“I heard from Xiao Deng that A Lei’s bones aren’t healing well. We should have sent him back to Shanghai for treatment back then. Our medical standards here aren’t high. Why doesn’t he leave?” Zhou Xing’s mother asked, but she already had the answer in her heart.

How could he dare leave? He couldn't even catch him when he was right in front of him.

"Mom, am I being too harsh? Look at Hanhan and my little sister now, they're not close to me anymore. They don't care about me at all. When I come back from the outing, they don't even glance at me." Qin Xiaoyu became more and more heartbroken as she spoke, crying her heart out.

“You’re overthinking it. You’re their mother. Who else would they love if not you? We understand you’re busy.” Zhou Xing’s mother gently stroked her hair and softly comforted her.

"Mom, is there any way I can salvage this?" Qin Xiaoyu asked, lifting her tear-streaked face.

“Why not? Why don’t you go to Shanghai?” Zhou Xing’s mother said after thinking for a moment.

“I can’t leave right away. Sister Meng’s counter is about to open, and she doesn’t have enough experience, so I need to oversee it. Also, Fengqin’s wedding is just around the corner, and I…” Qin Xiaoyu suddenly realized that no matter what, A Lei was never her top priority.

He did not wrong her.

My cousin and Lao Wang have finalized their collaboration, but if the cancer isn't removed, he'll never climb up the ladder.

That's when Qi Si comes in.

Old Wang worked at an auto parts factory, repairing cars every day, and his body was covered in a layer of grease that he couldn't wash off. When Qi Si sent Xiao Cui and a few of his brothers over, he was lying in the mud, half of his body under a truck.

"Old Wang, come out!" Xiao Cui stepped forward and kicked Old Wang in the waist.

Old Wang scrambled out from under the car and was stunned when he saw them.

Who are you looking for?

"Hey, when are you going to pay back the money you owe me?!"

"When did I owe you money?" Old Wang retorted arrogantly.

"You dare to renege on your debt? Beat him up!" Xiao Cui waved his hand. Several thugs pounced on him, surrounding Old Wang and punching and kicking him.

The workers were timid and watched from a distance. The thugs beat one of the workers for a while, but they were still not satisfied. They came over, grabbed one of the workers, slapped him twice, and then beat him repeatedly.

Only after they left did everyone realize what had happened.

"What's going on?" someone asked Old Wang.

"It's nothing." Old Wang's nose was bleeding, and he was lying on his back trying to stop the bleeding.

"This is a huge loss, boss, what should we do?" someone whispered to the foreman.

"What should we do? Whoever caused the trouble should pay for it, including medical expenses and lost wages, all of which should be deducted from his wages!" The foreman had just been kicked and his buttocks were hurting badly, so he was thinking of going to the health station to get checked out.

"Why should I?!" Old Wang is usually quiet and doesn't say a word, but this is a big deal involving money, so he can't be careless!

"What right do you have? Don't you know what you've done?" Although no one dared to touch their coworker when he was first beaten, they weren't going to tolerate him now and surrounded him.

"What are you doing? Are you bullying me?" Wang Jian's stepmother walked in, holding the youngest child in her arms.

"What are you doing here?" Old Wang asked with disgust when he saw her.

"What day is it already? You haven't brought back your wages, and you haven't even shown your face. How can we live like this? If the children were all mine, that would be fine, but you still have your little brat, right? And you expect me to raise him for you?" Wang Jian's stepmother cursed loudly, and the coworkers burst into laughter.

"I bet he lost the money gambling. Someone just came to collect the debt!" someone added fuel to the fire.

"Collect the debt?" Wang Jian's stepmother was a little unsure.

"A few thugs just came by, saying Old Wang owes money. Look, we've beaten him up and smashed his things. He'll have to pay for all of this. You still want your wages? Dream on!" The foreman spat on the ground.

"Is this true?" Wang Jian's stepmother grabbed the foreman, and the child in her arms was startled awake and burst into tears.

"Why would I lie to you!" The foreman shoved her away.

"What are you doing if you're not working?" The workshop director walked in and was furious when he saw the workers gathered around.

"Director Qu, there's something I need to do. Let's get started right away!" the foreman said obsequiously.

"Wait a minute, the list of laid-off workers has been released. There are seven in your group. Take a look for yourselves." After saying that, the workshop director slapped a piece of paper into the foreman's arms.

The crowd surged forward, squeezing the foreman inside, and everyone reached out to grab the piece of paper.

"Don't grab it! Don't grab it! Let me see, let me see!" The foreman managed to shield the paper in his arms.

“Xue Ping, Liu Yi, Wang Dazhu…”

"Wang Dazhu!" Wang Jian's mother shoved the child in her arms into Old Wang's arms, let out a cry, and rushed into the crowd. None of the men were a match for her; she snatched the paper from their hands in no time.

Wang Dazhu's name was prominently listed. Her face turned ashen, and she turned back to Old Wang, yelling, "Divorce!"

To others, Old Wang had a terrible day: he was laid off and divorced. His wife left with her several children, leaving him with their infant son who was only a few months old.

When he entered the house, he found that although the house was still dilapidated, there was an indescribable tranquility. The poverty of life had not changed, but being able to have peace and quiet was a good choice.

Qin Xiaoyu arranged all of this, but she didn't expect it to be resolved so quickly.

He hit rock bottom, unable to get rid of the cancer. With the cancer there, they'll never recover.

Besides Wang Meimei, whose whereabouts are unknown, Wang Jian's younger brother and sister are both in school, and his youngest son is being cared for by a nanny. Old Wang went to work at his cousin's factory.

Much later, one day the workshop foreman, after drinking too much, spoke the truth: "I've never seen anyone pay money to buy their own job. Has Wang Dazhu lost his mind?"

It was only then that everyone realized what was going on. When they saw Wang Dazhu again, he was no longer the slovenly man. His face was clean, his clothes were neat, and he was riding a brand-new Phoenix 28-inch bicycle, going as fast as if he were chasing the wind. He had really climbed to a higher position.

The same principle applies to the saying "a brave man cuts off his own arm to save his life." Those who became wealthy in that era were all bold and daring.

Tang Fengqin's wedding is fast approaching, and everyone in the family is busy preparing. Qin Xiaoyu is enduring this agonizing wait; as soon as the wedding is over, she'll head to Shanghai.

As for Ah Lei, he seemed to have vanished without a trace. Qin Xiaoyu still had a glimmer of hope. He had said he wanted to give up several times, but he always came back in the end. He thought he would do it again this time.

Ever since A Lei left, Commander Zhou hadn't given her a kind look. Qin Xiaoyu didn't want to upset them, so she kept a low profile and avoided them.

In the end, Commander Zhou caught him red-handed.

"Little Fish, I'm warning you, if you dare let A Lei escape, I'll go and bring him back."

"I know, Dad, you're abandoning me for him." Qin Xiaoyu said dejectedly.

"Xiaoyu, I sincerely hope you can be happy." Commander Zhou sighed heavily. Qin Xiaoyu suddenly remembered his hurried escape outside the cemetery, and felt a pang of sadness.

Commander Wang and Xiao Mengting had been preparing for the counter together. Xiao Mengting came back briefly to sign the contract, then went back to work. Commander Wang stayed behind, partly to wait for his son's wedding to end, and partly to wait for the goods to be picked up.