Spicy Daughter-in-Law and Evil Mother-in-Law Shelter

Keeping up with the times, even pigs can fly. In less than a month, Li Guorong easily earned back his investment and made double the profit. However, many merchants on the street started competing for his business.

Li Guorong was checking the goods in the warehouse. He had been working hard from dawn till dusk this month to buy goods. It was tough and tiring, but he was happy to have a good harvest.

Lin Shaocheng's eyes were full of heartache. "Take a rest today. You've lost weight."

Li Guorong, full of enthusiasm, refused, saying, "Now there are many small vendors on the street selling the same goods as us. We can't rest for even a day. If you rest, your old customers won't recognize you anymore."

Lin Shaocheng reached out and took the goods he needed to sell that day, hauling them onto the truck, a look of helplessness in his eyes.

Li Guorong, with a bag in his left hand and a bag in his right, asked, "When will my Beijing household registration be processed? I want to put a savings account in your name."

Lin Shaocheng said, "I'm applying. There are many people applying for Beijing residency now, and it's estimated that it will take half a year to get one."

Li Guorong's lips curled down; she was always uneasy if the money wasn't in her name.

When she arrived at the factory gate, the spot she had taken yesterday was already taken. Luckily, there was still a spot available at the snack stall on the left side of the factory. She went over and found that it was selling donkey rolls.

Li Guorong asked, "How much?"

The stall owner pointed to a long strip, "5 jiao, this long strip."

Sugar is very scarce now, so this long strip isn't expensive. There are vendors selling roasted sweet potatoes, fermented bean curd, and fried dough sticks at the factory gate, and other snacks like donkey rolls. There's a canteen inside the factory, and people usually eat whatever is fresh and whatever they like.

Li Guorong said, "Give me one." If he didn't sell clothes, he could sell snacks instead. There are no Chongqing snacks here, so he could adjust the menu to suit Beijingers' tastes.

Li Guorong brought the sliced ​​donkey roll to Lin Shaocheng's mouth, "Here, have the first bite."

Lin Shaocheng opened his mouth wide and swallowed it in one gulp, a smile in his eyes.

Li Guorong's mouth was full, like a little hamster. She likes spicy and sweet food, and this flavor suited her taste.

Soon, workers came home from get off work in droves, and many men also came to their stall. Their stall was one of the earliest to set up, and they had recently added men's and women's suits, which were cheaper than those in the market and state-run stores, as well as men's jeans, which were unique in Beijing.

Today is Saturday, and there are no classes at university. The two of them went there in the afternoon to sell some goods and packed up early. Today they need to go home and tidy up the house. The Lin family has hired a part-time worker again, but this part-time worker doesn't have to clean Lin Shaocheng's house.

As soon as she entered the house, Lin's mother rushed to the door, no longer as leisurely as before. The wound on her face had long since healed, supposedly with a secret palace recipe prepared by Lin's grandfather. Her hair had also grown back quite a bit, also with a secret palace recipe, but unfortunately, it was meant to be passed on to Lin Yicheng, and Lin Shaocheng was unaware of it.

Lin's mother spoke with a sob in her voice, "Shaocheng, you can hate your mother all you want, but your grandmother is sick and misses you terribly. I went to see her these past few days, and her eyes were all blurry from crying."

Lin Shaocheng dropped the braised meat in his hand to the ground, his face pale. He said in a trembling voice, "Grandma, what's wrong? You were fine, how did you suddenly get sick?"

Lin's mother said tearfully, "The green beans were ripe a while ago, and now there are many people coming to the city to sell vegetables. Your grandmother wanted to earn more money, so she picked some green beans to sell. Who knew that it would rain on the way, the green beans would spill, and she would fall. It was only thanks to the kindness of the people that she was able to get back. After getting soaked in the rain, she caught a cold. She absolutely refused to go to the hospital because she was afraid of spending money. You should persuade her quickly, she listens to you the most."

Lin Shaocheng was completely disoriented at this moment, and his hands were trembling uncontrollably.

Li Guorong held his trembling hand and whispered to comfort him, "Don't worry, we'll go see Grandma together right away."

Lin Shaocheng finally calmed down and hurriedly went into his room to pack his clothes and get his money.

Lin's mother said with concern, "This old woman's illness will probably take 10 days to half a month to recover, maybe even half a year. There has been no income during this time, and things keep piling up. The medical expenses are also quite high, and his grandmother doesn't have a factory to reimburse her expenses. What are we going to do?"

These words touched a nerve with Li Guorong. In her previous life, Ye Fan became disabled and couldn't find a job because she didn't have enough money to go to the hospital late. In this life, her father also passed away because he didn't have enough money to delay his brain surgery. She was somewhat dazed and swam into the room.

Lin Shaocheng was putting his and her clothes into the bundle, and Li Guorong didn't know how to start the conversation.

Now, if she says she doesn't want to go and wants to sell goods to earn money for her grandmother, wouldn't that seem heartless? But such a serious illness really requires a lot of money, and what if she can't come up with the funds?

Lin Shaocheng had already packed his bags and said, "Let's go."

Li Guorong sat on the bed with her head down. In her past life, she sold goods even in wind and rain. The most important thing about selling goods is to keep going. She looked up and said, "Go by yourself. There are so many goods in the warehouse that can't be delayed. Winter is coming soon. If we don't sell them, we'll have to wait until next year to sell them, or we'll have to lower the price."

Lin Shaocheng was stunned, his eyes filled with disbelief. This guy was more important than people. He said, "We've already made back our investment. We can still make a profit if we buy more goods next year."

Li Guorong said, "You can't get supplies now, and we still need to spend money on Grandma's care. Elderly people's illnesses are the hardest to treat, and we don't know how much it will cost. How can we manage without income?"

Lin Shaocheng was already anxious, and now his chest heaved as he said in a low voice, "If you don't want to go, then don't go."

He pulled Li Guorong's clothes from the package and threw them on the bed, then strode out of the Lin family home, slamming the door shut behind him.

Li Guorong felt numb all over. Lin Shaocheng had never been so angry before. He had always been gentle and kind to her, even when they were about to break up.

She stood up and gazed at Lin Shaocheng's departing figure through the window. If it were before, he would have turned back frequently. She couldn't help but squat down under the window, cover her face, wanting to cry but not knowing where to start.

Lin Shaocheng rode to the intersection, but couldn't help looking back at the window with the light still on, and let out a long sigh.

As the days went by, Lin Shaocheng sent Li Xiangxi to deliver a message saying that his grandmother's injuries were not serious and that she would be able to get out of bed soon. He would return as soon as she was able to get out of bed.

Li Guorong breathed a sigh of relief; it was good that it wasn't serious. She had been having trouble sleeping these past few days, constantly thinking about Lin Shaocheng's cold tone when he left.

There wasn't much stock left in the warehouse. She planned to ask Li Xiangxi where Lin Shaocheng's maternal grandmother lived after she sold out, so she could go and take care of her.

Li Guorong felt the change in her pocket when several police officers blocked her way home.

She's been a law-abiding citizen in both her past and present lives, and she's never seen anything like this before. Her legs went weak with fear. Did they know she had a gun and that it was stored back in her hometown? How did they know?

One of the police officers said, "Someone reported that you don't have a temporary residence permit or a letter of introduction. Come with us."

Li Guorong's expression softened. So that's what it was about. She had both of them, but she hadn't carried them with her for fear of damaging them. She said, "I have them. My house is just ahead. I'll take you there."

Her accent clearly indicated she wasn't a local.

An older police officer followed behind her and asked, "What brings you to Beijing? Are you on official business?"

Li Guorong answered cheerfully, "I married a Beijinger, and I'll be living in Beijing from now on."

A young man said, "So that means you have a Beijing hukou (household registration)?"

Li Guorong said helplessly, "Getting a Beijing hukou (household registration) isn't that easy. It takes several months to apply, and then you have to wait several more months."

The group arrived in front of a small Western-style building, and the police officers' expressions softened considerably upon seeing the building.

Li Guorong entered the house and opened the door to the second floor. Lin's mother rushed out, looking frightened, and said, "Who are you? Why are you here, officers? What do you want?"

Li Guorong looked astonished. What happened? Had he lost his memory? Li Guorong was usually quite polite in front of strangers. He said, "Grandma, did you hit your head?"

Lin's mother resisted the urge to roll her eyes and asked, "Who are you? Why are you calling me 'grandmother'?"

The police officers looked back and forth between the two, wondering what was going on.

Lin's mother snatched the keys from Li Guorong's hand and said in horror, "Isn't this the key I lost last month?"

Li Guorong looked impatient and pursed her lips. With Lin Shaocheng gone, this old woman was starting to cause trouble again. She thought she would deal with her once the police left. She quickly smiled and said to the police officer, "My mother-in-law has a bit of dementia and doesn't remember things. I'll go to the room to get it for you right away."

Lin's mother spread her arms to block Li Guorong's steps into the house and shouted loudly, "Who are you to barge into my house?"

Several police officers quickly stopped Li Guorong. The situation was unclear; they didn't know if the homeowner was truly mentally unstable or if Li Guorong was talking nonsense. Both of them acted confidently, making it difficult to judge.

The older police officer said, "How about this, I'll go inside with this woman and check her identification."

Lin's mother then lowered her arms, "Then I want to come along too."

The police officer replied, "Of course."

The group entered Lin Shaocheng's room. The original red bed sheets had been replaced with blue and white checkered ones. There was only one cup left on the bedside table, and the only photo of the two of them was Lin Shaocheng's student photo.

Li Guorong looked around blankly. The room was different from the one she had left in the morning. She had a vague feeling of bad. She hurriedly opened the bedside table and found that all her underwear had disappeared, as had her letter of introduction and temporary residence permit that she had hidden inside.

She turned around and opened the wardrobe. All the dresses, shirts, and pants she had bought in the past few months had disappeared, leaving only Lin Shaocheng's few clothes.

The police officers carefully examined the house and found that it was clearly a man living alone. They approached Li Guorong with some suspicion.

Li Guorong trembled all over, pointed his right finger at Lin's mother, and cursed, "Are you playing tricks on me? Where are my clothes and identification?"

Lin's mother trembled and hid behind the police, her voice shaking, "I've already said, I don't know you. Where did this mentally ill person come from? You found my key and pretended to be someone from my family. This is my son's room. My son isn't even married yet."

Lin's mother turned around and went back into her room, took out her household registration booklet and showed it to the police. It did show that she had two sons, but no daughters-in-law, and both sons were unmarried.

The police officer said to Li Guorong, "Come with us."

Li Guorong refused. She had identification documents, which Lin's mother must have hidden. Several police officers told her to go outside, but she clung tightly to the door frame and shouted, "I have a temporary residence permit and a letter of introduction. He must have hidden them. I'm going to call the police. She stole my things. Go to her room and look for her right now!"

Lin's mother shouted, "Where did this mentally ill person from out of town come from? Take him away immediately, don't ruin my son's reputation. My son isn't even married yet."

The police officers had no choice but to advise, "Come back with us first, and we'll investigate thoroughly."

Li Guorong pointed to feeling her blood rushing to her head, her head buzzing, and her whole body burning up. She said she was staying there and wouldn't leave. "My husband is Lin Shaocheng, and I'm not going anywhere."

Lin's mother's eyes darkened slightly as she pointed at Li Guorong's face and scolded, "Get rid of the pig manure smell on you before you try to drag my son into this. My son is a worker, a high school graduate. How dare you have such wishful thinking?"

Li Guorong was already furious with Lin's mother, and now he didn't care about the outsiders present. Like a herd of leopards, he rushed forward to tear Lin's mother apart.

Several police officers quickly stopped him and said sternly, "Come to the station first. We will investigate and contact your family."

Li Guorong tried to push the police away, but no matter how strong she was, she was no match for the two big men. She turned her head and glared fiercely at her mother-in-law, cursing, "You wait until I get back and deal with you."

The young policeman said, "Behave yourself."

At Lin Shaocheng's maternal grandmother's house, the old lady lay on the bed, a smile on her wrinkled face. "Don't get angry with your wife. It wasn't easy to find a way to make money. She's from the village, so she's insecure and definitely wants to hold on tight. I just have a minor cold and twisted my ankle. It's not as serious as your mother is making it out to be. Hurry up and go home to make money."

Lin Shaocheng wrung out a towel and wiped his grandmother's face, saying, "I'm not leaving. Grandpa can't cook, and there are no restaurants in the village. We've been eating whatever we can find these past few days, and your illness isn't getting any better. I'll leave when you're fully recovered."

Li Xiangxi also arrived, carrying a can of yellow peaches, which was his grandmother's favorite. Lin Shaocheng gave him a wink, and the two brothers went to the back.

"Could you keep an eye on your sister-in-law for me? I'm always worried about her running the stall alone."

Li Xiangxi chuckled, "She's such a feisty person, what are you worried about?"

Lin Shaocheng raised his long leg to kick, but Li Xiangxi ran two steps and said, "I'll go back to the city right away and see, it's the light factory area."

Upon arriving at the entrance of the light factory, there were several clothing stores of various sizes, but Li Guorong was nowhere to be seen. Li Xiangxi frowned, wondering if they had already sold out. If they were selling so well, he should have followed the convoy to the south to purchase more goods.

There was a serving of donkey rolls next to him. Li Xiangxi patted his empty stomach and said, "Give me one."

The stall owner quickly packed it up and said, "Here you go."

Li Xiangxi asked in a low voice, "Isn't there a woman buying clothes over here? I haven't seen her."

The stall owner looked surprised. "You're not from the factory, are you? This woman hasn't been here for over a week. She loves my donkey rolls."

Li Xiangxi smiled, took a bite of the donkey roll, then turned around with a gloomy expression and hurriedly rode his bicycle towards the Lin family.

Lin's mother opened the door and asked impatiently, "Who is it?"

Li Xiangxi smiled broadly and said, "Auntie, I've come to get some clean clothes for my brother."

Lin's mother said, "Hurry up and get it, I still need to go out to get my hair done."

Li Xiangxi slipped into the house like an eel. Lin Shaocheng's room was empty, with only a single group photo inside and a few clothes lying forlornly in the wardrobe.

Li Xiangxi was holding the clothes when Lin's mother, who was about to leave, asked, "Where's my sister-in-law?"

Lin's mother paused in putting on her new shoes, looked up, and asked in confusion, "What sister-in-law?"

Li Xiangxi laughed and said, "I heard my brother has a girlfriend, but I must have misheard."

Lin's mother patted Li Xiangxi's arm, "It's a shame you're my nephew."

Li Xiangxi touched his head, looking as simple and silly as when he was a child.

It was right at the end of the workday. The workers in the suburban factories had all finished their shifts and were heading towards the center of Beijing. Li Xiangxi rang his bicycle bell until it was practically blazing, and kept shouting, "Excuse me, excuse me!"

He was like the only fish swimming upstream in a school of fish; something must have happened, he was sure of it.

Lin Shaocheng stood shirtless in the vegetable garden, pulling up the yellowed bean and cucumber vines one by one. These past few days, he had been worried that something might happen to Li Guorong, and only when he was working could he calm down.

A sudden, urgent bicycle bell made his heart skip a beat.

"Something's happened, brother, something's happened." Li Xiangxi's shirt was soaked with sweat, and his eyes kept blinking, stinging from the sweat on his head.

Lin Shaocheng quickly stepped forward and asked, "What happened?"

Li Xiangxi said, "My sister-in-law is missing. All her things are gone from the house."

Lin Shaocheng gripped the bicycle handlebars and pushed Li Xiangxi off, saying, "Take good care of Grandma. I'm going to the city to find your sister-in-law."

In a Beijing shelter, bedbugs crawled densely on the straw-covered beds. A woman with disheveled hair and unidentified discharge on her pants mumbled something unintelligible.

The other women sat together, their faces bruised, chatting and laughing quietly, occasionally glancing disdainfully at the southwest corner.

The woman in the southwest corner had a torn piece on the arm of her red sweater, her hair was disheveled, and she sat on the ground hugging her face.

A staff member came over to bring them food. The woman in red stood up and shouted, "Hasn't the pharmaceutical factory responded? I've lived in their factory's employee dormitory. They can prove that my husband is an employee of the factory and that I am his wife."

The staff member said, "We've already contacted him. There is indeed an employee named Lin Shaocheng. The contact person replied that this male employee is single. We should find some reliable people to vouch for you. You have half a month left. If you don't get your temporary residence permit, you'll have to return to your place of origin."

Li Guorong sat limply on the ground. Everyone inside was lining up to receive a cornbread and a bowl of thin porridge. She had no appetite. She could only leave when Lin Shaocheng returned.

The stench of the mentally ill and the asylum mingled with the aroma of porridge around Li Guorong's nose, making him feel nauseous.

The staff member shouted, "If you don't eat now, you'll have to wait until evening!"

She lay helplessly on the floor, which was cleaner than the bed. For the past two weeks, she had been eating meat every day, even when she was being tortured and forced to do housework. Now, she was being forced to eat this. She could barely manage to eat it a couple of days ago, but today, with no hope of saving herself left, how could she possibly eat? She could only hope that Lin Shaocheng would come to her rescue.

The autumn wind stings your face, and there are hardly any people strolling on the streets anymore. The mosquitoes in late autumn are not to be trifled with; their buzzing annoys you, and their bites make you scratch them incessantly.

Lin Shaocheng pedaled his bicycle like Nezha's Wind Fire Wheels, large beads of sweat streaming down his face. There was no one on the street, and the occasional barking of dogs was sparse.

Lin Shaocheng opened his door. The residents on the first floor had already gone to bed. He went upstairs with a thud, unlocked the door, and found the house empty. He rushed into his room, opened the wardrobe, and found only his thin coat inside. In the darkness, his eyes shone with an astonishing light.

bang bang bang bang bang bang

The loud knocking woke up the Lin family. Lin's mother rubbed her eyes and angrily opened the door. Her eldest son stared at her with wolf-like eyes. Just as she was about to speak, Lin Shaocheng stepped past his mother and pulled Lin's father, who was sleeping in bed, up.

"You came up with this idea, right? My mom doesn't have the brains for it."

Lin's father leaned against the headboard as if he had no bones, saying, "I don't understand what you're saying."

Lin Shaocheng cracked his knuckles as he pressed them together. "You don't want your hands anymore?"

Lin's father straightened up. "I am your father, you unfilial son."

Lin Shaocheng snorted coldly, "You're my father. Even if I break your hand, it's a family matter."

Grandpa Lin also appeared in the room, and Lin Yicheng helped the old man up.

Grandpa Lin roared, "Do you even care about this family anymore?"

Lin Shaocheng said, "Grandpa was old and died of heart disease, but no one doubted it."

Grandpa Lin's face turned pale, and everyone else lowered their heads, not daring to make a sound.

Grandpa Lin spoke up: "Xiuli, what exactly happened? Didn't you say that girl packed up her clothes and money and ran back to her hometown?"

Lin's mother looked up and said, "That's how it is, son. It's not hard to find a woman, why are you making such a fuss? I'll find you a girl who can study."

Lin Shaocheng's face turned pale. Li Guorong had put the passbook in the cabinet in the warehouse. If he really left, why wouldn't he take the money with him?

Lin Shaocheng's impatience became even more apparent, veins bulged on his forehead, and his fist, accompanied by a whooshing sound, struck near his mother's ear.

The mere force of the punch startled Lin's mother, who covered her head and screamed, "You dare hit me? I'm your mother!"

Lin Shaocheng sneered, "You don't have to be my mother. If you don't want the wages from the factory, you can just say so."

Lin's mother was terrified, and without money, she was even more desperate. She whispered, "If you dare to go to the shelter, don't come back."

Lin Shaocheng turned around and slammed the door shut. A child downstairs cried out once or twice, clearly having a nightmare from the fierce fighting upstairs.

Lin Shaocheng sped through the pitch-black night, forgetting to even ride his bicycle.

The five large metal characters of "Beijing Detention Center" gleamed coldly even in the moonless night, and the two-meter-high steel door was topped with sharp spikes.

Li Shaocheng shook the door, but no one answered. He could only wait. He stood straight in front of the door, unable to imagine how much suffering Li Guorong had endured. The shelter was full of vagrants, and Li Guorong, being so weak, must have been bullied there.

Inside the shelter, the dim light made the group of female migrants look even more pale. One of them, with a bruised face, shouted, "You silly woman, your man definitely doesn't want you anymore."

Li Guorong's eyes blazed with anger. She had shown mercy to the woman because they were from the same hometown, but the woman still dared to provoke her. She yelled, "Haven't you had enough of being beaten? Go to sleep, you two."

Li Guorong's shout made even the mentally ill patient lie quietly in bed to rest. She faced the wall, her eyes filled with tears, not wanting anyone to see. Was it really because she was always thinking about making money that Lin Shaocheng disliked her?