Chapter 5252【VIP】

Several long sheds had been erected on the Qiangjiapo threshing ground, with rows of tables and chairs of varying heights arranged in rows. Township leaders invited Xu Shanshan and her group to sit at the main table, along with Zhao Xiaohe. Xu Laoer and the others sat at the end, their gazes piercing the sea of ​​people before they could make out the outline of the main table.

Naturally, the women from the mountains didn't sit at the table. Yang Dani and Zhang Cuihua were assigned to pick vegetables, wash dishes, and serve dishes. Of course, they didn't do any of the work themselves. As soon as they joined the women, they were pulled over and questioned.

"Have you seen Zhao Xiaohe? She's so impressive, she doesn't look like someone who just walked out of a mountain valley. Cuihua, you better keep an eye on this man, or else Xu Laoer might run off with Zhao Xiaohe."

Zhang Cuihua sneered, "Dafang, what are you talking about? If you were Zhao Xiaohe, would you still be with that old man Xu Laoer?"

"Then I will definitely kick him to the ground."

As soon as these words were spoken, the women working there all laughed heartily. However, their glances from time to time fell upon Zhao Xiaohe's face, and the envy in their eyes was unconcealable.

Yang Dani felt the most bitter feeling. She recalled her youth, when her parents-in-law favored her immensely because she had given birth to three sons in a row. When she left, they didn't even give the second son's family a single stick of firewood. Even if she went to the pond to hammer some clothes, they would give her a break because she had her sons to support her. Unlike Zhao Xiaohe, who was always forced to wash clothes and cook in the mud.

Alas, thinking about the past and returning to the present, Yang Dani felt a sense of "fate" in her heart. She sighed and said, "It's all fate!" If she said she was not jealous, it would definitely be a lie. It's just that the gap is too big. Yang Dani felt that she no longer had the ambition she had back then.

Yang Dani's words "It's all fate!" won the approval of all the women.

Meanwhile, at the main table, Xu Shanshan was chatting politely with the leaders, discussing the changes in the township over the years. Having not been back for years, Xu Shanshan saw that the infrastructure hadn't changed much, but the leaders had participated in all the grassroots construction, remembering every bridge and road in the village in detail. Xu Shanshan's polite expression softened, and she looked more moved.

"In recent years, the young people in town have gone out to make their livings. To be honest, we can't stop them, after all, our families can't make money. I just feel sorry for the children left behind at home. The few villages near the town are okay, and they are willing to go to school if they are mobilized. Your family and Qiangjiaopo are close to the mountains, and the children are still living the life of the older generation. They are illiterate and get married before they are old enough. Then the children go out to work for their own lives, leaving the young ones at home. It's a cycle that we are really anxious to see." The cadres were the first group to accept the policy and they knew the importance of education. The children in the countryside ran barefoot in the fields all day long, and they were really anxious. The cadres went to the countryside to mobilize them, but it was useless no matter how much they talked.

The real problems are laid bare here: there are few schools, they are far away, transportation is inconvenient, there is little money, and people's mindsets cannot be changed, etc.

Zhao Xiaohe listened to the cadres' conversation and couldn't help but whisper, "I can tolerate everything else, but I can't ignore the children's education. It's different now than it was in the early days. High school graduates can't even find good jobs. Many employers are sceptical about academic qualifications. Without a diploma, you won't even get an interview invitation."

After listening to Zhao Xiaohe's talk, the cadre suddenly had an idea. He pleaded earnestly, "Ms. Zhao, could you please give a speech to everyone this afternoon? Talk about the current requirements for recruiting workers in the city."

Zhao Xiaohe was surprised and said, "Me? No, no, let my daughter and son-in-law tell me."

The clerk thought for a moment and said, "Ms. Zhao, you should tell the story. I believe you will be the most effective."

Of the group, Zhao Xiaohe had the most profound impact on the leaders. Many people knew about her experience; the town leaders had even dealt with her divorce from Xu Laoer.

Such an ordinary mountain woman is more shocking than a young girl like Xu Shanshan.

"Ms. Zhao, for the sake of the children in the mountains, please tell everyone about this."

Zhao Xiaohe thought about it, and finally agreed despite her pounding heartbeat.

As they were talking, Yang Dani came over with a tray of food. The braised carp was placed in front of Zhao Xiaohe at the request of the ministers. Yang Dani gave a stiff smile and greeted her. Zhao Xiaohe, seeing that it was Yang Dani, also responded in a friendly manner.

Yang Dani is different from when she was young. It's not that her hair has turned white and her face has become wrinkled, but she looks lifeless, as if she has lost all color in life. She looks very numb, but when you talk to her, you try to be a little flattering.

Seeing her once-strong and aggressive sister-in-law transformed into this state, Zhao Xiaohe felt mixed emotions. She used to envy her sister-in-law the most: she had a son, was respected by her in-laws, and her husband was hardworking. She was also bold and forthright, always taking the lead, and everyone in the village respected her. But now, the aura of her youth had vanished, leaving only the weariness and frustration of life.

Zhao Xiaohe thought to herself that she was indeed blessed. Her daughters were successful and filial. With such good fortune, she finally reconciled and let go of the events of the past.

So after dinner, when Yang Dani called her to talk, Zhao Xiaoshi and Zhang Cuihua stared at the jewelry on Zhao Xiaohe's body, and deliberately showed off her gold bracelet to show that her two sons were not bad either.

So when Zhao Xiaohe came, Zhang Cui and I went to live in the city, but I didn't want to go. As elders, we should be more conscious and not burden our children with everything."

Yang Dani couldn't stand the sour words. She deliberately laughed and said, "Sister-in-law, you're wrong. You, you help with the washing and taking care of the children. Isn't that a big help to them? Look, your two sons can only work hard now."

Do you really think we're all fools, unaware of her family situation? Does she not want to go? Is it her daughter-in-law who doesn't want her to visit?

She can't compare to Zhao Xiaohe.

"Sister Xiao He,

Because Zhao Xiaohe was the eldest daughter, she knew most of the people in Qiangjiapo Village. This time, it was Zhaodi's mother who spoke, and because of Hongxia, she responded, "Yes, your Zhaodi is also a filial daughter."

"Thanks to your child's help, Zhaodi has a way to survive."

"If I can help the children next door, I will definitely help them. You don't have to say thank you. The most important thing is to rely on the children's own efforts."

Yang Dani listened to their conversation and finally realized what kind of agency Xu Shanshan and Xu Ruyi had set up. She immediately asked, "Sister-in-law, do you think I can find a job in the city?"

"It depends on what kind of person it is. If you want to be a nanny, it's really too late. When I left, people thought I was too old, worried I wouldn't be able to work well or might fall. But I know that street sweepers in the neighboring city don't care about age these days, they just have to pay for food, clothing, and lodging."

"How much is it per month?"

"About eight hundred yuan."

Yang Dani thought the salary was quite good. You know, even if you work hard all year long farming in the village, you can't save more than two or three thousand yuan. And as soon as you get the money, you have to spend it on pesticides and fertilizers.

Everyone was also tempted and urged Zhao Xiaohe to tell them about the outside world. Zhao Xiaohe was practical and didn't mention any high-sounding ways to make money. Instead, she talked about collecting waste, picking up cardboard boxes, and guarding people's gates. Such jobs would be considered low-paying in the city, but for an elderly person in the countryside, they were already a huge benefit.

It's just that it's hard to leave home, so everyone just listens and no one is willing to leave home unless they are forced to a certain extent.

Even Yang Dani felt the same way. After hearing what Zhao Xiaohe said, she sighed and said, "It's a big city after all, there are so many ways to survive. We're close to the mountains and the water, so the conditions here shouldn't be bad, but it's too difficult to transport things out."

As the old saying goes, if you want to get rich, you must first build roads. While urban infrastructure is improving, remote rural areas still rely on old dirt roads, often cut off by mountains or broken bridges by rivers, forcing people to take winding detours.

Meanwhile, township officials were also discussing with Xu Shanshan and her colleagues the current biggest challenge: the difficulty in transporting the mountain's valuable products. A while ago, a major food processing business owner visited the area and praised the products, praising the poor access to the roads. Selling goods relied entirely on manual labor, carrying loads at a time, which was a real hassle.

"Leader, have you had any engineering design before? Do you have a rough budget?" Fang Zhiwen and Xu Shanshan looked at each other and then asked seriously.

"The construction costs and other matters have been arranged, and funds have been allocated. Don't worry, if you return to your hometown to invest, transportation issues will not cause you any trouble."

"Could you please show us the blueprint?"

"No problem, let's go to the office to discuss it in detail later?"

Xu Shanshan and Fang Zhiwen agreed, and they did have the idea of ​​opening a branch factory. Setting up a branch factory in another province was also part of their original plan. Setting up a factory in Dingkou County would help expand into the inland market and significantly reduce overall labor costs.

In addition to the strong support from the local government and the welfare policies on land rent and taxes, the couple naturally agreed from a business perspective.

Several leaders breathed a sigh of relief. They didn't expect Xu Shanshan and her husband to agree so readily.

Zhang Laoer listened from the side, had a quarrel with his elder brother, and thought about how to take on the project.

Elsewhere, Xu Laoer was invited home by his eldest son-in-law to sit for a while. This was the first time he saw Youyou and Ruyi's twins. Suddenly, Xu Laoer felt a little uncomfortable. These were all his offspring, and he had only just seen them for the first time even though they were already so grown up. At the same time, he felt aggrieved. No matter how bad he was, he was still their father, their biological father. How could he just say no to them?

For so many years, he really didn't send any news home, as if his biological father had died.

Even if he didn't have the grace to raise her, did he not have the grace to give birth to her? Moreover, it's not like he didn't have any grace to give birth to her either. Otherwise, how could Zhao Xiaohe really support the five of them?

With tears in his eyes, Xu Laoer took out money wrapped in red paper from his pocket and said it was a gift for the children.

Xu Shanshan loved her daughter deeply and created a loving environment for her. She never told her about the hardships she had endured in her childhood. However, the conversations with her sisters still let Youyou know a lot.

She knew that grandpa didn't like her mother, so she refused to take the money.

As for the twins, they naturally do whatever their older sister does.

When Xu Laoer saw this, he became even more unhappy, thinking that his daughter Xu Shanshan had corrupted a good child.

The Zhang brothers' wives noticed Xu Laoer's expression was off, so they hurried over, calling him "Dad" and "Dad," trying to maintain harmony. They knew Youyou and his group were visiting the mountains, and while they didn't know what fun there was, they still said enthusiastically, "Auntie, would you show us around? We can pick lots of wild fruits in the mountains at this time of year. Your mother grew up in the mountains, so she might be nostalgic for the flavors of her childhood."

These words touched the hearts of the children, and they all agreed to the proposal. For safety, Qiang Zhijie's younger brother and sister-in-law, the wives of the two Zhang brothers, Zhao Xiaohe, Zhang Cuihua, the three sons of the Xu family, and several children and adults from the village headed up the mountain in a mighty procession.

Youyou had never been to the mountains before, and the unknown blue wildflowers along the road made her stop and stare for a long time. She also made many friends. Children were not as fickle as adults. Seeing that the girls from the city were interested in the wild fruits and plants in the mountains, they enthusiastically took them out to play. Once they got to know each other well, they took Youyou to dig for earthworms and find a small ditch to fish for lobsters.

Xu Lao Er felt bad and went to his eldest brother to complain. Xu Lao Da was really regretful now, but he still comforted his second brother, saying: "The children are still young. Young people are ambitious and like to dwell on trivial matters. In a few years, they will understand the importance of family affection."

"Even if the child doesn't recognize you, we still have to do what we should do. We still have to give the red envelope as a welcome gift. After all, it's a token of our appreciation."

"Second brother, I'm getting old now. I really feel that nothing is better than having a happy family. Let's forget about the past, look forward to the future, and slowly get along with the children."

As Boss Xu consoled Boss Xu, he wondered, if he had known this would happen, why would he have offended someone so badly over such a small matter? He had already made a mistake once, and he couldn't make the same mistake again.

After reconciling with his eldest brother, Xu Laoer began to believe his eldest brother's words again. So even though he was full of grievances and complaints, he could only endure it all. He even listened to his eldest brother's words and tried to please Zhao Xiaohe.

However, Zhao Xiaohe, who was kindhearted, was ruthless towards Xu Laoer. She could never forget the feeling when she almost died in the hospital. Although she was living a good life now, it was her good fortune, not Xu Laoer's kindness.

But Boss Xu couldn't understand. The old saying goes, "One night of marriage brings a hundred nights of love," so how could Second Brother and Zhao Xiaohe be enemies? Honestly, his wife wasn't a good person either, so why didn't Zhao Xiaohe care?

Zhao Xiaohe didn't think she had done anything wrong. People's requirements for their partners and relatives are naturally different.

She spent almost all her youth and life on Xu Laoer, but ended up like that. How could she be willing to accept this?

Later, after more experiences, she understood Yang Dani's shortcomings. But after all, Yang Dani and she weren't family. When someone planned for themselves, it only showed that she was smart and she was confused. But who was Xu Laoer? Who had she worked so hard for? Why did she have to endure such an insult?

Xu Laoer said angrily, "I was wondering why the kids were all blaming me. So you were the one stirring things up?"

"You're absolutely right, and I came back this time just to keep an eye on you. If you want to ease the relationship with the kids, it depends on whether I agree or not!"

How dare Xu Laoer say that his child is bad? Does that mean he is qualified as a father?

Pooh!

Xu Laoer looked at Zhao Xiaohe's heartless look, but he didn't dare to beat or scold her as he did before. He just shrank his neck and stared at her.

Boss Xu sighed and said to himself, "What a sin!"

The Xu family was still in a stalemate, but the children were having a great time flying into the sky. As for Xu Shanshan and Fang Zhiwen, in addition to confirming the investment, they also donated extra money for building bridges and roads.

Until they were about to leave, Xu Shanshan and Xu Laoer had not yet eased their relationship. The father and daughter did exchange a few indifferent words, but it seemed very awkward and distant.

Xu Shanshan didn't mention the incident again, but she also rejected Xu Laoer's advances. However, she still asked the township leaders to help take care of the situation. It was okay for small matters, but if something serious happened, they would have to show up.

On the way back to the city, Xu Shanshan looked towards the mountains. Xu Laoer was just like the tree at the entrance of the village, standing there as if motionless.

This reminded Xu Shanshan of the scene when she first went to Linshi. Xu Laoer left so decisively, but now he is so reluctant to leave. Is it because he knows how to value family ties now that he is older, or because he has become capable now?

After thinking for a while, Xu Shanshan suddenly laughed at herself. Why was she thinking about all this? Did she still have expectations?

Xu Meili sat beside her third sister, holding her hand and said, "Third sister, don't worry, you and your brother-in-law will invest in a factory in town, and Dad will have a good life."

"No, I'm just feeling a little emotional. Little sister, actually, my third sister has let it go. What about you? Haven't you figured it out yet?" Xu Shanshan always thought that her little sister didn't want to get married because she hadn't met the right man, but only recently did she realize how much of a shadow her parents' marriage had cast on her.

As for her father's future, Xu Shanshan actually had a good idea of ​​it. Given her and Fang Zhiwen's abilities, the Xu family would still benefit from it. And these were inevitable.

She was a businesswoman, and businesspeople always leave a way out. She told her superiors to take care of Xu Laoer, which would be good for her business.

When dealing with things in society, if you don't leave a way for the biological father to survive, it will not be good for the reputation of their group if the news gets out.

Judging from Fang Zhiwen's experience of rebirth, commercial competition will still involve public opinion in a dozen years, so there is no need to worry too much about it.

Now she just wants her younger sister to be happy.

Xu Meili glanced at the distant mountains, then at her fourth sister, who was sitting next to her and looking happy as she held her child. She smiled and said, "Third sister, I'm different from you and Fourth sister. I feel like I'm naturally cold and indifferent. Sister, do you think I, with such a cold heart, can raise a child well?"

Xu Meili has dated one boyfriend after another over the years, but she seems to be really incapable of love.

She once pretended to be moved, but after a long time, all she felt was tiredness and boredom.

She likes children, but is afraid that her children will become like her.

"Meili, when you think so much, it proves that you are not an indifferent person. If you were indifferent, would you care so much about Hongxia? Would you take care of your fourth sister?"

My younger sister is a very good person, she just sets very high standards for herself.

She is too obsessed with perfection.

Xu Shanshan hopes that her younger sister can live an easier and more comfortable life.

But Xu Meili still couldn't figure it out. She said, "Third sister, wait a little longer. Maybe I'll figure it out in a few years."

"Yeah. By the way, what did you say to your elder sister when you left? Why did she look unhappy to me?"

"Nothing, I just wanted Big Sister to see more of Dad. I want her to not be too partial. Oh, and I also said that Hongxia grew up with us aunts, so she must look like us."

The eldest sister is really not a good person. Hongxia was at home for a few days and was relieved. Before these people left, they ordered Hongxia to give her precious son extra lessons. There is nothing wrong with extra lessons, but you can't blame Hongxia for everything.

Her son is not motivated and refuses to study, so she blames Hongxia for not paying attention?

Where the hell does this make sense?

I originally wanted to take Hongxia away this time, but I don’t know what happened to Hongxia. She said she wanted to stay at home for a few more days.

Xu Shanshan sighed after hearing this, "My eldest sister had some opinions when she was young, but after she gave birth to a son, she listened to the Qiang family in everything. My eldest brother-in-law only cares about his son, so it's natural for her to do the same."

Xu Meili remained silent. Seeing how her brother-in-law doted on his son, how could he endure the hardship of studying?

Her second sister is so strict, isn’t Congcong afraid of hardship?

Among the next generation of children, daughters are more capable.

Thinking of Hongxia from her eldest sister's family, Youyou from her third sister's family, and Shuangshuang from her fourth sister's family, Xu Meili really has the idea of ​​getting married and having a daughter.

But the father's company is indispensable for the child's growth. Xu Meili felt that she did not have the patience to handle the relationship between husband and wife well.

Just like my second sister, she has so many ideas but is still bound by marriage.

The third and fourth sisters are happy, but how many people are as lucky as them?

However, this time when she returned to the village, Xu Meili also resolved many of her worries. At least she was full of energy in the business world.

As for Xu Shanshan and the others, they were visited by the Zhang brothers again after returning to the city. Xu Shanshan was too lazy to come out, so Fang Zhiwen was the one who received them.

Because of his father-in-law's relationship, Fang Zhiwen was relatively polite. But as the old saying goes, business is business, and if the Zhang brothers were qualified and their price was reasonable, there was nothing wrong with them taking over the project.

However, Fang Zhiwen found out from others that Zhang Laoer was better at being a person than at doing things. He was willing to spend money on treating people but not on paying wages.

I heard that last year someone asked him for his salary and he almost jumped off a building.

Fang Zhiwen naturally didn't want to bother with such people, but he couldn't afford to offend them too much. After thinking it over, he gave them the factory landscaping work, but the payment terms were rather harsh. He withheld a portion of the project payment and would only settle the balance after acceptance.

The Zhang brothers looked at the contract and frowned, "Brother-in-law, aren't these conditions too harsh?"

"You call me brother-in-law, so I'll shamelessly agree. If you want to make money, follow my contract. If my factory's landscaping is good, I'll be able to take over the landscaping of your county and city in the future. I heard that your construction team got into quite a big trouble last year, and it almost resulted in a loss of life. You should know that our factory is in partnership with the local government. If we didn't have some connection, you wouldn't even be eligible to bid because of this scandal. I'm taking a risk by directly appointing you."

"Okay, since you think you can't do it, then let's just not talk about cooperation. Come on, it's a rare trip to Lin City for you, so why not have a good meal?"

Zhang Laoer hadn't expected Fang Zhiwen to know so much about him. He blushed immediately and tried to explain, "I didn't mean to cheat him out of his salary. It's just that he couldn't do his job well."

Fang Zhiwen said, "So, we should do everything according to the rules, so that we can have an explanation if there are any problems in the future."

Zhang Laoer was speechless. Seeing Fang Zhiwen's refusal to budge, he could only say, "Can we take the contract back and study it?"

"OK."

The Zhang brothers hired a familiar lawyer to study every clause of the contract. The conditions were indeed harsh, but the profits were also sufficient.

"Where did Mr. Zhang get such a good order?"

"I got it from my stepfather's third son-in-law."

"It's his family, no wonder. This family is very careful about their reputation and places great emphasis on public praise. That's why their appliances sell so well, and are now exported overseas. This business is profitable, but it's a bit troublesome and time-consuming. If Mr. Zhang is too lazy to do it, he can transfer the order and still make a few points of profit."

The Zhang brothers were convinced it was indeed the case. They were still deciding whether to subcontract the work or not. Honestly, their work over the years had been shoddy, and the quality of their materials was questionable, which was precisely where they made their money.

Fang Zhiwen's contract was too harsh, especially the penalty clauses and compensation clauses. If you weren't careful, you would lose everything.

The two brothers wanted to do a good job, but they knew their own business well, and their brothers were used to being rough around the edges, so they were afraid they wouldn't be able to do delicate work.

The profits are considerable, but the risks are also high and the payment cycle is long.

After much deliberation, the two brothers decided to subcontract the project, hoping to earn a few percentage points of profit. Fang Zhiwen kindly agreed to this, and after verifying the contractor's qualifications and signing the contract, everything went smoothly.

The couple's branch factory had not yet been built, and the landscaping funds had naturally not yet been deposited into the supplier's account. The Zhang brothers were caught because of quality issues in the early stage of the project.

Xu Shanshan answered her elder sister's call and heard about this matter. She asked softly, "Zhiwen, do you know about this?"

"I know. Someone gave me a heads-up before I dealt with them."

Xu Shanshan asked in surprise: "Why does it concern you?"

Fang Zhiwen held his wife in his arms without saying anything more. These two brothers were truly foolish, constantly spreading rumors about his relationship with Xu Shanshan, making it seem as if he were their biological brother.

Fang Zhiwen gave them a chance, but unfortunately they insisted on going down the same path.

They weren't doing business at all, they were just like gangsters. If we didn't take them down, if something really happened later, we'd be implicated.

Of course, these two people have many opponents, so no matter what happens, it cannot be blamed on them.

After all, I had opened a back door for them brothers.