The pressure that had been weighing down on Li Chuchu suddenly vanished, and the air around her instantly felt lighter.
The warmth covering her body withdrew, leaving a cold draft brushing against her skin.
Was it over just like that?
Li Chuchu was somewhat incredulous.
She never expected Shen Yanshan to let her go so readily. She thought she was in for a rough time today.
This villain was surprisingly respectful of others' wishes.
He seemed different from those domineering and forceful male leads in the novels.
Li Chuchu shook off the chaotic thoughts in her head and quickly rushed to the bathroom to change her clothes. When she came out after tidying up, Shen Yanshan was already fully dressed and waiting for her by the door.
"All done? Let's go."
He and Li Chuchu left the guesthouse together, without saying a single unnecessary word during the process.
As they walked on the road,
Li Chuchu wondered if her rejection had angered Shen Yanshan. After all, when she calmed down and thought about it, she and he were legally married, and she had the obligation to fulfill her duties as a wife.
She followed closely behind him, stealing glances at his expression from time to time.
Shen Yanshan pulled her along and strode forward. Suddenly, he blurted out, "If you keep looking, you'll run into the telephone pole."
Li Chuchu looked up immediately. Sure enough, there was a telephone pole not far ahead. Standing in the shadow by the roadside, it was hardly noticeable if one didn't look carefully. She instantly felt embarrassed as if she had been caught red - handed. She awkwardly touched her nose and forced a smile. "I won't look anymore."
After saying that, she shifted her gaze elsewhere. She looked around to ease her discomfort.
Shen Yanshan's hand hanging by his side tightly held Li Chuchu's.
After walking for quite a while, he suddenly spoke, his voice as soft as a feather landing on snow.
"You can look if you want. I'll watch the road for you."
The slight movement of his slender finger joints betrayed his inner unease, leaving a tickling sensation in her palm.
Li Chuchu's heart skipped a beat, and her previous worries vanished.
This sentence echoed in her mind over and over again. She couldn't help but turn to look at him again, and this time, she was completely mesmerized.
Half of his side - face was hidden in the darkness, outlining a sharp jawline. Putting aside his obvious good looks, his thin lips were slightly pursed, and his nose was straight but not fleshy. Li Chuchu remembered that in the book on physiognomy, it said that men like this were often heartless, selfish, and self - centered.
In his previous life, Shen Yanshan had never had a partner, and even after reaching a high - ranking position, there were hardly any rumors about his love life. As for being selfish and self - centered... Thinking carefully, with the difficult start that Shen Yanshan had, it was impossible for him to survive without being a bit selfish.
After all, it wasn't her who had fought with dogs for food when she was a child, so she didn't seem to be in a position to judge him on this.
The interests of the upper - class were achieved through resource exchange, while the interests of the lower - class could only be obtained through plunder. Only the rich could afford to be polite, courteous, and modest. The poor had to struggle to fill their stomachs first before they could think about other things.
Li Chuchu mentally crossed out these two negative impressions and excused Shen Yanshan.
It wasn't his fault.
It was just because he wasn't the protagonist.
And she, the vicious female supporting character, happened to be on the same side as the villain.
Hearing the soft laughter behind him that was deliberately concealed, Shen Yanshan couldn't help but curl his lips slightly.
...
By now, it was already dark. The scattered shops on the street had all closed, and there was a big yellow dog barking wildly by the roadside. There were only a few pedestrians on the street.
At this hour, it might be difficult to find something to eat.
Li Chuchu was thinking about going back the same way, but the man beside her walked briskly with great enthusiasm.
As they walked, dots of light appeared at the end of the road. Then, those light dots gradually increased and even merged into a large expanse, like a bustling market that suddenly emerged in the quiet neighborhood.
The noisy voices reached them even before the light did.
Then came the bargaining sounds, the crashing sounds of unloading goods, and the fragrant smell of food.
Li Chuchu couldn't help but widen her eyes. "Wow!"
Standing in front of the market gate, Li Chuchu could hardly move forward.
The bargaining sounds were continuous. A woman held up a new dress and compared it on herself. She bargained with the vendor, bringing the price down from fifteen yuan to five yuan. Then she happily took the new dress and walked past Li Chuchu, muttering, "I knew there weren't such nice styles in the supply and marketing cooperative. This dress is really good!"
Shen Yanshan said, "This is the night market. There are many small stalls selling clothes and electronic products, as well as all kinds of snacks from Spring City. I've been here a few times for purchasing goods. I thought you might be interested. Since the guesthouse is just nearby, I brought you here."
Li Chuchu was not just interested.
She hadn't seen such a lively market for a long time.
It was really shocking to see such a prosperous market other than the shopping mall in this era.
"Aren't they... aren't they afraid of being caught?"
Such a big commotion and such a large venue would probably attract the police soon.
Once caught, the punishment would be severe.
Shen Yanshan shook his head. "This is a special area designated by the government for individual vendors. Even the strings of electric lights and wires were installed by the government."
Was this the earliest form of the free market after the country's reform and opening - up?
Witnessing all this in front of her, Li Chuchu was extremely shocked.
If it had been the Li Chuchu who had just time - traveled, this scene might not have touched her so much.
But after queuing under the scorching sun in front of the supply and marketing cooperative so many times, seeing people arguing over two bolts of cloth or the last piece of meat, fighting over a piece of fruit candy, and waiting for months to buy a bicycle, Li Chuchu deeply felt what a great breakthrough the free market was for improving people's daily convenience.
Shen Yanshan explained, "This area is close to the coast, and a lot of foreign goods are stored here after being unloaded. The people here pursue fashion, so they have high requirements for both clothing and daily items. More and more people are doing small businesses, so this kind of group has formed."
Although this was just a pilot project, once the night market opened, it immediately attracted a large number of people. Not only the nearby residents but also some merchants came from far away to purchase goods. The daily turnover here was even higher than the total sales of all the stalls in the four - story department store in Ning City.
People nowadays were not short of money.
What they lacked were good goods and the channels to buy them.
While the inland areas were still in a state of strict prohibition, this was a critical moment, but also a rare good opportunity.
Shen Yanshan had a premonition that this area would surely develop vigorously in the future.
It was precisely because of this that
he became even more determined to do business and open his own factory.
It had to be said that
Shen Yanshan had a very good business sense.
He could predict the future from a single sign, just like this.