Chapter 22: The emotional battle between the family members has reached a fever pitch, and they can only...
Shi Meilan found a perfect observation point. She looked out the window and saw Li Jianye and Wang Yulian arguing fiercely on the street. Lin Xinran obviously did not have the ability to mediate between her biological mother and stepfather. She could only keep her head down and follow behind them at a distance.
Li Jianye was shouting, "How can you be broke? You just despise me for being shameful! You just don't want me to stay! That guy named Wu Ya just said that you told everyone that you were my wife!"
When Li Jianye mentioned this, his face turned pale with anger.
He got divorced, lost his job, and turned from a teacher into a street drunkard. His wife, who had been living a good life with him, hoped for his death every day. His son found a poor marriage for him. He was burdened with countless debts. He saw the disgust and contempt of others. Why did all this happen?
It’s all because of Wang Yulian!
He sacrificed himself and his entire family to help Wang Yulian get a job at the factory. Wang Yulian and her daughter now live a good life. But then Wang Yulian started talking about her former husband, an educated youth. How could Li Jianye not be angry? He couldn't stand this humiliation!
After Shi Meilan, Wu Ya and Hu Chengjun left, Li Jianye and Wang Yulian started arguing in the police station. Just now, when Wu Ya and Shi Meilan were eating mutton, the two of them were arguing fiercely, which made the police in the station suffer. They had just sent away one group of people and welcomed another, and the quarrel was endless.
The two men came out of the police station and started arguing directly on the street.
"You're thinking about your educated youth husband and can't bear to leave him. Just go with him!" Li Jianye was furious and yelled at Wang Yulian, "Does she want you? Look at you, you're such a jerk. You deserve to be abandoned!"
Wang Yulian's face turned pale after being stabbed. This was the most painful part of her body, and she couldn't say a word to refute.
It is always the most painful when the person next to you falls out with you. In the past, Li Jianye held her hand and said that he felt sorry for her being abandoned. Now, Li Jianye pointed at her nose and said that she deserved it.
Wang Yulian's personality was not sharp and aggressive enough, so she couldn't step forward boldly during an argument. Even when people scolded her, she still couldn't say a word. She only felt humiliated and embarrassed, and stood there with tears on the verge of falling.
Li Jianye hadn't cursed enough, pointing at Wang Yulian and shouting, "She doesn't want you, and you're still thinking about her. She might have already found another wife! Look at you, you're so shameless, trying to get her to stay with you!"
Before Wang Yulian could say anything, Lin Xinran, who was following behind her, couldn't bear it anymore. All the pain that was branded on her mother would be transmitted to her a thousand times. She screamed, rushed forward, and pushed Li Jianye hard.
"You are shameless! You are always shameless! You are married and still thinking about my mother!"
Li Jianye was caught off guard and was knocked down by Lin Xinran, but he quickly got up and cursed, "You little bastard, you eat and drink my food and drink my drinks, I found you a job, and you dare to push me! I'm thinking about your mother, isn't your mother thinking about me?"
They both care about each other, so don't say anything to each other!
After shouting, Li Jianye slapped Lin Xinran viciously.
When Hu Chengjun was around, Li Jianye didn't dare to hit Hu Chengjun. When Wu Ya was desperately asking for money, Li Jianye didn't dare to hit Wu Ya. When he was at the police station, Li Jianye didn't dare to provoke the police. Now that everyone is gone and only Lin Xinran is left, Li Jianye dares to take action.
If he hits someone else, he will have to pay money, get beaten, and go to jail, but it’s okay for him to hit Lin Xinran, right?
He is Lin Xinran's stepfather. It is natural for a father to beat his daughter. Besides, he paid for Lin Xinran's job. What's wrong with him beating Lin Xinran?
Lin Xinran was slapped and fell to the ground. Wang Yulian couldn't bear it anymore. She screamed and ran over to fight with Li Jianye. Then the three of them started fighting together.
Although it was two against one, Wang Yulian and Lin Xinran were women after all, and not as battle-hardened as Shi Meilan. They had no experience in fighting and were no match for Li Jianye, and they had no advantage even with two against one.
Some people's love is like a war, full of wrestling and calculation. In the end, when the war reaches a fever pitch, they can only fight to vent their anger.
Shi Meilan squatted beside the window and happily watched the whole thing from beginning to end.
Oh, this is a family with a very passionate relationship.
Shi Meilan tutted her tongue and shook her head. People, when dating, you must never date someone who's not legitimate. As long as your background isn't legitimate, there's no cleanliness between the two of you. It's like a rusty object. You wipe it off, but it'll rust back in a few days, making it awkward to use. It's always awkward, until one day, when you can't stand it anymore, you start a big fight over that little bit of rust.
Others who see this will think, "This rust has been there from the beginning. You all knew it, and you were prepared to put up with it. Why can't you put up with it anymore? You weren't clean in the first place!"
So they deserve what happened today. There is no sincerity between two people who are scheming against each other. Even if there is something a little bit like "love" in the beginning, it will soon deteriorate into something else.
The three of them didn't fight for long. Li Jianye fell to the ground and didn't move. Wang Yulian and Lin Xinran, mother and daughter, sat together crying. A thin, cold moonlight outside shone on them, illuminating their disheveled figures. The three of them looked very frustrated.
It was really not suitable to go out in this situation. What if these three crazy, stupid, and foolish dogs suddenly went crazy and attacked her together? She was terribly sick with rabies.
Shi Meilan looked around the mutton restaurant and saw Hu Chengjun still squatting at the counter.
This guy is very obedient. When I told him to hide, he hid obediently until now without making any noise. He is so honest that it is a bit pitiful.
Shi Meilan crouched down and slowly crawled over two steps, then said in a low voice, "Take me upstairs to sleep."
Compared with the three people outside, Hu Chengjun's side is better.
Hu Chengjun was sitting at the counter with his head down and huddled together. When he heard Shi Meilan's words, he looked up at her.
Something sparkling seemed to burst out of those sharp eyes, and in the dim restaurant, they looked at her clearly like a cat.
Shi Meilan began to feel the shoe on her right foot getting hot again, and was a little afraid of what Hu Chengjun would say or do - she really hadn't figured out how to deal with Hu Chengjun.
But Hu Chengjun said nothing, just nodded, turned around and took Shi Meilan upstairs.
The two of them sneaked from the first floor of the mutton restaurant to the second floor.
There are three rooms on the second floor. Two of them do not face the sun, and only one has sunlight and windows, and it is the largest. Hu Chengjun gave this room to Shi Meilan.
This shop originally had some basic furniture such as beds and tables, which were left by the previous owner. The previous owner left in a hurry, so Hu Chengjun included the money for the furniture in the store's bill and bought it all together.
Everything is here, except for some personal clothes. The bedding was also used by the previous owner, but Shi Meilan didn't mind - other people's home-used things are always cleaner than those that many, many people have slept on in the hotel.
After sending Shi Meilan home, Hu Chengjun went to sleep next door.
Shi Meilan spent the whole night here dealing with this.
After washing up, she fell on the unfamiliar bed. Feeling sleepy, she looked at the sky outside through the gap in the curtains and suddenly thought of Hu Honghua.
Oh, how many good shows I missed during the day when Hu Honghua was away.
Before falling asleep, Shi Meilan couldn't help but wonder, what is Little Red Flower doing now?
——
Hu Honghua is very busy now. She has basically had no time to rest since she started her business trip.
Back to nine o'clock in the morning on July 2nd, when Shi Meilan started to slack off happily in the company, Hu Honghua followed the group to start the first day of the business trip.
There are six people in their office, including Mr. Yuan, making seven people.
Mr. Yuan’s previous car broke down. Besides, even if it hadn’t broken down, it wouldn’t have been able to fit seven people in it, so the garment factory specially chartered a small van, and a group of people sat directly in the van.
There were six chairs in the van, crowded together, for the six people on business trips to sit. There were two seats in the front of the van, one for Mr. Xiao Yuan and one for the driver of the rented car.
The rest of the people were quite used to it. After all, people in towns rarely rode in cars, and people in the countryside had ridden in ox carts, horse carts, and donkey carts. Only Mr. Yuan was not used to it.
Mr. Yuan had a sour face from the moment he got on the bus. He complained about the dirty seats and the smell of the truck driver sitting next to him. But there were no other cars at the moment, so Mr. Yuan had no choice but to sit down and made a mental note of it.
The first thing he did after getting the deal was to find himself a driver.
——
The car was shaking and it was seen from Chunfeng Town, heading all the way to Baicheng City.
It takes two and a half hours to drive from Chunfeng Town to Baicheng City. There are many dirt roads in the remote town, and the road is bumpy. By the time the car returned to Baicheng City, Mr. Yuan's bones were almost broken.
He looked out through the dusty and slightly dirty glass, and outside was his familiar hometown.
Baicheng City is much larger than Chunfeng Town, with smooth roads and dense crowds of people. In addition to the railway station, there is also a special transportation station.
Baicheng City is a trade hub for several cities. Because there are many cars, the city’s roads are well built. If you want to get rich, you must build roads first. Almost all the main roads in the city are cement roads.
The gray pickup truck was squeezed in a group of cars and drove into Baicheng City. The houses flashed quickly in front of the golden mirror. Yuan Yao watched quietly until one moment, he saw a yellow-painted truck passing in front of him.
Yuan Yao stared at the truck and slowly opened the window.
The summer heat, the noisy crowd, and the smell of car exhaust all blew into the car in one breath.
This is the taste of Kashiwa City.
Yuan Yao watched the car leave and then took a deep breath.
He will definitely come back to this city again.
With a "creak" sound, the car stopped.
——
Hu Honghua followed a group of people down to Baicheng City.
As soon as they arrived, Yuan Yao took them to the guesthouse first. As soon as everyone put down their luggage in the guesthouse, Yuan Yao took them to find a client for dinner.
The customer they were looking for was named Chen, 38 years old, a former soldier, and now engaged in clothing export trade, selling directly to foreign countries, and had a very large business.
Chunfeng Town is the northernmost part of China, and further north of Chunfeng Town is another country. It is said that this customer named Chen has been traveling out.
The old man of the Yuan family wanted to sign a contract with this customer at the beginning, but this customer's route is overseas and he does not sell domestically. His business model is a little different from that in China, so the old man of the Yuan family never contacted him. Now it is Yuan Yao who has started to have some ideas.
If we can sign a contract with this client——
Yuan Yao did what he said. After a group of people landed at 11:30 or almost 12 o'clock, he arranged for them to have a meal and then went to meet Mr. Chen.
During the meal, Yuan Yao occasionally noticed Hu Honghua secretly looking at him.
The other people who came out with him on this trip were all exhausted. They all looked dusty and ashamed, except Hu Honghua.
Hu Honghua looked very energetic, with bright eyes. She kept glancing at him once, twice, three times, and endlessly. It was hard for Yuan Yao not to notice her.
Hu Honghua not only glanced at him, but also occasionally took out a small black notebook and wrote on it with a pen, mumbling something in a mysterious way.
As soon as Yuan Yao saw her, Hu Honghua immediately withdrew her hand, hid the little notebook, and pretended that nothing happened.
Yuan Yao frowned slightly.
What the hell is this redneck doing?
But he didn't have time to care about her. He still had a contract to sign, so he put it aside and continued to work with his people on signing the contract. After dinner, the rest of the people waited in the guesthouse. After Yuan Yao and Mr. Chen finalized the meeting, they came out to discuss the rest of the process or come up with a plan.
Yuan Yao took Hu Honghua to meet Mr. Chen alone.
Mr. Chen has a large warehouse in Baicheng City, which is used to store goods. When Mr. Chen comes, he basically lives in the warehouse, so if you want to find someone, you have to look for him in the warehouse.
As Yuan Yao's secretary, Hu Honghua was responsible for contacting everyone and following up on the signing process - but in fact, there was no progress at all. After they arrived at the warehouse, the person in charge said that Mr. Chen was busy and they might have to wait two hours before they could see him.
The person in charge took them to the warehouse and found a warehouse full of forklifts for them to sit down, and they waited there.
At this time, Yuan Yao was in a similar situation to Wang Yulian and Tong Dazhi from the sales department - as mentioned before, in the workplace, the big fish hit the small fish, the small fish hit the shrimps, and the shrimps are always hit.
Now Yuan Yao has arrived in someone else's territory and has become a small fry. He can't do anything about being beaten and can only wait.
——
The warehouse was very large, filled with various forklifts, trucks, and goods. The air was mixed with a faint smell of dust, and the person in charge didn't even provide them with chairs.
Hu Honghua thought Yuan Yao would be unhappy.
After all, this person is picky and conceited, like a big shot - this is not what she said, but what her colleagues said.
They said that Yuan Yao was a person who had studied abroad, was proud and could not endure hardship. At the same time, he was very arrogant and looked down on everyone, just like a phoenix in a chicken coop, looking down on everything.
No matter what time, he always wears his suit and walks in leather shoes, which is quite like Li Jianye.
Li Jianye is a person who cannot endure hardship. Any hardship can defeat him, so Hu Honghua thought that Yuan Yao would be the same.
But to Hu Honghua's surprise, Yuan Yao didn't.
Not only did this person not complain, he also walked slowly around the warehouse, looking at every forklift, every truck, and all kinds of goods one by one.
There were still some clothes in the warehouse that had not been packed in bags yet. They were placed in an ordinary plastic bag. Yuan Yao took out the clothes, touched the fabric carefully in his hands, unfolded them, and looked at the style.
After reading it, he folded the clothes again and put them back in their original place.
Hu Honghua followed him and saw him staring at the clothes on the ground in a daze.
She couldn't help but ask, "What is Mr. Yuan looking at?"
Yuan Yao lowered his eyes and said, "These clothes are better than ours."
When he came here, he saw the things in other people's warehouses, and compared them with the things in his own factory. Suddenly, he found that he was not competitive.
Yuan Yao frowned and fell into deep thought.
Hu Honghua suddenly stammered: "Then, then, what should we do?"
What should I do then?
I finally came here, eagerly looking for cooperation, but when I arrived, I didn't even see anyone, only a pile of goods, and these goods were of better quality than theirs.
No matter how you look at it, it's the end!
Yuan Yao thought silently for a while and said, "They are all summer clothes here, maybe we can consider winter clothes."
Hu Honghua turned her head and looked outside.
Oh, it’s still summer outside, where can I buy winter clothes?
Yuan Yao continued, "If we lower the cost, the profit can be reduced by one tenth. If we multiply that one tenth of profit by one thousand pieces, that's—what do you think?"
When it comes to math problems, Hu Honghua lowers her head.
She thinks that Mr. Yuan is pretty good at math.
Whenever she encountered something she didn't understand, Hu Honghua would nod her head and flatter him: "Boss Yuan is right!"
Yuan Yao nodded with satisfaction, making a draft in his mind, waiting for Mr. Chen to arrive.
——
As a result, Hu Honghua and Yuan Yao waited for Mr. Chen in the warehouse for an entire afternoon, but Mr. Chen did not come back. He only asked the warehouse manager to bring them a message.
"I have something to do today and can't come. I have a dinner at the Yellow Crane Tower at 8 o'clock tonight. If Mr. Yuan is interested, please do me the honor of coming."
What I mean is... I don't have time to meet you alone, but I'm giving you a chance to meet me. It's up to you whether you can seize it.
The person in charge seemed to be very respectful towards Yuan Yao, but he actually didn't take it seriously. After all, there were a lot of people looking for cooperation with Mr. Chen every day. If Yuan Yao didn't mention his father's name, he would not be able to get a number and would have to be turned away like most people.
After giving this notice, they gave a perfunctory apology on behalf of their boss, saying that the boss was really busy and had wasted their time. After they had accepted the situation, they would send them away.
Yuan Yao did not delay. He stood up and said, "I will definitely be there tomorrow," and then left with Hu Honghua.
Hu Honghua and Yuan Yao did nothing the whole afternoon but sat and waited, and then an invitation letter came. Hu Honghua was a little frustrated, but Yuan Yao was full of energy and even more excited.
As if seeing a bright future, Yuan Yao started talking more.
"Yellow Crane Tower is the tallest restaurant here, and many bosses often eat here."
"Have you ever heard the poem 'My Old Friend Bids Farewell to the Yellow Crane Tower'?"
"With so many bosses, who knows which one might be able to cooperate with me."
He chattered on for a long time, and Hu Honghua took great pains to write it all down in her little notebook.
She didn't understand, but it would be good to show it to Chen Chunxiang.
——
That night, Yuan Yao set out early and went to the Yellow Crane Tower, but did not bring Hu Honghua with him.
The business world is a place of fame and fortune. Yuan Yao knows better than anyone what happens in it. The rich are at the top, the poor are just a dish on the table, and the women brought by the lower-ranking ones are the most delicious dishes. Almost every man will bring a beautiful female companion or a charming secretary to adorn himself with women.
He is a proud man, but not mean. He does not want his success to be tainted by anything dirty, so when he is in the position of "Tong Dazhi", he will not bring any woman to such a drinking party, nor will he let Hu Honghua become Wang Yulian.
After Yuan Yao left, the rest of the colleagues went out to eat and stroll around Baicheng City. Baicheng City said there was a night market. Wow, this thing doesn’t exist in a small place like Chunfeng Town.
Hu Honghua didn't go - mainly because she hadn't received her salary yet and had no money to go out and play, so she stayed in the guesthouse and continued to write in her little notebook.
She wants to write down every word Yuan Yao says!
——
It was past midnight when Yuan Yao came back.
He didn't come back by himself. The warehouse manager who he met in Mr. Chen's warehouse yesterday sent Yuan Yao back.
Yuan Yao was completely drunk and didn't know which way was which. After arriving at the guesthouse, he couldn't even find the door to his room. He lay down on the sofa in the guesthouse and was about to vomit. The warehouse manager had to wait in the lobby for someone to come out and pick him up.
The people in the guesthouse hurried to call out the people who were traveling with Yuan Yao, and Hu Honghua was the only one left in the entire guesthouse.
The warehouse manager pointed at Yuan Yao who was lying on the sofa and said, "Boss Yuan is drunk. Please keep an eye on him."
Hu Honghua was shocked when she saw Yuan Yao.
——
Yuan Yao was usually aloof and indifferent, always wearing a suit. Wherever he stood, he exuded an elite aura, and it seemed that no one could deceive him. But now, Yuan Yao was completely drunk, his cold and pale face was completely red from drinking, and he fell on the sofa and began to dry heave, but nothing came out.
"Mr. Yuan vomited it all outside." The warehouse manager seemed to complain a little, and said darkly: "He even vomited in my car."
If a smart person were here, he would have to compensate the man for the car wash fee immediately. If he was a bit more polite, he would have given him some money secretly to build a good relationship with him. But Hu Honghua didn't have such a brain. She just kept following Yuan Yao around.
"How did you get so drunk!" she screamed.
There were people in their village who drank themselves to death before. Could Yuan Yao be the same?
"Mr. Yuan is quite impressive." Seeing that Hu Honghua had no intention of paying attention to him, the warehouse manager stood up and said sarcastically, "Our Mr. Chen said that if he can drink two rounds in a row, he will be given an order."
"He drank two rounds?" Hu Honghua widened her eyes.
"He drank six rounds," the warehouse manager said. "He asked for three orders."
Hu Honghua was convinced.
Or else they say he's good at math! Two plus three equals six, the more the better—he just doesn't take his body seriously.
After saying that, the warehouse manager turned and left: "Please take good care of Mr. Yuan. He has to come to our warehouse to sign the contract tomorrow."
Hu Honghua hurriedly helped Yuan Yao up and supported him all the way to Yuan Yao's room to rest.
The environment of the guesthouse in Baicheng City is quite good. The single room has a bed, a table, and a bathroom.
It was not noticeable before she touched Yuan Yao, but now that she touched him, Hu Honghua found that Yuan Yao was cold all over, his hands and feet were cold, and his complexion was extremely bad. After he got on the bed, Yuan Yao curled up into a ball, lying motionless with a very bad complexion.
If you look closely, he is also pressing his stomach with his hands.
Hu Honghua understood that it was because she drank too much and her stomach was empty after vomiting, which made her feel uncomfortable.
She hurried out and talked to the front desk of the guesthouse, then borrowed the back kitchen to make some millet porridge. This thing is good for the stomach, and drinking a little after drinking alcohol will make you feel much better.
When she was done, she ran all the way back to Yuan Yao's room.
Yuan Yao's condition was even worse. He looked sweaty all over. His handsome face looked pale, his lips had lost their color, and his thick eyebrows were tightly twisted together. He looked like he was gritting his teeth and resisting.
Hu Honghua quickly took the spoon and stuffed it into his mouth, saying, "Mr. Yuan, why bother? Can't you just drink one round? Even if you are good at math, you can't be this good."
——
At that time, Yuan Yao was cold and exhausted, lying on the bed without any strength.
It was as if he had sunk into a very deep ocean, losing contact with the world for a short time. Until one moment, a nagging voice fell from his head and warm porridge was brought to his mouth. Yuan Yao suddenly became a little more sober.
When people are vulnerable, they will instinctively move closer to warmth, and he opened his mouth uncontrollably.
A little millet porridge went into his stomach, feeling a little familiar. He thought about it, and suddenly an idea popped into his head.
This time she didn't touch his head.
——
Hu Honghua didn't know what Yuan Yao was thinking. She fed him half a bowl of porridge. Seeing that Yuan Yao had stopped sweating, she withdrew her hand and went back to continue writing in her little notebook.
The notebook adds another item: If you have a bad stomach, you should drink millet porridge after getting drunk.
After finishing writing in the notebook, Hu Honghua got up and walked out of Mr. Yuan's room.
At this time, my colleagues also came back, and the group returned to their rooms to spend their first night in Baicheng.
——
Early the next morning, at 7:30, Shi Meilan woke up in her bedroom at the mutton restaurant.
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