Plan Succeeds

The Public Security Bureau was not far from the State-Run Restaurant, just across one street. Zhang Dayong and the others arrived by car in under five minutes.

Seeing the uniformed public security officers enter, everyone in the restaurant nervously rose to their feet without realizing it. The waitress who had just been so pleased with herself hurried forward to ask, "Leaders, are you here to eat, or..."

"Go call your person in charge and head chef out here!"

Before she could finish, Zhang Dayong cut her off coldly. The waitress did not dare say another word and obediently went to fetch them.

Only then did Zhang Dayong pull a long face, sweeping his sharp gaze over everyone present. "More than half an hour ago, an educated youth surnamed Shen was beaten while eating here. He has reported it to the police. All of you will come back with me to assist with the investigation."

At those words, everyone froze in shock. The chef, in particular, wailed as though the sky had fallen, shouting that he had been wronged. "Comrade Public Security, I've been wronged! That kid was bullying my sister, so I taught him a lesson.

Besides, I didn't hit him. I only shoved him a few times, just like kids fooling around!"

"Yes, yes!"

The waitress cried as she said, "That person falsely accused me, saying I wasn't clean. My brother only scared him because he couldn't stand it. He really didn't hit him."

"Hmph!"

Zhang Dayong snorted disdainfully. "I barely said anything, and you two are already rushing to defend yourselves. If that isn't a guilty conscience, what is? Take them away!"

With a wave of his hand, he turned to the person in charge standing nearby, too anxious to get a word in, and his voice grew several degrees colder. "You're coming too!"

As soon as he spoke, several public security officers surged forward and escorted the three loudly protesting people out of the restaurant. Only then did Zhang Dayong turn to question several customers who were eating.

"Comrades, did you see a young man in a white shirt carrying a large bag get beaten inside the restaurant earlier?"

"We saw it, we saw it."

Everyone nodded repeatedly, then began talking over one another. "That chef was outrageous! He held up a kitchen knife and slammed it against the table—bang, bang—scaring that young comrade until he trembled all over!"

The man said indignantly that he had wanted to help as well, but the other party had a knife, and with a child beside him, he had not dared take the risk.

"Exactly! He kept shoving that kid around. He even smashed the dishes he'd just ordered and splashed greasy soup all over him."

The older gentleman sighed with great regret. Food and meat were precious these days, yet that bastard chef had ruined it all.

"That woman was even worse. She even wanted that young comrade to marry her. My child's father and I were sitting at the next table—we heard everything."

The fashionably dressed woman sneered. "She ought to take a look at herself. That young comrade looks younger than she does. A toad dreaming of eating swan meat."

"Isn't that so!"

Another bystander chimed in, "She even kept saying how good her family's circumstances were, Б@&＃%@..."

Listening to them, Zhang Dayong felt that they had wandered a little off track, but their accounts matched Shen Jianan's statement almost exactly. He had them accompany him to the police station to assist with the investigation.

Meanwhile, Bai Yun had already been brought to the station by Xiao Li. On the way, she learned from him about what had happened to Shen Jianan. Thinking of that beautiful child being beaten until he had to run to the Public Security Bureau to report it, her heart ached terribly.

When she arrived and saw the boy covered in filth, his cheeks flushed red as he called her sister in a pitiful voice, her fury reached its peak.

She comforted him first, then walked out of the conference room and paid out of pocket to ask someone to buy Shen Jianan a new set of clothes. Only after he changed did she return to the room, sit beside him, and comfort him.

"Don't cry. Rest assured, since that chef and waitress dared bully you, your sister won't let them off easily. I Б@￥@..."

Shen Jianan was deeply moved and nodded again and again. Mist rose once more in his beautiful eyes. The moment Bai Yun saw it, her heart hurt even more, and she cursed them even more fiercely, even talking about putting a sack over their heads.

"..."

Xiao Li, standing nearby, felt helpless and troubled. This young miss truly had no sense of propriety when she spoke, regardless of the occasion.

Still, when all was said and done, he was also utterly speechless at those siblings' conduct. The authorities were cracking down so strictly now, yet they had rushed headlong into the barrel of a gun. Their heads really were made of iron.

Beep----

The sound of a horn outside instantly pulled him from his thoughts. He hurriedly got up and went to the window, discovering that Zhang Dayong and the others had returned from their callout. He told the two of them to wait, then left the conference room to help.

The matter was quickly investigated. After being frightened with a few words, the siblings confessed everything. The waitress was named Yang Xiaojuan, twenty years old, and as the youngest daughter in the family, she had always been especially spoiled.

There were five people in their family. She had two older brothers, and the chef was the eldest. The three siblings had all landed good jobs, and their lives were comfortable, because their parents held middling official positions at the grain station and the Textile Factory.

This only made the already willful Yang Xiaojuan grow even more outrageous. She looked down on everyone around her, which was why her marriage had been delayed again and again.

Some time ago, Bai Yun and Shen Jianan had come to eat at the restaurant. Yang Xiaojuan saw that they were not only smartly dressed but also generous with money. Shen Jianan was handsome too, like a star from a poster in her eyes, and so her heart was stirred.

When she returned home, she told her family about it. But she had far too little information, and without a photograph of the man himself, finding him was like fishing a needle from the sea. More than half a month passed without a single clue.

Yang Xiaojuan was both angry and frustrated. Just as she was about to give up, Shen Jianan appeared again. Ecstatic and afraid that the opportunity would slip away once more, she cast aside all propriety and shame to say those things to him. Yet she had not expected to provoke Shen Jianan's disgust and be snapped at by him.

Still, Shen Jianan had already been quite polite to her. Had it been another man, who knew how badly he might have cursed her!?

But Yang Xiaojuan did not appreciate it. Instead, she felt she had been wronged, so she called her brother over to back her up. That was how everything afterward had happened.

It was clear that the two of them had spent their usual days bullying others and running roughshod over them. The person in charge definitely knew something about it, yet had pretended not to see, making him even more detestable than the two siblings.

However, since no one had pursued or reported those previous incidents, there was no way to gather evidence. They could only deal with the case before them first.

After investigation, it was confirmed that the chef had verbally insulted, threatened, shoved, and beaten Shen Jianan. The public security officers required him to apologize in person and compensate Shen Jianan for the food that had been smashed, his damaged clothing, and medical expenses, totaling fifty yuan. In addition, he was to be sent to a farm for three months of reform through labor.

As for his job, hmph! He could forget about it. From the moment he was brought into the Public Security Bureau, the position of chef at the State-Run Restaurant had ceased to belong to him.

Yang Xiaojuan was no different. Though she had not laid a hand on Shen Jianan, the matter had begun because of her. With an employee who loved stirring up trouble so much, the State-Run Restaurant obviously would not keep her.

Besides, so many customers had witnessed it, and now they had been brought to the police station for questioning. They would surely resent Yang Xiaojuan. Once they got out, they would definitely spread the story far and wide.

Before long, everyone in town would know that Yang Xiaojuan, a waitress at the State-Run Restaurant, had publicly failed to "choose a husband," then brought her own brother to beat and curse the man, only to be hauled into the police station.

By then, let alone getting married, even the jobs of her parents and other brother would likely be affected. Without thinking, one could guess what kind of condemnation she would face.

But no one else could be blamed for this. Even children had to take responsibility for their mistakes, much less an adult like her. She was not worthy of sympathy at all.

Soon, the public security officers notified her parents to come pay compensation and apologize. But after the elderly couple arrived and learned that their son would be sent for reform through labor and had lost his job, they went mad with rage and began making a scene right at the entrance.

They wanted to rely on knowing a few people and raise enough of a fuss to make the Public Security Bureau change its ruling. But when they saw Bai Yun come out after hearing the commotion and learned that Shen Jianan was her younger brother, they instantly fell silent.

They immediately turned around and slapped their own daughter several times, obediently paid the money, and took her away. Their chef son, meanwhile, was directly sent to a farm in the neighboring city for reform.

Standing by the window, Shen Jianan watched the police car gradually disappear into the distance. The chill in his eyes was quickly drowned by gratitude. He turned to Bai Yun, somewhat apologetic. "Sister Bai Yun, I'm sorry. Because of me, I delayed you from going to work."

"Delayed what?"

Bai Yun shot him an annoyed look. "Since you call me sister, we're family. If you were bullied and I didn't come, what kind of person would that make me?"

The boy's eyes curved with a smile. "Mm!"

He then ran quickly to the conference table, opened his large bag, and took out two paper-wrapped bundles for her. "Sister Bai Yun, I made these for you while I was at it. I sent some to Sister Xiaofen too. Open them and see if you like them."

Only then did Bai Yun remember that when Xiao Li had gone to pick her up, he had said Shen Jianan had encountered this awful mess while coming into town to deliver something to her.

Guilt immediately rose in her heart. She quickly followed his request and opened the parcels. Her gaze was instantly captured by the Bohemian Dress, the green batwing top with gathered cuffs, and the beige bucket bag. "Th-These are too beautiful!"

She could not put them down, repeatedly stroking the fabric of the clothes and the little woven bag. Turning her head, she asked Shen Jianan, "You really made these?"

"Of course."

The boy straightened his back and said proudly, "I'm a craftsman. Things like this can't stump me."

"You're incredible!?"

Bai Yun stared at him in astonishment. "You made all this from those fabrics?"

As she spoke, she could not wait to lift up the dress and hold it against herself. Shen Jianan's eyes immediately lit up, and he gave her a thumbs-up. "Sister Bai Yun, this dress suits you so well."

"Really?"

"Really."

Shen Jianan nodded. "This dress is called a Bohemian Dress. Its key features are vibrant handmade decorations and rough, weighty fabrics.

It's especially suited for women like you, with such outstanding poise, a tall figure, and fair skin. It gives off a romantic, unrestrained, free, and fashionable feeling."

Hearing him speak so convincingly, Bai Yun could not help smiling until her brows curved. "Where did you learn that little silver tongue of yours? You really know how to talk."

She set down the long dress, then picked up the batwing top and held it against herself. "This top is pretty too. It'll go perfectly with my light brown satin skirt when I take it home."

"What skirt? Sister Bai Yun/Comrade Bai Yun."

"Wow! What beautiful clothes!"

Several delighted voices rang out from the doorway. The two turned toward the sound and saw the four female public security officers they had met earlier. Shen Jianan's big eyes spun, and he quickly called out, "Hello, sisters."

"Hello, Shen."

The women nodded with smiles, then hurried into the conference room and gathered around Bai Yun, looking enviously at the clothes and bag before her.

"Sister Xiaoyun, where did you buy these? They're so pretty! Even the city doesn't have styles like these!"

The speaker was Xiao Lin, a public security officer. She was seven or eight years younger than Bai Yun and lived in the same residential compound. Their fathers had a superior-subordinate relationship, so the two had known each other since childhood and were very close.

"You came over here without anything happening?"

"Nothing happened."

Xiao Lin shook her head and explained, "We heard Old Zhang say that the educated-youth little brother you acknowledged had been beaten, so we took leave to come see."

"That's fine, then."

Hearing that they had not abandoned their posts, Bai Yun sighed in relief. Then she smiled and pointed proudly at Shen Jianan beside her. "Jianan made these for me. You can't buy them outside. I..."

Her voice paused. She glanced thoughtfully at the girls beside her, then looked at the innocent-faced Shen Jianan. A meaningful smile flashed through her eyes. She pulled one hundred yuan from her bag and handed it to him. "Take it. This is your sister's payment for your hard work. Don't think it's too little, all right?"

Shen Jianan hurriedly waved his hands, a hint of panic in his eyes. "Sister, these are gifts from me. I don't want money!"

"What nonsense are you talking?"

Bai Yun turned to look at him unhappily. "You spent money on all this fabric. Even a foot costs quite a bit, doesn't it?

Besides, you can barely get enough to eat in the countryside. If I make you pay out of pocket too, what kind of person would I be?"

"..."

The female public security officers showed nothing on their faces, but inwardly they were somewhat speechless. Shen was clearly fair and tender, and his complexion looked even better than theirs, the city girls'. Wasn't Bai Yun telling barefaced lies with her eyes open?

Still, none of them refuted Bai Yun. After all, she had a point. Never mind how expensive the fabric was; the clothes and bags Shen made for her were fashionable styles unavailable in the city. She ought to pay him.

If only someone could make such things for them. They would be willing to pay too, even if it cost more. Eh!? Wait! They could ask Shen to make them some!

The women seemed to think of the same thing at once. They raised their eyes and exchanged glances, then turned to Shen Jianan with ingratiating smiles, chuckling.

The boy's scalp prickled under their stares. He could not help taking several steps back, tugging at the corners of his mouth as he asked, "S-Sisters, wh-what do you want?"

"Nothing."

Xiao Lin lifted her brows slightly and said with a smile, "We just want to ask you to make a few clothes for everyone too. We can pay you for your labor."

Shen Jianan's eyes widened in shock. He waved his hands again and again. "That won't do. Speculation and profiteering can get you arrested. I-I don't dare."

"Hey~~ that isn't speculation and profiteering. Don't let people mislead you."

Xiao Lin smiled as she explained, "To protect and develop our country's traditional technical industries, craftsmen such as stonemasons, tailors, blacksmiths, potters, and carpenters are given a certain degree of policy support." (The author looked up information and asked many people, so please do not start spreading nonsense.)

"So long as you aren't using illegal means to disrupt the market and reap excessive profits, it doesn't count as speculation and profiteering."

Her voice paused, then she arched a brow at the boy, a meaningful smile curving her lips. "Besides, I don't believe you've never seen tailors taking jobs on the streets or in the countryside!?"

"I have seen them, but I thought they were just bold enough to risk making money that way."

The boy glanced at them somewhat guiltily, then lowered his head and said softly, "Sister, you're a public security officer. Since you say so, th-then I'll do it! You prepare your own fabric, and one or two yuan for the labor will be enough."

"That won't do!"

Before Xiao Lin could speak, Bai Yun objected. "Your craftsmanship is several times better than the custom work the elders in my family order outside. And your styles are fresh and your color matching is beautiful.

Those people charge four or five yuan just for processing. For more complicated styles, they charge even more. Giving you only one or two yuan would be like tossing scraps to a beggar, treating you as if you don't matter."

"Exactly."

Xiao Lin nodded in agreement. "It should be at least ten yuan, and if you make larger items, we'll add more. As for the bags..."

She scratched her head and said, "They're woven from rattan, so the materials aren't worth much, but the craftsmanship and style are. We'll give you anywhere from ten to fifteen yuan for each one. Is that all right?"

Xiao Lin was extremely pleased with her arrangement. She thought, Wouldn't that solve both the bags and clothes? The others saw through her little calculation at a glance, but they all voiced their agreement. This way, they could have matching styles too.

Shen Jianan could not outargue everyone and could only nod "reluctantly." Then, blinking his large black eyes, he asked, "Do you want styles like Sister Bai Yun's, or should I make something different for you?"

Everyone's eyes widened in shock again. "You can make other styles too?"

"Mm, lots of them."

He nodded, his lips curling as he said with a proud face, "If you want to wear something different from Sister Bai Yun and trust my eye, I can match things for you accordingly. But..."

The boy paused, then continued, "I didn't bring my tools, so I can't take your measurements. I can only make an estimate."

"That's no problem."

Bai Yun took over with a smile. "I believe in your ability. You didn't measure me last time either, and didn't you make these perfectly?"

She picked up the clothes and shook them lightly in front of him. "As long as they aren't especially fitted, none of us are fat. They'll definitely fit when they're made."

"Mm! Right."

Shen Jianan nodded in agreement. Thinking of the clothing styles already made at home, he smiled until his brows curved happily. "Then, just to be safe, I'll make everyone some looser styles first!"

"Fine! It's settled, then."

Xiao Lin called out briskly, then took thirty yuan from her uniform pocket and stuffed it into Shen Jianan's hand. "You provide the fabric. Your sister only brought this much today, so it's all for you. I'll take advantage of you a little—consider it the deposit for the bags and clothes. We'll settle any difference later. I want four of each."

The others quickly followed suit.

"I want two pieces of clothing and one bag. How about twenty yuan?"

"I want the same as Xiao Lin."

"I..."

In the blink of an eye, including the one hundred and fifty yuan Bai Yun had given him before and after, Shen Jianan had more than two hundred yuan in his hands. That was a huge fortune!?

Shen Jianan was delighted. Looking up at everyone present, he felt as if they were all glowing with "golden light." Very good—he had won this move again.

The boy carefully tucked the money against his body, then took out a pile of hair ties, clips, and ribbons from his bag. Smiling, he held them out before the women. "Sisters, thank you for helping me today and for supporting my business. These are for you, a small token of my appreciation."

"Oh my! They're so pretty!"

With swift hands and sharp eyes, Xiao Lin snatched up an orange elastic braided headband with flowing ribbons and shook it excitedly. "This one is gorgeous! How do I wear it?"

As she spoke, she kept holding it against her head, making the others laugh and tease her. "Xiao Lin, you're getting more and more vain."

"Exactly!"

Bai Yun nodded along. "She's been vain since she was little. Whenever she sees something pretty, she can't move another step."

"Oh... Sister Bai Yun, don't say anymore."

Xiao Lin tugged at her coquettishly, afraid that her embarrassing stories from the past would be exposed again. Seeing her reaction, the others knew there was some dark history, but they also understood that their friend cared about saving face, so they smiled and changed the subject.

"Shen, how do you wear the one Xiao Lin is holding? Can you teach her?"

"Sure! No problem."

Shen Jianan smiled and pointed at a chair nearby. "Sister Xiao Lin, sit down. I'll teach you once, and you'll know how. It's very simple."

Hearing that, she hurried over and sat down. Bai Yun then took a mirror from her bag and handed it to her little sister. Xiao Lin accepted it gratefully and smiled at her.

"I'm starting!"

Shen Jianan gave her a warning, then reached out and let down her hair. Xiao Lin's hair was fluffy and slightly wavy, so he placed the headband three finger-widths from the top of her head. At that point, he separated several wisps of bangs and loosened the front portion of her hair a little. Then he swept all her loose hair and the ribbons to the right side, braided them into a Fishtail Braid, tied it with a small hair tie, and loosened it. He tied the excess ribbon into a bow, and a fresh, beautiful hairstyle was complete.

However, her uniform made the look seem slightly out of place. Even so, Xiao Lin, Bai Yun, and the others loved it so much that they immediately pooled money to borrow from Bai Yun and bought every hair accessory in his bag.

If they had not still been on duty, they likely would have dragged Shen Jianan off at once to create more looks for everyone.

Since he could not refuse, he accepted while things were good. After all, this place was unlike anywhere else. Earlier, he had only acted on a sudden impulse, intending to use the incident of being beaten to bind his sibling-like relationship with Bai Yun even tighter.

Yet unexpectedly, he had received help from the Public Security Bureau and brought his clothes, bags, and accessories business into the open. In the future, even if someone grew jealous and wanted to set a trap for him, they would have to consider the consequences.

But this also meant he would have more and more customers. Fabric was manageable, but those bamboo and rattan bags required a great deal of raw material. Cheng Hu could no longer run an exclusive business.

Otherwise, the people in the production brigade would definitely report him to the higher authorities for privately occupying public property for personal profit. Then the matter would become serious.

Shen Jianan thought for a moment, and another idea gradually took shape in his mind. He bid the others farewell, then slung his backpack over his shoulders and left the Public Security Bureau with Bai Yun, heading for the Garment Factory to buy fabric.

On the way, Bai Yun reminded him to give Wang Hong a little more benefit when the time came—perhaps it would yield an unexpected result. Shen Jianan halted, lifted his eyes to the lovely woman before him, and smiled knowingly.

"Bai Yun, let's work together!"

Bai Yun said nothing. With her arms folded across her chest, she tilted her head and quietly met his gaze. After a long while, she suddenly laughed. "Work together on what?"

Then she added, "Jianan, you really are clever."

Shen Jianan's eyes curved even more deeply. "You're the clever one, Bai Yun! The moment I so much as twitch my tail, you see right through me."

Since he had already laid it out so plainly, Bai Yun saw no need to hide anything. She nodded. "All right! How do you want to work together?"

"It's simple. We'll work together to make clothes. You handle the fabric; I'll handle production and later sales. Of the profits, I get eighty percent and you get twenty."

"Heh!"

Bai Yun laughed. "Jianan, you've got quite an appetite, haven't you?"

"Mm! I admit it."

Shen Jianan nodded with a smile. He had never hidden his greed for money or his ambition. "But you should know that my risk is greater than yours. After all, I'm the one out in the open, not you."

Bai Yun pressed her lips together. Instead of answering him directly, she asked, "How will we handle the capital? And what if sales are bad?"

"I'll provide the capital. As for sales, heh!"

Shen Jianan said with extreme confidence, "Do you think anything I make would ever lack buyers?"

He no longer wanted to beat around the bush with her and laid his cards on the table. "All I want is your connections—enough to let me smoothly buy the fabric I need. Defective goods are fine. As long as they're whole pieces of cloth, and there's twice as much as last time, that'll do."

The moment Bai Yun heard that, she knew she was getting the better end of the deal. What else was there to say? She immediately nodded in agreement, then said with a smile, "Doing business with you is what makes things interesting. Those people are just too rigid—I don't like them."

Shen Jianan nodded and chuckled. Seeing that the Garment Factory was already right before them, he brought the subject to an end.

This time, when buying fabric, Bai Yun again had him wait by the back door while she went to find Wang Hong herself.

However, it took them twice as long to come out as it had last time. She must have spent quite a while persuading him, but fortunately, the result was satisfactory.

Wang Hong quoted ten yuan for each pile of fabric, more than twice the previous price, but he guaranteed that the amount of whole fabric pieces would also double.

Shen Jianan did not bargain. He handed over twenty yuan on the spot for two piles, then took the chance to ask whether Wang Hong knew where he could buy leather thread, zippers, bag clasps, snap fasteners, and backpack accessories.

"Hmph!"

Wang Hong gave a cold snort. He finally understood that this kid had dug a pit and been waiting for him to jump into it from the very first time he came to buy fabric. He shot Shen Jianan an irritated glare, told him to wait, then swiftly turned and left.

Shen Jianan did not understand what that meant and asked Bai Yun about it. Bai Yun smiled as she explained, "Our Garment Factory used to make bags too, but business was poor, so that production line was shut down."

"Now, all the materials for making bags have been left piled up in the warehouse to gather dust. When you asked about them, Wang Hong naturally assumed you'd looked into it beforehand—that's why he glared at you."

"So that's how it was."

Shen Jianan laughed along with her, thinking to himself, My luck is really good. Whatever I lack just comes to me?

They had not chatted for long before Wang Hong emerged from the back door with another man, each of them dragging three huge bundles. Shen Jianan looked at the goods before him and immediately felt the pressure mount. Could the brigade leader's bicycle even hold all this?

Fortunately, they also saw his predicament. They found two somewhat rusty wire baskets and tied them to either side of the bicycle's rear rack, then loaded the fabric into them. As for the sack of accessories, they made do by tying it onto the rear rack.

Satisfied, Shen Jianan reached out and patted the sack. Smiling, he asked Wang Hong, "How much are these?"

Wang Hong looked at him expressionlessly. "Six yuan for the accessories, two yuan for the two baskets."

"Oh!"

Shen Jianan did not bargain. He casually pulled eight yuan from his bag and briskly handed it over, then smiled and waved goodbye to the three of them. With nimble movements, he swung onto the bicycle and happily pedaled away, quickly vanishing around the street corner.

At that moment, the young man had no idea that Gu Yu had prepared an enormous surprise for him.

Nor had the villagers of the brigade imagined that this young educated youth, still so young, would bring earth-shaking changes to their lives in the years to come.