CHAPTER 40

Seeing that the goods were almost ordered, they prepared to return. On the train platform, the two familiar faces were seen again in the afterglow of the setting sun. They came from the consignment side. Murong Danling walked slowly; her face was pale and sick, as if she had just had a serious illness.

The two carriages were next to each other, and Murong Danling saw them when they were queuing. The woman looked pale and tired, but the moment she saw Li Xia, she immediately stood up like a hedgehog with spikes all over her body, raised her head and chest, and looked like a victorious rooster.

Li Xia turned her head and ignored her. Soon the train came over, the attendant opened the door of the carriage, and everyone began to board the train in an orderly manner. Because it was the starting station, there was plenty of time, and there was no problem of not being able to get on the train, so this station was the least crowded and the most harmonious.

They had been sitting in hard seats for several days, but this time they didn’t get a seat under the seat. There were a lot of people on the return trip, and the carriage was packed with people. If you wanted to go to the toilet, you had to follow the cart selling cigarettes, beer, and drinks. Li Xia bought three seats in the dining car, and this time the three of them could sit comfortably and drink tea and chat.

“A female passenger in carriage No. 10 has fainted. If there is a doctor on board, please rush to carriage No. 10 to rescue her.”

Li Xia went to get some water when the announcement came over the radio. The dining car was in carriage number nine, and next to it was carriage number ten. Sure enough, there was a lot of noise over there, and she seemed to hear Zhang Qiuhua’s voice faintly.

The incident was very close to the water-receiving area where she was. The water was not turned on yet. She squeezed over while waiting and stood on tiptoe to look inside. At this time, a doctor heard the broadcast and rushed over. Everyone made way for a passage, and Li Xia saw that it was Murong Danling lying on the three-person chair.

She was lying quietly on the chair with no blood on her face, and her pants were all red. The doctor came over to check on her, and Zhang Qiuhua, who was holding her body, told the doctor about the situation.

“She had a miscarriage three days ago and had a curettage in the hospital.”

The doctor looked up at the passengers and said, “If you have any sheets, please take them out to cover her. Thank you.”

Some passengers actually brought these things with them, and they immediately went to get them. Under the coordination of the flight attendants and the police, a small, independent space was separated with sheets.

After the examination, it was found that the uterine bleeding was caused by overwork after miscarriage, and this situation could not be treated on the train. Soon the train arrived at the station, which was a small town. With the help of the staff, Zhang Qiuhua took Murong Danling off the train and sought medical treatment nearby.

Li Xia and the others continued to sit, waiting to get off the train. She and Xiao Liu both had swollen lower limbs, but Han Jun’s physical condition was not serious. The three of them stood on the platform and slowly moved their limbs, while some female passengers walked out of the station quickly, probably because they couldn’t hold it in any longer.

“Let’s go; let’s find a toilet first.”

Not only did she hold it in for almost a day, she also didn’t eat much that day because the environment really made her lose her appetite. She went to the toilet to solve her personal problem, and after coming out, Li Xia generously took a taxi home. There are many three-wheeled taxis in the provincial capital this year, and everyone calls this kind of car a three-wheeled taxi.

“Sister, let’s go to the bathhouse and take a bath.”

The train ride was so long, and just thinking about the environment on the train made them feel itchy all over. Everyone was working hard to make money. It was not easy to buy a sleeper berth during this period, especially for people like them who were in a hurry to sell goods. They often had hard seats. After such a long round trip, a few people’s legs were not swollen.

“Wash your hands and face before eating, or you’ll pass out in the bathhouse.”

When the three of them got home, Qin Mu quickly arranged to pour them some water, some for drinking and some for washing. Han Jun took off his outer shirt and hung it on the rope in the yard.

“Wife, go and make some food quickly. We have been hungry all day.”

“Okay.” The woman said, pulling off her apron and tying it on. “Why didn’t you eat all day? You forgot to bring some dry food along the way. There should be some for sale on the train. Even if it’s more expensive, don’t go hungry all the time.”

“Don’t mention it.”

Seeing his wife, Han Jun also started to complain. In fact, there were too many people on this train. There was no water in the second half of the trip, and the bathroom was inaccessible. He didn’t want to eat, even if he had food. He ate a bowl of rice, while Li Xia and Xiao Liu didn’t finish their meals even with the windows open.

“I’m so hungry that I want to die. The rolled noodles you make, sister-in-law, are so delicious.” Xiao Liu is very slim and usually a bit picky about food, but today she thinks ordinary noodles are better than a full banquet.

“Hmm. These noodles are really delicious.” Li Xia also put down her bowl.

“Wife, another half bowl.”

Han Jun used the largest bowl of noodles, and the grown man still felt unfull after finishing his meal. Qin Mu scooped up another bowl with her chopsticks, met his dissatisfied gaze, and began to explain.

“Don’t eat too much at once. I’ll make it for you in the evening.”

Well, that’s the truth. Li Xia and Xiao Liu stopped eating, put down their bowls, stood up, and walked around, then packed up their things and went to the bathhouse together.

After eating and drinking, they took a bath and felt like they had stretched their muscles and bones. They felt alive when they got home in the evening. The three children came to greet Li Xia after school and heard that their mother had worked hard all the way and did not want any gifts. Huihua pointed to the bed and asked her mother to lie down.

“Let me massage your legs.”

“I’ll give it to mom too.”

“And I.”

The children rushed to give their mother a massage, and in the end, this job was snatched by Shen Haiyang. “Hurry up and do your homework, and then practice the piano. Otherwise, you are not allowed to watch TV tonight.”

The kids all left, leaving the couple alone in the house. “The shop was completed yesterday and can be renovated. How do you want to do it? How about I go over with you tomorrow to take a look?”

“Okay, I’ll take a look first, and then decide.” She turned her head and said, “Where’s Shen Yaozong? Has he done anything weird recently?”

“Everything is normal. I didn’t hear anything.”

“Oh, by the way. I met Murong Danling on the road. She had a miscarriage and was bleeding heavily on the train. She was sent to F City Hospital. Do you think I should tell Huihui about this?”

“Is she safe?”

“I have no idea.”

“Wait a minute; I’ll find out what’s going on.”

While the couple was busy renovating their shop, they inquired about Murong Danling. Later, they learned that she was rescued and returned to the provincial capital after staying in the city hospital for a few days. They heard that her uterus had been removed and she would never be able to get pregnant again.

“Huihui, Shen Hui,”

The couple just said that since everything was fine, they shouldn’t tell the child. Shen Hui was a thoughtful child, and he might feel bad if he knew. They didn’t plan to tell him, but someone kept disturbing them. The one who came to call Shen Hui was his grandmother. The elderly woman walked straight in from the front door with a cane. She was so unsteady that they didn’t dare to stop her, for fear that she would fall to the ground accidentally.

Shen Hui came out of the house when he heard the shouting. The old woman quickened her pace when she saw him. “Hui, did you know that your mother almost died? Why didn’t you say you would go see her? She missed you so much.”

Shen Hui was a little confused and subconsciously turned back to look at his father. Shen Haiyang told his son about the matter. His tone and expression indicated that it was up to you. If you want to see your mother, go ahead, and I won’t stop you.

“Let’s go and see your mother with grandma.”

“I’m not going. Since she’s fine now, just let her take good care of herself.”

Shen Hui broke free from the old woman’s hand, and the old woman pointed at his trembling arm. “You are such a heartless little bastard; that’s your biological mother. You didn’t even go to see her when she was in such big trouble; do you still have your mother in your heart?”

“She asked you to come to me.”

The child still remembered the last time Murong Danling wanted to beat him; her eyes were bloodshot as if he were an enemy. What was wrong with this woman? If she hated him, didn’t like him, or even hated him, then why did she come to him?

“Whether she said it or not, as a son, you should go see her.”

“I won’t go.” He refused categorically, then turned back to the house, muttering to himself quietly, “As long as she is fine, I hope she is fine.”

The old lady wanted to pull him back, but unfortunately, she failed. She turned around and wanted to say something to Shen Haiyang, but Shen Haiyang also turned around and went into the house. Both the father and son ignored her, and she was so angry that she yelled a few words in the yard before her eldest daughter came in and helped her walk away.

Shen Hui smiled softly after learning that Murong Danling could no longer have children. “No wonder you thought of me again.”

Is it because of this? No, in fact, Murong Danling never said she wanted to see him. All this was just the old woman’s own idea. Her daughter couldn’t have children anymore, and she only had Shen Hui in her life. Things were different now, and she felt that her daughter should get closer to her son.

Li Xia was busy decorating her shop, and several shops next to each other on the same floor agreed to do the decoration together. At that time, decoration was not that complicated. It was just a simple matter of painting the walls, laying the floor, connecting the electricity, putting up the shelves and samples, and then opening the shop.

The warehouses of the shops are reserved for the malls, and private ones have to find their own. Li Xia considered it for a long time and decided to rent a reverse house close to the street. It’s just a warehouse; the most important thing is that it is dry and convenient for transportation. This reverse house is not easy to live in because it is in the shade, but it is definitely convenient for storing things. You just need to open a door from the street side.

She rode her bike around the area, thinking the closer, the better. Finally, she found a house with six rooms in a row. Outside was a street, which was quite wide. Not only tricycles but also trucks could enter. But they didn’t want to rent it; they wanted to sell it.

“I’m going abroad, so I’ll clean up this house all at once.”

If it had been two months ago, she would have bought it without even having to spend money. But after she went south to place a large order, she had to decorate the shop and order shelves when she came back, so she didn’t have enough money to buy the house.

“Let me consider it.”

“As soon as possible, there have been several people asking about this house in the past few days.”

“Okay, I’ll do it as soon as possible.”

Everyone is looking for a warehouse; the competition is really fierce. But most people are probably like her; where do they get so much liquidity? She will go home and see where to get the best money.

Riding her bike towards the main road, she met Murong Danling selling goods at the end of the path. It has been less than a month since her miscarriage; why is she so eager to come out to work? Making money is important, but health is more important. Her body is blocking the view of what she is selling, but she had bought goods with Zhang Qiuhua before, and the goods she bought are very intriguing.

The man was talking to a customer, and when he saw her, he quickly put his things away. At this moment, a voice called out, “The police are coming,” and she ran away quickly with her bag. Her speed was almost as fast as that of a sprinter. She disappeared on the street in the blink of an eye.

Why can’t you do some honest business? This kind of thing can make a lot of money, but you really have to worry about going bankrupt one day.

She rode her bike home, and Murong Danling gritted her teeth in hatred, thinking that she was the one who reported her. When she told Zhang Qiuhua about it, Zhang Qiuhua thought it was not the case.

“For this kind of thing, we need to search for the stuff. Our stuff is all in a secret place. The two things you have with you, if you are caught, you can say you brought them for a friend. Li Xia is not that stupid. Reporting this won’t catch us, and it won’t benefit her. She won’t do something that won’t hurt anyone and won’t benefit herself.”

“You shouldn’t have contacted her in the first place; otherwise, she wouldn’t know anything about us. What if she reports us under her real name? If the police target us, we’ll be exposed sooner or later.”

“Let’s buy some fabrics and sell them, or borrow someone else’s stall to sell fabrics and hide them from others. The most important thing is to hide it from Li Xia so that we don’t have to worry about her reporting us.”

“OK.”

Li Xia rode her bike home. She didn’t tell the police that she knew Murong Danling. She didn’t know what she was doing, so she couldn’t make random guesses. It was the police’s job to crack down on illegal activities, and they had already taken action.

“It’s coming all together.”

“What are you talking about?” Shen Haiyang came in from outside.

“I went to rent a warehouse, but the other party wanted to sell it. I couldn’t come up with so much money all at once, so I was thinking about where to get some money from.”

Shen Haiyang smiled and took out a remittance slip from his bag. “The rent from Beijing has been sent all at once. How much is left after adding this? We’ll find a way.”

Li Xia took it and looked at it, then happily lowered her head and kissed the remittance slip. “It’s a timely relief, and with these, it won’t be much of a difference.”

Shen Haiyang came closer and pointed at his cheek. “Shouldn’t you kiss it?”

Li Xia turned her head and glanced out the window. Before she could look back, he kissed her on the cheek. The past two years of business had been hard, but she had bought good skin care products, so her skin was well protected. It was smooth and tender, with a faint fragrance.

The couple looked at each other and smiled embarrassedly. Li Xia added her own money and the rent together and found that she was still a little short of the amount. It was not worth asking the old man for such a small amount of money. She was very principled and did not embezzle the project funds. She thought of other ways to solve the problem.

“Oh, I saw Murong Danling today. When the police came, she disappeared in the blink of an eye.”

“This person…” Shen Haiyang shook his head and said, “Her courage is not the same as your courage. Forget it; I don’t know what to say about her.”

The couple was wondering if Murong Danling was doing anything illegal, and within two days they ran into her and Zhang Qiuhua selling fabrics at a stall. Li Xia suddenly felt that she was overthinking, so she rode her bike past quickly, no longer thinking about whether the goods were parallel imports or not.

Riding a bicycle to the old house, the two tenants came to give rent, which had been overdue for a week. This time they were asked to pay six months at a time, and the two tenants were immediately unhappy. The couple living in the east room came out of the house, and the woman began to cry poor to Li Xia.

“Sister-in-law, don’t you think half a year is too much? Since I gave birth to a child, my family’s expenses have increased. Raising a child is really expensive. My in-laws and my own family don’t give me any money. Life is hard, and I really don’t have any savings. I’m thinking of borrowing some money from my colleagues for three months’ rent; otherwise, there won’t be enough for my family.”

“Yeah, raising a child is really expensive. I wanted to give you more time, but you’re giving me another half year. That’s too much.”

Liu Biao’s wife was not happy either. Every time she paid the rent, she said she would wait. Every time it happened, Li Xia was immediately annoyed. The deposit was one-third of the rent, and every time she collected the rent, she was pushed back, and sometimes she had to come several times. Liu Biao was strong and always said he would wait for the salary, and the family in the east room always cried poor. Anyway, they would not pay it all at once, so she had to make more trips and wait for a while.

“The rent will not increase. It’s just a six-month advance rent. This saves a lot of trouble. If you are willing to pay, then continue to live here. If you are not willing to pay, then move out, and I will find new tenants.”

Liu Biao came out of the house and said, “We are living here well. Why do you say we can’t live here?”

“Oh, why? Because I am the owner of this house.”

“It’s my house; you have lived in it for two years, and you think it belongs to you? You keep making excuses for paying the rent, and I have to go ten times to ask you about it. You even have the nerve to ask me why. If my house is demolished one day, do you still think you should get the demolition fee or get a house? Otherwise, where are you going to live in the future?

“You…” The young wife in the ear room was a little angry.

“It’s fine if you don’t want to pay. You’re already a week overdue. I’ll give you five more days to move out.”

“We’ve been living here for such a long time; how can we just move out when you say so?” Liu Biao started to act tough again.

“Then I’ll call the police. I just can’t believe it. In a society ruled by law, I can’t make the decision about my own house.”

Li Xia did what she said, and she didn’t waste time talking to him. She rode her bike to the police station to report the incident. The police officer who answered the call knew Han Jun, and he followed her to the yard without saying a word.

“No problem; it’s their house, and they have the final say. If they tell you to move out, then move out. Otherwise, you will be charged with trespassing on other people’s property. I’ll detain you for a few days first, and we’ll talk later.”

My God, it turns out this is really illegal. This time Liu Biao was no longer stubborn; he handed a cigarette to the police officer, Xiao Liu, nodded and bowed, and began to speak nicely.

“It’s just that I don’t have money right now. I didn’t say I wouldn’t pay it.”

“No, I won’t rent this house anymore. I’m not unreasonable. I’ll give you five more days to move out. I’ll come and take possession of the house after five days.”

Every time she asks them to pay, they make excuses. Is it really the case that the one who owes the debt is the grandfather, and the one who asks for the debt is the grandson? It’s obviously you who should pay me the rent, but every time I am treated like a beggar, I have to say nice things to you again and again.

“No, Li Xia, you… We used to live in the same courtyard as our neighbors; don’t go too far.”

“I went too far.” Li Xia looked at Liu Biao. “It’s my house, and I have the final say. How could I have gone too far?”

“Where do we live then?”

“I don’t care where you live. That’s your business. It has nothing to do with me.”

“I… Officer Liu, we’ve lived in this house for two years; can you just kick us out?”

“What else can I do? This is someone else’s house. Whether you live here for two years or ten years, it is still someone else’s house. They can make the decision themselves.”

“Okay, I’ll move.”

Liu Biao got angry and told the police officer to leave. After the police officer left, he grabbed Li Xia, who was about to ride away.

“I’m telling you, if you don’t make life easy for me, I won’t make life easy for you either. Even if I move out of this house, I won’t let anyone else live in it.”

“Liu Biao, if I remember correctly, you work in the third workshop of the machinery factory, right?”

“What do you mean?”

“Are you not afraid of being fired? So how can you threaten me?” Li Xia sneered and stopped on the ground with her legs supported. “What will your wife, your son, your parents, your family… do when you lose your job ?”

“You…you dare?”

“What am I afraid of? If you dare to threaten me and make me live a bad life, I will make you lose your job. Living on the streets is good. If you get drunk and drown in a cesspool, you won’t have to fight with others for a house in your life.”

“I…” Liu Biao lost his temper and recalled the time when she stopped him from building a small house. At that time, she was the only one in her family, and she was so powerful. Now Shen Haiyang is now familiar with the police, procuratorate, and courts. What dare he do? He dares not do anything.

“Woman, why do you become more difficult as you get older?”

“Am I being difficult?” Seeing that he softened his attitude, Li Xia calmly reasoned with him. “You rented my house. Tell me yourself, except for the first time, have you ever paid the rent quickly? I asked for a six-month payment so that I would have to run less. But you acted tough with me as soon as you opened your mouth. Do I have to rent it to you and then go to you again and again to talk nicely and collect the rent?”

“I will pay half a year’s payment, which is fine.”

“No.” He shouted, and Li Xia followed suit. Damn, I can’t lose my temper. “I won’t rent it to you anymore. Five days, five days to move out. I don’t want to deal with people like you.”

Li Xia was about to ride away when Liu Biao grabbed the wheel of her bike. “Add 50 cents a month for half a year; is that okay?”

Liu Biao’s wife likes cleanliness very much, and the house is well maintained. He suppressed his arrogance, increased the rent, and Li Xia no longer insisted on driving him out. But she has to add conditions and make him understand thoroughly that she has the final say in her house.

“Add fifty cents every month and pay for a year at a time. Give me the money in three days. If you are not happy, you can move out. It’s quick.” Once a year, it won’t be as hard as before.

“……good.”

People are like this; they regret when they are manipulated. If Li Xia had no way to control him, he would definitely be very proud of himself and think he was very capable. Now that he was manipulated, he had to pay more for the rent to keep his place. He was angry but could do nothing. He thought he would find someone else this year and move out if he found someone suitable. This woman is not to be trifled with.

Li Xia went home and told Shen Haiyang about this. The man nodded and thought she did a good job. If the tenants are not happy, just move out. Liu Biao needs to be taught a lesson. Don’t think that this house belongs to him after living there for two years. It’s so hard to collect rent.

“Change your clothes; I’ll go move the washing machine.”

“I’ll wash; you go lie down and rest for a while; you have to go to night school tonight.”

Li Xia took out the clothes for both of them from the closet, put them on the bed, and prepared to wash and change her clothes. “At my age, I am capable. This is nothing. If I were in the countryside, I would be more tired from working in the fields all day.”