novellhall Chapter 6 Business Trip
Chapter 6 Business Trip
Lu Congyue could sense that the woman's gaze was following him timidly and nervously, clearly wanting to ask but not daring to.
He was pressed for time and didn't elaborate on what it was, only saying, "I have to go on a long trip. It will take me anywhere from three to five days to seven or eight days to be back. You can use this money and tickets to buy whatever you need."
After thinking for a moment, he added, "Don't be reluctant to buy. Just buy what you need. I don't like others touching my things."
As he said this, he was still holding a towel in his hand, unsure whether to keep it or leave it for her to use.
Zhuang Qingxiang suddenly remembered that she had used this towel in a moment of panic, and she stood up abruptly, stammering as she tried to explain.
Lu Congyue didn't want to hear her explanation; the more she talked, the more he would imagine the details.
In the end, I decided to take the towel with me. There was another one in the cabinet, which was given out on the day the factory was officially established. Everyone in the factory had one, so it was both a souvenir and a benefit.
Lu Congyue took it out and placed it on the table: "Take this towel and use it."
Having said everything he needed to say, he picked up his bag and left quickly.
The problem with the new machine couldn't be solved, so he had to take two technicians on a trip to Beijing.
Lu Congyue came and went in a hurry, and Zhuang Qingxiang immediately felt incredibly relieved.
With the head of the household absent, she was in charge of the household. The head of the household had even left her money and tickets so she could make her own decisions.
These were the most comfortable days she had ever had in both of her lives.
Zhuang Qingxiang was certainly not a spendthrift. Like her mother, she was skillful and knew how to manage a household well.
Thinking of her mother, Zhuang Qingxiang's face darkened. She and her mother's identities had to be kept secret as much as possible, which was why she had been enduring her stepfather's family all this time.
The moment of sadness didn't last long; Zhuang Qingxiang quickly cheered up.
Taking care of three children by one person is not easy, but fortunately, Xiao Qianyue is obedient and can help.
She just couldn't go out for too long to buy fish and meat in town, and if she didn't eat nutritious food, her breast milk would be insufficient.
Seeing that the eggs were all gone, Zhuang Qingxiang was afraid that it would delay feeding her two children, so she had no choice but to ask the villagers to exchange them for more eggs.
Little did they know that they would be targeted after only one change.
"Qian Fu's mother, have you heard? Your second daughter-in-law..."
Li Shufen's eyes narrowed: "Qian Xiuhua, what are you saying? I don't have a second daughter-in-law! My second son is dead, and that slutty woman took her bastard child and left long ago!"
Qian Xiuhua rolled her eyes inwardly, but said aloud, "Yes, yes, Zhuang Qingxiang isn't your wife anymore, but you know what? She's really something now. Today she came to the village to exchange eggs, and she traded one yuan and fifty cents for thirty eggs. She even spent three yuan to buy a baby hen to take home."
Li Shufen, who had initially looked disgusted, immediately frowned and asked suspiciously upon hearing that Zhuang Qingxiang had so much money: "Her? Where did she get the money? Wow, she's been secretly hiding money?!"
Li Shufen rolled up her sleeves, wanting to confront Zhuang Qingxiang about it all—it was all her second son's money!
Qian Xiuhua quickly grabbed her, winking and saying, "What? You don't know yet? She's working as a wet nurse for the factory manager over there. I heard that manager is over thirty and still doesn't have a wife..."
"She claims to be a wet nurse, but do you think she's nursing a baby or a man? Judging by how generous she is, that man must be paying her a lot of money, right?"
Li Shufen's cloudy old eyes suddenly lit up.
She doesn't care whether the slut dates other men or not, but if the slut makes money, it has to go to Old Qian's family.
"Where does that factory manager live?"
……
Zhuang Qingxiang looked at the chicken coop that had been built in the corner of the yard and patted her back with satisfaction.
I was lucky; I bought a baby hen when I was exchanging eggs. Once the hen started laying eggs, I wouldn't have to go out and exchange eggs with others anymore.
"Mom, Yueyue will catch bugs for the chickens to eat from now on!" Little Qian Yue exclaimed happily.
Her family used to raise chickens, and she would catch insects to feed them. She would also collect an egg every day. Unfortunately, after her father died, her grandparents took all the chickens away...
"Alright, then Mom will leave the chicken-raising to Yueyue!" Zhuang Qingxiang replied with a smile. "Now, Yueyue, go watch your two younger brothers, and Mom will go make dinner, okay?"
"Okay!" A clear child's voice rang out in the courtyard. Little Qian Yue dashed into the house to watch over her two younger brothers on the kang (a heated brick bed).
My two younger brothers are very well-behaved. Once they're full, they don't cry much. They either blow bubbles or chew on their hands.
Zhuang Qingxiang glanced at the sky, washed her hands, and prepared to cook dinner.
Before anyone even entered the kitchen, the gate to the yard was being pounded on loudly.
Zhuang Qingxiang's heart skipped a beat. She scratched her head and asked nervously, "Who?"
"Zhuang Qingxiang, you little wench, open the door!"
That familiar loud voice and that familiar sharp tongue made Zhuang Qingxiang's face turn pale, but her eyes burned with rage.
Li Shufen, her mother-in-law, never gave her a kind look from the day she entered the family, and her mouth was always full of foul language.
Zhuang Qingxiang wasn't good at arguing, and since they didn't live together anyway, she figured she might as well just put up with it.
Who knew that as soon as her husband died, Li Shufen couldn't wait to bring people to drive her away, saying that the house and everything else were her son's business and had nothing to do with her, a new bride who had been married for less than a year. They forcibly kicked her and her two children out of the house.
At the time, she also cursed and swore like that, calling her a slut born of a concubine and saying that her son was a bastard.
Zhuang Qingxiang's face was pale, her hands were clenched tightly, her nails digging into her flesh, her mind was buzzing, and the sounds of Li Shufen banging on the door and cursing were intertwined with her anger, making her furious.
"Mother!" Little Qian Yue heard the noise and ran out, standing at the door and calling out in fear.
Zhuang Qingxiang snapped back to reality and forced a smile at her: "Yueyue, don't be afraid. Come inside, Mother will handle it."
Her gaze swept over the axe in the yard, she went over and picked it up, then swiftly opened the yard gate.
Li Shufen, who was banging on the door and cursing, paused. When she saw that it was Zhuang Qingxiang who opened the door, she scoffed.
"You little bitch, not pretending to be dead anymore? I thought you were going to stay locked up and pretend to be dead forever."
Zhuang Qingxiang saw that a lot of young people had gathered around, all wearing factory work uniforms. They must have heard the commotion on their way home from get off work and come to see what was going on.
She swallowed hard, gripped the axe tightly, and asked, "What are you doing here?! I have absolutely no connection with your family anymore!"
"Bullshit!" Li Shufen spat at her. "You killed my son, and you think you can just let it go like this!"
Zhuang Qingxiang was extremely anxious. She had caused such a commotion, and with so many people watching, if Director Lu came back and found out, he definitely wouldn't want to keep such a big trouble like her.
She took a deep breath: "What exactly do you want? Your son fell to his death on the mountain! He just died and you kicked us, a widow and her children, out of here, taking everything we had. What else do you want?!"
"My son died because of you, do you admit that?!" Li Shufen's slanted eyes narrowed, and she stretched out her hand. "My son's things had nothing to do with you; they were the property of the Qian family! As for you... pay up! My son can't just die like that!"