"Isn't it ridiculous? Why would my sister want to kill herself? The magistrate wouldn't even investigate properly. He had me beaten twenty times for disturbing the court and randomly beating the drum. Later, I limped back to the shop, hoping He Shanhu would give me a few days off so I could hold a funeral for my sister. But as soon as I got to the shop, I found two new waiters. He Shanhu was hiding from me!"

He even sent a message to me through the waiter, saying I was fired. I didn't do anything! Why would he fire me for no reason? He's clearly guilty! I remember the way he looked at my sister that day, and something felt off. Those eyes were full of lust…”

Yang Qing spoke in a low voice.

His expression grew increasingly agitated.

“I firmly believe that He Shanhu killed my sister. Even if it wasn’t him, He Shanhu is still involved. I bought a coffin and buried my sister. The Chen family, who were engaged to my sister, also came. After my mother cried, she went crazy again. No matter how I asked her, she said she didn’t know. Later, in order to take care of my mother and prevent her from running away, I could only carry sandbags while my mother was asleep. I didn’t earn much, but I could still survive.”

Two years later, she still passed away. Before she died, her mother seemed to be lucid. She said that on the night she passed away, she was sewing clothes for me in the room by candlelight when she suddenly smelled a strange fragrance and lost consciousness. When she opened her eyes, it was already bright outside. She opened the door to prepare breakfast and saw her younger sister hanging on a tree in the yard with her clothes disheveled, her body and the rope swaying in the wind.

My mother screamed and collapsed unconscious. Then I came home to find what I saw. Tell me! How could I not hate him! Why was it such a coincidence that two shop assistants came to the store, and my neighbor saw two men go to my house! It must be He Shanhu; he killed my sister!

Yang Qing's eyes were bloodshot.

His fists were clenched, and his whole body was trembling.

He seemed to be suppressing his anger to the extreme.

"I want to avenge my sister and mother. I sold our ancestral home and used the money my mother had saved for my wedding to rent a shop and open an incense and candle shop. I'm going to crush He Shanhu! I'm sworn enemies with him! Wife, just you wait, this isn't over yet. I won't let the He family get away with this! Since the county government won't help, I'll take revenge for them myself!"

Yang Qing had worked as a waiter at the He family's incense and candle shop for three years.

He knew exactly where the goods came from.

Fueled by hatred, the Yang family's incense and candle shop became the most successful business in Shucheng a few years later.

Yang Qing attracts customers with low prices. Once customers get used to using Yang's incense and candle shop's products, Yang Qing slowly raises prices. If customers complain about the high prices and the customer base decreases, he lowers prices again to bring customers back.

This goes on and on.

No one in the industry could match his courage to risk losing money to bankrupt the He family shop.

Therefore, not only did they not lose money, they actually made a lot of money.

After losing his mother and sister, Yang Qing's fortunes improved dramatically. He bought a two-courtyard mansion in Shuxian County, bought the shops he had been renting, and also acquired a considerable amount of farmland.

He then married a young and beautiful woman named Su.

They had two sons and a daughter.

A happy family with sensible and intelligent children, and a considerate and attentive wife.

Calling him a winner in life wouldn't be an exaggeration.

But he could never let go of the hatred from back then.

"This is the first time I've heard you say these things. No wonder you suddenly went back to your room looking so downcast when Yuan'er asked you a few days ago why you didn't have any brothers or sisters. Husband, don't be sad. I'm here for you. I'll support you no matter what you do. It's just a matter of bringing down the He family. You can definitely do it, husband. Look at that kid from the He family and He Shanhu's grandson. They're just eating, drinking, and having fun all day long. They're two good-for-nothings. I heard that the He family sold off a lot of people not long ago. They're probably running out of money. You've already succeeded halfway!"

Looking at her husband, who was extremely upset, Su felt a pang of sympathy.

She took Yang Qing's arm, leaned on his shoulder, and spoke softly.

The two sat by the river, the sky above them a purplish-red expanse, the beautiful sunset painting the entire sky with a rosy glow.

“My lord, justice resides in the hearts of the people; the wicked will not be rewarded.”

Su's words struck Yang Qing's heart like a hammer blow.

He nodded emphatically.

"I will definitely get justice for my sister. It's ridiculous, really. He Shanhu doesn't know why I'm always going against him. He just thinks I don't know the cause of my sister's death. Humph, if you don't want people to know, then don't do it in the first place!"

Yang Qing spoke through gritted teeth.

"He really put on a good act. If you hadn't told me, I would never have guessed he was this kind of person. It's terrifying." Madam Su felt the hairs on her body stand on end.

She took Yang Qing's arm, her fingers gripping tightly.

"Don't be afraid, I'm here. No one will dare to bully you. I won't let you repeat the same mistakes." Yang Qing patted Su Shi's shoulder, giving her a sense of security.

One cannot live in hatred forever, nor can one remain sad forever.

After being comforted by Madam Su, Yang Qing's low spirits vanished. The couple sat by the river for a while before heading to a restaurant. It was Yang Qing's birthday, so they left their children with the maids at home and went out to enjoy some time alone.

Meeting He Shanhu was purely accidental.

"Dad, what about the payment? They're pressing us hard. If we don't get it by tomorrow, they won't cooperate with us anymore."

He Shanhu had just returned home.

Then he met his grandson, He Chuwei.

They said they bumped into each other.

Actually, He Chuwei had been waiting there all along, waiting for him to come back.

“Go find your father. His concubine always wears a different hairpin every day. Just sell some of them.”

He Shanhu was in a bad mood, so he sent his grandson away.

Back in the room, he took off his shoes and lay down on the bed without even taking a shower, and soon began snoring.

The business of the He family's incense and candle shop had long been handed over to He Wanjiang, but he didn't care about anything and only knew how to eat, drink and have fun. So the shop was basically managed by He Shanhu and He Chuwei together.

He Chuwei stood in the corner of the main room, listening to the snoring coming from the window, and his face tightened.

The masseter muscle appears and disappears intermittently.

Since his grandfather was indifferent, he had no choice but to go to his biological father.

He Chuwei arrived at his father's house and knocked on the door.

The sounds of laughter and playfulness inside immediately ceased.

"Who is it?" He Wanjiang called out to the outside.

"Father, it's me." He Chuwei didn't dare to go in.

His father and Aunt Liu were very close, and this relationship had remained unchanged for many years. When he was a child, he had caught them playing and frolicking on the bed several times. To avoid embarrassment, He Chuwei got into the habit of knocking on the door first.

I waited for less than fifteen minutes.

He Wanjiang came out disheveled.

"What do you want?" He was still quite polite to his only son.

"The money is due. My son went to his grandfather, but he told me to go to you. My son has no other choice; the shop's accounts only have a few copper coins left."