Audit
"Beep~~~w~" The long honking of the car horn made Li Guorong stand up and look outside.
A blue sedan was parked outside, the sunlight reflecting off its paint so brightly that Li Guorong couldn't open her eyes for a moment. Qian Mancang, dressed in a black coat, made her hallucinate as Xu Wenqiang from the movie "Shanghai Bund." Li Guorong felt a pang of emotion; had she made the wrong choice again?
Thump~
Li Guorong turned around in surprise. It turned out that the wedding photo had fallen down. Lin Shaocheng's melancholy and deep eyes were staring at her. His pretty boy face had become even more handsome and mature over the years.
“We’ve found him, Leslie, come down.”
Li Guorong changed his clothes, wiped his face, and shouted downstairs, "Okay, I understand."
Li Guorong's eyes were red and swollen. He took out his car keys, and Qian Mancang opened the passenger door. "Your eyes are red. Get in my car. Don't drive while you're tired."
Li Guorong rubbed her dry eyes. She got into the car and decided to show Lin Shaocheng her market value, to see if he would dare to disappear again next time.
Lin Shaocheng had just bought a new batch of subscription certificates when he was surrounded by people at the hotel. He first wrapped the subscription certificates in four or five layers of plastic bags and hid them in the water tank of the hotel's toilet. He then carried the homemade wooden gun he had bought on the black market and moved it to the door. There were people guarding both the front and back doors.
Could it be that buying a large number of subscription certificates these past few days has attracted too much attention? He used different ID cards at several different savings banks to buy them, so he shouldn't have been discovered. Or were they scalpers who wanted to buy subscription certificates from him yesterday? He narrowed his eyes and pulled out a knife from inside his boot with his other hand, placing it at his waist.
The roar of a car engine broke the tense atmosphere of the standoff, and Lin Shaocheng pointed his gun at the door.
Li Guorong was wearing a black dress, flat leather shoes, and a white suit. If you didn't know better, you would think she was attending Lin Shaocheng's funeral. Her face was obviously haggard. As soon as she got out of the car, she said, "Lin Shaocheng, you heartless bastard, why aren't you coming home? Are you seeing someone else outside?"
Li Guorong fired the first shot, starting to turn the tables.
Lin Shaocheng put away his gun, his other hand still resting on the knife hilt. He stretched out his right hand, and Li Guorong, devoid of her usual elegance, rushed over and threw herself into Lin Shaocheng's arms, sobbing softly, "Why did you run outside without a word? You have no idea how heartbroken I was." Holding Lin Shaocheng, Li Guorong realized how much weight he had lost. Her heart, which had been hanging in suspense, finally settled down, and her tense nerves and idle thoughts suddenly vanished. This was truly her home.
"Didn't you say you didn't want me anymore?" Lin Shaocheng's voice was very soft.
Li Guorong reached out and pinched Lin Shaocheng's ear, not with force but just to scare him, "I haven't done anything to wrong you, don't talk nonsense, it's just that a fellow villager wants to support his business."
Qian Mancang stood tall and proud in front of Lin Shaocheng, his eagle eyes scanning Lin Shaocheng up and down. He used to barely reach Lin Shaocheng's shoulder, but now he was 180 cm tall. He was not as tall as Lin Shaocheng, who was 186 cm, but they were about the same height. Lin Shaocheng was wearing a khaki trench coat, which made him look soft and fragile, lacking his usual masculinity.
"Lin Shaocheng, it's been a long time."
Lin Shaocheng recognized this person as the one who danced with Li Guorong that day. Had they met before? "Who are you?"
Li Guorong chuckled, thinking of Qian Mancang's pathetic state in the past.
Qian Mancang's face darkened. Over the years, he had been determined to surpass Lin Shaocheng. Now, Lin Shaocheng didn't even recognize him. Thinking of his rapidly growing height, he became confident. "I am Qian Mancang. It's normal that you don't recognize me because I've gotten taller and stronger."
Lin Shaocheng still looked puzzled. "Qian Mancang, I'm sorry, I don't know him."
Li Guorong said helplessly, "It's the one who came to the city with my second brother and me."
Lin Shaocheng looked into the distance and said, "Oh."
Qian Mancang's anger intensified; he was 100% certain that Lin Shaocheng hadn't remembered this expression at all.
Li Guorong felt relieved, realizing that Lin Shaocheng hadn't remembered his past relationship with Qian Mancang.
Li Guorong glared at Qian Mancang, signaling him to stop talking, and complained in a tearful voice, "You know perfectly well that I have a phobia of disappearing, yet you still vanished without a word. It's just too much."
Lin Shaocheng recalled the nightmare he had with Li Guorong a few years ago, and a trace of guilt appeared on his face. "Let's go home and talk about it then."
Li Guorong held Lin Shaocheng's arm intimately and said to Qian Mancang, "Thank you for finding my husband. We will visit him in a few days to express our gratitude."
Qian Mancang's face darkened. Li Guorong was as two-faced as ever, but that was what made it challenging. "Fine, I'll wait."
Li Guorong diligently packed Lin Shaocheng's luggage, but inadvertently noticed the meager balance in his bankbook. He felt a surge of anger, but suppressed it. "Have you been staying in this little hotel for the past two days? Have you spent all the money in your bankbook? I'll give you some more so you don't run out."
With only the two of them left in the room, Lin Shaocheng asked, "Are you still having feelings for Qian Mancang?"
The calm voice boomed through the room like thunder. Li Guorong thought Lin Shaocheng had let it go and wasn't going to talk about it when they got home. Feeling guilty, she stood up and spoke loudly to Lin Shaocheng, making herself sound self-righteous, "I didn't do anything to wrong you."
Lin Shaocheng's cold gaze swept over her, and Li Guorong felt as if she were being X-rayed, with her heart, liver, gallbladder, and lungs clearly visible. She had no choice but to lower her head, her face burning red.
Li Guorong was a little timid. After so many years of being husband and wife, Lin Shaocheng already knew what she was thinking. Why ask? Wouldn't that embarrass her?
"Don't ask anymore." He was unreasonable, but his anger was strong.
"I tolerate your love of beauty, spending money, and vanity; I find you adorable. But I can't stand someone who's fickle."
These words pierced Li Guorong's heart like a sharp arrow. She opened her mouth and stammered, "I didn't." Her heart pounded in her chest. She didn't have any feelings for Qian Mancang at all. It wasn't until she met Lin Shaocheng that she understood what love and vanity were.
“You’re just vain, enjoying the flattery and feeling high and mighty. Those people are praising you because they want to take a piece of your flesh,” Lin Shaocheng sighed.
Li Guorong frowned, glancing at Lin Shaocheng, "I know I was wrong. I'll never go to the dance hall again, okay?"
Lin Shaocheng snorted coldly, "If you're bored, I can go with you. I don't want you to wallow in desires anymore. Wasn't it more meaningful to spend your time exchanging business ideas and helping the children in the village before?"
The children, dressed in tattered clothes, smiled shyly. Their eyes, filled with admiration and longing, looked at her with eyes that were infinitely purer than the gazes she had received in the dance hall. Clasp her hands together, feeling even more ashamed, and threw herself into Lin Shaocheng's arms. "I know I was wrong. I'll listen to you in everything from now on."
Lin Shaocheng hugged Li Guorong, "You said it yourself, so you can't object to what I do."
Inside the chili factory, the workers were in a hurry, a far cry from the previous leisurely atmosphere. Several employees who used to hang out in small groups under the trees drinking, chatting, and joking around had been fired by Lin Shaocheng. Even Li Guorong's great-uncle and great-aunt couldn't do anything about it. The remaining employees in the factory dared not cause trouble and were all working hard to improve themselves.
Cui Fanghua placed a cup of high-quality Da Hong Pao tea on the table. "Brother-in-law, have some tea."
Today, Cui Fanghua wore a black lace dress with a V-neck that showed off her good figure, making people want to explore. She showed a confident smile, bent low, and placed the accounts on the table, inadvertently revealing her cleavage.
Lin Shaocheng frowned deeply. There was something wrong with this ledger. He asked, "Second Sister-in-law, what about this ledger?"
A hint of panic flashed in Cui Fanghua's eyes, and her voice lost its previous gentleness. "What's the problem?" She had carefully corrected the ledger; there was absolutely nothing wrong with it. Besides, she had only embezzled a tiny bit.
"Where are the account books for the last two months?"
Cui Fanghua's voice trembled as she thought of what her husband had done, "It's not that it wasn't tidied up. I'll show it to you as soon as it's done. We're all family, would I ever betray my own family?"
Lin Shaocheng's sharp gaze instantly dispelled Cui Fanghua's distractions. She clutched her stomach and said, "Brother-in-law, I'm feeling a little unwell. You take care of me first."
Li Xiangxi greeted Cui Fanghua and asked, "Brother, what's wrong?"
Lin Shaocheng covered his head and said, "I told you to keep an eye on your sister-in-law, and this is how you keep an eye on her."
Li Xiangxi lay on the leather sofa like an old man, "Oh dear, how can I control her? Her whole family is attacking me. Half of the people in this place are locals, and the other half are her fellow villagers. That is, her eldest sister and second brother have the final say. If I say one word, she will say one word back, and her family will say ten words back."
Lin Shaocheng felt a headache coming on; he thought the factory was not far from being taken over by Huang.
"Brother-in-law, brother-in-law, why did you fire Uncle Qi?" Li Guolan asked anxiously. "Uncle Qi is all alone in his family. What are we going to do if you fire him?"
Lin Shaocheng was so angry he almost laughed. "This is a factory, not a charity hall. It's not a place for you to show your kindness. Why are you paying him to work and drink? If you feel sorry for him, you can take him home and raise him."
Li Guorong followed behind, her face also pale. Lin Shaocheng had returned to check on the factory's operations, and her fellow villager was embarrassing her for not working properly. "Sister, Uncle Qi can't do anything, he just freeloads. I've already done more than enough by supporting him for two years."
Li Guolan was still indignant. "That's not how you calculate it. That's our seventh uncle. How can you be so heartless? He even gave you candy when you were little."
Lin Shaocheng rubbed his temples, while Li Guorong cursed, "Just because of a piece of candy, do you think I have to support him for the rest of my life? Bringing others to drink at work is a blatant violation of the rules, and he keeps doing it. I'm only letting him go because we're relatives. Otherwise, I would have fired him long ago."
Li Guolan opened her mouth, but couldn't find any other words to refute it.
Lin Shaocheng reassured them, "Don't worry, we will treat all those who work hard in the factory equally, and we will not fire them just because they are from the same hometown."
Li Guorong chimed in, "That's right, sister. As long as someone works hard, I'll definitely side with my fellow villagers."
Li Guolan's inexplicable anxiety was slightly soothed. "You all know what's going on, I can't control you."
As the sunlight and shade of the trees alternated, Li Guojian's face flickered between light and shadow. He put a cigarette in his mouth, took a deep drag, and murmured, "You were the ones who wronged me first."
Li Guolan had no choice but to leave. Li Xiangxi stretched and said, "Sister-in-law, you really should manage your factory. My factory isn't as big or as successful as yours. I make a lot more money selling Chinese herbal health pills and beauty and hair care ointments than you do, supporting a bunch of freeloaders."
Li Guorong was a little embarrassed. The factory looked half-dead, but it gave Shaocheng a considerable share every year. "You should go and check on the factory. You talk too much."
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