“Sister-in-law, do you suspect someone deliberately set the fire?”
Chen Lishu frowned, “I’m not sure about that either, so I need you to take a look. If it was man-made, then we’ll call the police.”
Wang Dazhu, having come from the army, was naturally more experienced in investigation than ordinary people.
“Understood, Sister-in-law.” Wang Dazhu responded and began to carefully examine the charred ruins.
After speaking with Wang Dazhu, Chen Lishu turned to Liang Chunsheng, “You’ve been in charge of this section. How much fabric do you have in the warehouse in total, what’s the total loss, and how much did the agents order? This fire was sudden, and it might not be possible to supply goods on time. Please explain and communicate with them properly. Offer a discount for the next supply, and if any cannot understand, they can get a refund, and compensation will be paid where due.”
Liang Chunsheng had brought the account books with him when Chen Lishu told him about the warehouse fire and asked him to come. Therefore, as soon as she asked, he took out the account books.
“We didn’t store much of our own printed and dyed fabrics because they sold well. The newly delivered fabrics are still at the printing and dyeing factory and haven’t returned. However, we’ve procured a lot of fabrics from the textile factory recently, like corduroy and corduroy, all in preparation for autumn and winter clothing. Brother Zhou was supposed to come next week, but now…”
Liang Chunsheng glanced at the ruins and sighed. If Zhou Bin had come earlier, the loss wouldn’t have been so great.
Chen Lishu: “Just tell me the price.”
Liang Chunsheng withdrew his gaze, “The total comes to over four thousand yuan.”
Over four thousand yuan.
Chen Lishu’s brow furrowed almost into a knot. Her already expressionless face tightened even further.
“Go and inform the agents first.” After a while, Chen Lishu nodded and asked Liang Chunsheng to go and busy himself.
“Sister-in-law, come and look.” Wang Dazhu had thoroughly searched the area around the house and finally stopped by the window on the street-facing side, turning to call Chen Lishu over.
Knowing he must have found something, Chen Lishu quickly walked over.
“Look here.” Wang Dazhu pointed to the cracked glass on the windowsill. “There are significantly more glass shards here than elsewhere, and they aren’t blackened by smoke. Also, I found this at the base of the wall.” As Wang Dazhu spoke, he bent down and picked up a half-burnt match from a crack in the bricks. The wood still looked new.
The house they rented was at the innermost part of the alley. To the right was a courtyard wall, and the back door was very secluded, with very few people passing by.
The window had been smashed open, and there was a freshly thrown match. Chen Lishu’s face instantly turned extremely grim.
She went to the Public Security Bureau with Wang Dazhu to report the case. Due to the large amount of loss, the Public Security Bureau also took it very seriously. However, the fire occurred in the middle of the night when everyone was asleep, making it extremely difficult to find eyewitnesses. Even though the Public Security Bureau was eager to solve the case quickly, they could only proceed with slow investigation and door-to-door inquiries.
…
“What’s got you so happy?”
Zhao Hong was counting clothes when she saw Lu Chengming enter with a smile on his face and asked curiously.
“When I came over just now, I saw Chen Lishu’s shop was closed. Do you know why?”
Zhao Hong shook her head and asked confusedly, “Why?”
“Her fabric warehouse caught fire.” A sinister glint flashed in Lu Chengming’s eyes. Besides getting revenge for the detention center, Lu Chengming also felt a strange sense of satisfaction.
From the first day he saw Chen Lishu when he went to Qingshan Village as a sent-down youth, he had fallen for her. However, at that time, she was very shy and barely spoke to them, the sent-down youths.
If she had agreed to his marriage proposal back then, he wouldn’t have been with Zhao Hong, nor would there have been Lin Xiaohui later.
His thoughts drifted to the scene he saw that day of Chen Lishu holding hands with her husband and child, which instantly made his eyes red.
If Chen Lishu had chosen him back then, she surely would have given him a smart and cute son. After returning to the city, they would have lived a happy and blissful life as a family of three.
But now, all of this was fake. That lowly woman was unappreciative and had even harmed her. Burning her warehouse with a single fire was already considered lenient.
Zhao Hong saw the change in Lu Chengming’s eyes completely. She was sure she hadn’t misread the tenderness in that moment, and she knew very well Lu Chengming’s feelings for Chen Lishu. She hadn’t expected that even when Lu Chengming was about to leave with her, he was still infatuated with that lowly woman.
“By the way, how’s your end progressing?” Lu Chengming withdrew his thoughts and suddenly asked, looking at her.
Zhao Hong forced a smile and replied, “The other party has taken a liking to it, and the price has been agreed upon. They will take over all these clothes and the shop. It’s just that they can’t come up with that much money at once. At most, in two days, once they’ve gathered the money, we can go far away and live a good life.”
Lu Chengming nodded, “Then hurry up. I’ll go to the unit first to get a certificate and book train tickets. Once we get to the south, we can live a good life.”
Zhao Hong’s shop, including the goods, was worth at least over two thousand yuan. Plus what she had earned in nearly a year, and what Jin Kun had. According to what Zhao Hong told him, Jin Kun had earned several thousand yuan in the past two months. It wouldn’t be a problem to gather ten thousand yuan.
Ten thousand yuan. He would have to save for twenty to thirty years without eating or drinking. With over ten thousand yuan, he could do anything.
…
Since they were all long-term collaborators, the agents expressed their understanding and concern after hearing about the fire at Chen Lishu’s warehouse, and a slight delay in supply was not an issue.
The biggest problem for Chen Lishu now was the landlord of the rented house.
“Look what you’ve done to my good house by burning it down?”
When the landlord learned about the fire, he rushed to the scene immediately. After looking around, he preemptively pointed at Chen Lishu.
“Sister, this is indeed our responsibility. We are truly deeply sorry.”
“What’s the use of your apology? Do you know how hard it is to find an old house like mine nowadays? Who knows when the province will protect it as a historical building.”
An old house from the forties or fifties, it was just an ordinary railway family courtyard. To think of it being protected as a historical building was definitely a bit of a pipe dream.
However, Chen Lishu could understand. After all, her house was burned down, and while she was anxious, she was naturally more worried about the other party not providing compensation, which was why she wanted to exaggerate the situation first.
But this was completely unnecessary. She guaranteed that the compensation due would not be shorted by a single bit.
“This was due to our negligence. How about this: the annual rent is fifty-five yuan. I will additionally pay you an extra twenty years’ rent, totaling eleven hundred yuan. Or, I can buy the house. Which method would you prefer?”
As wages increased last year, housing prices also rose slightly. Currently, the housing prices in the provincial capital were basically sixty yuan per square meter. But nowadays, most houses were bought with a lump sum payment, not calculated by square meter.