CHAPTER 52
“Who do you say you are?”
There were three people standing in front of Li Xia: one woman and two men. The woman wore glasses, and her clothes were open and Western-style. Beside her were two boys, one big and one small. The taller one was about 1.6 meters tall and about the same age as Yiyi , and he was holding the hand of a little boy who was about four or five years old.
“Hello, Auntie. I’m Kevin.” He speaks Chinese well and even has a little accent when he speaks slowly. He raised his hand to introduce the people around him. “This is my brother, and this lady is my grandmother.”
“Oh, you are here…”
Kevin continued, “We haven’t seen each other for many years. We came to visit grandpa. I want to apologize to him on behalf of my father.”
Li Xia had no way to respond to this, but the lady next to her felt that her grandson had not told completely, so she spoke up. Her Chinese was much worse than Kevin’s, as if she had not spoken it for a long time.
“Mike was chased by a debtor, and his whereabouts are still unknown. Some people say he fell off a cliff and died. Anne was sentenced to three years in prison for a fight in a bar.”
Shen Haiyang’s expression changed slightly. Li Xia didn’t feel much about the couple’s affairs. They deserved it. They ignored the good investment environment on the mainland and used illegal means to put the old man’s money to waste. Now it’s all good; it’s all retribution.
Shen Haiyang continued: “My father has not been in good health recently, so it’s better not to tell him this news. And Mike’s information has not been confirmed; maybe he is fine at all.”
“Oh, no, he is the father; I can’t lie to him.”
Foreigners may not understand what a white lie is; anyway, the old lady couldn’t understand. The conversation here, probably because of the foreign language mixed in, quickly alarmed the old man, and the woman told him the matter immediately.
When the old man heard that his son was missing, he was shaken for a moment, and Shen Haiyang quickly reached out to hold him. He quickly took out a quick-acting heart pill from his pocket, gave it to him, and helped him sit down in the rocking chair.
“Dad, calm down; it’s just missing.”
Shen Haiyang rarely called him dad; he was usually an old man or father during the New Year and other festivals. When he called him like this today, the old man held his hand tightly. He took a deep breath to calm himself down as his son called him.
The old man took the medicine, and Qin Mu called the Chinese medicine doctor to come. The old man’s current treatment with Western medicine is not as effective as Chinese medicine, so when the doctor came and gave the old man acupuncture, the situation soon calmed down.
Kevin was very sorry about this. Seeing his uncle coming out of the house, he said, “I’m sorry.”
Shen Haiyang was very polite to the child, especially the child who looked so polite and apologetic. “It’s not your fault.”
Kevin took a deep breath and wondered if he should have come here. He had developed a strong interest in this land after listening to his grandfather’s words. After being taken away by his mother, he had been learning Chinese in the United States. The more he understood what his grandfather said about his roots, the more he yearned for them.
His father’s business failed, and his mother was arrested and asked his grandmother to take care of them. But his grandmother actually brought them to see his grandfather, and he only found out before boarding the plane. He felt ashamed to see him, but after being pulled away, he thought about coming to see his grandfather. He is old and has a heart disease, and this may be the only chance to see him again in this life.
“Uncle, can I go in and see grandpa?”
“Grandpa is asleep. Wait until he wakes up.”
“Okay.”
Kevin speaks the most fluent Chinese among the three. Shen Haiyang pointed at Qin Mu and said to him, “This auntie is the one who takes care of Grandpa.” If you need to communicate anything, you can talk to her.”
“OK.”
Qin Mu prepared breakfast for the three people in the backyard. Shen Haiyang was in a hurry to go to work, and the children were in a hurry to go to school. Li Xia was the boss herself, and no one cared if she went late or didn’t go, but she had to entertain a group of customers today. Many of the customers this time were from other provinces, and if they wanted to open up sales channels, these dealers were absolutely indispensable.
“Qin Mu, arrange for them to stay in the backyard wing. If there’s anything, we can talk about it when we get back.”
“okay.”
The east wing was divided into two bedrooms, one for each of the brothers, and the old lady lived in the west wing. Li Xia made arrangements and drove away quickly, and Shen Haiyang said he would come back as soon as possible today.
“Don’t worry about the family. I will take leave after dealing with an emergency at work.”
“Okay.”
Li Xia went to the company to hold a meeting first. A batch of products had passed the quality inspection and were ready for sale. Today, they were the customers to be invited. The water dispenser was on the market for the first time, so she had to introduce the product to everyone.
In the 1990s, it became a buyer’s market. If you want to sell your products, you have to have some skills. Salespeople in factories have to drink a lot because they may be forced to drink too much at the dinner table.
Han Jun is in charge of the factory’s sales channels. These people have a long history with him. They have been together since the 1980s, when they stole things. Even if they drink, they will give him some face. At most, they will get him drunk, but they won’t drink him to death.
This batch of products were all small household appliances. During the day, they had been tested one by one in the factory with dealers to get familiar with their performance. In the evening, Li Xia hosted a banquet for these people at Zuixianju. In the afternoon, she had some time, so she called home, and Qin Mu answered the phone.
“Brother Shen is back; just go ahead and do your thing.”
Oh, that puts her at ease. In the evening, they drove several cars to the restaurant together. Just as two cold dishes were served, the wine glasses were already filled one by one.
“I would like to offer a toast to everyone and thank you for your support of Rainbow over the years.”
A bunch of old men gave her face, and after drinking the toast, they didn’t say they had to force her to drink but rushed towards Han Jun one by one. There were so many people today, and she was afraid that Han Jun couldn’t hold them off alone, so she specially called her third brother and her nephew to come as well.
A bunch of men were drinking and chatting at the table, and she went out to hide for a while. After drinking, they received a lot of orders, and at 12 o’clock in the evening, they were sent directly to the hotel next door.
The drunks were all settled, and her third brother asked the driver to take her home first and pick them up later. Han Jun and her nephew nodded, and the two men sat on the steps, lowering their heads and not talking. They really drank a lot today for the order.
“Then I… no need; Shen Haiyang is here to pick me up.”
The man came over with a coat in his hand and put it on her first. Since he was here, the driver took the three drunks to see them off one by one. Shen Haiyang helped her get into the car, and she shook her head.
“Let me stay outside for a while. I feel dizzy.”
It was rare for her to act like a spoiled child with her husband. She leaned her head on his shoulder while talking, and she almost leaned her whole body on his arms. Shen Haiyang was afraid that she would fall, so he reached out and held her tightly.
“Can you please sit in the car for a while? You’re not comfortable standing like this.”
“No, I’m going to stay like this.”
“Okay, then don’t move.”
“husband,”
Li Xia said in a low voice in a Hong Kong and Taiwan accent, and suddenly he felt sweet and embarrassed. She was so old, but when she was drunk, she acted like a little girl. She was usually so capable, but when he came just now, she was standing straight, and nothing happened. But when he came, she leaned on his arms.
“Be good; go home and sleep, okay?”
“Oksy.”
She got drunk and woke up with a splitting headache the next day. She got out of bed with her head covered. A glass of honey water was handed to her. She looked up and saw her husband’s smiling face. She didn’t take the glass of water but hugged his waist instead.
Shen Haiyang raised his hand, afraid of spilling the honey water. “What’s wrong? Are you still not awake?”
His wife looked up, her eyes hazy and her expression coquettish: “I want to act crazy with you when I’m drunk.”
The man laughed softly, put the honey water aside, put his arms around her, and gave her a French kiss early in the morning. Li Xia’s body, which was already limp from his kiss, became even softer like noodles, and she lay on him.
The two of them became more and more intoxicated, and Shen Haiyang stretched out his hands and began to pull his clothes off when he fell on the bed. Suddenly, he woke up and quickly got up.
Sitting on the bed to calm his restless emotions, he reached out and patted his wife, who was still lying in bed. “Get up. Breakfast should be ready.”
Li Xia sat up, took the honey water from his hand, and took a sip. “Nothing happened to those three yesterday, right?”
Shen Haiyang still looked calm and composed, as if he could handle anything with ease. “It’s nothing; don’t worry. The old man has a plan in mind and knows how to handle things properly.”
Sixty to seventy percent of the factory’s shares are in her name, and although the old man seems gentle, he is actually very principled in doing things. There is no need to be afraid, even if that woman has any intentions.
Since you are here to seek refuge with the old man, let them handle it. After drinking honey water, she got up, dressed, and had dinner before going to work. After putting on her base shirt, she suddenly remembered.
“It’s the weekend, right?”
“Yes, today is the weekend.”
There is no need to go to work or school; the whole family is at home. Breakfast is divided into two tables, and the three of them and the old man are arranged in the backyard. There are only five of them in the front yard, so they can talk without being disturbed.
Shen Hui took a bite of the pancake, swallowed it, and then said, “I remember Kevin being very lively when he was a child; how come he is like this now? He came yesterday and stayed in our room, but he didn’t say much.”
Yiyi answered, “I spoke to him last night, and he only responded in a low voice.”
Huihua said, “Maybe there seems to be shame in his eyes; maybe he feels embarrassed to face us.”
Shen Hui nodded. “He should know what his father did back then. He lowered his head when talking to Grandpa and repeatedly said, Sorry.”
After dinner, the nanny cleaned up, and Shen Hui went into the room to do his homework. He is a sophomore this year, and his studies are still very intense. He painted and wrote an essay in the room, took out the physics book to take a look, and then went to find his brother.
Li Xia usually takes care of herself on her days off. After washing up, she lies on the bed and puts on a facial mask. The tape recorder next to her plays Teresa Teng’s songs. Her sweet voice seems to be able to squeeze out honey, and she closes her eyes and sings along.
“Sweet, your smile is so sweet.”
“It’s you. It’s you I met.”
Shen Haiyang came in and sang. Li Xia opened her eyes immediately. His middle-aged and more elegant face was right in front of her. They smiled at each other, and their eyes were as sweet as the song said.
“Let’s go shopping.”
“You’ll accompany me?”
“I’ll accompany you.” He knows that she is mentally strong now and won’t be affected by those three people. But he still takes the opportunity to go out for a walk, spend the weekend alone, and go on a date.
She sat up and took off her mask. “Let’s go. After shopping, we’ll go to the movies.”
The child has grown up and no longer needs to be followed by them. He is in good health now and can go wherever he wants.
As for these things at home, they can’t affect her at all. She handles so many things every day now, and most of the shares are in her hands. The old man can’t shake her position. And the old man is not confused, so there is no need to worry.
Li Xia quickly washed her face and put on some light makeup. She was wearing casual clothes and flat shoes, which were very suitable for her to go shopping. Shen Haiyang helped her carry her bag, and when they went out, they ran into Qin Mu.
“Hey, where are you going? You two look ten years younger in these clothes. If I didn’t know, I might think you two are dating.”
Li Xia started the conversation: “We didn’t talk about it back then, so let’s make it up now.”
“Haha!” Qin Mu laughed, and the aunt who cooked and cleaned the house also laughed beside her. “I’m really envious. You two have been married for many years, and your relationship is so good.”
Li Xia smiled and stopped talking about it. “You don’t have to cook lunch for us. If we’re not back by 5 p.m., you don’t have to cook dinner either.”
Yiyi came out of the house and said, “Mom, where are you going? Take me with you.”
Li Xia waved her hand, like shooing away a fly: “Go, why are you joining in the fun? You’ve finally grown up; go play by yourselves and don’t follow me.”
“Mom, I’m only thirteen.”
“You are in high school now.”
“I…” Yiyi ‘s eyes widened in anxiety. His mother ignored him and walked away with his father’s arm. His father gave him a helpless look, and he stamped his feet in anxiety at the door.
“Humph, I wouldn’t have skipped a grade if I had known. I’m obviously not that old, but you treat me like an adult all day long. I’m still five years away from adulthood. This is child abuse.”
Shen Hui and Huihua were behind him at some point, laughing at him. Shen Hui said mercilessly, “Who said you’ve grown up and asked dad to buy you a motorcycle?”
Yiyi made a face that said you don’t understand me. “I wanted the Doraemon set, so I raised the conditions a little bit. When I lowered the conditions step by step, my father agreed and bought me the whole set of comics at once.”
Huihua and Shen Hui looked down on him, and the siblings spoke together. “You are the only one who has a lot of tricks.”
The three kids were bickering and doing homework at home, while Li Xia and her husband drove to a boutique department store. This was newly opened last year, and it mainly sells high-end clothing. European, American, Japanese, and Korean brands are gathered here, and shopping is convenient without bargaining. Li Xia’s ability to cut corners in her previous life was never put to good use in this life.
At the skin care counter, Shen Haiyang bought himself a set of imported French brands. Li Xia smelled a perfume and nodded to pay for it. She never used these before, but now she has to pay attention to her image on some occasions. The one he picked has a light and elegant scent, which is suitable for her age.
On the second floor, all the clothes are men’s clothes. Suits, shirts, ties, casual jackets, jeans, etc. are all carefully made. Li Xia buys everything she sees. Before she even goes to the third floor, her husband is almost drowned by the bags. She is still bending over to choose a tie, and Shen Haiyang looks up at the sky in silence. Isn’t his wife very stingy and thrifty? When did she become a shopping maniac?
“Honey, if I buy more, I really won’t have anywhere to put them.”
Li Xia looked back at him. The tall man was really blocked by the shopping bags, with only his face showing. She laughed and still paid for the tie and cufflinks she liked.
“I’ll send it to the car first, so you don’t have to worry about not being able to get it.”
Translator’s Note:- Hey guys, as a Christmas Gift I have decided to do mass release (10 chapters) of the novel which gets most votes in the poll posted on my Ko-fi page.
If you want mass release for this novel then vote for this novel in the poll.
This is the link to the poll: https://ko-fi.com/polls/Which-Novel-Mass-Release-do-you-want-V7V217M3GX
