After finishing the phone call with Lin Qi, Chen Lishu returned home, completely unaware that someone had already set their sights on her shop.
“The person has locked up and left. We just need to wait until late at night to make our move,” Er Biao said as he turned and entered the ‘Mei Li’ garment shop after Wang Aixiang locked up and left.
Jiang Weiguo and Sun Ling were sitting by the fire, toasting themselves. Hearing Er Biao, Jiang Weiguo smiled and beckoned. “It’s cold outside, right? Xiao Wang, come over and warm yourself by the fire.”
“No, cousin. I still need to go back and get people to help. I’ll be going now.”
“Then be careful on your own,” Sun Ling said, uncharacteristically gentle and even showing concern. Er Biao was so flustered by this that he almost tripped on the threshold when he stepped out.
“Cousin, where did you find such a simpleton? But I must say, only you could have come up with this plan. Not only can we get revenge, but we can also make a fortune.”
The thought of cashmere sweaters, priced at fifty yuan each, which was more than several of his own clothes, and getting them for free, made Jiang Weiguo incredibly excited.
Sun Ling laughed smugly. “That’s because you’re too kind, cousin. That wretched Chen Lishu deserves to be knocked down hard and never be able to get back up.”
“Well, here’s the key to the shop. There’s coal in the back room; add some if you get cold.”
Sun Ling frowned. “Cousin, aren’t you staying here tonight?”
Jiang Weiguo explained apologetically, “The temperature has dropped drastically these past few days. Your cousin and nephew have fallen ill, and I need to go home and check on them.” With that, he put on his coat and hurried away.
Joke’s on them, this was a serious crime of theft. How could he possibly be directly involved? Since Er Biao wanted to take the lead, he was naturally going to give him this opportunity.
Jiang Weiguo had even thought of the aftermath. If anything were to happen later, he would have an explanation. All the clothes looked the same, and it wasn’t explicitly stated they were from ‘Shu Se’ Clothing Store. If it came to it, he could shift all the blame onto his cousin Sun Ling, insisting that this batch of clothes was sold to him by Sun Ling and Er Biao.
He had been able to secure his manager position through his own abilities precisely because he could think two or three steps ahead. In everything, one had to be careful and cautious.
Sun Ling thought that for such a big matter, Jiang Weiguo would at least return after checking on his family. Who knew that it wasn’t until past eleven o’clock at night that Jiang Weiguo’s figure appeared.
Certain that he wouldn’t be coming back, Sun Ling looked at Er Biao and his two brothers. “It’s this late; there shouldn’t be anyone on the streets, right?”
Er Biao stood up. “Let’s go.”
…
Wang Aixiang woke up as usual. It had snowed heavily late last night. She first cleared the snow in front of her own door and then headed to the shop early.
The snow was too heavy. To make it convenient for customers to enter, she had to clear the snow in front of the shop early.
There weren’t many pedestrians on the street on this winter morning. Wang Aixiang reached the shop entrance and was about to take out her key to open the door when she suddenly noticed that the lock on the door was open, hanging loosely on the handle. Her face immediately changed color.
She yanked off the lock and pulled the door open, only to find the shop in a complete mess.
The floor, which she had cleaned before leaving, was now covered in muddy footprints, and the clothes on the shelves were all gone.
Wang Aixiang swayed, and the key in her hand dropped onto the mosaic floor with a clatter.
Without time to consider anything else, Wang Aixiang picked up the key and turned to rush upstairs. Seeing that the corner where the cashmere sweaters were stored was now empty, her legs went weak, and she almost collapsed.
It was over. All the cashmere sweaters were gone…
Meanwhile, after breakfast, Chen Lishu first sent Rui Rui to school and then went to school herself.
“What’s wrong? Why are you sitting here looking so dejected so early in the morning?”
Zhang Xue rested her chin on her arms, looking depressed. “Lishu, I don’t think I’ll pass this exam. You don’t know, I studied until midnight last night, but when I woke up this morning, I couldn’t remember anything I had read.”
“Don’t worry. If you don’t remember it after the first read, you’ll remember it after a few more. Besides, you’ve been keeping up pretty well. I’ll lend you my notes later, and then I’ll tutor you and highlight some key points. We’re not aiming for a ranking, but passing is definitely achievable,” Chen Lishu comforted her, patting her shoulder.
“Chen Lishu, you’re being a bit biased. I want tutoring too,” Li Zhiwei, with his sharp ears, couldn’t help but interject enviously when he overheard their conversation.
Zhang Xue turned around. “How can you compare to me? Besides, who told you not to listen carefully in class?”
Li Zhiwei retorted cheekily, “Even if I don’t listen carefully, I can still remember most of the content in the books. Brother Zhang, your brain is something else. How do you manage to be so disconnected from knowledge?”
Zhang Xue, angry, slapped the table and said through gritted teeth, “Li Zhiwei, you’re dead!”
“Chen Lishu, someone is looking for you outside,” a classmate suddenly called out loudly from outside.
As it was almost time for class, who would be looking for her?
Chen Lishu rose in confusion and went out, only to see Wang Aixiang looking anxious outside the classroom.
“Sister, something bad has happened!”
…
Jiang Weiguo hadn’t expected Chen Lishu’s shop to have so much stock. Looking at the mountain of bags on the ground, he looked up and asked, “This… this is all of it?”
Sun Ling nodded. “Cousin, even though we’re family, these cashmere sweaters aren’t cheap. Yesterday, we checked, and there are six hundred and thirty-four pieces in total. How much are you willing to pay?”
Jiang Weiguo’s eyes flickered. “Cousin, Er Biao and the others aren’t here. Talking about money too much can hurt feelings. Besides, aren’t you just doing this for revenge against that wretched Chen? How about I give you two hundred yuan, what do you think?”
“Even close brothers need to keep accounts straight. I know you have money, cousin. I don’t want much, just a thousand yuan, not a penny less. Otherwise, I’ll go call Er Biao and the others right now to take the goods away.”
Jiang Weiguo tried to bargain. “Cousin, you’re clearly asking for the moon. This is stolen property. Five hundred at most.”
“It’s a thousand, and I don’t care if it’s stolen property. These are all cashmere sweaters. If you don’t agree, I’ll sell them cheap outside. Nobody will buy them if they’re expensive, but for two yuan each, I’m sure they’ll sell, right?”
Six hundred pieces for just a thousand yuan was already being extremely generous.
Seeing her firm attitude, Jiang Weiguo finally took out his passbook and went to the bank to withdraw a thousand yuan for Sun Ling.
“...Last night’s heavy snow covered any nearby footprints, and since this street has many pedestrians, it’s impossible to determine the direction of their escape,” Yang Shuang said, looking at Chen Lishu and the empty shop behind her, feeling a pang of sympathy.
After Director Liu was disciplined and sent down, she was transferred to this precinct. She hadn’t expected that on her very first day of reporting, she would be taking on a case for an acquaintance.