Meanwhile, in Haibi Village, the Li family...
Grandma Li was picking peanuts at her doorstep.
As the weather gets warmer, she wants to bake pastries for her grandchildren.
My daughter-in-law has been so busy lately that she's lost weight from hunger.
Li Lijuan walked to the door and saw her breaking peanuts, so she stopped.
Her parents have been arguing every day lately because her mother secretly signed up to work in a factory, leaving no one at home to cook.
"Ah Juan, why are you out so early?" Grandma Li asked in a casual tone.
She couldn't get close to this granddaughter, but she didn't skimp on the necessary formalities.
Li Lijuan met her grandmother's sharp gaze, her eyes flickering.
She sat down in the wicker chair and slowly said, "Grandma, my dad has been yelling at people ever since he came home. The house is in chaos every day."
Grandma Li's eyes darkened slightly. She knew her eldest son's bad temper; he had the same temper as her deceased husband.
There are still men with a strong sense of male chauvinism these days, saying that wives should stay at home and take care of the family, and shouldn't worry about making money.
The eldest daughter-in-law secretly signed up for a job at the factory, and Grandma Li overheard her younger daughter-in-law mentioning it.
Grandma Li insisted on living with her youngest son for two reasons: first, to help take care of his children, and second, to find some peace and quiet.
The eldest son often quarrels in the middle of the night or early in the morning, causing complaints from the neighbors.
Grandma Li shut herself off, preferring to stay out of sight and sound.
"Ah Juan, don't be like your old-fashioned father. Marriage is not a girl's final destination; self-reliance is what matters," Grandma Li said generously, offering a few words of advice.
The fact that the eldest daughter-in-law could secretly go to work in the factory without her son's knowledge means there's still some hope.
It would be truly foolish to be constantly pressured, to be so poor at home that you have no rice to cook, and to still expect your husband to support you.
Li Lijuan nodded, but that's what she really thought.
What does "self-reliance and self-improvement" mean?
How strong and powerful can a woman be?
Lin Ziyan's success was due to marriage.
Li Lijuan felt that the electronics store was able to open entirely thanks to Lu Yunshen.
At this time, the restrictions on individual businesses were lifted, but she didn't think a woman could make a name for herself.
"Look at the Lin family's eldest granddaughter, now her family is the only one in the village doing well."
He started by selling lemonade at the port, then opened an ice factory and a shrimp farm, building his success step by step.
“Our Haibi Village has benefited from the Lin family’s success. Otherwise, with just a few acres of land, all the young men in the village would have to go out to work,” Grandma Li said, her eyes crinkling with laughter.
She felt grateful and remembered the Lin family's kindness.
I often ran into Grandma Lin at the vegetable garden, and we would chat for a while. Gradually, we became closer.
The more Li Lijuan listened, the more bitter she felt.
At the same time, Lin Ziyan was admitted to university, but dropped out and still got a diploma. Now she runs a shrimp farm and an electronics store, completely overshadowing her.
As her grandmother continued to praise Lin Ziyan, Li Lijuan felt a surge of annoyance.
She made an excuse to leave, went home to get a straw hat, and headed towards the beach.
The day after she returned from her holiday, she wrote a letter to the county government, but there has been no news since.
Li Lijuan muttered to herself, "What if it wasn't delivered?"
Lost in thought, she walked until she reached the large reef.
Looking down into the shallows, I spotted a familiar figure.
Li Lijuan rolled up her trouser legs and walked inside.
"Wei Caixia?" she called out tentatively.
Li Lijuan received no response, hesitated for a moment, then took another step forward, raising her voice.
Is it Wei Caixia?
"How did you end up here?" Wei Caixia looked up and saw her, a flicker in her eyes.
This person was even worse than her; at least she didn't teach people to throw themselves at young men.
Li Lijuan, "You heard me call you, why didn't you answer?"
She looked at Wei Caixia suspiciously; the bucket was full of seaweed and small shrimp.
Li Lijuan heard her mother talking about Wei Sheng's arrest the day she returned to the village.
Unexpectedly, Wei Caixia, down on her luck, ended up here picking up these things.
Wei Caixia didn't stop; she continued to use a fine net to scoop up small shrimp.
"I don't know you well, so don't try anything with me," she said calmly.
Li Lijuan's back stiffened, and her face flushed red instantly. She hadn't expected Wei Caixia to be so blunt.
She was just thinking about how to persuade Wei Caixia to use pesticides in the shrimp farm...
“You…you shouldn’t slander me. What could I possibly want with you…” Li Lijuan said awkwardly.
Wei Caixia stopped and looked at her as if she were a fool.
After looking at each other for a while, Li Lijuan gave in first.
"Wei Caixia, don't you hate Lin Ziyan? Don't you want to cause her trouble?" Li Lijuan probed.
She waited for a while, but Wei Caixia ignored her.
“You and Lin Ziyan went to the same school and even majored in the same field. Now that she’s successful, she hasn’t thought about helping her classmate out…” Li Lijuan muttered, seemingly indignant on behalf of Wei Caixia.
She got more and more excited as she talked, but still didn't get a response from Wei Caixia.
Li Lijuan's mouth became dry from talking, and she gradually lost patience.
“Wei Caixia, did you hear me?” she said in a commanding tone, raising her chin.
"Fake kindness." Wei Caixia said, picked up the bucket, and walked towards the shore.
Aunt Huang was busy collecting dried seaweed, and she had to take it home to spread it out and dry it in the sun, so she didn't have time to deal with Li Lijuan.
Although it won't make much money, it's better than sitting around and running out of money.
Since the start of the school year, her family has stopped giving her living expenses.
Wei Caixia knew her family's situation; her mother and father would never give her money.
If you want to eat meat, you have to find a way yourself.
Li Lijuan stood there stunned until she felt something bite her leg, then quickly got ashore.
Tears welled up in her eyes from the pain in her calves, and a burning sensation kept penetrating her skin.
…
The next day, as soon as Hairun Electrical Appliances City opened, the sales staff were wiping dust off the appliances with a cloth.
The floor had been mopped until it was sparkling clean, reflecting the light of many incandescent bulbs.
Cashier Xiaoli was checking yesterday's orders, her abacus practically sparking with excitement.
A short while later, a group of people in uniforms walked in and headed straight for the cashier.
As the shadow loomed down, Xiaojuan's eyelids twitched. She looked up and froze when she saw several people with signs hanging on their heads.
“We’re from the market supervision and management department. We’re calling your manager over to check the price tags.” One of them spoke first.
The others filed in and began checking the price tags.
Xiaoli snapped out of her daze and immediately called Sister Fang.
The other sales staff looked at the appliances for a while, then continued wiping them, without gathering together to gossip.
Less than ten minutes later, Mu Fang, dressed in a business suit, walked into the electronics store.
"I'm the person in charge here, and we will fully cooperate with your inspection." Sister Fang walked to the cashier, caught Xiaoli's gaze, and nodded slightly.
"Hello, I am Xu Zheng, the head of the Price Management Department of the Market Supervision Bureau."
“We received a complaint letter saying that you are engaging in price gouging here,” Minister Xu said, pointing to the list.
“I need to see the form,” he said after a pause.
Fang Jie's eyes flickered slightly, "Okay."
A whistleblower letter? She was alarmed, but her expression remained impassive.
Could this be another incident from that electronics store in Fuzhou?
"I want to see all your orders for this month." Xu Zheng's eyes flashed with appreciation.
As expected of the Mu family...
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com