"Where do you live?" Xue Qiandai asked.
Jian Yan only booked two apartments.
"I'm going home to check on things after I finish my business. It's been a long time since I've been home." Jian Yan's expression was slightly unnatural as she said this.
Despite spending so much time together, Xue Qiandai had never heard Jian Yan mention her family; each family probably had its own troubles.
After a simple lunch and a short rest, Xue Qiandai followed Jian Yan to the factory. Rong Xiao was dragging a storage box.
Before leaving, Xue Qiandai happily sent Huo Yunchao a message and shared the address of a factory. They revealed their locations to each other, as if they had never been far apart.
The factory wasn't large; it was more like a workshop with a dozen or so machines in operation, where male and female workers were producing wool sweaters.
The person in charge of receiving Jian Yan was a middle-aged man surnamed Cheng, nicknamed Director Cheng, who spoke with a heavy local accent.
People in the Jiangnan region speak different accents even in every village and shop, which is a unique cultural feature. Xue Qiandai entrusted all communication matters to Jian Yan.
"Uncle Cheng, how's business going these days?" They exchanged pleasantries before getting down to business.
"It's alright, the orders aren't big, but they haven't stopped." Director Cheng smiled amiably, not forgetting to glance at Xue Qiandai and Rong Xiao beside him; their demeanor clearly indicated they were no ordinary people. "Jian Yan, you've really made something of yourself. You've only been out of school for a short time and you're already running your own business, making your parents proud! What are your names, these two?"
"Oh, they are my partners, Miss Xue Qiandai and Mr. Rong Xiao."
Xue Qiandai greeted him politely, but Rong Xiao remained aloof. He had no intention of admitting that he was Xiaodouding's partner; he was Daifei's partner.
Director Cheng led them around, showing them the machines and the conditions in the field.
"By the way, how many of those emoji-themed T-shirts are left from last time?"
Because Jian Yan and Xue Qiandai haven't established a warehousing base in the capital yet, which would be very time-consuming and expensive, the factory handles the shipping after customers place their orders.
"There aren't many left. This sales volume is considered a bestseller here. Should we continue production?"
"No need, we will launch an autumn version of the T-shirts later. We are here this time for another batch of new autumn products."
As Jian Yan spoke, she took the storage box from Rong Xiao and showed the hand-made sample to Director Cheng. Director Cheng then called over the production worker to listen in.
This production run includes a wide variety of styles, both men's and women's wear, so Jianyan has a lot to explain.
"Let's make samples of each one first. If there are no problems, we can start mass production. We'll be here for the next few days," Jian Yan concluded two and a half hours later.
“Okay, Jian Yan, don’t worry, this isn’t the first time we’ve worked together.”
"Uncle Cheng, as usual, I'll pay a partial deposit first. To be honest, this order is large, so I'm a bit strapped for cash."
Just as I was about to pay the deposit by card, three people came running up to me, panting: an elderly woman and a middle-aged couple. The elderly woman was surprisingly in the lead.
"You heartless brat, you come back and don't even go home to check on things. I've raised you for nothing, you ungrateful wretch!" The old lady immediately smacked Jian Yan's arm.
"Grandma!" Jian Yan dodged back, but there was still a bruise on her arm from being pinched.
It all happened so suddenly that no one had time to react before Xue Qiandai frowned. She didn't understand the dialect very well, but she could tell that the old lady wasn't being kind.
Director Cheng hurriedly stepped forward to comfort her, "Auntie, you've come at the right time. Your Jian Yan has made something of herself; she's ordered a lot of clothes from the factory to put into production."
It turns out that Director Cheng informed the Jian family of Jian Yan's return.
Upon hearing this, the old lady's eyes darted around, and she spotted the bank card in Jian Yan's hand. "Give it to me!"
She came straight up and snatched the card.
Xue Qiandai reacted quickly, clipping the card between her fingers and taking a step back. Rong Xiao pulled Jian Yan aside, hiding her behind him and giving her a reassuring look.
"Grandma, Jian Yan is still your granddaughter. How could you try to snatch and steal her card when you see her? What kind of grudge do you have? We won't give you the card until we explain things clearly. Besides, what use is the card to you without a PIN?"
The old woman suppressed her fierce aura and addressed her timid son behind her, "You speak."
Mr. Jian's shoulders slumped; he was only in his forties or fifties, but he looked much older than his age. "Mom, Xiaoyan's money is for having children. She's been contributing to the family income quite a bit these past few years."
"So you're not going to take care of your son? He's still being held captive, and if he can't pay, they'll send him to the police station." This time it was Jian's mother who spoke; her eyes were red, her hair was graying, and she looked disheveled.
"Mom, my brother has gotten into trouble again."
The word "again" already reveals a lot. Moreover, Jian Yan's tone is affirmative, not interrogative.
Finally, Jian's mother revealed her embarrassment. She brushed her messy hair aside, sniffed, and said, "Xiaoyan, only you can help your brother. He hit someone with his motorcycle and was taken to the hospital. The other person's family said they won't let it go unless they give 100,000 yuan, and they're going to send your brother to the police station."
Jian Yan's face paled slightly. "Do you guys think I'm an ATM? Where am I supposed to get 100,000 yuan?!"
Actually, there was exactly 100,000 yuan in the card, but this included 50,000 yuan from Rong Xiao, more than 20,000 yuan from selling cosmetics and Xue Qiandai's salary, and the rest was Jian Yan's.
The old lady was displeased and glared at her, saying, "If you don't have money to start production, what are you doing? You have money to produce but not to help your brother. Are you heartless? I've really wasted my time raising you."
The old woman sat down on the spot, slapped her thigh, and began to throw a tantrum, bursting into loud sobs. "Oh my God, they're making me suffer! I only have this one precious grandson, and now nobody cares whether he lives or dies! Ahhh!"
Jian Yan's face was deathly pale, and her whole body was trembling. "From childhood to adulthood, I've always been the one cleaning up his messes. You don't care that he's idle and doesn't do anything, but instead you criticize me. I've been working while studying since high school, and I earned my own tuition for university. I send half of my monthly salary home. Even if I owe you, I've paid it all back over the years."
Xue Qiandai never imagined that Jian Yan's childhood was so scarred. That girl who always radiated positive energy and brought warmth to others—it turned out her world was devoid of light. Xue Qiandai held Jian Yan's hand.
When Rong Xiao saw Jian Yan's tears streaming down her face, he clumsily wiped them away for her. "Little bean, oops, from now on you're my little sister, I'll protect you."
Perhaps his conscience had been awakened, for Mr. Jian lowered his head and remained silent. Suddenly, Mrs. Jian rushed over, knelt in front of Jian Yan, and reached out to pull her up, saying, "Xiao Yan, I'm begging you, please help your brother. If you don't help him, he'll be ruined."
Xue Qiandai looked at Jian Yan, knowing she couldn't make the decision for her.
"I only have 20,000 yuan. You'll have to figure out the rest yourselves." Jian Yan wiped away her tears and made her decision.
The old woman got up from the ground, her eyes red, and grabbed Director Cheng's hand. "Director Cheng, how much was the deposit they paid? How much? More than 20,000, right? Right?"
Faced with the elderly woman who seemed to have gone mad, Director Cheng stammered and remained silent.
The old lady understood; she had guessed correctly. She raised her twig-like hand and swung it at Jian Yan.
Her hand didn't fall; it was lifted up by a pair of young hands.
Rong Xiao was just about to retaliate when his move was intercepted.
"Old lady, where did you get so angry?" A lazy voice rang out.
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