Chapter 264 We must not let this tragedy repeat itself.
The old lady in the straw hat counted on her fingers.
"People come to buy groceries in the morning, have lunch at noon, buy groceries on their way to pick up their kids in the afternoon, and those who work overtime in the evening rush to stock up on supplies before the last bus... There's been a constant stream of people from opening to closing!"
"I also heard that her family built vegetable greenhouses and transported all their produce to the port to sell. The profits there are more than doubled!"
The woman in the blue shirt suddenly approached mysteriously.
“I have a relative who used to pick bok choy in her greenhouse. She only paid ten yuan a day, and the payment was settled after the job was done! Those bok choy could sell for more than one yuan a kilogram in the port area! Her greenhouse produced hundreds of thousands of kilograms of bok choy in one batch!”
"My God! That must have sold for hundreds of thousands!"
The woman in the straw hat gasped and shook her head repeatedly.
"No wonder others wear gold and silver and drive luxury cars, while we work from dawn till dusk and still can't afford the property management fees!"
"you do not say!"
The woman in the blue shirt was filled with emotion.
"They're smart, bold, and willing to invest! Unlike some people who idle away their time and hope for a windfall!"
"Hurry up, hurry up, we're going to be late!"
The two quickened their pace, their figures gradually disappearing into the distance.
Hu Lifang's heart pounded with anxiety.
My mind was filled with the phrases "hundreds of thousands of kilograms," "more than one yuan per kilogram," and "thousands of yuan a day."
She suddenly felt that there might be a turning point in this seemingly hopeless situation.
We must return to Liuchang Village!
She was a prospective daughter-in-law there and lived in Zhou Haiwei's main room.
If they could rekindle that relationship, perhaps they could unlock the Zhou family's wealth.
She wants to get back together with Zhou Haiwei!
If he agrees, she can move back in immediately.
Zhou Shufen said she didn't recognize him, but blood is thicker than water.
Blood ties are there for all to see; who can truly sever them?
As long as she stays in the Zhou family, she'll always have a chance to get close to Zhou Shufen, get involved in her business, and even...
Interfering in profit sharing.
Anything is acceptable as long as it can pry open Zhou Shufen's wallet and make Zhou Haiwei beg her in a humble and shameless manner!
In order to live a better life, she would even throw her conscience into a stinking ditch.
But when Hu Lifang touched her pocket, it was empty.
My wallet is long gone, my ID card is still in my rented room, my phone is off due to unpaid bills, and I don't even have enough money to take a taxi home.
She searched every corner of her body, and there was a pair of silver earrings hanging from her ears.
That was a gift from her previous man before he left, saying it was "to keep as a memento."
But what hope is there left now?
All she could think about was whether selling it would help her raise some travel expenses.
Hu Lifang stood at the street corner, looking around.
This place is becoming more and more like the city; the streetlights are bright and the roads are smooth.
If Zhou Shufen's supermarket were located here, she would definitely make more money!
Zhou Shufen had solemnly instructed Zhou Miaoling long ago that she should immediately call the police as soon as Hu Lifang showed up.
As soon as he finished speaking, the wind chimes at the supermarket entrance rang with a "ding".
Aunt Yu, a regular customer, walked in carrying a blue cloth bag with white flowers.
"Boss Zhou, Miaoling, are the tomatoes still juicy today? My grandson only likes the taste of yours, saying it's much sweeter than anywhere else, and every bite is bursting with juice!"
Zhou Miaoling immediately went to greet her.
"Aunt Yu, you're here! Just brought from the greenhouse, the mud hasn't even been washed off yet. Look at the color, so bright and fresh! It's definitely fresher than yesterday!"
As she spoke, she naturally took Aunt Yu's cloth bag and led her to the vegetable section.
"Try this. It's naturally ripe without any ripening agents."
Zhou Shufen stood behind the cashier and gently picked up her teacup.
She understands Zhou Haiwei so well.
In my past life, I was completely fooled by Hu Lifang's few words.
Now, if this woman goes back to him, he's sure to soften his heart again.
When the two of them come to visit together, she'll really have a hard time dealing with them.
She cannot allow the tragedy to repeat itself.
On the other side, Hu Lifang tightly clutched the silver earring in her hand, asking from shop to shop along the street.
Do you buy old jewelry? It's silver, and in good condition.
Finally, she stopped in front of a dilapidated stall on the street corner.
The stall owner was an old man wearing thick reading glasses.
He took the earrings and examined them over and over again.
"This silver is no good, it's not pure, it's mixed with copper. It's worth at most ten yuan, take it or leave it."
Hu Lifang was immediately enraged.
But her stomach was growling with hunger, and her pockets were emptier than her face; she didn't have a single penny.
"Ten yuan it is, just pay up! Stop arguing!"
As soon as she got the money, she turned and left.
"Two steamed buns, hot, please!"
The stall owner deftly lifted the steamer basket, and two steamed buns were stuffed into a paper bag.
She grabbed it and took a big bite right then and there.
After finishing her meal, she rushed to the station and peered out at the ticket window to inquire.
"How much is a ticket to Yang City, Hubei Province?"
"Twelve dollars and ninety-eight cents."
"That's what the staff member replied."
Hu Lifang looked down at the ten yuan in her hand and her heart skipped a beat.
Three more pieces are needed.
She stood in the waiting hall, her eyes fixed intently on the passing crowd.
Most of them are migrant workers carrying snakeskin bags and dragging suitcases.
Suddenly, her gaze stopped on the corner.
There was a small, thin girl, about thirteen or fourteen years old, squatting there.
Wearing a faded school uniform, head down, he was gnawing on a hard, dry steamed bun.
An old cloth bag lay at my feet, the zipper not fully closed, revealing a small corner of a floral fabric wallet.
Hu Lifang's heart skipped a beat, and in a flash, she had an idea.
She pretended to straighten her clothes and quietly moved closer to the girl.
A few roughnecks were chatting idly nearby, none of them paying any attention to this side.
"Young lady, where are you headed?"
Hu Lifang leaned closer, a smile plastered on her face.
Xu Xiaoyue shuddered and looked up to see her.
"Go to Yang City... to find my brother. He's in the army."
"Oh my goodness, that's really far!"
Hu Lifang squatted down, her hand unconsciously brushing against the edge of the cloth bag.
"Your parents are too worried. Why did they let you travel so far alone? There are many bad people on the road. Be careful and don't get scammed."
These words struck a nerve with Xu Xiaoyue, and her eyes welled up with tears. She nodded.
“I…I don’t have parents anymore. My brother said he’s waiting for me at the train station exit, and told me to stand still when I get there, and he’ll definitely come to find me.”
After saying that, she pursed her lips tightly.
Hu Lifang was overjoyed.
This girl is not only all alone, but also without parents; she's practically a lamb delivered to the door.
"Where's your ticket? Let me take a look. I'm from Yangshi, so I can check if you bought the wrong one. If you went to the wrong place, I can still change it before departure."
As he spoke, he patted his chest.
Actually, she was just wandering around the exit when she picked up a discarded ticket that nobody wanted.
The ticket was crumpled up and thrown into the trash can.
She bent down to pick it up, quietly unfolded it, and found that it read "Ningcheng-Yangshi" but the date had expired.
Upon hearing this, Xu Xiaoyue's hands trembled.
It was my first time traveling so far from home, and I was already feeling quite nervous.
Now that someone is offering to help her check tickets, she feels both grateful and scared.
From her hometown to Ningcheng, she took a long-distance bus for a whole day, repeatedly checking her ticket along the way.
She didn't understand the city's rules, and didn't even quite understand what "changing a ticket" meant; she only knew that she couldn't make a mistake.
"Sis, look, this ticket... I didn't buy the wrong one, did I?"
She hurriedly took out the train ticket from her cloth bag and handed it to Hu Lifang.
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