Ever since Li Zhonghua and Sun Erni decided to hold a banquet, they immediately set a date, quickly hired a chef, and ordered ingredients from the market. These things were a piece of cake for them.
The day of the banquet was very lively, and Aunt Xia and her younger aunt's families came early to help.
Sun Erni and her sister-in-law sat chatting. It had only been a few years since they last met, but both of them had aged a lot.
Looking at her sister-in-law's gray hair, who looked even older than her own mother-in-law, Sun Erni asked, "Sister Hongmei, how have you been lately?"
Li Hongmei looked at her younger brother and sister-in-law and said, "Don't even mention it. Since the factory closed down, your brother-in-law and I have been unemployed, and we've been thinking about whether we should go out and find work."
Sun Erni was shocked. Although they didn't go back to their hometown often, they had always kept in touch. "Huh? When did the factory close down? How come I've never heard you and your brother-in-law mention it?"
"It went bankrupt in March. Your brother-in-law and I were just a few years away from retirement when this happened."
Li Hongmei was full of complaints when she talked about the factory's closure.
Li Qiumei was also filled with emotion upon hearing this, "Wang Hao's factory has also gone bankrupt."
"Wang Hao's factory was doing quite well, wasn't it? How come it suddenly went bankrupt?" Sun Erni didn't expect that factories in her hometown were struggling so much, and that her husband's older and younger sisters-in-law were both unemployed.
Each of them has two more children to raise.
My husband's older sister, Li Hongmei, is in a better position. Her children are all grown up; her eldest daughter has already started working, and her youngest is in the army, so she doesn't need to worry about him.
My sister-in-law, Li Qiumei, is a housewife who doesn't work and takes care of two children. The older one is only 12 years old, and the younger one is under 6. It's a time when they need money.
Li Qiumei said, "The factory seemed to be doing quite well on the surface, but it owed too much money to others, and many debts were not collected. After paying out some basic wages, the workers all left, and the factory closed down."
Sun Erni expressed her doubts, noting that their factory had always been doing very well, even having an office in the provincial capital. It was impossible for them to suddenly go bankrupt due to excessive debt.
Li Hongmei said, "Oh, is that so? Isn't Wang Hao the factory's accountant? How come he doesn't know about the outstanding debt?"
Seeing that no one else was around, Li Qiumei whispered, "Sister-in-law, let me tell you something, but you mustn't tell anyone else. The reason why Wang Hao's factory went bankrupt was because their factory director and deputy director emptied the entire factory, taking all the money out of it. The factory director even used that money to send his son to study abroad."
"They gave Wang Hao some money to shut him up."
Sun Erni and Li Hongmei were both shocked by this.
Sun Erni said, "This is too crazy! What if we get caught?"
Li Hongmei was very angry. Although she and Wang Hao worked in different factories, she felt the workers' plight deeply. "How could these people be like this? The factory is ruined by people like you."
Li Qiumei couldn't argue with her older sister because it was the truth; the factory leaders had already laid the groundwork for connections with higher-ups. Wang Hao already knew about this; if he didn't accept the money, he wouldn't even know how he died. There was no other way but to go along with it.
Sun Erni said, "Don't be so angry. We know Wang Hao's character well. He must have had no other choice."
Upon hearing her sister-in-law's words, Li Qiumei immediately burst into tears. "Sister-in-law, you don't know. After Wang Hao discovered that something was wrong, he investigated in private. He even reported it to the authorities, but the factory leaders found out and those people came to our house to threaten him. If it weren't for some people we know in the family, you probably wouldn't even know how we died."
Sun Erni asked worriedly, "Why haven't you mentioned this before?"
Sun Erni took out a piece of paper and handed it to Li Qiumei.
Li Qiumei wiped away her tears, "You live so far away, I don't want you to worry about us."
Li Hongmei said angrily, "Is there no law anymore?"
Li Qiumei scoffed, "The law? They are the law."
Sun Erni fell silent. "Tell your older brother about this later. It's too dangerous for your family to live here."
Li Qiumei wiped away her tears and cleared her throat. "Wang Hao should have told my older brother."
“Sister-in-law, I heard you and my second sister say that houses in Shenzhen are cheaper than before. How much are they now? If our family goes there, will we still be able to buy a house? Over the years, Wang Hao and I have saved some money and bought a house there to settle down. We'll come back after this matter is settled.”
Sun Erni said, "It doesn't matter if you don't have enough money. Your older brother and I will lend you some. Let's get through this difficult time first. After all, life is more important."
Li Zhonghua stormed in from the backyard, looking like he was about to start a fight. Xia's maternal grandparents and Wang Hao followed him, trying to stop him.
Grandma Xia said, "Zhonghua, where are you going?" Erni stopped Zhonghua.
Sun Erni, Li Hongmei, and Li Qiumei quickly got up and stopped the furious Li Zhonghua.
Grandma Xia said, "Li Zhonghua! Calm down. Now is not the time for you to act rashly. If you rush over there, you will only ruin yourself. You would be better off helping your sister and brother-in-law settle down in Shenzhen."
After calming down and thinking it over, Li Zhonghua also felt that he shouldn't have acted rashly.
Li Zhonghua said, "Buying a house in Shenzhen is easy; we'll lend you the money if you don't have enough. But what if they find a reason to prevent you from transferring your household registration?"
Wang Hao frowned. "I don't know yet. If I can't transfer my household registration, I'll transfer the household registrations of the two children and Qiu Mei. Ever since they made a scene at home, the two children have been very quiet every day. They only dare to hide at home and dare not go out or go to school. They tremble when they see tall and strong men."
Sun Erni said, "No wonder the two children have become so dull when I saw them this time. They used to be so clever."
Li Qiumei started crying again when she talked about her two children; she had never seen such a heartless and insane person.
Li Zhonghua said, "In that case, we'll head back to Shenzhen the day after tomorrow. We'll go there first to find a place for my younger sister and her family. Wang Hao and my younger sister can get things done at the border checkpoint first before coming over. My younger sister, once you and the children are in Shenzhen, don't come back. Leave the household registration transfer to Wang Hao. I'll accompany him back then."
After hearing Li Zhonghua's words, Wang Hao and Li Qiumei felt relieved, as if they had found a pillar of support.
Li Zhonghua said, "Hongmei, please take good care of Mom and Dad."
Grandpa Xia was very unhappy. "Your mother is not a child who needs to be taken care of. She can buy her own food and drink when she has money. Don't worry, she will definitely not treat herself badly."
Li Hongmei asked, "Mom and Dad, aren't we going with you this time?"
Grandma Xia said, "It's so much more comfortable at home. Over there, you don't know anyone, and you don't even have anyone to talk to."
The laughter of several children playing on skateboards came from outside, finally dispelling some of the oppressive atmosphere.
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