"Sell durian mooncakes separately? Yes, we have a small gift box here…"
Xie Hong smiled bitterly when he saw the owner of the bakery selling the food enthusiastically.
Durian mooncakes were much more expensive than he had imagined.
If he spent this money, his wife would say that he spent money again.
"I'll buy two back. One for my wife and one for my mother.”He said in a low voice, then asked the shop owner for two boxes of gift boxes. He did not choose not to buy them.
He remembered that his mother liked durians very much, so he planned to buy them. Even if he was nagged at when he went back, he still planned to buy them.
After paying.
Xie Hong then went back with the mooncakes.
His family lived in Ning An Estate in the North District. Although he lived a frugal life, his family was also considered a well-off family. However, there were some reasons that forced him to do so.
Xie Hong Cai was very handsome when he was young, even when he was middle-aged. He was mature and charming. He was the kind of person who would make friends, wives, and sons-in-law look good.
When he was young, his family was very poor. He did not have much education and went out to work when he was a teenager.
After a few jobs, he finally became an adult and worked in a clothing factory as a simple assembly line worker.
Later, he met the factory owner's daughter.
That was his first love.
In the end, they got married.
Xie Hong Cai also relied on his wife's connections to purchase the factory and moved into Cang City.
He had always granted his father-in-law and his wife's every request. He would do whatever they wanted, such as buying a house and putting his wife's name on it, signing a pre-marital agreement, and if they divorced in the future, the assets would go to his wife, Wen Pingyun.
He didn't think there was anything wrong with this. He had always felt that he could live like this because of his father-in-law's promotion. He was very grateful to his father-in-law's family. He also relied on his father-in-law to have the wealth he had today. Without his father-in-law, he wouldn't have the wealth he had today.
His mother had once taught him to thank Wen Pingyun and her family for their help.
She was also grateful to her daughter-in-law's family for helping her son live a good life. When he went to the big city, he could still wear a suit and buy a car and a house.
It could be said that Xie Hong was in a half-married state, and there was nothing wrong with him marrying into the family. The only thing missing was a change of surname.
"Old Xie, you haven't gone back yet."
Just as she was about to take the bus, a familiar voice came from the side.
Xie Hong looked over.
That was the big client he had just met." It's CEO Hong.”
"I told you not to be so polite.”Director Hong smiled. He was chubby and had little hair. His appearance was the kind type that people could not reject.
"Calling you CEO Hong is not polite." Xie Hong laughed honestly. Then, he looked at CEO Hong in surprise,"CEO Hong, you're…"
Previously, CEO Hong was at home. Why did CEO Hong go out right after he left?
Director Hong pointed at the opposite side of the street not far away.
"I plan to go to the City God Temple with my friend.”
Xie Hong looked at the direction that Hong Wen was pointing at and saw a middle-aged man in casual clothes over there. He happened to look at him," Then, CEO Hong, please go ahead. I'll wait for the bus here."”
"Public bus? Didn't you drive?"
"My wife drove it. We can take the bus.”
"Yes."
CEO Hong nodded and did not say anything else.
He knew about Xie Hong Cai's situation, so he greeted him and walked away.
Not long after, CEO Hong met up with his old friend. He laughed and said," Master Weighty, it's great that you've moved here recently. In the future, I'll have a companion to walk with. My wife and daughter don't accompany me.”
The net worth of this old friend in front of him was much more impressive than his tens of millions of assets.
That was an absolute giant calculated in billions.
They used to be university classmates and played together for two to three years when they were young. They did not expect to live so close to each other now. They were in the same place and could meet each other within a few steps.
He heard that his old friend did not plan to stay in Xixi City and chose to settle down in Cang City instead. He was very surprised to hear that his old friend decided to live near Mulou Village in the not-so-developed Southern District. However, when his old friend, who believed in God and Buddha, said that this was the will of God and Buddha, he shook his head helplessly. His friend believed in this.
"You said that I'd take a walk with you often. I want to do that too, but the company doesn't allow it. I just came to this area and have a lot of things to deal with.”
Lord Weighty laughed.
Although it was difficult to say, his expression did not show any signs of distress or relaxation.
Director Hong rolled his eyes when he heard his old friend's joking tone.
"If you can't handle it, no one can.”As he spoke, he smiled." But if you need any help, just call me. Although I'm not a big shot like you, I'm a local with some reputation.”
"Fatty Hong, you must be joking.”
Lord Weighty rolled his eyes.
CEO Hong was very popular in Cang City. Although his assets were only tens of millions, he had a good relationship. It would be pure modesty to say that he had some face in the underworld.
As he spoke, he looked at the middle-aged man who was sitting on the bus not far away and talking to his old friend, Hong Botian." Was that your friend who spoke to you just now?”
"Oh, you mean Old Xie?"
CEO Hong looked over and saw that Xie Hong was also looking over. He nodded from afar.
"I'm going to expand my clothing business recently. He's here to cooperate with an old clothing factory in the North District.”
"Cooperate with you? Take the bus?" Master Weighty was surprised. He didn't mean to belittle a person or look down on Xie Hong Cai. He was just surprised. Hong Botian was wealthy. To be able to do business with him, he must be rich. It was strange to take the bus." It's not that I look down on him, it's just..."
"I understand what you mean."
Director Hong laughed and said with admiration," That's the son-in-law of the factory owner. He's a good person.”
" As businessmen, we like to scheme when dealing with people. However, we prefer to make friends with people who are less scheming. Old Xie is only forty-one years old. He's not old. He's very smart and honest. He's worth making friends with. Speaking of which…"
When he said this, there was a mocking look on his face." If Old Xie didn't come to discuss business and sign the contract, I wouldn't have wanted to cooperate with their lousy factory.”
"Hmm?"
Master Weighty was surprised. He rarely saw Hong Botian laugh at people like this.
He had always been polite to everyone. There was definitely something wrong with him.
CEO Hong smiled." Master Weighty, you don't know. Old Xie's factory was quite famous in Cang City 20 years ago, but that was purely luck…"
Then, he understood what was going on.
Old Xie's factory belonged to his father-in-law. His father-in-law had been running a factory for twenty years. He was lucky enough to make friends with the most powerful clothing industry leader in Cang City. With the help of his good friend, his father-in-law grew bigger and bigger. Many clothing companies looked for them to cooperate.
That era was a period of rapid development and fierce competition.
Cang City's clothing industry was greatly impacted. It was surrounded by many foreign clothing companies. It was once annexed and was even on the verge of bankruptcy.
Old Xie's father-in-law didn't send charcoal in the snow, nor did he add icing on the cake. Instead, he chose to add insult to injury. He actually chose other partners and directly tore up the business contract with his good friend. All the business was transferred to a few joint venture factories. In the end, his good friend was on the verge of bankruptcy.
However, the bankruptcy that many people imagined did not happen. A good friend could help his father-in-law grow up and raise such an ingrate. In fact, in a sense, one could also see his character. Sometimes, people did not value assets or qualifications when doing business, but they valued the other party's style of doing things and business attitude.
At that time, his good friend had received the support of big bosses from several other cities in the domestic market. They had invested in the partnership and had the official protection of the local industry.
This matter was often talked about in Cang City's business.
After becoming good friends, several foreign joint venture manufacturers were defeated. In the end, although Old Xie's father-in-law had earned enough, he still needed reputation to do business. If he had the help of a joint venture manufacturer, he would definitely have made a meteoric rise. However, he made a mistake, and his business began to decline.
Although the business was still making money, there would always be times when it suffered losses.
If twenty years passed.
Old Xie's father-in-law was no longer as glorious as he used to be. It was already not bad if his assets added up to ten million. It was very different from his previous glory.
"…In the past few years, without Old Xie around, we couldn't close a few important business deals. His father-in-law's factory had long gone bankrupt.”CEO Hong said.
Then, he said again," Old Xie suffered when he was young. He knew how to be thrifty and could not bear to drive. As for his wife…It's not that I want to gossip behind others 'backs, but his wife's family has a problem. They're just like that old father-in-law. They're stingy and can't get along well with each other. They're afraid that Old Xie will turn around and pressure him. She's in charge of the money. Hehe…I heard that they even signed a divorce agreement. All the assets will belong to his wife.”
"Look at him taking the bus. That's because he saves money. That's what I like about him. He's an honest and dutiful person. He didn't suddenly accept such a big factory because he started off poor. I'm at ease working with him. That old ingrate also knows his role as a son-in-law, so many of the factory's collaborations are handled by Old Xie.”
Director Hong shook his head.
" I always felt that this old ingrate was very lucky in his previous life, which led to him earning millions in the first half of his life. In the second half of his life, he even had a son-in-law who 'married into his family' and the factory was about to be revived…Master Weighty, to be honest, I'm jealous. If my daughter could find a son-in-law like him, I would wake up laughing even in my dreams.”
"I see."
Lord Weighty whispered.
"Every family has its own difficulties." Director Hong shook his head.
Master Weighty smiled and looked at the bus stop. The bus had arrived. Old Xie looked over before getting on the bus. Seeing that they were still there, he smiled and nodded at them.
Upon seeing this, both Master Weighty and CEO Hong smiled in response.
Master Weighty watched the bus leave and retracted his gaze, not paying too much attention to Old Xie's question.
He was not familiar with Old Xie.
Talking to Director Hong was just gossip between friends. He walked towards the City God Temple.
"Speaking of which, Fatty Hong, you should go to the City God Temple more often.”
"Oh?"
“…”
……
North District.
Ning An District, a multi-storied building, Block 3, Room B307.
In the spacious living room, the sound of mahjong was heard. Two middle-aged women and a young girl were playing mahjong around the mahjong table.
"Lanlan, your daughter's luck is too good.”
One of the two middle-aged women, who still had her charm, was sitting at the side. She was speechless as she watched the young girl win again and rolled her eyes.
Wen Pingyun wanted to curse.
"You didn't conspire to trick me, did you?”She said in a teasing tone.
Hearing this, the other middle-aged woman glanced at Wen Pingyun." Do you think that's possible?”
As she spoke, she beamed and said," It's your bad luck recently. You can't blame us. Besides, I've lost more than you.”
"Honghong is your daughter. Money is just a matter of turning one's left hand to the right hand.”
"Who said that? When a daughter grows up, she has to get married. A married daughter is like spilled water.”
"Mom, what nonsense are you talking about? I'll be filial to you in the future.”
"Hahahaha, I was just joking. My precious daughter is the most obedient.”
"Aiya, Honghong is so obedient. I also want a daughter like her.”Wen Pingyun was envious.
She was born with a health problem that prevented her from having children. She had been married to Xie Hong for more than ten years, but she still had no children.
"Ping Yun, I heard that Nanshan First Hospital is very good at treating infertility. You can ask Old Xie to take a look.”
"Yes, I'll get Old Xie to take a look when I'm free.”
Wen Pingyun smiled and nodded.
A vague emotion flashed in the depths of her eyes. She did not say anything about her body being infertile. Instead, she blamed her husband Xie Hong Cai and did something to hide it from him. This made Xie Hong Cai feel even more grateful and guilty towards her family. He clearly could not have children, but Wen Pingyun had not divorced him and never abandoned him.
"Really? That's great. I must let Hong Cai go and take a look.”
At this moment, an elderly man walked over with tea in his hand.
Her skin seemed to be rough and dark due to the long years of exposure to the sun and rain. Her hair was all white, and she walked slowly. It seemed that her vision was not very good.
"Aunty has troubled you to serve tea. You don't have to be so polite. Honghong, quickly greet Grandma. This is your Uncle Xie's mother.”The middle-aged woman took the tea with a smile and told her daughter to greet her politely.
"No need, no need."
Song Dongqing's wrinkled face was full of smiles as he kept waving his hands.
Wen Pingyun looked at this mother-in-law with disgust in the depths of her eyes. She felt that this mother-in-law's skin was dark and gave off a very unclean feeling.
She took the tea from her mother-in-law, Song Dongqing." Grandma, I put the clothes I changed today in the bathroom."”
"Okay, I'll take it to the washing machine later.”
"No, I need to wash that by hand."
"Alright."
Song Dongqing smiled and nodded. He greeted the middle-aged woman and her daughter and asked them to sit down. Then, he walked to the bathroom on the second floor to get his clothes.
"Hmm? Ping Yun, your nanny has been on leave for the past two days?”The middle-aged woman was surprised. She hadn't seen the nanny when she came here to play mahjong for the past two days.
"I fired him."
"Resigned?"
Wen Pingyun waved her hand nonchalantly and then began to wash the mahjong tiles.
Hearing this, the middle-aged woman was puzzled. She remembered that the nanny was not bad. She was quick and efficient. The picky Wen Pingyun had praised her previously. Why did she fire her?
Stealing something?
She thought of something about the nanny and asked.
"There's no need to waste money." Wen Pingyun smiled and looked in the direction of the second floor." Hongcai's mother is here. She can be a nanny, so why spend money?”
“……”
Seeing Wen Pingyun's nonchalant smile, the middle-aged woman smiled hypocritically." Indeed."”
Wen Pingyun didn't notice the middle-aged woman's expression.
While setting up the mahjong tiles, she said," My mother-in-law actually made a profit. She basically pays for three meals and can even live in a penthouse. You can't find such a job outside.”
"That's true. It's not bad to live here. The sunshine in your second bedroom is good. If an old man lives here…"
"Secondary bedroom? I didn't let her stay in the guest bedroom."
Wen Pingyun interrupted her friend, a satisfied smile on her face." Hongcai originally wanted to let his mother stay in the second bedroom, but my mother-in-law is used to living in the countryside and said that it's not a good place to stay, so she stayed in the small room in the utility room. Hongcai couldn't resist it, so he let her stay. I have no objections to this matter…"
The middle-aged woman felt a chill run down her spine.
Looking at her friend's smiling face, she knew that Old Xie's mother definitely didn't ask for this. Ping Yun must have said something to her mother-in-law to let her stay.
"Speaking of which, it's not entirely a good thing that my mother-in-law is here. Ever since she came, I feel that my luck is bad.”
Wen Pingyun continued to babble on, not noticing her friend's expression.
The young girl was stunned.
She wanted to say that this had nothing to do with the zodiac. She was clearly the one who played badly at cards, but the strange granny was here?
At this moment, the door opened.
Xie Hong walked into the house with the box of mooncakes.
"I'm back. Meilan, you're here.”
"Yeah, Old Xie, are you going to talk about big business again?”
The middle-aged woman smiled.
"No, no, I just went to see a client.”
"Meeting a client? Didn't you sign the contract?" Wen Pingyun frowned. She knew very well what business her husband was going to discuss. This was a very big business deal. Could it be that it didn't succeed?
Her expression darkened at the thought of this.
Her family's factory was getting worse year by year. This matter made her very frustrated.
It was only because her business had stabilized over the past three years that she was much happier. Moreover, Xie Hong's father had passed away last year, which was a good thing. She felt that this way, she could spend less money on the maintenance fees. However, she was very unhappy these days. Xie Hong had actually brought her old mother over, saying that her mother was old and needed someone to take care of her.
Wen Pingyun had opposed this matter to begin with, but her father had told her not to oppose this matter. Xie Hong was only in charge of purchasing and sales. The factory needed him after it stabilized, so if she wanted to bring her mother over to live, she would let him do so.
She was already unhappy about this matter. Now that a big business deal had been ruined, how could she be happy?!
"Didn't you say that you were going to sign the contract today?”
Wen Pingyun said.
"I signed it. I didn't say I didn't sign it.”Xie Hongcai saw that his wife was unhappy and didn't know whether to laugh or cry." Ping Yun, don't worry. I won't let the factory lose such a big order."”
Hearing this, Wen Pingyun beamed with joy." Success! Alright, alright, alright."
She played mahjong even harder.
At this moment, the middle-aged woman received a call.
She had a guest at home and had to go back. Soon after, she went out with her daughter.
"Honghong, don't learn from that woman Ping Yun. I brought you here to see her because we have business dealings with her. Don't learn her way of doing things.”
"Mom, are you talking about that grandma?"
"Yes."
"Don't worry, Mom. I'll be filial to you.”
"That's for sure. Don't learn from that woman, Hong Hong. It's better if I bring you here less in the future.”
After the two of them left, they had this conversation and then left.
……
Inside the door.
Xie Hong then changed his shoes.
"Ping Yun, where's my mother?"
"Hanging clothes on the second floor." Wen Pingyun got up and walked to the sofa.
Xie Hong Cai's expression froze.
Noticing the change in Xie Hongcai's expression, Wen Pingyun spoke again," I did say that I would dry it later, but my mother-in-law wouldn't let me. I couldn't persuade her."”
"My mother is like this." Xie Hong smiled and went upstairs with his briefcase.
He looked at his mother's old body.
Xie Hongcai couldn't help but feel his nose turn sour." Mom, didn't I tell you that you don't have to do these things? A nanny will be hired in a few days. It's fine if you don't wash your clothes for a few days."”
"Nonsense. If you don't wash it for a few days, the good clothes will be ruined.”His mother, Song Dongqing, didn't know whether to laugh or cry." I'm not so old that I can't move. It's good to exercise more. This is also equivalent to exercising.”
"Mom, did Ping Yun ask you to do this?”
Xie Hong suddenly said in a low voice.
He was not an idiot.
He was actually very clear about Wen Pingyun's personality. These days, he had noticed some of the details of his wife's attitude towards her mother. However, he did not want to believe that Ping Yun would be so cruel. Even a vicious tiger would not eat its cubs. This was his mother, her mother-in-law. She did not divorce him even though he could not give birth to a child.
In his opinion, Wen Pingyun had some flaws in her character, but she was still a good person and loved him from the bottom of her heart.
However, he felt worried and asked.
"No, why would you say that?"
Song Dongqing was stunned.
She was the one who requested to make tea and wash clothes. Wen Pingyun had never asked her for anything.
"Really?" Xie Hong's heart ached.
Song Dongqing smiled and nodded." Really, don't think too much. Pingyun never asked me to do this. I took the initiative to do it…Hongcai, I just want to do more. You have a problem with your body, and you always feel guilty. It's good for Mom to help you with the housework. It can save a lot of money.”
She had never seen the world.
In her heart, she was very happy that her son had made a name for himself, but she felt more guilty.
She remembered that her son used to eat with a bowl in his tattered pants. The chicken next door came over and saw the rice falling into his pocket and pecked it directly. This was very likely the root of Hong Cai's illness. She did not pay attention to it in the past. If she did, it would not be like this.
(I didn't make this up…We have a person like this here. He pecked the chicken down. He's really funny. He's fine. He just crows loudly.)）
Her current thoughts were very simple. She wanted to help her son with the housework more. Otherwise, if her daughter-in-law was angry, her son would lose this life.
In her heart, she had already made up her mind. There were some small crafts in the city that were very suitable for her. She would bring some thorny flowers from the factory to her house. If she did it according to the requirements, she could exchange them for some money. She could more or less do a little and save more money for her son's future.
"Mom, there's no need."
Xie Hong's heart ached. He comforted his mother not to worry about this.
"Mom, I'll do this. Go sit over there.”
"No need."
……
By the stairs.
Wen Pingyun stood there quietly, secretly watching Xie Hong's conversation with his mother.
She had planned to ask Xie Hong about the contract, but she didn't expect to hear such a reply.
"Humph." Wen Pingyun snorted in her heart.
Then, she calmed down and was about to call her father to ask him what to do about this.
Xie Hong is the one who suspects me. Who does he think he is?
Without my help, without our family, would he be where he is today?
Wen Pingyun's expression was ugly.
However, she quickly smiled. Xie Hong Cai's mother didn't have much knowledge. She was right,'Ping Yun never asked me to do this.'
From the very beginning, she had never directly asked Xie Hong Cai's mother to do anything. She had always hinted at him with words, such as staying in the storeroom. She had said that the feng shui there was good, and that Xie Hong Cai could have a son if he stayed there. She had also deliberately pretended to call Xie Hong Cai's mother and said that there might be guests coming, and that it would be bad if there was no guest room.
"It's fine. She'll die in a few more years. No, we still have to chase her away and let her leave on her own.”
……
Four days later.
The Mid-Autumn Festival was approaching, and there was still one day left.
An Shiyuan looked at the mooncakes in front of him, and his head hurt…
"What is this?" He smiled bitterly.
As he spoke, he looked at the ghost infant standing on the stone chair with its small hands stained with sticky rice flour and glutinous rice flour. It was staring at the mooncakes it had made. He didn't know if it was looking at the ugly mooncakes or if it was looking at something wrong and wanted to make them better.
He shook his head and decided to ask Ghost Baby to make another one, at least a little more like it.
Suddenly!
An Shiyuan turned to look at the study.
Shan Bo trembled and flew out on his own.
In the next moment, his hand was stained with a little pink and white. The pink and white on his hand scattered on its own. In an instant, the Book of Kindness fell into his hand and opened to a certain page.
Two names slowly appeared on the page.
Xie Hongcai, Song Dongqing.
His mother, Song Dongqing, was from Stone Village. Forty years ago, at midnight, she gave birth to Xie Hongcai…
…
He looked at the words on it.
The record this time was different from the past. It did not record many meritorious deeds. It only recorded the bits and pieces of life.
Ghost Baby looked up at An Yanyuan. It felt that An Yanyuan was sighing.
After a long time.
An Yanyuan closed the Book of Kindness. He didn't speak.
A moment later, he looked at the word 'Kindness' written on the book.
The next moment, he looked at Ghost Baby." Xi 'er, I haven't taught you how to read today.”
"Today, I'll teach you four words: a loving mother and a filial son.”
……
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