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Sheng Chunxiang clicked on the item, zooming in to read the small print:
Produced by the Dao-Seeking Sect. Suitable for ordinary people with no cultivation.
Improves physique and rejuvenates vitality. Effects vary based on individual constitution. No refunds once purchased.
A 500ml bottle cost only 13 yuan.
At first glance, it seemed like a scam. But then she recalled what the brigade leader had said.
The original owner’s family situation was clearly dire.
She could afford to buy malted milk or other nutritional supplements—she still had that one big stash of money, after all.
But what good would those things do?
She had read some web novels before, and the Yellow-Grade Spring Water in the shop was probably spiritual spring water.
At a critical moment, this stuff would be priceless.
“Buying it!”
She decisively placed the order. When checking out, she discovered a special deal:
Buy one, get one free—Two bottles for only 22 yuan!
Sheng Chunxiang: !!!
Wait a second… Are they trying to make me go broke?!
“Two bottles it is!”
The 22 yuan she had just earned vanished in an instant, exchanged for two bottles of Yellow-Grade Spring Water in her inventory.
With no money left, she exited the shop.
Since she had missed her nap earlier, she needed to catch up on sleep—especially since she had a train to catch tonight.
As for food…
“I’ll drink some spiritual spring water to hold me over for now.”
“Pei Qingyuan is pretty competent. He should be able to bring back something good to eat.”
She took a big gulp of the spring water. It tasted just like ordinary water, and she didn’t feel any immediate changes.
Turning over in bed, she quickly drifted off to sleep.
·
Meanwhile, back in the courtyard, almost all the housewives, elderly women with bound feet, and even the old men smoking tobacco had gathered at the front yard.
“My goodness, Sheng Chunxiang beat up Li Jianguo again! And this time, she went for the face!”
“I didn’t dare to watch, but just by the sound, you could tell she didn’t hold back!”
“Li Jianguo had to be carried home by his brother, and not long after, they borrowed my bicycle to take him to the hospital! Tsk, tsk… She may look like a simple village girl, but when she fights, she’s ruthless!”
“Even a rabbit bites when it’s pushed into a corner! This time, she’s determined to cut ties with him!”
“No way! Remember when she first arrived in the courtyard? She acted like this for a while too! But in the end, didn’t she still go back to him?”
“This time it’s different. Pei Qingyuan has his eyes on Sheng Chunxiang! And we all know what kind of scoundrel he is—worse than a fly! He’ll latch onto anything that has even the tiniest crack!”
Pei Qingyuan even abandoned his childhood engagement. I heard the two of them went out to eat, buy clothes, and even took a bath together at the public bathhouse!”
“Oh my, they’re already doing things only married couples do!”
“Keep your voice down! If Sheng Chunxiang hears you, she’ll break your arms and legs!”
“But seriously, Zhao Guihua faked a marriage certificate—shouldn’t she be going to jail for that?”
People’s Hospital.
Lying in his hospital bed, Li Jianjian felt pain all over his body just from breathing.
Li Jianguo walked over after completing the paperwork. “Jianjian, you should stay in the hospital for a couple of days. I’ll go to the rolling mill and ask for your sick leave.”
Since they didn’t have a place to stay at home anyway, letting him rest in the hospital was the best option.
Li Jianjian gritted his teeth. “Big Brother, I want Sheng Chunxiang to compensate me! She has to kneel and apologize too!”
Li Jianguo sighed. “Forget about compensation. Right now, you should focus on getting her back.”
“Elder Sister is about to marry the textile factory director’s nephew. The bride price and dowry have already been taken by our family. If she goes over there empty-handed, do you know how much scorn she’ll face?”
“But as long as she gets married, our family still has a chance to turn things around.”
“Mom could get a dishwashing job in the textile factory cafeteria. Dad could get a janitor’s job.”
“Most importantly, our family’s reputation would be saved.”
“If you completely offend Sheng Chunxiang and ruin Elder Sister’s marriage, our family won’t be able to handle the consequences!”
By the end, he was practically shouting in frustration.
Who came up with that terrible idea to take advantage of this situation?
Because of it, even his own bride price was gone! What was he supposed to use to propose now?!
Looking at Li Jianjian, he continued, “My bride price was taken too. How am I supposed to marry Juhua now?”
“How about this? Since Meili isn’t in a rush to marry you, why don’t you let me take your job for now? Once I’m married, I’ll give it back to you.”
Li Jianjian’s eyes widened in shock. “What did you just say?!”
He had just spent 200 yuan to secure that permanent job, and now his big brother wanted him to give it up?
Li Jianguo was getting impatient. “You think I actually care about that job?”
“If I marry Sun Juhua, I’ll be promoted to director within three years, earning over 100 yuan a month. Why would I settle for your machinist job?”
Besides, that job wasn’t even originally Li Jianjian’s. It belonged to Sheng Chunxiang.
The whole family had tricked her into giving it up, so it should be a shared family asset. Whoever needed it more should be able to use it first. Why was it now considered solely his?
Li Jianjian could hear the condescension in his brother’s tone.
“Li Jianguo, don’t forget, Sheng Chunxiang likes me. If it weren’t for me, would you even have the money to pursue Sun Juhua?!”
“The job is mine, and I’m not giving it to anyone. If you want to get married, figure it out yourself.”
Li Jianguo was so furious his whole body trembled. “You little brat, what nonsense are you spouting?!”
Back when they were all living off Sheng Chunxiang’s money, when she took care of them and provided them with good food, the Li family had been harmonious. The brothers had treated each other well.
But now that the ‘blood bag’ was gone, they were at each other’s throats.
Their argument got heated, and both started throwing cruel words at each other.
“Pei Qingyuan is better than you—at least he doesn’t rely on a woman’s money! And now that kid even has some tricks up his sleeve. He managed to lure away your little lapdog!”
“I told you before, if you had just spent a little money on Sheng Chunxiang instead of always acting cold and distant, she wouldn’t have left!”
The one thing Li Jianjian couldn’t stand was being compared to Pei Qingyuan.
Back at home, mentioning that name was practically forbidden.
But now, his own brother was using Pei Qingyuan as a comparison.
Li Jianjian completely lost it.
“If you’re so capable, then stop spending my money, you brainless coward!”
It was all Sheng Chunxiang’s fault! If she hadn’t gone crazy, the Li family would still be the most well-off household in the compound.
And that damn Pei Qingyuan! He must be blind to fall for a country bumpkin like Sheng Chunxiang!
At that very moment, the person Li Jianjian hated most—Pei Qingyuan—was at the police station, happily counting a large sum of money.
“Two thousand five hundred yuan, not a cent less! The engagement contract is void now. I have Xiangxiang, so who needs a childhood engagement?”
Pocketing the money, he glanced at Pei Guokang and the others before walking off in high spirits.
Time to buy gifts for Xiangxiang! And snacks for the train ride!
Meanwhile, Zhao Guihua was trembling with rage, her swollen face streaming with tears.
She wasn’t a counterrevolutionary, nor had she colluded with enemy agents.
But Lü Bichi’s testimony was solid, and forging a marriage certificate was a real crime.
As a result, she was fined for Pei Qingyuan’s damages and sentenced to one day of detention.
Everyone else was free to leave.
Lü Bichi immediately returned to her hometown—she had to report this to her mother and grandmother.
Pei Guokang hobbled home with Zhao Qingya’s help, cursing Pei Qingyuan the entire way.
Zhao Qingya, covered in bruises from her beating, kept badmouthing Sheng Chunxiang.
Pei Guokang gritted his teeth as he limped along. “As long as I’m alive, that woman will never step foot in this house!”
No matter how much trouble Pei Qingyuan caused, he couldn’t escape his grasp!
At the state-run restaurant, Pei Qingyuan was back on a shopping spree.
He bought:
Then he picked up:
Basically, if it looked delicious, he bought it.
The total cost? A whopping 52 yuan.
Feeling pleased with himself, he arrived at the compound’s entrance—only to run into Pei Guokang and Zhao Qingya.
Seeing the large haul of food he was carrying, Pei Guokang’s expression softened.
“You brat, at least you have some filial piety. Hurry up and bring it in before it gets cold.”
He had just paid Pei Qingyuan so much money—he thought the kid would blow it all on himself.
But unexpectedly, he still remembered to buy food for his father!
Hiding behind Pei Guokang, Zhao Qingya’s gaze was locked onto the bags of food.
Her mouth watered as she gulped greedily.
She loves eating Daoxiangcun pastries, and just half a pound costs one yuan and fifty cents.
Pei Qingyuan bought so many—at least fifteen yuan worth!
