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After Li Dabin came out, he saw two young girls standing by the roadside. With a wave of his hand, he called them over.
“Let’s go. First, let’s go home and get something!”
“Okay!”
The Supply and Marketing Cooperative was very close to the Li family home, only about five or six minutes on foot. After returning home, Li Dabin went into the room and took out five hundred yuan, handing it to Wen Nuan.
“Little Wen, here’s five hundred yuan. You can take it for now. As for the grain tickets and such, wait until Hongmei takes care of the paperwork, and then I’ll give them to you.”
“Okay, thank you, Uncle Li, for your care!”
“No need to be polite, Wen. We should be grateful to you for this matter. If you hadn’t sold her the work, we wouldn’t even know how long we’d have to wait!”
“You’re too kind, Uncle Li. If I sold it to someone else, they would definitely lower the price. I know you’re doing this because of your favor for Hongmei!”
“You girl, enough of that. Let’s not waste time talking. Let’s go quickly, or we’ll be delayed!”
“Okay!”
The three of them quickly arrived at the clothing factory. With the job certificate, everything was settled swiftly. By the time they came out, Li Hongmei had already become an apprentice at the clothing factory.
Right outside the factory gate, Li Dabin casually handed over the grain tickets and industrial coupons to Wen Nuan. Not only that, he also gave her an extra two jin (approximately 1 kg) worth of sugar coupons.
“Thank you, Uncle Li. Since everything is settled, I’ll head off now. I’ll come to the Supply and Marketing Cooperative to find you tomorrow morning!”
“Alright, no problem. I’ll be waiting for you in the office tomorrow!”
Wen Nuan nodded and was about to leave, but Li Hongmei seemed a bit reluctant.
“Nuan Nuan, you’re going back already? How about coming over to our place for a meal? Would that be alright?”
Wen Nuan understood Li Hongmei’s kind intentions. She was worried that Wen Nuan might face mistreatment if she returned home and had to eat her own family’s meal.
But now, Wen Nuan was no longer the same person as before, and naturally, she wouldn’t tolerate those things again. Besides, the documents severing their relationship had already been signed.
“Hongmei, thank you for your kindness, but I still have some things to do. I’ll come to see you once I’m done, alright?”
Though she felt a little reluctant, Li Hongmei obediently agreed.
“Alright then, but remember, before you leave for the countryside, make sure to come see me before you go!”
“Okay, I understand. Now, hurry back with Uncle Li!”
“Mm, take care and stay safe!”
Wen Nuan could sense the worry in Li Hongmei’s eyes, so she smiled and reassured her:
“Okay, don’t worry!”
After seeing the two leave, Wen Nuan walked straight toward the machine factory.
By this time, Wen Changming surely hadn’t finished his shift yet. With his usual character, he wouldn’t leave early.
After all, if he wasn’t careful with the team leader’s position, he could easily lose it.
In order to keep his position as team leader, Wen Changming had put in years of effort and hard work, so naturally, he would want to protect his title well.
At the gate of the machine factory, Wen Nuan smiled as she walked toward the security office.
“Grandpa, I need to ask you something. Has Team Leader Wen Changming from the third workshop finished work yet?”
“Team Leader Wen? You mean Wen Changming from the third workshop?”
“Yes, that’s him!”
“Oh, no, he hasn’t finished yet. He came in this afternoon and hasn’t gone out since!”
“Alright, I got it. Thank you, Grandpa!”
“Are you looking for him for something? Do you want me to call him over for you?”
“No, it’s fine, thank you, Grandpa. I just have a few things to do, I’ll walk around for a bit and come back to wait for him later!”
“Alright, go ahead and take care of your business!”
The old security guard’s gaze shifted away from Wen Nuan and once again focused on the newspaper in his hands.
Wen Nuan found a spot with a good view, but one that wouldn’t attract too much attention, and waited. There was still half an hour before the shift ended, and she needed to keep an eye on him.
There was no choice. In order to figure out where Wen Changming had hidden those precious items, Wen Nuan had no other option but to do this. After all, Wen Changming was too crafty!
In two lifetimes, Wen Nuan only knew that the dowry her mother had left behind was still at her grandfather’s house.
All the valuables were with Wen Changming, but she couldn’t figure out where he had hidden them!
Wen Nuan’s maternal grandparents originally had one son and one daughter, but the son was lost in an accident, leaving only her mother as their child.
After her mother passed away, her grandparents followed in quick succession. At that time, the Qi family was considered quite wealthy, and all the valuable items they left behind were taken by Wen Changming.
A few years later, there was a public uproar. On the surface, Wen Changming had donated some of the belongings, but Wen Nuan always knew that the truly valuable items had been hidden away by him.
For example, her mother’s dowry chest!
Wen Nuan stayed hidden near the gate of the machine factory, keeping a close watch on Wen Changming’s movements.
With the sharp sound of a bell ringing, the previously quiet street came to life, as workers began to pour out of the factory.
Although this was a small factory, it still employed over two thousand people. Even though not everyone finished their shift at the same time, there would still be several hundred coming out at once.
Wen Nuan widened her eyes, afraid she might miss him in the crowd. Fortunately, Wen Changming and Tan Xiulian were still easy to spot amidst the crowd.
Tan Xiulian always wore a red scarf around her neck, regardless of the season. It was there to cover the scar on her neck.
As for Wen Changming, despite being nearsighted, he insisted on wearing a pair of glasses, claiming it was for a more impressive appearance, when in reality, it was just for show.
This pair of individuals made for an eye-catching combination, which made it easy for Wen Nuan to spot them.
However, watching the direction they were heading, it seemed they were going straight to the residential compound. Could it be that Wen Changming had no intention of retrieving the dowry chest?
In order to avoid alarming them, Wen Nuan stayed a safe distance behind. But to her surprise, she saw Wen Changming send Tan Xiulian away halfway and then turn down a street toward a small, black clinic.
The so-called “black clinic” naturally had no medical qualifications and was an unlicensed establishment.
Wen Nuan knew about it because when she was little, she had once suffered from a high fever. Since Tan Xiulian was reluctant to spend money to take her to a proper hospital, she brought Wen Nuan here to get an injection to bring the fever down.
Though she had been delirious from the fever at the time, it was her first injection, so the experience left a strong impression on her.
What could Wen Changming be doing at a black clinic?
Countless questions popped into Wen Nuan’s mind as she quietly approached, but unfortunately, she couldn’t hear what they were saying through the window.
As she saw their figures move toward the exit, Wen Nuan quickly hid to the side.
After Wen Changming left the clinic, he went straight back to the Wen family home. This only deepened Wen Nuan’s confusion, and she felt an uneasy sense of foreboding.