Chapter 26: Drifting Gracefully

treated Su Can like a high school student and this made Su Can inwardly chuckle. He pretended to innocently divulge some of Ceng Quanming’s opinions and thoughts, although half the time it was fabric...Chapter 26: Drifting

The heart, marked by a symbol. The curse climbs from the other side of the mountain and descends into dusk-filled twilight hues. Leaves flourish on branches then spiral to their demise. Summers spent at school where shadows stretched under solitary trees, walls marred with kicked paint from balls, and girls once thought would last through time itself all fade away at graduation ceremonies. Smiling sadly as they part ways, unsure if the next encounter will be in five years or ten, or perhaps never.

The times we believed we'd never forget were spent under ceiling fans spinning daily in classrooms, amidst cicada-filled tree-lined streets, riding familiar bus routes unchanged over the years, gradually fading into oblivion.

But for Su Cen, these forgotten moments are now being rediscovered through real-life experiences and daily living.

This day off, visiting his own family store, Wang Yong was no longer working here. She now helps her mother, Zeng Ah, with purchasing goods, familiarizing herself with the channels, and managing inventory across both shops.

She reads more books now, covering broader subjects; her perspective, mindset, and overall outlook differ greatly from before. Of course, she remains steadfast in her belief that one can achieve success without adhering to conventional educational paths and still thrive in big cities.

Whenever Zeng Ah tries to persuade her seriously, "You should go study something, even a vocational school. At least you'll have a skill."

Wang Ming responds, "Aunt Zeng, I learn as much by helping manage the store's operations as I would in any educational institution. In my view, these business skills are far more practical for me!"

"If you acquire some technical skills and work along coastal areas to develop your career, won't that lead to success in big cities too Even better, perhaps. Running this small store can't amount to much. I'm worried it's a waste of your potential at such a young age."

Wang Ming smiles, "Aunt Zeng, did you know the top person on the wealth list will likely come from the retail industry The retail sector can also rank among world leaders."

"Look at this girl. She talks just like Su Cen! It's obvious she’s influenced by him! Dreaming all day without a solid plan. Your future is uncertain, and even if these retail supermarkets are profitable, how does it concern our small business Alright then, you're young and full of drive; work towards growing this into something big with Su Cen. Show me what you can do." Zeng Ah didn't want to dampen her enthusiasm, saying with a chuckle.

Wang Ming wiped the dust with a kerchief and glanced at Su Can, smiling sweetly when she heard Zeng Ah mentioning her and Su Can in the same breath.

Su Licheng rarely took free time, but this time he came to oversee the shop, which could be considered a change of pace. However, there were enough hands on deck at the shop so that it was mostly a gathering for idle chat.

A small van from the Urban Management Bureau pulled up and stopped in front of the door; three urban management officers got out, two carrying large umbrellas.

The crowd's eyebrows furrowed. The leader was none other than Liu Zheng, an officer from the Urban Management Bureau who had confiscated their sunshades at the directive of the bureau chief. They were caught last time by a detective team under Zhao Lijun, deputy police chief; did they come now to settle a score

Zeng Ah's heart tightened as Su Licheng's fist clenched involuntarily.

Su Can just looked at the urban management officers in front of him without showing any emotion.

Liu Zheng stepped forward, quickly taking out a pack of Jiaozi cigarettes from his pocket and offering them. This gesture left Su Licheng, who had been ready for confrontation, momentarily stunned. Accepting the cigarette with a smile from smiling Liu Zheng, he was still somewhat confused.

Liu Zheng waved at the urban management officers behind him: "Come on," as two officers installed the large sunshades into holes in concrete pedestals.

"This time, we've unified the distribution of these umbrellas by the Urban Management Bureau. They are aesthetically pleasing and specially prepared for Xia Hai's bid to become a tourist city. We produced 1,000 of them. Last time was my bad for damaging your shade; I didn't think about it then but now that I have, I thought we'd bring you two as an apology."

The family’s sunshade had been damaged in the last incident when one pole snapped after being thrown into a car and another hadn’t been used due to no direct sunlight hitting their shopfront. Hence, both officers proceeded to install the umbrellas on the concrete pedestals, which displayed Xia Hai's scenic views and were quite eye-catching.

Hearing this development, Su Can’s parents were still somewhat bewildered; they couldn't understand how the attitude of the urban management staff could change so drastically. Wang Dong, who had been scared off last time but was now observing from behind the crowd, was also surprised by the sudden turn of events.

This Liu Zheng was a close aide personally brought up by the城管局長 (Director of Urban Management Bureau). Back then, he boasted about how he would deal with things. Recently, his parents have been worrying about this situation. They were even thinking about whether to tell Zeng Quanming. Although Zeng Quanming will definitely step in, it wouldn't be without some criticism.

Zeng Ailian hurriedly said, "How much We'll pay."

Liu Zheng chuckled and replied, "Ah, Sister, we're not talking about money. Last time our enforcement was too harsh; we came here to apologize. In the future, we will definitely be more careful. This umbrella is compensation for you and doesn't cost any money. Besides, although the city's Urban Management Bureau supervises these umbrellas, it’s not mandatory for everyone to use them; vendors are just encouraged to use ours if possible to support the city’s promotional work. Of course, these umbrellas are sold at a cheaper price than on the market and aren’t worth much! If you can use them, that means you're supporting our work. We should thank you."

What kind of logic is this Giving away an umbrella and still thanking someone for accepting it.

Liu Zheng laughed while looking at Su Can in the store. Seeing him expressionless, he turned his eyes and reached into his inner pocket to pull out a pack of Zhonghua cigarettes, offering them to Su Richen’s hand, "This is our apology for our previous rude behavior," he said. "No need, no, you keep it. I have some." Liu Zheng ignored Su Richen's refusal and shoved the cigarette in his hand.

Su Richen and Zeng Ailian felt somewhat embarrassed. "Of course, we will definitely support the city’s promotional work and cooperate with your tasks," said Su Richen.

"Alright, I’m relieved to hear that from Brother Su. We’ll be off then; there's still some stuff to do. By the way, if you need anything in the future, give us a call, okay Let’s go out for drinks one day!" Liu Zheng and his group left with smiles, leaving those watching them around stunned. If城管 (urban management) were all like this, their quality would truly be commendable!

No one could understand what was happening. The last time Liu Zheng was dealt with by Xiao Gong, he suffered greatly; how did things change so quickly Zeng He looked at her husband as Su Richen thought for a moment and said, "He’s young, inexperienced without hardship in life, hence his arrogance before. Now, after some trials, he's matured quite a bit. Everyone goes through such stages… I was like that when I was younger." Wang Ming stared at Su Can; she had noticed Liu Zheng's glance towards Su Can earlier and saw this detail as well. She now looked at Su Can with suspicion and leaned close to whisper, "Could all of this be related to you What did you do"

"None of my business!" Su Can turned around, leaving her only with his back.

Wang Mei was used to Su Can's attitude; in her heart, she believed that if the Urban Management Bureau personally delivered umbrellas, it would be impossible for there not to be any connection between him and this event.

Mister Ma, a teacher from the nearby vocational school who often came by to chat, arrived at the store just as Liu Zheng left. He had a nature that loved criticizing others; each time he visited Su Richen's shop to buy things, he would nitpick, always finding something unsatisfactory. Zeng He felt uncomfortable seeing him come in again and again even though he rarely bought much.

He often used his position as the principal’s brother-in-law to assert himself and looked down on her husband Su Richen's construction projects, believing that building was naturally less prestigious than being a college teacher like him.

"Wow, what's going on here The城管even specially brought gifts for you guys! Nice!" Teacher Ma walked in and couldn't help but glance back at the城管and card officer in disbelief. Seeing Su Licheng there, he grinned and said, "Ah, Deputy Director Su is also here! Deputy Director Su!"

Su Licheng had just received a pack of Zhonghua cigarettes from Liu Zheng and hadn't put them away yet when Teacher Ma arrived. He could only give a bitter smile. As he was about to open the cigarettes, Teacher Ma stepped in front of him and took out his own pack, saying, "Here, smoke mine! Smoke mine!"

Su Licheng was momentarily stunned. Teacher Ma had always been quite miserly; every time he came here to buy things, he would ask Su Licheng for a cigarette. After hearing that Su Licheng was the deputy director of Engineering Division Four, he often spread some rumors about Su's father and yet made it impossible for Su Licheng to react, making him unwilling to get close to Teacher Ma. However, today, things were different.

"How come Teacher Ma gave me a cigarette and lit it for me," which left Su Licheng somewhat confused as he chatted with him in a desultory manner.

Soon enough, Teacher Ma couldn't hold back any longer and said, "Ah, you know Wang Guangming, the guy who's working on the pipeline project" "Oh, I know him, I know him." When Feng Jianjun first took office and started the Xinghai Square construction, he didn’t completely exclude people from their unit. Instead, he allowed a few spots for Su Licheng to bring in several capable individuals, Wang Guangming being one of them. This young man in his mid-thirties was now under the guidance of an expert from the provincial construction group's headquarters and was trying to cultivate him into a technical backbone for Engineering Division Four.

"Alright then, it’s easier to talk about this. Hey, I heard your company got the Xinghai Square project; he must be involved in its development too"

Su Licheng nodded and said, "Yes, Wang Guangming is a good young man who learns quickly. He's much more down-to-earth than many people now. He’s currently working on accumulating some experience at the Xinghai Square project."

"Right right, oh my, how many people are waiting for this comprehensive square to be completed! It’s said that several large chain supermarkets in our province will also move in soon. Then there would be places like McDonald's as well, which young folks love. This place is bound to become bustling and prosperous then. I never thought it was you guys from Engineering Division Four who got the contract; this shows we have local companies with capability!"

The matter went something like this: last time wasn’t it mentioned that our vocational school had a female teacher going on dates She ended up dating your company’s Wang Guangming. At that time, Little Wang didn't show much interest. They dated for several months and the girl was rather haughty and didn’t fancy him at all, so they broke up soon after. Not long after their breakup, your Xinghai Square construction started. Now this girl feels guilty about her past behavior and is a bit regretful. You know, she’s still young and prone to mistakes. I think you're Little Wang's superior; you could try doing some work to help them."

Turns out it was because of this matter that last time Teacher Ma said their teachers weren’t interested in people from their own unit when going on dates, but after getting the Xinghai Square project and with everyone’s status rising accordingly, people's mentality changed quickly.

"Alright, I'll try to help them out. But whether it will be successful or not, I can't promise," Su Licheng said with a smile. broke my heart!"Her implication was that Zeng Ke’s dress was just a common style, not one of the expensive items she would feel hesitant to part with."That specialty store on the commercial street, t...