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When they arrived at the agreed-upon location, Lily Tang was already there.

Xiao Qian glanced at her wool coat, leather boots, and waist-length hair, shaking her head.

“Are you going to dress like that?”

It was obvious that she often took car rides; her clothing was too thin.

“Is there a problem?”

“Let’s go, I’ll take you to buy some clothes.”

Dressed like that, she’d surely freeze to death, and being dressed that way would make it hard to find a job – who would dare hire her?

Xiao Qian took her to a shopping mall beloved by the poor, where bargains could be found.

Lily Tang hadn’t been to such a place since she came of age. The messy stalls were overwhelming to her, while the two bodyguards from her family followed from a distance, highly alert. The crowded atmosphere in such a place had poor air quality, and with the New Year approaching, people were packed together, making it difficult to know who might bear ill will towards the young lady.

Xiao Qian led her to a clothing stall and asked about the prices of the thick cotton jackets, “How much is that one?”

“120, genuine Space Down Cotton, very warm.”

“How about 50?” What was this so-called Space Down Cotton? It was just an inferior material that would shrink upon washing.

“Little girl, stop joking. You want it for 50? This is genuine Space Down Cotton!” The stall owner seemed quite angry.

Lily Tang tugged Xiao Qian, who gave her a don’t-worry-I-got-this look.

“How about adding 1 yuan, will you sell?”

“No, no, I would lose too much, and I couldn’t even buy the goods.”

“Oh, well, let’s go then.”

Xiao Qian turned around, slowly leading Lily Tang away at a snail’s pace.

“3, 2,1.” As soon as Xiao Qian finished counting, the stall owner chased after them.

“Little girl, don’t leave! We can negotiate!”

“That was so thrilling! I thought you guys were going to fight.”

Buying clothes seemed like a battle. Lily Tang was good at imitating others, and after watching Xiao Qian negotiate once, she took over haggling for the rest of their purchases. She truly had a talent for bargaining, just like her merchant father.

When they left the shopping mall, Lily Tang had changed her attire.

She had wrapped her luxurious woolen coat in the thick cotton jacket and put on the woolen hat that Xiao Qian had bought for her, even forcing the seller to give her gloves as well.

Only one of the Tang family’s bodyguards remained with her, while the other seemed to have gone to report to their boss via text message.

Less than five minutes later, Xiao Qian’s phone rang.

“Xiao Qian, wait there. I’ll have someone send you some shopping vouchers.”

Big Brother Yu was calling.

Xiao Qian looked around but couldn’t figure out which passers-by Big Brother Yu had arranged for the task or if the Tang Family’s bodyguard had called him after complaining to the boss.

“No need.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yes, and if you interfere again, I’ll let Shuixian tell her dad, and you won’t get the job.”

“…Are you the rescuer that the monkey invited?” Big Brother Yu was at a loss for words because of Xiao Qian.

“I’m the rescuer you invited.” Xiao Qian hung up the phone.

“Are you ready, Miss Rich? You’re about to take your first step towards independence.”

Lily Tang felt excited about this fresh experience, but catching a glimpse of her family’s bodyguard from the corner of her eye, she said somewhat dejectedly.

“I wish they wouldn’t follow us.”

“It’s just a life experience. If something goes wrong, it’s no good. If they want to follow, let them. Just pretend you don’t see them.”

How could the daughter of the wealthy leave home without having someone follow her? Xiao Qian hadn’t intended to go to such extremes. Today’s experience was part of the healing process, and the necessary precautions had to be taken.

“It’s not just an experience. I’m serious.”

“Alright, serious young lady, off to the Talent Market we go, and don’t tell me you don’t know what that is.”

“I’m just inexperienced, not stupid. Don’t make fun of me.”

Lily Tang wanted to have her bodyguards bring the car around, but Xiao Qian shook her head, holding her hand. “That car belongs to your dad too.”

“Then let’s take a taxi.”

“A taxi has a starting fare of 6 yuan, and it’ll cost about 8 yuan to get to the Talent Market. Do you have money? I lent you the money to buy clothes.”

“… Should we walk?”

Xiao Qian showed her the coins in her hand, “Take the bus, 50 cents per person. Inexperienced girl, do you feel the gap between the rich and the poor now?”

At this time, taxis were just coming out of the era of relying on face-to-face haggling. With a starting price of 6 yuan for 3 kilometers, they were considered a luxury in this small city.

“After covering fuel and franchise fees and working for 9 hours, a taxi driver doesn’t earn much, especially after accounting for vehicle depreciation. Still, compared to ordinary office workers, it’s not too bad. Do you know how much an ordinary worker earns in a month?”

“In my family’s factory, frontline workers can make 600, or up to 800 if they work overtime.”

“Most of your family’s factories are in the south, where wages are higher than here. Do you know how much that woolen coat you’re wearing cost? At least half a year’s salary for ordinary families, and I bet it’s the cheapest thing you brought with you from home.”

To reshape Lily Tang’s vague understanding, Xiao Qian had to show her the many facets of society.

“Chen Xiaoqian, am I here to listen to your preaching?”

The bus arrived, and Xiao Qian pulled Lily Tang on board. The vehicle was packed with people, and there wasn’t even a seat available.

“I don’t like preaching; I prefer setting an example.” Xiao Qian struggled to hold onto the handrail, her short stature a real disadvantage.

“I don’t like any of your lessons. I just want to prove myself.”

“Oh, go ahead and prove yourself then. Hopefully, when we get to the Talent Market, you’ll still be so confident – by the way, you owe me 80 yuan and 50 cents for the clothes and transportation. I wonder if you can pay it back in a few days.”

“I’ll get off the bus and go to the bank right now.”

“Is the money on your card really yours?” With that one sentence, Lily Tang fell silent.

She stubbornly turned her face away and then turned back after a while, saying seriously,

“Chen Xiaoqian, I’m starting to hate you.”

“Hold on to that feeling of hatred, don’t treat me as your friend, otherwise, I won’t be able to treat you properly.”

The name “Talent Market” wasn’t very accurate, as true high-end talent rarely looked for jobs there. It was usually just low-level workers trying their luck, with most recruiters being restaurants, factories, and small workshops offering low wages.

Despite this, many people were crowded together, diligently recording every recruitment opportunity.

“It’s less crowded now since university students are on vacation. Normally, you’d see students hunting for part-time jobs here. In recent years, with state-owned enterprises going bankrupt and a massive wave of layoffs, many middle-aged people have to compete with young people for meager salaries. Without their jobs at state-owned enterprises, they have to start over for their families.”

This was life..