Chapter 367

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Protagonist:

Li Xiulan

After parting with Xu Mingxin, on the way back, Wang Dashan was torn inside.

For a moment, he even had a thought:

Why not just hang out with Xu Mingxin!

When this thought surfaced, it startled Wang Dashan.

This made him suddenly realize that now, in order to earn money, he no longer cared so much about his bottom line.

Recalling those two years in the army, the qualities of integrity and clear distinction between good and evil that the army had forged in him now seemed submerged in the hardships of life.

He had changed.

He was no longer like before.

He had become strange.

He had become the kind of person he once hated.

That night, Wang Dashan suffered from insomnia.

The last shred of conscience left in his heart was still making a final struggle:

Should he really hang out with Xu Mingxin or not?

Was there still any need for Shanhai Real Estate to persist?

Where to borrow money to keep operations going?

A string of questions left Wang Dashan physically and mentally exhausted.

And when the next day early morning came, he was just a bit sleepy, almost falling asleep, when he received another call from home.

It was his father Wang Zhanggen calling.

He originally didn't want to answer.

He was now annoyed to death.

He just wanted to be alone quietly.

But after the phone rang for a while, Wang Zhanggen called again.

The piercing mobile phone vibration noise disturbed him so much he pressed his pillow hard against his head, but still couldn't block out the noise.

Finally he answered the phone very impatiently:

"What are you calling for so early in the morning!"

Wang Dashan questioned him with anger as soon as he picked up.

Hearing Wang Dashan's tone, Wang Zhanggen was immediately displeased:

"What kind of attitude is this? Is there anyone who treats their own father like this?"

Wang Dashan was irritated beyond measure:

"If you have something to say, say it; if not, I'm hanging up!"

Wang Zhanggen hurriedly said:

"Of course I have something! Back home, the old house has already been demolished, and construction on the new house starts next week. You and Erhai promised before that you'd bring back three hundred thousand by the Winter Solstice. This time you'd better not pull a disappearing act, otherwise when the house is built there'll be no money for renovation, and the whole big family will have to spend the Spring Festival in a bare unfinished shell house, and then we'll really be laughed at by the whole village!"

Hearing this, Wang Dashan felt even more pressure.

Originally his career was not going well, and now his hometown side was bringing up this matter to him.

This made him feel somewhat out of breath.

"No need for you to remind me, I've always kept it in mind. I'll definitely bring money back by the Winter Solstice. If there's nothing else, I'm hanging up!"

Wang Dashan was very impatient.

Without waiting for Wang Zhanggen's response, he hurriedly hung up the phone.

Although he said with his mouth that he always remembered, his attitude clearly seemed more like avoidance.

Now whether Shanhai Real Estate could survive was still unknown.

And he had to bring three hundred thousand home by the Winter Solstice!

He felt guilty.

He felt this was almost an impossible mission!

He really wanted to call back and tell his parents clearly about the difficulties both brothers were in now, and tell his parents they might not be able to bring money back by the Winter Solstice.

But just thinking of Wang Zhanggen's fierce face, he stopped that thought again.

Originally it was he himself who promised his parents he would bring money back. If at this time he told them he wouldn't bring money back, indeed he would be in the wrong, and being scolded would be deserved.

Besides, didn't Wang Zhanggen just say? The old house has already been demolished. Their family only has that one old house. After the old house is demolished, if they don't build a new house, where will they live? Live on the street?

Wang Dashan's mind was in chaos. Under multiple pressures, even his expression became somewhat dazed.

And at this time, in his mind, that terrible thought surfaced again:

"Why not just go do internet finance with Xu Mingxin!"

And at this time, back home in Shangou Village.

"How did Dashan say?"

Wang Zhanggen had just hung up the phone when Li Xiulan hurriedly asked.

"This kid is getting more and more disrespectful to his parents, looking very impatient. But he said he will definitely bring money back by the Winter Solstice."

Wang Zhanggen smoked a cigarette, pulling a long face.

Wang Dashan's attitude toward him clearly made him unhappy.

"Maybe Dashan is under too much work pressure; we should be more understanding."

Li Xiulan said this.

Wang Zhanggen stared:

"We understand him, but can he understand us?"

Wang Zhanggen took a drag of his cigarette and continued:

"I haven't even said anything about him yet; if it weren't for him standing by and doing nothing while Yaohua was in trouble, my brother and I wouldn't have fallen out so badly!"

Previously, when Wang Yaohua was taken in, Wang Zhangtian called Wang Dashan to seek help; Wang Dashan not only didn't save him, but even scolded Uncle Wang Zhangtian.

The result of this matter was that the relationship between the two brothers Wang Zhanggen and Wang Zhangtian directly fell apart.

Previously, Wang Zhangtian had promised Wang Zhanggen that when Wang Zhanggen built a new house, he would lend their old house to Wang Zhanggen and Li Xiulan to live in.

But now because of this matter, the two brothers fell out badly, and the matter of borrowing the eldest brother and eldest sister-in-law's old house came to nothing.

Although Wang Zhangtian did not explicitly state he was unwilling to lend them the old house, both Wang Zhanggen and Li Xiulan were too embarrassed to bring it up again.

After all, their eldest son did not go help when the other family's son was in difficulty; they were indeed in the wrong first.

Now they have moved into the abandoned house at the village entrance.

That was originally the place where Li Xiulan and Niu Chunsheng opened a small shop over a decade ago; later the small shop was transferred to Li Yunxia, and after Li Yunxia ran it for many years, because the village population grew fewer and fewer, she could not keep it going, the small shop finally went bankrupt, and the house had been sitting idle ever since.

This old house belongs to the Village Collective; Wang Zhanggen spoke to Zhang Zhongtian about it, and Zhang Zhongtian readily agreed to let them live there for free; anyway the house was empty, and them moving in would mean some repairs, so it wouldn't collapse so quickly.

On the walls of this old house, some traces left from when Li Xiulan and Niu Chunsheng ran the small shop back then still remain.

For example, the nails on the wall were hammered in by her and Niu Chunsheng back then; for example, the old-fashioned pendulum clock hanging on the wall was bought by them back then.

In her heart, Li Xiulan was actually very unwilling to move into this old house, because as soon as she came here, she couldn't help but recall all sorts of things from her youth.

But there was no choice; because of the unpleasantness with Wang Zhangtian, during this period of building the new house, they could only come live here.

Looking back on half her life, Li Xiulan suddenly discovered that the happiest, most joyful, and most meaningful experience of this old village woman's entire life was actually that brief time running the small shop together with Niu Chunsheng.

This goes to show that her life was not only poor, but also barren.

These past few days moving into the Village Entrance Small Shop's old house, Li Xiulan tossed and turned every night, finding it very hard to fall asleep.

Several times in a drowsy haze she dreamed of Niu Chunsheng; Niu Chunsheng, wearing a radiant and sincere smile, waved and greeted her:

"Xiulan, over here, come over!"

In the dream she smiled and ran toward Niu Chunsheng; she ran and ran, ran for a long time, yet discovered not only did she not reach Niu Chunsheng, but the distance to him grew farther and farther.

She panicked, grew anxious, even cried.

Then with a violent start, she woke with a fright from the dream.