Chapter 1 Jiang Family Bankruptcy
Beep beep beep...
"Hello?"
"Mom, could you lend me some more money? I don't have enough for Dad's funeral..."
“Jiang Ling, it’s not that I’m a heartless mother. Didn’t I just give you 50,000 yuan a few days ago? Your father didn’t think of sharing any of his earnings with me, and now he expects me to pay for his funeral expenses?”
"...The factory exploded, and the 50,000 yuan was taken by the creditor as soon as it was in my hands. Now I still owe tens of millions..."
“You’ve already been awarded to your father, so in principle it shouldn’t be my responsibility. I’ll give you a maximum of five thousand, but don’t come looking for me again. My money doesn’t grow on trees.”
Beep beep beep...
Five thousand yuan has been received via Alipay.
At the same time, your university counselor sent you a message: "Jiang Ling, the public outcry surrounding your father's factory explosion is quite serious. I suggest you take a leave of absence for a while to sort out your family situation before returning to school. You don't need to come to the school to complete the leave of absence procedures; I've already taken care of them for you."
While checking messages, Jiang Ling inadvertently glanced at the active class group chat.
"The Jiang family's fireworks factory exploded, killing many people..."
"I heard that Jiang Ling's father also died in this accident..."
"The Jiang family deserved it. If they hadn't failed to take proper precautions, the explosion wouldn't have happened. The poor workers who died in this accident are the ones who suffer the most."
"I heard the Jiang family has gone bankrupt and can't afford to pay compensation. How can those family members let it go?"
"Isn't there Jiang Ling? It's only natural for a daughter to inherit her father's debts. Who told her to have the surname Jiang?"
"Just a few days ago, Jiang Ling was the high and mighty Miss Jiang, a true campus beauty. Now, she'd probably get rotten eggs thrown at her if she walked down the street."
"School beauty? That's a joke. She probably doesn't even dare to show her face at school anymore. I heard she secretly took a leave of absence a few days ago..."
Jiang Ling had no more tears left to shed; she had cried them all out in the past few days.
She wanted to throw the phone away, but then she thought better of it and pulled her hand back, because if she broke it, she really didn't have the money to buy a new one.
After her father's funeral, Jiang Ling packed her things and returned to her hometown.
She picked up the yellowed map and compared it carefully before confirming that the dilapidated grocery store in front of her was her only property at the moment.
"Luckily, there's still the general store that Grandpa left behind, otherwise I really would have nowhere to go." Jiang Ling looked up at the sky. "Thank you, Grandpa."
With a creak, the old wooden door was opened.
The shop occupies 100 square meters, with 20 to 30 square meters partitioned off as a warehouse, and there is also a second floor above.
Jiang Ling looked around, and the place was exactly the same as she remembered.
A few years ago, I rented the shop to someone from out of town who opened a general store, but unfortunately, business was bad and I lost money.
When outsiders couldn't pay the rent, they took the goods in the shop to pay off their debts.
At the time, the Jiang family was wealthy and didn't care about this, so they let him do as he pleased.
Jiang Ling looked at the shop full of grains, oils, rice, noodles, and daily necessities and felt it was a lifeline.
The former eldest daughter of the Jiang family is now so destitute that she has less than a thousand yuan to her name.
It took Jiang Ling three or four hours to clean the grocery store, and she checked the expiration dates of the goods while cleaning.
A quarter of the expired goods were cleared out, and those nearing their expiration date were also sorted out.
By the time we finished all that, it was already dark.
Jiang Ling was too exhausted, so she sat on the counter and made herself a bowl of instant noodles that was about to expire.
It had just rained, and the early summer night was cool and breezy, with a peaceful atmosphere all around.
Whenever Jiang Ling calms down, her mind is filled with those thoughts...
The overhead light suddenly flickered and dimmed, as if it were old.
Jiang Ling noticed a light bulb while cleaning.
Where was it again...?
"Knock, knock, is the shopkeeper in?" The open door was knocked twice.
Jiang Ling looked up from behind the counter.
I saw an old man with a basket on his back standing nervously at the door.
His clothes were somewhat worn and patched in several places. His long, gray hair was tied back.
Rural people usually like to wear old clothes when working, and Jiang Ling was also wearing a hemp garment today, so it didn't seem strange.
As for elderly people with long hair, although they are rare, they do exist.
"Sir, this shop hasn't been open for a long time. Why don't you try another one?"
Jiang Ling hasn't thought about running a general store to make money again. Even if she were to open a store, she would have to plan it out carefully.
The old man waved his hand, "No, I don't want to buy anything. I want to ask the shopkeeper for a bowl of water. My home is five miles away, and I'm really thirsty. I wonder if the shopkeeper could do me a favor."
Jiang Ling turned around and handed him a bottle of mineral water that was about to expire. "Here you go, sir."
The elderly man bowed slightly and accepted the bottled water with both hands this time. "Thank you, shopkeeper."
"It's just a bottle of water, don't be shy."
The elderly man looked at the transparent plastic bottle and felt the coolness emanating from it.
Is this... filled with water?
A very peculiar container.
He carefully turned the bottle over and over, pinching the body and looking at the opening, unsure how to open the container.
He was so anxious that he kept swallowing.
"...Excuse me, shopkeeper, how do I open this container?"
Jiang Ling never expected that there would still be people in this era who didn't know how to open a bottle of mineral water.
But she didn't think much of it, walked straight over, unscrewed the bottle cap, and handed it to the old man.
Only then did the old man see clearly the water rippling in the small bottle opening; it was crystal clear and without a trace of impurity.
He swallowed hard, held the water bottle with both hands, and carefully brought his mouth close to the opening, slowly sipping the water, afraid of wasting a single drop.
So sweet! And there's absolutely no strange smell!
It has neither the earthy smell of well water nor the turbidity of river water; it is purer than you can imagine!
He dared not drink too much, only slowly quenching his thirst before stopping.
Once the cap is securely fastened to the bottle opening, return the bottle with both hands.
"Thank you, shopkeeper."
Jiang Ling had never seen anyone return a bottle of mineral water they had drunk from, so she mumbled, "Grandpa, you don't need to return it. You can take it back and drink it."
The old man looked down at the glass-like bottle. There was only one shop in town that sold glass, and he had the good fortune to go in and take a look. The glass there was far less transparent than this one, but the price was enough to buy a year's worth of food for his family of eight.
Such an expensive item is really too much for me to accept.
Just as he was preparing to return it.
Jiang Ling lifted the lid of the instant noodles, and the strong aroma of the noodles wafted into the air.
It smells so good!
That fragrance was one he had never smelled even though he was over sixty!
The old man's stomach growled uncontrollably.
The sound was quite loud; even Jiang Ling, who was a few steps away, heard it.
The old man blushed, but before he could speak, his stomach growled first.
"Gurgle—"
Jiang Ling looked at the freshly made instant noodles, then at the old man who kept staring at the noodles and swallowing his saliva.
The old man said embarrassedly, "This old man has never smelled such a fragrant aroma before. I'm so sorry."
"You've had all the water. If you're not in a hurry, why don't you stay and have a bowl of noodles?"
Jiang Ling smiled slightly, took out the freshly made instant noodles, and placed them on the table and chairs near the door.
"This...this is unacceptable! Shopkeeper...to be honest, I...I didn't bring any money..."
"It's nothing, it's not worth much. I just moved back, consider it a small gift from me."
After Jiang Ling finished speaking, she walked back behind the counter, picked out a flavor from the pile of products nearing their expiration date, and went to the kitchen to make another bowl.
The old man wanted to refuse, but his eyes never left the fragrant noodles that night.
It smells so good! It made his mouth water!
Ultimately, instinct prevailed over reason.
He sat down anyway.
This bowl is strange; it looks like it's made of paper, yet it can hold soup.
The noodles were also strange; they were golden and curved, with a thick layer of oil floating on top of the broth, and the aroma wafted into his nostrils without restraint.
Urged on by his stomach once again, he finally couldn't resist picking up his chopsticks from the table and taking a mouthful of noodles.
The moment the noodles hit his mouth, the savory flavor instantly filled his entire oral cavity!
It smells so good! He has never eaten such delicious food before!
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