Back to 1984: I built a chicken farm on a barren mountain.

Chenjiazhuang, Yanzi Hair Salon.

Chen Shuyan was giving Chen Wenfeng a haircut. There was no one else in the barbershop at the moment, and the two of them couldn't help but talk about Hou Erzhu and that scary rainy night.

Chen Shuyan still felt lingering fear when she mentioned it, saying:

"Brother Feng, because of that incident, I've had to close the shop early this morning. I owe you and Niu Er a lot for what happened that day."

Chen Wenfeng smiled and said:

"It must be thanks to Niu Er."

"No, not at all!" Chen Shuyan was usually very easygoing, but she felt a little embarrassed after hearing Chen Wenfeng's teasing.

Chen Wenfeng had no idea what Chen Shuyan was thinking, so he didn't continue the conversation.

"Oh, right, Brother Feng, I just remembered something, it's related to Han Laosi."

"What is it?"

"Did you know that Han Laosi is hiring a female secretary?"

"I know, didn't his wife Li Dahua make a huge scene? Besides, no girl from Chenjiazhuang wants to serve him."

"He got the job."

"Oh?"

Chen Wenfeng was somewhat surprised by the news Chen Shuyan told him.

Chen Shuyan knew about the feud between Han Laosi and Chen Wenfeng, which is why she told Chen Wenfeng the news.

Not only was it unexpected that Han Laosi hired a female secretary, but what surprised Chen Wenfeng even more was how Chen Shuyan knew about it.

Logically, Hou Laizi would have informed him of any developments at the soy sauce factory. Although Han Laosi's affair with his female secretary wasn't a big deal, given Hou Laizi's gossipy nature, he would never overlook such a thing. After all, since there hadn't been any important intelligence lately, Hou Laizi even went up the mountain to discuss what brand of cigarettes Han Laosi smoked.

Chen Wenfeng couldn't help but ask, "Yanzi, how do you know things I don't even know?"

Chen Shuyan said without hesitation:

"Han Laosi's female secretary is my junior high school classmate, named Qin Xiaofen. She came to the store to see me yesterday and said she was going to report to the factory today."

"Oh, I see," Chen Wenfeng suddenly understood. He then said:

"Since she's your classmate, didn't you try to persuade her? After all, given Han Laosi's character, if she went, wouldn't she be like a lamb entering a tiger's den?"

"I did mention it, but I only touched on it briefly. Because this Qin Xiaofen is no ordinary person."

Seeing that Chen Wenfeng was puzzled, Chen Shuyan continued:

"Qin Xiaofen isn't a docile woman. Although she's not married yet, she got pregnant before, supposedly by an old man in the county. She gave birth to a son for him. She could have been a wealthy wife, but instead, she kept a young gigolo after getting the money."

"Later, the man found out about it and broke off the relationship with her, but she still got a lot of money from him."

Chen Wenfeng listened with great interest and said:

"Now things are getting lively at Han Laosi's house. Li Dahua may look rude, and she's usually afraid of Han Laosi, but she can be quite formidable when things get heated. She once beat up a young woman who was trying to seduce Han Laosi."

Chen Shuyan said:

"This Qin Xiaofen is different; Li Dahua is no match for her. Although I haven't had much contact with her over the years, I know she's seduced quite a few men. And unlike others, she likes to make her move on a man when he's just starting out."

She's a formidable character. Chen Wenfeng never expected that Han Laosi would hire such a person. It seems that Han Laosi not only hired a female secretary, but also a female strategist.

"Why is Qin Xiaofen targeting Han Laosi?"

"If you walk by the river often enough, you're bound to get your shoes wet. Qin Xiaofen ruined several businesses in the county town. The county town is a big place compared to Chenjiazhuang, but compared to a big city, it's just a tiny place. Qin Xiaofen was too high-profile. Her scandals spread throughout the circle, and she could only slink back home. I reckon she's targeting Han Laosi because he's also been a bit high-profile lately."

After listening to Chen Shuyan's analysis, Chen Wenfeng said:

"You're right, Han Laosi has been going to town to give reports quite a bit lately. Although the village chief always wants me to go, I really don't want to. Han Laosi has made connections in town himself, and he loves to show off. This show of influence even brought him a female secretary. Interesting!"

Chen Shuyan dried Chen Wenfeng's hair, then glanced out the window unconsciously. She wondered if she was seeing things, rubbed her eyes to confirm, and said to Chen Wenfeng:

"Brother Feng, look! That's Qin Xiaofen! Why is she out on the street with Han Laosi?"

Chen Wenfeng looked in the direction Chen Shuyan pointed and indeed saw Han Laosi walking down the street with a shapely girl beside him, who must be Qin Xiaofen.

Qin Xiaofen has a sweet appearance and seems very shy. If Chen Shuyan hadn't just introduced her achievements, Chen Wenfeng would have had a hard time deducing her personality from her appearance.

Qin Xiaofen was standing very close to Han Laosi, and she would occasionally touch Han Laosi's arm.

At this moment, Chen Shuyan and Chen Wenfeng were standing at the entrance of the barbershop. Many people on the street saw Han Laosi and his female secretary, and people quickly gathered around to watch and began to talk.

Seeing that he had attracted people's attention, Han Laosi couldn't help but feel smug. He thought to himself, "These country bumpkins from Chenjiazhuang have never seen the world before. This time, I'll show you what I'm made of."

Qin Xiaofen remained calm, her expression revealing no emotion. She simply acted like a dutiful assistant, obediently following her boss.

From afar, Qin Xiaofen saw Chen Shuyan and greeted her.

Seeing people pointing and whispering about Qin Xiaofen, Chen Shuyan initially wanted to pretend she didn't see it, but Qin Xiaofen walked straight over and smiled at Chen Shuyan:

"Yanzi, you're not busy today. I've already reported to the soy sauce factory. We sisters can see each other more often from now on!"

Chen Shuyan awkwardly replied with an "okay," sensing that people's attention had shifted from Qin Xiaofen to her. She didn't have Qin Xiaofen's composure.

Qin Xiaofen ignored Chen Shuyan's expression, turned to Chen Wenfeng, and said:

"This must be Mr. Chen Wenfeng, the boss."

Chen Wenfeng was taken aback, then laughed:

"What, do you know me?"

"Although I have never met Boss Chen, I have heard stories about him everywhere since I came to Chenjiazhuang. Meeting him today, I can see that he truly lives up to his reputation."

Chen Wenfeng knew Qin Xiaofen was mocking him, probably because Han Laosi had told her. He didn't hold back either, saying:

"Nice to meet you. You must be Qin Xiaofen. Chenjiazhuang is a small place, so they may not know you. But when I was drinking with my old customers in the county town, they mentioned that there was a Miss Qin in the county town's social circle when they were drunk."

Qin Xiaofen's expression changed upon hearing this, but she quickly regained her composure and said:

"Please take good care of me, Mr. Chen, in the future."

Chen Wenfeng replied coldly:

"Sure, sure!"