Chapter 444 Borrowing Money
The looks from the people around her were all filled with disdain, and Ye Qiuju couldn't help but defend herself: "What do you know, little kid?"
Glancing at the strategy value floating above Lu Jiaze's head, Ji Mingyue tugged at Ye Qiuju's sleeve, then turned and squatted, smiling gently at Jiang Qitong: "Tongtong, things are not what you think. We didn't take Lili's father away. It was Aunt Jiang, your aunt, who felt sorry for what Dad owed us over the past 18 years and took the initiative to divorce to help them be together."
Ji Mingyue's words not only made everyone around them understand the whole story, but also explained the "innocence" of the mother and daughter. As expected, many people guessed that they were the unfortunate ones who had been abandoned in the countryside by someone who knew about their situation. For a moment, everyone looked at them with a hint of sympathy.
Jiang Qitong pursed her lips, ignoring her. Ji Mingyue, with a smile on her face, continued softly, "Tongtong, I promise not to steal your sister Lili's father, okay? She's my sister too, and I want to get along well with her."
"No way." Jiang Qitong shook her head and refused without thinking.
"Tongtong, come here." Jiang Jianyi, who had just paid for the mooncakes, heard the conversation between the two and quickly waved to Jiang Qitong to come over.
"Grandpa." Jiang Qitong hurried to his side.
Ji Mingyue put away the smile on her face, turned to look at Jiang Jianyi, and greeted him politely: "Grandpa Jiang."
Jiang Jianyi recalled how everyone had treated her when she came to their house as Ji Yushu's niece. The feeling of being deceived spread throughout his body again. He turned cold, and even his tone was cold: "Don't call me that. We are not familiar with each other."
"I'm sorry." Ji Mingyue said and lowered her eyes. Passersby seemed to see her sobbing from the side.
Lu Jiaze retracted his gaze and walked over to Jiang Jianyi and the others. He said gently, "Grandpa Jiang, are we going to look for Lili now?"
"Well, let's go." Jiang Jianyi's face looked a little unhappy. He didn't expect to meet this mother and daughter today.
After the three of them left, Ji Mingyue walked over to Ye Qiuju as if nothing had happened: "Mom, let's see what flavors the mooncakes have."
"Why do you care about them?" Ye Qiuju looked at her with some dissatisfaction.
Ji Mingyue ignored her and said calmly, "You don't understand."
While the mother and daughter were talking, Lu Jiaze, who was walking towards the toy factory, suddenly turned around and looked at Ji Mingyue. Although he quickly retracted his gaze, Ji Mingyue still noticed it. She curled the corners of her lips and turned to look at the top of his head. The originally floating number had now become a steady 1.
Although Jiang Jianyi didn't say anything along the way, Lu Jiaze could sense his anger. After thinking for a moment, he couldn't help but say, "Grandpa Jiang, don't be angry. It's not worth it to ruin your health."
He actually didn't know much about Jiang Lili's parents' divorce. He only knew that the trigger for their divorce was this mother and daughter.
"Brother Lu, do you also like Ji Mingyue?" Jiang Qitong asked suddenly.
"Why do you ask?" This question made Lu Jiaze a little nervous for no reason.
"I just saw you looking back at her." Jiang Qitong snorted.
"No, I just memorized the way here." Lu Jiaze explained lamely. He didn't know why he turned back just now.
Jiang Qitong didn't say anything, and it was unclear whether she believed it or not. Instead, Jiang Jianyi gently rubbed Jiang Qitong's head and raised his voice: "Tongtong, you can't talk to Brother Lu like that."
"Oh." Jiang Qitong curled her lips.
Seeing this, Lu Jiaze couldn't help but raise the corner of his lips, reached out and pinched her cheek, and said with a smile: "Don't worry, I am on Jiang Lili's side just like you."
"She used to live in Sister Lili's room and she lied to people. I don't like her." Jiang Qitong said seriously. Children are the most sensitive. She didn't like Ji Mingyue from the beginning, and she also found out that Ji Mingyue didn't actually like them.
Lu Jiaze was stunned for a moment, then nodded: "Okay, I understand."
All he could think about was how sad Jiang Lili must have been when she first learned about this. Before their family moved to Jincheng, Ji Yushu was still considered a good father by many, and Jiang Lili and he had a good relationship. Lu Jiaze thought about it and realized that if it were him, he probably wouldn't be able to accept this either, so he understood Jiang Lili's behavior. As for Ji Mingyue, perhaps she was innocent in this matter, or perhaps, as she had just said, her first decade or so had been miserable, but what did that have to do with him?
In the workshop, Jiang Lili watched Zhao Dong and the others working. It was probably the beginning of the production of dolls of this size, and it was obvious that everyone's movements were still somewhat unfamiliar. The naked doll was wrapped in a layer of beige underwear to cover the key parts, making it look much more pleasing to the eye.
"Sister Lili!" Jiang Qitong and the others couldn't enter the workshop and could only shout at the door.
"I'll be right there." Jiang Lili said, turning to look at Zhao Dong: "Brother Zhao, you guys go ahead and do your work. I have to go back first." She still had holiday homework to do.
"Okay, we'll try to get these to the supply and marketing cooperatives on Monday, and then we'll continue to observe whether improvements are needed." Zhao Dong said gently.
"Okay, I'll be leaving now." Jiang Lili waved at them and looked at the final details before leaving. At this price, this quality was more than enough. Twenty yuan could buy a lot these days. The family willing to pay for this doll must really love their child.
"Sister Lili, are they done?" Although she was far away, Jiang Qitong could still get a general idea of it.
"I've just started making it. I'll buy you a box when it comes out on Monday?" Jiang Lili asked.
"Okay, okay." Jiang Qitong quickly clapped her hands and agreed. She liked beautiful dolls.
"Don't they give you a few?" Jiang Jianyi couldn't help but frown when he heard that. Shouldn't they give her a few of these things after they are made?
"I don't know. Buy one and take it home to support the toy factory." Jiang Lili didn't know whether they would give her the finished product, but this didn't affect her determination to buy a box.
"That's right." After hearing her last sentence, Jiang Jianyi nodded. He should indeed support her.
"What flavor did you buy?" Jiang Lili looked at the mooncake in Jiang Jianyi's hand with some curiosity.
"Fruit flavor." Jiang Jianyi didn't like mooncakes, and he bought this to pay tribute to the moon. No one else in the family had any particular preferences, so he simply chose different fruit flavors.
"Okay." As long as it's not five-nut decoction, Jiang Lili is willing to try it.
Jiang Lili glanced at Lu Jiaze next to her and asked curiously, "Is this the first time you've spent Mid-Autumn Festival away from your family?"
"Well, in previous years, my grandfather would get up early in the morning to prepare things to worship the moon, just like Grandpa Jiang." Lu Jiaze never thought that one day he would miss home.
"Jia Ze, now that you come here, just treat this place as your own home. Don't be polite, okay?" Jiang Jianyi looked at him and said.
"I will, Grandpa Jiang." Lu Jiaze responded with a smile.
Mid-Autumn Festival falls on Monday. Besides mooncakes, people honor the moon with grains and fruits from home. Jiang Jianyi plans to buy fruit early Monday morning. He looks at the three people following him and asks, "Are we going back now?"
"Okay, I haven't finished my homework yet." Although she is an elementary school student, Jiang Qitong has a lot of homework, most of which are assigned by Zhou Qingfen. Nowadays, parents also start to pay attention to their children's studies.
"You still remember your homework? Let's go. I should go back and do my homework." Jiang Lili said and glanced at Lu Jiaze. He should be doing it too.
"No, Jiang Lili, what are you looking at?" Lu Jiaze felt that he was being looked down upon.
"No, I'm just worried that Young Master Lu won't be used to the homework here." Jiang Lili raised the corner of her lips after saying this.
"It's just homework, there's no need to get used to it. Let's go back and do our homework." Lu Jiaze's grades are actually pretty good now, but there's still a gap between him and Jiang Lili.
Jiang Jianyi looked at them with a smile on his face, and then said with emotion: "Your mother had to take Aiguo with her every time she came home from school, and she had to do her homework during her bedtime." Jiang Yulan had always had good grades, but unfortunately she did not try for the college entrance examination when it was resumed. If he had encouraged and supported her to take the college entrance examination, those things would not have happened later.
"Everyone went through that back then, and Mom never blamed you." Jiang Lili had heard Jiang Yulan mention the reinstated Gaokao. Because Lin Wenkang was going to take it, she hesitated and decided not to sign up herself. After all, she hadn't looked at her textbooks in years and was afraid she wouldn't pass. Of course, she also considered her family's situation; one of them had to work. She hadn't expected Lin Wenkang to break off the engagement after he passed.
"The person I feel most sorry for in my life is your mother." Thinking of the mother and daughter he had just met, Jiang Jianyi sighed again. If it weren't for him and the old woman's urging, Yulan would not be in a hurry to marry Ji Yushu.
"Grandpa, it's all in the past. Look, aren't we doing well now? Mom also goes to night school, and everyone is moving in a better direction." Jiang Lili's tone was gentle. After all, no one expected things to develop like this.
Jiang Jianyi sighed and said nothing. He just lowered his head and continued to pedal. Well, what's the point of saying this now?
After returning home, the three of them started doing their homework. Jiang Jianyi sat on the sofa with a teacup in hand and drank tea. He wanted to ask someone to go fishing in the afternoon, but he didn't know if Old Wu was free. Jiang Aiguo accompanied Zhou Qingfen back to her parents' home. It was probably just the grandfather and grandson who would have lunch at noon. He was still wondering whether he should go to the cafeteria to get some food or just cook something.
At this time, there was a knock at the door. He couldn't help but frown. Could it be Aiguo and his wife who came back? He had told them not to worry about the family, and that he would make arrangements. He opened the door, and before he could finish his complaints, he saw someone standing outside the door, holding some fruits and some nutritional supplements and smiling at him: "Uncle Jiang."
Even though they hadn't seen each other for almost twenty years, Jiang Jianyi still recognized Lin Wenkang at the door. He felt that today was really an unlucky day. He said coldly, "Who are you? You must have come to the wrong place."
Lin Wenkang had expected this attitude, and he kept smiling: "Uncle Jiang, I'm Wenkang."
There was quite a commotion over here, and soon someone next door opened the door and came in to see what was going on. Lin Wenkang and his mother had moved away almost twenty years ago, and many of the people who knew them had retired, so most of the neighbors around didn't recognize them. They couldn't help but look at Jiang Jianyi: "Uncle Jiang, are there guests at home?"
Seeing that Lin Wenkang had no intention of leaving, Jiang Jianyi couldn't help but frown: "He is not a guest, and I don't know him. I guess he came to the wrong place." After saying that, he nodded to those people, and then closed the door directly.
Lin Wenkang, who had been turned away, saw everyone's eyes on him and smiled back. Doctors always have a certain unusual aura about them. At this moment, the neighbor next door couldn't help but ask, "Who are you looking for? Tell us, maybe we can help you."
"No need, I'll go find Uncle Jiang. He doesn't want to see me now. He must still be angry. Sorry to disturb you today." After saying this, Lin Wenkang put down the things in his hands and turned to leave.
The others looked at each other in bewilderment. After being neighbors for more than ten years, they had never heard of the Jiang family having such a relative. Everyone's eyes fell on the things Lin Wenkang placed at the door, and then shook their heads. Forget it, it's better not to meddle in other people's affairs.
"Grandpa, who is it?" Jiang Lili only heard a knock on the door, and when she saw him come back, she asked casually.
"He's someone I don't know, so he probably came to the wrong place." Jiang Jianyi shook his head, but couldn't help but wonder in his heart, why did Lin Wenkang suddenly come to his house?
Lu Jiaze, who was writing next to him, glanced at Jiang Jianyi's face and had a guess in his mind. Lin Wenkang's project was an annual project of the hospital and the process was very fast. It was not surprising that he appeared in Yuncheng now.
"Oh." Jiang Lili didn't think much of it. It was then that she realized that there seemed to be only four of them at home. She looked at Jiang Jianyi curiously: "Grandpa, are my uncle and aunt going to work overtime today?"
"No, they went to Tongtong's grandfather's house. What do you want to eat for lunch today?" Jiang Jianyi was quite confident in his cooking skills, and he asked this question with some trepidation.
"Then I'll cook at noon, Grandpa. You haven't tasted my cooking yet, right?" Jiang Lili made a decision quickly.
"Okay, then I'll help you." Jiang Jianyi agreed readily.
Lu Jiaze looked at Jiang Lili in surprise. After not seeing her for a few years, she actually knew how to cook.
"Sister Lili, I want to eat meat." Jiang Qitong loves eating meat the most.
"Got it." Jiang Lili glanced at the refrigerator over there and waited to see what ingredients were inside.
"Grandpa Jiang, you should take a rest. I'll help Lili." Seeing Jiang Lili enter the kitchen, Lu Jiaze stood up and asked Jiang Jianyi to stay in the living room.
"Yes, grandpa, you can watch TV with Tongtong now." Jiang Lili also agreed. To eat, one must make some contribution to the people. Although she often teased Lu Jiaze and called him "young master", she also knew clearly that he also had to work at home.
"Okay, then call me if you have anything." Jiang Jianyi quickly agreed.
At this time, Jiang Lili had already taken out the ingredients from the refrigerator, planning to make shredded pork with green peppers, vegetable soup, braised pork and stir-fried seasonal vegetables. Three dishes and one soup were just right for the four of them.
Jiang Lili's cutting skills were not too unfamiliar. When Lu Jiaze lowered his head to wash the vegetables, he heard a thumping sound coming from the other end. He looked up and saw the chopped green peppers on the chopping board. He couldn't help but raise an eyebrow: "Your knife skills are pretty good."
Hearing his praise, Jiang Lili just curled the corners of her lips. This was a skill she had learned in her previous life. She had cooked only a few times in this life.
The two of them were busy for a while, and soon Jiang Qitong outside smelled the fragrance. She looked at Jiang Jianyi next to her and whispered, "Grandpa, it smells so good. The food made by Sister Lili must be delicious."
"You little greedy cat." Jiang Jianyi smiled and rubbed her head, then stood up and went to the kitchen to take a look. Looking at the two people in the kitchen, a smile flashed in his eyes and asked, "Do you need my help?"
"No need, it will be done soon." Jiang Lili shook her head and motioned them to go out together. She was enough here.
Lu Jiaze didn't insist and went to the living room with the old man. After Lin Wenkang's regretful engagement, the old man naturally wouldn't believe any nonsense about child marriages anymore. He just treated Lu Jiaze as his old friend's grandson, which made him feel much better. If he thought they were engaged, he would be unhappy if Lili was busy in the kitchen and he and he came out. So Jiang Jianyi kept telling himself that he was just a guest, a guest.
"Dad, what's going on with those things outside?" Jiang Yulan was stunned when she came back and saw the things piled at the door.
"What is that?" Jiang Jianyi quickly realized that it was probably what Lin Wenkang had just put down.
"Here, fruits and supplements, I wonder who put them here?" Jiang Yulan glanced at those things when she entered the room. They looked delicious and were probably gifts from others.
Jiang Jianyi hesitated for a moment, then whispered to her about Lin Wenkang's visit. Disgust flashed in his eyes at the end: "I didn't expect him to leave the things behind."
"Shao Li told me last time that he was going to come to the hospital in Yuncheng for an exchange, but I didn't expect him to come so soon." A flash of surprise passed through Jiang Yulan's eyes.
"We haven't been in touch for so many years. I don't know what's wrong with him today?" Jiang Jianyi couldn't understand why Lin Wenkang came to his house today.
Thinking of what Qiu Shaoli said last time, Jiang Yulan shook her head: "Who knows? Don't worry about him. I'll go cook."
"No need. Lili is cooking today and we'll probably be serving dinner soon. You're back just in time." Although Jiang Jianyi loves them very much, in her opinion, girls still have to know how to cook.
"Then I'll go take a look." Jiang Yulan said as she walked towards the kitchen, wanting to replace Jiang Lili.
Unfortunately, Jiang Lili didn't give her this opportunity at all: "Mom, please go out. I'll be ready soon."
Soon, three dishes and a soup were served, showing their beauty, aroma and flavor. Jiang Jianyi nodded and praised, "Lili, your cooking skills are excellent."
Lu Jiaze was also a little surprised. In his impression, Jiang Lili was still the little girl who never had to do housework and was spoiled by her parents. He couldn't help but imagine that all these cooking skills of hers were honed after her parents' divorce. At this moment, his disgust for Ji Yushu reached its peak.
"It's delicious, Sister Lili, you cooked it so well." Jiang Qitong looked very satisfied as she ate.
"If it tastes good, eat more." At the dinner table, Jiang Lili told them about their trip to Factory One today. "If nothing unexpected happens, we'll be able to buy a cross-dressing doll at the supply and marketing cooperative on Monday. Mom, remember to buy one for me when you get home from get off work. I promised Tongtong."
"Okay, I'll take a look at how the sales are going." Jiang Yulan knew Jiang Lili very well. Sure enough, as soon as she finished speaking, the people next to her started laughing.
"I heard about the sale of the second factory at school today. I guess it happened recently." There are a lot of people going to night school on weekends, and the classmates in the class are from all kinds of units, so sometimes they are quite well-informed.
"No rush, it would be better if he waits a little longer." Jiang Lili pursed her lips and said, if this cross-dressing doll can open up the market for the factory, it will also be a good thing for her.
"Although the sale of assets can be decided in a meeting, it will probably take some time for all the procedures to be approved." Jiang Jianyi has worked in a factory and is very familiar with these processes.
"If you have enough confidence, perhaps you can try to convince my uncle. I've heard him mention before that he seems interested in investing in Yuncheng's industries." Politics and business are inseparable. His father was transferred to Yuncheng, so naturally his uncle also planned to develop the industry here.
His words made Jiang Lili's mind flash back to Lu Hongzhe's face. She quickly shook her head and said, "Acquiring the second factory is no small matter. Uncle Lu must be aware of the risks involved. Besides, Uncle Lu's business doesn't involve children's toys. Let's forget it."
"Lili is right, there's no rush." Jiang Jianyi's eyes flashed with agreement. No matter how good a relationship is, it will become impure once interests are involved. Their relationship was not mixed with any interests to begin with, so maintaining it like this was the best choice.
"This is just my suggestion. The details depend on your opinion." Lu Jiaze roughly understood what their concerns were.
"We all understand your good intentions." Jiang Yulan looked at him with a smile, signaling him not to think too much.
Apart from this little incident, the meal was relatively enjoyable.
*
At the ironworks, Yao Yan held the IOU written by Ji Yushu, and something else occurred to her. She nudged Ji Yumo with her elbow and said, "Hey, you said your second brother was so sure he could pay off the loan by the end of the year. Does that mean he's making quite a bit of money selling things on the street?"
"Then who knows?" Ji Yumo was still thinking about where is the best place to rent a house for Song Zhenzhen.
"Then you should go and find out about it. If it is really that profitable, let him take you with him." Then they can take Qiangzi with them to do it.
Ji Yumo glanced at him, then sneered: "Do you think my second brother has no temper at all? Don't you know what you said and did for this IOU? Do you think he will take me with him?"
Although he said this, Ji Yumo had a new idea in his mind. Yes, his salary was in Yao Yan's hands, so he could also set up a stall like his second brother.
"Ji Laoer, what do you mean by this? I did that for our family. I wanted you to follow him to set up a stall so that I can make more money. What am I doing all this for?" After saying this, Yao Yan threw the pillow at him.
Ji Yumo threw away the pillow she threw at him, and his tone became cold: "Are you doing this for our family or for your brother Yao Qiang? You know it best." After that, he snorted at her, walked out of the room and went straight to Chen Guilan.
Chen Guilan opened the door and saw Ji Yumo standing at the door. She couldn't help but frown: "What are you looking for so late at night?"
"No, Mom, I want to ask if you went to the police station to withdraw the case report today?" Ji Yumo asked.
"Withdraw, what's wrong?" That was taken by her son. Was she really going to let the police arrest him?
"It's okay, I just want to ask. Last time, my second brother borrowed capital from you to do business. Do you think you can lend me some money?" He didn't have much money on hand now, but it would cost some money to settle Song Zhenzhen.
"Do you also want to be like your second brother?" Chen Guilan said and looked at him warily.
"I don't have the courage of my second brother, so I can just do some small things to earn enough money to buy cigarettes." It was obviously not the time to come clean about Song Zhenzhen's matter.
"Okay, I'll pick it up for you at the business office tomorrow." Although Chen Guilan frowned, she still agreed.
"Okay, Mom, you must remember to keep this a secret and not let Yao Yan know about it." Ji Yumo reminded.
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