TPW – Chapter 118

By noon, wave after wave of customers rushed to Anqiao Garment Factory from all directions.

The newspaper had included the location of the factory — a detail that Li Hongjun had specially begged the two reporters to add. The reporters figured that one extra line amidst so much text wouldn’t hurt, so they agreed.

As a result, Anqiao Garment Factory received a staggering thirty orders in a single day!

Call after call came flooding into the factory. The newspaper hadn’t even printed the phone number — no one knew how they managed to get through… All the calls were about collaboration, or requests to visit the factory, asking if there was time, if it was possible, if it could be arranged…

Xu Haizhou agreed to everything one by one, scheduled appointments, and instructed his assistant to quickly post a recruitment notice at the factory entrance. They needed to hire two more assistants and a number of general workers — no limit on the number, year-round hiring, with the best selected.

Regardless of whether the orders were finalized, Xu Haizhou and his Anqiao brand had become an absolute sensation in Lian!

Even the renowned Purple Dragonfly had to settle for second place.

In fact, if Li Hongjun hadn’t told the reporters about the human trafficking incident at the last moment, this level of buzz might not have happened. At most, Purple Dragonfly would have garnered more public attention.

But once the human trafficking story came out, the focus shifted. People couldn’t help but be curious about this brave and brilliant “Captain Lei” — what did he look like?

He had saved over a dozen families! How could he not become the center of attention?

Actually, a newspaper reporter had already wanted to interview Xu Haizhou earlier, but at that time, he and his wife had refused because they were urgently searching for Qiao An.

Looking back now, refusing that interview was absolutely the right decision. Saving it for this moment — promoting Anqiao and Purple Dragonfly together — wasn’t that perfect?

Just in time, as the factory had just started up and was in dire need of orders. Now that the interviews brought fame, the orders were flooding in like crazy — truly a case of icing on the cake!

Striking while the iron was hot, Anqiao Garment Factory opened another production line, hired twelve general workers, and started working overtime to rush out the orders.

Three days passed, and the buzz around the Lian Daily coverage remained high. Eventually, the head of the municipal committee came to the factory with several subordinates for a personal inspection.

Xu Haizhou was flattered and surprised, listening to the officials deliver their usual rhetoric — things like: “Worth learning from,” “In line with policy,” “A great start”…

After they finished, Xu Haizhou introduced Anqiao to everyone and took the opportunity to share Anqiao’s business philosophy:

“Quality first, craftsmanship as our foundation, excellence through quality — Anqiao only makes high-quality products!”

As expected, the leadership highly praised the vision.

The two reporters trailed behind Factory Director Xu and the officials, quickly jotting down notes in their notebooks — looked like they wouldn’t have to worry about content for next week’s paper…

On the Lantern Festival, Xu Haizhou appeared in the Lian Daily for the second time. Unlike before, this time his face was shown — not because he requested it, but because the leadership insisted!

They said he had a good image. This edition of the paper wasn’t just going to be published locally in Lian; it was going to be submitted to the province as well, as some sort of “model example”…

Although Xu Haizhou didn’t really want to become “too famous,” he had to comply for the sake of Anqiao’s future.

Ironically, before his face was shown, things were fine. After it appeared, young women and ladies in their twenties and thirties started “accidentally” showing up at the factory gates from time to time.

Why were they there? Obviously not to discuss business… They just wanted to get a real-life look at the “young, talented, and handsome” factory director mentioned in the newspaper!

Qiao Lu had been so busy with Purple Dragonfly lately that she hadn’t really kept up with the news. She only found out when Li Hongjun jokingly mentioned it one day.

For a moment, she was completely speechless.

That night, a crescent moon hung in the sky, stars twinkled brightly. Xu Haizhou returned home under the moonlight, changing his shoes at the entrance.

Just as he straightened up, he saw Qiao Lu standing in front of him at some point, staring at him like he was a criminal.

Xu Haizhou was baffled by her intense gaze. He raised an eyebrow, then smiled faintly, putting an arm around her shoulders and leading her into the living room. As they walked, he asked, “What’s wrong? Have you eaten yet? The factory was really busy today, so I came back late. If you haven’t eaten, I’ll cook some extra noodles.”

“I ate a long time ago. If we waited for you, An’an and I would’ve starved.” She rolled her eyes, sat him down at the dining table, and uncovered the dish protectors. “Saved some for you — braised pork ribs and cauliflower. The egg drop soup’s gone. Your daughter finished it. She liked it.”

Shaking his head helplessly, Xu Haizhou picked up his bowl and went into the kitchen to pour hot water. He liked his rice soaked in soup, and if there was no soup, hot water would do just fine.

Just as he sat down and shoveled two mouthfuls of rice, about to praise his wife’s improved cooking, an elbow suddenly popped up in front of him.

Qiao Lu, sitting beside him, propped her chin on one hand and stared at him. “I heard some girl purposely bumped into your arms this afternoon. You two hugged?”

“A girl bumped into my arms? Hugged?” Xu Haizhou nearly choked on his food and coughed into his hand, thinking hard.

After a while, he finally remembered. He stuffed a piece of meat into his mouth, chewed a few times, spat out the bone, and said, “Not really — I just helped her steady herself.”

It was already 7 p.m., and he hadn’t had time to eat all afternoon. Xu Haizhou was starving, so he didn’t answer his wife right away — he needed a few bites of meat first.

Qiao Lu frowned. “What happened exactly?”

She usually didn’t interrogate him over trivial matters like this, so Xu Haizhou couldn’t help but give her a second look.

“I was discussing an order with the person in charge of Linping Fashions. The person brought a secretary along. I went to the restroom during the meeting, and when I came back, I happened to bump into her. She was running too fast…”

So, he bumped into her — it really wasn’t his fault.

Qiao Lu was speechless. “Bumped into you? Was the order so urgent she had to run for it?”

“Maybe she just really needed the bathroom,” Xu Haizhou said casually. He hadn’t thought much of it — if Qiao Lu hadn’t brought it up, he would’ve forgotten all about it.

But Qiao Lu wasn’t buying it. She scrutinized his deep, spirited eyes, his high-bridged nose, his defined jawline… The man, now weathered and refined, was even more masculine and mature. Forget young girls — even experienced women couldn’t resist!

And thinking about how popular her man had become recently, she felt an overwhelming sense of crisis. Her eyes narrowed dangerously.

She glared at him and snorted, “Didn’t care? I heard you even held her.”

Xu Haizhou choked. “Cough cough cough—”

If only there were security cameras back then! He’d have shown the footage to his wife right away!

He quickly set down his bowl and explained, “That’s not what happened. The girl lost her balance and fell back — I instinctively reached out to steady her. Didn’t catch her though, she fell. I just helped her into the office and gave her some medicine.”

“Medicine in your office?” she said, voice dripping with jealousy.

Xu Haizhou helplessly rubbed his forehead, reached out to pinch her cheek, and was met with soft, smooth skin.

Ever since giving birth to Qiaoqiao, his wife’s skin had only gotten better. It was quite amazing. He couldn’t help but pinch her twice more.

Qiao Lu slapped his hand away, puffing up her cheeks like a little hamster.

Xu Haizhou stared blankly for a second, then burst out laughing. He turned to ask Qiao An, who was sitting on the sofa reading, “An’an, look at your mom. Doesn’t she look like a hamster?”

Qiao An glanced over quickly, then replied without much thought, “Mommy is my mommy. Mommy’s not a hamster.”

The couple had been married for four or five years and never had a real argument. Qiao An had gotten used to his mom constantly fussing at his dad. He assumed they were just flirting again, so he didn’t pay much attention. Casually responding, he went back to reading a storybook to his little sister.

Today’s tale was the myth Jingwei Fills the Sea, in a children’s version with pinyin.

Honestly, Qiao An mostly wanted to read it himself, and reading it aloud meant his sister could listen too.

The little one didn’t really understand, but nestled in her brother’s arms, sucking on her fingers, she didn’t cry or fuss. Every so often, she’d point to an illustration and laugh delightedly, her giggles crisp like bells.

Xu Haizhou looked away, helpless.

“There was President Liu in the office too — I wasn’t alone.”

Qiao Lu narrowed her eyes. “You helped her apply the medicine?”

That first aid box had been specifically placed in the office by Qiao Lu when the factory opened.

With all the heavy machinery, if anyone — Xu Haizhou included — ever got injured, it would be easy to treat them right away.

Once they made a bit more money, Qiao Lu even planned to hire a doctor and open a small on-site clinic for minor issues.

“I handed her the kit. She did it herself. It was her knee, not her hand — she didn’t need my help.”

And even if it was her hand, there were so many female workers in the factory. No way a married man like him needed to help some young girl apply medicine.

“Hmph. Just like that, she ended up in your arms.”

Xu Haizhou felt exasperated. “…Did Li Hongjun say that?”

Otherwise, why did she sound like she was right there watching?

Wait — even if she was there, he’d only caught the secretary’s arm. She had steadied herself instantly. She definitely hadn’t fallen into his arms.

Was Li Hongjun slandering him?

Then he heard his little wife snort unreasonably, “I guessed!”

Xu Haizhou: “……”

He stuffed two big mouthfuls of food in frustration, chewed a rib for a couple of seconds, spat the bone out — all very efficiently.

At least he was still serious about eating.

Qiao Lu withdrew her gaze from his bowl and asked, “Li Hongjun said she fell into your arms and you helped her up. Isn’t that basically holding her?”

Xu Haizhou shook his head. “She fell, and I helped her up. We were a bit close — how does that count as holding her? So it really was Li Hongjun who told you?”

Qiao Lu pouted, flicking her hair over her shoulder proudly. “He just said you’re a celebrity now, that women out there are like wolves and tigers, and told me to keep an eye on you. Warn you a bit.”

Xu Haizhou: “……”

Great. Just what he needed.

“Maybe he’s trying to get back at me for scolding him before,” Xu Haizhou suddenly remembered something he hadn’t told Qiao Lu yet.

“What did he do? Why did you scold him?” Qiao Lu looked over curiously, successfully distracted.

“I’ll tell you in a bit. Let me eat first — I’m starving.”

He got up and went back to the kitchen to grab another bowl of rice from the cooker.

After dinner, he took Qiao Lu’s hand and pulled her to sit with him on the sofa. They turned on the TV, and he began recounting Li Hongjun and his girlfriend’s drama.

“This happened last week. His girlfriend was pushing for marriage. He thought about it all night and figured… maybe it wasn’t such a bad idea. He’s not getting younger, and seeing me with two kids made him a little envious. So he gave in and slept with her…”

Qiao Lu cut in, “So they did it?”

Xu Haizhou choked again. “…Can’t you put it more delicately?”

“We’ve done everything there is. Why pretend to be innocent now?” Qiao Lu crossed her legs, laughing and lightly punching his chest. “Okay, fine — they slept together, right?”

Laughing, Xu Haizhou caught her fist, pulled her into his arms, kissed her on the cheek, and took a deep whiff of her scent before continuing, “Then Zou Yinghua told him he had to take responsibility. The two of them were supposed to set a date to meet each other’s parents and talk about the wedding.”

Snuggled in his arms, adjusting her position, Qiao Lu turned to face him — their lips were nearly touching. “And then?”

Meat right at the lips — how could he not take a bite?

He lowered his head and kissed her deeply, lingering and tender, his lips trailing over hers again and again.

Soon, Qiao Lu was breathless, falling back onto the sofa.

Fortunately, Xu Haizhou held her back so she didn’t collapse fully.

She must’ve just washed up — she was wearing soft, fluffy pajamas and smelled of rose-scented shower gel, a product brought from Hong Kong by Tuo Yufan. Her dressing table was also filled with high-end skincare.

She smelled… irresistible. Every time, he had to inhale her scent for at least a few minutes to feel satisfied.

“Ugh, seriously, can’t you just talk? What’s all this…” Qiao Lu pouted and pushed at him — only to turn her head and meet the wide-eyed stares of two small faces…

Qiao An, at least six years old, definitely understood. Qiaoqiao, just five or six months, didn’t, but still managed to show a shocked expression, babbling “Mama, Daddy,” and trying to crawl over.

If there were kisses to be had, why wasn’t Qiaoqiao included? Qiaoqiao wanted kisses too!

She puffed and scooted over.

Qiao An quickly grabbed his sister, preventing her from escaping.

“Ahem—” Qiao Lu flushed in embarrassment and awkwardness.

She gave Xu Haizhou a light kick and told An’an, “What are you staring at? Go read your book.”

Qiao An: “……”

Mom and Dad are so clingy.

Xu Haizhou chuckled and stopped teasing her. “Hongjun actually kind of regrets it, but things have come to this point, you know? So he brought a gift and went to visit. Originally, he just wanted to meet her parents, and didn’t say anything about finalizing the marriage. Who would’ve thought that during the meal, the conversation somehow shifted to betrothal gifts?”

“Zou Yinghua’s parents already knew from their daughter’s mouth that Hongjun is the ‘boss’ of Purple Dragonfly and Anqiao. Maybe there was some bragging involved too. Hongjun revealed a bit of his monthly income, and initially, Zou Yinghua’s parents just asked for the ‘three spins and one sound’ plus a full set of furniture and two thousand yuan as betrothal gift. But by the end of the meal, they added on a demand for a house for their younger son.”

“What?”

Are they marrying off their daughter or selling her? He has to buy a house for his future brother-in-law just to marry their daughter? How shameless can people be?

Qiao Lu asked indignantly, “And what did Hongjun say to that? Don’t tell me he really plans to buy a house for his little brother-in-law?”

He doesn’t even have enough money to furnish his own new house, and they expect him to buy another one? That’s insane!

“Of course not. Hongjun isn’t stupid. Besides, as for Zou Yinghua… the two of them met through a blind date and just kind of muddled along into a relationship. He was lonely, had been alone for a long time, and didn’t think too much before getting involved with her. Even now, it’s not really love—it’s more about getting used to being with someone. Unless something big happens, they probably won’t break up.”

By “something big,” it usually meant Zou Yinghua cheating. That would give Li Hongjun a legitimate reason to end things. But even without something so dramatic, if their relationship hadn’t progressed physically, it wouldn’t be too hard to find an excuse—at most he’d have to pay a bit of breakup compensation.

But now that they’ve slept together, cleanly breaking things off probably won’t be that simple.

Moreover, with such shameless parents, it’s not hard to imagine that if Hongjun breaks up with Zou Yinghua easily, her mom and dad might do something “extreme.”

If they made a scene at the factory or at the store, it wouldn’t just be his problem anymore.

Looks like a tricky situation, but Qiao Lu still joked lightly, “True, not everyone can fall in love at first sight like us, right?”

Xu Haizhou smiled, eyes twinkling, and stroked her face before planting a kiss on her. “Mm. After he told me about this, I scolded him—told him he couldn’t keep his pants zipped. But honestly, I don’t really have a solution for him. I’ve never been in this kind of situation, never dated any woman other than you. You’d be better off asking Yu Fan than me.”

“Yu Fan… Yu Fan can’t even sort out her own love life, and you want her advice? You might as well ask me.” Qiao Lu pursed her lips in disapproval.

“Ask you?” Xu Haizhou looked at his little wife with amusement and signaled for her to continue.

Qiao Lu turned to meet his eyes. “It’s simple. If Li Hongjun can’t solve it himself, toss the problem back to Zou Yinghua and let her decide.”

She paused and continued, “Zou Yinghua already knows Li Hongjun bought a rough-finished apartment in Nanhu Garden. She’s been asking him to take her to see it. He should just tell her straight: he can’t even gather enough money to furnish that house, and it’s already hard enough scraping together two thousand yuan for the betrothal gift. If he buys her brother a house too, even if they get married, they’ll have to squeeze into a crowded compound. The factory just started operations—all the profits have to stay in circulation. Even as a shareholder, he can’t just withdraw money whenever.”

After a short breath, Qiao Lu added, “So for the next two years, as a minor shareholder, he won’t get any real returns. The only money he can count on is his salary from the Baiyun Street Purple Dragonfly store—nothing extra, and certainly no capital to buy another home. Even if he had money, he’d need to renovate his own place first. And after that, they plan to open new branches. Basically, within the next ten years—hmm, maybe that’s a bit too long—let’s say five years, he won’t have money to buy another property.”

“Houses are so expensive now,” she added, referring to their cost relative to daily living expenses—not like the bargain prices twenty or thirty years later. “It’s not like buying a head of cabbage—just say you want one and grab it. They’re not even married yet and already asking for a house. What happens after the wedding? Will they try to control him in every way?”

“He can use moral pressure. Tell Zou Yinghua plainly: if you insist on following your parents’ demands and want your brother to get a house, then for the next ten or twenty years, we won’t have capital and will miss the best opportunities to make money. Even if the Anqiao Clothing Factory expands, he’ll still just be a small shareholder and won’t make much.”

Zou Yinghua only graduated from junior high and isn’t highly educated—she might not fully understand terms like ‘shareholder.’ A little coaxing will likely work.

“If she sincerely wants to live a stable life with Li Hongjun, then him offering a bit more in betrothal gifts is fine. But buying a house? No way. Make that absolutely clear. Otherwise, they should break up and let her find someone else who can buy her brother a house.”

“But… aside from Li Hongjun, are there even any other young, single men like him left in the whole city of Lian?” Most of the men with a bit of money were middle-aged and already married.

Compared to Xu Haizhou’s condition four years ago, Li Hongjun’s current situation is way better. If Zou Yinghua still isn’t satisfied and keeps pushing—honestly, she doesn’t deserve him.

After finishing, Qiao Lu turned to her man and asked, “Do you understand what I’m saying?”

Xu Haizhou nodded firmly. “I get it. I just don’t know whether Hongjun will take the advice.”

“Hah! If he doesn’t, then I wasted my breath.”

Xu Haizhou laughed. “He will. I’ll tell him tomorrow.”

“Mm, tell him when the time comes. Right now, we don’t even know what he’s thinking. It’s someone else’s business, not much to do with us. But one thing we absolutely must watch out for—Zou Yinghua’s parents must not be allowed to affect our Anqiao and Purple Dragonfly.”

“Got it.”

After chatting, they snuggled for a bit. Then Xu Haizhou got up to shower, and Qiao Lu took the book from Qiao An’s hands and began telling the little ones a story.

The moment Qiao Lu came over, Qiao An abandoned his sister and slipped into his mother’s lap, wriggling to get comfortable.

Just as Qiao Lu was about to ask why he left his sister behind, An’an clapped his hands and gestured for his sister to come sit in his lap.

So he wanted to be a “nesting doll.”

Brother in mom’s arms, sister in brother’s arms—a human stack of three. The funny position delighted little Qiao Qiao, making her giggle non-stop as she clapped her hands, trying to lift her head to see both her brother and mom at the same time. Adorable.

“Mom, you and Dad were talking for so long—were you talking about Uncle Hongjun?” Qiao An asked while patting his sister’s hair.

Qiao Lu nodded, pushing aside her son’s messy bangs. His fringe had grown again—it was time for a trim.

“Yeah, why?”

The little guy shook his head. “Nothing. I heard you say Uncle Hongjun is going to marry Sister Zou. Getting married means living together like you and Dad, having babies, and spending life together, right?”

Such a little guy and already knows the phrase “spend life together.”

Qiao Lu replied, “Yes, spending life together—but not always. Mommy doesn’t really know what’s going on with them right now.”

Qiao An said, “Oh.”

Qiao Lu tilted her head, looking at him: “Why are you asking? Interested in their business?”

Qiao An shook his head again. “No, I just think Sister Zou is a good person, but… Uncle Hongjun doesn’t even have money to furnish his own house. And he still has to buy a house for Sister Zou’s brother?”

Qiao Lu corrected his wording: “Furnish, not fix.”

“Oh. Uncle Hongjun doesn’t even have money to furnish his house, and he still has to buy one for Sister Zou’s brother? Houses are expensive! Dad and Mom saved for three years to buy ours.”

He’d seen their struggles and remembered them deeply.

Qiao Lu sighed, “Exactly, even our An’an thinks it’s too much. You can imagine how shameless that family is.”

When it comes to marriage, it’s not just about a man and a woman—it’s about two families.

With such horrible “in-laws,” Qiao Lu really hoped Li Hongjun would break up with Zou Yinghua.

That girl’s personality was fine—shy with strangers, gentle and soft-spoken—but she didn’t seem like someone who would stand up to her parents. If she married Li Hongjun, her family might just turn their life into chaos.

Hongjun’s side was easier. His parents weren’t in the same province. Like Haizhou, he’d left home to start a business in Lian. Whoever married him wouldn’t have to deal with the usual mother-in-law drama. It’d be great.

“Yeah, Mom, they’re shameless. Taking Uncle Hongjun’s hard-earned money!”

“You little rascal, where’d you learn words like that?” Qiao Lu tapped his little nose—it felt cold and soft like icy jade.

“Hard-earned money? Uncle Hongjun said that!” Qiao An grinned and pointed at the ceiling.

Who knows when he’d picked up all these strange expressions.

Qiao Lu laughed and kissed his cheek. “Alright, back to the book. I think Daddy’s almost done showering. Do you guys want to sleep now?”

Qiao An quickly scooted out of her lap with his sister and waved at Qiao Lu. “Nope! I want to read more. And later we’ll watch Calabash Brothers.”

Can’t miss a single episode!

“And Brother Jiahao is coming down to watch with me too.” Qiao An looked happy and expectant.

Since they moved to Nanhu Garden, there weren’t as many kids as in their old neighborhood. So far, Qiao An had only made friends with one kid—Li Jiahao—who was close to his age. So naturally, they stuck together.

“You two are good friends now?” Qiao Lu asked curiously.

An’an thought seriously for a second and replied, “Mm-hmm! Good friends. We even agreed to get into the same middle school in the future.”

They’re only in elementary school and already planning for middle school.

Qiao Lu couldn’t help but laugh. “Alright, alright, then both of you work hard and aim for the best middle school in Lian, okay?”

“Okay, Mommy!”