Courtyard houses: Those who are capable are rewarded, and many children bring many blessings.

"You had honey for lunch, didn't you? Your mouth tastes so sweet! You work in Beijing, what about your wife at home? Aren't you afraid she'll cheat on you?" Xu Huizhen said, looking at Niu Dazhuang with amusement.

"Hehe, Sister Xu, I'm not bragging, but with our skills, one meal can keep my wife from going hungry for half a month!"

"Hehe... You say you're not bragging? I think you've blown the crap out of the city."

"Who's bragging like that!" A sweet voice drifted in from the courtyard.

"That little slut, she's everywhere." Xu Huizhen muttered under her breath, then immediately put on a beaming smile and lifted the curtain.

"Xueru, you're not busy this afternoon? Come inside."

Chen Xueru entered, dressed in a bright red cheongsam adorned with peonies and her shoes polished to a shine. She swayed her hips as she walked in.

"Hey! Where did this burly young man come from! Huizhen, it seems I've come at the wrong time!" she said, stroking her pert buttocks with her left hand and sitting down like a young lady.

Fearing gossip, Xu Huizhen quickly said, "My cousin just got married last winter. He came to Beijing this year to see if he can make some money!"

"Cousin? Huizhen...when did you get a cousin?"

"I have relatives all back home, and you even know them all? They used to bring me wine!"

"Oh! No wonder you looked familiar. It's that young man who brought you the wine. Tsk tsk, getting married really changes things; you look like a grown man now. What brings you here tonight?"

"No, he has an older uncle, who lives in..."

Niu Dazhuang quickly chimed in, "In Nanluoguxiang. My cousin always says she has a best friend who looks like a fairy! I think she's even more elegant than a fairy!"

"Hehe... Huizhen, your cousin really knows how to talk. Me, a fairy? A fairy who fell from the sky!"

"Hehe, fairy sister, your name is Xue Ru. My wife has the same name as you!" Niu Dazhuang said, pretending to be simple and honest.

"You little rascal, always trying to take advantage of me! Does Huizhen's wife really share my name?"

Xu Huizhen thought to herself, "I don't know either, but since they've already said he's my cousin, I can only choose to believe him."

"Yes, that's why they say we're destined to be together!"

Chen Xueru looked at them in disbelief: "You two siblings aren't conspiring to lie to me, are you? What a coincidence!"

"Fairy Sister, don't you believe me? Wait a while, and I'll bring my husband over. You'll see for yourselves then," Niu Dazhuang said sincerely.

"Oh, okay then, I believe you. Huizhen, I asked you to come here today..." she said, glancing at Niu Dazhuang.

Niu Dazhuang, being tactful, said, "You two sisters chat, I'm going to take a stroll in the yard." With that, he lifted the curtain and came out.

"Not bad, at least you can tell the difference between eyebrows and eyes."

"You mean the public-private partnership, right?" Xu Huizhen asked.

"Well, they say it's voluntary, but if you don't agree, people from the street will come and bother you every day!" Chen Xueru said helplessly.

"I don't know about your silk shop's sourcing channels, but as they say, my little tavern will be forced to close down once the plan is implemented. There won't be anywhere to get drinks from there!"

Besides, even if you can buy things on the black market, they can easily find out! You still won't be able to keep your business running. Rather than being passive like that, it's better for us to cooperate actively and end up leaving a good impression!

Chen Xueru's expression shifted between light and shadow as she sighed, "So, you're agreeing?"

"I agree. I'll go to the neighborhood committee tomorrow. You shouldn't worry about it anymore. It's an inevitable trend; what can you do to change it?"

"Sigh, I can't change it, but they make me unhappy, and I can't let them have their way either."

"Why bother! Let me tell you something. If you want to buy something in the future that you can't do yourself, just tell my cousin."

"Oh, your cousin looks quite robust. How come he's already involved in the underworld so soon after arriving?"

"No, he just arrived! He's waiting for his uncle to find him a job, and he's free these days. He can earn some money for cigarettes by buying things for us on the black market!"

"Is he really your cousin?"

"Really, why would I lie to you!"

"That doesn't make sense. If he really is your cousin, you can't even manage this little tavern by yourself, why don't you ask him for help?"

"They're too proud to look down on my little tavern; they'd be perfectly content with a government job!"

Chen Xueru pursed her lips and said softly, "So what if someone works for the government? They just have a better reputation than us. It's not as easy to make money as doing business."

Then, tentatively, she asked, "How about having him come work for me for a few days?"

"Call him in and talk to him. If he agrees, what objection could he possibly have!"

Did I really call out?

"Niu Dazhuang, come in, your fairy sister has something to say to you," Xu Huizhen called out sourly.

"They're here!"

Xu Huizhen knew that Chen Xueru had been testing her earlier; her family's silk shop didn't need any apprentices right now.

After Niu Dazhuang came in, Xu Huizhen didn't give her a chance to speak and said directly, "Xue Ru has taken a liking to you and wants you to work for her." Then she turned to Chen Xue Ru and asked, "How much will you be paid per month?"

"Oh, sisters, did you even ask for my opinion before making these arrangements?" Although Chen Xueru is beautiful, she can't give up the whole forest for one tree. Besides, they haven't even secured the osmanthus tree yet.

"How could I wrong you? It's better than you making a pittance at the ghost market!" Chen Xueru was unhappy when she heard Niu Dazhuang say that.

"It's not that I'm being unfair, fairy sister, it's just that if I became your employee, I'd feel inferior to you, which wouldn't be good!"

"Cousin, don't forget, you already have a wife. Instead of thinking about earning money to support your family, you're always daydreaming!" Xu Huizhen could tell from Niu Dazhuang's eyes that the young man was somewhat seduced by Chen Xueru's appearance.

I felt a mix of resentment, competitiveness, and jealousy – a real mix of emotions!

"Let's be reasonable, okay? I didn't ask you to help me find a job. You two sisters are arguing, don't hurt innocent people!"

"Huizhen, did we have a fight?"

Xu Huizhen quickly shook her head: "Which ear did you hear us arguing? If you don't want to go, fine. You can just stay on the streets!"

Niu Dazhuang was speechless. "I'm not going to bother with you guys anymore. I'm going back. I'll come back to play sometime." Then he left.

"Hey! Your cousin has quite a temper, and he's blind too. Two beautiful women like us were talking to him, and he just walked away like that!" This was the first time Chen Xueru had encountered a man like this. In the past, every man who saw her was all smiles and eager to talk to her.

I ran into a hothead today!

Xu Huizhen felt quite pleased; not all men fall for your act!

"Xueru, don't take it to heart. She's just come from the countryside, so she's a bit stubborn!"