Upon hearing this, a group of parents were immediately alarmed and asked what had happened.
Captain Chen waved his hand: "Nothing has happened yet, so don't worry for now. However, there's something I need to tell you."
Secretary Ji glanced at everyone and asked, "Is what you're talking about related to their child?"
"Yes, it's related. Someone is watching them. I'll have my daughter-in-law tell you. She overheard it today."
Captain Chen asked Chen Zhang to call Xu Yufen out of the living room and have her repeat what she had heard today to everyone.
After hearing Xu Yufen's account, the group was furious:
"What? A divorced woman? Just because he takes a liking to her, she's obligated to marry him?"
"Damn it, that brat from the Lin family dared to lay a finger on my daughter, I'll smash his legs!"
"I always thought Lin Fu's wife was a scoundrel; her eyes were like those of a poisonous snake!"
"No wonder her daughter-in-law couldn't stand her and preferred to stay in the educated youth compound rather than go home..."
“When I came back this evening, I saw that he was injured, so I gave him some medicated oil. If I had known this would happen, I shouldn’t have smashed it and given it to him.”
Several people were shouting and cursing. Just when their daughter had finally earned money in the past few months and was able to repay her family, someone jumped out to try and take the credit.
After everyone had vented for a while, Captain Chen gestured for them to calm down: "Nothing has happened yet, so we can't do anything to them. We just called you all here to warn you to be careful of that kid's underhanded tricks. Be careful."
"But I also want to remind you that he did nothing, so you shouldn't do anything to them either. A scholar's pen is more dangerous than a butcher's knife, so don't let them extort you."
"I should be careful. Damn it, I'm a perfectly good girl. Just because I can make money, I have to be ruined by them? If he dares to come, I'll kill him."
Liu Xiaogang's biological father thanked Captain Chen gratefully: "Thank you for reminding me this time, Captain Chen. If it weren't for your reminder, I wouldn't even know if they had harmed my daughter."
Among the group, his daughter Liu Jiao was the most beautiful. She was just eighteen years old and had a job. In the past two months, countless matchmakers had come to their door.
Just as the Liu family was about to choose a good daughter, they heard that someone wanted to harm her.
Old Liu thanked him and got up to leave. The others thanked him and left as well. Chen Wanshui was the last to leave, smoking a water pipe and deep in thought.
Secretary Ji was also deep in thought when Captain Chen said, "Old Ji, Xia was tricked by Lin Haodong before, probably because of that old woman."
"If it wasn't her who was behind this, then who else could it be? I saw through her a long time ago, but Xia was just fooled by her. Luckily, she came to her senses later."
As he spoke, Secretary Ji turned and glanced at Chen Wanshui: "Although there are seven or eight young girls, I'm afraid his target will start with your daughter."
Chen Wanshui snorted coldly: "If he dares to lay a hand on Xiao Qiu, I dare to smash his third leg."
“Even so, he has ruined the young girl,” said Secretary Ji.
Captain Chen reminded Qiuyu, "With the New Year approaching, I'd like to remind her not to let the young girl be alone."
Chen Wanshui responded, and the three of them sighed and talked about how people's hearts were no longer what they used to be. They chatted for a while before going home.
Soon, Lin Haodong and his mother noticed that the villagers were looking at them strangely, with a hint of wariness mixed with a sense of distance.
...
For dinner, Ji Xia made steamed shredded radish with cured pork, stir-fried bok choy, and tomato and egg drop soup.
The cured pork is sliced as thin as cicada wings, glistening with oil, and paired with snow-white shredded radish, making it not only delicious but also beautiful.
Zhang Hong smiled enviously and said, "Your in-laws are really kind, sending you so much cured meat?"
"That was specially arranged by Chen Jing for her to send as a New Year's gift. By the way, it's almost Chinese New Year, the supply and marketing cooperative must be busy, right? Has anyone said when they'll be able to take a holiday?"
"It will probably be the evening of the 29th of the lunar year, and we'll have to go back to work on the 5th of the new year. There are a lot of people buying New Year's goods these days, and Director Liu comes over every day to keep an eye on things, so we can't even rest for a moment."
"Chen Jing has been gone for almost a month now, hasn't he? It's almost Chinese New Year, why hasn't he come back yet?"
Ji Xia smiled wryly and helplessly: "Going out is all about making money to support the family. It must be because things didn't go smoothly if we didn't come back. Making money these days is no easy thing."
"You're right."
Zhang Hong glanced outside and saw that the sky was overcast and the wind was rustling the leaves of the trees along the roadside.
“Like your brother, he’s been selling clothes at a stall lately and has made a lot of money. But standing on the roadside in this freezing weather, you can’t imagine how hard it is unless you do it. In just a few days, his hands are covered with chilblains.”
She shoveled down a few mouthfuls of rice, then ladled half a bowl of soup into her bowl and ate it in a couple of bites: "I don't know if your brother has eaten yet. I'll bring him some food. You stay home by yourself."
"Okay, you go ahead, I'll be fine on my own."
Upon hearing this, Zhang Hong quickly cleared away her dishes and then brought out a new lunchbox from the kitchen.
Ji Xia looked at it in surprise, and Zhang Hong whispered, "These are some new insulated lunch boxes that the supply and marketing cooperative just got. They can keep food warm for several hours in winter. I'll use these to pack food for your brother."
"My brother must be so happy to have such a thoughtful wife like you!"
Ji Xia praised her, and Zhang Hong blushed, smiled faintly, and bent down to serve Ji Zhijun his food.
A few minutes later, Zhang Hong hurriedly left with her insulated lunchbox on her back. Ji Xia finished her dinner, cleaned up the dishes, went back to her room, and closed the door tightly.
She carefully pried open the hidden compartment in the wall under the bed and took out the treasure chest hidden inside.
Although she got married, she never took the treasure chest away and kept it there.
When the treasure chest was opened, Ji Xia's eyes lit up as she looked at the exquisite gold and silver jewelry and jade pieces inside.
This is where her confidence comes from. Even if her business fails in the future, with this box of things, she will have a chance to make a comeback.
She picked up a few jade and emerald bracelets and rubbed them for a while. Then she compared them with the two jade bracelets that Boss Song had given her. Their quality was not as good as the two best ones in the box, but they were still considered to be of medium to high quality.
After playing with them for a while, I put the two newly acquired jade bracelets in with satisfaction before putting them back in their original place, sealing the hidden compartment in the wall, and trying my best not to let anyone notice anything unusual.
Ji Zhijun had promised her that this room would always belong to her until it was demolished in the 1990s. She planned to leave it there for now and then rent a safe to store it when the bank started renting out safes.
Having stored away the antiques, Ji Xia began preparing design drafts for next spring.
Designers are always ahead of the curve; they're already preparing new spring/summer designs even in winter.
The department store has one last order. Tomorrow, she and Chen Qiuyu will deliver the goods together and also give Manager Hu and the warehouse manager a New Year's gift.
Ji Xia suddenly thought of Su Yujing. That girl had prepared study materials for her twice. Should she also send her a New Year's gift?
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