Which way to go is the road?

At 2 p.m., Xiang Fei and his group returned to Yandu. Wang Zhiqiang escorted him all the way to the basement entrance and helped him carry his belongings into the basement.

As soon as they entered the basement, the damp smell made Wang Zhiqiang frown: "Xiang Fei, find a place to leave the basement as soon as possible after the New Year. Everything else is fine, but it's too damp and poorly ventilated in here. I'm afraid we'll develop health problems if we stay here for too long!"

"Okay, thank you, Uncle!" Xiang Fei put down his backpack and took the plastic bag from his uncle's hand.

Wang Zhiqiang took out two thousand yuan from his wallet and stuffed it into Xiang Fei's pocket: "Use this to find a place to live. Let me know if you need more!"

Xiang Fei declined, saying he absolutely refused: "Uncle, I earn a salary every month, enough to live on. It's enough to rent a place too. I haven't had time to move since before the New Year, but I'll look for a place in a couple of days!"

"You have enough to spend, it's yours to spend, this is mine! Take it, consider it a loan, just pay me back when you have the money!"

"Uncle, I still have 2000 yuan on me. I really don't need it. If I really run out of money, I'll definitely call you!"

Holding the banknotes in his hand, Wang Zhiqiang looked at his stubborn nephew with some helplessness and had no choice but to put the money back. He didn't let Xiang Fei deliver it outside and turned to walk out of the basement.

On the way, Xiang Fei felt embarrassed to sleep, since his cousin Wang Zhiqiang was driving alone, so he could only keep talking to his cousin, chatting about everything under the sun. Although Wang Zhiqiang only had a middle school education, he was very talkative and knowledgeable. As the ancients said, "Read ten thousand books and travel ten thousand miles," it seems that rich experience is indeed worth more than many books.

Back in the basement, drowsiness washed over him, and Xiang Fei pulled out the bed and lay down.

When he woke up again, it was already four o'clock in the afternoon. He washed his face, put on his clothes, and took two slaughtered chickens and two bags of peanuts to "Shuiyunjian".

The same route, after a week of silence, was once again filled with energy because of the young man's arrival, with rhythmic and steady footsteps echoing around him. Several shop owners he saw every day even greeted him.

Xiang Fei walked five minutes less than usual, a journey that usually takes fifteen minutes. However, when he arrived at the internet cafe, he didn't go in. Instead, he stood there, looking at the internet cafe across the street for a long time, with the words "Shuiyunjian" on his back.

The shop across the street already had its name displayed – “Eden”. The three huge characters seemed to overwhelm everyone with their imposing presence. The decorations next to it were intertwined to form the heads of a man and a woman, alluring and seductive.

There were many people going in and out in front of the gate, probably preparing for the opening the day after tomorrow. A familiar figure in a Zhongshan suit appeared, shouting and directing these people. After finishing, he turned around and looked at Xiang Fei. His eyes met Xiang Fei's, and a sinister smile appeared on his face. He then made a gun gesture at Xiang Fei.

Xiang Fei sneered and walked into Shuiyunjian.

Dong Lu was still on duty at the front desk, chatting and laughing with Zhang Fang beside her. When she saw Xiang Fei come in, she stood up to greet him and they exchanged belated New Year's greetings.

Xiang Fei was still carrying a bunch of things, and after thinking it over, he decided to put them in the attic refrigerator: "Is Sister Luo Mei here? I need to put my things up there!"

"I'm here. I was just grumbling about you. You haven't been up there long! Go ahead, they're probably waiting for you!" Dong Lu said.

"What are you carrying? They look quite heavy. Here, let me help you carry one!"

Zhang Fang took the chicken, and the two carried it upstairs. They rang the doorbell at the top door, the door opened, and they went out.

Just as they were about to go into the attic, Zhang Fang handed the chicken to Xiang Fei: "I'm not going in!"

Once Zhang Fang reached the rooftop, he deliberately lagged behind, seemingly hesitant to enter the attic. Xiang Fei noticed this and naturally didn't press the issue: "Alright then, give me the chicken! Thank you, Zhang Fang!"

"You're welcome!" Zhang Fang handed the things to Xiang Fei, then quickly walked into the stairwell without lingering.

In the attic, Qian Luomei was dressed in thick pajamas, looking dignified and elegant. Her cascading, lustrous hair was particularly captivating. She greeted Xiang Fei with a broad smile.

"Did you bring all this from your hometown? Here, put it on the dining table first. What are all these?" Qian Luomei opened the plastic bag and looked inside. "Is this chicken yours? And are the peanuts homegrown?"

"Yes, Hebei doesn't have many local specialties to offer, but my mother insisted that I bring these along so that everyone could try them!"

"Great, this chicken is quite big! Not everyone's here today, so make some stew for everyone tomorrow. Everyone loves these free-range country chickens these days!"

"Okay, I'll stew one. You can take the other one home for Grandpa and Auntie to try!"

"Okay, that's thoughtful of you. Let's put it in the fridge! We have heating at home, and it might spoil if left out for too long!"

After placing the two items in their respective places, Qian Luomei poured a cup of tea and placed it in front of Xiang Fei. She also picked up a cup for herself, and the two of them sat on the sofa, maintaining a proper distance.

"What time did you arrive?"

"At 2 PM, I went back to the basement first to put my things down, and then came back!"

"Was the journey smooth?"

"It went smoothly. I'm already fourteen, and there wasn't much traffic on the road!"

Qian Luomei stood up, holding her cup, paced back and forth a couple of times, then turned to Xiang Fei: "Xiang Fei, I want to discuss something with you!"

Seeing Qian Luomei's serious expression, Xiang Fei thought of the Eden Internet Cafe across the street: "What's wrong, Sister Luomei? About the internet cafe across the street, I don't think we need to rush..."

Qian Luomei waved her hand, interrupting Xiang Fei: "That's not it, I'm talking about something else!"

"Another thing? What else?"

"You know I've always been in charge of this shop, but my energy is limited, and I might have to go out or something, leaving the shop unattended! So I'm thinking of making you the manager to run this internet cafe for me!"

"Sister Luomei, I think you need to think this through carefully. After all, this is a big deal for this internet cafe! I'm too inexperienced; I can barely manage as a network administrator, and I don't understand many of the technical aspects. How can I possibly be qualified to be the manager? Why don't you give it to Lao You, Xiangzi, or Wang Haoming?"

"Lao You is just doing this part-time; he's a college graduate from a prestigious university, and he'll definitely go to a better place after graduation. Xiangzi's skills are undeniable, but he's too honest and lacks ambition. Wang Haoming is bold and capable, and his skills are also good, but his personality is a big problem; he has difficulty communicating with people! So you are the most suitable candidate!"

"But I've only been here for six months. I'm a little uneasy about being put in charge of the store management! What if I don't do a good job and let you down?"

"As long as you do your job conscientiously, I will never blame you, whether you do it well or poorly! Besides, I know you're worried about whether your colleagues who arrive early will listen to you and whether you can lead them if you become the manager! Don't worry, I'll give you full autonomy in managing the internet cafe, and you can even impose certain penalties on them!"

The prospect of a promotion was very tempting for Xiang Fei; who doesn't want to advance? However, his work experience of just six months made his concerns about the promotion outweigh his joy.

Being a store manager is prestigious, provided that all the employees listen to you and the internet cafe thrives under your management. However, both of these aspects will undoubtedly face challenges: getting experienced employees to listen to new employees will be a complicated and arduous process; and the opening of the internet cafe across the street will threaten the survival and development of "Shuiyunjian". It's a turbulent time!

On the other hand, this is also a case of "being entrusted with a mission in a time of crisis," a great trust placed in him by his boss, especially since he already felt guilty towards Qian Luomei!

Xiang Fei bit his lip and thought for a long time before finally saying what Qian Luomei had been hoping for: "Okay! I'll be the store manager, but Sister Luomei, it's settled then, if you have a more suitable candidate, or if you think I'm not suitable, you can remove me anytime! I won't complain!"