Chapter 25: Second Update

The family hadn’t stolen much produce, nor was it worth a great deal of money, but the act was utterly disgusting. Taking something without permission is theft. At first, seeing the couple’s friendly demeanor, Lin Xuexia thought they were good people; she never expected that after just a few days, they would do something like this.

She rented a freezer in their shop for one and a half yuan a day—a price not cheap at all. As Gao Chunyan said, forty-five yuan a month was almost equivalent to a month’s rent. Lin Xuexia had been delivering plenty of vegetables to their home these past few days, yet they had the audacity to steal her goods and show a contemptuous attitude, even speaking in riddles.

Did they think she was easy to bully?

“What’s wrong with one and a half yuan? Our electricity bill has gone up by several kilowatt-hours these days. Calculate it—how much is one kilowatt-hour? About twenty-three cents, right? I’m basically paying for your electricity for free,” the shop owner’s wife argued insistently. She felt she was the one losing out, having to cover the increased electricity costs herself.

Lin Xuexia retorted, “How much electricity could my vegetables possibly use? It’s not midsummer; at most, one or two kilowatt-hours a day.”

She glanced inside the freezer with a mocking smile. “Madam, since you rented it to me, it should be for my things. Yet more than half of the freezer is filled with your own items. In the end, you blame me for the electricity bill?”

In winter, to save electricity, the shop owner’s family usually kept their freezer off. Now that Lin Xuexia was renting it, their vegetables didn’t even take up half the space. Seeing it empty would be wasteful, so they stored their own goods inside for preservation.

Gao Chunyan peeked in and remarked, “Oh, your stuff definitely outnumbers Xuexia’s. Madam, you sure know how to take advantage.”

The shop owner’s wife was at a loss for words.

Lin Xuexia sneered, “There’s an even bigger advantage: this bag of vegetables I have here is at least a pound lighter.”

Gao Chunyan exclaimed in surprise, “Missing? Then someone stole it!”

The shop owner’s wife’s face stiffened.

At this point, Lin Xuexia was ready to burn bridges. She had no intention of continuing to rent the freezer and said coldly, “These cold dishes may not be worth much, but they’re for sale. It’s bad enough that a pound of vegetables is missing—I’m worried something else might be missing next time. What if someone gets sick after eating something? Then I’d have to hold your family responsible.”

Just as she finished speaking, an impatient male voice sounded overhead: “What’s the fuss about? If someone took something, so what? Stop arguing and let them go. If you keep this up, no more renting. What a hassle.”

The shop owner’s wife shrugged off her coat and said, “Right, we can’t afford to lose that one and a half yuan. No more renting.”

She raised her eyebrows confidently, not fearing that Lin Xuexia wouldn’t rent from her anymore. After all, where else could Lin Xuexia rent a freezer? Rumor had it she made quite a bit selling these cold dishes.

Yesterday, after chatting with her husband, she felt they were losing out by renting the freezer to Lin Xuexia. Lin Xuexia was making at least a few dozen yuan a day thanks to their freezer. Without it, could she still make such steady money?

Since she was using their freezer more and more for storing meat and vegetables, they should charge at least three yuan a day.

“Fine, I won’t rent your freezer anymore. I’m taking all my things away now,” Lin Xuexia declared decisively.

The shop owner’s wife’s heart skipped a beat. Then, naturally, Gao Chunyan spoke up: “Hey, Xuexia, think it over again. Are you really not going to rent...?”

Gao Chunyan signaled to Lin Xuexia to hold on a bit. She needed a freezer for cold storage. Although Lin Xuexia was making good money daily, it wasn’t enough to save up for a freezer of her own yet. It was better to endure for now and focus on making money.

The shop owner’s wife was counting on this very fact to make more money before Lin Xuexia stopped renting. She was confident Lin Xuexia wouldn’t just quit.

“Chunyan, help me take the things away. You can keep this bag at your place for now. I’ll find another solution when I come back,” Lin Xuexia said with a look. “Don’t worry, there are plenty of idle freezers around.”

Lin Xuexia didn’t believe she wouldn’t be able to rent a freezer elsewhere; it might just be a rough couple of days.

She gritted her teeth and decided to hang on a little longer, saving up to buy a freezer herself. She had already asked Fu Wei to help scout for one. She didn’t need a brand new freezer—a cheap secondhand one would suffice. Even if it consumed more electricity, she wouldn’t mind. Could it really surpass one and a half yuan a day in electricity costs?

---

Seeing Lin Xuexia’s resolve, Gao Chunyan stopped protesting and genuinely helped her gather her things.

Now it was the shop owner’s wife who was anxious. Lin Xuexia made good money renting the freezer, and the couple felt one and a half yuan was too little a profit. But if Lin Xuexia stopped renting, they’d lose even that much—forty-five yuan a month was not insignificant.

Besides, they had put quite a few of their own items in the freezer for preservation. They had been grateful for the freezer’s convenience and that the electricity bill wasn’t theirs to pay. Now...

“Are you really not renting? If not my freezer, then where do you plan to rent?” the shop owner’s wife widened her eyes.

Lin Xuexia said coldly, “I can’t afford yours. One pound of my vegetables went missing today; who knows what will disappear tomorrow.”

She added pointedly, “I don’t think the landlady expected you to be such people.”

A chill ran down the shop owner’s spine. She stiffened and looked at Lin Xuexia in disbelief. This newcomer, a migrant worker, had seemed naive and meek, unfamiliar with social niceties and afraid to offend anyone—a pushover.

But when she spoke, she hit a nerve.

The landlady, Chen Miaorong, was a kind-hearted woman, but very suspicious by nature. She only liked to rent her properties to people she deemed “honest folks.” She was happy to offer lower rent to such tenants.

If Chen Miaorong learned that the tenants on the first floor were stealing items, it would deeply disturb her.

The shop owner and her husband rented this shop for less than others on the street. Many shops had raised their rents this year, but Chen Miaorong had not increased theirs because she thought they were honest and kind. The family often played the victim, sharing how hard life was, which made Chen Miaorong reluctant to raise the rent.

She even told the shop owner, “If anyone on the street asks, don’t say I raised your rent. It’s still the original amount.”

Landlords all agreed to raise rents together. Chen Miaorong didn’t want to go against the trend. If everyone raised their rents and she didn’t, she’d be squeezed out.

Compared to housing rent, commercial shop rent was the bigger expense.

No one else knew these details, but the shop owner’s family happily took advantage.

“My apologies, Sister Lin. Actually, it was my kid being greedy yesterday. Here, take these two bags of sugar as compensation,” the shop owner’s wife said, forcing a smile but feeling heartbroken. Two bags of sugar were money, yet their family had barely earned any rent from Lin Xuexia these days.

Lin Xuexia accepted the sugar graciously and, with Gao Chunyan, carried her things away.

The shop owner’s wife followed behind, “If you want to rent again, we can still provide convenience. We’re close by, and I’ll keep an eye on my kid, so no more trouble.”

Lin Xuexia stored some items in Gao Chunyan’s fridge, then they set off on a tricycle. Gao Chunyan asked, “Are you still renting? If you do, it’s easier here.”

“With our landlady around, she wouldn’t dare let this happen again,” Gao Chunyan said with a smile. Thinking of Chen Miaorong’s character, she found it amusing. She hadn’t realized it at first, but Lin Xuexia quickly saw through it.

People’s moods could change so fast!

“Xuexia, you’re clever, much smarter than me,” Gao Chunyan said. She had told her husband that Lin Xuexia was diligent and well-behaved in the village, but worried she might be bullied in the city, remaining quiet and meek. Gao Chunyan wanted to look after her.

But the girl was sharp and wouldn’t let herself be pushed around.

Unlike her own parents.

“I’m not renting anymore,” Lin Xuexia said firmly. The shop owner’s wife was a troublemaker, and Lin Xuexia was even more unwilling to let someone else make big profits off her one and a half yuan. She had to find a way to get her own freezer.

After careful calculation, she still had three to four hundred yuan saved and might be able to snag a secondhand one. She didn’t expect much—just something usable.

---

Lin Xuexia sighed inwardly. Even though she was earning a decent amount daily, life was still tight.

“Oh, come on, girl,” Gao Chunyan teased her. “You’re making more money in a few days than you did in a whole month at the factory. You can do this. Hang in there, and life will get better.”

As Gao Chunyan pedaled the tricycle, she glanced back and smiled at Lin Xuexia. The morning light was faint, casting her silhouette in a soft, subtle beauty.

If only her youngest son were old enough—she’d love to have such a daughter-in-law.

Kids in the city really were particular nowadays, needing to attend some kind of preschool before elementary school.

“Aunt Chunyan, can you help me find someone? I want to spend five yuan a day to hire someone to help me sell porridge and meals.”

Gao Chunyan was stunned. “What?”

Lin Xuexia’s words were beyond her comprehension. Hiring someone? That sounded like capitalist behavior.

Nowadays, with economic development, small family workshops and factories hiring employees was normal, but Gao Chunyan had never thought that way. She was reluctant to spend the money.

Five yuan a day to hire someone meant a hundred and fifty yuan a month. With that extra money, it might be better to do everything herself and save it.

She was the type to feel like paying a little stall fee was like cutting off her own flesh. Hiring someone for five yuan a day felt like slicing off even more, especially a juicy piece!

Gao Chunyan tried to persuade her, “We’re fine now, aren’t we? Why hire someone? This work isn’t that hard, much easier than farm work.”

Lin Xuexia laughed, “Aunt Chunyan, I’m really exhausted. I want to spend money to get help.”

“Yesterday, I was so tired I fell asleep on the table.”

“I don’t want to be that tired anymore.”

Gao Chunyan was speechless. “...”

Being tired was honorable!

She thought it strange that such a capable girl could say something so lazy, after just praising her diligence and ambition.

Lin Xuexia continued, “Aunt Chunyan, you work so hard every day. Why not hire someone to help with the rice noodle stall?”

“No,” Gao Chunyan said firmly, refusing even to consider it. Not five yuan, not even one extra yuan.

Yesterday, she and her husband planned to live frugally, save money early to build a house, and avoid unnecessary expenses.

Lin Xuexia said, “You’ll hire someone eventually when your business grows.”

Gao Chunyan’s rice noodle stall would need help once it expanded.

“Impossible!” Gao Chunyan insisted, but secretly, she arranged for someone who would work for only four yuan a day.