Jiang Xuan turned around and saw the bus driver, Liu Hao, walking quickly towards her.
Good morning, Master Liu.
"Good morning, Comrade Jiang. There's been progress on the matter you asked me to inquire about."
Jiang Xuan asked excitedly, "Really? Where is it?"
"Yes, it's an old shop on Xiguan Road, facing the street. It's not big, maybe only ten square meters. It used to be a noodle shop, run by an elderly couple. But yesterday I suddenly found out that the shop was for sale. I went to ask, and I heard that the elderly couple is going to another city to help their son take care of his child. The location is good, you should go and take a look as soon as possible, and if it's suitable, then make a decision."
Xiguan Road is indeed a bit far, but business there is really good.
Especially this kind of snack.
She had considered opening a shop there before, but had not been able to find a suitable location.
She looked at her schedule for the day and realized there were no major-related classes in the morning.
However, university opportunities are rare, so even if you need to take leave, you still need to follow the basic leave application process.
"Thank you, Mr. Liu. I'll go to school to ask for leave first, and then I'll go over and see."
Liu Hao thought for a moment and said, "Anyway, I don't have anything to do today. If you trust me, just give me the deposit and I'll help you book the shop. Don't worry, I've been running this route for several years, and the shops along the street are all doing very well."
"Of course I trust him. Then I'll trouble you, Mr. Liu. How much is the deposit?"
"Five yuan. You'll have to negotiate the exact rent in person when you get there. My main concern is that the location is good, and if we're too late, we might not be able to secure it."
"Okay." Jiang Xuan took out 5 yuan and handed it to Master Liu.
Liu Hao glanced at Jiang Xuan's basket and asked, "Is business bad today?"
Jiang Xuan gave a wry smile and said, "Yes, I've sold three in the last half hour. I've made quite a lot today, and it looks like I won't be able to sell them all."
"The foot traffic in this courtyard is limited, and many people just make do at home, so it's normal that it's hard to sell. Give it to me, and I'll try it out on Xiguan Road."
"ah?"
Liu Hao chuckled sheepishly, “Anyway, I really like this pancake. I don’t have to drive today, so I’ll take it over there and see if it sells well. Consider it a trial run for you.”
Jiang Xuan was momentarily speechless. "This..."
"If you're not comfortable with that, then just pretend I didn't say anything."
"No, no, of course not. I'm just too embarrassed. I already troubled you enough by asking you to help watch the shop before."
"It's only right for neighbors to help each other. If you really feel bad about it, how about you tutor my second-grade nephew during your winter break?"
"Sure, no problem. Thank you for your hard work, Master Liu."
Liu Hao waved and left.
*
Jiang Xuan went back to get her bicycle. When she passed the public toilet in the compound, she saw Zhang Guiying wearing a tattered straw hat and holding a broom, sneaking around the toilet door.
He looks like he has ulterior motives.
Upon seeing Jiang Xuan, she immediately began cleaning, limping along and groaning.
*
At this moment, Sun Jianjun returned home from get off work.
He was actually working the day shift yesterday, but a machine in the factory broke down temporarily. He fixed it late at night and just spent the night in the workshop.
He was shocked to see his mother cleaning the toilet, thinking his sister-in-law had made her do it. He quickly went over and asked, "Mom, what are you doing here?"
Instantly, Zhang Guiying felt her legs and buttocks hurt even more, as if she suddenly couldn't stand up. Leaning against the wall, she took off her tattered straw hat and started crying, "It's all because of that guy surnamed Jiang! You didn't come back yesterday, so you didn't know. Your old mother was almost beaten to death! Oh my god, that damned man!"
Sun Jianjun was shocked: "Why did she hit you? What happened?"
Zhang Guiying waved her hand, "Don't ask anymore. Your mother has a hard life. She raised you all, but none of you are worthy of her help. At her age, she still has to suffer humiliation from the younger generation. Oh, my life is so miserable."
Jiang Xuan had just reached her doorstep when Sun Jianjun strode after her, saying, "Wait a minute."
"What are you doing?"
"Why did you hit my mother? What heinous thing did she do?"
Sun Jianjun was so angry that his lips turned blue.
Jiang Xuan looked at him with amusement and said, "It seems Comrade Sun hasn't checked the bulletin board yet. I'm so disgusted I can't even speak. Go and take a look yourself."
After saying that, Jiang Xuan turned around and went into her house.
Sun Jianjun followed him in, furious. "Tell me, what exactly happened?"
The aroma of boiled corn wafted from the house.
Ma Xiaolan came out of the kitchen.
"Sister Lan, are you boiling corn?"
“Yes, I saw an old man selling them on my way home from get off work last night, so I bought ten. You can take a few with you later.”
Sun Jianjun glared angrily at Ma Xiaolan and shouted, "Did you know that Mom was beaten by her last night?"
Ma Xiaolan frowned and glanced at Sun Jianjun. "What are you yelling about so early in the morning? Xiuxiu is still sleeping. Your mother did such a despicable thing; she's lucky she wasn't beaten to death."
"What did you say? How could you talk about my mother like that?" Sun Jianjun trembled with anger, pointing at Ma Xiaolan and yelling, "Even if you think my mother treats you badly, she's still an elder. How can you talk about your elder like that?"
"She's disrespectful to her elders, so don't expect anyone to treat her well. You just got off work, so you probably don't know yet, but the neighborhood committee has already issued a notice that they'll be holding a residents' meeting in the next couple of days to specifically criticize your mother. Your mother's letter of self-criticism has already been posted on the bulletin board."
Ma Xiaolan spoke these words very naturally, without any of the usual caution she usually showed.
"Ma Xiaolan, don't push your luck!"
Ma Xiaolan remained calm. "I've already said it myself: if we can't make it work, we shouldn't force it. I've already talked to Xiuxiu, and she's accepted our divorce."
Enraged, Sun Jianjun kicked over a bench in the yard and stormed into the house.
Jiang Xuan raised an eyebrow and secretly gave Ma Xiaolan a thumbs up.
Ma Xiaolan said, "Jiang Xuan, could you keep an eye on the fire for me? I'm going to get something."
A moment later, she came out, holding a light blue cloth in her hand.
"This is a new batch of goods that arrived at our factory yesterday. I thought the color was quite nice, so I bought two meters. You can use it to make a garment."
"I don't want Lan Jie. I still haven't finished using the fabric I bought on Xiguan Road last time. You can keep it for yourself."
"Hey, take it. Our employees get a discount on fabric. And you seem to like this color too."
Knowing that Ma Xiaolan meant well, Jiang Xuan accepted the fabric. "Alright then, I'll take it. Thank you, Sister Lan."
"Why are you being so polite with me? By the way, you didn't go sell pancakes today?"
"Yes, I went. Sales weren't good today, so Mr. Liu, who drives the shuttle bus, helped take them to Xiguan Road to sell."
Ma Xiaolan nodded: "It's really hard to sell here. Some people are envious of how much money you're making, and even if they want to eat it, they'll deliberately not buy it."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
