Chapter 58

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Protagonist:

Li Xiulan

Li Xiulan left Niu Chunsheng and Lin Xiaofang's convenience store, tears flowing out uncontrollably.

She didn't even know why she was crying.

Niu Chunsheng never belonged to her in the first place.

He married Lin Xiaofang — what did that have to do with her?

But she just cried, her heart aching for no clear reason.

If her life were going a little better right now, she might not have felt this heartache, but as it happened, her life was a complete mess.

In fact, several times she had watched her life about to turn around, but fate seemed to love toying with her, so that every time the clouds were just about to clear, a sudden downpour would pour a bucket of cold water over her head.

Niu Chunsheng smoked, watching Li Xiulan's receding back — that back thin and slightly stooped — and couldn't help but sigh inwardly.

Thinking back to those days, Li Xiulan had been so beautiful; even after giving birth to three children she still retained her charm, yet in just a few years, how had she aged so fast?

Not only did her face have wrinkles now, her figure was no longer as attractive as before, and had even begun to lose its shape.

At this moment, Niu Chunsheng's feelings toward Li Xiulan were more sympathy and pity than any so-called love or impulse.

"Chunsheng! You've made something of yourself, kid — business is good!"

Liang Yuanchao and Zhang Zhongtian walked in, interrupting Niu Chunsheng's thoughts.

"Village Secretary Liang, Accountant Zhang, what brings you two here? Come on in, quick!"

Niu Chunsheng hurriedly greeted Liang Yuanchao and Zhang Zhongtian with a smile.

After Lin Xiaofang exchanged greetings with them, she went to attend to the customers coming in to shop.

"Village Secretary Liang, Accountant Zhang, what do you two need from me?"

Niu Chunsheng poured tea for the two elders; he still held considerable respect for these two seniors.

"Heh, actually it's nothing much..."

Liang Yuanchao gave a dry laugh, not knowing how to broach the subject for a moment.

After all, Niu Chunsheng was no longer the Women's Federation Director of Shanggou Village; he actually had no obligation to help them handle Shanggou Village's affairs anymore.

"Chunsheng, Shanggou Village is going to be expropriated — the Jingzhu Expressway happens to pass right through Shanggou Village. Do you know about this?"

Zhang Zhongtian started with the land expropriation matter, not directly mentioning Li Xiulan's situation.

"I know, I've heard about it. This is a good thing — the country's development needs expressways, the village can get subsidies and build new houses; it's a win-win!"

Niu Chunsheng put it that way.

"This is indeed a good thing, but someone refuses to be reasoned with — just won't sign the demolition agreement, and it's got us village cadres nearly frantic!"

Liang Yuanchao sighed.

"Who's being so unreasonable? It's not like they're not getting compensation — why won't they agree?"

Niu Chunsheng was thoroughly puzzled.

He felt the villagers refusing demolition were being utterly unreasonable.

"It's Li Xiulan! The whole Shanggou Village has agreed — only she refuses!"

The moment Liang Yuanchao said this, Niu Chunsheng's face filled with stunned surprise.

"That shouldn't be right — in my impression, Sister-in-law Xiulan has always been quite reasonable."

Niu Chunsheng truly couldn't bring himself to believe this truth; the Li Xiulan in his mind, how could she possibly become a difficult villager obstructing demolition?

"Heh, she's only reasonable toward you alone; toward us village cadres she's downright overbearing — anyone who didn't know better would think we were her father-killing enemies!"

Zhang Zhongtian's words carried a hidden meaning.

In fact, anyone with eyes could see that back when Niu Chunsheng and Li Xiulan opened the shop together, Niu Chunsheng had feelings for Li Xiulan, and Li Xiulan had feelings for Niu Chunsheng, but at the time, because Li Xiulan was already married with children, neither side pierced that final layer of window paper.

"Chunsheng, the reason we came to find you this time is to ask you to help persuade Li Xiulan. She won't even listen to her own husband — she only listens to you. Just like last time with the dispute over those ten acres of cassava field at Shanbei, you went and persuaded her, and only then did it settle. The construction of the Jingzhu Expressway is such a major matter — it can't be delayed because of a single villager from our Shanggou Village, or we'll become obstacles to the country's development!"

Liang Yuanchao appealed to emotion and reason, and even took out a red envelope he had prepared in advance and stuffed it into Niu Chunsheng's hand.

Seeing this, Niu Chunsheng was immediately startled and hurriedly refused:

"Village Secretary Liang, don't do this — I'll go persuade Sister-in-law Xiulan for you, that's all!"

Liang Yuanchao's face immediately filled with gratitude:

"Chunsheng, then we're counting on you! We'll wait for your good news!"

After Liang Yuanchao and Zhang Zhongtian left, Lin Xiaofang walked over.

"Village Secretary Liang just said Li Xiulan won't even listen to her own husband, only to you. I'm really curious — back when you ran the shop together, what exactly did you two do?"

Lin Xiaofang wasn't stupid; she had long known Niu Chunsheng and Li Xiulan's relationship wasn't shallow, she just saw through it without saying so.

Just now when Li Xiulan came here, she deliberately invited Li Xiulan to be the witness — not just out of gratitude toward Li Xiulan, but to twist the knife in her heart.

"What could we do? Purchase stock together, sell goods together!"

Niu Chunsheng gave a dry laugh.

He indeed hadn't done anything with Li Xiulan.

"She was already married long ago, and bore her husband three sons — no matter how thirsty I, Niu Chunsheng, might be, I could never cross that bottom line and destroy someone else's family!"

Niu Chunsheng put on a stern face and said this line as well.

Only then did Lin Xiaofang let out a breath of relief and smiled:

"Why are you getting angry? I naturally know there's nothing between you and Li Xiulan — I still trust your character!"

At this moment Niu Chunsheng said:

"Then do you think I should go help Village Secretary persuade Li Xiulan? If you don't want me to go, I'll find an excuse to back out when I turn back."

Lin Xiaofang said:

"You've already promised Village Secretary Liang, how can you go back on your word? Just go, Li Xiulan is old and ugly now, I don't believe you'd still have any thoughts about her!"

Niu Chunsheng laughed dryly, speechless for a moment.

Because Lin Xiaofang was absolutely right, Li Xiulan was old and ugly now, and apart from pitying her, he really had no other thoughts.

The next day, Niu Chunsheng rode his motorcycle to Shanggou Village.

He went to the Village Entrance Convenience Store to ask, only to discover that the Village Entrance Convenience Store was now run by Li Yunxia, while Li Xiulan's convenience store had moved to her own home.

Niu Chunsheng was greatly surprised, truly unable to understand why Li Xiulan would give up such a good location at the village entrance and move her convenience store to her own home.

It was only then that he suddenly realized why, over the recent period, Li Xiulan's frequency of going to town to restock had been decreasing; it was probably because after the move, business had plummeted.

Niu Chunsheng rode his motorcycle to the courtyard gate of Li Xiulan's home.

Pushing the door open, he saw Li Xiulan teaching Wang Xiaohua reading and writing; the convenience store converted from the living room had not a single customer.

"Chunsheng, why did you come?"

Seeing Niu Chunsheng come over, Li Xiulan hurriedly stood up to welcome him.

Business was poor lately, she didn't want to be idle, so she used her spare time to teach her youngest son Wang Xiaohua reading and writing, so that Wang Xiaohua could get good grades when he started school.

Her eldest son and second son had both gone to school, and now only Wang Xiaohua had not yet started school.

"It's nothing, I just came to look around the village..." Niu Chunsheng looked at the desolate courtyard, full of sympathy, "Sister-in-law Xiulan, why did you move your convenience store to your own home?"