The next day was a working day, and the old man asked her to drive him to the notary office. On the way, he picked up a lawyer as a witness. The old man came to notarize the will, which he wrote with his own hand, signed with his name, and stamped with his private seal.
During this period, many mainland Chinese people thought that making a will was unlucky. For those wealthy families, it directly led to unrest after death, and their children could fight and swear in court for property. The old man had lived abroad for many years, and his mind was relatively open. Li Xia withdrew from the notary office. She felt that she was not suitable to be present at such a thing. The old man made the following allocation, but she didn’t know.
On the public side, that is, the factory he invested in now, the two brothers each owned 40%, and the remaining 20% was given to Li Xia. The old man was grateful for her care for his wife and let her die peacefully.
And now he is still being taken care of; his daughter-in-law is taking care of him in his old age, and it is estimated that they will also be the ones to see him off to the grave. All his personal belongings were left to them, and there are quite a few valuables in them.
After everything was done, she drove the old man home. She parked at the door, and the old man turned around and smiled at her when she helped him get out of the car.
“Daughter-in-law, you should drive more often in the future.”
“Okay, I’m driving quite a lot now.”
Are you complaining about my poor driving skills? Well, I just got my driver’s license, and my first reaction to a situation is to know how to brake, which is pretty good. I was very calm when I hit the car without mistaking the accelerator for the brake. And I didn’t brake hard today, which is much better than before.
She walked the old man to the backyard and sat him down. After chatting for a few minutes, she heard someone shouting in the alley: “Xia, someone is looking for you.”
Hearing Qin Mu’s voice, Li Xia came out from the backyard to the front. The people who came were Fang Zhongcheng’s second brother and his wife. What were they doing here? They didn’t rent her house at the beginning, so why did they come to her house again?
The Fang couple really came to talk about the house. Li Xia did not invite them into the house, so they talked in the yard. The woman was holding the child happily and began to pull Huihua to get close to Li Xia.
“Your daughter is our niece, so we are relatives anyway.”
If she hadn’t mentioned this, Li Xia could have ignored it. But when she mentioned this, Li Xia immediately thought of that scumbag. She thought she would let him support her son in her next life, but it turned out that bastard was completely irresponsible. He was like a chicken that only gave birth to eggs but didn’t raise them.
“No, there is no need to ask why. This is my house, and I have the final say.”
The second son of the Fang family glared at his wife fiercely. “How can you be so stupid?” She actually used Huihua to get close to her, which was counterproductive. He knew how much she hated his eldest brother. Speaking of the eldest brother, he would not let them live in the house.
“No, our house is too far away, and it’s not convenient for us to go to work. Your wing is vacant, so why can’t you rent it to us? We’ll pay the rent. It’s a one-time payment for six months. We understand it.”
“No, I won’t rent it.”
Seeing that Li Xia was not willing to give in, the woman pulled Huihua to ask her to help her speak. The little girl pulled her arm out with all her strength, turned around, and ran away without saying anything. The couple looked at Yiyi again, and when Yiyi spoke, they were extremely disappointed.
Pointing at Shen Haiyang, he said, “My dad is over there. My name is Shen Ruyi. Don’t try to be my relative.”
At this point, the second son of the Fang family and his wife were completely speechless. When did this child even change his last name? How could Li Xia do this? What about his brother? Didn’t his brother care about it?
“Huihua, what’s your last name?”
“Of course my sister’s last name is also Shen.”
Yiyi was shaking his head as he spoke; his big eyes were clear and innocent, and he looked naive and cute. The innocent child spoke without disguising anything, making it impossible for the two people to doubt him.
They thought of a thousand ways on the way, but none of them worked. Before leaving, Fang Lao Er tried to make excuses for himself: “Blood ties cannot be severed. You are always my brother’s son.”
His wife turned and walked away, so he turned around and quickly chased after her. After catching up, he heard his wife start to complain that his frown was so tight that it could kill a mosquito.
“At first, your mother said she had a wedding house. But in the end, you live in such a remote place. You liar, there is not a single good person in your family. And your eldest brother is a bastard who doesn’t even want his own child. I say, if you dare to do the same to me, I will.”
The child was in her arms; what could she do if he did the same? Throw the child out on the street. This was just a moment of rage. She couldn’t bear to let him go now.
“Okay, okay, we have a place to live now, and we’re not asking you to sleep on the street.”
He was already in a bad mood, thinking that Li Xia was too heartless and too much, and his wife kept nagging him, which made him angry and even more resentful. The couple started arguing in the street.
As for Li Xia, after they left, Yiyi tilted his head and smiled at his mother. His proud expressions looked like he were asking her to praise him. Li Xia reached out and touched the brat’s head, rewarding him with candy.
The brat happily took the candy and went to play, and he decided to say the same thing to Fang Zhongcheng next time he met him. If he didn’t want him anymore, didn’t support him, and didn’t even transfer his household registration, then why did he still recognize him as his father? He has a mother who can earn money and a father who can transfer his household registration and accompany them to school. Fang Zhongcheng didn’t want him as a son, and he had long since stopped recognizing him as his father.
————
Five days later, Li Xia took back the west-side old house and soon found a tenant. The new tenant paid the rent without hesitation, paying one-tenth of the deposit and six-tenths of the rent. Liu Biao also paid the rent for a year.
The money was saved up, and the storehouse was bought for storage. The shop was being renovated. The mall was officially opened during the National Day holiday, and all the private shops were preparing intensively, fearing that they would miss the traffic during the National Day holiday.
Li Xia was so busy that she had no time to take care of her family and children. Fortunately, she had found a nanny before this, and the nanny and they were still getting used to each other, so everyone was a little uncomfortable for a while. Shen Haiyang was taking care of the children. Sometimes she came back late and left early, and she didn’t see the children for several days.
At noon that day, Han Jun and she went to the train station to collect a batch of goods. It was past lunch time when we finished. The two of them found a canteen and ordered two bowls of vegetarian noodles.
While waiting for the noodles, two people came out of the private room; one was Shen Yaozong, and the other was someone she didn’t know. Shen Yaozong nodded and greeted her, but didn’t say anything.
After the two left, their noodles came. Li Xia took out some paper to wipe the chopsticks and handed them to Han Jun. The man smiled and said she was particular.
“Your brother-in-law is quite arrogant. He wears a suit and has slicked-back hair. He looks quite Western.”
“They are returned overseas Chinese, so it’s not normal for them to have Western influences.”
“That’s right.” Han Jun looked away. “You arranged for my wife to work in the store. Aren’t you afraid that she will mess things up for you? She has never worked before. She is OK with housework, but can she do the work in the store? She doesn’t like dealing with strangers. Why did she agree to let you sell goods in the store this time?”
“How do you know if you don’t try? You have to give her a chance and give her some practice. I plan to train her to be my store manager.”
The two chatted for a while and then stopped talking. They lowered their heads and ate their meal quickly. In the afternoon, they returned to the mall to start stocking the goods. They were busy until 10 o’clock at night before they got home.
The three children were still awake today. After watching TV in the backyard, they came out and saw her in the living room, so they lifted the door curtain and came in one by one.
“Mom,” Huihua said, putting her arms around her mother’s waist. “I haven’t seen you for several days. What are you busy with?”
Yiyi also held his mother’s arm and acted coquettishly: “Mom, I miss you so much.”
Li Xia smiled and said, “I come back every day, okay? There’s no need to put on such a show.”
“Are you there? Why haven’t I seen you for several days?” The brat turned around and looked at his brother: “Brother, am I right? Have you not seen Mom for several days?”
Shen Hui smiled and handed the comb on the table to Li Xia, who had just washed her hair and was about to comb it. “Mom, you are busy with the opening of the business; isn’t it very hard? Tomorrow is the weekend, and we don’t have school, so let’s go and help you.”
Li Xia reached out and gave the eldest a hug, gently, and then let go. In this life again, she was not stingy in expressing her feelings, and she loved her children so that they could feel it. Especially Shen Hui, who was the oldest and most of the time would not show too much enthusiasm. Then she would close the distance and treat the eldest the same way as she treated the other two.
“Thank you, kids. It’s a deal now. You all go help mom tomorrow.”
“Oh yeah, we can go to the mall to play.” Yiyi jumped and shouted.
Well, the brat just wants to play all day. Li Xia rolled her eyes at him and began to tell the children about the precautions of going to the mall. Because everyone is in the stage of distributing goods at this time, don’t make any trouble if you are in a mess.
“Just follow mom. We can only be in our own store. You are not allowed to touch other people’s things. Also, you must plan your time well. You can’t delay your own business.”
“Oh, I see.”
The next day, Shen Haiyang brought his three children to help her. They opened three stores at the same time and finally finished the work after a few days of hard work. On National Day, the mall opened with a ribbon-cutting ceremony. For a while, people came and went, and the mall was crowded.
This is the first privately owned shopping mall in the provincial capital. Many people who are interested in doing business have come to inquire about the situation, including Murong Danling.
She and Zhang Qiuhua went together and saw Shen Haiyang and his son helping to sell hardware on the first floor. On the second floor, they saw Li Xia and her daughter busy with clothing. Next door was a hat accessory shop. Huihua had a butterfly-shaped hairpin on her head and her flying ponytail tied with a fashionable hairband, which was simply a living sign.
“Three?” Zhang Qiuhua’s eyes widened in surprise, and she looked back at Murong Danling. “You said these three shops are not hers, right? How much money has she made in the past two years by renting three shops at once?”
Murong Danling’s face was as gloomy as water. “Maybe she bought it.”
“What did she buy? You mean the shops? No, no way. I heard that the shops cost hundreds of dollars per square meter. It’s not bad to buy one. How could she buy three at once? Oh, I forgot about Shen Haiyang.”
After that, the two women kept silent, looking at the busy family across the crowd. Their hearts were like those squeezed out of a vinegar jar.
“My husband divorced me because of this. He said I was taking a shortcut instead of taking the right path when I had a stable job. But look at Li Xia. Shen Haiyang supports everything she does. He has so much money, and he invested it all in her business.”
Zhang Qiuhua’s words made Murong Danling even more angry. She had to hide her sales, and she was exhausted every day. But Li Xia actually went from being a street vendor to a wholesale mall. She even bought three stores at once and has become a big boss now.
“Let’s go and look somewhere else.”
Pulling Zhang Qiuhua away, she couldn’t help but think about Li Xia’s business. Clothing, accessories, shoes and hats, hardware—these are all very promising businesses. She didn’t import many rare and expensive goods but chose ordinary ones to win by price.
“A rural woman who is capable and has accomplished everything. She is so lucky. Shen Haiyang, that idiot, must have taken some kind of drug from her and let her spend the money as she pleases.”
“What are you mumbling about by yourself?”
“nothing.”
Murong Danling calmed down and thought that she had to find a suitable shop next. As for the business license, she would try to get Fang Zhongcheng to help her. This guy enjoyed the delicious food and drinks she brought, so he had to help her a little.
The two walked around several times but didn’t find any taxis. When they left, each of them bought a scarf. When they came out, there was a man selling roasted sweet potatoes. Zhang Qiuhua bought two and handed one to her.
“How about you ask Brother Shen for help? He has three shops. What’s wrong with renting one to you? You are his son’s biological mother.”
“You are still your big brother, Shen’s little fangirl. You grew up together. Why don’t you go?”
“I, you are such a person; your words can choke people to death. I am also doing this for future development. We both lost our jobs. What will we do if development is not going well? I am living in my mother’s house now. If I didn’t go home every day with anything, would my mother and sister-in-law let me live like this?”
“You’re just too stupid to find a man to marry. That way, you’ll have a place to live.”
“Can you marry someone so casually?”
“Look at your little bit of thinking; what can you accomplish? As long as there is a need, anything can be used.”
Zhang Qiuhua was being brainwashed by Murong Danling, and her words made her feel that everything was clear. Whatever house or shop you want, you can get it if you risk your life. The brave will die of overeating, while the timid will die of starvation. There is nothing you dare not do.
————
The two of them didn’t find a shop for a while, so they continued to go from street to street in the cold weather. Li Xia’s business became more prosperous as the weather got colder.
Today, more and more people are doing small business, and many unemployed young people or those without jobs have started to join this industry. She even received a staff member from a unit who was doing this, saying that it was more cost-effective to make money doing this than to go to work.
Xiao Liu was helping him find the goods, and Li Xia poured him a glass of water and sat down to chat. “Aren’t you afraid of losing your job?”
“Oh, it’s okay. I’ll buy the goods wholesale and let my wife sell them at a stall. When we make money, she won’t object. I’ll let her come to you to buy the goods herself. Who knows, if she finds out that the profits are huge, she might ask me to resign.”
This man is very bold, talkative, and lively. After a conversation, Li Xia learned that he is the purchasing agent of the company, has traveled a lot, and has a wide range of experience.
“I don’t know what the future holds for my job. With the expansion going on, I won’t be purchasing anymore. I guess there will be too many things to sell, so the factory will have to send people to do sales.”
Wow, you have good vision. Purchasing has only been around for a few years, but it completely declined in the 1990s and then completely withdrew from the historical stage. Sales took their place.
“Do you think sales are harder than purchasing?” Li Xia wants to get in touch with such talents; who knows who might be able to use them in the future?
“It should be more difficult. Purchasing means finding the products you need, and then people will sell them to you. If we go out without enough money, we can get a letter of introduction from our company as a token of trust. We can sign an IOU and take the goods away. But if things continue like this, sales will probably be like a grandson, begging people to buy from us.”
“Leave me your contact information. I’ll make you a regular customer. I’ll give you a discount when you mention your name next time.”
“That’s great. If anyone wants to set up a clothing stall, I’ll introduce them to you. But you must not overcharge them.”
“Look at what you’re saying. What’s the point of doing business? I want to make it last. If I cut someone off, will they still come back to me in the future? How can I continue my business?”
“That’s right. I also think you are an honest person; otherwise, I wouldn’t choose you here.”
The three stores have an astonishingly high turnover day by day. And now it is all cash flow. When she goes home at night, the money is packed. The bag she puts money in is ordinary, just like the one she uses to buy groceries. At night, she carries it in the car and goes home.
Qin Mu was arranged by her to sell goods in the mall, and now another aunt is cooking at home. For dinner, she made porridge, fried shredded potatoes, and cut a plate of pickled radish and cowpea.
When Li Xia came in, the meal was already on the table. She pointed at the table and asked, “Didn’t I tell you to stew the chicken and make cold shredded chicken? I’ll make chicken noodle soup tomorrow morning. And there are staple foods like steamed buns or pancakes; why is there only porridge?”
The aunt glared at her. “What are you doing eating heavy food so late at night? It’s unnecessary. You want stewed chicken and cold-shredded chicken. But why eat meat every day? We just had braised fish yesterday.”
Li Xia was immediately annoyed by her attitude. Whose house is this, and who has the final say? “I am the hostess of this house, and you just do whatever I tell you to do. There is no need to waste your time. Now, immediately, go knead the dough and get the meat from the refrigerator to make pies.”
She was annoyed, and so was the nanny. She took off her apron with an indignant look on her face. “Really? Do you know how to live? My meal is so good, but you want me to make it again without eating it? I’m telling you, no one can bully people like you. Even the landlords in the old society couldn’t bully people like this.”
“When I first approached you, I specifically emphasized the cooking aspect, and since you’re a decent cook, I let you stay. I asked you to come here just to have a good meal, not to just send you away like this. If you had told me earlier that you didn’t like to cook well, I wouldn’t have wanted you.”
“Why don’t I cook properly?” The woman pointed at the table: “Thin porridge, shredded potatoes, and kimchi. Isn’t this a good meal at this late hour?”
Shen Haiyang and the children came over when they heard the noise. Li Xia took a deep breath, took out the money from her pocket, and counted out five days’ wages.
“You worked for three days, so here’s five days’ pay. Take it and go.”
“You are such a disrespectful woman.” The woman turned back to Shen Haiyang and said, “Your wife is so disrespectful to the working people, and you don’t care about it?”
Shen Haiyang lifted the door curtain: “Please go out. We have already given you your salary. You don’t need to come again in the future.”
The couple looked the same. The woman was furious, picked up her coat, and walked away. “What kind of family is this? I don’t care.”
Li Xia really wanted to go up and have a fight with her. What the hell are you? Do you understand the reason? We have old people and young children in our family. Both of them have heart disease. They have to eat well and take care of their health. Otherwise, why would I hire a nanny to cook for them?
Shen Haiyang came over and patted his wife to comfort her. “It’s a waste of time to get angry with her.” As he said this, he tied on an apron and went to scoop noodles and knead the dough. “Okay, let’s cook and eat. You’re tired after a busy day. Have a good rest after dinner.”
The three children also came over to help pick and wash the vegetables. “Mom, don’t be angry.”
Li Xia was cutting green onions. “What’s wrong with this person? The food she cooks tastes okay. I put all the household supplies in the drawer for her. She just has to take them and cook them. Why do we have to do it according to her wishes?”
Shen Haiyang smiled and calmed her down: “You have too much self-consciousness and can’t tell the difference between inside and outside. Okay, don’t be angry; I’ll look for someone tomorrow.”
“The last one who came here was okay at cooking, but the hygiene was terrible. She couldn’t clean the kitchen stove, and she swept the floor like a clown. That was fine, but she also forgot to change the water in the thermos for the old man, let alone remind him to take his medicine. I poured him some water for the medicine, but the water was barely warm.”
“The world is full of wonders. It’s not easy to find someone who is suitable for our family.” Shen Haiyang spoke at the right time, allowing her to vent her dissatisfaction. Women can’t hold back their dissatisfaction. Holding their dissatisfaction will make them sick.
“Yes, the more people you meet, the more you will encounter. If it’s in a shopping mall or a bun shop, as long as she can do that job, it’s fine. But at home, we have to take care of the hygiene and cooking. Sending this away today, she’s not here to be a nanny but to act like my mother-in-law, complaining about me for not knowing how to live.”
Shen Haiyang laughed, the children laughed too, the family members helped with the housework, and Li Xia vented her dissatisfaction and laughed easily. Then she heard her man whispering to her.
“Don’t dare let your father-in-law hear this.”
“Haha, I’m just making an analogy. With her behavior, even her own daughter-in-law probably doesn’t like her.”
“What?”
The old man actually came over, and Li Xia quickly made amends: “I fired the aunt who cooked, and she was scolding me.”
“Good decision.” The old man didn’t say much, and it seemed that he was also dissatisfied with the woman.
“Dad, play chess with the kids and wait; the meal will be ready soon.”
