Chapter 122 Chapter 122 Sympathy

Qian Lili nodded and took out her notebook to write down the instructions. Jiang Xi was teaching her, and Qian Lili was studying diligently. Jiang Xi drew a line through the address for the third store. The first two stores hadn't been very successful, and he wondered how the third would fare. Although Jiang Xi was anxious, he didn't want to rush into the decision. Opening a store in Shanghai was a crucial step for Wu Ji Zao Lu to expand beyond Changfeng County, so even in his haste, he had to proceed with caution.

The third store was on the side of the road. Not only residents but also some truck drivers and bus passengers came and went. The street was very busy. Across from the store was a residential area. There were various small stalls scattered on the street. In addition to these small stalls, there was a large department store at the intersection. The store had good lighting and was of a suitable size. Jiang Xi quickly locked onto this one.

Jiang Xi asked the shop owner next to her, "Sister, is this shop for rent?"

The shop owner next door was chubby, looked very wealthy, and was very welcoming. "It's for rent. Do you want to rent it? I'll go get someone for you."

Jiang Xi smiled and said, "I want to ask, could you please call the landlord for me?"

The older sister said, "Okay, I'll go get her right away. I'm very close to her and have been neighbors for over a decade. I can tell you her family is very nice too, so renting her house won't be a bad idea."

The elder sister was very enthusiastic. Jiang Xi said: "Then I will wait for you here."

The eldest sister said, "Just wait, I'll go and ask my son to come out and look after the store. I have something to do."

"I'm here." A young man came out lazily, and without even looking at anyone, he sat on a stool and watched the store.

The eldest sister frowned and said, "How can you be so rude? Didn't you see there were a bunch of people standing in front of you? You didn't even say hello."

The young man raised his eyelids slightly: "I don't know you, why are you saying hello? Don't you have something to do? Why don't you leave?"

The elder sister said to Jiang Xi helplessly: "He has been spoiled by his father. I will be back soon. You wait for him and don't leave." As if she was afraid that Jiang Xi would leave, the elder sister gave him some instructions before leaving. Jiang Xi immediately became suspicious. This store looked good on the surface and did not seem to be easy to rent, but why was the elder sister so anxious?

Jiang Xi whispered to Qian Lili and Xiufen: "Stand together later. Don't get separated or get lost."

Qian Lili and Xiufen nodded hurriedly: "Yes, we will listen to you and will definitely not separate."

The young man glanced at Jiang Xi and said, "Ignore my mother. She's always jumpy, but she's a good person. Don't be afraid. She's so anxious because of a special situation."

Jiang Xi asked: "What's the special situation?"

The young man looked up at Jiang Xi and closed his eyes again: "I won't tell you, you'll know when she comes."

Jiang Xi...

Qian Lili and Xiufen were wondering in their hearts, kids from big cities are just different, look how calm and composed they are.

Jiang Xi and the others waited for a while, and soon an old woman with a hunched back came over with the eldest sister.

The elder sister pointed at Jiang Xi and said, "They are the ones who want to rent your shop."

The old woman was very thin, her back was hunched, and her face looked a little miserable, but she was dressed very neatly. "Are you the one who wants to rent my shop?"

Jiang Xi smiled: "Yes, we want to rent this store."

The old woman asked, "What are you going to do with this shop? My house is well maintained, and I can't let those messy people come here and cause trouble."

The old lady's words were not pleasant to hear, but Jiang Xi had been baptized by Old Man Ding, and he felt that the old lady was quite straightforward. The fact that she made such demands on the tenant also meant that the old lady herself took good care of the store on a daily basis. This was actually a good thing. Jiang Xi did not want to rent a store that was sloppy in every aspect.

Qian Lili couldn't stand it anymore. She was very angry. How could this old woman talk like that? But when she saw Jiang Xi's calm expression, she didn't say anything.

Jiang Xi said, "Don't worry, we are doing a serious business and we pay great attention to hygiene. I want to open a braised pork restaurant, and the store must be clean and bright. We are not sloppy people."

After hearing this, the old woman said to the eldest sister, "She wants to open a braised pork shop, which has nothing to do with your shop. So this is fine."

The eldest sister said, "It's already this late, and you're still thinking about my business? You, hey..." The eldest sister seemed to be very worried about the old woman.

The old woman's eyes darkened and she turned to look at Jiang Xi. Only then did she notice Qian Lili and Xiufen behind Jiang Xi. Her eyes were fixed on Xiufen's empty arm, and her sight seemed to be fixed. The old woman's pupils constricted and she blinked, then continued to look at Xiufen's empty arm.

Xiufen was originally very sensitive to people's gazes. The old lady stared at her so closely that she felt her whole face burning. She moved towards Jiang Xi uncomfortably. Jiang Xi also noticed the old lady's gaze and blocked Xiufen's way without making a sound.

The old woman spoke up, addressing Xiufen: "What happened to your hand? Why is one arm missing?"

Xiufen shrank back. This question made her feel ashamed and sad. She raised her head with great difficulty, but lowered it again.

Qian Lili couldn't stand it any longer: "We're here to rent a shop, why are you asking so many questions?"

The old woman realized she had spoken out of turn and quickly explained, "I didn't mean any harm, I was just asking."

The eldest sister sighed and tried to smooth things over: "Don't misunderstand, don't misunderstand. Auntie is just curious and means no harm. She is a straightforward person and does things very directly. Please bear with her."

Qian Lili: "I don't have any ill intentions, but you're already staring at me." Qian Lili looked at Jiang Xi and found that Jiang Xi had no intention of stopping her, so she said it without hesitation.

Jiang Xi gently patted Xiufen's hand, signaling her not to be afraid. She brought Xiufen to Shanghai, and Jiang Xi would not allow the old woman to hurt Xiufen.

Xiufen felt Jiang Xi's encouragement and looked up at Jiang Xi: "I'm fine."

Although she said it was okay, her facial expression looked like she was about to cry. The disability of her hand had always been a thorn in Xiufen's heart, and even she herself would deliberately ignore it.

Now that it was laid out in front of everyone, Xiufen felt that the empty sleeve was like a heavy lead block, dragging her down continuously. Xiufen wished she could crawl into a crevice in the rock so that no one could see the empty sleeve.

The old woman looked at Xiufen's expression, which kept changing. Finally, she whispered, "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to. I definitely wasn't mocking you, and I didn't mean to hurt you. Really, please believe me. I just... well."

The old woman looked like she was about to cry: "My daughter was in a car accident some time ago and lost an arm, so I wanted to ask this girl what it's like to be without an arm and whether it affects her life."

This is also the reason why the old woman wants to rent out the shop. She used to run the shop together with her daughter, but later her daughter was in a car accident and lost an arm, and the person who hit her also ran away.

The old woman spent a lot of money on her daughter's treatment but ultimately failed to save her daughter's arm. Her daughter became devastated and unwilling to go out or talk. The old woman closed the shop and focused on taking care of her daughter. Because the shop was idle and no one was taking care of it, the old woman had to rent it out with great reluctance.

This shop is the joint effort of the old woman and her daughter. Now that her daughter has lost an arm, she can't open the shop. The old woman is afraid that her daughter will be saddened by the sight, so she wants to sell the shop as soon as possible. In this way, the shop will look different and her daughter may be able to feel more positive.

The old woman wiped away her tears and said, "My daughter is very sensible. She opened the shop with me at a young age. She is very hardworking and everyone around her praises her. But who would have thought that the wicked guy would hit my daughter and run away. If it weren't for him, my daughter would be fine. She is only 22 years old and not married yet. Now she is like this. What should I do?"

The old woman was extremely heartbroken. She would rather die young than see her daughter become disabled.

Everyone suddenly realized that this was the case.

Qian Lili felt a little embarrassed and sympathized with the old woman: "I'm sorry, grandma, it's my fault. I was too impulsive."

The old lady waved her hands and said, "I was too impatient and didn't explain myself clearly. You are right to defend your friend." The old lady was not angry with Qian Lili. On the contrary, because her daughter had lost an arm, she could understand Qian Lili's behavior even more. If someone else said this to her daughter, she would probably be even angrier.

Xiufen raised her head. She was born with a disability and had never experienced the feeling of having two arms, but she knew what it felt like to have one arm missing.

Xiufen looked at the old woman, the grief and sorrow on her face evident. Her heart was pierced. The girl, like her, who was missing an arm, was fortunate in some ways because she still had family members who cared so deeply for her. But she, on the other hand, was rejected by her family because of her congenital disability. Xiufen told the old woman, "It's terrible to be missing an arm. It's very inconvenient. Others can do many things with two hands, but one hand can't do many things. There are also people who don't understand and I'm ridiculed. I feel bad about the ridicule and inconvenience, but because I can't change it, I become easily angry and self-loathing."

The old woman's face became even more sad when she heard this: "My poor daughter, my poor daughter, this is really breaking my heart!"

Xiufen continued, "Even though I only have one arm, I can still accomplish a lot and live a normal life. Although there are still many inconveniences, as I get used to it, it's not as difficult as it was at the beginning. However, I have to figure it out mentally, otherwise I'll easily collapse, and that's not easy."

What Xiufen said were all from the bottom of her heart, and also reflected her mental journey. These feelings that had nothing to do with life and were even a bit hypocritical, Xiufen had never told anyone about them. Now, by answering the old woman, Xiufen was analyzing herself while answering, and seemed to have gained some strength in the process.

The old woman understood very well how difficult it was to lose an arm. Her daughter had collapsed. She lay in bed every day without saying a word, with empty eyes and silent tears. The old woman had tried to persuade her and scolded her, but her daughter simply wouldn't listen.

The old woman also understood that her daughter was a healthy person, but suddenly lost an arm. No one could accept it.

The old woman looked at Xiufen, anxious to confirm: "How are you now? Are you doing well?"

Xiufen said honestly, "I had a hard time at first. I was born without an arm, and my family thought I was unlucky and a jinx. I often went hungry during those years, and I always felt I might as well die. But I got through it. I met my partner, had a child, and then met the man of my life. Now my life is getting better and better. If it were before, I wouldn't have dared to say these words, but now I dare to say them."

The old woman was surprised: "You were born without an arm?"

Xiufen nodded. "Well, maybe I'm just unlucky. I don't know why, so I've never experienced what it's like to have two arms."

The old woman's eyes were full of pity, and she sighed and said, "Child, you have suffered so much over the years."

Tears welled up in Xiufen's eyes. She was a little overwhelmed by such kindness and could only mumble, "It's, it's okay."

The old woman looked at Xiufen deeply and said, "You are very strong, stronger than many people. I, I have a request. Can you help me persuade my daughter?"

Everyone was shocked when these words were spoken. Qian Lili was full of questions. They just came to rent a house, so why were they given the task of persuading others? Besides, Xiufen was not someone who liked to contact strangers. Would she agree?

Qian Lili looked at Xiufen, but Xiufen's expression didn't change at all, and Qian Lili couldn't tell.

Jiang Xi directly asked Xiufen for her opinion: "Xiufen, are you willing to go?"

Xiufen struggled. She felt nothing on the side without her arm, but the pain was forever etched in her heart. She wondered if the girl who had the same experience as her was also in pain. Xiufen said, "I can give it a try."

The old woman was overjoyed and wiped away her tears: "Thank you, thank you so much!"

The eldest sister was also wiping away tears, and she did not forget to comfort the old woman: "That's good now. With this little girl here, she will definitely be able to persuade Xiaojie, and you can rest assured."

The boy lazily sitting on the chair took out three bottles of Beibingyang from the shelf and handed them to Jiang Xi. Jiang Xi...

The boy's tone was still somewhat lazy: "It's for you to drink."

Qian Lili...Children from big cities are just different.

Jiang Xi and the other two were puzzled, but the eldest sister was overjoyed. The child had finally grown up and said, "Take it. It will quench your thirst."

Finally, under the eldest sister's enthusiastic persuasion, Jiang Xi and the others had no choice but to accept the soda. Qian Lili opened it and took a big sip, then opened it for Xiufen. Xiufen had originally planned to take it back for Xiaodouzi, but now she could only drink it herself. She took a sip carefully, hmm, it was very sweet.

The old woman brought Jiang Xi, Xiufen and Qian Lili to her residence.

The old woman opened the door and found the room clean, but the curtains were closed, it was dark, and there was a pungent smell.

The old woman walked into the bedroom and saw her daughter still lying straight on the bed, not crying or making a fuss, as if she had lost her breath. She sighed and said, "Xiao Jie, I brought a friend to see you."

The daughter lying on the bed responded with a hoarse voice: "What friends? I don't have any friends. Let them go!"

The old woman advised, "Xiao Jie, you haven't spoken to your friends in a long time. Didn't you love chatting with others in the past? It's easy to get sick if you're alone."

Liang Jie shouted at the top of her lungs: "Mom, can you please stop talking? I'm afraid of getting sick even though I've lost an arm. I've told you several times that I don't want anyone to see me like this. Mom, do you understand? Just let them go. I beg you!"

The old woman was a little at a loss, looking at her irritable daughter with heartache. Liang Jie was not like this before. She had a gentle personality and was generous and polite to everyone. But since the car accident, Liang Jie's temperament has changed.

At first Liang Jie was always crying and making a fuss, but later she stopped crying and became lifeless, which made the old woman feel even more uncomfortable.

Xiufen walked forward slowly and looked at the woman lying on the bed, as if she saw her former self.

She had refused to eat or drink before and had no hope for life. She always felt that there were so many healthy people in the world, why did she have to encounter such a thing? Xiufen couldn't understand it and at one point she didn't want to live, but later she didn't know why she persisted. Maybe she was timid, and even if she didn't want to live, she didn't dare to die.

Xiufen said softly, "Hello, I'm Xiufen, I came to see you."

Liang Jie opened her eyes and saw Xiufen. Because the curtains were drawn, the light in the room was dim and Liang Jie could not see clearly. However, the other person was not someone she knew before. Liang Jie instinctively wanted Xiufen to leave. She didn't want anyone to see her like this. However, Liang Jie's gaze swept down and suddenly stopped.

One of Xiufen's arms was missing, and the empty cuff drooped dryly, just like her! Liang Jie blinked and confirmed again and again. It was true. The empty cuff was lifeless, with nothing inside.

Liang Jie couldn't believe it. She stared at Xiufen's missing arm with wide eyes and said in a trembling voice, "Why is your arm gone?"

Xiufen smiled bitterly: "I was born like this. People say I'm a jinx, so that's why I lost an arm."

Liang Jie couldn't imagine that she couldn't bear it just because she had lost one arm in a car accident. Then how did Xiufen, who was born without arms, get through all this time?

"Is it difficult without arms?"

Xiufen said, "It was quite difficult at first, but I got used to it and it's fine now. Although I don't have one arm, my other arm is very strong and can do many things. I'm still raising chickens and plan to start a chicken farm in the future. I came to Shanghai specifically to learn. I never imagined that this day would come, but now it has come. So temporary difficulties are nothing. As long as we can get through it, there may be unimaginable surprises in the future."

Liang Jie listened to Xiufen's words attentively. If an ordinary person said this, Liang Jie would never believe it. But Xiufen was the same as her, or even worse off than her, so what Xiufen said was true. Liang Jie was willing to listen and believe it, and even wanted Xiufen to say more.

Xiufen's smile encouraged Liang Jie. Xiufen's experience made her feel that life still had hope without an arm. Liang Jie suddenly wanted to talk. She had already classified Xiufen as one of her own kind, so people of the same kind should understand each other. Liang Jie opened her mouth and expressed her feelings of the past few days.

"When I first got into the accident, I couldn't believe I had lost an arm. I couldn't accept it and cried all day. I used to be very strong and could do anything, but after losing an arm, I couldn't even lift a basin of hot water or wash clothes. Even peeling potatoes was difficult for me."

Tears welled up in Liang Jie's eyes. "I'm very sad. I'm very, very sad. I feel like a useless person. I despair and wonder why they didn't just kill me in the first place. Why did they spare my life and let me endure this pain?"

The old woman listened and covered her mouth and cried. Her daughter was so pitiful. Jiang Xi and Qian Lili were also moved.

They are physically healthy and cannot understand the feeling of losing an arm, but they feel suffocated just thinking about it.

Xiufen looked at Liang Jie and said slowly, "I understand all your despair because I'm in the same boat. But I want to tell you, everything will pass, and you still have your mother. Your mother cares about you very much. Because I was born without arms, my mother thought I was a jinx and kicked me out. In this respect, you are much better than me."

Liang Jie was stunned. "Why would they do this? They even kicked you out!" Liang Jie couldn't imagine it, and she didn't dare to think about it. Losing an arm was already despairing, and then being shunned and kicked out by her family. How desperate would that be? If it were her, she wouldn't be able to hold on.

Xiufen explained: "They thought I was unlucky and would ruin the family's feng shui, so they kicked me out. Luckily, I later met my husband and now have a child. Everything is getting better."

Xiufen skipped over the pain and simply stated the facts, but Liang Jie could empathize with her very well. Her physical disability made her extremely sensitive to other people's views. Even if others didn't say anything, Liang Jie couldn't help but think about it, not to mention such direct disgust, and the person who disgusted her was the one who was once her closest.

Liang Jie looked at Xiufen with great admiration. Compared with Xiufen's difficulties, her missing arm didn't seem like a big deal.

Xiufen said to Liang Jie, and also to herself, "So people must have hope. Once you have hope, you won't be afraid of anything."

Liang Jie silently repeated this sentence. People need hope. Once they have hope, they are not afraid of anything. Her eyes fell on the closed curtains and she murmured, "Isn't the sun shining brightly outside today?"

The old woman almost cried with joy. After so long since the accident, this was the first time her daughter had paid attention to the outside world. She quickly said, "It's quite nice. The sun is shining brightly, especially suitable for drying quilts. Do you want to go out and dry them?"

Liang Jie turned her head and looked out the window: "Mom, open the curtains, I want to take a look."

The old woman was overjoyed and hurriedly opened the curtains. The sunlight from outside came in and shone on Liang Jie's pale face. Her left arm was broken at the root, and her cuffs were empty. She was so thin that she seemed like she would be blown away by the wind, and her spirit was extremely weak.