Spring Breeze Twenty Years

Chapter 908 Zhang Guiqin Wants to Open a Shop

Zhang Guiqin has changed a lot recently.

She's gained some weight, and her face has a healthy glow. Although she still looks so slender and reserved, she smiles much more often now.

After Xiaowei's family moved away, she felt lost for a few days, but she continued to work at the factory. Sister Shang and the others treated her well, and she gradually adapted. When asked about opening a shop, she had no idea what to do. It was Sister Shang who persuaded her to open one so that she would have someone to rely on in the future.

But she had no money; all she had was her wages for this period, and she didn't know where or how to pay them. Together with several other former trainees who stayed at the Longcheng factory, they took a bus to Fengtian.

Then the two men and three women, being rather foolish, asked around all the way from the bus station to Wanliu, unwilling to spend money on a taxi or take the bus.

The factory in Fengtian started construction, and Longcheng was demolished and rebuilt. Because there were too many novices here, the veterans from Longcheng were brought over to train the newcomers. So, these trainees have been holding down the fort for a while. Now that the veterans have gone back, they can come over.

Xiao Wei hoped that these old workers would stay in Fengtian, but unfortunately they all had families with elderly and young members and couldn't leave. Moving everyone over was simply unrealistic; it involved too many people. If you moved a whole family, you'd have to take care of the old and the young.

Right now, the long-distance bus station is next to the South Station. Zhang Guiqin and her four friends are taking the same route that Zhang Fu took the first time he came here.

It's eight kilometers to the zoo.

Nowadays, when people in the city talk about distance, they seem to think that eight kilometers isn't that far, but it's actually really far.

The autumn sun was already scorching, and the road surface was hot. The girls were alright, but the two boys were already shirtless and sweating profusely, looking completely disheveled. Anyway, people in this era don't care about such things.

"How much further? We should be almost there, right?" Zhang Guiqin turned her head to look back and tidied her hair, which was wet with sweat.

"How about we take a taxi? My feet are killing me."

"Take a taxi? Wouldn't that be a wasted trip? What if we're almost there? We should be close, right? This place is so big, there are so many buildings."

How can Fengtian and Longcheng be compared? The streets were bustling with people and traffic, and the group of people couldn't tell which way was which at all.

Hou Wei ran to a roadside beverage stall and bought several bottles of water for everyone. He then asked the old lady selling the water, "Auntie, how far is it to the zoo?"

The old lady, dressed like an old-fashioned grocery store owner, in a white top and white hat, smiled and said, "The zoo? Xiaoheyan? That's not close. You go east from here, cross Youth Street and go to Nanshuncheng. Keep going and keep going until you reach the canal. Once you see the river, you've arrived."

Hou Wei scratched his head, glanced at the road, and asked, "Just keep going like this?"

The old lady said, "After crossing Youth Street, turn right at the fork in the road and keep going. Nanshun City, go through the main gate of the Marshal's Mansion."

Hou Wei asked, "How much further, ma'am?"

The old lady thought for a long time: "It's not close. It's about seven or eight li, maybe ten or so. I can't remember clearly. I'm old. Now all the buildings are high-rises, so I can't see it anymore."

Hou Wei thanked them and returned to the group: "The old lady said it's still seven or eight li away, shall we take a taxi?"

The women were all conflicted. Another man, Li Shuren, said, "Let's take a taxi. Hou Wei and I will pay. We can't walk anymore; our legs feel like they're on fire."

Back then, most leather shoes were made of genuine leather, which was breathable, but most socks were made of nylon, which burned and made your feet smell.

The five people waited for a while before hailing a car.

At this time, taxis weren't very crowded; the city was still dominated by bicycles. Traffic management wasn't very strict either; the police focused most of their attention on managing bicycles and motorcycles, so as long as they could squeeze onto a taxi, drivers generally didn't care how many passengers they picked up.

That's quick. Four kilometers would take at least an hour or two for a person to walk, but only a few minutes for a car. There's no traffic jam these days, and this direction is heading out of the city.

We soon arrived at the main entrance of the zoo. A wide, arched gate came into view, and a crowd gathered in the plaza in front of it. The driver stepped on the brakes and said, "We're here. This is the zoo, and this is the main gate."

The zoo's main gate looked quite imposing in the early 90s. It was designed by the Japanese, who said it represented Sino-Japanese friendship. So, when the zoo relocated and the walls were demolished, they weren't torn down, and the gate survived. Meanwhile, other of our own ancient structures, because they didn't carry the weight of Sino-foreign friendship, were lost.

The group sat in the car looking out the window, but couldn't find what they were looking for. Hou Wei said, "It's not here. We're not going to the zoo; we're looking for our factory."

The driver said, "You said you were going to the zoo, right? This is the zoo. Looking for a factory? Where am I supposed to find one for you? What factory?"

Zhang Guiqin said, "They said you can see it when you get to the zoo, it's the tallest building. The tallest in Fengtian."

The driver started the car, put it in gear, and drove forward, saying, "Oh, I see. You guys didn't explain clearly. Is that your factory? From now on, when you take a taxi, just say 'South Gate'."

Hou Wei said, "They said we could see it when we got to the zoo, but we can't see it here."

The driver said, "The main gate is three miles away from that side. What can you possibly see? There are so many trees blocking the way."

Walking down the zoo wall and turning left, Hou Wei exclaimed, "I see it! Yes, master, this is it!"

The huge four characters "Brothers Group" on the side of the building gleamed with a metallic luster in the sunlight.

The driver asked, "Is this your factory? What do you produce?"

Hou Wei said, "We work for a food factory, a school, and a restaurant, a high-end restaurant. This building is our headquarters."

The car turned around the school and came to the building. The driver tilted his head and looked at the building and sighed, "Does a food factory make so much money that it can build such a big building?" The air around here was filled with the aroma of cakes and bread, and you could tell it was a food factory just by smelling it.

The area was undergoing demolition, with many workers crawling and walking among the rubble and bricks. Many local residents were also busy working inside. Old bricks, old doors and windows were considered valuable items, and people wanted them; they could be sold for money. Xiao Wei didn't care; those who came to collect them were all from nearby residents, and besides, how much could they take?

There's a large sign by the roadside, erected by the district: "Brothers Group Brothers Food Factory Expansion Project." It features a hand-drawn bird's-eye view and below it, the words "Safety First Before Entering the Site" are written in red.

The driver also got out of the car, looking at the sign: "Wow, your factory is really big. This expansion project covers this whole area, right? It must be dozens of acres. You're really rich."

Zhang Guiqin and the other four felt a sense of pride and a touch of arrogance. Hou Wei said, "Yes, our factory."

Hou Wei and Li Shuren gave them fifteen yuan. The women felt bad about sitting there for free, so they took out their money and offered to pay. The two men said it wasn't necessary. Xie Xiaolong happened to pass by and said, "You're here. Ask him for your tickets, including your train tickets. Bring them here and I'll sign them and reimburse you."

Now there was no need to argue. Hou Wei paid the fare, and the driver went to the car to get the reimbursement voucher for him to tear up, saying, "You guys have really good benefits, reimbursing taxi fares. Are you even hiring someone? Don't you have a boss?"

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(End of this chapter)