Step by step, a gentle breeze leads to a smooth path

Gao Haoran was packing clothes and toiletries for Liu Dayong when he saw Tingnan: "Tingnan, you've come at the right time. Old Liu is coming to my place for the New Year today. Can you help carry his things?"

"Really? That's wonderful! It's so nice that you're spending the New Year together!" Ting Nan immediately helped with the tidying up. Why hadn't she thought of that?

Liu Dayong looked at the two, master and apprentice, and realized he had no say in the matter. Fine, let them do as they please. Spending the New Year with Lao Gao, staying up all night, and welcoming the New Year is fine! His place is secluded, and he won't attract attention even if Nan comes and goes.

Ting Nan quietly gave Gao Haoran a thumbs up, "Master, we still need you to step in!"

"That's right, Lao Liu only admires me!" Gao Haoran's decisiveness really did have a way of dealing with Liu Dayong.

Since the two masters are spending the New Year together, they don't need as many New Year's goods; Tingnan took the extra home.

Things are getting better every year, you can tell just by looking at the New Year's goods. In the past, having a plate of melon seeds meant you were a good family. Now there are melon seeds, peanuts, biscuits, and candies. In the past, having a plate of scrambled eggs or something was considered a proper meal, but today there's chicken, fish, and vegetables, a whole table full. In the past, we'd just set off a few homemade firecrackers for the New Year, but today Song Wanli not only bought firecrackers, but also a bunch of "ji-o-pao" (a type of firecracker) for kids.

Tingnan had a very comfortable year!

A spring rain brings forth new greenery. The willows and poplars, which have sprouted without our noticing, are steadily displaying their green spring attire after being watered by the rain. Spring plowing and sowing have also begun in the fields.

Two young male teachers arrived at the school; I heard they were recent college graduates here for internships. There was also a female teacher in her thirties, who seemed to have teaching experience. The principal had also changed—Teacher Dai—and the school registration process was very well organized.

As Ting Nan continued her studies and life in an orderly manner, Zheng Ruidong wrote to her, saying that her elder brother had brought in two partners: one was Village Chief Xiao, and the other was his follower, Lu Hai.

Lu Hai had also followed along before, but he had principles and a bottom line, and he was self-aware, loyal, and wouldn't try to be clever.

Zheng Xiangqian is just starting his business and needs someone like Village Chief Xiao who can coordinate relationships with the surrounding area, as well as a loyal and devoted assistant like Lu Hai.

The three of them invested a total of 1,000 yuan, which was used entirely for construction and hiring. They would only start firing bricks after receiving a deposit from potential clients. Gao Haoran said that risks were necessary, but everything had to be done according to plan to mitigate them.

Ting Nan gave them over two hundred, but that wasn't enough. Zheng Xiangqian listened to Zuo Renxin's advice that to gain absolute control of the factory, he would definitely invest more than them.

Zheng Xiangqian borrowed 100 yuan from the Zhibei couple and then scraped together more, investing a total of 500 yuan, which gave him the majority of the investment and absolute control. He had the final say in the operation and management of the brick factory.

In his letter, Zheng Ruidong said that his elder brother was thinking of including Tingnan in the profits, and that they would split the earnings equally. Tingnan, however, had no intention of taking half of her elder brother's earnings. She didn't have to worry about the work or effort involved, and was happy to receive a small share of the profits. She would have to clarify this with her elder brother when they met.

Everyone's life is getting better and better, and Tingnan is not one to skimp on himself, so he decided to treat himself to a nice meal.

On her next trip to the county town, she planned to eat at the wonton shop at the ferry crossing again. The wontons had thin wrappers, lots of filling, and were delicious. Hearing Nan swallow her saliva, she thought about packing some for Master Liu after she finished eating.

While waiting for the wontons, Ting Nan habitually glanced at the lips of people a little further away. He saw they were all talking about everyday gossip. Just as he looked away, he saw the lips of the owner of a small general store in the distance moving: "Sanmazi, you didn't get much out of this risk. Just this one last one?"

The other person had his back to him; it must have been Sanmazi. He couldn't hear or see Tingnan.

Risk? Only one child? Ting Nan was a little curious. The wontons arrived, and she ate while observing them.

The boss's lips moved again: "It's tight, things are really tense right now. A lot of people have been mobilized. Let's finish this job and then stop."

As Ting Nan was pondering this, suddenly, the shop owner's gaze swept over and met hers. Ting Nan quickly lowered her head and continued eating her wontons.