Chapter 108 Zhao Shangxun is Gone
That evening, after hearing Molly's words, Ji Hefeng's face darkened. "That was originally something I planned to do with you."
Someone beat us to it.
Molly was shocked. "What do you mean? You want to open a factory and do business with me?"
"Yes, open a factory, get involved in manufacturing, get involved in heavy industry." Ji Hefeng paused. "Doing business offers more freedom, and I'll have more time to spend with you. I originally planned to take you to the port city, to overseas, after I retired..."
Molly was surprised that Ji Hefeng was planning to go into business.
“But that won’t work now.” Ji Hefeng sighed. The Ji family needs someone in a high position so that they won’t be at the mercy of others.
Molly: "You don't want to? You don't like your current job?"
"No." He was in a position to fulfill his responsibilities, regardless of whether he liked it or not; he was used to taking on this responsibility.
“That’s good. Then you can work for another thirty years, and when you retire, we’ll go into business.” Molly said this in a serious tone, not like she was joking.
Ji Hefeng was stunned. Why did he have to go into business at that age? Couldn't he just travel around with her?
Ji Hefeng thought this, and then asked it out loud, her tone aggrieved.
“I’m afraid you’ll be too bored.” Molly looked directly into Ji Hefeng’s eyes. “You might still look the same thirty years from now.”
Ji Hefeng: "...Are you serious?"
Molly fell into thought. "I'm not sure either, but that's my gut feeling. See if you've changed in a few years."
Ji Hefeng fell silent. He carefully observed Molly. Two or three years had passed, but she seemed to have remained unchanged since she was eighteen. He then looked down at his own hands, long and slender, like white jade, as if they had been pampered and carefully nurtured.
If the appearance doesn't change, that's also a problem.
"Then our child—"
Ji Hefeng felt a sense of panic. If they were still young, but their children were growing old, could he and Molly bear it?
Molly slowly shook her head, her expression a mixture of disappointment and relief. "They're just ordinary people; they can't become like us."
She tried, but it didn't work.
"I can only help them evolve their physique to the extreme of ordinary people, but I can't do anything else."
That makes sense. If everyone in this world could so easily become a source of pollution and evolve, then this world wouldn't be far from mutation.
Ji Hefeng pulled her into his arms. "Let's leave it at that then."
Let children live their lives like normal people.
Over the next period of time, Molly and Guo Lin discussed the renovation of the shop and talked with Master Zhang about the types of pastries to be sold in the shop. On Master Zhang's recommendation, Molly hired another pastry chef, a young woman, Master Zhang's niece.
"Sister, aren't you worried that when your business is doing well, Master Zhang and his niece will be poached by someone else, or that they will start their own business?" Mo An asked.
Molly gave Mo Ann an approving look, "You've hit the nail on the head."
“When we have a holiday, Xiao Lu and I will go to the store to help out,” Mo An said with a sly smile. “Let’s see if we can learn a thing or two from her.”
Molly smiled and tapped his forehead. "Alright, then you two should try your best. It's always good to have more skills; it's beneficial to learn more."
"Mom, I want to go too." Mo Chuyang was also interested in making cakes and bread.
Molly agreed, "Sure, you all go help out. Your dad said he'll have someone bring back a set of baking equipment from Hong Kong. Once you've figured out how to use it, I'll provide the ingredients, so you can experiment as you like."
The three children were overjoyed to hear this.
However, before the cake shop could open, Molly received a call from Mo He, who said that Zhao Shangxun was dead. The mountain had collapsed, and everyone in the field had run away. Zhao Shangxun couldn't run fast enough and was killed by falling rocks.
Mo He and Zhao Shangxun's daughter is not yet two years old, and now Mo He is pregnant again, already six months along.
There were old people, young children, and a pregnant woman.
After arranging Zhao Shangxun's funeral, the family was destitute. Mo He was also desperate, which is why she contacted Mo Li.
After listening to Mo He's words, Molly remained silent for a minute before quickly calming down and saying, "Does my sister want me to send you some money, or does she want to come to Beijing to work? If she comes to Beijing, I'll find her a job."
Mo He bit her lip on the other end of the phone, "But I'm pregnant, and your little niece is at home, I—"
Of course she wanted to go out to work. She was the only woman at home, and no matter how capable she was, she couldn't support two young children and an elderly person.
“Let the whole family come to Beijing.” Of course, Molly hadn’t considered letting Mo He come alone. “I’ll provide you with a place to stay. Your mother-in-law can stay home to take care of the children, and you can work to support the family.”
Mohe received a better answer than she had expected, and tears streamed down her face. "Molly, thank you."
Molly didn't say "you're welcome," but said, "Sister, pack your things. I'll go back and pick you up. We should be able to get to Xiaonan Village in two or three days."
Molly hung up on Mo He and then called He Pan to borrow a small truck. He Pan didn't even ask what she needed the truck for and immediately agreed.
Molly hung up the phone, rode her bicycle to He Pan's place, and drove the truck back. It was an enclosed truck, with a row of seats that had been converted behind the driver and passenger seats into a larger foam sofa.
That's quite suitable; Mo He, being pregnant, needs it.
When Mo An learned that Molly was going back to Xiaonan Village, he immediately said that he wanted to go back too.
Molly disagreed. "If you're not going back, go find a place for your older sister. Go see if there are any houses for rent near the cake shop. Once you see one, come back and tell your brother-in-law to rent it. If there aren't any for rent, selling is fine too. Have your brother-in-law buy one."
Mo An asked, puzzled, "Doesn't my eldest sister live with us?"
There are so many empty yards at home, and no one lives there anyway.
"Can't you let my older sister stay here and pay the rent?"
“No.” Molly’s expression turned serious. “Xiao An, it’s not that I don’t allow it, but it’s not pleasant to live under someone else’s roof. It makes you feel inferior. It’s not just my eldest sister coming, but her whole family. If they stay here, they’ll feel uncomfortable. It’s better for them to stay outside. The house may be small, but it’s free and they won’t feel restricted.”
Mo An seemed to understand but not quite, "Then I'll find a better house for my older sister."
"Ideally, it would be near the cake shop. I plan to arrange for my older sister to work there." Living closer to the shop would make it easier for her to go back to her workplace to breastfeed her child.
Mo An: "Okay."
Molly was still a little worried, so she told him, "If you can't make up your mind, ask your brother-in-law."
Mo An nodded repeatedly.
When Ji Hefeng returned in the evening, Molly told him about Zhao Shangxun's death and how she had arranged for her eldest sister's family to come to Beijing.
“Eldest sister has taken care of you and Xiao An for many years. Now that she is in trouble, we naturally want to lend a hand. It’s good that she’s coming to Beijing. We can live closer to each other and visit more often.” Ji Hefeng felt that since Molly could raise two unrelated children, Lu Lu and Mo Chuyang, there was no reason why she couldn’t raise her eldest sister, Mo He.
Anyway, they can afford to support them.
“I’m planning to have her help me look after the cake shop. Could you help me rent a place near the cake shop these next few days, or even buy it? It doesn’t matter if the house is a bit run-down, we can repair it if we buy it.” Molly said, handing the remaining few thousand dollars in cash from her bag to Ji Hefeng. “If it’s not enough, you can withdraw the rest yourself. I’ll bring you the passbook in a bit.”
Ji Hefeng nodded. "If we buy a house, whose name should it be registered under?"
“Let’s write about the eldest sister,” Molly sighed. “Without the eldest sister, Xiao An and I wouldn’t have survived at all.”
The original owner was weak, disabled, and mentally challenged. Her grandmother always wanted to drown her. If Mo He hadn't taken her younger sister with her everywhere, the original owner would have died long ago. Later, it was Mo He's hard work in earning work points that allowed the original owner to survive.
One house cannot repay the original owner's kindness to Mo He.
Ji Hefeng had no objection. "Okay, write about the eldest sister."
Molly got up before dawn the next day. She originally planned to grab some dry food and head out, but the lights in the kitchen and dining room were on, and a delicious aroma was wafting out.
"You're awake, come and have breakfast." Ji Hefeng waved to Molly.
On the table were egg pancakes, soy milk and fried dough sticks, and a bowl of seafood porridge.
"Did you make all of this?" Molly looked at the food; it certainly didn't look as appealing as what a regular chef would make.
Ji Hefeng didn't deny it. "Eat quickly. I'll go get you some food."
Ji Hefeng took a bag and first put all the edible things in the kitchen into it. Then he ransacked the kitchen cabinets, stuffing in cookies and candies, and even taking the fruit.
Just then, Mo An came over carrying a bag, a large woven bag.
"What's inside?" Molly asked.
"All kinds of candies and cookies, sister, take them back and share them with Xiaoyong and the others." This is what Mo An bought herself at the department store after school yesterday.
Molly raised an eyebrow. "Besides candy and cookies, is there anything else you want to say to them?"
Mo An scratched his head and laughed, "There's not much to say."
Molly got into the truck, while Ji Hefeng stood outside with a worried look on his face. "How about we switch to the family's SUV? You're not very familiar with this car, and I'm not comfortable with it."
"I drove a lot during the month or so I spent learning car repair," Molly said. Since it was car repair, she definitely needed to be familiar with various car models. Of course, He Pan didn't have that many different types of cars.
“You didn’t tell me about this,” Ji Hefeng said, expressing his doubt.
Molly said expressionlessly, "You weren't home for that month."
Before Ji Hefeng could say anything more, Molly had already started the car and driven off.
"Xiao An, was your sister getting impatient just now?" Ji Hefeng asked sadly. Did Molly not love him anymore? Otherwise, why would she find him annoying?
"No. Brother-in-law, you're overthinking it." Mo An yawned. "Brother-in-law, since we're already up, how about we go to the yard and spar a bit?"
Ji Hefeng agreed, "Go and wake your two nephews up too. I want to check their skills in a bit. You two haven't been slacking off lately, have you?"
"No, we get up early every day to train, without missing a single day."
"Then let me inspect the results of your training." Ji Hefeng said with a sneer.
Mo An suddenly felt a chill run down his spine and shivered, but he still managed to say, "Brother-in-law, let's go to our courtyard. I'll go and urge Xiao Lu and Chu Yang to hurry up."
At this moment, Mo An had no idea that he was about to suffer his brother-in-law's inhumane torment and abuse.
After school in the evening, Mo An dragged his aching body and wandered around the cake shop for two hours, but found neither a house for sale nor a house for rent.
That evening, he returned and told Ji Hefeng about it.
"Don't worry about it, I'll take care of it tomorrow," Ji Hefeng said confidently.
Mo An: "Brother-in-law, do you have a solution?"
Ji Hefeng smiled meaningfully, "It cannot be said."
Ji Hefeng didn't say anything, but Mo An was even more curious.
Another day passed, and when Mo An came home from school, Ji Hefeng tossed him something. Mo An had never seen this before, but he could read. When he saw what was written on it, he was stunned. It was a house with his older sister's name on it! And looking at the address, the house was near the cake shop, only 500 meters away.
"Brother-in-law, how did you do that?" Mo An asked, puzzled. He had walked around the area several times yesterday but hadn't seen any houses for sale.
"I first went to the neighborhood office to understand the situation of the residents in the neighborhood. I picked the family with the most members and went directly to their door. That family had more than 20 people crammed into three rooms, and there were constant conflicts. They had wanted to live separately for a long time, but they didn't have enough money to buy a house. I solved this problem for them. I gave them the money, and they pooled their own money to separate and buy a house elsewhere," Ji Hefeng said.
Mo An: "Then you must have spent a lot of money, brother-in-law."
Ji Hefeng shook his head. "Not much. I'm optimistic about that area; property prices will only go higher in the future."
Six thousand dollars isn't much to him. If it can solve Molly's troubles, he wouldn't think six thousand, or even sixty thousand, is too much.
Xiaonan Village hasn't changed much; the roads are still full of potholes, and dust flies everywhere when the wind blows.
It's late autumn now, a time when the winds are strong.
Molly closed the car windows to keep the dust out, and drove all the way to her older sister's house.
A car arrived in the village, and people who heard the commotion gathered around to see what was going on.
"Mohe, a car has arrived outside your house. Come out and see what's going on!" Aunt Guihua called out from outside Mohe's house.
Mo He didn't go out, but Molly opened the car door first and said with a smile, "Aunt Guihua, it's me, Molly."
"Ouch--"
Aunt Guihua exclaimed in surprise, her expression exaggerated, "This is Molly! You can actually drive!"
Molly smiled, took out the candy and cookies she had brought back, and handed them to Aunt Guihua, saying, "Please help me share them with everyone."
A bag full of cookies and candy. Aunt Guihua smiled, her face crinkling with wrinkles. "Molly is still so generous. I heard from Mohe that you went to Beijing. Are you doing well?"
Molly smiled modestly, "I can eat my fill."
“Molly, years have passed, how come you haven’t changed at all?” another aunt asked.
Molly looked at the aunt and said, "I'm only twenty-one years old, so it's normal that I haven't changed much."
Everyone nodded, agreeing that it made sense. Then someone asked, "Molly, have you had children yet?"
Molly: "She gave birth."
"sister in law!"
Zhao Xiaoyong arrived with a group of companions, all of whom were familiar faces. He had often played with Mo An back then.
Molly nodded to Zhao Xiaoyong, took out a woven bag containing candy that Mo An had bought, and said, "This is a gift from Mo An to you."
Zhao Xiaoyong took the woven bag, revealing a set of bright white teeth, "Sister-in-law, how is Mo An doing these days?"
Molly: "I'm in junior high now. After that, I'll go to high school and then take the college entrance exam."
A moment of confusion flashed across Zhao Xiaoyong and his group's faces, then they laughed and said that studying was good, because they could get a government job in the future.
“Then let your children go to school too. When you go to Beijing, let Mo An host you,” Molly said.
Zhao Xiaoyong and the others looked at each other, wondering if they should send their child to school so far away.
"But I've heard that it's hard to get into university." Zhao Xiaoyong was troubled. Did children born into peasant families have the talent for studying?
"It's a little difficult now, but it won't be so difficult later," Molly said. There are fewer universities now, but there will be more and more higher education institutions in the future, and it won't be so difficult to get into university.
Zhao Xiaoyong readily agreed, "Okay, I'll urge my child to study hard and get into a university in Beijing. But he's not even born yet."
As Zhao Xiaoyong spoke, he laughed sheepishly.
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