Chapter 196 Searching for Relatives

After hearing this, Zhou Shufen's lips curled up slightly.

“I know. The factory has already added more people to work overtime, with three shifts and the machines running non-stop. The new batch of raw materials just arrived today and has passed quality inspection. The new goods should arrive in a couple of days. Just keep an eye on this shipment and make sure there are no mistakes.”

As she spoke, she casually took off the bag from her shoulder.

"You've worked hard. Close up shop early and go home to rest."

Kang Liangwen responded and began organizing the shelves.

Looking at the piles of goods and thinking about the numbers in today's ledger, he felt as sweet as if he had eaten honey.

He pulled out his ledger and checked each item one by one. Today, he had sold over 800 daily necessities alone.

This was something I never dared to imagine before.

He used to work as a porter at the dock, earning only a dozen yuan a day despite the hard work. He was exposed to the elements and was often cheated out of his wages by the foreman.

But ever since I started working at Sister Zhou's grocery store, not only have I been paid on time, but I also receive red envelopes during holidays.

Even when his mother was hospitalized, Sister Zhou secretly slipped him 500 yuan without even asking for an IOU.

He believed that with her by his side, life would surely become more promising day by day.

Over the next few days, Guo Zhenyi carried gifts and visited the elders who had helped them with their divorce years ago, as planned.

Grandma Yang lives in the cotton mill's staff quarters and is sitting in the yard basking in the sun.

"Oh, it's Zhenyi! What a rare guest!"

He mentioned that Pan Yun might come back and also produced the agreement.

“Look, this is what you signed, Uncle Pan, and this is what you pressed your fingerprint on, Granny Yang. It’s written very clearly here that she herself filed for divorce and voluntarily gave up the family property and custody of the children.”

After hearing this, the elders all expressed their support for him.

After all, it was Pan Yun who wanted to leave back then.

That day, she carried a cloth bag and left without looking back, not even taking her daughter's first birthday photo with her.

He said this in front of everyone before he left.

"I don't want to stay in this house for another day. No one can stop me or look for me."

At that time, Guo Zhenyi was sick in bed, and she didn't even give him a sip of water.

For so many years, she has never cared about anything at home. Now that she's suddenly back, why should she interfere again?

With this matter settled, Guo Zhenyi felt much more at ease.

Guo Zhenyi only took a few days off.

He glanced at his watch; the train back to Ningcheng was at 5 PM tomorrow, and he needed to rush back to the guesthouse tonight to pack up the materials.

Once the matter is settled, he will return to Ningcheng.

He couldn't let go of Shufen's search for her family.

But the district is holding an economic coordination meeting next week, and he is the leader in charge, so he has to attend.

"Shufen, I really can't go with you to find Miss Li this time. Please be careful on the road, and call me when you have time. I'll be waiting for you at home every night."

Zhou Shufen looked at him with a smile.

"I've weathered the storms, so don't worry about me. I can do it."

She lifted the canvas bag off her shoulder.

Last year, she encountered a typhoon at sea, and her ship capsized halfway. She managed to stay on the life raft with her crew for two days and two nights.

Compared to that, this trip to Kitahara to find someone is just a matter of walking through the mountains for a few days.

"When I get back to Ningcheng, I'll definitely find a way to pave the way for you and make your business run more smoothly."

"I can get the neighborhood office to connect you with a few local agricultural product procurement channels, and then go through the procedures to apply for micro and small enterprise support funds. I will do my best to ensure that it is legal and compliant." His tone was firm, and his eyes were determined.

"Then we'll wait and see what big moves you make!"

Zhou Shufen deliberately teased him.

After seeing Guo Zhenyi off, Zhou Shufen and Zhou Yufan gave the daily necessities factory one last inspection.

Zhou Shufen stood at the factory gate.

"By the time we get back, the factory will have a new production line installed."

The night before their departure, the two entrusted the factory affairs to Wu Dekang and Xu Yunli in great detail.

"Brother Dekang, keep a close eye on production, especially the laundry detergent. Make sure there are no delays in delivery."

Zhou Shufen gave instructions.

“Sister-in-law, you know the accounts best. Keep a clear record of the daily transactions. I’ll call you every few days. If anything happens, just let me know.”

Zhou Yufan quickly added.

He knew that Xu Yunli was meticulous in her work, but accounting matters could not tolerate the slightest carelessness.

Wu Dekang patted his chest.

"Shufen, you can rest assured! Leave the factory to us, and it will be exactly as it was when you come back, just as bustling as ever."

He paused, then grinned.

"Besides, with my sister-in-law here keeping things in check, who would dare to slack off? I not only have to do a good job, but I also have to increase production by another 20%!"

Xu Yunli nodded repeatedly.

"Yes, don't worry about finding Hua Chen. We're here, you won't get lost."

Zhou Shufen's eyes welled up with tears. She took out several packets of newly produced samples from her storage space and stuffed them into the hands of the two of them.

"These are all newly made in the factory. Take them and use them. Write down whether they are easy to use or not, and I will fix them when I come back."

Those sample packets were the results of her testing a new type of laundry detergent over the past few nights.

Their eyes lit up.

the next day.

As soon as the sun rose, Zhou Shufen and Zhou Yufan boarded the train bound for Guixi City with their luggage.

Zhou Shufen gazed at the factory buildings in the distance, sighed softly, and turned to step onto the carriage steps.

Zhou Yufan looked out the window.

As he looked at the familiar yet unfamiliar fields, his thoughts drifted back to that summer many years ago.

The day he last saw Li Huachen.

He and Li Huachen hadn't seen each other for many years.

Zhou Shufen turned her head to look at him.

"Second brother, what are you thinking about?"

Zhou Yufan came to his senses.

"It's nothing... It just reminds me of the past, when she was always urging me to take the college entrance exam, it was so annoying that my ears were calloused."

He forced a smile.

Zhou Shufen reached out and pinched his arm.

"Are you taking the college entrance exam? You're almost thirty, why are you still living in your student days?"

Her tone was tinged with laughter.

Zhou Yufan lowered his head and remained silent for a few seconds.

“Little sister… do you think she hates me? That year, I… I crossed the line, and she got pregnant. How did that frail girl manage to get through it all alone…”

His hands slowly clenched into fists.

Zhou Shufen's hand froze in mid-air.

"Second brother, don't always be so hard on yourself. Back then, no one can really say who wronged whom. It's not that you didn't want to protect her, or that you didn't want to stand in front of her, it's just that you really had no other choice. The storms back then could swallow people up without a sound."

Zhou Yufan turned his head abruptly, his gaze fixed on the shadows of the trees flashing past the window.

The weather was extremely muggy in the days leading up to the Zhou family's incident.

They secretly met once on a small hill outside Yuxin City.

The mountain road was muddy and the air was humid. The two met hastily under the old locust tree they had agreed to meet.

It was pouring rain that day, and when they finally took shelter in the cave, they were already soaked to the bone.

The two young people were stunned, but even in their disheveled state, they still awkwardly gave their hearts to each other.

"Yu Fan, let's go talk to Mom and Dad after the rain stops."

He nodded, his palms sweaty.

But before they could even propose marriage, the Zhou family collapsed.

Overnight, creditors came knocking, the father was arrested, and the mother fell ill.

The Li family moved out completely and quietly, leaving no trace.

Later, he traveled all over most of China, from north to south and from east to west.

I heard that Li Huachen was pregnant and was kicked out of her home, leaving her to wander alone.

After that, she vanished into thin air, and no one ever saw her again.