Old Mrs. Song is reborn; get out of here, you scumbag husband and illegitimate child!

Li Dajiang and Zhang Qiang slunk away.

The onlookers burst into laughter, finding it incredibly satisfying.

They also worried that Song Xianglan might offend someone because they were public officials.

The owner of the fried noodles wiped her hands on her apron, looking worried. "Sister Song, you're too hot-tempered. These two are in uniform; they look like officials."

You've really offended them. What if they try to trip you up every day? You must have offended some big shot.

"That's right."

An older woman selling groceries nearby chimed in, "In our alley, very few shops have all the necessary permits and licenses."

Old Wang's fried sauce noodle shop has been open for a whole year, but he hasn't even applied for a health permit, and no one from the Industry and Commerce Bureau has ever come to check it out.

"You're still painting the white plaster, the store isn't even open yet, and they're already checking your documents and accusing you of speculation and profiteering. It's obvious they're targeting you."

"Logically speaking, there shouldn't be an opportunity to offend important figures."

Several self-employed individuals heard this.

My heart skipped a beat.

Will they be investigated in the future?

"They're picking on me today, they can pick on you tomorrow." Song Xianglan dusted off her hands. "Listen to my advice, everyone. The policies are changing every day, and doing business will only become more and more regulated in the future."

"Take advantage of the current lax regulations and quickly complete all the necessary paperwork. With the official document in hand, we won't be afraid of anyone causing trouble."

Song Xianglan turned to look at the shop that was still under renovation. "Why did I just call them dogs?"

The two men walked in without looking at the shop; they stared straight at me and even knew my last name.

"Is this a routine inspection? This is using public power to attack people for their private masters."

Old Wang thought about it for a while and agreed:

"Sister Song is absolutely right. Let's go, everyone hurry back and get things sorted out, then head to the bureau to get the certificates first thing tomorrow morning."

Do I need a license to open a small shop?

"I think we should. Since we're opening a shop, it's easy to offend people, so let's get the paperwork done."

The crowd dispersed.

Song Xianglan gave the contractor a few instructions and then went to the fried sauce noodle shop.

She pulled out a stool and sat down: "Two bowls of noodles with soybean paste, extra cucumber shreds, please."

"Okay, coming right away."

Chen Zui put the documents away before coming over; the noodles were already on the table.

He picked up his chopsticks and stirred the noodles. "Godmother, should we check who it is?"

"With you leading the way as an overseas Chinese, they don't dare to act recklessly now." Song Xianglan ate her noodles in big bites.

The two finished their noodles.

I rode my bicycle straight to Cicada Hutong.

The wind whistled past my ears.

Chen Zui pedaled his bike. "Godmother, today's incident reminded me. Just having the name of an overseas Chinese isn't enough; we need to get some real foreign investment backing."

My uncle has a good friend who's a true food tycoon in Southeast Asia. He's coming to Beijing next month to explore investment opportunities and build a factory. I'll introduce you to him then.

Song Xianglan's eyes lit up.

"That's great. Our store is already a foreign-owned brand. If we also have the background of owning a factory, everything will be smooth sailing, and no one will be able to hold us back."

"My family's company will also have a stake. And I'm the legal representative of the clothing store, so everything will be fine," Chen Zui assured, patting his chest.

We arrived at Locust Alley.

Song Xianglan pushed open the courtyard gate.

She rummaged through the house and found a piece of cardboard. Then, with a brush, she wrote five large characters in a flourish: Song's Home Appliance Store.

He took the cardboard to the door and hung it directly on the door frame.

Then, Song Xianglan asked Chen Zui to move several large cardboard boxes from inside the house to the doorway. She found some thick hemp ropes and tied the boxes securely to the old jujube tree at the door.

Chen couldn't understand it at all.

"Godmother, what are you doing? Tying an empty box to a tree?"

"That's called a signboard."

Song Xianglan clapped her hands. "These days, buying a color TV is harder than climbing to heaven, and even the packaging box is a rare find."

If you don't tie it tight, a passerby who collects trash might just take it away as scrap.

"Just put it here so passersby can see that we have big items for sale."

It had only been set up for a short while.

Two people walked in from the entrance of the alley.

Leading the way was Xiao Luo from the train station, followed by a middle-aged man.

Ronaldinho waved from a great distance.

"Sister Song."

Song Xianglan went up to him, "Brother Luo, what brings you here today?"

My relative's son is getting married next month.

Xiao Luo pointed to the middle-aged man behind him, "He asked around everywhere to buy a color TV, went to several department stores with cash but couldn't get a number."

The woman said she wouldn't come in without a color TV. So I brought her here directly. Sister Song, do you have one in stock?

"If you, Brother Luo, ask, you have to conjure it up even if you don't have it."

Song Xianglan laughed heartily, then turned and led the two into the house.

Lift a piece of canvas.

A brand-new large color TV was revealed.

The middle-aged man's eyes widened, and he walked over to touch the outer shell.

"This is really good stuff, it's a genuine imported brand. Sister Song, how much is this color TV?"

Song Xianglan quoted a price.

The middle-aged man didn't even frown; the price was about the same as the imported color TVs in the mall.

You need a ticket and you have to queue at the mall.

I have no idea when the queue will start.

He pulled a wad of ten-yuan notes from his bag. "I just want this color TV. No ticket, no waiting in line, it's worth the money."

Song Xianglan counted the banknotes and then pointed to several boxes next to her.

"Brother, just having a color TV isn't impressive enough. You also have an imported rice cooker. This thing can cook rice as soon as you plug it in, and it won't burn the bottom or stick to the pot."

"When my daughter-in-law comes into the family, look at all the rare things you've brought her! She'll definitely make a good impression on her relatives."

Upon hearing this, the middle-aged man's eyes lit up.

"What the older sister said makes sense. They think we can't afford a color TV, and my son is getting anxious and upset about it. Let's get one and show them what they're made of."

The middle-aged man paid the bill together.

Chen Zui helped tie the color TV and rice cooker to the back of the man's bicycle.

Song Xianglan went back into the house, took out the account book, and neatly wrote down Xiao Luo's name after the amount.

She walked to the door and, taking the opportunity to talk to Xiao Luo, subtly slipped four ten-yuan bills into Xiao Luo's hand.

Xiao Luo looked down and understood perfectly.

His mouth stretched from ear to ear, and with a flick of his wrist, the money slipped directly into his pocket.

"Sister Song, I'll definitely bring my guests here again next time." Xiao Luo waved and walked away happily with her relatives.

They saw Xiao Luo off.

Song Xianglan was about to go back inside to get a drink of water.

Director Zhang from the neighborhood office walked into the alley with his hands behind his back and a smile on his face.

Director Zhang walked to the jujube tree, looked up at the words on the cardboard, and then circled around the cardboard boxes.

"Sister Song, are you busy?"

Director Zhang began by introducing himself, his tone tinged with a hint of probing, "I've heard you've expanded quite a bit. This sign says you're a home appliance store…you can even get your hands on televisions?"

Song Xianglan stepped out of the door and pointed to the box under the jujube tree.

"Director Zhang, look at this packaging. It includes not only a television, but also a refrigerator, a washing machine, and a dual-cassette recorder."

"There's also the Atari 2600 game console, which you can't find anywhere in China. It's very popular in Europe and America, and it's all imported directly from overseas."

This batch of goods was smuggled goods seized by Qingyang Customs, and Song Xianglan used her connections to buy it all at a low price.

Half of the goods were transported to Beijing, and the other half were sent to Shanghai by Song Dong.

It's selling like hotcakes in Shanghai right now.

Director Zhang wasn't interested in video games; he thought they weren't as fun as playing cards or mahjong.

He swallowed hard, pointed inside the house, and asked:

"Do you have a lot of stock?"

"Whether it's a lot or not depends on who wants it." Song Xianglan went in and opened a bottle of soda for Director Zhang. "These past few days, the director of the steel plant and the section chief of the military factory have been sending people to ask every day."

You know better than I do what's going on at department stores across the country right now; even if you go to the south with cash and queue up, you still can't get any goods.

I went to great lengths to get it back from overseas.

Imported appliances are more expensive than domestic ones, but they save you the trouble of queuing at the store and not needing receipts. I keep these items hidden away, saving them only for people I know well.

Director Zhang's hand holding the soda trembled slightly.

His eyes were fixed on the canvas.

Song Xianglan changed the subject, her tone becoming earnest:

"Director Zhang, you are the current leader in charge of this area. Usually, the street office may seem to have a lot of work, but there are all sorts of things to deal with, and it takes a lot of your time and energy to handle them all."

If you're using it at home, I'll definitely save you a good one without hesitation.

If you take it to give as a favor or to pull strings, I'll keep it for myself and won't sell it to anyone else.

Director Zhang's eyes instantly reddened.

He's worked in the subdistrict office for so many years, always under pressure from above and below.

The common people secretly cursed him as a lackey, saying he abused his power.

The boss thought he was only doing trivial, insignificant tasks. Even a dog could do them well, so why couldn't he?

Song Xianglan's words today struck a chord with him.

"Sister Song..."

Director Zhang's voice was hoarse. "From now on, if you need anything from me in this area, just let me know. These days, only you understand how tough it is for us grassroots workers."

"I understand. Put yourself in their shoes."

Song Xianglan patted his arm. "If someone who constantly badmouths you behind your back were in your position, they definitely wouldn't do a better job. Director Zhang, to be honest, what do you need?"

Director Zhang took a deep breath.

Making a tough decision, I said, "Please reserve one color TV for me, and one refrigerator too. Some relatives are coming over tonight, could you wait here for me a little while?"

He knew that Song Xianglan did not usually live in the Locust Alley.

There are only four households living in this alley.

The owners of the other houses do not live here.

"Okay, I'll wait here." Song Xianglan readily agreed. "You bring people to choose. Even if other customers come and take a liking to this item, I'll turn them all away and tell them it won't be available for sale until tomorrow."

"Thank you very much, Sister Song."

Director Zhang was so excited that he repeatedly clasped his hands in greeting, then turned and ran out of the alley.

Director Zhang doesn't have much money in his pocket, and his position isn't high either.

But his older brother works in the railway system, his sister-in-law works in the Women's Federation, and his sister-in-law's brothers work in the public security system.

These organizations are full of wealthy and powerful people, but they are suffering from a lack of goods in the market.

They're all going bald from worrying so much about buying home appliances.

The fact that someone can buy home appliances from a certain store indicates that that store has connections; these people are very competitive and competitive in private.

Just get this message over there.

If he helps them get the scarce goods, he will be able to hold his head high in front of his family and friends.

Director Zhang ran all the way to his elder brother's house.