Chapter 24
Although it was broad daylight, anyone would feel horrified seeing such a scene.
The large white cloth was hanging on the beam with a knot at the bottom. It swayed in the air with a whistling sound when blown by the wind. There was also a tattered stool facing it.
The wall facing the door inside the house was covered with a mess of red bloodstains, slap marks, finger marks, and other messy marks that made the white wall look eerie and frightening, like a scene from a horror movie.
Qin Xiang glanced at Qiao Huilan, who was screaming loudly beside her, and couldn't help laughing. "Auntie, where did the ghost come from in broad daylight? As the saying goes, if you have done nothing wrong, you don't have to worry about ghosts knocking on your door in the middle of the night. It's just a piece of white cloth. We haven't done anything wrong, so why should we be afraid of it?"
Despite saying this, she didn't move forward, and even stopped Qin Yang from clearing the place. This was all evidence. If they destroyed it, how could they catch the murderer? If it was just a scare tactic, it would be fine. What they did before was none of her business. But now that she'd paid, this was her place to stay, her territory. It was undeniable that she was being bullied and still giving in.
Qin Xiang is not someone you can easily mess with.
Qiao Huilan didn't see the expected scream. Seeing that she was a little bit unbelieving, she stared at Qin Xiang and asked, "This place is haunted, aren't you scared?"
"No." Qin Xiang glanced at Qin Yang. "Third brother, are you afraid of ghosts?"
Qin Yang glanced at Qiao Huilan, snorted, and a fierce look flashed in his eyes. "Do you think I'm afraid of ghosts, or do ghosts fear me?"
Qiao Huilan's heart skipped a beat when she met Qin Yang's gaze. She suddenly felt that these siblings weren't as easy to scare as she'd imagined. But her voice was loud enough that even though this courtyard was at the western end of the alley, across the street to the west were several tube-shaped buildings with many residents, and they all ran over to see what was happening.
But everyone was also a little worried. They blocked the doorway, not daring to go in. They looked at the yard with curiosity and fear, "Is it haunted again?"
Qin Xiang knew from hearing this that everyone in the neighborhood had believed the ghost story. No wonder the house in such a good location had never been rented out.
Qin Xiang was speechless. Qiao Huilan swallowed her saliva, took two trembling steps back, and said with fear in her eyes, "If it wasn't a ghost, why did the hanging cloth appear out of nowhere? Could it be that the cloth hung itself there? Let me tell you, last night when I got up to go to the toilet, I heard something like a woman crying. Seriously, I heard it so clearly that I almost died of fear."
As she spoke, her facial expression was quite vivid, making it hard to doubt the authenticity of the story. A few people who had come to watch the fun came in and saw the white cloth in the main room from a distance. They immediately screamed in surprise, "This, this is really haunted!"
Seeing Qin Xiang next to her, she was actually a stranger. An old lady hurriedly asked, "This little girl doesn't look familiar. What are you doing here?"
Qin Xiang smiled and said, "Auntie, I just rented this yard yesterday, and now it's my home. Did you know that this yard was haunted?"
"Yes, it's been a long time. Your Aunt Qiao next door has heard it several times, so it must be true." The old lady disagreed, "Why don't you ask around before renting a house, young girl? If nothing goes wrong, how can this courtyard be rented so easily?"
Several other aunts and sisters-in-law also shook their heads, looking at Qin Xiang as if she were a sucker.
The families who could afford to live in the county all had workers, but there were only a few factories, and the housing complexes were too small, so some families of more than ten lived in a small house. When Old Lady Liu moved out, some people tried to rent the compound at a low price, and some even shared it with several families. But when the rent couldn't be negotiated, Old Lady Liu rented it to several families, but they all moved out again because of hauntings. Now, it's been almost six months since the last tenant moved out, and the house hasn't been rented out again. No matter how much people need housing, they wouldn't dare live in a house like this. Now they look at Qin Xiang as if she's a fool, a foolish audacity.
Qin Xiang laughed and looked up to see Old Lady Liu coming in hurriedly.
Old Lady Liu took a look at the situation inside the house and immediately became a little worried. How could such a thing happen when the yard had just been rented out? Ten years earlier, during the "Four Olds" campaign, no one would have been afraid of this. But now that those ten years had passed, some old rules and traditions had been revived, and everyone was very taboo about such things.
"Little girl, if you regret it, I can return the money to you." Even though Mrs. Liu was reluctant to part with the 18 yuan, she didn't want to be the bad guy. If something happened to the little girl in this yard, she would be guilty of a great crime.
She looked at the yard, where she and her husband had lived their entire lives. Now that her husband was gone, her son needed her help raising the children, otherwise she would have been reluctant to leave. She couldn't understand why there had been so many problems since she moved out, when nothing had happened before.
Old Mrs. Liu looked depressed and was about to go forward to clean up those things. Qin Xiang hurriedly stopped her, "Auntie, please don't rush to touch this. I still want to rent this yard. Please listen to me."
"What else are you talking about?" Old Mrs. Liu sighed. "Nothing has happened for a while now. I thought everything was fine, but I didn't expect these things to appear again. Little girl, I'll return the money to you. You can live somewhere else."
Qin Xiang understood the key point of the question. "Has this happened before? Is it the same?"
"Yes, it's been almost half a year since someone lived here before." Qiao Huilan hurriedly added.
Old Mrs. Liu pointed to the white putty area in the house and said, "That's where the bloodstains were before."
Qin Xiang nodded and said to Mrs. Liu, "Auntie, this house is rented to me now, so can you let me handle it?"
"What do you mean?" Old Lady Liu was puzzled. She had been worried yesterday, but she hadn't expected this little girl to be so fearless. She remembered what the old man had said before: there were many brave and capable people in this world. Could she have met one of them? And what the little girl had said yesterday seemed to have a specific meaning. She glanced at Qiao Huilan and finally calmed down. She calmed herself down and said, "Okay, I'll listen to you."
Qiao Huilan's eyelids twitched next to her. She looked at Qin Xiang's smiling face and felt that things were not what she thought.
Qin Xiang said to Qin Yang, "Third brother, watch over the scene and don't let anyone destroy it. I'm going to the police station to report the case now."
"Report a crime?"
Old Mrs. Liu and Qiao Huilan cried out at the same time.
Old Mrs. Liu had never thought of this option and felt that it was useless to call the police for such a matter.
Qiao Huilan was extremely frightened and her face turned pale.
Since the crackdown began in the past two years, everyone has become a little afraid of the police.
Qin Xiang looked at her, "Auntie, what's wrong? Is it not possible?"
Qiao Huilan smiled awkwardly. "If we report this to the police, they're so busy they're unlikely to care. It's a waste of talent."
"You're wrong. Public security comrades serve the people, and when it comes to matters concerning the masses, no matter how trivial they are, they're not trivial." Qin Xiang pointed at the courtyard and said, "Besides, this involves the people's housing and property issues, and it also involves the issue of feudal superstitions destroying social ideology. It's no small matter. If the public security comrades don't care, then I'll go to the city to petition. I can't just let my lock get smashed and no one will care. I don't believe ghosts can smash locks. Today they're smashing the door lock, and tomorrow they might just break in and rob me. My personal safety is not guaranteed, and I can't live in peace."
After saying this, Qin Xiang didn't care whether Qiao Huilan's face turned pale or not, and walked out in the gazes of everyone.
Fortunately, her third brother was here, otherwise she was really afraid that she would not be able to control these people. As soon as her third brother stood there, no one dared to step forward.
Several women looked at Qin Xiang and went to the Public Security Bureau. They couldn't help but click their tongues. Although they didn't agree, they didn't dare to say anything. The main reason was that they were not familiar with the police, and some of them wanted to see what the police would say.
Qin Xiang quickly left the house and headed straight for the county public security bureau. She found the officer on duty and told him about the incident. The police took it very seriously. A haunting wasn't scary, after all, it was fake. But the door lock had been smashed, which meant it was a burglary. They were cracking down on it everywhere. "This isn't a small matter. Wait a minute. I'll go in and call someone to take a look."
Qin Xiang thanked them, "Thank you, Public Security Comrades. Because of you, we ordinary people can live in peace and stability."
The public security officer laughed when he was being flattered before he even did anything. "This is what we should do. We are serving the people."
The police officer on duty went in to call for help. A moment later, two police officers in their forties came out and glanced at Qin Xiang and said, "The house is haunted? There are no ghosts in this world."
Qin Xiang nodded. "I don't believe it either. I suspect someone is playing tricks, so I'd like to ask the police to help get to the bottom of this. I can break the lock on my locked door, but what if someone comes in and steals my money and kills me? My safety is not guaranteed, and I'm terribly scared. But when the two police officers came to this station, I knew this matter would be investigated thoroughly, and I felt relieved."
The policeman on duty couldn't help laughing.
The two police officers also gave her a meaningful look and nodded, "Breaking the door lock is indeed no small matter. Let's go and take a look."
The Public Security Bureau had little to do during Chinese New Year, so the two officers, pushing their bicycles, began to inquire about the entire incident. Qin Xiang started talking from yesterday, detailing every detail. The taller officer nodded in agreement, "It's right not to disturb the scene. As long as you believe it, there will always be clues left."
But after years of working in the police force, the officer had a rough idea in mind. The house was empty. Setting aside the idea of a break-in, the only thing left was the house itself. But since they hadn't conducted a thorough investigation yet, they couldn't make any firm statements. They'd have to wait and see.
The three of them arrived at the courtyard and found that many people had gathered at the gate to watch the excitement. Aunt Hu came hurriedly from not far away and said, "You kid, why didn't you tell me about this? I told you yesterday that this courtyard couldn't be rented out, but you didn't listen, and now something really happened."
The county town is so small, and there are so many relatives and friends. Even without mobile phones, a little excitement can spread quickly.
Qin Xiang looked at the other person's anxious expression and smiled, "Auntie, it's okay. The public security comrades are here to help investigate. With the public security comrades helping investigate, all the demons and monsters will be exposed."
Aunt Hu finally saw the two police officers, but she didn't relax. "If it's really haunted, the police won't be able to find out. At most, they can scare the ghost with their masculine energy."
The two policemen looked unhappy at this. The taller one said, "There are no ghosts in this world. If someone was playing tricks, we would definitely investigate it thoroughly. What we want to investigate now is the incident of breaking into the house by breaking down the door and locking it."
After saying that, he entered the yard first and said, "Make way, make way."
When they entered, Qiao Huilan turned around and saw the two police officers. Her legs and feet suddenly weakened. This little girl was really amazing. She actually called the police over. She didn't want to let it go. Would they find out what they had done?
Because they had done this kind of thing before and no one reported it to the police, so this time, even though they were afraid that Qin Yang was not a good person, they really didn't hesitate when they did it. After all, there was no evidence, so even if they wanted to frame them, they just had to deny it.
Qin Xiang knew what the other person was thinking at a glance. Perhaps people's legal awareness was weak these days. If someone had reported the matter to the police earlier, it wouldn't have dragged on until now.
But it’s different when the police come. It’s impossible for people who make a living from this to not have some real skills. If they find out something, it’s all over.
Qiao Huilan's face turned pale as she said awkwardly, "Little girl, why did you really call the police? It's not a big deal."
Qin Xiang looked at her in confusion. "My own house was trashed like this. Shouldn't I call the police? You think it's not a big deal because the house isn't yours and you don't live in it. But to me, it's a big deal. I spent a lot of money to rent a house, and it's turned into this for no reason. The lock was even broken. Would a ghost break a lock? Even if it was a ghost, they need to catch it and compensate me."
The two officers looked around, chased everyone out, and then went inside to inspect the house carefully. They first removed the broken lock, then took out their tool bag and removed the white cloth from the beams. The other shorter officer went into the yard, circled it, and finally took a closer look at the east wall.
Qiao Huilan stood at the gate watching the police's actions and was so scared that she almost fell to the ground.
The short police officer asked, "Whose house is this to the east?"
This question was asked to Qin Xiang.
Qin Xiang pointed at Qiao Huilan and said, "Next to it is Aunt Qiao's house."
She pointed, and the police nodded. They went over and asked, "Is your house next door? Did anyone climb over the wall that night?"
It snowed a few days ago, and since no one lived in the yard, there was a lot of snow that had not been cleared. However, the snow on the east wall was gone, but the snow at the base of the wall on this side was a mess, obviously having been stepped on.
Everyone looked at Qiao Huilan and suddenly had a guess in their mind.
Qin Xiang had reminded Old Lady Liu yesterday, so what was there to be unclear about? Old Lady Liu was furious and rushed directly towards Qiao Huilan, "Qiao Huilan, you shameless thing, it turned out to be your family who did this."
Seeing how easily the police had found the key to the problem, Qiao Huilan panicked. "It's not me, it's not us, police comrades. We are law-abiding citizens. We can't wrongly accuse good people. The snow here might have been stepped on by them themselves."
She seemed to have found an excuse and hurriedly said, "This was 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, an older sister-in-law who was watching the fun in the crowd shouted, "I know this white cloth. It was brought back from the countryside by my relatives. Aunt Qiao happened to see it and said she wanted to make a quilt, so she borrowed it from me. But this cloth should only be one piece. There should be another piece."
Having said that, it seems very clear.
This is actually just a very crude method. The purpose is to spread the rumor that the house is haunted so that the house cannot be rented out. At that time, Qiao Huilan's family will stand up and say some good words to rent or buy the house at the lowest price. This way, they can not only save money but also gain a good reputation.
The police rely on evidence when handling cases. The short officer wrote down the words of the elder sister-in-law and then said to Qiao Huilan, "We now suspect you are involved in this burglary. Please come with us to the Public Security Bureau for investigation."
Qiao Huilan had lived in the county for so many years, but this was her first time dealing with the police. When she heard this, she thought the police were going to arrest her. She was immediately startled and sat down on the ground, "I, I..."
Is she going to give up her son?
That won't do.
But she was also afraid of going to the police station because it would be so embarrassing if it were made public.
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 on you."
With this shout, she admitted the matter.
Qin Xiang spread her hands and said, "I'm sorry, I don't think this is something I can decide anymore."
The tall policeman didn't expect this matter to be so simple. The person involved came forward and admitted it. "Come with us. We'll tell you the details after we investigate thoroughly."
After that, he said to Qin Xiang, "You guys should also go with him to take the statement."
The onlookers were stunned. It turned out that the haunted place was really fake.
Old Mrs. Liu was so angry that she took off her shoes and rushed to Qiao Huilan, and the soles of her shoes hit Qiao Huilan's face.
Qiao Huilan knew that she had done this, so she didn't dare to fight back, and her face was swollen from being beaten by Old Lady Liu.
The old lady came into the house angrily, looked at the situation inside, sat on the ground and cried loudly, "Old man, you died too early. After you left, people bullied me. It's so unfair."
The old lady cried miserably, and several aunts came over to comfort her.
The police took Qiao Huilan away, and Qin Xiang followed them to take a statement. Qin Yang said calmly, "You go ahead. I'll clean up the house."
Although he guessed that the blood on the wall was chicken blood, it still looked creepy, so he had to find some lime or cement to smear the wall.
Qin Xiang shook his head, "Third brother, put this thing aside for now, someone will come and get it later."
Hearing this, Qin Yang glanced at her and couldn't help but raise his eyebrows. Qin Xiang smiled and said, "Whoever did this should clean it up. Why are we wasting our energy on this?"
"Okay, I'll listen to you."
The onlookers were no longer afraid when they realized it was man-made. They went into the house in groups of three or five to see what was happening. Someone wiped some blood off the wall, smelled it, and said, "It smells like chicken blood."
"You know what? Qiao Huilan's family seemed to have cooked chicken soup yesterday. This really cuts both ways." This was said by the family to the east of Qiao Huilan's house. They didn't get along well with Qiao Huilan and usually liked to keep an eye on her family's every move.
What made the old lady depressed was that she was staring at Qiao Huilan's family all day long, but she didn't know that this family chose to do bad things in the middle of the night, when she was still having sweet dreams.
"Who says it isn't?"
When a few aunties saw Qin Yang looking for a broom to sweep the house again, someone asked, "Your sister is really amazing. Does she have a boyfriend?"
Qin Yang looked up at the other person. The other person was frightened 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 paint the wall."
Qin Yang shook his head. "Whoever did it should clean it up. We won't bother with it."
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 Mrs. Liu, having cried enough, stood up with red eyes and said, "After all, this is our house. I can't let it be damaged like this in vain. This has happened so many times. I've bought lime several times. You think you can just peel it off so easily? No way."
After saying that, Mrs. Liu, as the landlord, also went to the Public Security Bureau.
Qin Xiang followed the police to the police station to take a statement and then came back. When she was leaving, Old Mrs. Liu was still sitting there crying, and her son was also hurriedly called over. It depends on how much the police can find out from now on.
The courtyard wall on the east side looked quite high. Qin Xiang was a little bit unconvinced that Qiao Huilan had climbed over the wall by herself. Maybe she had help from her family.
On the way, he went to the vegetable store to buy a bunch of leeks, and then bought a bag of noodles and eggs, and then came back. When he reached the door, a young man came out of the east yard, looked over here anxiously, and when he saw Qin Xiang, his eyes suddenly lit up, and then he thought of something and quickly shrank back.
Qin Xiang seemed to be lost in thought.
Aunt Hu, Old Lady Liu, and the onlookers had all left.
Qin Xiang took a look and went to get firewood to cook. Before cooking, she opened the holes on the kang on both sides.
Fortunately, it was becoming popular for the bride to bring pots and pans as a dowry at weddings these days, and these things were brought back when the dowry was collected. However, because the Wang family had not split up, the pots and pans that Qin Xiang brought as a dowry were not used much, and most of them were still brand new, which was perfect for use now.
Boil some hot water, add the noodles, crack two eggs, and sprinkle a handful of chopped chives on them before serving. The fragrant noodles are ready.
Neither of them mentioned what had just happened. Qin Yang was thankful that catching them today was the best outcome. Otherwise, if the neighboring family plotted against his sister when he was not at home one day, it would be beyond his reach.
He squinted his eyes and glanced to the east, thinking that he might as well take some 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. I don't think this matter will end so easily."
It’s no wonder that Aunt Liu cried. It’s really the neighboring family who did such a terrible thing.
Nowadays, people's houses are not spacious. For example, for those living in the tube-shaped buildings in the west, there are families of seventy or eighty 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 very spacious.
It's human nature to want to buy a house cheaply, and there's nothing wrong with renting a house. But it's disgusting to resort to such despicable means for one's own benefit.
Even if she was Old Lady Liu, she wouldn't let this matter go easily.
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, only to see two police officers handcuffing a young man. This was the man Qin Xiang met when she came back.
Judging from his age, he must be Qiao Huilan's son. Cheng Gang glanced at Qin Xiang, anger flashing in his eyes. Qin Yang glanced over coldly, and the viciousness in his eyes made the two police officers couldn't help but look sideways. Cheng Gang retracted his gaze and defended himself, "Comrade Public Security, I really don't know about this."
"Whether you know or not, go to the police station and explain. Your mother has already said everything." After saying that, the police officer took Cheng Gang away.
Qin Xiang watched coldly, and 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're the only one with a lot of money, you shameless vixen."
Before the person even got close to Qin Xiang, she had already dodged away. Listening to the woman's abuse, Qin Xiang slapped her. "If you keep your mouth dirty, I will slap you again. You didn't say anything to stop your family from doing evil, and I, the victim, am the one who is guilty. Do you really think I'm easy to bully? When you were wronged, you went to the police to defend yourself. You want to seek comfort from me, but you've come to the wrong person."
During the commotion, several families came out to watch the fun. Seeing this, they couldn't help but say, "Cheng Gang's wife, this is where your family is wrong. We are all neighbors, how can you do things like this?"
"That's right, you guys are renting a house, and it's not like Old Lady Liu doesn't want to rent it out, so why do you have to do such a disgusting thing?"
Several families who had originally considered renting a house were also unhappy. If this hadn't happened, they might have rented a house. Even if the monthly rent was eight dollars, if two families shared it, it would only be four dollars, which was affordable. Now they have nothing to do, and the thought of it makes them unhappy.
Cheng Gang's wife was slapped and sat on the ground crying, "Gangzi, what are you going to do?"
Qin Xiang was too lazy 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 good. They tricked us out of the truth with just a few words. It turned out that Cheng Gang did it. The police said that the Cheng family has to paint the wall and compensate me for the damages. I've included the rent for the past six months. If they're even a penny short, I won't let them go."
Qin Xiang smiled and said, "That's what I should do."
Old Lady Liu said, "I'll make sure they clean the house tomorrow. Put the valuables in other rooms first and make sure they get it clean."
Qin Xiang was also unambiguous and agreed immediately, "Okay."
As for Cheng Gang, even though there was a crackdown, as long as Old Lady Liu paid the money and forgave him, the matter would be over. It was only because Old Lady Liu was soft-hearted that she could not resist Qiao Huilan's kneeling pleas and agreed. Otherwise, if it were someone more ruthless, Cheng Gang would have been incarcerated for three to five years.
Sure enough, the next morning, Mrs. Liu came with Cheng Gang.
The Cheng family had to pay compensation and do this work, and they lost all their dignity and face. There was probably no one in the county who didn't know about this.
When Cheng Gang saw Qin Xiang after entering the yard, he glanced at her and lowered his head. Then he went into the house and started working under the picky instructions of Old Lady Liu. He didn't say a word even when he was scolded.
Qin Xiang said, "There shouldn't be any more trouble now."
Qin Yang didn't think so. "That's hard to say. Stay away from Cheng Gang. He doesn't seem like a good person."
The fact that Qin Yang could say this meant that he was not a good person. Qin Xiang nodded and smiled at him, "I see. Then Third Brother will live here from now on. With you intimidating him, he will definitely not dare to do anything wrong."
To mess with someone who is too old is to seek death. Qin Yang is not a person with a good temper.
Cheng Gang, who was working, noticed someone was looking at him, so he couldn't help but look back, and met Qin Yang's eyes, which seemed to be smiling but not smiling. Cheng Gang was so scared that he quickly looked away and continued to work. Because of this pause, he was scolded by Mrs. Liu again.
Cheng Gang was angry but dared not say anything. The old lady had said yesterday that if he was not paid enough and the work was not done well, he would be asked to go in and operate the sewing machine. This made him very annoyed. He looked at Old Lady Liu hatefully, and Old Lady Liu scolded him again.
"You're so young and yet you're not a good person. You're a scumbag. Stay away from my yard. You've got a criminal record at the Public Security Bureau."
"I've watched you grow up, and I know exactly what kind of person you are. I'll always keep an eye on you from now on, so don't try to do anything bad to you again."
The bloodstains on the wall were smeared, and to be honest, the walls in the room didn't look very nice.
But that's how it is these days. After Old Lady Liu chased Cheng Gang away, she said to Qin Xiang, "Wait until I get some newspaper to paste it up. You've also suffered a loss in this matter. I'll make things smooth, and I guarantee they won't dare to bully you again in the future."
Qin Xiang looked at the old lady and knew that she was not someone who would suffer any loss. She nodded immediately and said, "Thank you, Aunt Liu."
Old Mrs. Liu nodded and walked away with dignity. Not long after, she heard the sounds of quarreling and a woman crying coming from next door.
But the crying didn't seem to come from Old Lady Liu, so Qin Xiang didn't go over. Qin Yang couldn't help but laugh, "This old lady is actually quite capable."
Qin Xiang actually thought this was a good idea. In this day and age, honest people are easily bullied.
After the fifth day of the first lunar month, Qin Xiang pressed for information about going south. Seeing her anxious, Qin Yang went out a few times and came back saying, "I've arranged some work for you in the northwest this time."
Qin Xiang felt regretful after he finished speaking, and then Qin Yang laughed, "But someone happened to be going to Hangzhou. I've applied for it, and I'll take you with me when I go."
Qin Xiang's heart suddenly rose again. Knowing that her third brother was teasing her, she couldn't help but laugh and said, "Third brother, you are doing this on purpose. Hangzhou is also developing well. Although it can't compare to the economic prosperity of Guangzhou, which is close to the port city, the small commodity market is also good."
"I'm just kidding. I also asked around. Hangzhou is developing very well and it's convenient for wholesale. A lot of new things are brought over from Guangzhou." Qin Yang's expression softened when he smiled, and he didn't look so scary anymore.
Qin Xiang could actually understand Third Brother. He wasn't a regular employee of the transport team; to put it bluntly, he was just an extra hired by the team to take breaks from the drivers and act as a thug to prevent robberies. So Third Brother was used to looking at people with that sinister expression, but in reality, he was the softest of hearts.
Qin Xiang said seriously, "Third brother, let's discuss something."
Qin Yang nodded, "You go ahead."
Qin Xiang: "If I can make money by reselling goods in Yangcheng, you should stop doing this and work with me."
Although her capital was only six or seven hundred yuan, she was ambitious and had a strong desire to start a business and make a fortune. However, her power alone was too limited. In this era, there were both opportunities and dangers. Not to mention other things, the journey was full of dangers. As a young and beautiful woman, she was even more attractive to some bad guys when she went out.
The third brother is bold and capable, but perhaps lacks the ambition to make a fortune. Wouldn't it be perfect for the two brothers and sisters to be together?
As for if my third brother gets married and wants to go it alone in the future, that’s no problem either. By then, the business may have been on track and she may have employees, so there’s no need to worry about this issue.
Her invitation was sincere, but Qin Yang didn't take it seriously. "You should make some money first."
But Qin Xiang refused to let him go. She pulled him aside and told him straight out, "Third brother, just agree to this. Otherwise, do you think you can let me run back and forth alone? I heard that taking the train isn't safe either. There are thieves, human traffickers, and even robberies."
Qin Yang knew exactly whether this was true or not. If it weren't for those bad guys, he wouldn't have been able to get this job. Now his sister had made it clear that she wanted to start a business and even brought up the issue, hoping to drag him along.
Qin Yang looked at his serious sister and rubbed her head with his hand. "Girl, you actually learned to scheme against your brother."
Qin Xiang acquiesced and chuckled, "So do you agree or not?"
Qin Yang said, "When you make money, tell me confidently."
Qin Xiang raised an eyebrow, "Then Third Brother, you should always be prepared."
Things have been decided. We will leave after the tenth day of the first lunar month. There are still several days left.
Qin Xiang calculated her own capital. After deducting the food, drinks and rent for the past two days, she still had 670 yuan in her hand. Although she saved money on the ticket to Guangzhou, she had to buy a pack of cigarettes for her third brother's colleague and also had to set aside money for accommodation and meals. With this calculation, the money she could use to buy goods was probably no more than 600 yuan.
The purchasing power of six hundred yuan is huge in the countryside or even in a county town.
But when you go to the south to trade goods, six hundred yuan is really not a big deal. Even if you only buy shirts, you can't buy a hundred. It's a loss to travel so far just to buy such a few things.
So Qin Xiang asked his third brother if he wanted to form a partnership with him, invest in the business and share the profits after the sale. Qin Yang thought about it and realized that his sister was short of money, so he gave her three hundred yuan and said, "You can use it, and you can join the partnership."
Qin Xiang said quietly, "Third brother, you don't believe me."
"That's not the case," Qin Yang said. "I don't know how to trade. You'll have to sell it if I get it back. If I share the profits, I'd be taking advantage of you. That's it."
This was all Qin Yang's belongings. He had enjoyed the glory of being a long-distance driver, but making money wasn't easy. He'd earned these three hundred yuan over several years selling cigarettes. Qin Xiang understood what Third Brother meant and nodded, accepting the money. "Third Brother, thank you. I'll write you an IOU with interest."
When Qin Yang heard that she wanted to write an IOU, he became unhappy and said, "Come on, why would siblings write an IOU?"
But Qin Xiang insisted on writing the IOU clearly, saying, "Brothers should settle accounts clearly."
That afternoon, Qin Yang suggested that they could ask their second brother Qin Hai. His second brother always had different ideas from normal people, and he might be willing to invest.
The brother and sister saw that it was 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 county food factory. His second sister-in-law Huang Xiufen and her parents were also workers in the food factory. Huang Xiufen's parents only had her as their only daughter, so after much deliberation, they decided to take a fancy to Qin Hai.
One reason is that Qin Hai has many sons, and the other is that he likes Qin Hai because he is a down-to-earth and capable person.
Huang Xiufen was a rather quiet person with a pretty appearance. After Qin Hai thought about it, they 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 and even persuaded Qin Baotian and his wife to change their minds. The family lived very comfortably in the county town.
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 apartment, which was much better than what most people lived in.
When Qin Xiang and Qin Yang went upstairs, there were many people cooking in the corridor. When they saw them coming up, someone shouted, "Xiu Fen, your sister-in-law and brother-in-law are here."
After calling out to her, the sister-in-law smiled and asked, "Xiao Qin, your partner is just a college student, right?"
Qin Xiang smiled and said, "The ex-boyfriend is."
"ah?"
Qin Xiang didn't explain and walked with her second brother all the way to the door of Qin Hai's house. Huang Xiufen had already stood up and said with a smile, "Come in and warm up. Your second brother is back too."
After that, he whispered, "Don't pay attention to them. They don't have any bad intentions, they just like to pry into things."
Qin Xiang nodded, "I understand."
The brother and sister went into the house. Huang Xiufen was busy cooking again. She took a look 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 living in a county town. Although everyone is not rich yet, some small vendors have already appeared, and it is convenient to buy ready-made meals.
When Qin Xiang and Qin Yang entered the house, they saw Qin Hai sitting on a chair listening to the radio. He was not surprised to see them. "Come to the county to find a house? If you can't find one, come and stay with me first. Let Qin Bao sleep with us, and you can just take Qin Lan to sleep."
The one-bedroom apartment was divided into two sleeping rooms. Originally, the two children lived in one room, so if Qin Xiang came to live there, it would be enough space.
Qin Xiang shook her head. "Second brother, I've already found a house. Third brother and I have already lived there for several days."
As she spoke, she mentioned the location. Qin Hai was surprised and said, "The location is not bad, and the price is cheap."
He paused, "Will there be any problem?"
Qin Yang and Qin Xiang looked at each other and felt that their second brother was smart, so they told him what happened in the past few days.
Even though it had been several days since the incident and the house had been cleaned up, Qin Hai still frowned when he heard it. "It's really not safe for a girl like you to live here."
Qin Xiang glanced at the third brother and said, "Isn't this just asking the third brother to live with us?"
"He can't stay at home all day." Qin Hai said, "Forget it, let's do it this way for now. There's a crackdown going on outside, so I guess no one would dare to cause trouble at this time."
Qin Xiang nodded, "That's it."
Huang Xiufen prepared dinner in a short while, and Qin Lan also came back with Qin Bao. When she saw Qin Xiang, Qin Lan was very excited, "Aunt."
The little girl is only five years old. She is very cute and beautiful. She likes my aunt very much. When she sees my aunt coming, she sits next to her when eating.
At the dinner table, the brothers and sisters were chatting when Qin Hai suddenly asked, "Are you here for something else?"
Qin Hai has never liked to meddle in other people's business, and he doesn't interfere much in his own family affairs, but he is actually quite smart and he knew that there must be something wrong when his younger brother and sister came over.
Qin Yang didn't respond, so Qin Xiang explained her intention. "I'm going to Yangcheng to trade goods. I'm going to open the back door of that house and set up a stall to do business. But I don't have enough capital, so I wanted to ask my second brother and his wife if they're interested in joining in. When we make money, we'll split the profits according to our investment."
Qin Hai was stunned by this. Huang Xiufen said nothing and didn't get involved. Qin Hai thought for a moment and said, "I can lend you the money, but I won't get involved in business."
As the only person in the Qin family with a formal job, Qin Hai is still a little proud.
Qin Xiang also understood that people these days consider being self-employed to be unreputable, preferring the comfort of a stable job. Consequently, many people working within the government or in factories look down on being self-employed. They'd rather earn thirty or forty yuan a month than take the risk of earning thirty yuan a day.
This situation continued until the early 1990s, when a wave of layoffs hit, and large numbers of workers began to find their own jobs. My second brother and his wife were also laid off at that time and started working in a small shop.
Qin Xiang didn't force it and nodded, "Okay."
After dinner, Huang Xiufen discussed with Qin Hai and gave Qin Xiang two hundred yuan. "Since this is your first time, you should start with a steady approach. If you need more money later, we can help you get more."
As a dual-income family with two elderly people to support them, Qin Hai and his family are really able to save money.
Qin Xiang understood her second brother's concerns. Although he said that the money was a loan to her, he was actually prepared to never get it back.
In her previous life, she didn't interact much with her second brother and his wife, and their relationship was not very close, but she didn't expect that her second brother and his wife could do so much for her in this life.
Qin Xiang nodded, her voice choked with sobs, "Second brother and sister-in-law, thank you."
"That's nonsense. I don't have any sisters, 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 her sister-in-law has suffered because of her unhappy marriage.
After leaving Qin Hai's house, Qin Yang asked again, "Are you still going to Qin Juan's house?"
Thinking about her fourth sister's situation, Qin Xiang shook her head and said, "I won't go. My fourth sister's mother-in-law doesn't like her to begin with. If we go to her about this matter again, she might give us another hard time."
Qin Yang hummed. Qin Xiang thought of her fourth sister's tragedy in her previous life, hesitated for a moment and said to Qin Yang, "Third brother, why don't we go visit my fourth sister tomorrow? At least let people know that she has her family's support."
On the second day of the Lunar New Year, married girls usually return 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 her in-laws were worthless. Her mother-in-law looked down on country people and was unwilling to let Qin Juan go back.
Qin Yang was also unhappy, so he nodded and said, "Then let's go and take a look tomorrow."
Qin Xiang couldn't help but sigh, and kept thinking about her fourth sister when she went to bed at night.
The Qin family has five siblings. Qin Jun is a selfish and worthless person, while the remaining four were raised and educated by Qin Xiang's grandmother. Even children raised by the same person can have different temperaments. Qin Xiang is straightforward, Qin Hai is intelligent and calculating, and Qin Yang is even more daring. Only Qin Juan has always been soft-hearted.
This soft-hearted girl met a man named Zhao Qianjin while traveling to the county and was determined to marry him. Her father initially disagreed, thinking that workers in the county were too picky and wouldn't be a good match. However, her mother thought he was a decent guy, at least a worker, and that marrying him wouldn't be a disadvantage. Later, Qin Juan insisted on marrying, and so she did.
But that was not the case at all. The Zhao family was indeed not a good group of people. They became even more hateful after Qin Juan gave birth to a daughter, 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 incident, the family beat and scolded Qin Juan, and her life was extremely difficult.
When their grandmother was leaving, she looked at her brothers and sisters, and when her eyes fell on Qin Juan, she was 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 was finally taking off, he suddenly received bad news from home. It was said that Qin Juan accidentally fell down the stairs while arguing with her mother-in-law, and her head hit the corner, and she died.
The old man sent off the young man, and even though her mother was patriarchal, she cried her heart out and regretted letting Qin Juan get married.
Now that she had a chance to do it again, Qin Xiang couldn't help but wonder, if she could get a divorce, could her fourth sister get one? And would she be willing to get one?
Finally falling asleep in the middle of the night, Qin Xiang saw Qin Juan with blood on her forehead in her dream, 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 woke up with a splitting headache. After breakfast, she hurriedly called Qin Yang to go to Qin Juan's house.
However, when they got there, they found the Zhao family's door locked. The neighbor next door didn't know anything when they asked, "The whole family left early in the morning. I don't know where they went."
Qin Xiang felt regretful. She came back in the afternoon but still couldn't see anyone.
Qin Xiang was a little anxious, but the next day was the tenth day of the first lunar month, and Qin Yang's truck was about to set off, so Qin Xiang could only suppress her anxiety and prepare for the trip.
Early in the morning on the eleventh day of the Lunar New Year, Qin Xiang simply packed her luggage and followed Qin Yang onto a truck heading south.
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