With over fifty merchants, each contributing twenty yuan, the amount totaled over a thousand yuan. Coupled with so many witnesses, Sun Zhiqiang had no chance to quibble.
“You’ve disappointed me too much,” Han Shengquan said, looking at Sun Zhiqiang. His eyes held not only disappointment but also disgust.
No wonder so many merchants didn’t trust them. It turned out there were scum like Sun Zhiqiang, rotten worms who disgraced the organization! “Little Zhang, go tell the comrades at the Public Security Bureau to take him away for investigation.”
Hearing Han Shengquan’s words, Sun Zhiqiang’s face turned ashen. His legs went weak, and he completely slumped to the ground. It was over; he was truly finished this time…
“Uncle Han, thank you so much for bailing me out today. If I had to pay so much in fines, I wouldn’t have known what to do.”
Han Shenglin laughed heartily. “With your capabilities, Xiao Chen, I know you would have gotten out of this even without me. I just didn’t expect a university student like you to go into private business.”
Chen Lishu smiled. “No profession is superior or inferior. Besides, didn’t the authorities say that socialism can also have a commodity economy? Someone has to be the first to take the plunge.”
Hearing her words, Han Shenglin’s expression turned more serious. “Though the policies are good, don’t be too reckless. You’re still too young, and even if you’ve experienced things, your understanding may not be deep enough. Take my advice: the tallest nail gets hammered down. Everything is still uncertain, so you must pay close attention to current affairs to avoid detours.”
The tallest nail gets hammered down.
Chen Lishu paused, gradually falling into thought…
Sun Ling, having been slapped by Sun Zhiqiang, ran out in a huff and complained to Jiang Yuwei for a long time. They went to buy a lot of food together and then watched a movie, finally feeling much better.
“That b*tch Chen Lishu is a temptress, seducing some old man from who knows where to speak for her. I’ll make her pay for this slap tenfold sooner or later,” Sun Ling said maliciously as they parted.
Since she already knew that b*tch was running a shop, she would report the matter to the school leadership when school started. In the meantime, her shop wouldn’t have a moment’s peace. With her father’s connections, who in the industrial and commercial bureau wouldn’t give her some face? If she could just cause some trouble for Chen Lishu then, it would be enough to give her a headache.
Just thinking about Chen Lishu no longer being able to flaunt herself made Sun Ling feel much better.
As she walked all the way home, just as she reached the downstairs, Sun Ling keenly felt that people’s gazes towards her seemed different from usual. She even heard two people pointing at her and seemingly whispering about something.
With suspicion, she went back home. As she took out her key to open the door, she found the door was actually ajar. But it wasn’t even the end of working hours, and no one was usually home at this time.
Could it be a burglar? When Sun Ling cautiously pulled open the door, she found Sun Mu sitting silently on the sofa. Raising her head as she saw her daughter enter, her eyes were red.
“Mom, what’s wrong?”
With such a major incident happening at home, Sun Mu couldn’t hide it from her daughter, especially since she was grown. Her voice choked as she said, “Xiao Ling, your father was taken away by the police this afternoon. They said he abused his power and embezzled a huge amount of money. Not only will he be dismissed from his post, but he’ll also be sentenced.”
The key in Sun Ling’s hand dropped to the floor with a clatter. She asked incredulously, “How could this happen?”
Her father had been fine when she left. How could he be arrested so suddenly?
“I received the notification this afternoon and went to see him. He’s fine. The priority now is to find a way to get your father out.”
Sun Ling snapped out of her daze. “Mom, then you should go quickly!”
Sun Mu shook her head helplessly. “I’ve approached everyone I could, but your father’s situation is quite serious, and they’re all afraid of getting implicated. Some wouldn’t even see me, while others sent me away after just a few words.”
The more Sun Mu thought about it, the angrier she became. “They’re truly detestable! They’ve forgotten how they groveled to ask me and your father for favors. Now that your father is in trouble, they’re all hiding faster than rabbits!”
Sun Ling hadn’t experienced anything like this before. Hearing her mother say that no one was helping, she panicked too. “Mom, what do we do? We can’t just watch Dad go to jail.”
“Xiao Ling, you and Xiao Jiang have always been close. Why don’t you ask her for help?”
The Jiang family were all old foxes. Sun Mu hadn’t met a single person when she went over this afternoon and was sent away. She thought that perhaps through her daughter’s relationship, she might be able to convince them.
“Okay, Mom, don’t worry. I’ll go find Yuwei right away. We’re good friends, she definitely won’t stand by and watch.” Sun Ling said, turning and quickly running out.
The Sun and Jiang families weren’t too far apart. Sun Ling walked all the way to the Jiang house under the scorching sun. To her surprise, she was told that Jiang Yuwei was not at home.
“What a coincidence. That child Yuwei was picked up by her maternal uncle,” Grandma Jiang said with a smile.
Sun Ling frowned. “When did that happen? She didn’t mention anything when we parted. Can you tell me when she’ll be back? Or I can wait here for her.”
Grandma Jiang stood at the doorway, showing no intention of letting her in. She explained, “She said she’s going to tutor her uncle’s child in English. She’ll be staying for a few days.”
Upon hearing that she would be staying for a few days, Sun Ling became anxious. Her father was still at the Public Security Bureau, and she desperately needed help.
“Grandma Jiang, can you tell me the address of Yuwei’s uncle’s place? Or their phone number? I have something urgent to tell her.”
Grandma Jiang immediately looked troubled. “I really don’t know. Perhaps I can ask when her parents return.”
Although Sun Ling’s father had been arrested, her mother still worked in the education department, so Grandma Jiang couldn’t completely turn her back on her. Hence, her attitude was still patient.
Sun Ling didn’t think of anything else. With no other choice, she could only say thank you and leave unwillingly.
…
After Chen Lishu returned from the Industrial and Commercial Bureau, she began to diligently attend to the shop.
Perhaps the trend of flared pants, popular in the south, had finally blown over, or perhaps the posters she put up at the window had worked. The sales of flared pants had slowly begun to increase, with thirty to forty pairs sold each day.
One day, as she was stocking the shelves, Lin Qi came in from outside, wilting under the scorching sun. Seeing him drenched in sweat, Chen Lishu quickly went to pour him a glass of water.
Lin Qi took the cup and drank the water in one go before handing the documents in his hand to Chen Lishu. “Sister Chen, this is what I found out in the past couple of days. I never expected that couple, Sun Zhiqiang and his wife, would be so audacious. One abused his power, and the other was corrupt and broke the law, even resorting to tampering with college entrance exam scores.”
“Tampering with college entrance exam scores?” Chen Lishu reached out and took the documents. As she flipped through them, her expression grew increasingly grave.