Vanity and Delusion
The moment their eyes met, Li Guorong felt a strange sense of familiarity. She stood up straight and said, "Thank you."
Cui Fanghua, who was standing next to Li Guorong, clung to him tightly, saying, "Thank you so much, otherwise we would have both fallen and hurt ourselves."
The tall man replied in broken Mandarin, "You're welcome."
Upon hearing this, Li Guorong asked, "Are you from Chongchuan?"
The man nodded.
Cui Fanghua also spoke the Chongchuan dialect, "What a coincidence, we are from the same hometown. My name is Cui Fanghua, and her name is Li Guorong."
Li Guorong patted Cui Fanghua's hand somewhat awkwardly. Ever since she was abducted by a stranger, she had become very cautious.
The tall man said excitedly, "Guorong, I am Mancang."
Li Guorong's eyes widened in surprise. The man in front of her was tall and strong, exuding a strong masculine aura. He was a completely different person from the thin and small Qian Mancang in her memory. Her heart skipped a beat. If she had chosen to wait in her previous life, would the two of them have met at the roller skating rink and had a perfect marriage?
Cui Fanghua sensed that the two were not a couple. She was not an honest woman to begin with, and now she joined in the fun, saying, "So you're from the same hometown. Let's go to the ice cream shop next door and rest for a while. I'm tired."
The short man wanted to follow, but Qian Mancang stopped him with a look.
The three sat at a small Western-style table with a white parasol on it. They were surrounded by handsome men and beautiful women, giving off a sophisticated vibe. After not seeing each other for seven or eight years, neither of them recognized the other.
Li Guorong exudes a more imposing aura, completely belying her rural origins; she appears to be a powerful and beautiful female boss.
Qian Mancang's training in the army made him lose his pettiness and appear strong and righteous.
The two sat in silence, time fading everything away. The tension between them was gone, as if everything had passed like smoke.
Qian Mancang spoke first, "What would you like to drink? It's on me."
Li Guorong flipped through the dessert menu, preparing to choose the cheapest watermelon juice, when Qian Mancang said, "How about this berry tea? Isn't this your favorite?"
Li Guorong blushed slightly, surprised that after all these years he still remembered what he liked to eat.
Cui Fanghua raised an eyebrow and smiled, "I'd like a scoop of ice cream. I wonder where Mr. Qian works?"
Qian Mancang gave a wry smile. "I don't have any special skills. After I was discharged from the army, I heard that everyone was heading south. So I sold goods in the north and south with a few brothers who were discharged with me. Then I made some money and opened this business."
Li Guorong recalled his previous life, when Qian Mancang went to work in the south and then returned home to farm. He never became a boss during this period. Could it be that his rebirth also changed Qian Mancang's fate?
Cui Fanghua's smile immediately became more genuine, "You're really capable, my sister is a boss too."
Li Guorong said in a low voice, "What kind of boss am I? I'm just a chili pepper seller."
Li Guorong's chili peppers are now sold all over the country. They sell so-so in places like Sichuan and Hunan where people eat spicy food, but they sell well in places where people don't eat spicy food. The flavor is more in line with the general public, mainly because it's fragrant. Now that she's showing it off so much, she's a little embarrassed.
Qian Mancang showed off his strong arms, exuding masculinity. He took the drink and placed it in front of Li Guorong. Li Guorong picked up the drink and took a sip; it was sweet and sour.
The table wasn't big, and Qian Mancang's thick legs accidentally pressed against Li Guorong's legs. The heat penetrated the fabric and reached Li Guorong's heart. Suddenly, a surge of anger ignited within her. Why hadn't Lin Shaocheng returned yet? Did he have a new family abroad? She needed him now, to spend time with her, not just during Christmas and summer vacation when they could meet a few times.
"Little sister, little sister, shall we go?" Cui Fanghua's voice pulled Li Guorong back to his senses.
Li Guorong asked blankly, "What?"
Qian Mancang said, "When the dance hall opens in a little while, I'll invite you all to dance."
Li Guorong was a little embarrassed and wanted to refuse, but Cui Fanghua said, "Go ahead, go home early and go to bed early. You're so tired every day."
Following his own heart, Li Guorong stood up and said, "Then let's go."
The three entered from the back, where a huge, flashing light sphere made people sway, and the ambiguous lighting and loud music heated up the atmosphere.
Men and women swayed their young bodies on the dance floor, which was completely different from the roller skating rink. Li Guorong walked onto the dance floor and began to sway. Her dance moves were not pretty, but her tall and fashionable figure made up for it perfectly. Qian Mancang stood around blocking the men who wanted to harass her.
Many people looked at Li Guorong with envious and burning eyes. Ripples stirred in her calm heart, like the applause when she gave a speech at the end of the year when she was handing out gifts at the factory, or her mother's praise when she successfully built the factory. But these things had become commonplace and could no longer stir her heart.
Li Guorong swayed her body wantonly, enjoying the envious and jealous looks from women and the fervent desires from men; she deserved all of this.
That night, Cui Fanghua lay in bed, and Li Guojian shook the ash off his cigarette and exhaled a smoke ring.
Cui Fanghua cursed, "Don't smoke in the bedroom, it'll choke people to death."
Li Guojian stubbed out his cigarette. "You know, my sister has never had any children. Who will inherit such a big factory in the future?"
Cui Fanghua rolled her eyes. "She's so young. Once her brother-in-law comes back, she'll be able to give birth soon."
Li Guojian felt resentful. Initially, it was indeed his younger sister who built the factory and provided the formula, but later, without his help to expand sales, they couldn't sell all the products they produced. He had seen the account books that Cui Fanghua kept, and of all the profits, only a small portion ended up in his hands. Over the years, it was only enough to buy a small house and a car. His younger sister, on the other hand, owned houses everywhere, and she would send her husband several thousand US dollars at a time. If it were him, he could buy a new house.
And these original shares: the younger sister has 51%, the brother-in-law has 30%, and Li Xiangxi has 19%. He and the older sister were also original employees of the factory, so why don't they have shares? Li Xiangxi bought a house in Beijing and married a returned student; he spent all of his family's money.
On the other side, Wu Cuihua was also lecturing Li Guoliang, "You should try to please your second sister. Your second sister is not the same as before. She has money now and is hard-hearted. If she works in the factory, she won't have to worry about the future."
Li Guoliang outwardly agreed, but inwardly he was disdainful. It was just a small factory; once he made money, he would open a much bigger one.
Li Guolan was also discussing with Wang Gang in the factory dormitory, "I feel that my younger sister is getting less and less close to me, but she is getting closer and closer to Cui Fanghua. Look at my second brother's new house and new car."
Wang Gang sighed helplessly, "If I had chosen to work in sales from the beginning, our family would be driving a car now. It's all my fault for not being capable enough."
Li Guolan hugged her husband, "How could we agree? We're just honest people, how could we compare to the second son's family, who are so eloquent?"
Wang Gang nodded, "I'm off tomorrow. I'll go see if there are any small apartments available. Yaya's getting older, and she can't always stay in the dorms with us. It's not a good thing."
The eldest brother, who lives far away in Chongchuan, tidied up the clothes that were left over from today's sales. This business was an extra subsidy from his younger sister to his family. They would buy the clothes, add a little price, and mail them to the village. During the off-season, the two of them would sell them in the city. They also built a two-story cement house in the village. Many people were envious, but fortunately, his family had been collecting chili peppers in the village, so no one came to harass them.
The two rode their motorcycle home, and only after drinking some water did they feel alive again. The older brother, Li Guoqiang, said, "I wonder if Shenzhen is very prosperous."
The eldest sister-in-law said, "No matter how prosperous it is, it's not my own. Let's watch TV. I haven't had enough of it yet."
The two entered the house intimately. Liu Hong's parents were coaxing the child, and a delicious meal was laid out on the table. Li Guoqiang sighed, "I wouldn't trade this life with a god."
Liu Hong laughed out loud, but she was a little worried. There were more and more clothing vendors in the market now, and the prices were cheaper. However, the clothes she imported from the south were quickly copied. She wondered how long she could make money like this.
As if sensing his wife's worry, Li Guoqiang comforted her, saying, "The chili peppers from the land are our roots." Thinking of this, Liu Hong felt relieved.
The late night always stirs up desires. Li Guorong turned on the TV and idly flipped through the programs on those few TV stations. She had watched them so many times in her past life, and even more times in this life. She was so bored. She thought about Lin Shaocheng. The house was so cold. She wanted to live with her mother, but living together meant being taught to be virtuous and think about the family, and not to waste money on things. She found that annoying.
Thinking of the stares she received while dancing in the middle of the dance floor a few days ago, she couldn't help but feel a surge of emotion.
"Ring ring ring." Li Guorong answered the phone. "Who is it?"
"Guorong, it's me." A slightly hoarse voice reached Li Guorong's ears.
Li Guorong tucked a strand of hair behind his ear. "What's wrong?"
Qian Mancang cleared his throat. "The dance hall has new songs today, and I'd like to invite you to dance."
Li Guorong paused, a smile playing on her lips, and couldn't help but admire her own charm. She straightened her clothes and said, "You know I'm married, right?"
During the years Lin Shaocheng was away studying, several bosses pursued her, but they were either too old or too poor; they were all after her money. But this time, it was her own charm that made the difference.
"Let's still be friends. Isn't it normal to go out with friends? Why is your husband so controlling?"
When Li Guorong's stubborn temper flared up, Lin Shaocheng dared not interfere. She put on her newly bought sequined dress, got into her little red car, drove to her second brother's house, and beeped twice.
"Second sister-in-law, let's go out and have some fun."
Cui Fanghua was just about to go to sleep when Li Guorong woke her up. Li Guojian next to her was sleeping like a log. Cui Fanghua stepped over Li Guojian, put on her clothes, went out, and got into the passenger seat. "Where are we going to play so late?"
Li Guorong was a little impatient, his lips pursed, "Why are you going to bed so early at 7 pm? Going to the dance hall to have some fun."
The dance hall was even more lively at night, with colorful lights creating a mesmerizing atmosphere. As soon as the two got out of the car, several men tried to approach them, but Qian Mancang blocked them with his thick arms. "These are the ladies I invited."
Li Guorong raised his chin high and strode into the dazzling and magical dance hall.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
