Chapter 24

Although it was broad daylight, anyone would feel terrified seeing such a scene.

The large white cloth was hanging from the beam, with a knot tied at the bottom. It swayed in the air with a whirring sound when the wind blew. There was also a shabby stool opposite it.

The wall facing the door was smeared with messy red bloodstains, palm prints, finger prints, and other messy marks, making the white wall look weird and frightening. It was like a scene from a horror movie.

Qin Xiang glanced at Qiao Huilan who was screaming beside her and couldn't help laughing, "Auntie, where did the ghost come from in broad daylight? As the saying goes, if you don't do bad things, you don't have to be afraid of ghosts knocking on your door in the middle of the night. It's just a piece of white cloth. We didn't do bad things, so why should we be afraid of it?"

Although she said so, she didn't step forward, and even held Qin Yang who was about to clean up. These are all evidences. If they are destroyed, how can we catch the murderer. If it's just to scare her, it's fine. What others did in the past has nothing to do with her, but now she has paid the money, this is her place to stay and her territory. There is no doubt that she will obey others even if she is bullied to the head.

She, Qin Xiang, is not so easy to provoke.

Qiao Huilan didn't see the expected scream. Seeing that she was a little bit unbelievable, she stared at Qin Xiang and asked, "It's haunted here, aren't you afraid?"

"No." Qin Xiang glanced at Qin Yang, "Third brother, are you afraid of ghosts?"

Qin Yang glanced at Qiao Huilan, snorted, and his eyes flashed fiercely, "Do you think I'm afraid of ghosts or ghosts are afraid of me?"

Qiao Huilan's heart skipped a beat when she met Qin Yang's eyes. She suddenly felt that the brother and sister didn't seem to be as easy to scare as she imagined. But her voice was loud enough. Even though this courtyard was at the westernmost end of this alley, there were several tube buildings across the street to the west. There were many people living in them. When they heard the noise, they ran over to see the excitement.

But everyone was a little worried. They blocked the door and didn’t dare to go in. They looked at the yard with curiosity and fear. “Is it haunted again?”

Qin Xiang knew from hearing this that people nearby believed the ghost rumors. No wonder the house in such a good location has never been rented out.

Qin Xiang was speechless. Qiao Huilan swallowed her saliva, took two steps back tremblingly and said with fear in her eyes, “If it wasn’t a ghost, why did the hanging white cloth appear for no reason? Could it be that the white cloth was hung by itself? I tell you, when I got up in the middle of the night to go to the toilet, I heard something like a woman crying. Really, I heard it so clearly, and I was almost scared to death.”

When she spoke, the expression on her face was quite vivid, and it was hard to tell . It made people doubt the authenticity of this matter. When a few people came in, they saw the white cloth in the main hall from a distance and screamed in surprise, "This, this is really haunted."

Qin Xiang next to them was a stranger. An old lady hurriedly asked, "This girl doesn't look familiar. What is she doing here?"

Qin Xiang smiled and said, "Auntie, I just rented this yard yesterday. Now this is my home. Did you know that this yard is haunted before?"

"Yes, it's been a long time. Your aunt Qiao has heard it several times. It must be true." The aunt said with some disapproval, "Why don't you ask around before renting a house, little girl? If nothing goes wrong, how can this yard be so easy to rent?"

The other aunts and sisters-in-law also shook their heads, looking at Qin Xiang as if she was being taken advantage of.

The families who can live in the county all have workers, but there are only a few factories in the county, and the family yard is not big enough. Some people have more than ten people living in such a small house. When Mrs. Liu moved out, some people wanted to rent the yard at a low price, and even several families shared the rent, but later because the rent was not negotiated, Mrs. Liu rented it to several families one after another, but they all moved out because of ghosts. Now it has been almost half a year since the last tenant moved out, and the house has not been rented out again. No matter how much people need a house to live in, they dare not live in such a house. Now they look at Qin Xiang as if she is a fool, foolish and bold.

Qin Xiang laughed, looked up and saw that Old Lady Liu came in hurriedly.

Old Lady Liu took a look at the situation in the house, and suddenly she was a little worried. This yard has just been rented out, how could such a thing happen. If it was ten years ago when the Four Olds were destroyed, no one would be afraid of this, but now that ten years have passed, some old rules and traditions have been picked up, and everyone is very cautious about such things.

"Little girl, if you regret it, I can return the money to you." Even though Old Lady Liu was reluctant to part with the eighteen yuan, she didn't want to be a bad person. If something happened to the little girl in this yard, she would be guilty of a great sin.

She looked at this yard, where she and her old man had lived all their lives. Now that the old man was gone, her son needed her to help take care of the children, otherwise she would really be reluctant to leave. She couldn't figure it out. When she lived here before, nothing happened. Why did so many things happen after she moved out?

Old lady Liu looked depressed and suddenly wanted to go forward to clean up those things. Qin Xiang hurriedly stopped her, "Auntie, don't rush to touch this. I still have to rent this yard. Please listen to me."

"What else are you talking about." Old lady Liu sighed, "Nothing has happened during this period of time. I thought it was fine, but I didn't expect these things to appear again. Little girl, I will return the money to you, and you can live somewhere else."

Qin Xiang heard the crux of the problem, "Has this happened before? Is it like this?"

"Yes, when someone lived here before, it was almost half a year ago." Qiao Huilan hurried to help add.

Old lady Liu pointed to the place in the house that was painted with white putty and said, "That's where the bloodstains were before."

Qin Xiang nodded and said to Old lady Liu, "Auntie, this house is rented to me now, can you let me deal with it?"

"What do you mean?" Old lady Liu was a little puzzled. She was still worried yesterday, but she didn't expect that the little girl was not afraid of these things. She remembered what the old man said before, there are so many brave and capable people in this world, could it be that she has met one of them? And what the little girl said yesterday seemed to have a specific meaning. She glanced at Qiao Huilan and finally calmed down. She calmed down and said, "Okay, I'll listen to you."

Qiao Huilan's eyelids jumped next to her, and she looked at Qin Xiang's smiling face and felt that things were not as she thought.

Qin Xiang said to Qin Yang, "Third brother, watch the scene and don't let anyone destroy it. I'm going to the police station to report the case now."

"Report the case?"

Old lady Liu and Qiao Huilan shouted at the same time.

Old lady Liu had never thought of this way, and felt that it was useless to ask the police for such a thing.

Qiao Huilan was really scared and her face turned pale.

Since the crackdown began in the past two years, everyone has been a little afraid of the police.

Qin Xiang looked at her, "Auntie, what's wrong, is it not possible?"

Qiao Huilan smiled awkwardly, "Reporting this kind of thing to the police, the police are so busy, how can they care, isn't it a waste of talent?"

"You are wrong. The public security comrades serve the people, and when it comes to the masses, there is no small matter." Qin Xiang pointed to the yard and said, "Besides, this involves the housing and property issues of the common people, and it also involves the issue of feudal superstition that destroys social ideology. It is not a small matter. If the public security comrades don't care, then I will go to the city to visit. It's impossible for my lock to be smashed by someone and no one will care. I don't believe that ghosts will smash locks. Today they smashed the door lock, and tomorrow they will break into the house and rob. My personal safety is not guaranteed, and I can't live in peace."

After saying that, Qin Xiang didn't care whether Qiao Huilan's face turned pale or not, and walked out directly in the eyes of everyone.

Fortunately, her third brother was here, otherwise she was really afraid that she couldn't calm these people. When her third brother stood there, no one dared to step forward.

Several women watched Qin Xiang really go to the Public Security Bureau and couldn't help but click their tongues. Although they didn't agree, they didn't dare to say anything, mainly because they were not familiar with the police, and some people also wanted to see what the public security comrades would say.

Qin Xiang quickly went out and went straight to the county public security bureau. When he got there, he found the police on duty and told them about the matter. The police also took it seriously. Ghosts are not scary because they are fake after all, but the door lock was smashed, which means someone broke into the house. Now they are cracking down everywhere. "This is not a small matter. Wait a minute, I'll go in and call someone to take a look together."

Qin Xiang thanked, "Thank you, public security comrades. Because of you, we ordinary people can live a stable life." He

was flattered before he did anything. The public security comrade smiled and said, "This is what we should do. We are serving the people." The police

on duty The policeman went in to call for help. After a while, two policemen in their forties came out and looked at Qin Xiang and said, "Is there a ghost in the house? There are no ghosts in this world."

Qin Xiang nodded, "I don't believe it either. I suspect someone is playing tricks, so I want to ask the police comrades to help find out. I can break the lock of the house even when the door is locked. What if someone goes in directly to steal money or kill people one day? My safety cannot be guaranteed. I am very scared. But when the two policemen came here, I knew that the matter could be investigated clearly, and I felt relieved."

The policeman on duty couldn't help laughing.

The two police officers also looked at her meaningfully and nodded, "Breaking the door lock is indeed not a small matter. Let's go and take a look."

The police station really had nothing to do during the New Year, so the two police officers pushed their bicycles and began to ask about the whole story. Qin Xiang started talking from yesterday, telling her everything in detail. The tall police officer nodded in agreement, "It's right not to destroy the scene. As long as you think it's right, you will always leave clues."

However, after working as a police officer for so many years, the police officer had a rough judgment in his heart after hearing these. The house was empty. Putting aside the idea of ​​burglary, the only thing left was the house itself. But they hadn't investigated it carefully yet, so they couldn't say anything. They could only talk about it when they got there.

The three of them arrived at the courtyard and found that there were many people gathered at the gate to watch the excitement. Aunt Hu came over hurriedly from not far away and said, "Child, why didn't you tell your aunt about this? I told you yesterday that this courtyard could not be rented, but you didn't listen. Now something really happened."

The county town is so small, and there are many relatives and friends. Even without mobile phones, a little excitement can spread quickly.

Qin Xiang looked at the other party's anxious expression and said with a smile, "Auntie, it's okay. Aren't the police comrades here to help investigate? With the police comrades helping investigate, all the demons and monsters will have to show their true colors."

Auntie Hu saw the two police officers at this moment, but she didn't feel relieved. "If it really is a ghost, the police comrades won't be able to find it. At most, they can scare the ghost with their masculine energy."

These words made the two police officers look unhappy. , the tall policeman said, "There are no ghosts in this world. If someone is playing tricks, we will definitely investigate it. What we want to investigate now is the matter of breaking into people's houses by breaking into doors."

After that, he entered the yard first, "Make way, make way." After

several people went in, Qiao Huilan turned her head and saw the two policemen. Her legs and feet were immediately weak. This little girl was really amazing. She actually called the police. She didn't want to let it go. Would they find out what they did?

Because they had done this before, and no one reported it to the police, so this time, even if they were afraid that Qin Yang was not a good person, they really didn't care when they did it. After all, there was no evidence. Even if they wanted to frame them, they just didn't admit it.

Qin Xiang only took a glance to know what the other person was thinking. Or is it that people's legal awareness is weak these days? If someone had reported it to the police before, the matter wouldn't have been dragged on until now.

But it's different now that the police are here. It's impossible for people who specialize in this job to not have some real skills. If they find out something, it's all over.

Qiao Huilan's face turned pale and she said embarrassedly, "Little girl, why did you really call the police? It's not a big deal."

Qin Xiang looked at her in confusion, "The house I live in has been ruined like this, shouldn't I call the police? You think this is not a big deal because this house is not yours and you don't live in it. But to me it is a big deal. I spent money to rent a house, but it has become like this, and the lock was smashed. Would a ghost smash a lock? Even if it was a ghost, they have to catch it and compensate me."

The two police officers looked around and drove everyone in the yard out, then went into the house to check carefully, first taking down the broken lock, and then taking out the tool bag to take down the white cloth on the beam. Another short policeman went to the yard, walked around the yard, and finally looked carefully at the east wall.

Qiao Huilan stood at the gate and watched the policeman's actions. She was so scared that she almost sat on the ground.

The short policeman asked, "Whose house is that in the east?"

This question was asked to Qin Xiang.

Qin Xiang pointed at Qiao Huilan, "Next to it is the house of this Aunt Qiao."

She pointed, the policeman nodded, and went over to ask her, "Is that your house next to it? Did someone climb over the wall that night?"

It snowed a few days ago, and because no one lived in the yard, there was a lot of snow that had not been cleared. The snow on the east wall was gone, but the snow at the base of the wall on this side was also a mess, obviously stepped on.

Everyone looked at Qiao Huilan, and suddenly they had a guess in their mind.

Qin Xiang had reminded Mrs. Liu yesterday, so what was unclear now? Mrs. Liu was furious and rushed towards Qiao Huilan, "Qiao Huilan, you shameless thing, it turned out that it was your family who did it."

Qiao Huilan was panicked when she saw that the police easily found the key to the problem, "It's not me, it's not us, comrades in the police, we are law-abiding citizens, we can't wrongly accuse good people, the snow here might be stepped on by them "

She seemed to have found an excuse and said hurriedly, "This is what they stepped on when they came in this morning."

The tall policeman inside had already taken down the white cloth. He came out and said, "This cloth is not bad, it's cotton."

Suddenly, a sister-in-law who was watching the excitement in the crowd shouted, "I know this white cloth, it was brought back from the countryside by my relatives, and Aunt Qiao happened to see it and said she wanted to make a quilt, so she borrowed it from me. But this cloth should be just one piece, there should be another piece."

At this point, it seems to be very clear.

This is actually just a very crude means, the purpose is to spread the rumor that the house is haunted, so that the house cannot be rented out. Then Qiao Huilan's family will stand up and say something good, and rent or buy it at the lowest price. This will not only save money but also gain a good reputation.

The police believe in evidence when investigating a case. The short policeman wrote down the words of the eldest sister-in-law, and then said to Qiao Huilan, "Now we suspect that you are related to this burglary. Please go to the public security bureau with us for investigation."

Qiao Huilan has lived in the county for so many years, but this is the first time she has dealt with the police. When she heard this, she thought the police were going to arrest her. She was immediately shocked and sat on the ground, "I, I..."

Could it be that she had to give up her son?

That's impossible.

But she was also afraid to go to the police station. It would be so embarrassing to tell others about it.

Qiao Huilan burst into tears and turned to Qin Xiang, crying, "Little girl, I was wrong, I was wrong, I shouldn't have played tricks."

With this cry, she admitted the matter.

Qin Xiang spread her hands, "I'm sorry, I think this matter is no longer something I can decide."

The tall policeman didn't expect this matter to be so simple. The person involved jumped out and admitted it himself, "Come with us, we will tell you the details after we investigate it clearly."

After that, he said to Qin Xiang, "You guys should also go with us to take a statement."

The people who were watching the excitement were immediately dumbfounded. It turned out that this ghost story was really fake.

Old Lady Liu was so angry that she took off her shoes and rushed to Qiao Huilan, and the soles of her shoes were directly stuck on Qiao Huilan's face.

Qiao Huilan knew she had done this, so she didn't dare to fight back. Her face was swollen by Mrs. Liu.

The old lady came into the house angrily, looked at the situation in the house, sat on the ground and cried loudly, "Old man, you died early, and people bullied me after you left. It's unfair."

The old lady cried miserably, and several aunts came to persuade her.

The police took Qiao Huilan away, and Qin Xiang followed to take notes. Qin Yang said lightly, "You go, I'll clean up the house."

Although he guessed that the blood on the wall was chicken blood, it still looked weird, and he had to find some lime or cement to wipe the wall.

Qin Xiang shook her head, "Third brother, put this thing aside first, someone will come and take care of it later."

Hearing this, Qin Yang glanced at her and couldn't help raising his eyebrows. Qin Xiang smiled, "Whoever did this should be the one to clean it up. Why are we wasting our energy?"

"Okay, I'll listen to you." Seeing

the excitement, the people knew it was man-made and were no longer afraid. They went into the house in groups of three or five to see. Someone sniffed the blood on the wall and said, "It smells like chicken blood."

"You know what, Qiao Huilan's family seemed to have really stewed chicken soup yesterday. This really does not delay either." The person who said this was the family to the east of Qiao Huilan's house. They didn't deal with Qiao Huilan very much, and usually liked to stare at Qiao Huilan's every move.

What made this aunt depressed was that she was watching Qiao Huilan's house all day long, but she didn't know that this family would do bad things in the middle of the night, when she was still dreaming.

"Who said it wasn't?"

Several aunts saw Qin Yang looking for a broom to sweep the house again, and someone asked, "Your sister is really amazing, is she in a relationship?"

Qin Yang looked up at the other party, who was startled by his expression and didn't dare to ask any more questions.

Aunt Hu said, "I still have some lime. You and I can go get it and use it to scrub the floor."

Qin Yang shook his head. "Whoever did it should clean it up. We won't bother."

Aunt Hu was stunned. Thinking of the family next door, she couldn't help but look at the disgust in her eyes. "What a heartless family. They actually came up with such a despicable idea."

"I'll report this to the police." Old lady Liu had cried enough. She stood up with red eyes and said, "After all, it's my house. I can't let others harm it like this. This has happened several times. I've bought lime several times. It's impossible to just peel it off so easily."

After that, Old lady Liu, as the landlord, also went to the police station.

Qin Xiang followed the police to the police station to take a statement and then came back. When she was leaving, Mrs. Liu was still sitting there crying. Mrs. Liu's son was also hurriedly called over. It depends on how much the police can find out.

The east wall of the yard looked quite high. Qin Xiang didn't believe that Qiao Huilan climbed over the wall alone. Maybe someone in her family helped her.

On the way, she went to the vegetable store to buy a bunch of leeks, a bag of noodles and eggs, and then came back. When she arrived at the door, a young man came out of the east yard. He looked over here with an anxious look. When he saw Qin Xiang, his eyes lit up, and then he thought of something and quickly shrank back.

Qin Xiang was thoughtful.

Aunt Hu, Mrs. Liu, and the people who were watching the excitement had all left.

Qin Xiang took a look and went to get firewood to cook. Before cooking, he opened the two connected kang holes.

It was popular for the bride to bring pots, bowls, and pans as a dowry when getting married these days, and these things were brought back when the dowry was brought. However, because the Wang family did not split up, the pots, bowls, and pans that Qin Xiang brought as a dowry were not used much, and most of them were still brand new, which was just right for using now.

He boiled hot water, put in the noodles, cracked two eggs, and sprinkled a handful of chopped chives before taking them out of the pot, and the fragrant noodles were ready.

Neither of them mentioned what had just happened. Qin Yang was glad that he caught it today, which was the best result. Otherwise, if the family next door plotted against his sister when he was not at home one day, it would be beyond his reach.

He squinted his eyes and glanced eastward, thinking that he might as well take the time to deal with the people next door to prevent them from bullying his sister.

Qin Xiang suddenly said, "When I left, Aunt Liu was still crying there. I don't think this matter will be resolved so easily."

It's not surprising that Aunt Liu cried. It's really the neighboring family who did something nasty.

Nowadays, everyone's house is not spacious. For example, for the people living in the tube-shaped buildings in the west, there are families with 70 or 80 people living in one room. In comparison, the family of Qiao Huilan next door, with three generations of grandparents and grandchildren living in such a small courtyard, is already very spacious.

Renting a house is not a problem. It is human nature to want to buy a house cheaply, but it is a disgusting person to use such a despicable means for one's own benefit.

Even if she is Mrs. Liu, she will not easily expose this matter.

Just after finishing lunch, I suddenly heard a woman crying and a man making excuses from next door.

Qin Xiang and Qin Yang looked at each other and went out, and saw two police officers handcuffing a young man. It was the man Qin Xiang met when she came back.

Judging from his age, he was probably Qiao Huilan's son. Cheng Gang glanced at Qin Xiang, anger flashing in his eyes. Qin Yang glanced at him coldly, and the viciousness in his eyes made the two police officers look sideways. Cheng Gang retracted his gaze and explained, "Comrade Public Security, I really don't know about this."

"Whether you know or not, go to the Public Security Bureau to explain. Your mother has already said everything." After that, the police officer took Cheng Gang away.

Qin Xiang looked at it coldly. Suddenly, a woman rushed towards her. "It's all because of you, a woman, meddling in other people's business. What does it have to do with you? You just have a lot of money, you shameless vixen."

Before the person came close to Qin Xiang, Qin Xiang had already dodged. After hearing the woman's scolding, Qin Xiang slapped her. "If you are not clean enough, I will slap you. You didn't say anything to stop your family from doing evil, so I, the victim, am guilty. You really think I'm easy to bully. You went to the police to defend yourself when you were wronged. You want to find comfort from me, but you found the wrong person."

During the commotion, several families ran out to watch the excitement. Seeing this, they couldn't help but say, "Cheng Gang's wife, this is your family's fault. We are all neighbors, how can you do things like this."

"That's right, you guys rent a house, it's not like Old Lady Liu doesn't want to rent it, why do such a disgusting thing."

Several families who originally thought of renting a house were also unhappy. If it hadn't happened, maybe they would have rented a house. Even if the monthly rent was eight yuan, it would only be four yuan if two families shared it, which was affordable. But now they have nothing to do, and they are unhappy just thinking about it.

Cheng Gang's wife was slapped and sat on the ground crying, "Gangzi, what are you going to do?"

Qin Xiang didn't bother to pay attention to her. She thanked the ladies and went home with Qin Yang to pack up her things.

In the evening, old lady Liu came over. "The police are really amazing. They found out the truth with just a few words. It turned out that it was Cheng Gang who did it. The police said that the Cheng family has to paint the wall and compensate me for the damages. I have included the rent for the past six months. I will never forgive them if they pay a penny less."

Qin Xiang smiled and said, "That's what they should do."

Old lady Liu said, "I'll make sure they clean the house tomorrow. You should put the valuables in other rooms first. I guarantee that they will be cleaned thoroughly."

Qin Xiang was also unambiguous and agreed immediately, "Okay."

As for Cheng Gang, although he is being severely punished now, as long as old lady Liu pays the money and forgives him, the matter will be over. Only Mrs. Liu was soft-hearted. She could not resist Qiao Huilan's kneeling and begging and agreed. Otherwise, if it was someone more cruel, Cheng Gang would not be able to get out for three to five years.

Sure enough, the next morning, Mrs. Liu brought Cheng Gang over.

The Cheng family had to do this job again because they had to pay the money. They had lost all their face. There was probably no one in the county who didn't know about this.

When Cheng Gang saw Qin Xiang in the yard, he glanced at her and lowered his head. Then he went into the house and started working under the picky instructions of Mrs. Liu. He didn't say a word even when he was scolded.

Qin Xiang said, "It shouldn't be a problem now."

Qin Yang didn't think so, "It's hard to say. This Cheng Gang is far away, he doesn't look like a good person."

The fact that Qin Yang said this showed that he was not a good person. Qin Xiang nodded, looked at him and smiled, "I know, then the third brother will live here in the future, with you in the corner, he won't dare to do anything."

It's courting death to make trouble in front of the old man. Qin Yang is not a good-tempered person.

Cheng Gang, who was working, noticed that someone was looking at him, so he couldn't help but look back, and met Qin Yang's eyes that seemed to be smiling. Cheng Gang was so scared that he quickly withdrew his gaze and continued to work. Because of this pause, he was scolded by Mrs. Liu again.

Cheng Gang was angry but dared not say anything. Yesterday, the old lady said that if the money was not in place and the work was not done well, he would be forced to work on the sewing machine. This made him very angry. He looked at Old Lady Liu with hatred, and Old Lady Liu scolded him again.

"You are young but you are still naughty. Your family is a bunch of scoundrels. Stay away from my yard in the future. You have a criminal record in the police station."

"I have watched you grow up. I know your character very well. I will keep an eye on you from now on. Don't think of any bad ideas again."

The blood stains on the wall were all wiped off. To be honest, the wall in the house did not look very good.

But that's how it is these days. After Cheng Gangqian left, Mrs. Liu said to Qin Xiang, "I'll go back and get some newspapers to paste. You've also suffered a loss in this matter. I'll make things right. I guarantee that they won't dare to bully you again in the future."

Qin Xiang looked at the old lady and knew that she was not one to suffer a loss. She nodded immediately, "Thank you, Aunt Liu."

Mrs. Liu nodded and left modestly. Not long after, she heard the sound of quarreling and a woman crying from next door.

But the crying didn't seem to be Mrs. Liu's, so Qin Xiang didn't go over. Qin Yang couldn't help laughing, "This old lady is actually a powerful one." Qin Xiang

thought it was good. In these days, honest people are easily bullied.

Seeing that it was already the fifth day of the first lunar month, Qin Xiang pressed about going south. Seeing that she was anxious, Qin Yang went out for a few trips and came back and said, "This time, you have arranged a job for me in the northwest."

Qin Xiang was immediately regretful after he finished speaking, and then Qin Yang laughed, "But someone happened to be going to Hangzhou, so I applied to that person and will take you with me when the time comes."

Qin Xiang's heart was immediately elated again. She knew that her third brother was teasing her, and she couldn't help laughing, "Third brother, you did it on purpose. Hangzhou is developing well. Although it's not as economically prosperous as Guangzhou, which is close to the port city, the small commodities are also good."

"I was just teasing you. I also asked around. Hangzhou is developing well and it's convenient for wholesale. A lot of fresh things are brought over from Guangzhou." When Qin Yang laughed, the expression on his face was much softer, and he didn't look so scary anymore.

In fact, Qin Xiang can understand the third brother. The third brother is not a formal employee of the transport team. To put it bluntly, he is hired by the team as an extra person so that he can take a break from the driver on the road and act as a thug to prevent road robbery. So the third brother is used to looking at people with that sinister expression. In fact, he is the softest person.

Qin Xiang said seriously, "Third brother, let's discuss something."

Qin Yang nodded, "You say."

Qin Xiang: "If I can make money by reselling goods in Yangcheng, you don't have to do this in the future. How about cooperating with me?"

Although her capital is only six or seven hundred yuan, she is bold and wild, and has the idea of ​​starting a business and getting rich. But her power alone is too small. This era has both opportunities and dangers. Apart from other things, the journey is full of crises. As a young and beautiful woman, she is even more attractive to bad people.

The third brother is courageous and capable, but perhaps lacks the ambition to make a fortune. Isn't it just right for the two brothers and sisters to be together?

As for the third brother, if he wants to start his own business after getting married, that's fine. By then, the business might be on the right track, and she might have employees, so there's no need to worry about this problem.

She was inviting him sincerely, but Qin Yang didn't take it seriously. "You should make some money first."

But Qin Xiang refused to let him go, and pulled him to tell her the truth. "Third brother, just agree to it. Otherwise, do you trust me to run back and forth alone? I heard that taking the train is not safe. There are thieves, traffickers, and even robbers."

Qin Yang knew clearly whether this was true or not. If there weren't so many bad people, he wouldn't have this job. Now his sister has made it clear that she wants to start a business, and she has brought up the issue, just to pull him along.

Qin Yang looked at his serious sister and rubbed her head with his hand, "You girl, you actually learned to plot against your brother."

Qin Xiang acquiesced and laughed, "So do you agree or not?"

Qin Yang said, "Wait until you make money and then tell me."

Qin Xiang raised her eyebrows, "Then Third Brother, you should be ready at all times."

Things have been decided. They will leave after the tenth day of the first lunar month, and there are still several days.

Qin Xiang calculated her own capital. After deducting the food and rent for the next two days, she still has 670 yuan in her hand. Although she saved money on the ticket to Yangcheng, she had to buy a box of cigarettes for her third brother's colleagues, and she had to set aside accommodation and meal expenses. After calculating this, the money she could use for shopping was probably no more than 600 yuan.

The purchasing power of 600 yuan is huge in the countryside or even in the county town.

But in the south, 600 yuan is really insignificant. Even if you only buy shirts, you can't buy 100 pieces. It's a loss to go a long way to buy so few things.

So Qin Xiang asked his third brother if he wanted to be a partner with him, invest in the business and share the profits. Qin Yang thought about it and realized that his sister was just short of money, so he took out three hundred yuan and gave it to her, "Take it and use it, just join the partnership."

Qin Xiang said faintly, "Third brother, you don't believe me."

"That's not the case." Qin Yang said, "I don't know how to trade, and you have to sell it again. If I share the money, I would be taking advantage of you. That's it."

This was all Qin Yang's belongings. He enjoyed the glory of being a long-distance driver, but making money was not that easy. It took him several years to earn these three hundred yuan from selling cigarettes. Qin Xiang understood what her third brother meant, so she nodded and accepted it. "Third brother, thank you. I'll write you an IOU with interest."

Qin Yang was unhappy when he heard that she wanted to write an IOU. "Forget it. Why would brothers write an IOU?"

But Qin Xiang insisted and wrote the IOU clearly. "Brothers should settle accounts clearly."

That afternoon, Qin Yang suggested that they could ask their second brother Qin Hai. The second brother's ideas were always different from those of normal people, and he might be willing to invest.

The brother and sister looked at the time to get off work, so they took two pounds of meat to Qin Hai's house.

Qin Hai graduated from a technical secondary school and was assigned to a food factory in the county. His second sister-in-law Huang Xiufen and her parents were also workers in the food factory. Huang Xiufen's parents only had a daughter, so they thought about it and fell in love with Qin Hai.

Qin Hai's family had many sons, but they also liked Qin Hai's practical and capable character.

Huang Xiufen was a quiet person with a pretty face. Qin Hai thought about it and the two of them started dating. After they got married, they lived with his father-in-law's family.

There were rumors that Qin Hai was marrying into the family, but Qin Hai didn't care. He even persuaded Qin Baotian and his wife. The family lived very comfortably in the county.

Two years ago, Qin Hai and Huang Xiufen also divided the house, and the family of four moved out of the Huang family and lived in a one-bedroom and one-living room house, which was much better than the average family.

When Qin Xiang and Qin Yang went upstairs, there were many people cooking in the corridor. When they saw the two of them coming up, someone shouted, "Xiu Fen, your sister-in-law and brother-in-law are here."

After shouting, the sister-in-law smiled and asked, "Xiao Qin, your partner is a college student, right?"

Qin Xiang smiled and said, "The previous partner was."

"Huh?"

Qin Xiang did not explain, and went all the way to the door of Qin Hai's house with his second brother. Huang Xiufen had already stood up and said with a smile, "Come in and warm up, your second brother is back too."

After that, she whispered, "Don't pay attention to them, they don't have bad intentions, they just like to ask about things. "

Qin Xiang nodded, "I understand."

The brother and sister went into the house, and Huang Xiufen was busy cooking again. She looked at the dinner and felt that there were not enough dishes, so she hurried into the house to get money and go out to buy some ready-made food.

This is the advantage of the county town. Although everyone is not rich yet, some small businesses have appeared, and it is convenient to buy ready-made meals.

Qin Xiang and Qin Yang entered the house and saw Qin Hai sitting on a chair listening to the radio. He was not surprised to see them coming. "Come to the county to find a house? If you can't find one, just stay at my place first. Let Qin Bao sleep with us, and you can sleep with Qin Lan."

The one-bedroom and one-living room house was divided into two sleeping rooms. Originally, the two children lived in one room, so if Qin Xiang came to live here, it would be enough.

Qin Xiang shook her head, "Second brother, I have found a house, and my third brother and I have lived there for several days."

She mentioned the location, and Qin Hai said in surprise, "The location is good, and the price is cheap."

He paused, "There won't be any problems, right?"

Qin Yang and Qin Xiang looked at each other and felt that the second brother had a good brain, so they told him what happened a few days ago.

Although the incident happened several days ago and the house has been cleaned up, Qin Hai still frowned when he heard it, "It's really not safe for you to live here as a girl." Qin

Xiang glanced at the third brother, "Aren't you asking the third brother to live with you?"

"He can't be at home all day." Qin Hai said, "Forget it, let's do it this way for now. There are severe crackdowns outside, and I guess no one dares to make trouble at this time."

Qin Xiang nodded, "That's it."

After a while, Huang Xiufen prepared dinner, and Qin Lan also brought Qin Bao back. When she saw Qin Xiang, Qin Lan was very excited, "Aunt."

The girl was only five years old, very cute and beautiful, and liked her aunt very much. When she saw her aunt, she sat next to her during the meal.

At the dinner table, the brothers and sisters were talking and chatting, and Qin Hai suddenly said, "You guys are here for something else, right?"

Qin Hai never liked to meddle in other people's business, and he didn't get involved in his own affairs, but he was actually quite smart, and he knew that his brothers and sisters must have something to do.

Qin Yang didn't say anything, so Qin Xiang said what he meant, "I'm going to Yangcheng to trade goods, and when I come back, I'll open the back door of that house and set up a stall to do business, but I don't have enough capital, so I want to ask my second brother and second sister-in-law if they are interested in getting involved, and then we can share the money according to our investment."

Qin Hai was surprised to hear this. Huang Xiufen said nothing and did not interfere. Qin Hai thought for a while and said, "I can lend you money, but I will not interfere in the transaction."

As the only person in the Qin family with a formal job, Qin Hai is still a little proud.

Qin Xiang also understands that people nowadays think that being a self-employed person is not decent, and it is better to have a stable job. Therefore, many people who work in the system or in factories look down on being a self-employed person. They would rather take a salary of thirty or forty a month than take the risk of earning thirty a day.

This situation continued until the early 1990s, when the wave of resignation came, and a large number of workers began to resign and find their own way out. My second brother and his wife also resigned at that time, and then started from the canteen.

Qin Xiang did not force anything and nodded, "Okay."

After dinner, Huang Xiufen and Qin Hai discussed it and gave Qin Xiang 200 yuan, "This is your first time doing it, and you should do it steadily. If you need money later, we will help you get more."

In a dual-income family, with two elderly people to help, Qin Hai and his family can really save money.

Qin Xiang understood the concerns of his second brother. He said he lent the money to her, but in fact he was prepared to never return it.

In her previous life, she really didn't have much dealings with her second brother and second sister-in-law, and her relationship was light, but she didn't expect that her second brother and second sister-in-law could do so much for her in this life.

Qin Xiang nodded, her voice choked with sobs, "Thank you, brother and sister-in-law."

"That's weird. I don't have a sister, so you are my biological sister." Huang Xiufen is a silent person. She particularly likes her sister-in-law's straightforward personality, but she also feels sorry for the grievances she suffered because of her unsuccessful marriage.

After leaving Qin Hai's house, Qin Yang asked again, "Are you going to Qin Juan's house again?"

Thinking about the situation of the fourth sister, Qin Xiang shook her head, "No, the fourth sister's mother-in-law doesn't like her. If we go to her again because of this matter, she might give us a cold shoulder again."

Qin Yang hummed, and Qin Xiang thought of the tragedy of the fourth sister in her previous life. After a moment of hesitation, he said to Qin Yang, "Third brother, why don't we go to see my fourth sister tomorrow, at least let people know that she has her family to support her." On the second day of the Chinese New Year

, married girls usually go back to their parents' home, but the fourth sister did not go back. They did not suspect that Qin Juan looked down on her family, but that Qin Juan's in-laws were not good enough, and her mother-in-law looked down on country people and was not happy for Qin Juan to go back.

Qin Yang was unhappy and nodded, "Then let's go and have a look tomorrow."

Qin Xiang couldn't help sighing, and she kept thinking about her fourth sister when she went to bed at night.

There are five brothers and sisters in the Qin family. Qin Jun is a selfish person, and the remaining four were raised and educated by Qin Xiang's grandmother. But even children raised by the same person have different tempers. Qin Xiang is straightforward, Qin Hai is smart and has plans, and Qin Yang is even more daring. Only Qin Juan has been soft-tempered since she was a child.

Such a soft-tempered girl, however, met a man named Zhao Qianjin when she went to the county, and was determined to marry him. At first, her father disagreed, thinking that workers in the county were too picky and not a good match. But her mother thought that he was a good person, at least he was a worker, and she would not suffer any loss if she married him. Later, Qin Juan insisted on getting married, so she got married. But

things were not as she thought. The Zhao family was indeed not a good family. After Qin Juan gave birth to a daughter, they became even more hateful, and Qin Juan became even more silent.

Moreover, family planning had already been implemented at that time. Qin Juan's husband and parents-in-law were all workers. If they dared to have a second child, they would lose their jobs.

Because of this, the family beat and scolded Qin Juan, and her life was extremely unhappy.

When their grandmother was leaving, she looked at their brothers and sisters, and when her eyes fell on Qin Juan, they were all worried.

In her previous life, she had advised Qin Juan to divorce more than once, but Qin Juan was threatened by Zhao Qianjin and did not dare to divorce.

At that time, Qin Xiang had already gone out with Wang Junsheng, and was busy working everywhere to make money, so she no longer cared about her fourth sister's affairs.

When Wang Junsheng's business finally took off, the family suddenly received bad news that Qin Juan accidentally fell down the stairs when she quarreled with her mother-in-law, and her head hit the corner, and she was gone.

The old man sent the young man away, and even though her mother favored boys over girls, she cried bitterly and regretted letting Qin Juan get married.

Now that she had a chance again, Qin Xiang couldn't help thinking, if she could get a divorce, then could her fourth sister get a divorce? Would she be willing to get a divorce?

Finally fell asleep in the middle of the night. In her dream, Qin Xiang saw Qin Juan with blood all over her head and she was saying words of regret. Her little niece Zhao Di looked at Qin Juan in horror and became stupid.

After a nightmare, Qin Xiang had a splitting headache when she woke up. After breakfast, she hurriedly called Qin Yang to go to Qin Juan's house.

However, when they got there, they found that the door of Zhao's house was locked. The neighbor next door didn't know anything. "The whole family went out early in the morning. I don't know where they went."

Qin Xiang regretted it. When she came back in the afternoon, she still didn't see anyone.

Qin Xiang was a little anxious, but the next day was the tenth day of the first lunar month, and the truck that Qin Yang was driving was also going to leave. Qin Xiang could only suppress his thoughts and prepare for the trip.

Early in the morning of the eleventh day of the first lunar month, Qin Xiang simply packed her luggage and followed Qin Yang on the truck heading south.