After picking up Man Aihong from the hospital, Qin Xiaoyu learned the reason why Zhu Xu was ostracized by everyone.
She only briefly visited Zhu Xu's shop on her first day there. At the time, she was only looking at the clothes and didn't pay attention to the environment, only noting that the shop was a bit small and not very bright.
I only realized today that this shop is not only small, but it's even worse than a temporary shelter for street vendors. The hygiene is filthy and chaotic.
After Man Aihong was hospitalized, Zhu Xu never opened the door, only occasionally coming over to pick up things. The room smelled strongly of rancidity; if it were humid weather, the room would probably be covered in mold.
As soon as Zhu Xu entered the room, he pushed open the bamboo screen behind him. It turned out that there was a hidden mechanism behind it, which created a tiny space where a single bed was crammed in.
It seems he sits here tonight. The business owners on this street all have their own places to live and don't stay out at night. Even those who rent out both the upstairs and downstairs apartments are the same.
Zhu Xu only rented one floor of shop space and also needed to stay overnight, which already set him apart from other business owners. Businessmen are inherently snobbish, so it's understandable that they look down on him.
Man Aihong was still weak; she broke out in a sweat after walking just a few steps after getting out of the taxi. Zhu Xu helped her sit up on the single bed and then began opening the windows to ventilate the room and tidy it up.
He cleared a small, moldy lunchbox from under the bed, and finally the smell in the room was gone, and we could breathe normally again.
"Xiaoyu, sit down. Don't mind him, let him do it himself. Talk to me." Man Aihong's face was pale. Qin Xiaoyu couldn't bear to see this, so she grabbed a big bag of clothes and placed it behind her as a cushion so she could lean against it.
"You should rest well first. The doctor told you not to overwork yourself, so don't worry about it."
"Can I manage without worrying?" Man Aihong said, tears welling up in her eyes.
With Zhu Xu not in the house, Qin Xiaoyu suddenly realized that the person supporting this family was Man Aihong.
As the old saying goes, a man fears choosing the wrong career, and a woman fears marrying the wrong man.
Zhu Xu chose the wrong career, and Man Ai Hong married the wrong man.
They were classmates, both majoring in fashion design.
“Back then, I was young and impetuous. Seeing him argue with the teacher in such a wild way, I thought he was just arrogant because he was talented. I always felt that he had real skills, but was just unappreciated,” Man Aihong said with a wry smile.
Qin Xiaoyu understood that everyone started as an innocent young girl and inevitably made mistakes at some point.
So when they graduated, Man Aihong was hired by a large textile factory because of her excellent grades, while Zhu Xu encountered setbacks everywhere.
He decided to start his own business.
Man Aihong returned to the city, said goodbye to her parents, and prepared to report to her new workplace. Zhu Xu burst in, knelt down, and begged her to marry him, promising her the best future.
The family was thrown into chaos. Man Aihong's father and brothers joined forces to beat Zhu Xu out, but this angered her. She ran away from home that very night and eloped with Zhu Xu.
They held their wedding in Zhu Xu's hometown, a small village. It was a true "naked wedding," with not even a new quilt. Overnight, Man Aihong was bitten dozens of times by some kind of insect, but she didn't complain. Instead, she rolled up her sleeves and went to cook.
Her mother caught up with her, saw her daughter's condition, stood in the yard and cried for a while, then called Zhu Xu out.
When Zhu Xu returned, he had an extra five thousand yuan in his hand, which was the dowry given by Man Aihong's family.
"I'll start my own business and pay them back double in the future," Zhu Xu vowed. Man Aihong, of course, chose to believe him.
And so, they set up a garment factory in the village, and Zhu Xu started running around looking for work. For a while, their business was really good.
The year after their marriage, Zhu Xu took Man Aihong back to her parents' home looking glamorous, slamming 10,000 yuan on the table. Man Aihong's parents, who also hoped for their daughter's happiness, saw that Zhu Xu had raised her to be well-fed and healthy, and had nothing more to say.
"This man, whether he's flamboyant and unreliable, or ambitious but incompetent, has one thing in common: he truly loves me. He'd give his life for me," Man Aihong said wistfully.
Qin Xiaoyu also realized that Zhu Xu truly loved Man Aihong, but he overestimated himself, which inevitably led to setbacks.
Their business started to decline when they began focusing on original designs.
This was Zhu Xu's dream, and once he had accumulated a certain amount of capital, he was eager to put it into practice. Man Aihong, of course, fully supported him; she stayed home to oversee production, while Zhu Xu went out to handle sales.
"Renting this house was the biggest mistake we ever made. It wasn't just our mistake; the landlord is furious too," Man Aihong sighed.
When they rented the house, the clothing street wasn't yet developed, so most of the rental properties were just ground-floor shops. Zhu Xu rented the ground-floor shop for three years straight.
The rent for the past three years has severely tied up their funds, and the store did not experience the sales boom they had imagined after opening.
Zhu Xu envisioned that their clothing would be snapped up as soon as it was launched, making Xuri Clothing an instant success. However, what they never expected was that they would face a harsh winter. Shops nearby opened one after another, and even someone like Huo Jinghong was doing very well. If Xuri Clothing hadn't paid three years' rent, it would probably have closed down long ago.
Man Aihong still harbored illusions, hoping that a miracle would happen one day, but all she got was disappointment.
She was more realistic than Zhu Xu, knowing that continuing down this path would lead to ruin. So she secretly took on some outsourced processing work back in her hometown, but unexpectedly got scammed and completely ruined the factory.
She was anxious and disheartened at the time, so she came south to find Zhu Xu for help. However, she was rushed to the emergency room on the day she got off the train due to acute abdominal pain.
This illness bankrupted them; if Qin Xiaoyu hadn't intervened to save them, they would have been truly desperate.
"What do you plan to do in the future?" Qin Xiaoyu asked for her opinion. This matter concerned the couple, and she, as an outsider, could not make the decision.
“I’m in a dilemma too. Zhu Xu is focused on original works. If I make him quit, he’ll be heartbroken. If I keep going… well, what’s the point of continuing now? I don’t know.” Man Aihong felt bitter.
"Should I talk to Brother Zhu?" Qin Xiaoyu understood Man Aihong's meaning; she wanted Qin Xiaoyu to intervene. She still couldn't bear to tell Zhu Xu that he wasn't suitable for creating original works.
After tidying up the house, Zhu Xu went to buy food. A while later, he returned with some soup and broth, which seemed to be for Man Aihong to replenish her nutrition.
"Come on, let's eat together."
"I'm not hungry." Qin Xiaoyu pushed away. She understood that Zhu Xu had bought enough for two people. He must be short of money. It wasn't that he didn't bring enough for Qin Xiaoyu; he just didn't plan to eat.
“Zhu Xu, the matter we discussed…” Man Aihong gave him a look, and Zhu Xu had no choice but to look up.
"Little Fish, we've discussed it, and a lot of things have happened recently. We're finding it hard to stay afloat on our own. How about you join us as a partner and become a shareholder?"
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