"No need to trouble Zhou Zhou! I'm right here, just ask me for it! How much do you want?"
The boys were startled and quickly ran away.
Jiang Xia swiftly grabbed two of them.
Zhou Wenzong, Zhou Wenyao, and Zhou Wenzu also happened to run over and quickly stopped them, preventing them from escaping!
Zhou Wenzong, being older, grabbed two of them.
The three brothers were in a labor class when they unexpectedly saw their aunt and ran over to see what she was doing at their school.
They ended up seeing Zhou Zhou being bullied.
Zhou Wenzong, being older, grabbed the boy and started beating him.
The commotion alerted the school teachers.
A teacher yelled at Zhou Wenzong, "What are you fighting for! Let go!"
Zhou Wenzong released the boy.
Many students who saw this also ran over to watch the commotion.
Jiang Xia, holding Zhou Zhou's hand, glared fiercely at the teacher and said, "What are you doing? I want to ask you what you're doing! A student was instigated by classmates to steal money from home, and you didn't even know? How can you be a teacher?!"
Jiang Xia's voice was so loud it could blow the roof tiles off the classroom.
The teacher: "..."
"These students just surrounded my niece, asking her for money and even instigating her to steal from home! Teacher, you're here just in time! If you don't give me an explanation today, I'm not done!"
The teacher's expression changed several times. She angrily said to the students, "You guys come with me to the office!"
Then she looked at Jiang Xia with a complicated expression: "Go find the principal to resolve this matter!"
So pretty, but she's even more shrewish than the village shrew!
She's absolutely shrewish!
Like a mad chicken!
***
In the office,
Jiang Xia heard the teacher only punish the students by making them clean the classroom for a month and make them apologize to Zhou Zhou in front of the whole school during the flag-raising ceremony on Monday, write a letter of apology, read the letter aloud, and promise not to do it again.
Jiang Xia was not satisfied upon hearing this; she insisted on seeing their parents and demanding compensation!
The teacher felt that Jiang Xia was being unreasonable and malicious, even pursuing such young children relentlessly.
She had never encountered such unreasonable parents before and had no choice but to keep the students at school while she notified their parents.
It was the last period of the year, and school was over, so the teacher asked the students from the same village to notify their parents to come and pick them up.
The teacher couldn't go home after school and had to wait in the office with Jiang Xia for the parents to arrive, which was incredibly annoying!
Especially the homeroom teacher of several students, who severely reprimanded them: "Who taught you this? You don't learn anything good! You ask classmates for money! You even taught people to steal money from home? What's the difference between this and robbery? Now they've been taken to the police station, and you'll be going to jail!"
After all, they were only eleven or twelve years old; they didn't dare to utter a sound even after being scolded and beaten by the teacher. Only one person cried.
Jiang Xia felt that precisely because they were still elementary school students, they needed to be disciplined more strictly and severely punished!
Zhou Wenyao and Zhou Wenzu both thought their aunt was amazing!
She actually dared to stop the principal!
The school principal and teachers were all forced into a corner by her.
As for Zhou Wenzong, Jiang Xia told him to go back and tell his mother that she and Zhou Zhou would go back for dinner later.
Parents arrived one after another, but Jiang Xia wouldn't let them go until all the parents had arrived.
Only after all the parents had arrived did Jiang Xia say, "Your children conspired to take money from my niece, robbed her of all her pocket money, and even encouraged her to steal money from them at home! I gave my niece 100 yuan today to help me pay back the money to the shop owner, and they stole it all! I'll give you a discount and just give you 100 yuan."
"Five classmates bullied my niece, so each of you give me twenty yuan! If you don't pay, we'll see you at the production team!"
Upon hearing that their children had taken a hundred yuan from a classmate and now they had to pay twenty, some parents with fiery tempers slapped their children without hesitation: "You brat, how dare you take a hundred yuan? What did you do with it? I don't even have a hundred yuan! Now you want to pay twenty yuan? That's more than my monthly wages! How am I supposed to pay? Sell you?"
Others twisted their children's ears: "100 yuan? What did you do with someone else's 100 yuan? I don't even have a hundred yuan on me! You dared to take it! Where's the money? Give it to them! I don't have any money to pay!"
"100 yuan? Humph! You're amazing, you're richer than me! You pay it yourself, hurry up and give me the money!"
The boys, slapped and crying, said:
"No! We didn't ask her for a hundred yuan, we only asked her for two yuan!"
"That's right! We only asked her for two yuan!"
"You only took two yuan from her, not a hundred! Ask her if you don't believe me!"
Jiang Xia said. "Anyway, I gave her over a hundred yuan this morning to help me return it to my neighbor, and now it's gone. If it wasn't you who took it, who was? Do you have accomplices?"
The children exchanged glances, but no one spoke.
Jiang Xia immediately understood.
Sure enough, someone had instigated it.
Upon hearing this, the child's parent immediately retorted, "My son would never lie to me. He said it was two yuan, so it's two yuan! Someone else must have taken it. Don't try to pin it on my son. I'll only compensate you for two yuan! I'll give you forty cents!"
"The children all said they only took two yuan, proving they only took two yuan. We'll only compensate you for two yuan in total!"
...
Jiang Xia said, "I saw your children ask my niece for money, instigating her to go home and steal money from her family! That hundred yuan wasn't taken by your children, who else could it be? You have to compensate me whether you like it or not. Unless your children can prove they didn't take it!" "
Aren't you being incredibly unreasonable? My child said he only took two yuan from your niece! You want us to compensate you for twenty yuan? Are you robbing us!"
"That's right, that's ridiculous! There might be other people who cheated your niece out of her money! Go find the other people who stole your niece's money and compensate them! I'm not paying!"
Jiang Xia sneered, "If you don't pay, I'll call the police and have the whole production team criticize you! Who showed me they did it? I'm not leaving until I get my 100 yuan back! Parents are to blame for not raising their children properly! Unless you can prove your son didn't steal that 100 yuan, you'll have to pay!"
Jiang Xia grabbed Zhou Zhou, leaned against the doorframe, and placed one foot on it, making it clear they wouldn't leave until they paid.
Everyone in the room: "..."
Who is this?
In the end, the teachers and parents were frightened by Jiang Xia's unreasonable behavior and started asking the children if they really only took two yuan, and if they knew who else had taken Zhou Zhou's money.
They asked them why they suddenly asked Zhou Zhou for money and even taught her to steal money at home, and whether someone had taught them to do so.
Only after being lectured by their parents and teachers did the children finally admit that Zhou Ziqiang had taught them to ask Zhou Zhou for money.
Zhou Ziqiang? Jiang Xia knew who it was—Pan Daidi's grandson.
Jiang Xia looked at the teacher: "Teacher, what do you say?"
The teacher's lips twitched, and she immediately promised: "I will definitely find out the truth, give Zhou Zhou justice, make him compensate you, and properly punish and educate these children to prevent this from happening again!"
Jiang Xia then acted very agreeable: "Okay, then please help me find out where that hundred yuan went!"
Jiang Xia then asked Zhou Zhou: "Zhou Zhou, have any other classmates asked you for money?"
Zhou Zhou shook his head: "No."
Jiang Xia asked again: "Besides asking you for money, did they bully you? Were you injured? Why don't I take you to the Municipal People's Hospital for a full check-up to see if there are any hidden injuries? Anyway, someone will pay for the medical expenses and transportation. If the city hospital can't find anything, we can go to the provincial hospital, or even a hospital in the capital. Anyway, someone will pay for the medical expenses and transportation!"
The parents of the boys: "..."
Who is this person?
What kind of freak have they offended? Don't get entangled with them!
They all glared at their children: "Did you hit her?"
The boys shook their heads: "No, absolutely not!!"
"No, we only asked her for money two or three times, a total of two yuan! We asked her again today and she found out."
...
Jiang Xia then asked Zhou Zhou: "Is that so?"
Zhou Zhou nodded slightly.
Everyone breathed a sigh of relief.
Jiang Xia stared at the boys: "Fine, I'll let it go this time, but you'll have to pay me ten yuan! If I find anyone bullying my niece again, and her money is missing again, I'll make you pay!" The boys: "
..."
The boys' parents: "..."
Wait, is this even possible?
Who is this person? He looks respectable, but is he even human?
One parent asked: "Why is it ten yuan, not two yuan!"
Jiang Xia: "A hospital check-up is free, right? Will you pay or not? If you don't pay, you can take her for a check-up." Does Jiang Xia
care about ten yuan? No, she just doesn't want them to pay a little, in case they don't take it seriously.
Two yuan might not seem like much, but losing it all felt like being fined two hundred yuan for illegal parking when your salary is only two or three thousand. "
I'll definitely be more careful next time!
" Several parents were
speechless. Had they been scammed?
Damn it, what kind of person had they messed with? They'd have to warn their kids to stay away from her kids from now on!
One parent, annoyed, simply pulled out two yuan: "It's settled, we're even, don't come after us again!"
The remaining parents, seeing this, reluctantly each pulled out two yuan to compensate Jiang Xia.
They vowed to give their children a good talking-to when they got home, to keep them away from Zhou Zhou and prevent them from being scammed!
Jiang Xia took the money, then took Zhou Zhou's schoolbag from Zhou Wenyao's hand. "Let me see if anything else is missing. My niece's pencil case is quite expensive, bought at the city department store, it cost three yuan."
"This schoolbag is new too, bought for ten yuan, I wonder if your kids have torn it."
The parents were speechless.
This was blatant robbery, outright extortion!
Finally, Jiang Xia pretended to rummage through the pencil case and pulled out ten ten-yuan bills: "So the hundred-yuan bill was here!"
Everyone in the room was speechless.
It turned out the hundred-yuan bill hadn't been taken?!
They were almost scared to death! They really thought they were going to lose a month's salary.
Jiang Xia continued, "Your children are quite obedient to others. They take money from their classmates when asked. Won't this become a habit? Today they took my niece's money, what about other classmates'? If they can't get it, will they steal from their own homes? What about when they grow up? Will they listen to others and do something bad?"
Several parents were speechless.
Jiang Xia left with Zhou Zhou after saying this.
Zhou Wenyao and Zhou Wenzu followed, full of pride and arrogance.
Auntie is too formidable!
Even the teacher is at her wits' end with her.
Jiang Xia pulled Zhou Zhou back home, and on the way, she taught Zhou Zhou that if anyone bullies her in the future, she must tell an adult when she gets home, or go to her brother, and not keep quiet.
Zhou Wenyao said, "That's right! Why don't you come to me and my brother? We can help you teach those who bully you a lesson, and see who dares to bully you again!"
Zhou Zhou whispered, "You guys run too fast to and from school, and you're nowhere to be found after class, I can't find you."
Zhou Wenyao: "..."
When they went to and from school, they would either run to the bamboo grove with their classmates to catch bamboo weevils to roast and eat, or they would poke hornet nests to roast bee pupae to eat, and sometimes they would use slingshots to shoot sparrows, climb trees to steal bird eggs, go fishing for eels in the river, catch water snakes...
Zhou Zhou didn't dare to eat these things, nor did she like to play the games they played, so they rarely took her to and from school.
Even at school, after class they would go to the convenience store to buy snacks, or sneak off to eat snacks from classmates, or play marbles or collect paper toys. So it's normal that Zhou Zhou couldn't find them; boys and girls play different things.
"Then you can tell us when you get home from school, and we brothers will fight back and see who dares to bully you! Zhou Ziqiang and his brothers will teach him a lesson! Auntie, leave Zhou Ziqiang to us!"
Jiang Xia: "Okay, then he's in your hands. If you see him bullying Zhou Zhou, don't be shy. You guys should also keep an eye out for Zhou Zhou in the future. Take good care of your little sister, and Auntie will reward you."
As the older brothers, they should take the initiative to solve the problem, so they should leave it to the older brothers.
Children always need to learn to solve problems themselves; adults can only step in if they can't solve them. In his previous life, Jiang Xia also solved all his problems himself, including tuition fees.
Children's abilities may be limited, but they also have unlimited potential.
Moreover, Zhou Ziqiang's father wasn't home recently, and his mother didn't live in the village either; it seemed she had gone back to her parents' home. So Zhou Ziqiang hadn't returned to the village either. Anyway, Jiang Xia hadn't seen them for a long time, nor had she heard the neighbors arguing.
Only Pan Daidi's eldest son's family lived next door; that family was quite polite and honest.
Jiang Xia then said to Zhou Zhou, "Zhou Zhou, in the future, if something like this happens and you don't know what to do, you have to tell an adult to handle it. Otherwise, if you tolerate it once, they'll only become more aggressive next time, understand? Your uncle and aunt aren't afraid of anything, except you being bullied! Your aunt would rather you be the one bullying others than the one being bullied, understand?"
Zhou Zhou was stunned for a moment, then nodded.
Just now, Jiang Xia had been holding her back, watching her arrogantly lecture her classmates, criticize teachers, and blame parents, like a mother hen ruffling her feathers to protect her.
Those boys who seemed fierce to her all cowered like turtles in front of her aunt, not daring to utter a sound.
Seeing the teachers and parents helpless against her aunt, she seemed to understand something, yet also seemed to understand nothing at all.
Jiang Xia didn't say much. Zhou Zhou was timid; this personality couldn't be changed overnight, but it had to be changed, otherwise she would suffer when she grew up.
Jiang Xia then thought of how Zhou Zhou was later taken away by her biological mother in the book. Her mother had been unable to conceive and worried about not having a biological child to care for her in her old age, so eight years after remarrying, she took Zhou Zhou away when she was in fourth grade.
After being taken away, Zhou Zhou was always bullied in her stepfather's house because of her soft nature; she did all the housework, and later, before even graduating from junior high school, her mother arranged for her to get married.
After getting married, she couldn't assert herself and was always bullied by her own family. She had given birth to two daughters, and felt guilty for not having a son. She was bullied severely by her mother-in-law but dared not speak up. Later, she became pregnant again and miscarried due to overwork, almost losing her life. Only
then did the Zhou family find out and take her home. Jiang Xia paused: what should she do if Zhou Zhou's biological mother came to take her away?
After all, she was the biological mother; it was only natural for her to take her own daughter.
Jiang Xia did have a way to stop her, but she didn't know if Zhou's parents would agree. She would discuss it with them when Zhou Chenglei returned.
Back home, Zhou's parents asked what had happened.
Jiang Xia explained. Zhou's mother
started cursing again: "Which bunch of bastards did this? I'll go settle accounts with them! Damn it, they dare to steal my money, #@&%$…"
Another furious outburst!
Zhou Wenyao named all the families.
So Zhou's mother went to each family's door and cursed them all!
The children were scolded so badly they hid inside and wouldn't come out.
Zhou Ziqiang was also scolded by the four Zhou brothers on his way to school that afternoon.
There wasn't enough time to go to the city that afternoon, so Jiang Xia would have to go tomorrow.
In the evening, Jiang Xia received a call from Zhang Fuyan. She called back, and as soon as the call connected, Zhang Fuyan's cheerful voice rang out: "Xiaxia, how did your family raise your child? She's so responsible!"
Looking at the lunchbox on the table, Zhang Fuyan couldn't resist calling Jiang Xia!
She had sprained her ankle these past two days and hadn't gone to school, staying home to recover.
Jiang Dong knew her parents weren't home and she lived alone. Although she had a dormitory at school, she didn't usually stay there, and Jiang Dong was worried about her being alone, so he brought her meals three times a day, saying he'd keep bringing them until
her ankle was healed. He said it was his responsibility to take care of her ankle since he was the one who caused it.
What kind of family could raise such a responsible child?
Jiang Xia was completely bewildered. Where did this come from?
She laughed, "What happened? Even though we're thousands of miles apart, you've felt my personal charm too?"
Zhang Fuyan: "..."
She realized that Xiaxia could be narcissistic too!
She laughed, "It's your brother! I hung up on you that day, and then I went to see him again..."
Zhang Fuyan recounted the whole story, including how Jiang Dong brought her food. Finally, she said, "Xiaxia, tell your brother not to bring it anymore. I can cook for myself, and I can eat at my grandma's."
Jiang Xia laughed, "He caused your injury, so he should take responsibility. Besides, he won't listen to me anyway. My brother lives by my dad's military discipline; he won't shirk his responsibilities. By the way, how bad is your foot? If it is, have him take you to the hospital every day to change your dressing. Don't worry about bothering him."
Well! All her efforts were wasted; Jiang Xia had only added to her brother's workload!
Jiang Xia probably had no idea how busy Jiang Dong was.
Zhang Fuyan quickly said, "It's nothing, I can go back to school in a few days. I won't need to change the dressing, it's just a sprain, nothing serious."
Jiang Xia said, "Okay, if you need anything, just tell him to do it."
Zhang Fuyan continued, "Xia, aren't your parents exceptionally good-looking? You two siblings are both so handsome. Aren't you lucky to have such a handsome and considerate younger brother? He says I'm your friend, that I'm his sister, he treats me like one!"
Zhang Fuyan was a little gritting her teeth as she said this.
Who would want to be treated like a sister by someone her own age? Then, when they compared birthdates, Zhang Fuyan discovered she was born five minutes earlier than Jiang Dong.
Jiang Dong was already calling her "sister" with great respect!
So infuriating! And she had nowhere to vent!
Jiang Xia smiled, "Yes, my brother is very good to me. My parents are indeed good-looking, and my brother inherited all their good looks. But you're also very beautiful, stunning at first glance."
Zhang Fuyan was pleased to hear this; Xia Xia knew how to talk! Unlike Jiang Dong, who kept calling her "sister"!
Then she started talking about Jiang Dong to Jiang Xia!
She said that when he delivered food, he noticed her trash hadn't been taken out, so he took it for her; she said that when he delivered food, he noticed her lunchbox hadn't been washed, so he washed it for her; she said he was very busy, researching something, and staying up late, but he still remembered to bring her three meals a day…
Throughout the call, Zhang Fuyan didn't say anything about the main topic, only about Jiang Dong!
Long-distance calls are so expensive, and after hearing her talk about Jiang Dong for over ten minutes, Jiang Xia sensed something was up.
Did Zhang Fuyan have a crush on her brother?
Zhang Fuyan is a nice person.
But just because she thinks so doesn't mean Jiang Dong thinks so.
Let matters of the heart take their course!
If Ye Xian's approach to Jiang Dong wasn't for ulterior motives, Jiang Xia wouldn't interfere in Jiang Dong's relationships.
For some reason, Jiang Xia felt there was potential between them.
Of course, this was all predicated on Jiang Dong and Ye Xian breaking up.
But that was difficult; Jiang Dong was too kind-hearted and not the type to betray someone first, unless Ye Xian dumped him first.
This was a real problem! Jiang Xia hadn't come up with a good solution yet, and besides, they were far apart.
Jiang Xia then told Zhang Fuyan that she would send 150 jin of three-flavored small fish to the train station tomorrow and asked her to be careful when receiving them.
"Okay, I understand. I'll have someone bring them back for me. By the way, I sent you the gas coupons; Jiang Dong mailed the letter, so you should receive it in two days. I'll hang up now."
Just then, there was a knock on the door; Jiang Dong had returned, and Zhang Fuyan hurriedly hung up.
The phone call had lasted nearly twenty minutes.
After hanging up, Jiang Xia asked the production team if they had any tractors going to the city tomorrow.
Zhou Li smiled and said, "Yes, tomorrow at 1 pm, some villagers are borrowing the production team's tractor to go to the city to sell things. If you want to ride, I'll tell them you're coming too."
"Okay, my sister-in-law and I will go." Jiang Xia thanked them and left.
Back home, Zhou Zhou had just finished her homework and was packing her things when Jiang Xia asked, "Zhou Zhou, would you like to go to the city with your aunt tomorrow afternoon? There's a lot of stuff to sell, and I can't carry it all. Can you help me?"
She had never raised a child before; she had learned from her mistakes.
But she had heard that the best education comes from parents' words and actions.
Tomorrow was Saturday, and Zhou Zhou had the afternoon off.
So Jiang Xia wanted to take her out to broaden her horizons and let her meet more people, hoping it would help her become more outgoing.
Zhou Zhou immediately agreed, "Okay."
Jiang Xia patted her head and went to cook.
***
The next morning, Zhou's mother went to the beach and collected some pearl oyster shells that had been discarded last time. Jiang Xia and Zhou's mother worked together to polish the small round nuclei needed for inserting the pearl oysters' kernels. After polishing them, they tried inserting the kernels into the pearl oysters.
After lunch, Jiang Xia had Zhou Zhou carry the magazines she had translated and a water bottle. She herself carried a thick original text, a small bag of pearls, and a water bottle, and set off for the city.
Zhou's mother helped load the dried fish onto the cart and pushed it to the production team.
Seeing Jiang Xia taking Zhou Zhou with him, Tian Caihua, remembering that riding the production team's tractor didn't require a ticket, said, "I'll go back and call Guangzong Yaozu. Xia, wait for me!"
Jiang Xia replied, "I don't know if the production team's vehicle will wait for anyone. Sister-in-law, just go directly to the production team gate in a bit, we'll deliver the dried fish first."
"Okay," Tian Caihua responded.
When Jiang Xia arrived at the production team, he discovered that Zhou Guohua had borrowed the tractor.
Zhou Guohua was also going to the city to sell the small fish and pick up Wen Wan.
He already knew Jiang Xia was hitching a ride to the city; his aunt had even told him to cultivate a good relationship with Jiang Xia so he could ask if Jiang Xia could help sell his family's dried fish.
She said Jiang Xia had connections and knew many people, so selling dried fish wouldn't be a problem.
Zhou Guohua was too embarrassed to ask.
He thought Jiang Xia wouldn't help!
When Zhou Li saw Jiang Xia and her mother bringing over several bags of what looked like dried fish, she smiled warmly and said, "Xia, so you're also going to the city to sell dried fish! That's perfect, we're selling dried fish too, we can sell them together. If you're busy, you don't have to go to the city today, I'll sell them for you."
Zhou's mother rolled her eyes. Zhou Li really had a good idea—to sell together? And she was even kindly helping her family sell?
She'd probably help her family sell dried fish today, and tomorrow her own dried fish would find customers too!
Of Zhou Bingqiang's family, Zhou's mother disliked Zhou Li the most because she was too cunning.
She never made enemies, always smiling and helpful, and then unknowingly schemed against people.
She always suffered small losses herself, but she always gained big advantages from others!
Everyone thought she was kind and helpful, and she was very popular in the village! When she spoke up, many people helped her!
Zhou's mother was afraid that Xia would be schemed against by her and was about to refuse when Jiang Xia spoke up: "Thank you, but these dried fish are gifts, not for sale. The Mid-Autumn Festival is coming soon, and I need to give them as gifts."
Zhou Guohua looked at Zhou Li. See? His aunt was kindly helping people sell dried fish? People were wary of her!
Only his aunt was such a kind soul, helping everyone without fear of trouble.
Zhou Li, however, didn't seem to mind, laughing, "Oh, it's a gift. I was thinking of selling them together later. Okay, hurry up and get on the tractor! I'll help you carry them up."
She then proactively helped Jiang Xia load the bags of dried fish onto the cart, working very hard, and even asked with concern, "It's quite hot at noon today, Xia, did you bring any water? Do you want me to go to the office and get you some?"
Jiang Xia smiled, "Thank you, I did."
Then, she let Zhou Li enthusiastically help her load the dried fish onto the tractor.
Zhou Li even dragged Zhou Guohua along to help.
His brother was stupid, and this nephew was stupid too!
Why openly compete with Zhou Yongfu? Just
secretly be richer than him!
On the surface, you have to be on good terms with him, after all, Zhou Chenglei used to be in that position, how many connections could he leverage?
Plus, he married a rich heiress, his connections are even more incredible! If
you're on good terms with Zhou Yongfu's family, what good things will come of it?
In short, Zhou Li was quite exasperated.
Because of Zhou Bingqiang's stubbornness and constant fighting with Zhou Yongfu, she hadn't been able to befriend Zhou Yongfu's family for so many years.
She recently heard news that the production team would be reformed, with village committees and villagers' groups being established. She wondered what would become of her, the person who answered the phone, so she wanted to quickly improve her relationship with Jiang Xia so she could ask him to help her get a better position.
The dried fish were quickly loaded onto the tractor, and Jiang Xia helped Zhou Zhou onto it.
Zhou Guohua said, "Let's go!" Jiang Xia said,
"Wait, my sister-in-law hasn't arrived yet."
Zhou Guohua was a little unhappy; the round trip to the city would take a long time. If they were late, it would be dark by the time they got back!
Zhou Li smiled and said, "Is Ahua going too? We'll have to wait! No rush!"
Seeing that she had nothing else to do, Zhou's mother said, "I'll go back first. Be careful on the road and get home early."
"Okay," Jiang Xia replied.
Zhou Zhou also said, "Goodbye, Grandma."
Zhou's mother nodded and left, deciding to talk to Xia when she got home, telling her to keep an eye on Zhou Li.
Zhou Li noticed that Zhou Zhou's clothes were completely different from before; the style and fabric were something only you could buy in a department store.
This showed that Jiang Xia treated this little niece much better than Tian Caihua!
What good is it to take care of an orphan girl? You have to raise her and give her a dowry, and who knows if she'll remember the kindness she received after she gets married, since she's not her biological daughter.
But Jiang Xia did it anyway, proving she's kind-hearted, and kind-hearted people are usually grateful and easier to get along with.
She smiled and said, "Zhou Zhou is getting more and more beautiful; your aunt has raised you like a city girl."
She subtly flattered Jiang Xia again.
Jiang Xia just smiled.
Soon, Tian Caihua arrived with Zhou Wenzu; she had searched the whole village but couldn't find the other children.
Zhou Li said warmly, "Why are you running so fast? We'll wait for you! Look how tired the child is, he's panting. Come on, Auntie will help you onto the tractor."
Jiang Xia helped Zhou Wenzu up so he could sit with Zhou Zhou.
Tian Caihua also got on the tractor and sat next to Zhou Wenzu, saying, "I'm exhausted!"
Zhou Li climbed on as well and sat opposite Jiang Xia.
Actually, she hadn't planned to go to the city today; she only decided to go because she knew Jiang Xia was going.
What a great opportunity! She could get closer to Jiang Xia! They would
all ride the tractor to the city together, a round trip, a few hours together—wouldn't that bring them closer?
The tractor started moving.
Zhou Li gave Zhou Zhou and Zhou Wenzu a piece of candy: "Come on, Auntie will give you some candy."
This candy was a fruit candy wrapped in transparent paper, available in several colors, and was one of the cheapest types of candy.
Zhou Li often carried some with her to appease the children, to start conversations with the adults, to build rapport, and to cultivate a generous and friendly image.
Zhou Zhou didn't take it, but looked at Jiang Xia. Zhou Wenzu took it, said thank you, and shared one with Zhou Zhou.
"Eat it!" Jiang Xia said with a smile.
Zhou Zhou thanked him before eating.
Zhou Wenzu pulled Zhou Zhou to look at the eagles flying in the sky.
Jiang Xia simply took out a book to read.
Zhou Li laughed, "You two sisters-in-law have such a good relationship, even taking the kids to the city together. I really envy you, unlike me going shopping alone, it's no fun."
Tian Caihua liked Zhou Li very much. She was generous, and every time they met, she would give the children candy or share some vegetables or fruit with her. She immediately said, "Then come shopping with us! It'll be convenient to take the tractor back together."
Zhou Li glanced at Jiang Xia and smiled, "That's fine too."
Jiang Xia lowered her head to read and didn't say anything, as if she hadn't heard what the two were saying.
Zhou Li wisely didn't interrupt, and then asked Tian Caihua if she needed to buy anything in the city.
The two chattered all the way, and Jiang Xia's ears were ringing. Finally, they arrived at the city center.
Zhou Li then asked Jiang Xia, "Xia, where do you plan to send these dried fish?"
Jiang Xia replied, "I'm going to the city train station. I'll find a tricycle to take them there."
Zhou Li said, "Why bother finding a tricycle? Just have Guohua take them."
"Guohua, why don't you take us to the train station first, and then we can go sell the dried fish!"
What could Zhou Guohua say? He was unwilling, but he couldn't disobey his aunt.
His aunt is such a kind-hearted person, she'll help anyone in need.
Not long after, the tractor stopped outside the train station, and Zhou Li again asked Zhou Guohua to help carry the small fish into the station.
Free labor was free, so Jiang Xia naturally had no objections.
She let Zhou Li make Zhou Guohua run around like a headless chicken.
She pulled Zhou Zhou into the train station, and also taught him how to protect his belongings.
The station was even more crowded than last time, probably because the Mid-Autumn Festival was approaching.
Tian Caihua didn't go in when she saw so many people; she was afraid her pearls would be stolen, but Zhou Guohua would help carry the fish in anyway.
Zhou Wenzu wanted to go in with Jiang Xia, but Tian Caihua wouldn't allow it. What if Jiang Xia wasn't watching him properly and he got kidnapped?
Zhou Guohua carried all 250 jin of the various-flavored small fish into the stationmaster's office in two trips.
100 jin were to be sold to the train attendants, and the remaining 150 jin were to be transported to Beijing.
Zhou Guohua didn't go into the office; he urgently needed to use the restroom. On his way back, he passed the office and saw the people inside giving money to Jiang Xia.
Zhou Guohua pursed his lips: What did she mean by giving it away? Turns out she was selling it at the train station.
He stood outside listening to Jiang Xia's conversation with the train attendant, wondering how much Jiang Xia's dried fish would sell for per pound.
"Comrade Xia, I need another twenty pounds of dried fish, ten pounds of spicy, and five pounds each of the other two flavors. I want to use them as gifts for the Mid-Autumn Festival. Can you deliver them in a few days?"
"Sure."
"I also need twenty-five pounds as gifts, five pounds of spicy, and ten pounds each of the other two flavors."
"Comrade Xia, I need fifteen pounds, five pounds of each of the three flavors."
"I want..."
Jiang Xia smiled and wrote it down.
Zhou Guohua secretly clicked his tongue in amazement. No wonder Jiang Xia dared to buy so much dried fish. She had received over a hundred pounds of orders in no time.
Jiang Xia: "I'll make it in three or four days and deliver it, I promise it won't delay everyone's gift-giving before the Mid-Autumn Festival. I'll head back now! Zhou Zhou, say goodbye to your uncles and aunts, thank them for the delicious food."
Zhou Zhou quietly said "thank you" and "goodbye."
She was still a little shy, but the aunties here gave her lots of food.
Jiang Xia happily pulled Zhou Zhou along, taking the money from selling the small fish and two banners with her hands. The banners were from the stationmaster, thanking her and Zhou Chenglei for helping catch the thief.
Jiang Xia pulled Zhou Zhou back to the tractor.
Zhou Zhou took out the things the train attendant had given him and distributed them to Zhou Wenzu.
Tian Caihua's eyes widened: "Where did these come from?"
Zhou Zhou: "The aunties at the station gave them to me."
Zhou Zhou then distributed them to the adults.
Tian Caihua immediately regretted it; she should have let her son go with her earlier.
Jiang Xia was really taking advantage of the situation and hadn't even brought Wenzu along!
Zhou Zhou's backpack was full of food!
Zhou Li glanced at her discreetly. Jiang Xia actually knew people at the train station; the working conditions there were great. Her sister-in-law had wanted to work as a train attendant before, but even with connections, she couldn't get in.
So, if she got on good terms with Jiang Xia, she wouldn't have to worry about not finding a good job in the future.
She laughed, "Shall we go shopping next? Let Guohua take us."
Having dropped off Xiaoyuzai, Jiang Xia decided not to stay with them any longer, laughing, "I need to go to the post office to mail a letter, I can walk there. You guys go ahead and shop! I'll come find you at the mall later."
Zhou Guohua also said, "Auntie, I need to go to the dock to sell dried fish and pick up Wenwan, I'm afraid we'll be late!"
Zhou Li laughed, "Okay, then we'll split up. See you at the mall, Guohua, come pick us up outside at 5:30." Zhou
Guohua agreed.
Having agreed on a time, Jiang Xia took Zhou Zhou away. Tian Caihua had learned her lesson this time; what if her son wanted to buy something at the mall? Of course, she had to wait for Jiang Xia to take them there.
Jiang Xia bought so many things for Zhou Zhou, couldn't she buy some for Zhou Wenzu? They were all her nephews and nieces!
She said to Jiang Xia, "Xia, bring Wenzu along too! Let him play with Zhou Zhou."
Zhou Wenzu: "No, I'm not going to mail a letter! I'm going to the mall, Zhou Zhou, come with me! They sell lots of things! Let my mom buy them for us!"
Tian Caihua: "..."
She really wanted to beat this brat to death!
Jiang Xia asked with a smile, "So, is Zhou Zhou going to the mall with his brother, or going to mail a letter with his aunt?"
Zhou Wenzu pulled Zhou Zhou back: "Zhou Zhou is going to the mall with your fourth brother! I'll take you. Your aunt has things to do, don't bother her!"
Zhou Zhou said, "Then I'll go with my fourth brother!"
Jiang Xia deliberately said, "Okay then. If Zhou Zhou wants to buy anything, just let your aunt buy it for you!"
She wasn't oblivious to what Tian Caihua was up to, she was really impressed!
Zhou Wenzu: "Yes! Let my mom buy it!"
Tian Caihua: "..."
She regretted bringing this kid along!
What a mess!
The group split up.
Jiang Xia went to the post office and the publishing house alone.
Tian Caihua, her face dark, took her two children to the mall. If she had known this would happen, she would have gone to the post office with Jiang Xia!
Zhou Guohua drove his tractor around in circles and then turned back to the train station. He carried the two bags of small fish from the tractor inside.
There were exactly a little over 100 jin (50 kg) of fish
. The train attendants had needed exactly a little over 100 jin ( 50 kg) of fish.
Zhou Guohua carried two bags of small fish to the station office and asked the attendants if they wanted to buy some; he still had over 100 jin (50 kg)
left. One attendant, eager to deliver a gift, recognized Zhou Guohua as the one who had just helped Jiang Xia bring in the fish, and asked, "Any more? Give me 15 jin."
"Are they the same kind of fish as Comrade Xia's? Let me see."
...
Zhou Guohua happily replied, "The same! The same as Jiang Xia's! Didn't you just say you wanted to buy over 100 jin? I have 115 jin here, I'll sell them to you at a discount, you can share them. I don't have anything to pack them separately, I've packed them all together."
What? They're supposed to share them?
How? What are they supposed to share with? They're on duty!
Zhou Guohua untied the bag, letting them see and smell: "Look, my little fish smells delicious! They're perfect as a snack with drinks. Kids can eat them too, you should try them, they're really good! I can give you a discount."
One flight attendant, seeing the various sizes and types of fish inside, didn't like them at all; they didn't look as good as Jiang Xia's! They didn't look as tasty either.
She walked away immediately.
Someone else couldn't resist trying one, but frowned immediately: the taste was far inferior to Jiang Xia's.
She probably picked a large one, and it wasn't fried enough; the fishbone was sticky and hard to chew. How could she give it to a child? What if they choked on a fishbone?
She too walked away.
A flight attendant noticed he hadn't packaged the food separately, and the large plastic bags were old, one even yellowed. She couldn't help but ask, "Where did you get these plastic bags?"
"These are bags from the village store that used to hold sunflower seeds and biscuits. I washed them clean, don't worry, they're very clean." The snakeskin bags weren't sealed, so he'd specifically gone to the village store to get several of these plastic bags, costing a penny each.
The flight attendant was speechless . "
No need! I've already bought enough!"
"Me too." Everyone refused.
They were there to give gifts, not just to one person. How could they give them without individual packaging?
Besides, what if the bags that had held other food weren't cleaned properly and the smells mixed in?
In the countryside, people weren't so particular, but city dwellers, especially those with high salaries and a high quality of life, were more particular about their food.
Zhou Guohua panicked: "I can give you a discount, two cents cheaper per pound than in Jiangxia."
Everyone shook their heads and then asked him to leave so he could find someone else to buy from.
Zhou Guohua could only carry the small fish back to the tractor to the dock to find a middleman to buy them.
He'd miscalculated! He hadn't expected Jiang Xia to pack the small fish individually.
That would indeed be easier to sell and give as gifts; if they were packed in bags, they could probably be sold anywhere near the train station, since they were easy to take away.
But where did Jiang Xia buy those bags?
Meanwhile , Jiang Xia went to the post office alone to mail a letter to Jiang Dong, then went to the publishing house to hand in the translations of one original book and five magazines, receiving four hundred yuan in translation fees. She also picked up an order for 120 jin of three-flavor small fish and two hundred jin of dried golden pomfret, red snapper, or mackerel every two weeks.
Then she grabbed five science magazines and two French original books and hurried to the department store. Upon arriving at the department store, Jiang Xia didn't immediately look for Tian Caihua and Zhou Li.
She went to the jewelry store first to sell the pearls.
She couldn't let Zhou Li know she was selling pearls, so she ignored Tian Caihua and sold them first.
Jiang Xia arrived at the jewelry store, and the same salesperson recognized her immediately, warmly leading her to the manager's office.
Zhang Rong smiled when she saw Jiang Xia, "The pearls are sold. I was just about to have Arui send you the remaining money tomorrow. I didn't expect you to come at the right time."
Jiang Xia smiled, "Is Third Brother on vacation?"
"Yes, he's on vacation. He just arrived this morning and is sleeping at home now. He said he'll visit you and your husband again tomorrow."
Zhang Rong went to the safe under the desk to get the money for Jiang Xia.
Jiang Xia: "Alei has gone to sea and probably won't be back until before the Mid-Autumn Festival."
"What a coincidence? It's nothing, Arui has two weeks off, he won't go back until after Mid-Autumn Festival." That kid is hiding from the blind dates arranged by his family, he won't go home for Mid-Autumn Festival either, saying he'll stay here with him.
Zhang Rong took out a briefcase and opened it in front of Jiang Xia: "This is the remaining payment for Pearl."
Jiang Xia glanced at the stacks of ten-yuan notes inside, filling the briefcase to the brim, and looked at him in surprise: "So much?
It must be several tens of thousands, or even more?"
Zhang Rong: “I had it auctioned overseas, manipulating the process to earn foreign exchange for the country. Those are developed countries, with better economies and more wealthy people. Your camellia-shaped pearl attracted many bidders, eventually being bought by a big-name clothing brand owner for $50,000 including the shell. The deer-patterned pearl was bought by an overseas Chinese who immediately asked for $60,000. The commission and taxes are high, totaling 60%, otherwise you could have earned much more.”
“Although the commission and taxes are high, it definitely wouldn't sell for that price domestically. It's just that the exchange rate has been low these past two years; if it were two years earlier, it would have been much more profitable, but I wouldn't have dared to sell it then.”
Jiang Xia’s heart skipped a beat: “How much money is in this bag?”
“One hundred and thirty-nine hundred and ninety-eight after tax. Including the price of the other pearls, those pearls sell for two thousand each in Hong Kong.”
Zhang Rong glanced at Jiang Xia after speaking, noticing her calm expression despite hearing about so much money, and couldn't help but admire her inwardly. Jiang
Xia wasn't calm at all; she was secretly very happy, but she was just pretending!
She then took out the pearls she had opened the day before yesterday. "Second brother, what do you think of these pearls?"
Zhang Rong exclaimed in surprise, "Sister-in-law, you're so lucky!"
Jiang Xia smiled, "Could you please help me see how much these pearls are worth?"
Zhang Rong put on gloves and carefully examined each pearl, finally selecting four "kings.
" "I'll have someone send these four abroad to earn foreign exchange, but it'll take a while since the recipient just returned. I'll give you 1,000 yuan per pearl for these five, and the rest of this pile is 500 yuan in total."
"Okay!" Jiang Xia said with a smile.
It was getting late, already five o'clock, and Jiang Xia said goodbye.
"Are you taking a car back? I'll have Zhang Rui take you home. It's not safe for you to carry so much money." Zhang Rong was worried that she might be robbed if she went home alone.
Jiang Xia smiled and declined, "Thank you, Second Brother, but no need to trouble you. I came by village tractor with my sister-in-law and an aunt from the village. We agreed to meet at the mall entrance at 5:30. I can go back by myself."
"Okay, be careful on the road."
Jiang Xia smiled and said goodbye, then left the mall with a briefcase and headed straight for the nearby bank.
She needed to deposit the money before the bank closed; she wouldn't feel comfortable carrying it all the way back to the village.
When Jiang Xia arrived at the bank and took out a briefcase full of money to deposit, the bank teller immediately smiled and said, "Comrade, you're a 'ten-thousand-yuan household' in our city. We need to register you so you can participate in the city's 'ten-thousand-yuan household' commendation ceremony, and there might even be prizes."
Jiang Xia smiled and said, "No need, my family has already registered."
"Oh! Congratulations!" The bank teller quickly deposited the money for Jiang Xia.
Jiang Xia still had the money from selling small fish and the money from translation, so she deposited a round number: 110,000 yuan.
Then she only had a little over 100 yuan in cash left.
Jiang Xia decided to wait for Zhou Chenglei to return and discuss how to use the 110,000 yuan.
Should she buy a house in the city, pay the deposit for the boat, or import a set of pearl oyster cultivation equipment?
Jiang Xia wanted to do all of these things, but no matter which one, 110,000 yuan seemed like a lot, especially the latter two—they were practically a drop in the ocean! She only had enough for the house; nothing else.
Jiang Xia quickly calmed down and returned to the mall entrance.
Zhou Li and a grumpy-faced Tian Caihua were already waiting there.
Zhou Wenzu was also fuming.
His mother wasn't buying anything; what was the point of shopping?
Tian Caihua, seeing Jiang Xia arrive so late, said with a dark face, "Why are you so late?"
She was waiting to sell pearls!
Jiang Xia replied, "I went to the publishing house to pick up some books, which delayed me. Are you done shopping?"
Zhou Li smiled and said, "Yes, we're done. The things in the mall are really good, but they're too expensive. I can't afford to buy anything."
Jiang Xia then asked Zhou Zhou and Zhou Wenzu, "Did you buy anything?"
Zhou Wenzu huffed, "Grandma bought us candy. My mom forgot to bring money."
She said she would take him to the mall in the city to buy whatever he wanted.
Who knew that when he wanted to buy something, she would say she forgot to bring money!
What's the point of shopping if you don't bring money?
She made him happy for nothing! This
was Zhou Wenzu's first time shopping. He had only ever been to the supply and marketing cooperative in town, never to a mall. He had heard from his classmates that the big malls in the city were huge, much bigger than the supply and marketing cooperative, and sold more things.
His classmates were right! The malls were indeed much bigger than the supply and marketing cooperative!
His classmate had bought a game console at a big mall in the city, and he really wanted one too. He searched the entire mall before finally finding it.
He said he wanted to buy it full of hope! But he was deeply disappointed.
Jiang Xia guessed that Tian Caihua wouldn't be willing to buy too many things for the children, but she didn't expect her to directly say she forgot to bring money!
"Then what do you want to buy?"
Zhou Zhou shook his head: "Nothing."
Zhou Wenzu: "Auntie, I want to buy a game console."
A game console? This thing is easy for children to become addicted to!
Jiang Xia wasn't reluctant, she was afraid that Zhou Wenzu would become addicted to games, so she thought for a moment and said: "If any of you siblings get a hundred points on your midterm exams, Auntie will buy one! Whoever gets a hundred points can play it, and those who don't can't play it."
Zhou Wenzu's eyes lit up: "Okay."
He was only in second grade, and he thought a hundred points was easy, because he often got a hundred points in first grade!
Zhou Li smiled: "You, as an auntie, really love your children."
Jiang Xia just smiled at her opportunistic flattery. She glanced at her watch; there were still ten minutes until 5:30.
Jiang Xia said: "I'm taking the two children to buy some things. You wait here for a moment? We'll be quick."
Tian Caihua hasn't sold the pearls yet!
Thinking Jiang Xia was going to sell pearls, Zhou Li immediately said, "I'll go too."
Zhou Li also wanted to impress Jiang Xia, but the mall items were too expensive. She was worried that if Jiang Xia bought something too expensive for the children, she wouldn't want to spend the money. So she smiled and said, "You
two go ahead. I'll wait for Guohua here. Don't rush, take your time choosing. I'll make Guohua wait for you." Tian Caihua smiled and said, "Okay, thank you, Auntie. Please wait for us!"
Zhou Li smiled and said, "Don't worry!"
Jiang Xia thanked her and led the two children into the mall.
Tian Caihua immediately asked, "Are you going to sell…?"
She patted her backpack but didn't finish her sentence.
Jiang Xia said, "Sister-in-law, you can sell yours next time. I already sold mine."
Tian Caihua shrieked, "You sold yours? Why didn't you wait for me?"
Jiang Xia glanced at her and said calmly, "Sister-in-law, weren't you going shopping with Auntie? Do you want her to know you're selling pearls, to know we found so many pearls in the sea?"
Tian Caihua said irritably, "When did I have to go shopping with her?
Of course, selling pearls is more important! "
Jiang Xia: "Didn't you invite her shopping with you when you came?"
Tian Caihua: "..."
It seems like that did happen!
Ugh, I'm so angry! I should have known better than to say that!
She just said it casually!
Jiang Xia took the two children to a sporting goods store and bought a ping-pong paddle and a badminton racket. She bought two ping-pong paddles, but since badminton shuttlecocks are fragile, she bought ten.
Exercise is good for physical and mental health, and the school has ping-pong tables, so Zhou Zhou can play with the children more often at school and in the village .
Then she bought a soccer ball and two jump ropes. Jiang Xia only stopped when she had almost spent all her money.
Zhou Wenzu excitedly pulled Jiang Xia up and down, "Auntie is so good!" He also wanted to live with his aunt like Zhou Zhou.
Jiang Xia smiled and said, "You two go back and play with your brothers, or with the villagers, but remember to bring them home after you're done playing, don't lose them."
Jiang Xia thought that these sports equipment were suitable for both boys and girls, and besides jump rope, it wasn't something one person could do alone. Playing soccer on the beach would surely attract many children, and if Zhou Zhou played with the kids more, their personalities would likely become more outgoing.
Tian Caihua saw that Jiang Xia had bought so many things, spending over a hundred yuan, and thought: "The pearls must have sold for a lot of money, right? Otherwise, why would she be so generous?"
She couldn't help but regret asking Zhou Li to go shopping with her; otherwise, she could have sold her pearls too.
The four of them left the mall at exactly 5:30, but Zhou Guohua's tractor hadn't arrived yet.
Jiang Xia was worried the two children would get hungry on the way, so she bought some pastries and buns to eat on the road.
After waiting another twenty minutes, it was almost six o'clock, and Zhou Li was getting impatient!
She looked left and right, anxiously asking, "Why haven't they arrived yet?"
Just then, a jeep stopped at the mall entrance. The people inside didn't get out, and Jiang Xia glanced at them but didn't pay much attention.
The people in the jeep looked at Jiang Xia several times, unsure.
Five minutes later, Zhang Rong came out and, seeing Jiang Xia was still there, approached her. "Sister-in-law, the village tractor hasn't arrived yet?"
Jiang Xia turned and smiled, "Yes. Second brother, are you off work?"
"Yes, I'm about to leave." Zhang Rong waved to the people in the jeep.
Seeing his brother talking to Jiang Xia, the people in the jeep had already confirmed her identity. He immediately unbuckled his seatbelt and got out.
Zhang Rui walked up to Jiang Xia, saluted, and loudly called out, "Hello, sister-in-law!"
Zhang Rui, in his uniform, showed such respect to Jiang Xia, deeply shocking Zhou Li and Tian Caihua!
Zhou Li secretly glanced at Zhang Rui and then at the jeep's license plate, her heart skipping a beat.
Was this car assigned to her?
What position does one need to be to be entitled to a car?
And this man calls Jiang Xia "sister-in-law"
with such respect!
Also, isn't this the manager of the jewelry store in the mall? She overheard the sales clerks addressing him that way when they passed by the jewelry store earlier.
Zhou Li gained her first direct understanding of Jiang Xia and Zhou Chenglei's connections.
Jiang Xia smiled and replied, "Third Brother, hello!"
Zhang Rui is younger than Zhou Chenglei but older than Jiang Xia. Since she calls Zhang Rong "Second Brother," she figured Zhang Rui should be called "Third Brother."
Zhang Rui was flattered, feeling he was taking advantage of the regimental commander. He quickly said, "Sister-in-law, you can just call me Xiao Zhang!"
Zhang Rong said, "Sister-in-law, it's getting late. Don't wait any longer. Let's go have a meal first, then Zhang Rui can take you home!"
Zhang Rui immediately said, "Yes, sister-in-law, let's go have a meal!"
Tian Caihua's heart skipped a beat. She had only eaten at a restaurant in the city once, several years ago when she and Zhou Chengxin came to the city to sell fish for the production team.
It had been many years!
Zhou Li was also a little tempted; it would be nice to have a meal with someone like that and become acquainted with them.
Jiang Xia, however, felt embarrassed and declined with a smile, "No need, we should be here soon. It wouldn't be good if the tractor came and we weren't there."
Just then, another black sedan stopped, and the window rolled down: "Xia Xia!"
Jiang Xia looked over: "Dad."
Jiang's father got out of the car: "What are you doing here?"
Zhang Rong and Zhang Rui quickly greeted him, one calling out and the other saluting. Jiang's
father smiled, greeted him, and returned the salute.
Then he asked Jiang Xia, "Where's Lei? He hasn't come home yet, it's so late. Is he coming home to stay the night?"
Jiang Xia smiled and said, "He went to sea. I'm not coming home tonight. My sister-in-law and nephews and nieces are here, and my parents-in-law are waiting at home. I don't want them to worry. The villagers will come by tractor in a little while, and I'll take the tractor home."
Only then did Jiang's father look at Tian Caihua and Zhou Li.
Tian Caihua was a little intimidated by Jiang's father's aura and stammered, "Dear, father-in-law."
Zhou Li smiled and said warmly, "Father-in-law, I'm Xiaxia's second aunt."
Jiang's father said gently with a slight smile, "Hello."
Jiang Xia taught the two children to call him maternal grandfather.
The two children obediently whispered "Grandpa."
Jiang's father smiled and responded, "Good boy," patted their heads, and glanced at his watch as he withdrew his hand, then looked at Jiang Xia: "Have dinner with Dad before going back? Don't let the two children go hungry."
Zhang Rong laughed, "That's what I was saying too."
Jiang Xia shook his head: "I bought steamed buns to eat on the way, and we don't know when the tractor will arrive, so it's not good to let them make a wasted trip."
Tian Caihua blurted out, "You can let your second aunt wait for her nephew here! Right, second aunt?"
There's food to eat, and a jeep or car to take them back, why take a tractor? Tractors are slow and not as comfortable as cars!
Besides, Zhou Guohua hasn't come yet, who knows when he will? It would be so late getting back to the village by tractor!
How could Jiang Xia be so stupid?
Tian Caihua almost wanted to agree for Jiang Xia!
Zhou Li: "..."
At this moment, the distinctive "putt-putt" sound of a tractor approached from afar.
Jiang Xia looked over: "The tractor is here."
Zhou Li breathed a sigh of relief; she didn't want to be left behind!
When the tractor stopped, Zhou Li asked, "Why are you so late? We've been waiting for you for over half an hour!"
She immediately climbed onto the tractor and waved to Jiang Xia with a smile: "Xia, come on up, let's go home."
Tian Caihua actually wanted to leave her behind to go to a restaurant?
Then no one should eat!
Wen Wan smiled and said, "Aunt, it's all my fault. I was hungry after school, and seeing that Guohua hadn't arrived yet, I went to the restaurant next door to eat something before going home. Later, when Guohua arrived, I found out you were waiting, but the food had already been ordered and the bill had been paid. It was only five o'clock then, and I thought there would be enough time. In the end, I didn't expect that the restaurant was too slow in serving the food, so I was late."
Of course, that wasn't the truth. Wen Wan knew that she was going to pick up Jiang Xia and Tian Caihua, so she deliberately said she was hungry, and then Zhou Guohua thought of going to eat.
Jiang Xia and Tian Caihua were both her enemies, and Zhou Guohua was now her husband. Why should she pick them up?
She wouldn't feel comfortable without making things difficult for them!
Jiang's father glanced at Wen Wan.
Tian Caihua blurted out again, "What? You've already eaten?"
Wen Wan looked apologetic, "I'm so sorry, Sister Caihua. I've kept you waiting!"
Zhang Rong said, "Sister-in-law, let's go eat first, and then Arui can take you home."
Jiang's father also couldn't bear to see his daughter take such a long tractor ride home so late without eating. She had always been weak, and he and her mother had raised her with great difficulty.
Irregular meals would easily ruin her health.
He reached out and took the briefcase and two large bags of things from Jiang Xia's hands, "Let's go! Have a meal with Dad. Next time you go to the city, bring the house key. If it gets late, just go straight home and don't bother the villagers to pick you up."
Jiang's father then said to Tian Caihua, "Xiaxia's sister-in-law, come eat with us too."
After saying that, he looked at Zhou Li.
Tian Caihua immediately said, "This is an aunt from our village, not a blood relative! The one driving the tractor is her nephew. Let them go home first! It's not good for them to go home too late; their families will worry. Besides, my second aunt is old and used to going to bed early. Let them tell my family on their way home that we'll be back later!"
Tian Caihua's sharp eyes had already noticed that both the jeep and the sedan only had three seats in the back; four people would be too cramped.
She rarely took a bus ride, and she didn't want to be squeezed in!
Jiang Xia almost burst out laughing.
Even Zhou Li, who was always smiling, almost couldn't maintain her smile at this moment.
Mr. Jiang glanced at his daughter, and seeing that she didn't say anything, he smiled and said, "Alright, then you two go back early and be careful on the road."
Mr. Jiang instructed Jiang Xia, "Xiaxia, give the buns you bought to your second aunt on the road. People our age can't stay up all night, and we don't stand being hungry."
Jiang Xia then gave the bag of buns to Zhou Li, saying, "Second Aunt, take these to fill your stomach on the road."
"Then we'll be going now!" Zhou Li looked at Mr. Jiang and smiled as she took the buns, but her heart was bleeding.
Mr. Jiang nodded with a smile, "Please tell Xiaxia's parents-in-law when you get back to the village that she will be going back a little late tonight, or she may not go back at all and stay at her parents' house with her sister-in-law."
"Okay." Zhou Li smiled and agreed, but her heart was aching!
She had missed the opportunity to build a relationship with the big boss!
Who knows, if she had taken the opportunity to mention the production team reform at the dinner table, Jiang Xia's father might have arranged a position for her!
It was all Wen Wan's fault, saying she had eaten? Did she think only she was hungry?
She went to eat herself, making others wait so long, who was happy about that?
And they didn't come earlier or later, they just had to come at this time.
Zhou Li felt like she'd missed out on a fortune!
The tractor drove away.
Zhang Rong opened the car door, smiling as he beckoned Tian Caihua to get in, allowing Jiang Xia and his daughter a moment of private time. He chuckled, "Sister-in-law, why don't you take the two kids in my car? It's spacious here!"
Jiang Xia then asked Zhou Zhou and Zhou Wenzu which car they wanted to ride in.
Zhou Wenzu, of course, wanted to ride in the imposing Jeep, pointing to it, "I want to ride in that one. Zhou Zhou, let's ride together."
Zhou Zhou wanted to ride with Jiang Xia, but also somewhat with Zhou Wenzu. Pulled by Zhou Wenzu, she readily agreed, "Okay."
Zhang Rui laughed, "Then ride in Uncle's car. Sister-in-law, you and the kids come and ride here! It'll be more spacious if you sit separately."
"Then let's go ride in that one," Tian Caihua immediately pulled the two children over.
She didn't want so many people crammed into Jiang Xia's father
's car. After they got in, Jiang Xia got into her father
's car. Her father had Zhang Rui follow him before getting in himself.
The two cars quickly passed by the tractor.
Wen Wan stared at the two departing cars, unable to look away.
Zhou Li's eyes practically popped out of her head. Turning around and seeing Wen Wan watching as well, she couldn't help but exclaim, "Jiang Xia is so lucky!"
Wen Wan pursed her lips. Jiang Xia was indeed lucky. Without her father and Zhou Chenglei, she was nothing!
Just a parasite!
Thinking about what had just happened, Zhou Li couldn't help but lecture Wen Wan and Zhou Guohua: "You saw who was with Jiang Xia, right? She came to the city and knows everyone. She knows people all over the train station staff room, she knows the manager of the jewelry store in the mall, and that guy driving the Jeep seems to have a high position—she calls him 'Third Brother,' not to mention her father."
"You two should cultivate a good relationship with Zhou Chenglei in the future; it will definitely benefit you, not harm you! Xiao Wan and Jiang Xia are about the same age, so cultivate a good relationship with her too. Maybe she can help you find a good job after you graduate from university. They're both very capable people; look how quickly they've bought such a large ship!"
Wen Wan remembered what Zhou Guohua had said at dinner—that his father had written an anonymous complaint and caused a scene at the relevant department before they finally approved the sea area.
Shouldn't Zhou Bingqiang's complaint letter have been more detailed, listing all these relationships?
And the shipyard—there must be something wrong with it too, otherwise why would they have ordered such a large ship so quickly?
These things should all be reported! Inside the
black
sedan, Jiang Xia asked her father if he wanted to go home and pick up her mother for dinner.
"No need, your mother has a dinner engagement tonight. Dad usually eats alone, luckily I met you."
Jiang Xia thought about how she and Jiang Dong weren't around, and how the two elders were always busy with their own social engagements; sometimes it was really lonely for them to be alone at home.
Jiang Xia decided that whenever she came to the city on Saturdays and Sundays, she would go back to see them; she didn't want to bother them during the week when they were at work.
Her father asked, "What brought you to the city today? Did you have lunch?"
"Selling pearls, I ate at home before coming." Jiang Xia considered the nature of her father's work and didn't want to inadvertently cause him trouble, especially since the amount of money involved was quite large.
And having just sold pearls and then having dinner with the Zhang brothers was too much of a coincidence.
Jiang Xia then took out her bankbook to show him.
Jiang's father took the phone and glanced at it, a look of surprise flashing in his eyes: "So many?"
Jiang Xia explained in detail, then took out all the customs declarations, auction documents, tax receipts, and other documents for the pearls to show her father, asking him to check if there were any problems: "Dad, take a look."
Zhang Rong was very reliable; these documents were all very complete, and she had given them all to him.
Jiang's father took them, looked at them carefully, and then returned them to Jiang Xia, smiling: "Not bad, you've become a little rich woman, richer than your parents. If those pearls are really good, the price at an international auction isn't particularly high, it's normal."
Jiang Xia smiled and then brought up the matter of ordering the ship.
The ship had a large discount, so she wanted Jiang's father to know. Although this discount was something Zhou Chenglei and she had obtained through their own abilities, the people at the shipyard didn't even know whose daughter she was.
Hearing his daughter explain in such detail, Jiang's father felt both heartbroken and comforted. He couldn't help but blink, turning his head to look out the car window, secretly wiping his eyes.
After getting married, his daughter became increasingly considerate, always thinking of her elderly father and acting with great care.
Seeing this, Jiang Xia turned to get the banner and handed it to her father.
Her father raised an eyebrow, took it, and smiled, asking, "Where did this banner come from? Is it for A-Lei?"
They ate in the city, the journey wasn't far, and they arrived quickly. Jiang Xia's father felt he hadn't even had a chance to exchange more than a few words with his daughter, and he still had many questions he wanted to ask. With
so many people around during the meal, it wasn't convenient to discuss things too deeply, so Jiang Xia's father only asked when the large ship had been received and when Zhou Chenglei would return.
The meal didn't last long, ending in less than an hour.
Then Zhang Rui drove Jiang Xia and the others back to the village in his jeep.
***
For the next two days, Jiang Xia spent her mornings translating at home, her afternoons making small fish, and her evenings learning to weave fishing nets.
Zhang Fuyan sent her a lot of oil coupons, and the Marquis even personally came to the village to deliver them, urging her to make as many small fish as possible before the Mid-Autumn Festival, as he would come to collect them every day in his tractor.
Jiangxia announced they would buy large quantities of small fish and dried fish, and many villagers would catch a netful and sell it to them.
Zhou Bingqiang's family temporarily stopped buying dried fish; they were too busy and losing money, and they didn't have enough fuel coupons to buy oil to continue operating.
Moreover, buying dried fish tied up a lot of money; they had spent several thousand yuan renting the sea area, another large sum on materials for net cages, and yet another expense on building a house.
In short, they didn't have enough money, and their savings were gone!
Even with three fishing boats out at sea, earning only three or four hundred yuan a day wasn't enough, and Zhou Guohua's two older brothers were complaining.
Zhou Bingqiang had no choice but to stop buying dried fish and focus on earning money at sea with his three sons.
He even considered selling
dried fish to Jiangxia's family, but he was too embarrassed! Therefore, recently more people have been coming to his great-grandmother's house
to sell dried fish and small fish. Jiangxia didn't interfere; his great-grandmother and He Xinghuan could handle buying dried fish and small fish, and Zhou's mother would help when they were too busy.
However, Zhou's mother didn't have much free time. She had to make the pearl oyster larva attachment device and netting as Jiang Xia had instructed. The netting was particularly difficult to make, and she couldn't ask anyone else to do it, nor could she let anyone know.
Only she and Tian Caihua did it.
Jiang Xia stayed home for two days and then went out to sea every day to check on the pearl oysters.
Because some pearl oysters that had been opened and released back into the sea to raise pearls were dying every day, after five days of going out to sea, finally, no dead pearl oysters were found.
Zhou's father calculated: "About 50% survived, and the pearls opened by Xia had the most survivors."
A little money-making expert is a little money-making expert! Zhou's father even thought that from now on, Jiang Xia should be the one to open all the pearls, and no one else should touch them! They
're all unlucky hands!
Zhou Chengxin said regretfully: "The survival rate is too low!"
Jiang Xia smiled and said: "It's not low. After all, this is our first attempt. There will be more and more in the future."
Jiang Xia had heard that after inserting the nucleus, the mortality rate of pearl oysters was even higher, reaching more than 70%. Anyway, they were not easy to raise!
Zhou's father smiled and said: "That's right!"
He liked Wangcai's attitude!
Zhou Chengxin smiled too.
Regardless, the fact that they survived proves Jiang Xia was right.
From now on, as long as the pearl oysters are carefully harvested and kept alive, they can produce pearls continuously.
Tian Caihua went out to sea today, and she was very happy. With a steady stream of pearls to sell, wouldn't her family be rich?
She asked Jiang Xia, "Xia, now that all the pearl oysters are alive, should we start inserting nuclei?"
Jiang Xia replied, "Not so fast. We'll wait until we've raised more pearl oysters before inserting nuclei. Because once we insert nuclei, some will probably die, leaving fewer pearl oysters. It's better to wait until they have more offspring before trying to insert nuclei. It's not the peak breeding season for pearl oysters yet; the peak will be around April or May next year. We'll see if we can raise more pearl oysters then."
Zhou Chengxin now spends time every day going down to the seabed to check on the pearl oysters' growth, placing them on the grids prepared by Jiang's mother and Tian Caihua, and sometimes installing the larval attachments.
Every day, they spend an hour or two underwater, stocking the fish and caring for the pearl oysters, all while keeping a low profile to avoid being discovered by others.
Although their nets are placed deep enough that most people couldn't dive that far, it's still better to be careful.
Now the fish are thriving, and the pearl oysters are alive, filling the whole family with hope.
Tian Caihua happily said, "Okay, then I'll go back and grind more small pearl nuclei!"
Zhou's father said, "You should weave more nets! We'll need many nets later."
He didn't trust Tian Caihua to grind the small pearl nuclei; those were placed inside the pearl oysters and determined whether they would grow pearls and what kind of pearls they would grow!
That unlucky little expert, what good pearls could those small nuclei grind grow into?
What if they didn't grow any pearls at all, and all of them died!
Zhou's father was afraid of her.
He had specifically marked all the pearl oysters she had touched, and the ones she touched had the most dead.
So, not all the work was suitable for Tian Caihua!
Tian Caihua, unaware of Zhou's father's inner disapproval, happily agreed, "That's fine too!"
After finishing these tasks, they continued trawling.
After sailing a distance, Zhou's father saw Zhou Bingqiang's fishing boat setting up net cages in the distance.
Jiang Xia glanced at them; the net cages weren't as big as hers.
But Zhou Bingqiang's boat wasn't large enough to carry larger net cages out to sea.
Zhou's father wasn't interested in going over to take a look; instead, he quickly steered the boat away.
Today, they hauled in four nets, mostly mackerel and red snapper, totaling over a thousand catties. The red snapper would be dried and not sold, but the remaining mackerel should fetch five or six hundred.
Back at the dock, Jiang Xia heard an announcement that a typhoon was coming in a couple of days, advising everyone not to go out to sea, especially not to venture into the open ocean.
The family's first thought was whether Zhou Chenglei had received the news and started his return voyage.
He should be heading back by now, after all, the Mid-Autumn Festival was just around the corner. Jiang Xia disembarked from the fishing boat absentmindedly. Zhou Li ran over at that moment: "Xia, your mom called several times today looking for you. Go answer her!"
Jiang Xia arrived at the production team and was about to make a phone call when she glanced at Zhou Li, who was staring at her dialing. She paused, then smiled and said, "Second Aunt, could you please tell my dad not to sell those red snapper fish? Should we keep them to dry?"
Zhou Li hesitated for a moment, then smiled and said, "Okay, I'll go tell him right away." She then
walked out with a smile.
"Thank you," Jiang Xia said, and only dialed the number after Zhou Li had left.
The phone rang once before being answered. Her mother's anxious voice came through the receiver: "Jiang Xia, your dad didn't come home all night last night. I only found out today that he was taken away."
Jiang Xia's heart skipped a beat. "I'm going back right away! Mom, don't worry, everything's alright!"
Jiang Xia hung up and hurriedly ran home to gather some potentially useful documents.
In front of the courtyard gate, in the open space not far away, Zhou Zhou, Zhou Jie, and Zhou Wenzu were playing badminton and skipping rope with several village children.
The children greeted her warmly when they saw her.
There was no way around it; all the happiness of the past week had come from my aunt!
Playing house, flipping paper dolls, and marbles didn't seem so appealing anymore.
Jiang Xia smiled and agreed, then hurried inside.
Seeing her return, Zhou's mother smiled and said, "You're back? Your mother called today looking for you; give her a call back."
Jiang Xia replied, "I'm back, Mom. I'm going back to my parents' house tonight."
Zhou's mother paused, "At this hour? Is something wrong?"
Not wanting to mention that her father had been taken away, Jiang Xia said, "My mother isn't feeling well, and my father is away on a business trip. I'm going back to check on her."
Upon hearing this, Zhou's mother immediately said, "Then you should go back. There are no buses to the city at this hour. Have your father take you by boat to the city dock. Bring your bicycle onto the boat; it'll be easier to ride it home from the dock. I'll get your household registration booklet; bring the family's household registration booklet with you. Remind your father to get a letter of introduction. If it's too late to come back tonight, have your father find a hotel to stay in."
Although the city dock was a bit far from the city center, having a bicycle to ride back after disembarking would be much more convenient.
"Okay!" Jiang Xia agreed, then packed some materials she might need and pushed her bicycle out the door.
Seeing Zhou Zhou still happily playing, she said, "Zhou Zhou, Auntie has to go back to Grandpa's house!"
Zhou Zhou, who was playing badminton, glanced back and nodded, "Auntie, be careful on the road."
Zhou Wenzu and the other children chimed in, "Auntie, be careful on the road!"
Zhou Jie added, "Niece-in-law, be careful on the road!"
"I'm off!" Amidst the children's cheerful voices, Jiang Xia felt a little more at ease. She waved and rode off on her bicycle.
Jiang Xia arrived at the dock, where Zhou's father and Zhou Chengxin had just unloaded all the fish from the boat.
Tian Caihua was queuing to have her fish weighed; her family had the most fish in the entire line, and she beamed.
Although the two families were now splitting the profits equally when they went out to sea together, they could still earn two or three hundred yuan a day, much more than before when they took turns going out to sea!
Tian Caihua was very happy, her face always beaming.
Seeing Jiang Xia pushing her bicycle towards them, Zhou's father hurried over to her, asking, "What's wrong? Where are you going?"
"Dad, Mom isn't feeling well, and there's no one home. I'm going
home for a bit." Zhou's father immediately said, "Wait for me! I'll go to the production team to get a certificate, and I'll take you there by boat!" He
didn't know what time she'd be back that night, or even if she'd be back at all, so getting a certificate would be convenient, especially since the production team was nearby.
Zhou Chengxin replied, "Dad, I'll take Xia by boat! You go get the certificate for me! And while you're at it, ask Mom for the household registration book."
He then helped Jiang Xia carry her bicycle off the beach and headed towards the boat.
Jiang Xia said, "Mom gave me the household registration book!"
Zhou's father said, "Then I'll go get a certificate for your older brother."
His son was younger and stronger than him; he was more
reliable in times of trouble. Zhou's father quickly got the certificate and even borrowed an extra bicycle from the production team for Zhou Chengxin to use in the city.
Zhou Chengxin told his father to inform Tian Caihua when the time came, and then he would take Jiang Xia to the city by boat.
***
On the other end, Jiang's mother had just hung up on Jiang Xia when the phone rang again.
She quickly answered, "Hello."
Jiang Dong's voice came from the other end of the line: "Mom, I heard you called me several times? Are you missing your son?"
Jiang's mother: "Your father has been taken away for investigation! Have you been doing anything lately?"
She needed to know the reason to think of a solution.
Jiang Dong was startled: "No! I've been studying machines lately, I haven't done anything! How could he be taken away? What happened?"
Jiang's mother: "I don't know! If I knew, I wouldn't be asking you! I only heard that someone anonymously reported your father."
Today she had inquired everywhere, made many phone calls, and asked around, but she still couldn't figure out what was going on.
She only knew that someone had anonymously reported him, but she didn't know what the report was about.
Jiang Dong: "Mom, don't worry, I'll buy a ticket and go back right away, we'll think of a solution together."
After hanging up, Jiang's mother started dialing again to find out more information. After Jiang Dong hung up the phone in Beijing
, Zhang Fuyan asked, "Is something wrong at home?"
Jiang's mother had called the school many times looking for him. Jiang's roommate happened to run into Zhang Fuyan, who was at school that day, and asked if she knew how to contact Jiang Dong or his sister, saying that something seemed urgent at Jiang Dong's home, and his mother had called him many times.
That's why Zhang Fuyan came to the research institute to find Jiang Dong, and that's why Jiang Dong called home.
"My dad seems to have had an accident. I need to go back. Sister Xiaoyan, thank you for letting me know!" Jiang Dong hurriedly said this and ran back to his lab; he needed to ask for leave.
Zhang Fuyan hurriedly said, "I'll go back with you. My aunt knows Xiaxia, and she knows many people there, so she might be able to help. I'll have someone buy plane tickets. We'll land in a neighboring city and then take a bus back; that'll be faster."
Jiang Dong said, "No need, that's too much trouble for you! Just book the tickets for me."
Zhang Fuyan said, "It's alright. The Mid-Autumn Festival is coming soon, and I'm planning to go and spend the holiday with my grandfather. I'll go home first to book the tickets and pack my things. Have the professor open a letter of introduction, and I'll come find you in a bit!"
After saying this, Zhang Fuyan immediately rode her bicycle home. Her foot was almost healed; at least pedaling didn't hurt. Walking was still a little difficult, but not a big problem. As
soon as Zhang Fuyan got home, she called to book the tickets.
Her parents' work required them to travel abroad frequently, so she was quite familiar with booking tickets.
There happened to be a flight at 11 pm, and Zhang Fuyan booked two tickets. Then she packed her luggage and planned to go to Jiang Dong's research institute to inform him what he needed to prepare for boarding.
Jiang Dong happened to arrive at Zhang Fuyan's house on his bicycle.
Zhang Fuyan: "There's a flight at 11 PM tonight. Do you have your household registration booklet with you?"
"In my dorm at school." Jiang Dong studies in Beijing, and his household registration needs to be transferred to the school, so he has his own booklet, which he always keeps in his dorm.
"Then let's go back to school to get the booklet, then grab something to eat before heading to the airport." Zhang Fuyan reached for her bicycle.
Jiang Dong, remembering her foot wasn't fully healed, said, "Don't ride, I'll give you a ride!"
Zhang Fuyan agreed; her home wasn't far from school anyway, so she jumped onto the back of Jiang Dong's bicycle.
Jiang Dong took Zhang Fuyan back to school, retrieved her household registration booklet, student ID, and other necessary documents from her dorm, and then they went out to eat.
Zhang Fuyan didn't have an appetite and wanted noodles, so Jiang Dong took her to the noodle shop Ye Xian had recommended.
After finishing their noodles, they went to the street to wait for a taxi.
Ye Xian and her classmate were eating noodles together.
Her classmate tugged at her sleeve and pointed to two people on the street: "Isn't that your boyfriend?"
Ye Xian turned her head and immediately saw Jiang Dong standing with a very fashionable and beautiful woman.
He was talking to her.
The woman was looking up at her; her profile was beautiful, her skin was fair, and she had a great presence!
The two of them standing together were like a beautiful sight on the street.
At this moment, a taxi appeared on the street, and Zhang Fuyan quickly ran out to flag it down. In her haste, she twisted her ankle.
It was rush hour, and there were many bicycles on the street. A bicycle happened to be approaching.
Jiang Dong quickly reached out to help her and brought her back.
Ye Xian's mind went blank. She rushed forward, grabbed Zhang Fuyan's arm, pulled her over, and slapped her across the face: "Bitch!"
The sound of the slap echoed!
Zhang Fuyan and Jiang Dong were both stunned!
The taxi had just stopped at that moment, and the taxi driver was also stunned.
Zhang Fuyan, furious, clutched her burning face: "Who are you? Are you crazy? Hitting someone in the street!"
Jiang Dong looked at Ye Xian incredulously: "Xiao Xian, what are you doing?"
Ye Xian angrily retorted: "Who is this? What are you doing with her? Jiang Dong, you're a pervert! Two-timing!"
Jiang Dong, enraged, blushed: "This is Sister Xiaoyan, my sister's friend."
Ye Xian: "..."
"Your sister's friend, what are you doing with her?"
Seeing their argument, the driver asked: "Want a ride?"
Jiang Dong, eager to get to the airport, immediately said: "Yes! Sister Xiaoyan, you get in first."
Ye Xian held onto Jiang Dong tightly: "Don't go!"
Zhang Fuyan was also angry, but guessing it was Jiang Dong's girlfriend, she got in first, letting them explain themselves.
Jiang Dong said to Ye Xian: "Something came up at home, I have to go home now, I'll talk to you when I get back."
Ye Xian held onto Jiang Dong tightly: "No! What is it? Explain yourself before you go!"
The taxi driver urged him on! Don't interfere with his earning time!
Jiang Dong was anxious, but he couldn't just say anything about his father's situation, and he didn't know what was going on either.
"I really have an urgent matter to attend to at home! Something's happened at my house! I don't know what happened, I'll tell you when I get back!" With that, he pulled his hand away, got into a taxi, and closed the door.
The taxi started and drove away.
Ye Xian was stunned. Something happened at his house? What could have happened to his house?
***
Jiang Xia arrived at the city dock by boat. It was already past eight o'clock, and the city dock was much quieter than usual.
However, some fishing boats that had returned late and others preparing to set sail still had their lights on.
Therefore, along the long beach, one could see the flickering lights of fishing boats and fishermen wearing flashlights coming and going.
No matter the era or time, there will always be people who tirelessly work day and night for a living; this is life.
Zhou Chengxin moored the boat and unloaded two bicycles onto the road.
The two quickly rode their bicycles towards the city.
They arrived at the Jiang family home around 8:30.
Jiang Xia knocked on the door. As soon as her mother opened it, she slapped Jiang Xia across the face: "What did you do to get your father arrested?!"
Caught completely off guard, Jiang Xia hadn't expected this!
She tried to dodge, but didn't completely avoid the blow; her chin was still hit.
This was the first time Jiang Xia had been hit, and she had almost retaliated!
Zhou Chengxin, standing behind Jiang Xia, was also startled: "Mother-in-law, let's talk this out!"
"..."
Only then did Jiang's mother realize that the person following Jiang Xia was Zhou Chengxin, not Zhou Chenglei. She tried to make her expression better, but failed. Her face darkened, and she said, "Let's go inside first!"
Jiang's mother quickly turned around, feeling dizzy and swaying.
Jiang Xia and Zhou Chengxin hurriedly reached out to support her.
Zhou Chengxin: "Should we take your mother to see a doctor first?"
Jiang's mother had only been dizzy for a moment; she hadn't eaten or drunk a single drop of water since last night.
"I'm fine, I'm probably just hungry. Just help me inside to sit down."
The two could only help her inside.
Jiang Xia thought about how Jiang's father was being investigated because of her, and how Jiang's mother was probably furious. She didn't hold the slap against her mother and made her a bowl of malted milk powder: "Drink some first."
Jiang's mother took it, glancing at Zhou Chengxin, feeling a little embarrassed. It wasn't good for outsiders to see her disciplining her daughter.
This was the first time in so many years that she had hit her child!
She was truly furious!
What had Jiang Xia done? For money, she had actually caused her father to be taken away!
How did her father raise her all these years? How did he love her?
Jiang Dong would be beaten by his father every few days for doing something wrong, but Jiang Xia and her father wouldn't even lay a finger on her. Yet they raised such a money-grubbing daughter?
Tonight, a phone call came to Jiang's mother, and the person said it was probably related to her daughter.
The more Jiang's mother thought about it, the angrier she became. Coupled with a day and a night of worry and the fact that she had searched for both children for a whole day, she lost control of her emotions!
Seeing that Jiang's mother's complexion had improved a bit, Zhou Chengxin felt it was better for him not to be there at this time, so he said, "Mother-in-law, I won't bother you any longer. I'll go to a nearby hotel, the one we just saw on the way. Xia, come find me if you need anything."
Jiang Xia nodded, stood up, and saw him off, "Okay, thank you, brother."
Jiang's mother didn't want any outsiders around, and she had many questions for Jiang Xia, so she said, "Something happened at home, I'm so sorry! Thank you for bringing Xia Xia back."
"It's nothing, I'll be going now!" Zhou Chengxin replied and left.
After Zhou Chengxin left, Jiang's mother's anger subsided, and she asked again, "What exactly did you do? Why did someone anonymously report your father? You'd better tell me everything!"
Jiang Xia replied, "I didn't do anything. Dad knows what I did. I saw him that day and I told him everything. If it's because of me that someone reported you, I promise Dad will come back once things are cleared up!"
Jiang Xia was worried about Ye Xian.
Jiang Xia showed her mother the documents she had brought.
After reading them, Jiang's mother breathed a sigh of relief.
That should be alright.
Over the years, Jiang's mother and father had weathered countless storms; they weren't afraid of anything except their two children going astray.
Jiang Xia asked, "When was Dad taken away?"
"Yesterday afternoon."
"Did he say anything?"
"Why would he say anything about something like this? I only found out because your father didn't come home all night. I couldn't get any useful information! Someone told me they vaguely heard the other party mention your name."
"That's alright, I promise!"
"Hmm." The child Old Jiang had raised was a bit spoiled and willful, but definitely not that kind of person.
Zhou Chenglei… probably not, Old Jiang is always right about people.
Jiang's mother couldn't help but glance at Jiang Xia's face. She had only slapped him on the chin; she wondered if it hurt. She was a little regretful and was about to say something when there was a knock on the door!
Jiang Xia and her mother exchanged a glance.