When the two sisters arrived at the school gate, they glanced at the place where their mother usually picked them up. There was a brand-new car parked there, but they didn't see their mother. The two sisters weren't disappointed, and they were about to hold hands and go home together when they saw the car window roll down. It was their mother! The two siblings excitedly ran forward, a bold idea forming in their minds.
Xia Liang was too conspicuous waiting outside, so she sat in her car to wait for her children to get out of school. Seeing her two daughters running towards her, she rolled down the window to let them see her. Xia Rong, sitting in the back, also saw her nieces and quickly opened the car door for them to get in. Although curious, the first thing the two sisters did after getting in was to greet their elders: "Hello, Uncle! Hello, Uncle Ji!" Xia Rong nodded with a smile, and Ji Xiao warmly said, "Hello, my two nieces!" After the greetings, Xiao Yuanzhi asked her mother curiously, "Mommy, is this our car?" Xia Liang smiled and glanced at the rearview mirror: "Yes, sweetheart, this is a new car Mommy just picked up today. From now on, if you want to go out and play, Mommy can drive you." The little girl was overjoyed, thinking her mother was really amazing, even able to drive a car, while none of her classmates' mothers could.
Xia Liang took a few people for a drive before returning home. As soon as she parked the car, the elderly folks in the alley poked their heads out, curious to see who was so wealthy as to afford a car. When they saw it was Xia Liang and her friends, they pursed their lips but said nothing. What Xia Liang didn't know was that in the eyes of these neighbors, her reputation was already ruined. However, she disliked socializing, and those people didn't dare to speak ill of her in person, so she remained unaware.
With a car, things are much more convenient for Xia Liang. At least it's much easier and faster to pick up the account books from the store every month. Before, when she rode her bicycle, she had to carry a big bag, put the account books in it, and hang it on the handlebars, which took a long time. Now it's different. With the car, the account books are on the passenger seat, so even if it rains, it doesn't matter.
After checking the accounts at the first few shops, Xia Liang took the ledger and left. When she reached the furthest shop, the saleswoman was a little surprised to see her, but still greeted her warmly, "Boss, you're here to check the accounts?" Xia Liang nodded without saying much, simply gesturing for her to bring the ledger. The saleswoman at this shop was named Zhang Ting. When the main store was short-staffed, her partner had been transferred. Since her shop was the furthest away, and her sales weren't as good as the other shops, Xia Liang offered to find her a partner, but she refused, saying she had a heavy family burden and could earn more for her family by working harder. Xia Liang only told her not to affect the shop's business, and the young woman insisted she absolutely wouldn't. In the end, this was the only shop run by a single person. But the young woman did indeed do a good job; the sales didn't drop at all, so Xia Liang didn't say anything more.
Xia Liang flipped through a few pages and closed the ledger. She looked up at Zhang Ting and asked, "How's business at the store lately?" The girl swallowed nervously, then forced herself to remain calm and said, "Business hasn't been very good lately. It's been much worse since after the New Year." Xia Liang glanced at her indifferently and asked, "Is that so?" Zhang Ting nodded stiffly and said, "Yes, business has been bad since after the New Year."
Xia Liang got up and walked around the warehouse, then casually flipped through the ledger again. After about ten minutes, the young woman couldn't take the pressure anymore and said, "Boss, let me get you a glass of water." Xia Liang put down the ledger and said, "No need. Tell me how much money you've embezzled during this time!" Zhang Ting took a step back in fright, her hands clenched tightly: "Boss, look, I've clearly recorded everything in the ledger! How could I dare to secretly embezzle!"
Seeing that she still dared to argue at this point, Xia Liang was furious. He slammed the ledger on the table and said, "I arranged for the goods to be delivered to each store, and I know exactly how much stock each store's warehouse can hold. The goods in your store's warehouse don't match the ledger or the money you handed over. Now confess honestly, and I'll let you off the hook. Otherwise, I don't mind sending you straight to the police station and seeing how long you can get a sentence." Upon hearing that she was going to the police station, Zhang Ting was so frightened that she immediately knelt down in front of Xia Liang, hugging his leg and saying, "Boss, I'll confess, I'll confess everything."
The story begins around the Lunar New Year. Xia Liang gave all employees a holiday and a generous year-end bonus, hoping they could all have a happy and joyous New Year. Zhang Ting returned home with this substantial bonus, and that very evening her mother saw her. Her mother's previously lukewarm attitude towards her suddenly warmed up, and she took Zhang Ting's hand affectionately, asking, "Tingzi! What have you been doing all this time? Are you tired? Sit down, Mom will make you some sweet soup." Zhang Ting had never received such treatment at home, and sweet soup was something she was never offered. She was quite flattered.
After staying at home for a few days, the sisters-in-law noticed that Zhang Ting was different. Not only was her skin much better than before, but she was also very generous, giving her son pocket money in large amounts. The sisters-in-law couldn't help but wonder, and after discussing it, they went to their mother-in-law to find out what Zhang Ting did outside. If making money outside was so easy, they wanted to go with her.
On the night of the New Year's Eve dinner, the whole family squeezed around one table. Zhang Ting, who wasn't normally entitled to sit at the table, was pulled to sit next to her by her mother, who kept piling food onto her plate and adding rice to her bowl, which touched Zhang Ting deeply. When her mother asked her what was going on, she told her everything that had happened in Beijing over the past six months. After learning that she had been running the shop alone, her mother scolded her for being foolish: "Why didn't you just secretly put the money away? The boss could never find out about so much money." At first, Zhang Ting didn't think it was right. After all, the boss had given them jobs and found them a place to live; it seemed too ungrateful to do this. But eventually, with the encouragement of her sisters-in-law, Zhang Ting gradually changed her mind. She felt that Xia Liang might really not find out, considering how many shops and factories she ran. Normally, Xia Liang would come to collect the sales figures every day, but in the last few months of the year, he would only come once a month.
When she returned to work after the New Year, she was initially hesitant and didn't dare to start. However, seeing that Xia Liang was still the same as before, rarely coming to the store, she thought of secretly taking a little bit, thinking that Xia Liang wouldn't notice.
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