Chapter 38 Making Money Like Fighting a War (Bug Fixing): Two-in-One

There were as many Yang Bailao and Huang Shiren on the steel mill, and soon Wang Xiao managed to get rid of the winery and sweater factory in Beijing, plus a towel factory in Tianjin.

As for why wineries, sweater factories, and towel factories could owe money to steel mills, please refer to that twisted, snake-like debt chain.

After receiving the list, Wang Xiao immediately contacted his Soviet clients. To his delight, they called back right away. Why? Well, making overseas calls from the Soviet Union to China was much cheaper than the other way around.

Even if you have money, you shouldn't spend it recklessly.

I heard that Wang Xiao found a well-known factory in Beijing to ship their goods, so they wouldn't have to go to the provincial capital anymore. He could also help with the shipping procedures and get the goods on the plane. The Soviet side readily agreed.

Two successful collaborations, demonstrating that she wasn't a shell company trying to make money out of thin air, were enough to establish a relationship of trust between the two parties.

If we can complete the third order as soon as possible, it will be a good thing for everyone.

After contacting the buyer, a problem arose when I tried to contact the seller.

Now all factories are terrified of the existence of triangular debt.

Apart from soap factories and toothpaste and toothbrush factories in Xin County that had cooperated with Wang Xiao before and were willing to ship goods first and wait for payment based on their personal trust in her and their strong desire to export their products, the other factories were basically only willing to pay cash on delivery.

We can't afford to delay, we really can't afford to delay. No matter who the buyer is, they might default on payment.

They've suffered huge losses; who would be willing to take that risk?

But the steel mill isn't willing to advance the money; they're not lending out a single penny now. All the factory's employees are desperate for food.

Finally, the pressure returned to Wang Xiao.

To close this deal, she needs to raise three million dollars.

Damn it, Wang Xiao was even considering giving up.

With her influence in the province, she could easily procure enough goods, the kind where she ships first and then receives payment, so why go through all this trouble?

However, people can't stay in their comfort zone forever. They have to push themselves to find out their true capabilities.

Wang Xiao first negotiated with three factories in Beijing and Tianjin. A deposit was acceptable, but full payment was unrealistic. If they didn't agree, so be it; forcing a cow to drink water is futile. There were plenty of factories wanting to do business with the Soviets; if it weren't for the steel mills, she would never have approached them.

After much persuasion, the three factories finally relented and agreed to make a deposit first. However, this deposit was not 10%, but 30%.

Wang Xiao negotiated with the manufacturer for a while and finally managed to reduce the deposit to 25%, which is 750,000 yuan.

Of course, she didn't have 750,000 yuan. All the money she had earned in her business so far was only 440,000 yuan. She was short 310,000 yuan, so she went directly to Xiang Dong to borrow it.

Consider it a partnership, and he'll get an extra 30% later.

It can't be based on the proportion of investment, because all the connections and coordination depend on her.

Xiang Dong is a gambler; without guts, a farmer from out of town like him could never have set up such a large counter in the provincial capital.

310,000? Fine. Anyway, he's made over 200,000 in the last two rounds. Even if they lose everything this time, he can afford it.

Therefore, there is truth to the old saying that the richer you are, the richer you become.

Otherwise, even if they knew this deal could be very profitable, someone without money in their pocket would absolutely not dare to take such a big risk.

Even if you want to take a risk, you don't have the capital.

Wang Xiao acted immediately after receiving the money. She didn't dare to take hundreds of thousands of yuan in cash to the capital, even though that's normal for business people these days.

She followed the wire transfer procedure obediently, and then took Old Man Wang and Tang Yicheng onto the train to Beijing.

Dr. Chen originally wanted to go too. Last time they went to the capital, they were in too much of a rush and didn't have time to explore properly.

Unfortunately, everyone was busy at the end of the year, and she couldn't switch shifts. She could only pinch Old Wang's waist hard and push him onto the train fiercely.

Wang Tiejun is the one who feels wronged.

Was his daughter accompanying him to Beijing just to show him around? No way.

As soon as she got off the train, she rushed off like a whirlwind, heading straight to the winery and the sweater factory to arrange for the inspection, packing, and shipping of the goods.

Midway through, she even got into a big argument with the factory because some sweaters had been piled up for too long and had quality problems, and successfully got the goods transferred.

Then, without taking a break, she went to the towel factory in Jinshi and repeated the process again.

The towel factory was incredibly easy to talk to and extremely cooperative. They even agreed to send a vehicle to deliver the goods to Beijing Airport. The only request was that if there were similar business opportunities in the future, please consider them first.

In the words of their sales manager, he felt that the domestic market for towels was already saturated. Even expanding into rural areas wouldn't yield significant results.

If you want to clear your inventory quickly, exporting is probably the best way.

Wang Xiao laughed; this made perfect sense.

Triangular debt is a global problem. It is said that in the early 1990s, not only China, but also the Soviet Union and Eastern Europe were plagued by triangular debt. Perhaps mutual exchange of resources is the best way to resolve debt.

After all, because of different industrial focuses, everyone's overcapacity is in different directions, which is exactly the case that you have what I don't, and I have what you don't have.

However, this is too difficult. At least between provinces, there is central government approval and coordination. But between countries, it's just a matter of luck.

She said it all so eloquently: "Definitely. We heard that your towel factory's products are of excellent quality, so when this opportunity arose, your factory was the first one we thought of. Really, there are several other towel factories in our province that want to do this business with you."

When the goods were ready to be shipped from the warehouse to the airport for check-in, problems arose – there were just too many.

Towels, sweaters, and Erguotou liquor with a total ex-factory price of 3 million yuan—what does that mean? Even if one person checked in two tons, it wouldn't be possible to load them all onto the plane.

Air freight is widely recognized as the mode of transportation with the lowest capacity and highest cost.

Wang Xiao felt she needed to seriously reflect on her actions. She still lacked understanding of logistics, which led her to make such a basic mistake.

Wang Tiejun looked on in a dilemma: "How about we ask the Soviet comrades to wait for the next flight?"

“No, let’s ship by train.” Wang Xiao made a quick decision. “Let them split into two groups, one by plane and the other by train. The train can transport a larger volume.”

Tang Yicheng was in a dilemma: "Then they can't be happy about it, right? Trains are not as comfortable as airplanes, and it takes five days and five nights."

Anyone who has traveled by train for a long time knows how uncomfortable, extremely uncomfortable, and incredibly suffocating.

"It's okay, I'll go talk to them."

Wang Xiao's bait was simple: taking the train would make it convenient to sell goods along the way.

Similar to the crackdown on speculation and profiteering in China, Moscow, in order to maintain the stability of its domestic market, certainly cannot allow private individuals to freely resell goods brought back from abroad. Those caught smuggling face severe penalties.

Wang Xiao provided them with a convenient and safe way to sell their goods. The K3 train passed through dozens of stations, and once it crossed the border into Mongolia, there were crowds of people buying goods at high prices at each station. They could use the time spent at the stops to distribute the gift packages she had given them, even if they earned less than in Moscow, they didn't have to worry about getting caught.

Soon, some people were persuaded.

Most people prefer safe ways of making money to exorbitant profits.

The Soviet porters quickly agreed that those who wanted to leave by plane would board first, while the rest would wait for the train that would depart the next morning.

Fortunately, with the Spring Festival approaching, most of the scalpers running the K3 route have already started their return journey and will make the next trip after the New Year.

Otherwise, it would be very difficult for them to buy train tickets now, even if they had to use their high-bridged noses.

Wang Xiao didn't give anyone a minute's rest, using the guise of leading a sightseeing tour to lure the Soviets to an antique shop.

But this time she didn't make a move.

I don't know if it's because there are too many foreigners in Beijing or for some other reason, but the antique shops in Beijing that mainly cater to foreigners are so expensive! The same jade bracelet that she saw at the Friendship Store in the provincial capital cost 240 yuan, but here, wow, it's 3000 yuan!

Although Wang Xiao's foreign exchange certificates came easily, she was unwilling to be taken advantage of.

So she didn't hesitate to join the Soviet guests in complaining about how expensive the items at the Friendship Store were, and then sent them back to their hotel.

Sigh, if I had known this would happen, I would have preferred to go to the antique shops in Tianjin.

There must be a lot of stuff over there.

It's too late to come back now.

If it weren't for sending the Soviet porters onto the train tomorrow so they could return to the provincial capital, Wang Xiao wouldn't have been able to stay in Beijing tonight.

She was more eager to sell her goods and make money than to go shopping.

What to do with the foreign exchange certificates you received? Just spend them back in the provincial capital.

Dr. Chen mentioned before that she has connections. Even if Wang Xiao doesn't have a passport, as long as he can produce foreign exchange certificates, he will still be able to buy things.

Look how melancholy Comrade Wang Tiejun must be.

He went to Beijing once, but he didn't even go to watch the raising of the national flag, let alone climb the Great Wall.

It's sad that I have to take the old Russian to the train station early this morning, but I'm too late and won't make it.

Wang Xiao, feeling a rare pang of compassion, comforted the eighth-grade worker: "Next time, we'll definitely go down there. You, and my mom, we'll go together."

Comrade Wang Tiejun, a man of noble character, said in a deep voice, "Alright, focus on the work."

After seeing the person off, they hastily ate a breakfast at the station and hurried back to the provincial capital.

Why? Of course, it's to bring the Soviet goods back to the provincial capital and sell them off before the New Year so we can pay the remaining balance to the three factories.

Tang Yicheng was particularly worried: "Won't we have enough time to sell them?"

There were far too many Soviet goods worth 3 million yuan, including towels, sweaters, and liquor—several times more than all of them combined. With the Lunar New Year just over ten days away, even if the eastward expansion was successful, there wasn't enough time to sell them all.

If we can't get payment for the goods, the factory will really turn on us.

Wang Xiao could only catch his breath after lying on the soft sleeper, completely unconcerned: "It's okay, I have a way to sell them."

How to sell them? Retail sales were too slow, so she could only give Xiang Dong hundreds of military overcoats, two hundred cameras, three hundred binoculars, and two hundred watches. She would sell the remaining thousands of cameras, binoculars, and watches wholesale.

Who are we wholesaling to?

Of course, it was the local government officials and representatives of leading enterprises who were staying at the Jinning Grand Hotel for an investment promotion conference and were heading home before the New Year.

They came to the provincial capital with the mission of bringing back popular goods for their relatives and friends.

Nowadays, most people have enough to eat and wear, and most daily necessities are readily available. However, due to logistical limitations and uneven regional development, it is still not easy to buy items such as cameras and binoculars in smaller cities and counties.

The stock is limited and the price is high.

Wang Xiao saved them the time and travel expenses of going to the provincial capital, and had someone take the goods back to sell directly.

Delegates, do any of your relatives, friends, or colleagues want cameras, binoculars, or watches? I'm selling them at wholesale prices, 10% cheaper than the People's Department Store, 10% off wholesale.

Don't think that a 10% discount is too small. A camera costs 300 yuan, so 10% is 30 yuan. If you bring back 10 cameras for someone, that's 300 yuan, which means you get a camera for free and save an extra 30 yuan.

There are no fools in this world; if you can make some extra money, why not take advantage of it?

Soon, Tang Yicheng watched in disbelief as these leaders started clearing out their stock, one by one, with ten or eight cameras each. In just one night, his ledger showed that over a thousand cameras, binoculars, and watches had been sold.

Tang Yicheng muttered to himself, "This must be at least 3 million."

Wang Xiao stretched and shook his head vigorously: "No, money doesn't count until you get it."

These people have only placed orders; they're still waiting for their families to send the money over.

Money that doesn't end up in her pocket is just a symbol, not real money!

By the 28th day of the twelfth lunar month, the investment promotion team had all left, and Wang Xiao's wholesale market finally closed down.

Actually, it doesn't matter if we can't sell them before the New Year. The rest can be displayed on the east-facing counter and they'll eventually sell out.

But wouldn't it be better to get the funds back sooner?

After deducting all expenses and the share given to Xiang Dong, Wang Xiao made a profit of 10 times.

Yes, a solid 10 times. A 10 times increase that even made her feel guilty.

She finally achieved her first small goal before the Lunar New Year: becoming a millionaire.

No wonder everyone says that being a reseller in the 90s was a recipe for instant wealth. If she keeps this up, with a little more effort, her income could rival what she earned doing live-streaming e-commerce before she transmigrated into the book.

Hey, she now believes that actor Li Chengru wasn't bragging; he really did manage to put $13 million into the foreign exchange reserve in 1991 by trading clothing.

Tsk tsk, a role model for us all, we must take him as our goal.

Wang Xiao happily gave Tang Yicheng a commission of 20,000 yuan.

These days, he's been running around doing everything for her, and even though those three factories didn't give them a commission, she still had to pay them out of her own pocket.

Tang Yicheng didn't want it.

He felt panicked.

He felt trembling even with two thousand yuan, let alone twenty thousand yuan; he was afraid of getting carried away.

After thinking for a moment, Wang Xiao decided to make the decision for him: "Then I'll buy you a house in the provincial capital."

Before she went to Beijing to facilitate their third collaboration, she had suggested that Tang Yicheng find a place to stay in the provincial capital.

But back then she was thinking of renting, now she might as well just buy a house directly.

Twenty thousand yuan, in today's society where the average salary is about one hundred yuan, is equivalent to eight years' income. Finding a small apartment shouldn't be a problem.

Tang Yicheng instinctively wanted to refuse again. He panicked; he felt that buying this house made something different.

Wang Xiao tempted him: "Having a house is convenient. Not only can you live there yourself, but when your family and friends come to the provincial capital, they'll have a place to stay, right? It's much more convenient than finding a hotel."

Tang Yicheng was fooled by her smooth talk, and it seemed to work.

Especially when the money was converted into a house, the glaring feeling lessened considerably, and his chest no longer felt so heavy.

Wang Xiao nodded in satisfaction: "Then let's go. My mom asked about an apartment. Let's take a look while it's still early, so as not to delay your journey home for the New Year."

Tang Yicheng was stunned. This... this is buying a house! Judging from her tone, she seemed ready to decide on it after just one look.

That's 20,000 yuan!

Wang Xiao didn't think 20,000 yuan was anything special; it was just the beginning. In the future, it would only be the cost of a meal.

The room Dr. Chen helped me find was pretty good. Although it was a large courtyard with seven or eight families living there, the two rooms that were sold together were about forty square meters. There was a public toilet in the courtyard and a small kitchen for cooking, so at least it provided shelter from the wind and rain, which was quite good.

It was 1990, after all, and the commercial housing market in the provincial capital was still in its infancy. The really good properties were all for foreign buyers, costing hundreds of thousands of yuan a unit, just like the Friendship Store, targeting foreign visitors.

From the perspective of preserving and increasing value, it is obviously more cost-effective to buy these two houses.

Wang Xiao estimated that this area would definitely have to be demolished in 10 years at most.

Just wait for the immense wealth and fortune.

Tang Yicheng didn't think the living conditions in the tenement were bad.

These days, living conditions like Wang Xiao's family's would rank in the top 10% nationwide. The housing conditions of most urban residents can only be described as heartbreaking, much like the description in "Zhang Damin's Talkative Life": three generations living under one roof is the norm, brothers and their spouses share bunk beds, and a curtain separates the two couples.

Therefore, it is not unreasonable to use real estate as a starting point to stimulate economic development by investing heavily in infrastructure after the 1998 financial crisis.

Unfortunately, those who had already benefited couldn't let go and continued to live beyond their means, pushing things too far.

Hmm, Wang Xiao thought to herself, this time it was still too rushed. Next time, when she goes to Beijing again, she'll try to find out more about courtyard houses with clear property rights.

When the time is right, act decisively; you can buy it and keep it as a lucky charm.

Anyway, I'm not short of money, that's just how generous I am.

"Alright, how about it? If you feel it's okay, let's sign the contract."

Now, not only Tang Yicheng, but even Chen Yanqiu, who had personally accompanied him to see the house, felt that this was a bit too hasty. Buying a house, you don't just throw out 20,000 yuan, you don't just throw out 200 yuan.

Wang Xiao said curiously, "If it's suitable, then just settle on it. Otherwise, we won't have a peaceful New Year. Even though the house doesn't grow horns or run away, someone else can buy it first."

The homeowner, standing nearby, was overjoyed: "That's right, my house is in high demand. A small business owner offered 25,000 yuan to buy it, but I didn't like it, so I didn't sell it."

Wang Xiao looked surprised: "Is it because the individual business owners were afraid of being arrested and ran away that the house didn't sell?"

The homeowner choked, suspecting there was a traitor in her household. How could she have guessed that?

Little did Wang Xiao know that this was easy for him to predict. Since the summer of 1989, countless self-employed individuals had closed down and fled. There were very few as stubborn and fearless as Xiang Dong.

These days, apart from self-employed individuals, who has the financial means and the desire to buy a house?

Leading cadres? Leading cadres are always allocated the best housing by their work units!

The homeowner could only give a vague answer: "Anyway, hurry up, there will be even more people wanting to buy my house after the New Year. Young man, I'm not going to hold it for you."

After some haggling, the landlord finally lowered the price by 1,000 yuan.

The room was empty, like a snow cave. He had to leave some money for someone to buy a bed, a cabinet, and a table for meals.

The contract was signed quickly, but Tang Yicheng still needed to go home to get his household registration book before he could complete the transfer of ownership.

He originally planned to come back after the New Year to complete the procedures, but Wang Xiao forced him to go home immediately and take the bus to the provincial capital early the next morning to get the paperwork done before New Year's Eve.

Chen Yanqiu reached out and grabbed her daughter. That was too harsh! She was in a hurry.

Wang Xiao argued vehemently, "Who knows how long this will drag on after the New Year? The person who stamps this document today isn't here, the person who signs that document tomorrow isn't here. What if it falls through if we keep dragging this on?"

Chen Yanqiu didn't take it seriously: "At worst, we won't buy it. It's not a treasure. If their soap factory does well, they'll definitely give them housing."

Wang Xiao said helplessly, "You can never have too many houses. Besides, can houses in the provincial capital be the same as those in the county town?"

Chen Yanqiu asked curiously, "What? You're not happy living at home, so you want to buy another house? Let me tell you, Xiaoxiao, don't even think about it. The social security situation is so bad these days. It's too dangerous for a young girl like you to live alone, you know?"

Wang Xiao waved her hand: "No, no, I have no plans to buy a house."

Even if she's investing in real estate, she's not in a rush. Because it's far from the point where property prices are skyrocketing; if she puts a large sum of money into properties, she'll be stuck with them. How can she then profit from this golden age of real estate investment?

She's only 22 this year, far from the time to retire.

Moreover, based on her self-awareness, she would probably still be working hard to earn money even when she is in her seventies or eighties.

There's nothing she can do; she's just that shallow, and this is all she has left in life.

As the mother and daughter exited the bus station and prepared to take a bus home, Wang Xiao spotted a grandmother and granddaughter in front of them.

The little girl seemed to want to eat the cotton candy sold on the street and asked her grandma to buy it for her.

Grandma didn't want to leave and tried to pull her away. But she lay on the ground and refused to go.

When Grandma got angry, she slapped the little girl on the head, and the little girl fell down and cried loudly.

Her grandmother was still cursing.

Tsk, in the original book, Ruan's mother was incredibly patient and kind to her granddaughter, a well-regarded and beloved grandmother. Because of this, she frequently manipulated the original owner of the body, criticizing her for not being a good mother.

It is evident that only those who do not have children can maintain the patience to treat children in public.

When I'm actually taking care of a kid, I feel like punching someone every minute.

Chen Yanqiu also noticed the grandmother and grandson, frowning and saying with disdain, "Isn't this the Ruan family's? Take the child home and discipline him. What are you doing making a scene outside?"

Wang Xiao looked away, seemingly unconcerned.

She is not the original owner of this body, and therefore cannot empathize with her.

Therefore, she would neither rejoice at seeing her heartless stepdaughter Ruan Jiaojiao being beaten, feeling that she had avenged her great wrong; nor would she step forward to stop Ruan's mother, who was getting more and more into the beating, and criticize her: How can you discipline a child like that?

These are people who have nothing to do with her; she doesn't have that much of a sense of justice.

Wang Xiao only cared about: "Has Ruan Rui been transferred to prison?"

Because of its significant social impact and the exceptionally simple nature of the case, Ruan Rui's case was surprisingly adjudicated before the end of the year.

If this were a TV series, there would definitely be a close-up shot: Ruan Rui, handcuffed and looking disheveled, is escorted into a car by bailiffs and driven to prison, while the female lead, wearing sunglasses, gets out of the luxury car with an air of superiority, coldly sending him to jail.

With background music, it could easily be turned into a short video, the kind where the female protagonist gets revenge and feels great.

Unfortunately, she went astray; she became vulgar, and all she cared about was money.

In fact, the situation at the time was that she didn't even watch the court hearing.

She didn't have time for that; she was busy wholesaling binoculars and cameras, trying to make her five million.

No matter how noisy the guests are, they can't take away her money-making ability.

As for now, since we're just idling around anyway, we might as well casually chat about some gossip.

"That's for sure!" Chen Yanqiu got angry again when this was mentioned.

Why? Because Ruan Rui was only sentenced to two years.

This was actually the maximum sentence for bigamy, and it was only because the province was cracking down on it that it was treated as a typical case.

But Dr. Chen, like the vast majority of people in the provincial capital, was very dissatisfied.

They unanimously agreed that he should be sentenced for hooliganism, which carries a maximum penalty of execution.

What is it if not indecent assault for a married older man to deceive an unmarried young woman into getting a marriage certificate? Indecent assault plus fraud should be punished for multiple crimes and dealt with severely.

The crowd was so agitated that the court had to intervene and explain. Ruan Rui's actions did not constitute hooliganism; he did not sexually assault a woman, so he could only be sentenced for bigamy.

What else could Dr. Chen say? She couldn't possibly want her daughter to be molested just so that Ruan Rui could be sentenced to a severe punishment.

Oh well, I guess I'll just have to accept it.

Wang Xiaoting could understand the public's righteous indignation, or more specifically, the anger of those who were effectively speaking out.

Because the original owner came from a respectable family with a comfortable life, his parents had stable jobs, and he himself had a secure job at a chemical engineering institute after graduating from university. He was also recognized as an advanced individual for his acts of bravery.

Such conditions constitute the standard "safety person" model, suggesting a smooth and successful life.

As a result, even someone as outstanding as her could be deceived and harmed; everyone must be angry and terrified.

This is an infringement on the public's sense of security!

Just as there are countless migrant workers who have been abused and harmed in detention centers, why did the Sun-Zhi-Gang incident cause such a huge uproar? Because he was a college student, and in the unspoken rules of society, he was already considered a respectable person. He was assumed to be entitled to preferential treatment, and he was different from ordinary migrant workers.

This is what is meant by "different fates for the same people".

Wang Xiao comforted Doctor Chen, "Alright, he'll behave himself after two years in jail."

If he's not honest and tries to cause trouble again after he gets out, she can send him to jail for two years, and she can send him back to jail a second time.

The sooner this destabilizing factor is resolved, the better.

However, Wang Xiao was a little curious: "Didn't his parents come over and cause trouble?"

That's impossible. They say a leopard can't change its spots. Their eldest son is in jail, how could they be so quiet?

It was truly a rain of red from the sky.

"There's no such thing as a free lunch!" Dr. Chen said irritably. "You spend all your time at the Jinning Hotel, of course you have no idea how much trouble they cause."

It made their own family feel very embarrassed.

Now Wang Xiao was genuinely curious: "Then why did they behave?"

Dr. Chen became smug and snorted, "If they're not behaving properly, just make them behave."

The Ruan couple aren't in their seventies or eighties, they're only fifty. Why can't they be put in sacks and beaten?

If they don't behave once, you'll eventually beat them until they behave.

That little brat of theirs isn't even a child of a steel factory worker, so why is he going to school at the steel factory's kindergarten? Get out of here, get as far away as you can.

The steel plant's kindergarten has low fees and is a benefit provided by the factory to the children of its employees.

As for Ruan Rui's sister, she was very pragmatic. After accepting Dr. Chen's cashmere sweater, she immediately advised her parents not to cause any more trouble.

The Wang family has never been afraid of them, and their status is far higher. If they want to cause trouble for them, they have plenty of relatives and friends to lend a hand, and then they'll have nowhere to turn for help.

Wang Xiao listened with great regret.

Honestly, she really regretted not having someone put a sack over Ruan Rui's head before he was arrested.

Sigh, whose fault is it?

The problem is that she was too law-abiding.

The past cannot be retrieved.

Dr. Chen started rambling again: "He should be locked up for life, or even executed! What's the point of locking him up for two years?"

Well, this is just repeating the same thing over and over again. What's the point?

Wang Xiao quickly lifted her foot and walked forward.

Dr. Chen complained, "Why are you walking so fast?"

A woman in her thirties was grabbing the arm of a man of similar age and yelling, "Give me money! If you dare not give me living expenses, I'll sue you in court!"

Wow! This is definitely some juicy gossip.

Dr. Chen didn't even have time to complain; he immediately craned his neck to receive the firsthand information.

Wang Xiao reacted even faster, instantly transforming into a hawk in a melon patch, following along to observe... oh no, to observe the various aspects of people's lives.

What a diverse range of people!

It turns out that the man and woman were a couple, a real couple. The woman stayed in their hometown to raise their child and take care of the man's parents, while the man ran a business in the city to earn money.

Just like the old saying goes, money corrupts men. He found another wife in the city and didn't bring a single penny home.

The woman couldn't take it anymore, so she came here specifically to ask the man for money.

That scoundrel is so arrogant. He keeps saying he has no money and refuses to pay a single penny.

The general public has very sound values. They were furious when they heard this and offered advice to the woman: "Go to his workplace and take away his salary, at least half of it."

This is the feasible solution at present.

Dr. Chen knew that there were similar cases in their steel plant, and the leaders made a decision to transfer half of the person's salary to his wife back home every month.

No, if they refuse, then there's a problem with their conduct; they should be fired immediately.

However, this arrogant man didn't have a work unit, so this rural woman had nowhere to turn for help.

"What are you afraid of?" an indignant girl suggested. "Sister, just sue him in court."

The man continued to act arrogantly: "I have no money, and the court can't do anything about it."

"It's good that you're broke." The young woman sneered. "You're committing bigamy, so it's a good opportunity to have you arrested and imprisoned."

"Yes, yes, yes." A chorus of agreement rang out from the surrounding crowd.

That's right, it was on the TV news. That guy surnamed Ruan, he has one wife abroad and one wife in China, right?

Ha! His wife back home is a famous heroine who isn't afraid of even knife-wielding thugs, yet she'd swallow her pride and do nothing in front of him?

They immediately sent him to jail.

"That's right, that's right, big sister, you should learn from that Wang Xiao! Send him to jail for two years and see if he'll behave himself then."

The man who had been acting aggressively suddenly panicked and reached out to grab the woman's arm, softening his tone: "Xiufen, don't listen to their nonsense, we are family."

Wang Xiao took two steps back, wrapped the lower half of her face with a scarf, pulled her hat down, and changed her tone: "Family my ass! Not giving a single penny, what a load of bull!"

"Yes, yes, give me the money."

Forced by the cacophony of voices around him, the man had no choice but to obediently pull out his wallet and count out a few ten-yuan bills.

The bystanders couldn't bear to watch any longer. An elderly woman stepped forward, snatched his wallet, and took out all the banknotes and coins inside, stuffing them into the hands of the rural woman: "Here you go, girl. If he doesn't give you a hundred yuan a month from now on, sue him in court."

The man immediately frowned, his eyes looking like he wanted to kill someone.

Wang Xiao chimed in from behind, "Why are you being so fierce? You shameless bastard! We all saw it clearly. If anything happened to this lady, it was definitely you who did it. We can all go to the police to testify!"

"Yes, yes, we're all watching."

Some people even suggested that the men write guarantees, threatening to send them to jail if they didn't pay.

But no one mentioned asking the older woman to get a divorce, including Wang Xiao.

Because ordinary people are very pragmatic and clearly understand that in the current environment, the most important thing in a marriage is to protect their own and their children's economic interests.

Divorce is not that simple.

Given the current situation of the man and woman, it would be extremely easy for the man to conceal his wealth and not give any money to the woman.

Moreover, after the divorce, the woman has elderly parents to support and young children to raise; how will she earn money?

Those who supposedly manage to balance family and work are only doing so because someone else is bearing the burden for them.

Let's make some money, every little bit counts.

What else can we do? Women have to be incredibly strong to stand on the same starting line as men.

Dr. Chen was initially engrossed in watching the commotion when she suddenly realized that the person speaking next to her was her daughter.

The mother was about to go crazy. This brat, was she afraid people wouldn't recognize her as Wang Xiao? She was jumping around like that.

"No, no, no." Wang Xiao was dragged away by her mother, regretting that she couldn't see the whole thing. "No, I covered my face, who would recognize me?"

Seeing that Dr. Chen was about to lose her temper, Wang Xiao quickly grabbed her arm and got on the bus: "Didn't you say that the factory gave out fewer sunflower seeds this year? Perfect, let's go to the supermarket and buy some more, pumpkin seeds and watermelon seeds, and walnuts too. We can't go without good food for the New Year."

How is she feeling right now? Neither good nor bad.

Does Ruan Rui's two-year sentence make sense? Yes.

At least legal education and awareness were disseminated.

This case truly tells ordinary people that only when the law is effective can people have a stable home.

Well, from now on, any scumbags or bitches who try to break up legal marriages should think twice before going to jail.

In fact, the crime of bigamy is too narrow. Those who keep mistresses, concubines, or even keep male lovers, even if they do not live as husband and wife in public, are they not also trampling on marriage?

They don't face any punishment, no wonder the marriage rate is getting lower and lower.

Well, luckily she's not interested in marriage, so it's none of her business.

Once the firecrackers have stopped, it will be a new year again.

I need to quickly achieve the next small goal before I can achieve the real small goal.

People who have amassed a fortune of tens of millions are known for their clear goals.

Even in the 1990s, when the average monthly income was only a few hundred yuan, nothing could stop her from moving forward.