Chapter 43

The parents of the boys who bullied a classmate and caused trouble even tried to attack Jiang Ruan.

Jiang Ruan wasn’t having it. With a swift move, she dislocated the arms of the two men. When the police arrived, the parents of the boys who had been beaten up were the first to accuse Jiang Ruan, claiming that she bullied their son and threw him into a mud pit.

Jiang Ruan responded, “I did throw them, but will they dare to tell the real reason? I came to pick up my sister from school today but couldn’t find her. I asked around, and some classmates said she was blocked in a small forest by a few boys. When I rushed over, I saw these two boys with no manners. One was grabbing her arm, the other her leg, trying to throw her into a mud pit and take off her clothes. How could I not be angry? In my anger, I threw the two boys into the mud pit as well.”

“I didn’t hit anyone. The three kids started fighting in the mud pit on their own. The two boys couldn’t even beat a little girl, and now they have the audacity to shift the blame? The ones who acted indecently were the ones who started it. Don’t expect my family to pay any medical expenses!”

The police asked, “Are there any witnesses?”

Jiang Ruan pointed to Mu Xuehui. “She ran to the small forest behind the school for some unknown reason and saw the entire incident.”

In fact, Jiang Ruan couldn’t disclose why she had been in the small forest. She had followed Mu Xuehui there.

She had tracked Mu Xuehui to a prestigious elementary school in the city. Behind the school was a small forest, not very big but full of muddy patches and small puddles after the rain. After school, some children would go there to play.

Jiang Ruan’s keen hearing picked up the sound of a little girl cursing even before she reached the forest.

Jiang Ruan took a shortcut and ran quickly. By the time she threw the two boys bullying the girl into the mud pit, Mu Xuehui had just arrived.

Jiang Ruan knew Xun Li’s little sister, Xun Xiang, because she was treating Xun Li’s mother for rheumatism. She wondered why Mu Xuehui was looking for Xun Xiang.

It worked out well to have Mu Xuehui as a witness.

Mu Xuehui didn’t really want to testify for Jiang Ruan. Originally, she had planned to rescue Xun Xiang herself, but now she could only be a witness.

Reluctantly, Mu Xuehui said, “It happened just like Jiang Ruan said. I saw the two boys throw Xun Xiang into the mud pit, and then Jiang Ruan threw them in.”

One of the boys’ parents, unable to beat Jiang Ruan, angrily slapped Mu Xuehui across the face. “You’re lying!”

Mu Xuehui exclaimed, “Officer, you saw that! He’s hitting a witness!”

The police officer knocked on the table sternly. “Do you want to be detained? Apologize!”

The parent pointed at Jiang Ruan. “What about her throwing my child?”

To the police, Jiang Ruan’s actions were seen as protecting her sister and teaching the unruly kids a lesson. It wasn’t a big deal. But hitting a witness was a sign of poor upbringing.

As for the medical expenses, Xun Li, who wore a cold sneer on his face, arrived just in time.

Xun Xiang, who had been quickly cleaned but still had wet and dirty clothes, ran over, waving her little fists. “Brother, I bit the one who bullied me. They should pay for my medical expenses.”

Xun Li, standing before the police officer with a smile laced with menace, glanced at the parents and kids. “Medical expenses? Sure.”

Who would dare ask Xun Li to pay for medical expenses?

The man who had been so aggressive earlier was now intimidated by Xun Li’s calm demeanor. He backed down. “Kids will be kids. Let’s each take care of our own.”

Xun Li replied, “That won’t do. I’ll cover my sister’s bite treatment, but you’ll pay for my sister’s injuries.”

At the hospital, the doctor examined the kids. The two boys, with their thick skin, didn’t even have broken skin from the bite and didn’t need a tetanus shot. On the other hand, Xun Xiang had to undergo a stomach pumping procedure after swallowing dirty water. Despite the pain, the little girl didn’t cry or complain.

Xun Li, boiling with anger, threatened the parents of the two troublemakers, “Go pay the bill!”

Intimidated by Xun Li’s fierce reputation, the parents obediently paid, secretly worried that Xun Li, who had been in prison, might seek revenge.

By the time everything was settled, it was late at night. Jiang Ruan had already left. Mu Xuehui, however, had stayed at the hospital the entire time, and Xun Li finally had a moment to look closely at the girl who had testified.

“Thank you for speaking up,” Xun Li said.

Mu Xuehui felt a bit regretful. If she had saved Xun Xiang, she would have been remembered as Xun Li’s benefactor. But at least she got a chance to talk to him.

Xun Xiang had already fallen asleep on her brother’s back, and Mu Xuehui walked alongside Xun Li, saying, “Brother Li, I have a business proposal for you. Would you be willing to hear me out?”

Xun Li glanced at the bold girl. She was indeed courageous, discussing business at their first meeting.

“We don’t know each other well,” Xun Li replied.

Mu Xuehui took out her student ID and said, “I’m a student at the Finance and Trade College. My father is a doctor, and you can easily verify that. Brother Li, we’re in the era of reform and opening up. I have a business mind, and you have connections and capital. I want to team up with you to be among the first to get rich.”

“If you say you have a business mind, tell me, what kind of good business do you have in mind?”

Mu Xuehui had been considering this since she started college. The early days of the reform were tricky. Real estate would take a few years, and the real economy still needed development. Starting a factory would have to wait for a few more years. Given her current capabilities, there wasn’t much she could do.

She said, “Clothing is a highly profitable industry. Have you ever thought about going into the clothing business, Brother Li?”

“I haven’t,” Xun Li said. “Different fields are like different mountains. My influence is local, and I don’t have reach beyond that. You should think about starting your own business after you graduate.”

Mu Xuehui was frustrated. She couldn’t wait until graduation. She needed a capable partner who could help her earn her first bucket of gold by the time she graduated, and then take advantage of the economic boom.

She had even anonymously tipped off Xun Li’s ex-girlfriend Cheng Chunying, causing her trouble. Yet, he still refused her.

Returning to school disappointed, Mu Xuehui was caught by the instructor, who punished her for running overtime on her leave. “You said three hours, and you were gone for five. Run two hours around the field.”

At her school, military training wasn’t too strict, but this instructor was especially tough. She was exhausted and collapsed in her dorm, too tired to even shower.

…

After taking his little sister home, Xun Li’s mother, Zhao Huaihua, helped Xun Xiang wash up and suggested, “Let’s transfer Xiang Xiang back to the local school. Her childhood friends are here, and no one will bully her.”

“Alright, I’ll handle the transfer tomorrow.”

“You’re not planning to cause trouble again, are you?” Zhao Huaihua worried her son might retaliate against the two families who bullied Xun Xiang.

Xun Li reassured her, “I’m not. I’m going to see Jiang Ruan and ask if she can still make the medicine. A friend’s family member has rheumatism.”

Jiang Ruan’s medicinal baths had indeed shown miraculous effects. Zhao Huaihua’s rheumatism had improved significantly, and many in the neighborhood wanted to buy medicine from Jiang Ruan, but she had said she couldn’t make any more.

“She’s a kind girl. If she said she doesn’t have any, she doesn’t. Don’t be pushy,” Zhao Huaihua cautioned.

But Xun Li wasn’t going to ask about the medicine. He wanted to know more about Mu Xuehui.

Jiang Ruan hadn’t gone to bed yet, but she had changed into her pajamas. When she heard the knock, she had to change back into regular clothes and invited Xun Li inside.

Not wanting to give rise to gossip, Xun Li refused to enter, saying, “I’ll just ask a few questions from here.”

Jiang Ruan had no choice but to agree. “Alright, what do you want to ask?”

“Why were you at Xiang Xiang’s school today? Did you specifically go there to save her?”

Jiang Ruan replied, “You’ve got it wrong. I was following Mu Xuehui and just happened to come across the boys bullying your sister. I didn’t go there to help on purpose. I don’t have the ability to predict the future.”

If she didn’t, did Mu Xuehui?

Xun Li’s first thought was that Mu Xuehui might have orchestrated the bullying of his sister just to create an opportunity to swoop in and “save” her, all to get closer to him for a business collaboration.

But he quickly dismissed that idea. Mu Xuehui wasn’t that scheming, and the slap she received from the boy’s parent wasn’t fake either.

“Why were you following Mu Xuehui?” Xun Li asked.

Jiang Ruan, growing cautious, responded, “Why should I tell you?”

Xun Li chuckled. “Sorry, I shouldn’t have pried into your issues with her.”

Jiang Ruan replied, “Don’t try to trick me. There’s no deep grudge between me and Mu Xuehui. A few minor conflicts, not enough to cause any real trouble, so mind your own business.”

“Alright. Thanks for saving my sister today.”

“No need.”

“Is there anything I can do to repay you?”

“No,” Jiang Ruan replied curtly.

Xun Li, having been to prison, didn’t trust people easily. He asked, “Why didn’t you just lie and say you were there specifically to save my sister? I would have remembered you as a hero.”

Jiang Ruan said, “You’re not stupid, there’s no way that would work on you. If I ever need your help, I’ll find another way to ask for a favor.”

She swatted at her leg with a fan, chasing off the mosquitoes. “The bugs are getting bad. Anything else?”

“Nope.”

“Goodbye.”

As Jiang Ruan walked into her courtyard, she noticed Han Qingqing sneaking around by the wall. Irritated, she said, “I wasn’t having a secret rendezvous with a man. What’s there to eavesdrop on?”

Han Qingqing blushed. “What are you talking about? I just got up to use the bathroom.”

In truth, she had been eavesdropping, curious if the man outside was there to flirt with Jiang Ruan. Although he wasn’t, she overheard some information related to Mu Xuehui.

Han Qingqing used the excuse of her bathroom break to rush to the public phone booth and call Mu Xuehui’s dorm. It took a while for someone to answer.

“Qingqing, what’s so urgent this late?” Mu Xuehui was exhausted, not even wanting to shower, but her roommate had called her to the dorm supervisor’s office for the phone.

Han Qingqing relayed what she had overheard that night.

“That guy, Xun Li, has been to prison, Xuehui. Why would you get involved with him?”

Mu Xuehui was startled, breaking out into a cold sweat. Now she needed to come up with a solid reason. Maybe she could say it was all a dream. As long as Xun Li believed her premonitions, things would go more smoothly in the future.

But the officer in charge of her leave wouldn’t approve her request, so it wasn’t until two weeks later that she was able to leave school again.

She immediately went to find Xun Li, who was in the bathhouse discussing business. Bathhouse meetings, a tradition from ancient times, often made negotiations easier for men.

When he came out, he saw the student from the Finance and Trade Academy waiting for him again. His business partner even teased him, saying he was lucky with women.

He was a bit annoyed. “I’ve already told you, I’m not interested in working with you.”

Mu Xuehui said, “Brother Li, I know you’re suspicious of my motives for seeking out your sister. The truth is, it sounds strange, but I had a dream about her being bullied. That’s why I went to check on her.”

“A dream?” Xun Li chuckled, clearly unconvinced.

Mu Xuehui nodded earnestly. “Yes, really. If you don’t believe me, let me tell you something else. I once dreamed that your ex-girlfriend secretly took birth control for four years, trying to avoid having kids. When her husband found out, he beat her half to death. That was the first dream I had, and sure enough, it came true.”

“You’ve got some interesting dreams—always about me,” Xun Li said, growing suspicious that it was this girl who had sent the anonymous letter to Cheng Chunying’s husband, which had led to that incident.

Mu Xuehui blushed. “I don’t know why either.”

Whether Xun Li believed her or not was unclear, and Mu Xuehui had bigger problems to deal with. Her braised chicken restaurant had recently received a shipment of diseased chickens, causing several customers to fall ill with severe food poisoning. The health department had shut down the restaurant, and she had to deal with compensation claims.

She couldn’t believe it. The farmer who supplied her chickens had once received her help. How could he send diseased chickens in return? It didn’t seem possible.

But the fact remained, the chicken had been contaminated, and the problem was hers to face.

When she went over the financials, she realized the month’s profits wouldn’t even cover the medical compensation. Feeling disheartened and frustrated, she complained, “Isn’t everyone supposed to get rich after the economic reforms? Why is everything going wrong for me?”

Han Qingqing tried to comfort her. “Don’t worry, Xuehui. If braised chicken doesn’t work out, we can sell something else.”

Mu Xuehui perked up slightly. She still had nine months left on her lease, and the money she’d spent on renovations couldn’t just go to waste. She decided she could ask her family for another loan, but first, she needed to find out why the farmer had betrayed her.

When she arrived at the chicken farm on the outskirts of town, she was surprised to see Xun Li there. “Brother Li, what are you doing here?”

She wasn’t sure if he believed her story about the dream.

Xun Li replied, “Old Yang, the owner of this farm, is selling it off. I found a buyer for him. I didn’t expect him to sell off a batch of diseased chickens before transferring ownership. That’s just dirty business. I heard your restaurant was one of the places that got his bad stock?”

Mu Xuehui nodded sadly. “I paid the fines, and the restaurant’s being renovated. But I’m not going to sell braised chicken anymore.”

“What are you planning to sell instead?” Xun Li asked.

“I’m still thinking about it,” she said, then hesitated before asking, “Are you interested in investing?”

Xun Li looked into her eyes for a moment, then suddenly smiled and asked, “With something this big happening to your restaurant, how come you didn’t dream about it in advance?”