Shu Yan and Zhang Huaxiu returned to her home. Both children were already asleep. Shu Yan wanted to take the two children back with her, but Wu Xiuyue stopped her.
"What are you doing? Let Xiuxiu and her brother take you home."
She had a lot of things to do at home, so it wasn't appropriate for Zhang Huafeng to take Shuyan there. With Xiuxiu included, there wasn't much to do.
“Yes, I’ll carry Jingjing. Xiuxiu, you hold the flashlight behind us.” Zhang Huafeng skillfully picked up Jingjing, clearly someone who often carries children.
As soon as she stepped out, she saw the door next door slam shut. Shu Yan glanced at Zhang Huaxiu.
"It must be the old lady next door. She always likes to meddle in other people's affairs. At the slightest hint of trouble, she exaggerates and spreads rumors about others." Zhang Huaxiu felt a lot of resentment when talking about this old lady.
The fact that she's still unmarried at her age is largely thanks to the old lady next door. When she was twenty-two, she had a good prospect she was getting to know. One day, on her way home from work, her bicycle broke down. A colleague from the factory helped fix it, and the next day, rumors spread that she was promiscuous and having an affair with a married man. As a result, the man she was seeing gradually distanced himself from her.
So, Zhang Ma took a kitchen knife and made a scene at the old lady's house. Only then did the people in the factory and the yard realize that the old lady was just making things up. But so what? The man was already engaged under his parents' arrangement.
Zhang Huaxiu didn't hate the old lady. It's better to see someone clearly before marriage. If it happens after marriage, it will be even more painful. She didn't hate her, but she disliked that kind of person. Like this time, when she bought out her seniority, the old lady went around saying that she had made a mistake and was fired. Zhang's mother argued with her about this again. Why did Wu Xiuyue want to move so much? The house was small, and another reason was the old lady next door. She didn't dare to speak even slightly loudly, otherwise she would be accused of fighting with her husband.
Tianbao was sleeping like a little pig. Jingjing woke up halfway and was startled when she saw Zhang Huafeng. She felt better when she turned around and saw Shuyan.
"Mother."
"You're awake. Now get down and walk by yourself."
"It's alright, we're almost there. I'll carry her." Zhang Huafeng felt that the little girl in his arms was very light, probably not even half the weight of his son.
When they arrived at their doorstep, Shu Yan politely invited them to come in and sit down, but Zhang Huafeng and Zhang Huaxiu politely declined.
"Then I won't see you off, thank you." Shu Yan watched them leave, holding Tianbao in her arms.
The three women entered the house. Shu Yan told Jing Jing to take a shower first, and since Tian Bao was asleep, she would leave him alone. She helped him take off his shoes and told him to take a shower the next morning.
"How was your day at Zhang Chenghan's house?" Shu Yan helped her daughter dry her hair. It had grown a lot and was in much better condition than hers. It was a bit stiff, and when it dried, it stood straight up. For now, she could only wear a hat.
"It's great. Zhang Chenghan's mom cooked a lot of dishes and kept putting meat on my brother's and my plate. His grandma said it was specially made for us." Ye Jingjing glanced back at Shu Yan, then lowered her head to continue letting her mother dry her hair.
Shu Yan frowned. Perhaps these words were unintentional, or perhaps they were deliberately said to the child so that she would repeat them to her when she got back. Zhang Chenghan's grandmother... she's a bit petty!
"Mom is quite busy these days. In four or five days, after the store's event is over, Mom will be able to pick you up from school by herself. Keep an eye on your little brother at Zhang Chenghan's house these few days, and don't let him be too naughty." After all, you're at someone else's house, and if he's too naughty, they'll definitely dislike you.
“My little brother is very well-behaved.” Ye Jingjing looked at her mother. “My little brother is really well-behaved.”
Shu Yan was taken aback. She had been busy lately and hadn't been able to take good care of the two children. Thinking back, Tianbao had indeed been very well-behaved recently. She wasn't picky about food, didn't cry, and was always either asleep or playing quietly at home when she came home.
Shu Yan used to get annoyed by her child's naughtiness and wanted him to be more sensible. Now that he's suddenly so well-behaved, she feels a little uneasy.
Despite being physically exhausted, her mind was incredibly clear. Was she really taking her two children to Nancheng, where she knew no one? Was she in such a hurry to start a business?
Leaving the West City was the right decision; that place was a breeding ground for trouble, and staying there would only lead to more problems. Coming to the South City was also the right decision. Although she didn't know anyone here, at least she was familiar with the terrain; otherwise, going to an even more unfamiliar place would have been much more difficult. As for starting a business? It seems she was a bit too hasty.
The money on hand is not a small amount. It's better to wait until the house is renovated, settle down, and the child is older or a reliable nanny is found before starting a business.
Now that the clothing store is open, and we've put in so much effort, closing it down is definitely not an option. We can only try to find a way to take care of our children while running the business.
She fell asleep without realizing it. Early in the morning, Shu Yan bought breakfast for the two children and then made lunch for her daughter.
"Mom, I can eat at the noodle shop next to the school. Their noodles are especially delicious."
"What, is it even better than Mom's cooking?" Shu Yan asked deliberately.
“They’re all delicious, so you don’t have to go through all that trouble. I can eat there just as well,” Ye Jingjing said sensibly.
So it was because she was worried about her getting tired. Shu Yan's lips unconsciously curled up. "Don't worry, Mom isn't tired. Eat up, and I'll take you to school after you finish."
After dropping off the two children, Shu Yan rushed to the store. Zhang Huaxiu and Yingying were already tidying up, and two temporary workers who had arrived earlier were helping out.
"Boss lady, some clothes are out of stock," Zhang Huaxiu said as she ran over after finishing tidying up the warehouse.
The clothes she mentioned were all ones that Shu Yan managed to snag through a flash sale. Shu Yan had quite a few, but with the recent promotion, the clothes were selling out quickly. She checked the warehouse, and while everything seemed fine today, they might not last until tomorrow.
"I understand." Shu Yan went to a public phone and called the driver, but unfortunately the car had already been booked by someone else and there were no extra seats. She then called the person she had shared a ride with that day, who said that the delivery would be in two days, but they got another driver's number from her.
Shu Yan called, and the other party was at home. They said that no one was available to hire a car today, so if Shu Yan wanted to go to Hangzhou, she would hire a car by herself.
The fare wasn't a problem, but Shu Yan had never met the other person before, and it was the middle of the night, so she was a little scared.
After thinking about it, Shu Yan simply called the shop owner in Hangzhou and asked her to send some simple and elegant new styles in addition to restocking.
"Boss lady, I get all my goods from you, so you have to give me the best ones."
"Don't worry, you're one of my big clients, why would I cheat you?" the proprietress said confidently.
I had just returned to the store when I heard a commotion coming from inside.
"What's going on?" Shu Yan pushed open the door and saw a woman standing in front of the cashier's counter cursing, surrounded by several customers watching the commotion.
"Boss, this person insists that the jeans I bought yesterday are torn." Zhang Huaxiu showed the jeans to Shu Yan.
Shu Yan took it and saw a hole the size of a little finger on the knee, which was obviously punctured with a sharp object.
"I know you. You were the one who collected the money yesterday. Come and see for yourself, the pants you sold have such a huge hole. How did you even manage to sell them?"
Shu Yan glanced at the woman. There were too many people buying clothes yesterday, so she really didn't remember her.
"Could I see the receipt? Please don't worry, we will definitely help you solve the problem no matter what. Come, sit on the sofa for a while. Xiuxiu, pour this lady a glass of water." Shuyan gently invited the woman to sit on the sofa. After chatting for a few minutes, the woman's temper subsided considerably.
I learned this trick from that property manager. Sometimes people get so angry that they can't think straight. If one party speaks softly and changes the subject, the atmosphere can be eased and the other party can gradually return to rationality.
The woman took a sip of water, and then spoke much softer.
"Yesterday I saw a lot of people buying clothes here, so I joined in and bought a pair of jeans. There were too many people and you were all busy, so I didn't try them on and went home. This morning when I tried to wear them, I found out there was such a big hole. Don't say I'm trying to scam you, it's not worth it for a pair of jeans." The woman glanced at Yingying as she spoke.
Shu Yan glanced at her as well, certain that Yingying had said something that made the woman even angrier.
"Young lady, you're just anxious. Please calm down. Since there's a problem, let's solve it. How about this, I'll get you a different one? I'll also give you a membership card, so you can get a 5% discount on your next purchase."
"Alright then, it won't break again this time, will it?" the woman said unhappily.
"Of course not. Take a look and see which one you like. We're not in a hurry now, you can go to the fitting room and try them on at your leisure." Shu Yan opened the bag and saw that the socks she had won in the raffle were also inside. It seemed that this woman really wasn't trying to scam her.
After seeing the customer off, Shu Yan looked at the torn jeans. This wasn't the shipment that arrived yesterday; it was the one that arrived last time. So it wasn't a problem with yesterday's batch. Most of the previous shipments had already been sold, and there were only a few of these left. They were all hanging on the shelf, so there must have been no problem when they were taken out. Otherwise, why would Xiu Xiu and the others have noticed that there was suddenly such a hole?
Shu Yan thought for a moment, then got up and went to the shelf to look at a few clothes. The cuffs of one of the coats were cut, and the sweater was also cut. These were the clothes that A-Le had been looking at again and again.
"Does anyone remember which clothes Ah Le rummaged through?" She's now afraid that the clothes she tore will be sold. One is fine, but too many will ruin the store's reputation.
"I didn't look closely that day." The group were all intelligent people, and when they heard Shu Yan ask this question, they knew that she suspected A Le.
"She's disgusting! How could she do something so despicable?" Yingying was furious. "Old lady, let's go find her and confront her."
Shu Yan shook her head. There was no surveillance footage, and no evidence to prove that A Le did it. She could only swallow this loss.
"So we're just going to leave it at that?" one of the temporary workers said angrily.
Of course, we can't just let it go like this. A gentleman takes revenge even after ten years. We've just opened, so it's not good to cause any trouble. Shu Yan pursed her lips. "Everyone, hurry up and organize the merchandise. The customers will be here soon. Also, if any customers come to return clothes, you should all be kind and give them a membership card. If they already have a membership card, let them choose a dress as an apology."
When Shu Yan went to buy lunch, she passed by A Le's clothing store and glanced at it. She saw A Le chatting and laughing with Zhu Hong and a few others. When they saw Shu Yan, they even waved and smiled.
Shu Yan gave her a meaningful smile, then turned and left.
"What happened? Didn't you two have a falling out?" Zhu Hong asked, glancing at Shu Yan's retreating figure.
"It wasn't exactly a falling out, it's just... oh well. By the way, Zhu Hong, you said you saw her on Fuqian Street last time?"
"Isn't it a coincidence? Shu Yan actually rented my house." Zhu Hong went back to Fuqian Street for some business during the National Day holiday. Unexpectedly, she saw Shu Yan with two children buying groceries. Her husband was also there at the time, and that's when she realized that Shu Yan had rented the old house.
"You mean she rented your house?" Ah Le's eyes darted around, and a slight smile appeared on his lips.
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