Volume One, Chapter 20: Xiao Xu, Do You Have a Hidden Story?
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He Lianhua bowed deeply to Song Qingxin. She was so moved that her eyes welled up with tears. After graduating from middle school, her family could no longer afford to support her further education. She had no choice but to work at a factory on the outskirts of the county town. Eventually, unable to endure the grueling twelve-hour shifts on a two-shift system, she resigned. She then found a job at Qingxin Fruit Store. This position required no night shifts and offered a refined working environment, which she greatly appreciated. Despite being unfairly bullied by the former deputy general manager, Fan Zhizong, she did not quit like many veteran employees but remained for five years. She never imagined that she, a middle school graduate, could be promoted to manager of the flagship store of a chain fruit shop!
“How much is the guava from President Lin’s family priced at?” The new store manager, He Lianhua, quickly slipped into work mode.
“One hundred yuan per jin!” Song Qingxin blurted out.
“One… hundred… yuan… per… jin?” Almost all the employees, except Lin Xiaoxu, were stunned by Song Qingxin’s pricing. Lin Xiaoxu was unaffected because he knew Song Qingxin’s purchase price was fifty yuan per jin, so doubling it seemed reasonable. Still, considering the average monthly salary in Jinchang County is less than 2,500 yuan, it was uncertain how many people would be willing to spend several hundred yuan on a single local guava. However, sales would be entrusted to Song Qingxin, the professional.
“From now on, this guava shall be called… Taoyuan Guava!” Lin Xiaoxu quietly conceived a small plan: to develop Taoyuan Guava into a brand. Whenever someone craves their premium red-heart guava, they would naturally think of Taoyuan Village. If the brand took off, it might even bring prosperity to the villagers alongside.
—
“Cut one open so everyone can taste it; otherwise, they won’t be able to introduce Taoyuan Guava to customers properly.”
“Yes, President Lin.”
He Lianhua casually picked a guava, washed it, and sliced it into small pieces with a fruit knife.
“The flesh is so crisp!”
“The juice is incredibly sweet.”
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“Wait, why does my stomach feel warm all of a sudden? This feeling is so pleasant…”
A dozen employees chatted excitedly while tasting the guava. Meanwhile, Song Qingxin turned to Lin Xiaoxu.
“President Lin, please come to the office on the second floor. Let’s sign a contract and settle the payment.”
“All right.”
Shortly after, Lin Xiaoxu was led upstairs by Song Qingxin into a modestly decorated office. Song Qingxin sat in the boss’s chair and opened her laptop, her slender fingers dancing swiftly over the keyboard. Lin Xiaoxu stole a few glances at her.
Today, she had casually pinned her long, ebony hair at the back with a pearl hairpin. Loose strands fell lazily over her shoulders, adding a touch of warmth to her otherwise aloof aura. She wore an off-white modified qipao that sculpted her figure to near perfection. Her delicate features, enhanced by tasteful makeup, made her resemble a white lotus blossoming deep within a lotus pond—noble yet understated.
In this small county town of Jinchang, women with Song Qingxin’s refined elegance were rare. Lin Xiaoxu was also puzzled. Song Qingxin was outstanding in looks, figure, temperament, and business acumen—how could her husband have dared to divorce her?
Confused, he watched as the printer whirred, spitting out several sheets densely packed with text.
“Please review the contract, President Lin. If there are no issues, kindly sign your name.”
“Ms. Song, just call me Xiaoxu. I’m not used to being addressed as President Lin.”
“Sure, let’s drop formalities. Call me Sister Qingxin, and I’ll call you Xiaoxu.”
“Okay.”
After carefully reading the contract, Lin Xiaoxu signed his name with flourish.
“Xiaoxu, do you have a bank account for the payment?”
“I’ll take cash this time. I’ll buy a phone and get a SIM card and bank card later.”
“Xiaoxu, is there some story you’re not telling me?” Song Qingxin closed her laptop, her eyes narrowing slightly. She rested her slender, fair fingers on her delicate chin and leaned forward.
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Unexpectedly, the qipao rose high, revealing a pair of ample curves that caught Lin Xiaoxu’s gaze, stirring an uneasy longing within him.
Having navigated the business world for years, Song Qingxin could sense that Lin Xiaoxu was hiding something.
“Sister Qingxin, stop teasing me. I’m just a country boy,” Lin Xiaoxu lowered his head. They were far from being close enough to confide deeply.
“Alright then~” Since Xiaoxu was unwilling to share, she would not press further.
Song Qingxin opened the safe, counted out 290 red bills, and handed them to Lin Xiaoxu.
After a brief greeting, Lin Xiaoxu left the fruit shop. At the entrance, he noticed a flamboyantly dressed middle-aged female customer apparently arguing with He Lianhua. Lin Xiaoxu ignored it and rode his three-wheeled motorcycle straight to the phone store.
—
He Lianhua was now troubled. Standing before her was Zhang Lijuan, a frequent and well-known customer of Qingxin Fruit Store, affectionately called Sister Juan by many.
“Sister Li, please don’t be angry. Let’s talk this through calmly.”
This was the first major problem He Lianhua faced as the new store manager, and she reminded herself to tread carefully—she couldn’t afford to offend customers or tarnish the fruit store’s reputation.
“What do you think you are? You have no right to speak to me! Call out Fan!” Zhang Lijuan was a VIP who spent two to three hundred yuan almost daily at the store. Her monthly spending alone equaled two to three months’ wages for an ordinary person.
Yesterday, she had made plans with Fan Zhizong to meet at the Tianhao Grand Hotel to spend some quality time together. But today, Fan Zhizong called her to say he had discovered Song Qingxin was collaborating with a local guava farmer, and as a result, Song Qingxin had been ruthlessly fired, and that farmer was thrown out onto the street!
The Wild Village Doctor—please remember to bookmark: The Wild Village Doctor.