chapter 9 Fiona Zhang returns home

In this era, the driving force of money was no less potent than in later times. The freight department of Ertai Town's trains immediately kicked into high gear. A large quantity of pine nuts was transported to the freight station, swiftly packed into boxes, waiting to be loaded onto the train as soon as it arrived.

Due to Lucas's underestimation of Benjamin's shipping volume, he couldn't help but feel heartache seeing the scattered sacks of pine nuts that were forced to be carried onto passenger cars.

All of this was money! He resolved to manage it better next time.

Having established connections, Benjamin had already set off for the city. Simon and Robert would take turns overseeing operations in Ertai Town to ensure the pine nut production ran smoothly.

Back at the factory, Benjamin was taken aback by the enthusiastic and efficient work of Peter and the others. While in Benjamin's experienced eyes, the factory was still somewhat rudimentary, Robert and the others saw it as exceptionally luxurious. However, the constant spending left them quite pained.

The accounts were well-documented, totaling 1600 dollars. The handwriting was akin to a dog's crawl, which left Benjamin scratching his head. He immediately felt the need for a financial expert.

Fiona hadn't slept a wink that night. Her son's illness had flared up again, and she dragged her weary body to wipe him down with hot water, trying to ease the stiffness caused by pain.

Now, she could only collect half of her monthly salary, a meager 45 dollars. It was just enough to sustain the most basic life for her and her son. After a night of toil, she had to go out early to find odd jobs to make ends meet and barely afford her son's medicine to prevent his condition from worsening.

The front door was blocked by heaps of garbage piled up by the neighbors, a testament to their treatment of her as a "fallen woman". Initially, she tried to clean it up, but when she woke up the next morning, it was piled up again. Over time, she simply ignored it, laboriously climbing over it.

"Fallen woman, going to sell yourself bright and early?"

"Fallen woman, your son's suffering because of your sins."

As soon as she stepped out, several ruffians from the workers' family housing compounds saw her and immediately began hurling vicious insults at her.

Fiona proudly stood tall. This woman possessed a strength that even men couldn't match, yet today was different from the usual.

Fiona had only taken a few steps when a young man in a black windbreaker, with very short hair, blocked her path directly. Behind him stood seven or eight other men.

She tried to raise her head, her gaze sharp, hoping to intimidate this fierce man.

Benjamin looked at the woman before him, her eyes determined, her clothes tattered and worn. There was no trace of the commanding figure she would later become in the financial world of Tiannan Province.

"Are you Fiona?"

"Yes."

"Do you know finance?"

"It's not just knowing, it's knowing it extremely well." Fiona's tone carried a sense of pride. Even though life had treated her so harshly, she continued to study every day. This was her perseverance.

Benjamin laughed heartily, he admired this woman.

"I'm hiring you."

"For finance?"

"For finance, no joke." Benjamin was dead serious.

"Alright," Fiona agreed crisply, then added, "I don't do fraudulent accounts."

"Of course."

"Then I have no problem, I'll do a great job for you."

Benjamin, with a playful smile, asked, "I have a question, how can I hire you for a lifetime?"

Fiona, looking at this ambitious man, answered seriously, "I'm expensive."

Benjamin didn't respond immediately. He laughed heartily, unable to contain his joy. He turned to Peter, Nicholas, and a few others with a casual tone, "Their mouths are too venomous, knock their teeth out for me." With that, he pointed to the small ruffians gossiping nearby.

Peter nodded in silence.

Screams and cries erupted. Peter wiped the blood and saliva from his hands and quietly told Benjamin, "I might have gone a bit too hard. The guy who cursed the most is knocked out cold."

Fiona had stood still for a long time. Looking at the pitiful state of the usually vicious ruffians, she felt no sympathy. Instead, a rare sense of satisfaction surged within her.

"Which households are blocking your door with garbage?" Benjamin paid no attention to Fiona's current state and continued with a cold tone.

Fiona was also a decisive person, lacking the ridiculous kindness of small-town folks. Without hesitation, she pointed to the three households surrounding her home.

Benjamin nodded. "Shove it back at them."

The seven or eight men immediately sprang into action, moving quickly. They found some odds and ends and shoveled up the garbage piled in front of Fiona's door. They rudely knocked on a few households' doors, ignoring the cries from inside, and simply tossed the garbage back in.

Benjamin approached the sobbing ruffians on the ground. He crouched beside the lead troublemaker, "Keep your mouths clean from now on. Go get your teeth checked." He reached into his pocket, pulled out a few hundred dollar bills, and disdainfully tossed them onto the troublemaker.

Standing up, he dusted off his hands. The troublemaker, Huang Mao, had long recognized Benjamin. Naturally, he nodded obediently in response.

Benjamin clapped his hands and paid no attention to the onlookers who had gathered. He called out to the dazed Fiona, "Let's go, to work."

Fiona felt an extreme sense of relief. The breeze brushed against her slightly flushed face, and a radiant smile, unseen for many years, suddenly appeared on her face. She quickly caught up.

A snippet of conversation drifted through the wind.

"Well, the price for my lifetime isn't high either."

"Don't worry, I can afford it."

"Then I'll follow you."

"Alright."

From then on, Fiona followed Benjamin wholeheartedly throughout her life. Even when other companies offered her higher salaries, she remained unmoved. Her best friends couldn't help but ask her curiously. Fiona replied with a calm tone, "What others give me is just money, but what Mr. Su gives me, they can't offer, and can't afford."