After arriving in the capital, Shen Jiao first checked into a guesthouse.
She had not travelled there alone. Gu Xinjun, Eldest Grandma’s grandson, had accompanied her.
Ever since Xinjiao Garment Factory was established, Gu Xinjun had worked there.
Although Shen Jiao had not interacted with him very much in the past, Gu Xinguo and Gu Xinmin knew him well.
After asking the siblings about his character, testing his abilities, and personally training him for a period, Shen Jiao directly placed him in charge of the sales department.
Sales employees received commissions, so his wages and benefits were no worse than those of his wife, who operated a shop in the city.
His wife had previously earned far more than he did, leaving him with the uncomfortable feeling that he was living off her income.
The moment he received this job, he regained his dignity as the man of the household.
Needless to say, he devoted himself wholeheartedly to his work.
Shen Jiao had originally intended to bring someone else on this trip, but how could Gu Xinjun feel at ease allowing that?
Although he often travelled for sales and was frequently away from the factory, almost everyone working there came from the same village.
No one bothered hiding gossip from him.
Naturally, he had heard that the production manager’s feelings towards Xinguo’s wife were far from innocent.
It was unfortunate that Brother Xinguo spent all his time driving goods to distant places.
If he regularly visited the factory, Gu Xinjun would like to see whether that fellow would still dare entertain improper thoughts.
Under these circumstances, how could Gu Xinjun allow that man to accompany Xinguo’s wife on a business trip?
As a fellow man with an exceptionally capable wife, Gu Xinjun understood perfectly why Gu Xinguo worked so desperately.
If they did not work hard, would they not become men who lived off their wives?
Ever since Xinjiao Garment Factory was founded in Shuanma Village, the phrase “living off your wife” had practically become a source of anxiety for every man in the production brigade.
Their wives had all become wage earners, while the men had almost no source of income apart from working the yellow soil each day.
No one knew how many times they had approached the Party secretary and brigade captain, begging them to find some way for the men to earn money.
Otherwise, their position within th eir families would be in danger, and Shuanma Village would become famous throughout the surrounding area as a brigade full of men terrified of their wives.
But what could the Party secretary and brigade captain possibly do?
Unable to find their own way to earn money, those men often muttered into Gu Xinguo’s ear and attempted to sow discord between him and Shen Jiao.
Fortunately, Gu Xinguo had a firm mind and ignored them.
Otherwise, the married couple might have spent every day fighting at home.
Those men truly had nothing better to do.
They never considered what would happen if Shen Jiao became disappointed in Gu Xinguo, divorced him, and closed the garment factory.
They would no longer have to live off their wives, but their households would certainly stop enjoying their present prosperity.
“Brother Xinjun, I plan to visit some universities in the capital. Do you have any arrangements?”
“I want to look around the nearby supply and marketing cooperatives and department stores.”
It was already the middle of the afternoon.
This was not a suitable time to meet clients or visit factories, so Shen Jiao decided she might as well explore the universities and see whether she could recruit the design talent she needed.
Gu Xinjun wanted to conduct market research.
He planned to examine the clothing styles currently popular at the supply and marketing cooperatives and department stores, as well as their prices.
Once they had decided on their separate destinations, they ate something simple outside the guesthouse to fill their stomachs, then departed to handle their own affairs.
Walking through the university campus filled Shen Jiao with emotion.
She remembered the education she had been forced to abandon in her previous life because she lacked money.
Later, she had worked during the day while attending evening classes.
How much resentment and unwillingness had she carried in her heart back then?
Now, however, she had a happy family.
Her career might not yet be enormously successful, but by the standards of this era, she had already accumulated a respectable fortune.
As she walked across the campus and watched the spirited university students, she felt unexpectedly peaceful.
Even she found it strange.
So a happy family truly could heal a person.
University students in this era were nothing like the university graduates found everywhere in later generations.
It was not an exaggeration to call them heaven’s chosen children.
Not only were students exempt from tuition fees, but they also received living allowances and were assigned jobs after graduation.
Once someone entered university, they practically no longer needed to worry about the rest of their life.
But precisely because of that, these university students were proud and ambitious.
Why would they be willing to join a makeshift garment factory in a village?
Shen Jiao had prepared salaries almost ten times higher than those offered by state-owned workplaces.
Even so, after speaking with several students, she failed to persuade a single one.
Perhaps university graduates who wanted to remain in the capital might have considered the offer if her factory had been located there.
Unfortunately, Xinjiao Garment Factory was only a village enterprise.
Shen Jiao returned to the guesthouse empty-handed.
Gu Xinjun did not ask how things had gone.
Her expression already made it obvious that the negotiations had not been successful.
“Factory Director, those university students all want secure jobs with iron rice bowls, or they want to remain in major cities. How could they possibly think highly of our village factory? Even if the salary tempts them, they still have to consider their pride and reputation.”
Why did he have to speak such painful truths?
Was he deliberately rubbing salt into her wound?
It appeared that without a phoenix tree, they truly could not attract phoenixes like these university graduates.
Shen Jiao pursed her lips.
In that case, they would cultivate their own university graduates.
Once she returned, she would ask around for outstanding students from poor families.
Xinjiao Garment Factory could pay their tuition and even provide living expenses, allowing them to complete their education.
Naturally, the factory would not spend the money without conditions.
After graduating from university, the sponsored students would have to return and work at Xinjiao Garment Factory.
Of course, Shen Jiao would not treat them unfairly when it came to wages.
After deciding on this plan, Shen Jiao immediately felt refreshed.
If university students were unwilling to join them, then they would train university students themselves.
She would work towards making Xinjiao Garment Factory into a company that university graduates would compete to enter in the future.
The following day, Shen Jiao took Gu Xinjun to several factories Gu Xinguo had recommended.
Because of his work, Gu Xinguo had visited the capital several times.
He also had several former comrades working within government institutions there.
Only after conducting his own investigation and consulting his comrades had he selected these particular factories for Shen Jiao.
Some manufactured sewing machines, while others produced fabric.
There were even factories specialising in buttons and zips.
They supplied almost everything Shen Jiao needed.
Her husband truly understood her thoughts better than anyone.
With a man like him beside her, perhaps she could finally release every lingering resentment in her heart.
Thanks to the influence of Gu Xinguo’s former comrades, Shen Jiao’s purchasing negotiations proceeded extremely smoothly.
She selected several factories with reliable product quality and signed long-term supply agreements with them.
After settling all her business, she still had more than half a day remaining.
Shen Jiao decided to explore the capital properly.
As the nation’s capital, this city was the most sensitive to changes in the political and economic climate.
The cries of street vendors and the fashionable clothing worn by beautiful young women all demonstrated that the country was developing vigorously in a better direction.
She felt fortunate to have arrived in such a dramatically changing era and to be able to witness China’s rise.
Suddenly, a familiar young man and woman entered her line of sight.
Four years had passed.
Apart from anonymously mailing evidence of their improper relationship to their university the previous year, Shen Jiao had stopped paying attention to them.
She had never imagined that during her rare visit to the capital, she would unexpectedly encounter them.
What sort of fate was this?
Shen Jiao did not immediately approach them.
Instead, she silently observed for a while.
It did not take long for her to notice that something was wrong.
The pair had finally torn away the mask of true love and began arguing directly in the street.
A short while later, another familiar figure appeared.
The woman did not look around after arriving.
She walked directly towards Qin Zhifeng and took hold of his arm.
The provoked An Qing immediately began fighting with her.
The newcomer was none other than Wang Xiangxiu.
She had been away from Shuanma Village for a year and had already regained the attractive appearance she possessed as an unmarried girl.
Her natural features had always been fairly good, and with careful clothing and grooming, she still possessed considerable beauty.
Shen Jiao had no idea how Wang Xiangxiu had become entangled with those two.
However, it was no longer any of her concern.
As for Wang Xiangxiu’s husband’s family, the old tailor’s household had practically become the poorest family in the entire village.
Almost every household had at least one person working at Shen Jiao’s garment factory.
Only their family had been excluded because of their previous actions against her.
Furthermore, although they came from the countryside, they had never performed serious agricultural work in their lives.
Even after receiving farmland, they did not know how to cultivate it properly.
Their tailoring trade, which had once supported the entire household, was no longer especially valuable now that so many villagers knew how to sew.
Shen Jiao briefly considered informing the Li family that she had seen Wang Xiangxiu.
However, remembering the way they had abused her, Shen Jiao abandoned the idea.
It was not because she was a saint.
She simply despised men who beat their wives.
Still, this momentary compassion later caused some trouble for her garment factory.
Fortunately, by then, Shen Jiao had encountered another opportunity.
Her factory was no longer afraid of their provocations.
As for how Qin Zhifeng and An Qing’s supposedly true love had deteriorated into its present state, Shen Jiao bore direct responsibility.
The two had already developed suspicions towards each other after discovering that each had hidden their previous marital status.
Later, Shen Jiao’s anonymous report not only destroyed the internships they had practically secured but also caused the university to revoke their student status and expel them.
For two people who had been about to graduate, begin their careers, and reach the peak of their lives, it had been like a thunderbolt striking from a clear sky.
The economic foundation determined the superstructure.
Naturally, that included certain people’s love.
At first, the couple remained united after losing their futures.
Later, however, they repeatedly encountered rejection while searching for work.
An Qing’s parents also blamed Qin Zhifeng for destroying their daughter’s future and constantly encouraged her to divorce him.
How could the proud and arrogant Qin Zhifeng endure that treatment?
The countless petty frustrations of daily life gradually wore away a love that had already been fragile.
It was during this period that Wang Xiangxiu entered Qin Zhifeng’s life.
After fleeing Shuanma Village, she used her body as a bargaining chip and travelled all the way to the capital.
The capital truly deserved its status as the nation’s greatest city.
The people and experiences she encountered there were completely different from anything available in an isolated place like Shuanma Village.
Only after escaping her original surroundings did she realise that Gu Xinguo was not particularly remarkable.
In their poor little region, he might have been considered successful.
But in the capital, what did a man like him amount to?
Wang Xiangxiu had learned tailoring.
Unlike the old tailor, who spent ten or twenty years refusing to adapt, she was young, observant, and flexible.
Although her skills could not compare with Shen Jiao’s, she managed to create styles that followed current fashion.
Through several improper transactions, she obtained a sewing machine and an overlock machine.
Then she opened a tailoring shop beside a university in the capital.
First, the university brought a large flow of people and good business.
Second, she hoped that proximity would give her an advantage in finding a university student to marry.
Since she had already escaped, she was determined to build a respectable life for herself.
Only then could she return home in glory and possess the confidence to oppose the old tailor’s family.
At this point, she felt extremely fortunate that she and Li Tao had never obtained an official marriage certificate.
If she married again, she would not be committing bigamy.
Unfortunately, which university student would think highly of a self-employed woman?
After repeated disappointment, Wang Xiangxiu was almost ready to give up when she encountered the dejected Qin Zhifeng.
During their later conversations, she discovered that he was Shen Jiao’s former husband—the university student who had abandoned her.
From then on, Wang Xiangxiu treated him with endless tenderness and care.
She had money, and she was young and attractive.
How could Qin Zhifeng avoid becoming interested?
Wang Xiangxiu felt extremely proud after seducing Qin Zhifeng.
It was almost as though she had stolen Shen Jiao’s man.
The satisfaction in her heart was indescribable.
Just wait.
Once she earned enough money, she would make Qin Zhifeng divorce his current wife.
Then she would take him back to Shuanma Village and open a garment factory specifically to compete against Shen Jiao.
She had experienced life in the capital.
She refused to believe she could not defeat a country bumpkin like Shen Jiao.
Shen Jiao knew nothing about Wang Xiangxiu’s plans.
At that moment, she was walking hurriedly, her heart pounding so hard that it felt ready to burst from her chest.
Someone was following her.
What should she do?
She seemed to remember that the Public Security Bureau was just around the corner.
She quickened her pace.
Once she reached its entrance, she would no longer need to be afraid.
“Madam, please wait!”
The entrance to the Public Security Bureau finally appeared in front of her.
Shen Jiao practically ran towards it.
The man in a suit who had been following her hurried after her and stopped her before she could enter.
“Who are you? I don’t know you. Look, this is the Public Security Bureau. If I shout, the officers inside will immediately come out and arrest you.”
The well-dressed man smiled bitterly.
So she had mistaken him for a criminal.
He swore he had been falsely accused.
Although he could not claim to be an absolutely good person in every sense, he held nothing but goodwill towards her and possessed no malicious intentions whatsoever.
“Madam, allow me to introduce myself. My name is Hong Chengdong, and I come from Hong Kong.
“I truly had no malicious intentions in following you. I only thought that you looked somewhat like my elder sister.”
What an outdated method of approaching a woman.
Shen Jiao initially dismissed his words.
However, when she saw the photograph Hong Chengdong handed to her, she suddenly fell silent.
She could swear that the woman in the photograph was definitely not her.
Yet she looked almost exactly like Shen Jiao.
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