Reborn: Back to the 1980s Chapter 45 Part 2

"What, aren't you going to invite me in to sit down?" Seeing that Zhao Shenggu hadn't said anything, Xu Qiaoqing decided to speak first.

The customs of this era were still conservative. Even in Shanghai, at the forefront of the country's economic development, a girl needed some courage to say something like that. But Xu Qiaoqing couldn't care less. From the moment Zhao Shenggu saved her on the train to their conversations where he showed his broad knowledge, Xu Qiaoqing had long been deeply attracted to him.

Her family was poor. Everything she wanted, she had obtained through her own efforts. So her consistent principle in dealing with things was to take the initiative.

But with Zhao Shenggu, she was destined to hit a brick wall. "Sister Qing, I'm a man after all. If a girl like you comes into my room, I'm afraid it won't be good for your reputation. If it's because I saved you, don't worry about it. That beast harmed you, and he definitely wouldn't have let me and Xiao Yuan off either. So I was just looking out for myself. You don't owe me any thanks." With that, he pulled Guan Yuan into the room and shut the door in Xu Qiaoqing's face.

After entering the room, Guan Yuan sat on the bed huffing angrily. "We shouldn't have come. We ran into such a rotten peach blossom."

Zhao Shenggu coaxed him. "Alright, I promise I won't have any contact with anyone you don't like."

"Mm." Guan Yuan immediately beamed and clung to Zhao Shenggu's neck, wrapping his arms and legs around him.

Zhao Shenggu patted his back. "You're sweaty. Take a shower first. I heard Shanghai's nights are lively. We can go out and look around later."

"You wash me." Guan Yuan leaned against Zhao Shenggu's neck and said softly, completely shameless.

"Okay, I'll wash you. We'll go together."

By evening, the temperature had dropped a lot. The two got ready and went out. There was no one here who knew them, so they dressed in Shanghai style.

Zhao Shenggu looked even more tall and straight, while Guan Yuan looked like a little golden boy. Walking down the street, they drew plenty of attention.

Shanghai at night was indeed very lively. The two followed the crowd and discovered that a movie was playing at the cinema. It was called Shaolin Temple. Guan Yuan knew about it. Even many years later, this movie was a classic. Since they had come across it, they naturally couldn't miss it.

"Brother, let's go watch a movie." Guan Yuan looked up at Zhao Shenggu.

Zhao Shenggu naturally agreed, but when they tried to buy tickets, they were told they were sold out.

"It's fine. If we can't watch it, then forget it." Guan Yuan was afraid Zhao Shenggu would feel bad, so he said quickly.

Just as the two were about to give up, a man wearing a large-brimmed hat came over. "I've got movie tickets here. One yuan each."

Guan Yuan was speechless. So there were scalpers even now!

The tickets sold at the cinema were twenty cents each. This man was selling them for one yuan, five times the price. But to Zhao Shenggu, one yuan was nothing. He bought two tickets right away.

When they entered the cinema, the movie had already started. Apart from the screen, everything was pitch black. The two found their seats and sat down.

It had to be said, classics have their value. Guan Yuan actually watched the whole thing from beginning to end.

By the time they came out, all the streetlights in Shanghai were on.

"Brother, did you spot any business opportunities?" Guan Yuan clung to Zhao Shenggu's arm and made small talk with him.

"Yeah," Zhao Shenggu responded.

"Really?" They had spent a whole day in Shanghai and Zhao Shenggu hadn't shown any reaction, yet it turned out he had already made up his mind.

"Look at those department stores. You can tell women's money is the easiest to earn. Now that food isn't a problem anymore, people naturally pursue higher things."

Guan Yuan looked at Zhao Shenggu in surprise. Zhao Shenggu tapped his forehead. "What, did you think I read all those books for nothing?"

Seeing that he had already made up his mind, Guan Yuan said no more. Aside from knowing a bit more, he was completely hopeless when it came to business.

"So when are we going back?" Guan Yuan asked Zhao Shenggu.

"What, you don't want to stay?" Zhao Shenggu asked.

"No, I just want to go home."

"We'll stay one more day tomorrow, then we can go back."

"Oh."

The next day, Zhao Shenggu bought a local Shanghai newspaper and circled the addresses of several textile factories. Then, under the pretext of buying cloth, he visited them and got a general understanding of how textile factories operated.

He did the same thing at a garment factory.

It was that easy for two reasons. First was the money. When he set a stack of cash on the manager's desk, their eyes went wide. Second, he had Old Master Li help him get identification proving he was from the purchasing department of a state-owned factory in Harbin. Those people thought they had welcomed a big client, so they naturally agreed to his request to tour the factory.

After the tours, Zhao Shenggu had a general understanding in his mind. He simply said their goods didn't meet his purchasing standards and easily walked out the door.

They had run around a lot that day, and both were exhausted. They went back to the hotel and rested. Meanwhile, outside the door, Xu Qiaoqing was hesitating about whether to knock.

After hesitating several times, Xu Qiaoqing finally took a deep breath and knocked on the door.

Zhao Shenggu touched the sleeping Guan Yuan and, seeing that there was no sweat on his forehead, went to open the door. When he saw it was Xu Qiaoqing again, he felt a bit impatient. He admired women who were bold and took action, but persistent pestering was not endearing.

Xu Qiaoqing looked at the tall, strong, and handsome Zhao Shenggu, pressed her lips together, and then spoke: "Can I come in?"

Zhao Shenggu was afraid of waking Guan Yuan, so he pulled the door shut behind him. "It's not very convenient."

Hearing Zhao Shenggu's words, though she had expected it, her heart still tightened. But she had always been someone who wouldn't stop until she hit a wall. After a moment's hesitation, she spoke again: "Shenggu, can we talk?"

"Let's talk." Zhao Shenggu also wanted to make things clear.

"I know it hasn't been long since we met, but I've already been drawn to you. Do you feel anything for me..." Xu Qiaoqing looked at Zhao Shenggu full of hope. Though she didn't finish her sentence, both of them understood what she meant.

Zhao Shenggu said directly: "I'm sorry, I don't have feelings for you. Sister Qing, you should go back. We're not suitable. I'm from the north, I'm only in Shanghai for a few days, and I'm leaving tomorrow." 

"So soon?" Xu Qiaoqing murmured. "If I could follow you to the north, would you accept me?"

"No!" Zhao Shenggu said cleanly. "Go back quickly. It's too late at night for a girl to go back alone. It's not safe." With that, he went inside and closed the door in front of Xu Qiaoqing.

Outside the door, Xu Qiaoqing stared at the thin door, yet it felt like an insurmountable wall between them. Never mind. She had tried, and at least she wouldn't have regrets.

On the bed, Guan Yuan had his eyes tightly closed. Zhao Shenggu glanced at him and said helplessly: "Your eyeballs are still moving!"

Seeing that he had been found out, Guan Yuan simply stopped pretending to sleep and opened his eyes.

"Did I wake you?" Zhao Shenggu fanned him and asked softly.

"I woke up when I couldn't smell you anymore. I didn't expect that woman to still come pestering you." Guan Yuan said the last part with a huff.

Zhao Shenggu tapped his nose: "Alright, didn't I already reject her?"

Thinking of how Zhao Shenggu had cleanly rejected Xu Qiaoqing, Guan Yuan cheered up. "Let's go back tomorrow."

"Mm. So sleep well tonight. Riding the train is pretty tiring."

The next day, the two bought some local specialties in Shanghai and took the train back. Xu Qiaoqing, who had been hiding at the station all along, only came out then, standing motionless as she watched the train disappear into the distance.

---

After returning home, Guan Yuan first went to check on his flowers and plants.

Zhao Shenggu, on the other hand, started busying himself the very next day, making trip after trip to the county town. Zhao Shenggu had told Guan Yuan that he was going to look at a textile factory in Yun County. Besides selling cloth, this factory also made garments, but it hadn't made any progress in years, always selling the same old cloth, and the clothing styles were outdated.

Since the beginning of this year, southern fabrics and clothing had started appearing on the market. This factory, which already had poor profits, was now even more unable to make ends meet and still needed government subsidies.

The Yun County government was considering shutting down this textile factory. Zhao Shenggu had learned this news from Old Master Li and wanted to buy the factory. The current stance on economic development was clearly supportive, and Zhao Shenggu's proposal tempted them quite a bit. Not only could they get rid of this bottomless pit, but they could also make some money. However, there was no precedent for a private individual buying a state-owned factory, and no official document said it was allowed. In the end, they said it would have to be reported to the city for a decision.

Guan Yuan saw how tired Zhao Shenggu was from all the running around and asked him: "Why don't we just build a workshop ourselves? Buying from someone else always comes with entanglements."

Zhao Shenggu explained: "The workers in the factory are all experienced and know what they're doing. If we build a new one, we won't be able to find skilled workers."

This was indeed a problem. Workers nowadays still had their "iron rice bowls" and took pride in working at a factory. Getting them to come work for a private individual for wages probably wouldn't be easy.

[Iron rice bowl:  a job that guarantees lifetime employment, steady income, and benefits regardless of performance, originally referring to state-assigned jobs in socialist China.]

"Brother, we can train our own people. Those people in the factory are all old hands, hard to manage."

Zhao Shenggu furrowed his brow. "That's possible, but it would take extra effort. I originally planned to buy the factory and have the old workers act as instructors, training people to fill the new factory."

Guan Yuan said with a grin: "So brother already thought of that. I thought I could show off my cleverness."

Zhao Shenggu was amused by him: "No need to show off. You're clever enough."