In Lotus Town, Ding Haowen was initially very conflicted about whether or not to go find Chen Jiahua.
To his surprise, Chen Jiahua took the initiative to contact him.
He asked in a dry tone, "What do you want from me?"
Chen Jiahua didn't say anything, but simply handed him a cigarette in a relaxed manner.
Ding Haowen instinctively refused, "I don't smoke, thank you."
Chen Jiahua smiled and said, "Give it a try? You seem to be under a lot of pressure."
Ding Haowen was a little embarrassed, but still politely declined.
Seeing that Ding Haowen wasn't smoking, Chen Jiahua didn't force him.
He lit a cigarette, and the smell of nicotine filled the car.
Ding Haowen found the smell unpleasant, so he opened the car window and asked Chen Jiahua again what he wanted.
Chen Jiahua smiled and said, "I heard that you are still unemployed, your wife is still in postpartum confinement, your child needs to be hospitalized for IV fluids, and your mother is still paralyzed in a wheelchair, is that right?"
Ding Haowen was surprised that the other party even knew these things.
A hint of embarrassment flashed in his eyes, but he still forced himself to remain calm and told Chen Jiahua.
"Who told you all this?"
They neither denied nor admitted it.
Chen Jiahua smiled and said, "You don't need anyone to tell you; everyone in town knows you now."
"Are you from this town too?"
"Yes, I am! I'm Yuzhu's relative. How could I be her relative if I weren't from this town?"
Upon hearing Chen Jiahua's words, Ding Haowen couldn't help but ponder.
Why did Chen Jiahua help him?
Ding Haowen thought this way, and that's what he asked.
A hint of a smile flashed in Chen Jiahua's eyes, and he immediately told Ding Haowen the truth.
"Let me tell you the truth, there are definitely risks in this line of work. If you get caught, you'll be facing jail time. I don't want to take that risk, so I'm willing to pay you to deliver goods."
"Do you understand what I mean? If you reach my position, you can pick up the goods yourself, or you can pay someone to deliver them."
Upon hearing Chen Jiahua's words, a strange glint flashed in Ding Haowen's eyes.
Aren't you afraid I'll report you?
Chen Jiahua gave a mocking smile, lifted up his clothes at his waist, revealing a bulging thing there.
"Do you know who gave me this? My boss gave it to me. Do you know how difficult it is to get this done these days? But if you sit in my position, you can get one."
Ding Haowen was shocked when he saw what was on Chen Jiahua's waist.
He immediately understood why the other party didn't care that he would report him.
He might be killed before he even successfully reports the crime.
Ding Haowen didn't say anything, he just sat quietly in the car.
He is really short of money right now, that's true, but he really doesn't want to do anything illegal.
Chen Jiahua noticed Ding Haowen's dilemma and spoke frankly about it.
"Let me tell you the truth, you won't find a good job in Haicheng. That's because you've offended the Chen family, who are the top families in Haicheng. Even if the other three territories belong to other powerful families, they won't offend the Chen family for your sake."
"If you don't do respectable work, then you can only do low-class work. What kind of work is low-class? Waiting tables, washing dishes, sweeping the streets. Without government protection, this kind of work is low-class."
Chen Jiahua knew Ding Haowen's personality, and the things he said were specifically tailored for Ding Haowen.
"You used to work at the Ocean University Research Institute, how can you tolerate doing such a despicable job? Aren't you afraid people will laugh at you if you tell others?"
Ding Haowen knew perfectly well that every word Chen Jiahua said resonated with him.
He couldn't bring himself to do that kind of work, nor could he bring himself to betray his country.
Seeing that Ding Haowen was still gritting his teeth and refusing to budge, Chen Jiahua sneered.
"I'm asking you, are there different shades of green hats?"
Ding Haowen hesitated for a moment before slowly speaking.
"Indistinguishable..."
"That's settled then. You've already done it once, so what's wrong with doing it a few more times? But if you're lucky and manage to do it a few times without getting caught, you can use the money to open a new shop. You can be your own boss, and you won't have to listen to those rumors anymore. As long as you have money, you'll be the boss of this village, and everyone will have to listen to you, understand?"
Chen Jiahua's words greatly moved Ding Haowen, who was originally very conflicted, but was now thinking about it.
It's just a delivery, nothing serious.
If it weren't for those people wanting to smoke, he wouldn't be delivering goods.
So to put it bluntly, it wasn't him who harmed those people.
After mentally preparing himself, Ding Haowen accepted Chen Jiahua's invitation.
The two agreed to meet again the next day. Chen Jiahua watched Ding Haowen's departing figure, a mocking look in his eyes.
After Ding Haowen returned home, someone quietly followed him from not far away.
On his way home, Ding Haowen felt like something was watching him from behind, but when he turned around, he saw nothing.
So Ding Haowen quickened his pace toward home.
He didn't encounter anyone on his way back, but Ding Haowen became increasingly anxious.
If he runs into one or two neighbors, they can go together to see who's following him.
But he was all alone...
He wouldn't dare!
After Ding Haowen got home, he immediately locked the door.
When Li Yuzhu saw that Ding Haowen had locked the door, the smile on her face froze for a moment.
Ding Haowen came to his senses, and the color gradually returned to his pale face.
"I have something really scary to tell you. It felt like someone was following me. You need to stay home and take good care of the kids for the next couple of days. Don't call me 'Mom' and don't go out."
Ding Haowen suspected it might be a human trafficker scouting the area.
Li Yuzhu gave an awkward laugh, "No, it's probably just your imagination."
She glanced at her room; Li Sumei hadn't returned yet.
Ding Haowen snapped out of his daze and stared at Li Yuzhu.
Where's the lilac?
"Oh, I told her to go to the field and pick some vegetables."
Ding Haowen's expression immediately changed. "Oh no! Maybe that bad guy is outside. What if he kidnaps her?"
Li Yuzhu smiled awkwardly, "Why don't you open the door and take a look?"
Ding Haowen was a little scared, but when he thought that his daughter hadn't come back yet, he mustered up his courage and opened the door.
Seeing his mother-in-law standing at the door, he was startled.
He said irritably, "Mom, what are you doing here?"
Li Sumei feigned surprise as she looked at Ding Haowen, "Who else could it be but me?"
Ding Haowen then noticed that his mother-in-law was holding Dingxiang in one hand.
He frowned instinctively when he saw Dingxiang, and Dingxiang took two steps back in fear.
Li Sumei pushed Dingxiang forward impatiently.
"What are you hiding for, you little brat? I told you to go out and pick vegetables, and you haven't come back for ages. If I hadn't gone to check on you, how long were you planning to play? Do you want your mother to go hungry?"
Li Sumei's tone was not very good. When she scolded Dingxiang, she even reached out and pinched Dingxiang.
Dingxiang's eyes were brimming with tears from the pain, but she dared not cry out, for fear of being beaten again.
(End of this chapter)
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