Chapter 151

Lianhua, my husband was unloading cargo at the dock the day before yesterday; everything was fine at first, but just as we were moving the cargo to the temporary storage area at the dock, an accident happened.

The stacked cargo toppled and some fell; my husband could have dodged it, but when he saw others about to be hit he ran to help, and in the end they couldn't get away—one suffered a head injury, one got his arm hurt, and my husband got his leg injured...

Zhang Qiao kept speaking, and tears began to fall uncontrollably.

Before Qiao Sheng could speak.

Zhang Qiao raised her hand to wipe away her tears and then continued speaking.

'After such an incident, even if the people storing the cargo here don't have to pay compensation, the dock foreman should still be liable, but he instead blamed everything on my husband and his crew, saying that if they hadn't stacked the cargo so high, this wouldn't have happened.'

'If this was how my husband and his crew chose to stack it themselves, I'd have nothing to say, but the fact is, it's not like that at all—they stacked it that way because he instructed them to, and now he refuses to admit it.'

Qiao Sheng seized the point and asked, 'He won't admit it—what about the others? If others can testify for your husband, you could go to the yamen and sue that foreman; you wouldn't have to worry about losing the case.'

Speaking of this matter.

Zhang Qiao's face was filled with indignation.

'Others don't know whether they were threatened or bribed by that foreman, but each one denies he said those things, and they even claim that my husband and his crew are slandering him just to get compensation money.'

Finished speaking.

Zhang Qiao looked at Qiao Sheng and continued, 'Because of this matter, my elder sister-in-law and they have caused a split in the household; I still have a little money left, but not much. Lianhua, could you lend me some? I'll write you an IOU, and I will definitely pay you back later.'

'We're this close, I trust you—no need for an IOU.'

Qiao Sheng untied the money pouch at her waist, took out a twenty-tael silver note, and handed it to Zhang Qiao.

Although Zhang Qiao had never seen a silver note before, she knew that silver notes come in denominations of no less than ten taels—usually twenty taels per note, fifty taels per note, one hundred taels per note, and also five hundred taels and one thousand taels per note.

'This, this is too much.'

Qiao Sheng said, 'Twenty taels of silver isn't that much; take this silver note to the money shop and exchange it for silver. If you have any left over, keep it, and when you've saved enough, return it to me. If it's still not enough, let me know.'

'But...'

Zhang Qiao still didn't take it.

'All right, no more buts—take it!'

Qiao Sheng shoved the money into Zhang Qiao's hand without another word.

The matter of Zhang Qiao's husband being injured.

Qiao Sheng didn't just let it go; the next day, as soon as she arrived at the shop, she asked Qiao Hushui, 'Father, you used to work at the dock, didn't you? Do you know the dock foreman?'

Qiao Hushui, somewhat surprised, asked, 'You girl, why are you asking about this?'

'I was just asking casually.'

Qiao Sheng thought about it and decided not to tell Qiao Hushui about Zhang Qiao's husband's accident.

Besides, their whole family isn't in the village.

If they were.

Qiao Hushui would surely have guessed right away why Qiao Sheng was asking that.

He thought that was indeed the case, and blurted out, 'I only know his name is Sun Mao; he's thirty-three this year. As for where he lives and who's in his family, I don't know.'

'Oh.'

Qiao Sheng didn't ask any further.

After lunch, Qiao Sheng took advantage of her break and went to Cheng Xianglan's shop to look for Yun Tian.

Yun Tian spends most of his time here now; compared to being at home, he naturally prefers to stay beside his wife.

Cheng Xianglan didn't want Yun Tian to continue like this, so from time to time she would invite people to come over and perform operas to treat his leg, making Shi Shi think she hadn't given up on healing him.

Thus.

If Yun Tian's leg ever gets better, Shi Shi won't find it strange.

As soon as Qiao Sheng walked into the shop, Cheng Xianglan saw her and said, 'Qiao Sheng, you're here—is there something you need?'

(End of chapter)