Traveling back to 1952, starting a comeback from a relief station

Wang Anping led Qin Huairu into the shop, where Chen Xueru was chatting with several customers.

Upon spotting Wang Anping, she briefly greeted the people around her and then walked over, her gaze lingering on Qin Huairu.

"Anping, who is this?"

She spoke first, and as she approached, her gaze lingered on Qin Huairu.

"Why didn't you introduce it to me?"

Qin Huairu subconsciously shrank back behind Wang Anping.

Even before she stepped inside, she felt a bit timid.

Seeing the woman in front of her, dressed fashionably, with a bright and beautiful face and a generous demeanor, and chatting familiarly with Wang Anping, made her feel even more ashamed of herself.

Compared to people like that, I'm just a rustic country girl.

Wang Anping spoke with a smile:

"This is Qin Huairu, my blind date."

"Bring her here to have two new outfits made."

"Huai Ru, this is Chen Xue Ru, the owner of this shop. She's a well-known businesswoman on Qianmen Street."

A fleeting look of surprise crossed Chen Xueru's face, but she quickly regained her composure and immediately stepped forward to take Qin Huairu's hand, saying warmly:

"What a coincidence!"

"We both have the character 'Ru' in our names, what a coincidence! Judging from your appearance, you must be younger than me, so I'll call you Huai Ru, little sister."

"Anping and I are friends, so please don't stand on ceremony when you come to visit me."

As she spoke, she led Qin Huairu toward the fabric section.

Praising as they walked:

"Huai Ru, you are really beautiful. An Ping is so lucky."

"I can't believe I met such an amazing guy like you."

Qin Huairu was a little flustered by Chen Xueru's enthusiasm. It was the first time she had met someone so outgoing, and she didn't know how to respond.

At the same time, he was secretly wondering:

What exactly is her relationship with Wang Anping, and why is he being so affectionate towards her?

Hearing the praise, she lowered her head shyly.

"Not at all, Mr. Chen, you are the truly beautiful one."

"Hey, don't call me boss." Chen Xueru waved her hand. "Just call me Sister Xueru."

"Girl, you have a good natural look. With just a little styling, you'll be much prettier than me. Anping has excellent taste."

She changed the subject and said with a smile:

"Let's not talk about that anymore, let's look at the fabric first."

"Sister, I know a bit about this. Spring is just around the corner, how about I make you a dress? With your figure, you'll definitely look good in it..."

Chen Xueru kindly guided us through the selection process.

Wang Anping, having found himself with some free time, simply waited on the sidelines.

After an unknown amount of time, Chen Xueru returned alone, while Qin Huairu had already been taken by the tailor to have her measurements taken.

She led Wang Anping into her office and made him a cup of coffee.

He spoke with a strange expression:

"I heard from Huai Ru that you two met for the first time this morning?"

"You're really something, aren't you? You fooled them completely on the very first meeting. You've got a knack for it."

"But you're still young, why are you looking for a wife so early!"

Wang Anping raised an eyebrow, his tone casual:

"Isn't finding a wife a normal thing?"

"Having a wife is so great. You don't have to do laundry, cook, or make the bed yourself. Life is so comfortable."

"By the way, what about your boyfriend?"

He had visited the store twice and had heard people say that Chen Xueru had been introduced to potential partners, and that the partners came from quite good families.

The two families are considered a good match.

Chen Xueru glanced at Wang Anping with annoyance:

"What 'partner'? That's nothing at all, we're just acquaintances."

"That guy's name is Hou Cheng. He went to school for a few years, but he felt like he couldn't fit in anywhere. He kept clamoring to go to the United States, saying that it was the center of the world and a place for rich people to go."

"Why go there when you don't know anyone?"

"Everything has to start from scratch, and I also have to learn that foreign language, it's so troublesome."

Wang Anping smiled:

"What they said is true; the United States is indeed developed now."

Chen Xueru rolled her eyes at him, her tone tinged with reproach:

"You really are..."

Two days ago, when the two were chatting, Wang Anping had harshly criticized the United States, but now he has changed his tune.

What's wrong?

Does he really want to go to the United States by himself?

However, Chen Xueru instantly understood Wang Anping's intentions when he said "washing clothes, cooking, making the bed, and folding blankets."

She's definitely not the kind of woman who's willing to stay home and do housework, so being friends is fine, but if the two of them were to live together, there would definitely be a lot of conflicts.

But Chen Xueru couldn't help feeling resentful, so she could only mutter something under her breath.

Wang Anping naturally didn't take it to heart.

He could tell that Chen Xueru had some feelings for him.

Even if we don't bring it up now, we might still have to face this issue in the future, so we might as well bring it up now.

Wang Anping was well aware of the development situation in the following years.

However, it's alright for now.

Two years later, with the full implementation of the public-private partnership, her silk shop was bound to encounter many challenges.

This was not a difficult task for Wang Anping. He was confident that he could fight for as many rights as possible for himself and those around him in this trend.

The biggest reason he didn't choose Chen Xueru was ultimately her personality—she was too assertive.

A woman with this kind of personality would be fine as a mistress.

He didn't need to find a powerful woman for some kind of powerful alliance. Finding a gentle, considerate woman who could serve him well and make his life comfortable was the most practical thing for him.

If we really want to make money, that's something for thirty years from now.

Just as he was pondering this, Qin Huairu's somewhat flustered greeting suddenly came from outside.

Wang Anping immediately came out of Chen Xueru's office and saw that Qin Huairu had already confirmed the style of the clothes to be made with the tailor in the store and was waiting to leave.

It happened to be the weekend.

The weather is gradually warming up, and Qianmen Street is bustling with people.

Before leaving, Wang Anping helped Qin Huairu pick out some trinkets from the shop, mostly hair clips and hair accessories, so she could give them to her family as gifts, hoping to win their favor.

Even Wang Anping himself couldn't help but praise the planner's ingenuity.

Chen Xueru escorted the two to the store entrance, and as she watched their backs, she couldn't help but purse her lips.

Before she could turn around to greet the customers in the shop, she suddenly heard a familiar, loud shout coming from the doorway:

"Stop right there, you little thief!"

Chaos quickly broke out outside, with a cacophony of noise.

Chen Xueru's heart tightened, and she quickly walked to the door.

Looking in the direction of the sound.

All he could see was chaos outside his shop.

Wang Anping held a three- or four-meter-long wooden pole in his hand, confronting a man with a short knife and shifty eyes.

Standing nearby was a woman in her early thirties, a customer who had just left the store. She was clutching her bag tightly and hurling insults at the man.

"Thief! Someone's stealing!"

"Help! Someone, catch the thief!"