Chapter 102 The Millennium
The year was 2000.
The Millennium.
Zhou Lanying has been complaining of leg pain lately.
At first, I would hold onto the railing and catch my breath when going up or down the stairs.
Later, when I was watching TV while sitting, I had to support my knees with my hands and say "ouch" when I got up.
Wen Xiaoxiao took her to the hospital for a full check-up. Several X-rays were taken, and the doctor looked at them for a long time before finally saying, "There's nothing seriously wrong. It's just that she's getting old, and her joints are degenerating. She's 70 years old, so it's normal."
"What if it hurts?" Wen Xiaoxiao asked.
"Try to avoid climbing stairs and get plenty of rest. If the pain is severe, apply some medicated plasters and take some calcium supplements." The doctor bent down to prescribe medication. "If possible, it's best to stay on the first floor."
Wen Xiaoxiao kept these words in mind.
When he got home and told Zhao Fei, Zhao Fei went to look at the house that very afternoon.
Now that I have more money in my pocket, buying a house is not difficult.
After looking at several places, I finally settled on a second-hand villa. Actually, it's not a real villa; it's an old staff housing built by my work unit years ago. It's a three-story house with its own entrance and courtyard, and it comes with a small garden.
The house is quite old, but it's well-maintained. The walls have just been painted, and there are a few rose bushes in the yard.
The key feature is that there is a bedroom on the first floor with a private bathroom, facing south and getting plenty of sunlight.
“Mom lives on the first floor, so she doesn’t have to climb stairs.” Zhao Fei brought Wen Xiaoxiao and Zhou Lanying to see the house. “We’ll live on the second floor, and the children will live on the third floor. Mom can plant some flowers in the yard for shade in the summer.”
Zhou Lanying strolled around the yard, touching the old locust tree: "This tree is good; it provides shade in the summer." She then looked at the first-floor bedroom, its large windows making it bright and airy. "This room... must be expensive?"
“It’s not expensive,” Zhao Fei said casually. “Houses are cheap now, we can afford it.”
Wen Xiaoxiao knew the truth, but she didn't expose it.
“Buy it,” she said.
The procedures were completed very quickly.
Two weeks later, the family moved into their new home.
Zhou Lanying lived in the large bedroom on the first floor.
Zhao Fei had the place renovated; the floor was laid with non-slip tiles, handrails were installed in the bathroom, and a low bed was specially bought to make it easier to sit up and get up.
“That’s great,” Zhou Lanying said, sitting on the new bed and touching the brand-new sheets. “No more climbing the stairs.”
But the new home is far from the store.
Taking the bus requires transferring, and the journey takes thirty minutes.
Wen Xiaoxiao couldn't take it anymore after running around for three days.
When I left home in the morning, it was still dark, and when I returned at night, it was already dark. I spent all my time on the road.
Zhao Fei saw it all but remained silent.
A few days later, he drove back in a small white car, an Alto, small and boxy, like a little box.
"For me?" Wen Xiaoxiao circled the car.
"Here you go." Zhao Fei tossed her the keys. "It's an automatic, easy to drive. You can drive to the shop from now on, it'll save you time."
Wen Xiaoxiao sat in the driver's seat and touched the steering wheel. She tried to start the engine, and the engine sounded brisk.
"Let's give it a try." Zhao Fei got into the passenger seat.
Wen Xiaoxiao carefully drove out of the courtyard gate and onto the road.
The Alto is small and agile, making it easy to navigate through traffic. After driving it around a couple of times, she gradually got the hang of it.
"That actually works." She laughed.
With a car, the commuting problem is solved.
But a new problem arose: someone needed to watch the shop at night.
We used to live in the shop, which made it convenient for theft and fire prevention. Now that the whole family has moved out, the shop is empty at night.
As Wen Xiaoxiao was worrying, Wu Jia offered a suggestion: "Boss Wen, how about... letting my husband and I move into the shop? Aren't there any empty rooms upstairs? We can tidy them up and move in. That way, there will be people in the shop at night, and I won't have to run back and forth every day."
Wen Xiaoxiao's eyes lit up: "That's a great idea! Sister Wu, then I'll trouble you. I'll halve the rent and include all the utilities."
"That won't do, it has to be the right amount." Wu Jia waved her hand.
After discussion, it was decided that Wu Jia and Hu Wanlin would move into the empty room on the second floor of the shop.
Hu Wanlin is now the security captain at the cannery, in charge of seven or eight people. He often works the night shift, so it's more convenient for Wu Jia to stay at the hotel.
On the day of the move, Wu Jia's son also came.
The child is fourteen years old, attends junior high school and lives at school, only returning home on weekends. Wu Jia also tidied up her son's room.
"That's great," Wu Jia said while wiping the window, "I don't have to rush to catch the bus in the morning, and I can sleep for an extra half hour."
Watching her busy figure, Wen Xiaoxiao felt much more at ease.
Wu Jia has worked in the store for many years. She is hardworking and meticulous. With her looking after the store, I feel at ease.
That afternoon, the goods shipped from Guangzhou arrived.
Wen Xiaoxiao and Han Manjuan were taking inventory in the store.
This batch of goods mainly consists of spring clothing, including shirts, light jackets, and several new styles of dresses.
Zheng Shangyu is reliable. He always includes a packing list with the number of items, styles, and colors clearly written on each shipment.
“One pack, two packs…wait,” Wen Xiaoxiao frowned halfway through the count, “one pack is missing.”
"Is it too few?" Han Manjuan also came over to look at the list. "Shirts, thirty off-white ones, thirty light blue ones... Yes, this bag is for shirts, thirty off-white ones."
The two counted the delivered packages again and found that one package was indeed missing.
"Maybe it's still at the logistics point?" Han Manjuan said. "Let's call and ask."
Wen Xiaoxiao dialed the logistics company's number.
The person who answered the phone was a lazy male voice: "The goods have all been picked up, didn't you sign for them?"
“We signed for it, but one package is missing.” Wen Xiaoxiao tried to remain calm. “The list said ten packages, but we only received nine.”
"That's impossible. We check every shipment here." The other party said impatiently, "You can look for it yourselves. Maybe it's been left somewhere."
“We’ve looked everywhere, and we definitely don’t have it.” Wen Xiaoxiao’s tone hardened. “Could you please check if it was missed or if it’s still in your warehouse?”
"Can't check, too busy." The other end hung up immediately.
Wen Xiaoxiao turned pale with anger. Han Manjuan was also furious: "What kind of person is this! Hit me again!"
Just as they were about to dial again, Wu Jia came in from outside, heard their conversation, and asked what was going on.
"Shortage? The logistics company is refusing to honor the contract?" Wu Jia threw down the rag in her hand. "Give me the phone."
She answered the phone and dialed the logistics company's number. It was the same male voice on the other end: "Hello? What's up now?"
"What's wrong?" Wu Jia's voice suddenly rose. "What do you mean, what's wrong? One package of our goods is missing. Are you blind or pretending to be stupid? The invoice clearly states ten packages, but we only received nine. Did you eat the missing package?"
The other person was stunned by the barrage of insults: "Who are you? How dare you talk to me like that?"
"Who am I? I'm your ancestor!" Wu Jia's Northeastern accent came through. "Let me tell you, if you don't resolve this matter today, I'll sit down in front of your company! I'll let everyone passing by see what kind of heartless logistics company you are! Shorting goods, denying responsibility, and hanging up on customers—does your boss know you're doing this?"
"No, sister, calm down..."
"Calm down? What calm down! Where's my stock? Thirty shirts, eighty-five yuan each, that's two thousand five hundred and fifty yuan! You're going to pay for that? If you pay, I'll calm down now!" Wu Jia deliberately exaggerated the price.
Wu Jia said without stopping, "Let me tell you, before you leave work today, either find someone to deliver the goods to me, or you compensate me for the full price! Not a penny less! Otherwise, I'll go to the Industry and Commerce Bureau to file a complaint tomorrow and expose you in the newspaper! Let's see if you can still do business!"
The woman on the other end completely backed down: "Big sister... big sister, don't be angry, I'll check right away, I'll check right away. Please leave your phone number, I'll get back to you when I find out."
"I'll give you half an hour!" Wu Jia gave him the store's number. "If you don't hear from me in half an hour, I'll come straight to your company!"
After hanging up the phone, Wu Jia said firmly, "You have to be tough with this kind of person. If you talk nicely, he'll think you're an easy target."
Wen Xiaoxiao and Han Manjuan were dumbfounded.
Less than twenty minutes later, the logistics company called back.
Her tone made a complete 180-degree turn: "I'm so sorry, it was our mistake. That package was missing and it's still in the warehouse. I'll deliver it to you first thing tomorrow morning. I'm really sorry."
Wu Jia said into the microphone, "If it's not delivered by nine o'clock tomorrow morning, I'll come pick it up. Also, how will you calculate the loss if it delays our sales for a day?"
"Well... we'll compensate you two hundred yuan for your losses, is that alright?"
"three hundred."
"Alright, alright, three hundred."
After hanging up the phone, Wu Jia raised an eyebrow triumphantly: "Done."
Han Manjuan gave a thumbs up: "Sister Wu, you're amazing!"
Wen Xiaoxiao laughed too: "Your mouth is really..."
“That’s just how Northeasterners are.” Wu Jia picked up a rag and continued wiping the counter. “We don’t cause trouble, but we’re not afraid of trouble either. What’s rightfully ours, we won’t take away a single penny.”
The next morning, the logistics company delivered the goods as expected, and even gave them an extra 300 yuan.
The delivery guy was all bow and scrape, his attitude was incredibly polite.
After Han Manjuan finished checking the goods, she said to Wu Jia, "Sister Wu, I'll treat you to dinner tonight. You have to pass on your experience. How do you practice arguing?"
Wen Xiaoxiao laughed and nudged her, "Alright, sister-in-law, stop joking. Hurry up and arrange the delivery, several families are waiting."
"Alright!" Han Manjuan picked up a package. "Sister Wu, let's have hot pot tonight!"
"Okay!" Wu Jia readily agreed.
Zhou Lanying's leg pain comes and goes, but living on the first floor means she doesn't have to climb stairs, which has made her feel much better.
She planted roses and jasmine in the yard, and also built a small trellis to plant loofah in the spring.
Wen Xiaoxiao drove that Alto to the shop every day, and her driving skills became more and more proficient.
Sometimes when Zhao Fei wasn't busy, he would sit in the passenger seat with her, and the two would chat and hold hands while waiting at red lights.
Zhao Yidi is a senior in high school, and her studies are very demanding, so she only goes home once a month.
Every time she comes back, she's a little thinner, but her eyes still shine.
Xiao Junkai is also a senior in high school, and his grades have actually remained in the middle to upper range. Fu Yunrou said that this is all thanks to Zhao Yidi.
Yizhen and Yibao are in fifth grade and have started to have their own little thoughts.
Yizhen is quiet and loves reading; Yibao is lively and joins the school's basketball team.
Wen Xiaogai is in third grade now, and he's still mischievous, but at least he's stopped pulling down his classmates' pants.
Zhao Fei's cannery launched a new product—canned luncheon meat, which sold very well.
He plans to build another production line specializing in canned fish.
Hu Wanlin did a good job at the factory, and the security team was well-managed.
He would still occasionally practice boxing in the yard, but he no longer ran around sparring.
Wu Jia said that she has reached a certain age and knows how to settle down.
Spring came exceptionally early.
As the rose bushes in the yard sprouted tender buds, Wen Xiaoxiao stood by the second-floor window, watching it all.
She remembered that when she left that courtyard house with her child, the sky was just as blue.
It seems like only yesterday, but a very long time has passed.
"Xiaoxiao," Zhao Fei hugged her from behind, "What are you looking at?"
"Look at our home," Wen Xiaoxiao said, leaning against him. "It's so nice."
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