Tian Guangrong was terrified. His father's greatest asset was this courtyard house, and now that the only proof of ownership had been lost, what would become of him?
"Zhou Ling, come out here!"
He roared into the house.
Zhou Ling had just washed the old man's bed sheets and duvet covers that hadn't been washed for days, and cleaned the house again. She was so tired that she wanted to lie down for a while, but she was scolded and called out. She felt confused and a little scared.
This was the first time Tian Guangrong had ever been so angry with her.
She ran out trembling, and upon learning that the old man's most precious possession was missing, she hurriedly offered a frantic explanation:
"Although I went into the room, it was only to remove the sheets and duvet covers; I didn't touch anything else."
The old man didn't believe it and ordered Tian Guangrong to search her body, cursing and swearing that he had actually brought such a thing home.
Hearing his foul language, Tian Guangrong could only vent his anger on Zhou Ling, ordering her to take off her clothes to prove her innocence.
"Brother Rong, you have to believe me, how could I do such a thing?"
Oh, right, I remember now. A while ago, during nap time, I saw Meili come out of her dad's room. When she saw me, she panicked and hid her hands behind her back..."
Zhou Ling spoke in a panic, but the old man told her to shut up!
“Meili is my granddaughter-in-law. What’s wrong with her coming out of my house? You’re just trying to divert attention.”
Tian Guangrong then realized that Tian Jianfeng and his wife hadn't been home for many days.
Could what Zhou Ling said be true?
Since Tian Jianfeng couldn't find money, he probably set his sights on houses; this analysis is quite reasonable.
Thinking this, he reassured the old man that he would definitely call Tian Jianfeng and Du Meili over for a confrontation.
A phone call summoned the two of them over.
At first, the two were still arguing, but later Tian Guangrong said that he saw Meili acting suspiciously, and they finally relented.
“Grandpa, we didn’t sell the house. We just took out a mortgage loan on it. After a year, I’ll earn money, pay off the loan, and get the property certificate back,” Tian Jianfeng said nonchalantly.
The old man was furious. Such a big thing, and they didn't even consult with him before handling it on their own. They were like children selling their grandfather's land without a care in the world. His only asset was gone just like that!
He didn't eat dinner and just sat there without saying a word.
It took Tian Jianfeng and his wife a long time to coax the old man back to his room to lie down and sleep.
Tian Guangrong, however, had increasingly more complaints about them.
They're just one step away from completely breaking off relations.
Zhou Ling returned to her room and silently went about her work. Thinking about how she had endured such a life of forbearance and tried so hard to please them, yet she was still misunderstood and insulted, she felt extremely aggrieved and secretly shed tears.
Upon seeing this, Tian Guangrong felt a pang of heartache and took out two hundred yuan from his pocket, handing it to her and saying:
"You've been wronged today. Take this money and buy yourself some clothes."
Zhou Ling took the money, wiped away her tears, prepared water for him to wash his feet, and served him the task of washing his feet.
"Brother Rong, since the old man is worried that I'll take his things, I won't go to his place anymore. I have some free time during the day and I'd like to find something to do on my own," she said, seizing the opportunity.
Recently, Tian Guangrong has been working like crazy on his investments, never home. Du Meili, who used to take care of the old man, has now handed over the work to Zhou Ling and is out having fun every day.
Zhou Ling isn't stupid; why should she serve the old man?
They won't get any credit at all!
Tian Guangrong thought about it and felt that if she went out to work, she would definitely become unruly, so he did not agree.
Fortunately, the next day, the old man simply stopped letting her serve him, which relieved her.
She took two hundred yuan and decided to go out and treat herself.
Walking down the street, I was drawn in by all sorts of snacks.
Unfortunately, she wasn't a local and wasn't interested in many of the local delicacies.
After walking for a long time, I finally saw a food stall selling qingtuan (a type of glutinous rice dumpling) and happily inquired about buying some.
After chatting with the proprietress, I learned that she was from the same hometown. She had come here with her husband, who was serving in the military, several years ago and settled down here.
Just as she paid and sat down to eat, one of the helpers at the snack shop resigned from his job because of family matters.
The landlady, Yu Juan, reluctantly paid her wages.
Zhou Ling was filled with envy when she saw that the man receive more than two hundred yuan in wages.
Earning your own money is much more reliable than taking money from a man.
When the child was young, she dared not take any risks and obediently waited for Tian Guangrong to bring her living expenses.
But when he gave Tian Jianfeng and his group more than five million yuan, she was deeply shocked.
The contrast was too stark. She could see with her own eyes that Du Meili was dressed in gold and silver and had become a rich woman. She was really unwilling to accept it.
For the first time, she had the idea of breaking away from Tian Guangrong and earning money on her own.
Seeing that Yu Juan looked troubled, Zhou Ling offered to help.
Yu Juan was very happy: "My little shop only has four or five kinds of snacks. I will be in charge of making them, and you will be in charge of cleaning and providing good service."
She has a special secret recipe for the production process, which she doesn't easily pass on to others.
To put it bluntly, Zhou Ling is here to work as a waitress. She works ten hours a day for a salary of 240 yuan, and gets four days off a month. If she doesn't get a day off, she gets an extra 60 yuan.
She only earns 500 yuan a month serving people at home, so she'd be happy to earn a few hundred more yuan on her own.
Things are very different now than they were ten years ago. Back then, you could get married with just a house, a watch, a radio, and a bicycle. Now, to get married, you not only need a house, but also all the necessary appliances. She really didn't dare to hope that Tian Guangrong would buy a house for his son.
Even the cheapest apartments cost four or five hundred yuan per square meter, and a small apartment would cost twenty or thirty thousand yuan.
She has been by Tian Guangrong's side for twenty years, receiving money from him every month. Most of it was spent on her son, and a small portion was saved. To date, she has saved more than 10,000 yuan.
She only needs to work for a few more years to be able to buy a house for her son.
And so, Zhou Ling began her career as a waitress.
...
After Wenwan Group decided to acquire and restructure the old garment factory, Huo Xiao actively organized his team to advance the work.
The garment factory had been losing money all along, and its assets consisted mainly of old equipment, with only the factory buildings being valuable. Therefore, the group spent ten million to acquire the factory.
After the acquisition, the factory was renamed Wenya Apparel and focused on menswear.
All managers at the middle and upper levels in the factory were replaced with managers from Wenwan Group. They were given a one-time compensation and would not be rehired.
As for ordinary employees, they will be given sufficient compensation if they want to leave, while those who stay will have their original housing provident fund converted into shares, which will not be distributed for the time being.
Those who had no hope for the factory chose to leave with high compensation, while those who had an emotional attachment to the factory were willing to live and die with the factory manager, even if they couldn't get money immediately.
Not only were there significant personnel changes, but all the equipment was also replaced with automated and semi-automated equipment, which greatly improved garment production efficiency and reduced the workload of employees.
The employees' wages have also been adjusted, increasing from 560 yuan per month to 820 yuan.
Those who left are kicking themselves. If they had known there would be a raise, they would never have left!
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