"You'll regret this," Wang Erbiao said before turning to leave.
"Bastard, you just wait to die!"
...
Jiang Weiguo entered the store at his usual time. The moment he stepped inside, he felt the atmosphere was off. The way everyone looked at him seemed like they were watching a show.
"Old Jiang, come to my office," the manager said, turning and heading up the stairs.
Jiang Weiguo, not understanding, followed as instructed.
"Suspended with pay?" Jiang Weiguo thought he misheard. "Why?"
He recalled how the manager had once preached about taking care of old employees, making everyone think he was a good manager. Now that he had used them to win hearts, it was time to discard them.
"I'm telling you, Zhang Hongqi, if you don't want anyone to know, don't do it. We all know each other. If you push me too far, you won't be able to sit in that position for long!"
Facing his unreasonable behavior, Manager Zhang frowned and said, "There's a clear regulation from above prohibiting public officials from doing business. Yet, you knowingly violated it. Now that everyone knows, I'm giving you a suspended sentence with pay as a courtesy. If it were truly investigated, you could even be fired."
Jiang Weiguo was stunned, never expecting it to be about this.
"Who the hell is spreading rumors? That store is run by my niece. I just help out occasionally, how did it become mine? These people, they jump to conclusions. Old Zhang, you absolutely cannot believe them."
"The whole street knows now. You don't need to hide it from us. I wouldn't have come to you without evidence."
Seeing his determined gaze, Jiang Weiguo knew that whatever he said now was useless.
Getting suspended with pay would at least save some face. Being fired would truly turn him into a laughingstock.
Though unwilling, he still went downstairs, packed his belongings, and prepared to leave.
...
Although Sun Ling had shouted about calling the police to send Wang Erbiao to jail, she faltered when it came to taking action.
Chastity was too important for a girl. If others found out about this incident, her entire family would lose face. So, after Wang Erbiao left, Sun Ling cried for a long time. In the end, she could only quietly tidy herself up and pretend nothing had happened when her parents returned.
However, while she could choose to endure this incident, it didn't mean she couldn't use the theft to her advantage. The next morning, Sun Ling went to the police and accused Wang Erbiao of being the thief who stole from the 'Shu Se' clothing store. Da Feng Novel Network.
Wang Erbiao was still sound asleep at home. Hearing the knock, he groggily got up. Upon seeing the police in uniform, his sleepiness vanished instantly.
"Someone reported that you stole the batch of clothes that went missing from the 'Shu Se' clothing store. Please come with us."
At first, he thought Sun Ling had called the police. Hearing it was about theft, Wang Erbiao's first thought was that Jiang Weiguo had made a preemptive move.
This son of a bitch. He hadn't even had time to deal with him, and this guy was already causing trouble for him.
"I haven't finished getting dressed. Comrades, please wait for me for a moment. I'll change my clothes and then I'll go with you."
"Then hurry up. Don't try anything funny."
"Soon, very soon," Wang Erbiao said as he returned to his room.
However, after waiting for a long time and not seeing anyone come out, the two police officers knocked on the door. Receiving no response, they exchanged glances and kicked the door open. Suddenly, a gust of cold wind blew in. They then realized that the back window had been opened at some point, and the cold wind was coming from there. Wang Erbiao was already nowhere to be found in the room.
...
Since his departure wasn't glorious, Jiang Weiguo didn't say much to everyone. As soon as he pushed open the store door to leave, a figure suddenly rushed towards him. Jiang Weiguo had no time to react, only feeling a chill in his abdomen followed by intense pain. He looked up and saw it was Wang Erbiao.
"This is what you get for scheming against me. Next time, keep your eyes open and learn your lesson." Wang Erbiao fiercely pulled out the knife in his hand and left without looking back.
Jiang Weiguo's legs went weak, and he collapsed onto the ground.
...
"Sister, you probably don't know yet, but Jiang Weiguo was stabbed yesterday."
Seeing Chen Lishu enter, Wang Aixiang eagerly recounted yesterday's events.
"In the middle of winter, wearing such thick clothes, there was a large pool of blood on the ground. Fortunately, they discovered it in time, and he was saved, but he suffered greatly. I heard he won't recover anytime soon. And that Wang Erbiao, no one knows where he ran off to. The police are looking for him everywhere now."
Chen Lishu also sighed. Perhaps this was retribution. Before she could even take significant action, he had already met his comeuppance.
As Wang Aixiang tidied up the clothes, she thought of something and asked, "Chunsheng should have arrived by now, has there been any news?"
Chen Lishu shook her head, unable to suppress her worry. "Logically, he left about four or five days ago. He's probably not doing well. He said he'd be back in about a week when he left, so he should be back in a couple more days."
When Liang Chunsheng went to the neighboring province to get orders last time, he had called her. This time, there had been no news for several days. After all, the town he was going to was the northernmost in the country. She hoped nothing had happened.
Liang Chunsheng was indeed facing some difficulties, but they weren't serious.
The cold weather and continuous blizzards meant many roads were impassable. Liang Chunsheng was stuck at the town's guesthouse and couldn't go anywhere.
It was cold, so everyone gathered around a stove, chatting and telling stories.
"Hey, did you guys hear? Yao Dalai wanted to copy Sun Wu's method of stowing away on trains, but he was caught before he even reached the border. They took him and his goods away."
"How many people can match Sun Laowu's skills? He stows away on trains in winter and travels by water in summer. He's very capable."
Listening to everyone's discussions, Liang Chunsheng became very interested in the Sun Wu they were talking about and couldn't help but ask curiously, "Where can I meet this Comrade Sun Wu?"
"That's hard to say. Sometimes he goes to other places to get goods, otherwise, how would he bring them out to sell to the Russians?" one person replied.
"I heard he has strong backing. Most people don't dare to mess with him?"
"How could he do this job without some skills? A while ago, a stowaway on a train lost his life. By the time they found him, he was already stiff."
The people sighed again.
"Young man, Sun Wu's home is on East Street. In this tiny place of ours, if you ask around, someone will definitely tell you."
Liang Chunsheng kept it in mind, thinking he would go see him once the weather improved.
As if the heavens favored him, the very next day the sky cleared up outside, and people began to come out to clear the more than a meter of snow in front of their doors.
Carrying the few cashmere sweaters he had brought, Liang Chunsheng left the guesthouse and walked all the way towards East Street.