水蜜桃实验室

It wasn’t until Xu Fan was almost at Yu Lou Ancient Town that he remembered the burly Mo Luo Dan beside him had his clothes shattered earlier and was now bare-chested, revealing two ferocious dragon tattoos on his body.

Having fought with him for half a day, Xu Fan had somewhat gotten used to his appearance, so he didn’t feel anything amiss, but the thought of getting out of the car to shop made him realize that Mo Luo Dan’s current state was definitely not appropriate.

If he walked through the streets with Mo Luo Dan looking like this, they might be mistaken for thugs trying to collect protection money.

Thus, Xu Fan slowly pulled over to the side of the road, ready to buy a shirt for his subordinate Mo Luo Dan to cover up his tattoos.

There were quite a few clothing shops along the street, none too big. Xu Fan didn’t plan to buy anything branded for Mo Luo Dan, considering he was just a follower and some free work clothes would suffice.

The street was called Nongtan Street, not exactly a bustling area of Zhonghai City, but thanks to its proximity to Lu Family Port, most of the town’s inhabitants worked at the port. There were also quite a few people who opened small shops along the street, and their businesses were enough to sustain a living.

There was a small clothing store on Nongtan Street called Lexin Clothing, consisting of only two rooms. It was currently the off-season, so there weren’t many customers around.

The store mainly sold men’s wear, displaying a good number of shirts, polo shirts, and jeans. A slender girl was propping up a clothes rack, adding the latest fashion to the hangers.

“Lele, don’t hang any more clothes. Let Mom take care of it, and you take a break,” said a middle-aged woman as she approached, caressing the girl’s smooth ponytail with a touch of affection in her voice.

“Mom, I’m not tired. There wasn’t much to do at the auto city today, so the manager let me come back early,” the girl replied with a pleasant voice, like the melodious call of an oriole, turning her face to give the middle-aged woman a sweet smile.

Her face was very pure, unadorned with makeup and carrying a hint of youthful naivety. Although she was not breathtakingly beautiful, she posessed a delicate charm that was quite captivating.

This girl was none other than Chen Lele, the part-time salesperson Xu Fan had encountered when buying a car at the Lu Family Port auto city.

The clothing store belonged to Chen Lele’s mother, Chen Lixin, a single mother who had divorced Chen Lele’s father early on, raising Chen Lele on her own to university age.

She used to be a seamstress, laboring for twelve hours a day to earn enough to send Chen Lele to university. Chen Lele also made her proud by being a top student from childhood, smoothly earning a place at the prestigious Zhonghai University of Science and Technology in Yan Country.

In university, Chen Lele was always outstanding, managing to obtain a substantial amount of scholarships and bursaries each year. She would often take part-time jobs, so much so that she didn’t even need any living expenses from Chen Lixin. With finances eased, Chen Lixin left her factory job and used her savings to open a clothing store on this street.

With the connections she had made over the years in the garment industry, the goods she brought in were both high-quality and affordable. Added to that, her industrious nature and sewing skills allowed her to offer free tailoring and alterations such as hemming or replacing zippers to her customers, which earned their good favor. The clothes in her shop were inexpensive but quality, leading to many repeat customers, making her business successful over the years.

“Mom, you don’t need to work so hard anymore. I’m now the assistant manager at the dealership, and my salary is at least twenty-thousand yuan. From now on, let me take care of you,” said Xu Lele, holding her mother Chen Lixin’s hands with a touch of sadness.

Chen Lixin was very beautiful, and although she had just turned forty, she looked almost like she was in her early thirties, with the charm of a mature woman. However, Chen Lixin’s hands did not match her delicate features; they were extremely rough, not only scarred but also covered with calluses.

When Chen Lixin worked in the garment factory, she often had to work twelve hours a day. After years of such labor, it was no surprise her hands had become like this.

Hearing her daughter’s words, Chen Lixin’s expression changed instantly. She was well aware of the ways of the world, and even as an experienced seamstress, she would have to toil in the factory for a whole month to earn a salary of six to seven thousand yuan. How could Chen Lele, a young student without even a diploma, earn more than twenty thousand yuan?

Chen Lixin, who knew all too well how treacherous the world could be, looked sternly at Xu Lele and asked, “Lele, you’ve only been working part-time at Lu Family Port auto city for a few days. How could you suddenly become a manager and earn more than twenty thousand yuan a month? Do you think your mother is so easily fooled?”

“Mom, I really didn’t lie to you! I really became an assistant manager. Mr. Li personally appointed me. He said that after graduation, I could work at Lu Family Port auto city, and I could even go directly to the headquarters,” explained Chen Lele, a bit puzzled.

“Lele, you are still young and unaware of the treachery in society. When your mother worked in the factory, she labored for twelve hours a day. It was so hard that she could barely earn five to six thousand yuan. However, some female workers didn’t need to work at all; just by having a good relationship with the factory manager, they could sit around and earn more than ten thousand yuan. Do you think they earned that money fairly? You’re young and must not be confused about such matters. My daughter, Chen Lixin, can be poor, but cannot have people poking her spine,” said Chen Lixin to Chen Lele, very sternly.

Although she did not spell it out, she implicitly conveyed the message that no capitalist is a fool; to get something, one must first give something in return.

If Chen Lele was deceived by the leaders of Lu Family Port auto city with promises of high wages and positions to lure her in, then Chen Lele, a naive university student, was clearly lacking in understanding of society’s dark side and could easily be misled by them.

“Mom! What are you thinking about? It’s not like that at all!” said Chen Lele, who was quick-witted enough to understand what her mother meant.

Isn’t she just afraid that I will fall victim to the unspoken rules, be lured by empty promises, and be tricked into becoming someone’s mistress? I, Chen Lele, am not that kind of person.

“Then you tell me, what’s so special about you that you caught the attention of the group’s general manager, and even as a part-time worker who hasn’t graduated, you got to be a manager?” Chen Lixin said, her gaze intense as she spoke to Chen Lele.