"He's alright, I guess. He just happened to be in a good period and made a little money, which allowed him to buy us an apartment and a shop to pass the time."
"Oh, my brother isn't home!" Xu Minghan seized the opportunity and called him "brother."
"I'm doing business in another city! My wife and kids are there. It's good this way, I can have some peace and quiet, and I don't have to take care of their kids."
By the way, after talking for so long, I still don't know your name, and how old you are.
"My name is Xu Minghan, and I am twenty-six years old."
"Oh, what a coincidence! I also have the surname Xu, Xu Huafeng. You and I are really destined to meet."
Just call me Aunt Xu. You don't need to pay for phone calls when you come to my shop from now on.
"That won't do. Even brothers should keep clear accounts! That won't do. Otherwise, I won't come here to fight."
Xu Minghan had no intention of taking advantage of this; he needed to be careful with money.
"Hey, it's time. I'll call my sister first."
"Okay, Auntie just needs to use the restroom. Could you watch the shop for me for now? If anyone comes in, sell it for me. The prices are all listed."
Xu Huafeng suddenly felt unwell in her stomach, so she thought she should go home first to use the restroom.
"Okay, Auntie, you go ahead, I'll keep an eye on things for you."
After Xu Minghan finished speaking, he lowered his head and called his sister again. This time, the call was answered quickly.
"Third Brother?" A young female voice came from the microphone.
Xu Minghan grinned. "Xiao Wan, it's me. Is it convenient for you to talk now?"
Xu Mingwan turned to look at the old man chatting with people outside, and replied softly, "Third Brother, you go ahead! It's alright."
Xu Minghan got straight to the point and quickly explained his meaning to Xu Mingwan.
"Third Brother, I can come. Forget about the salary; we're all family." Xu Mingwan didn't really want to work in this factory anyway; there was too much work every day, and the pay wasn't high.
"How could we let you down? You come first. And don't tell anyone you're coming to Tianshui City, you know that."
Xu Minghan didn't say it explicitly, but the fewer people who know where his wife is now, the better. Things will be better after the baby is born.
"Yes, I know. Let's just say, phone calls are expensive! I'll talk to the boss now, and I should be able to get here in a few days."
"Okay, give me a call before you leave. Write down the number, and I'll pick you up at the station."
Xu Minghan knew that some things were better left unsaid over the phone, so he decided to wait until he arrived.
After hanging up the phone, Xu Minghan waited a little while longer before Aunt Xu returned.
"Here, Auntie, this is my phone bill. Here, I'm going home now!"
"Okay, come over and visit sometime!"
Xu Minghan waved as he walked, saying, "People these days are so enthusiastic."
As soon as she got home, Zhang Xuemei asked impatiently, "Have you talked to Xiaowan? Is she willing to come?"
"If she has any objections, she told the boss today, and she'll probably be here in a couple of days."
She even said she didn't need a salary!
"That won't do. We can't let her work for free. We have to pay her." Zhang Xuemei was not the type to exploit her sister-in-law.
"Of course I'll give it to her. I won't say it over the phone, I'll tell her when I get there. By the way, the shop owner I just called is also surnamed Xu. She's so friendly, and she even invited me to come over sometime. She bought that shop for 20,000 yuan, isn't that cheap?"
"You didn't tell me I'm pregnant, did you?" Zhang Xuemei was worried that her husband might let it slip if he talked too much. You can only know a person's face, not their heart. Who knows if he might report them?
"Of course not, they haven't mentioned it at all." Xu Minghan isn't stupid; why would he go around telling everyone?
"However, Xuemei, I've thought about it, and it's not right for you to stay at home all the time; it's too deliberate."
Actually, you can just walk around in front of the house and tell others that you've been walking too much and your stomach hurts.
If anyone asks, just say this is your first child, and whatever you do, don't mention Panpan.
"I know, I know, you've said it several times already." Generally, in unfamiliar places, unless you encounter a really bad person, no one will report you.
...
Xu Mingwan hung up the phone, paid the phone bill, stood there for a moment and then went directly to the boss's office to resign.
"Xiao Wan, Xiao Wan, I heard you quit? Why? We were doing so well, what will I do if you leave?"
As soon as Xu Xiaoxi got off work, she heard from the aunt next to her that Xu Mingwan was planning to quit and had already spoken to the boss.
"Yes, I've already talked to the landlady and I don't want to work here anymore." Xu Mingwan didn't mention going to her third brother's place, since her third sister-in-law's situation was rather special.
"Why so suddenly? Are you going home? Where do you want to go next? I..." Xu Xiaoxi wanted to suggest that they go together, but she was reluctant to part with the young boss she had only recently met.
If I could marry him, I'd be a boss's wife, no less.
Then she looked at Xu Mingwan, and seeing her bright and beautiful face, she felt both jealous and upset. If she had Xu Mingwan's looks, the young boss would have been hers long ago.
Xu Mingwan paused in packing her clothes. "It's alright. You've been doing quite well here. I saw that the boss's son invited you out the other day. Keep up the good work and try to get some wedding candy from your wedding by the end of the year."
"Oh dear, what are you saying! We're just ordinary friends, it's not what you think." Xu Xiaoxi pretended to be shy and lowered her head.
Actually, Qian Lida didn't come to see me that day at all. He just wanted to get to know Xu Mingwan through me, which made me spend so much time dressing up for nothing.
Thinking about it, we all started working at the factory on the same day, so why did Xu Mingwan get such a good opportunity? If she marries Qian Lida, wouldn't she be putting pressure on me?
So when Qian Lida asked Xu Mingwan about her situation, she blurted out, "She has a very good boyfriend, and they're probably getting married by the end of the year."
She successfully stopped Qian Lida from trying to find Xu Mingwan. She had been trying to find him whenever she had free time these past few days, hoping to develop a relationship with him, but unfortunately, he wasn't very interested in her.
But she won't give up.
It's good that Xu Mingwan is leaving now, so that the truth won't be exposed later.
"Have you received your salary for this month?"
Xu Mingwan shook her head, "Not yet! The boss told me to pick it up from her office tomorrow."
These are all small family-run factories, and the owner's wife usually works part-time as the factory's accountant; all the money is handled by her.
Fortunately, the landlady was easy to talk to. After asking a few questions, she agreed to settle her wages the next day without mentioning any deductions. That was great.
"Should I take you tomorrow? I don't know if the boss will let me take the day off!" Xu Xiaoxi asked suddenly as she watched Xu Mingwan packing her clothes.
"No need, taking leave will result in a deduction in pay! Forget it, it's not like I don't know I should go home." Xu Mingwan sometimes felt that Xu Xiaoxi was quite fake and didn't really want to talk to her.
But sometimes I think about it, they're from the same village, they grew up together, maybe I'm just overthinking it.
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