life."

He put his hands together in prayer and uttered "Amitabha."

“Master, with your blessing of Buddhism, I believe my wish will come true.”

Hua Yan returned the greeting respectfully.

"Young benefactor, your bond with your mother is weak throughout your life. I hope this will not have a negative impact on your future."

Tong had long seen that Hua Yan had no mother-daughter bond and was worried that she was too young and might get hurt, so he mentioned it.

The face that has been reborn from the ashes indicates that one will experience unimaginable pain. Perhaps this mother-daughter bond is the first pain that Hua Yan must go through!

"Thank you for telling me, Master. I won't hold a grudge. At worst, I'll just pretend it never happened. However, I have a godmother who treats me even better than my own mother, so I can make up for this missed connection."

Hua Yan understood Tong Liao's good intentions and worried that Tong Liao might harbor resentment towards life because of her mother's dislike.