Chapter 8 Drugging Jiang Li

“Okay, you can stay here for a few more days. I’ll come get the house after you leave for the countryside,” Jiang Li said, thanking Brother Long. Jiang Li was delighted with the large sum of money, but Jiang Wenjun and the others had long faces. Now that Jiang Li had sold the house, they would be evicted when Brother Long came to collect it. Jiang Wenjun and the others hated Jiang Li, but they couldn’t beat her.

Xia Meifeng sat on the floor and cried, feeling that she couldn’t live like this anymore. Her husband had lost his job, and they had lost their house. How would their family of four survive in Beijing? Should they return to the countryside? No, returning to the countryside was impossible.

 Jiang Wenjun and Xia Meifeng had lived comfortably in the city for years. When they returned to their hometown to visit relatives, those poor relatives would eagerly curry favor with them. If their current situation were known, they would be ridiculed by their relatives upon returning to the countryside. Jiang Wenjun and Xia Meifeng were proud people and couldn’t accept such a setback. Jiang Li sneered at Xia Meifeng’s wailing.

Cry all you want; there’s more crying to come. Unlike Jiang Wenjun and the others, Jiang Li was in a good mood and stretched lazily. It was getting late; she needed to eat dinner. She said to Xia Meifeng, “Stop crying and make dinner, or I’ll beat you.” Xia Meifeng, who was crying sadly, stopped when she heard Jiang Li’s threat. Seeing Jiang Li’s fierce look, Xia Meifeng was angry but got up and went to the kitchen to cook.

 Jiang Li returned to her room to rest and meditate. She needed to start her cultivation again; she still had a long way to go to reach her previous level. She knew she couldn’t rush it and had to take it slow.  While cultivating, a faint purple light emanated from Jiang Li’s body. “Jiang Li, dinner’s ready,” Jiang Wan knocked on Jiang Li’s door cautiously, afraid of angering her and getting slapped. Jiang Li came out.

 This time, Jiang Wenjun and the others behaved themselves; Jiang Li ate first. After eating, she washed up and went to bed. The next morning, without Jiang Li’s instructions, Xia Meifeng had already prepared breakfast.

 After yesterday’s lesson, she didn’t dare to slack off; she knew she would be kicked if she didn’t make breakfast. Knowing the consequences, Xia Meifeng wasn’t stupid enough to ask for a beating. After breakfast, Jiang Li went out to buy more supplies for the countryside.

This time, she was going to Heilongjiang Province, which was reportedly extremely cold in winter. Although she had bought clothes yesterday, they were thin; she hadn’t bought warm winter clothes and quilts. 

She would buy them today.  As soon as Jiang Li left, Jiang Wenjun and the others gathered to discuss what to do next. Once Brother Long took the house, they would be homeless. Xia Meifeng calculated their savings. Jiang Wenjun, as a workshop director, earned 100 yuan a month.  100 yuan was a good salary, but with so many people in the family depending on Jiang Wenjun’s salary, their expenses were high.

Xia Meifeng was a good homemaker, and they had saved 2138 yuan over the years. This was a considerable amount of money for both rural and urban people. However, they were still anxious. Job positions were hard to come by, and they had lost their house. To stay in the city, they had to rent a house. Rent plus food and other expenses would quickly deplete their savings.

 If they returned to the countryside, they could live comfortably, but having lived in the city for so long, they didn’t want to go back. Jiang Chengye suggested, “Let’s steal Jiang Li’s money. She sold her job and house and made a lot of money.” The Jiang family thought this was a good idea. Jiang Li had so much money; they could take some from her. If they got Jiang Li’s money, they could survive in the city for a while.

 After agreeing, they went to Jiang Li’s room to search for money.  They found no money at home. Jiang Li wouldn’t keep so much money at home; she was deliberately guarding against them. Jiang Wan anxiously asked, “Her money isn’t at home. What do we do?” A sinister look flashed in Jiang Chengye’s eyes. “She’ll be back tonight. She won’t keep so much money outside; she’ll probably carry it with her.”

 “But it’s useless even if she comes back. We can’t beat her; we can’t force her,” Xia Meifeng said, still having psychological trauma from Jiang Li’s beating. Jiang Chengye suggested, “We can’t force her, but we can drug her. Once she’s unconscious, we’ll steal her money. We just have to deny it; she won’t have any evidence.” The Jiang family thought this was feasible.

 Jiang Wenjun said, “Okay, Chengye is smart. I’ll go buy the drug.” He went out to buy sleeping pills. Xia Meifeng would put the drug in Jiang Li’s food. Jiang Li was shopping and didn’t know about the Jiang family’s plan. She bought thick winter clothes and quilts. Since she had money, she bought a lot of things. 

She ate lunch at a state-run restaurant and packed more food. She bought three roast chickens, three roast geese, and three Peking ducks. The Peking ducks were authentic and tastier than those she had eaten later. In the afternoon, Jiang Li went to the newspaper office to publish a statement severing ties with Jiang Wenjun and then went shopping.  When she returned home, she found the family behaving themselves.

Xia Meifeng was cooking in the kitchen, and there was a meaty aroma.  Given their current situation, Xia Meifeng was willing to buy meat for her?