My sister broke off her engagement to marry someone richer? My older sister married me and became in

Lu Qingshan leaned against the door frame, remaining silent for a long time.

"I'll head back to Hongshi County first thing tomorrow morning."

After a long silence, he spoke, breaking the stillness.

"Go back to find Li Aiguo?"

"Yes, talk to him."

Lu Qingshan spoke with certainty, without the slightest hesitation.

"I paid twice the market price to rent all the idle trucks in the forest farm and also secured the right to use this mountain road."

Upon hearing this, Lin Xiulan's brows furrowed tightly.

"Double the shipping cost? Won't that drastically reduce our profits?"

"I understand. Profits will be significantly reduced, and we might barely break even in the end."

Lu Qingshan turned around and met her gaze directly, his eyes bright and resolute.

"But Xiulan, you need to understand one thing. Money can be earned back, and opportunities can be found again. But once someone has a firm grip on our lifeline, we will be completely passive and will never be able to hold our heads high again."

He spoke each word slowly and deliberately, with great seriousness.

"At this stage, our most important task is to firmly grasp the lifeline of transportation in our own hands and never be controlled by others."

"First, we need to survive steadily, and then we can slowly calculate the profits."

Lin Xiulan opened her mouth, her mind originally filled with concerns about costs and profits.

The words "survive" suddenly seem utterly insignificant.

She remained silent for a moment, then nodded slightly and said no more.

Lu Qingshan pulled out the fake receipt from his pocket; it had been repeatedly crumpled and was full of creases.

He carefully folded it and gently slipped it into the inner pocket of Lin Xiulan's shirt.

"Keep this close to your body; it's more precious than any money. No one else but you and me should know about it."

His voice was very low, and his tone was extremely solemn.

"Once we get through this difficult period, it will be the sharpest knife, capable of completely erasing Wei Biao from this business."

Lin Xiulan subconsciously raised her hand to her chest, her fingertips touching her pocket, clearly feeling the hard outline of the paper, her heart heavy.

"I...I understand."

……

The night was deep and quiet, and all was still.

Under the cover of night, Lu Qingshan summoned Scarface Liu and Monkey San to the backyard.

"After I return to the county town, I will entrust everything here to the two of you. One of you will watch the shop, and the other will keep an eye on the people."

He first looked at Scarface Liu, his eyes serious and his aura calm.

"You must guard the shop well, but more importantly, you must protect Xiulan's safety."

"Starting tonight, every stranger who comes near the store, whether they are genuinely interested in buying something or just pretending to ask for directions, you must remember every face."

"At night, lock the shop door from the inside with a bolt, and close all the windows tightly, leaving no gaps. Remember that."

"Don't worry." Scarface Liu nodded emphatically, his words few but remarkably reliable.

Lu Qingshan then turned to look at Hou San, his tone still serious.

"Keep a close eye on Wei Biao's movements."

"After Yu Gaoyang was arrested, you need to keep a close eye on any changes in his men, such as mobilizing personnel, changing locations, or closing down establishments.

Monkey Three scratched his head, feeling a surge of frustration, but finally couldn't help but speak up.

"Brother, how about we take action tonight and teach that fat Zhao from Dongling Station a lesson? That guy's been so shady, I can't swallow this!"

"Don't touch him."

Lu Qingshan's tone was calm, yet carried an undeniable authority, leaving no room for negotiation.

"Monkey Three, once we make a move against that fat guy, it's like telling Wei Biao in the open that we've figured out all his plans."

"Believe it or not, as long as that fat guy gets into trouble, within three days, Wei Biao will replace all his men and change his tactics to specifically target us."

"At that point, all our previous preparations will have been wasted."

He stared at Monkey Three and patiently explained in detail.

"This is called not alerting the enemy. We need to make him think that we are still like headless flies, passively taking hits everywhere, and can only beg for help and struggle to survive."

"Only when he thinks we are weak and easy to bully will he lower his guard and stay put, waiting for us to run into trouble."

"The longer he relaxes his guard, the more weaknesses he will expose, and the greater our chances of turning the tables will be."

Monkey Three nodded as if he understood, completely suppressing his impulse, and obediently stepped aside, no longer uttering a sound.

……

The backyard quickly quieted down, leaving only Lu Qingshan and Lin Xiulan.

Lin Xiulan silently walked into the kitchen and brought out a bowl of steaming noodles.

A golden, round poached egg rests in the bowl, while finely chopped green scallions are sprinkled on the clear soup noodles. Steam rises from the bowl, and the aroma is irresistible.

"We need to get going before dawn, so let's eat something to tide us over."

Lu Qingshan did not refuse. He sat on the steps in the courtyard, took the bowl, and began to eat heartily.

He ate quickly and efficiently, finishing the entire bowl of noodles in a flash, leaving only a small sip of clear soup at the bottom of the bowl.

He held the empty bowl and suddenly spoke softly.

"I originally thought that if you went to the provincial capital alone, you would at most talk to one or two clients."

He turned his head and looked at Lin Xiulan, who was sitting on the stone stool, her head down, gently fiddling with the straps of her apron.

"I didn't expect you to have secured six contracts all by yourself. You're much more impressive than I anticipated."

Lin Xiulan's fingertips paused slightly.

She never looked up, her lips twitched slightly, and she muttered something under her breath.

"Well... isn't it because you taught me well?"

"This has nothing to do with me."

Lu Qingshan placed the bowl on his lap, his tone exceptionally earnest and sincere.

"The courage and boldness to do business cannot be taught by others. What I can teach you are only some basic tips and rules."

Whether you dare to take the plunge, whether you can withstand the pressure, and whether you can manage the situation depends entirely on yourself.

He lowered his voice slightly, each word clear and forceful.

"Xiulan, from now on, you'll be in charge of all the business in the provincial capital."

"These hands of mine are responsible for settling disputes and blocking all underhanded schemes."

"Your hands are responsible for signing contracts, maintaining stability, and earning a steady income. We each have our own roles and complement each other's strengths."

"Just go ahead boldly, I'll stand behind you. I'll cut off any black hands that dare to scheme against you or hurt you."

Lin Xiulan's shoulders trembled almost imperceptibly.

She kept her head down, her fingertips gripping the apron straps tightly, her mind churning with emotions that she couldn't calm down for a long time.

After a long time, so long that Lu Qingshan thought she would not respond again, she finally spoke softly in a voice as faint as a mosquito's buzz.

"...Give me the bowl, I'll go wash it."

……

The sky was not yet fully bright, and the morning mist was thick, carrying a slight chill in the air.

Lu Qingshan hitched a ride back to the county town.

Monkey Three rushed in through the back door like a gust of wind, his shoes covered in oil stains from the street, sweating profusely, his hands on his knees, panting heavily, completely panicked.

"sister in law!"

Lin Xiulan, who was organizing the order slips behind the counter, was startled by his sudden movement and looked up abruptly.

"What's wrong? Why are you so flustered? What happened?"

Monkey Three gripped the edge of the counter tightly, desperately trying to calm his rapid breathing, and it took him a long time to manage to finish his sentence.

"Something terrible has happened!"

"I just went to South Street to buy breakfast, and when I passed the intersection of Chang'an Road, I bumped into a group of strangers! They looked really strange!"

Lin Xiulan's heart sank instantly, and she asked in a low voice, "Who is it?"

"It's bald!"

Monkey Three swallowed hard, his eyes filled with terror.

"The most capable leader of Wei Biao's henchmen! Bald, with big tattoos on his arms, I've seen him several times, I definitely won't mistake him!"

"He led seven or eight young men, all dressed in black leather jackets, and they were blocking the road under the big locust tree at the intersection of Chang'an Road!"

Monkey Three's voice trembled uncontrollably, filled with panic.

"They were all carrying weapons, their gleaming iron pipes clearly indicating they were there to cause trouble!"

Lin Xiulan's hands, which were arranging the order slips, suddenly stopped in mid-air, and her whole body tensed up instantly.

Hearing the noise, Scarface Liu stepped out of the room. The morning light fell on his face, making his hideous scar taut and his expression extremely fierce.

He gritted his teeth, enunciating each word slowly and deliberately, his tone grave: "Chang'an Road intersection..."

"It's very close to our shop; just two turns and we're at the door."