Anyone can see that Jiang Lihong is not quite right today. She has a very bad complexion, she is absent-minded in everything, and she is not as attentive and thoughtful as usual in her treatment of customers, and occasionally customers ask something, maybe she will answer the wrong question; Especially when she is free, she will always put the hanger there in a daze, often standing for a long time, and her listless eyes often jump with a strange look.

These conditions eventually caught the attention of the supervisor. She deliberately walked up to this man who didn't say much and asked with concern, "Are you sick?" ”

Seeing that Jiang Lihong didn't speak, the director groaned for a while and said, "Why don't you go back and rest first." ”

Jiang Lihong bit her lip and shook her head: "I'm fine." ”

The Director looked at her suspiciously, unsure if she was really okay. Seeing a customer walking to the cashier with a wallet, she had no choice but to say to Jiang Lihong: "If you don't feel well, go back first, don't carry it." Your body matters. Then she went back to her post.

I'm really fine. Jiang Lihong's lips moved, but she still couldn't say it in the end. She didn't even have the strength to speak now. A small part of this is because she didn't get a good rest last night, and some of the other reasons are that she hasn't eaten anything since noon yesterday, and more because of the 4,000 yuan that Gao Jinsong lent her......

We already know that she didn't get a good night's rest last night, but why can't she eat from yesterday to today?

…… Jiang Lihong's home is in the mountainous area of northern Sichuan, a real mountainous area, before the road is built, she has to walk for half a day to get out of the car, so that she can see the first-class thatched houses spread out along the river ditch in the col on the opposite side of the mountain, and a cluster of four half-tile and half-grass houses in the middle is her home. That half-tiled house is the family business she earned for this poor family - from the age of sixteen to the age of nineteen, she worked in Guangyuan City to earn money, in three years she brought back a total of more than 7,000 yuan for the family, not only helped the family to build a new tiled house, but also along the way to the two mud-walled thatched huts that were about to collapse also repaired, younger brothers and sisters can finish junior high school and enter high school, which also has her part. That's more than 7,000 yuan, which is almost an unimaginable astronomical amount for a girl who has no diploma and is unwilling to sell herself for money. My sister will graduate from high school next year, and she will be able to contribute to the family at that time, so that she can finally take a breath. The burden on her shoulders is about to be lighter, her young heart begins to sprout, and she also hopes to be like those little sisters who are brave enough to go out, to Chengdu, Chongqing, Guangzhou, Shanghai and other big cities to break through, even if it is to see once......

She had always been thinking about it, but her shy and introverted personality always hindered her, and she really didn't have the courage to let her go to these strange places alone.

When spring was about to pass, she met Jiang Yan, who grew up in the same village in Guangyuan City, and listened to her talk about the various scenes of the provincial capital, and after saying hello to her family, she came to this big city with her, and with the help of Jiang Yan, she finally found a job and worked as a salesperson in the Olympic shopping mall. This job, which seems ordinary to us, is a very decent and remarkable thing in Jiang Lihong's eyes, because she never dared to imagine that she could work in a shopping mall like a city person. Jiang Yan, who had been out for several years, told her that in fact, the Olympic shopping mall was not a real shopping mall or department store, it was just a store with a larger façade.

Jiang Lihong's ridicule and banter did not make Jiang Lihong feel depressed, she was already very satisfied with her current situation: compared with the factory or restaurant where she used to work, the environment in the mall was obviously much better, there were few people who came to talk around, and she could wear brand-name sportswear with good texture as work clothes when she went to work, and most importantly, the salary earned here was much higher, almost one and a half times that of her in the factory...... She couldn't imagine anything better than here. She found that she now enjoyed the regular commute to work, so that rent, utilities, and utilities, which were essential to city life, now seemed less annoying — it was the first time she had worked in a place where she had neither food nor shelter.

But she had just received her first month's salary, and bad news befell her.

Yesterday at noon, her family ran to the town to pager Jiang Yan, telling Jiang Yan to find her immediately no matter what, because there was a big incident in the family.

When she received the news, she immediately called her father in the company.

Her eldest brother is getting married!

That's the good news! As a younger sister, she was sincerely happy for the news, and at the same time she also understood that this marriage was definitely not as simple as it sounded - the girls in the mountains were thinking about marrying outside the mountains, and the girls outside the mountains were not willing to go up the mountain at all, even the girls who stayed for various reasons would not look down on her brother, because he was a farmer who did his duty, neither craftsmanship nor ability, and he was not young - he was twenty-four years old, and this age was already very big in the countryside, Except for those idle second-rate people, young people of the same age as him in several neighboring villages have already married, and some of them are so neat that they can even call their dolls daddy......

As she expected, the woman who was about to be her sister-in-law was married for the second time, and she was not too young, she was twenty-five, a few months older than her brother, but she was very diligent, and she was passable in dealing with people and things.

A second marriage is a second marriage. She thought that it was not easy for the family to find a daughter-in-law for her brother, even if she didn't count the money for the woman's family, the money spent on the matchmaker in the past few years was not a small amount. What's more, it is not a shameful thing to find a daughter-in-law who is married for the second time, anyway, divorce has gradually become a commonplace phenomenon in the past two years, even in her hometown, rural people are no longer like in the past, pointing fingers at divorced men and women behind their backs and chewing their tongues. Of course, the number of divorced people is gradually increasing, and the thoughts of men and women who have seen the outside world are changing, and they are also pursuing their own happiness......

"The woman's family still needs 800 yuan...... "Her father told her on the phone.

"Then you still don't give them to them?" She couldn't help but complain anxiously about her father. "There's no money at home again?" She immediately mentally wondered if she could make up the money. She has only paid her salary, plus a little living money on hand, there are four or five hundred, and she can borrow three hundred from Jiang Yan. She didn't think about how she would live in the next month for the time being, anyway, she lives with Jiang Yan now, and the necessary living expenses can be paid by Jiang Yan first, and she will make up for her when she receives her salary next month. So she said, "You take this matter first, and I will send money back to my family tomorrow!" You'll receive it in three to five days at most. ”

And that's not all. When my father went to the brigade to issue a marriage certificate to his brother, the brigade accountant, who was in charge of issuing various documents, turned over the old accounts - his family had not paid all the money raised by the brigade a few years ago, and his family had been in arrears with the road fund-raising funds the year before. It is okay to open a marriage certificate, but you must make up the account first, and these sums together are a total of 2,896 yuan......

When she heard that terrible number, it was dark in front of her eyes. Her mind went blank and her ears were ringing......

After a long time, she asked surprisingly calmly, "What else is the matter?" When she said this, she even hoped that her father would say something even more terrifying. If there is anything else, you can tell it together, anyway, I am a daughter's family, after all, I am a member of someone else's family, so you can treat me as a horse and a cow and practice casually...... Where does she find so much money, and where does she borrow it? You adults can't think of a way, she can have a way with a girl's family?

"Your brother always has to set up a few tables when he gets married, and the pigs are fed by himself, which doesn't cost money, but there is also money for smoking and drinking, and the money for inviting the master from the town to hold a banquet...... Besides, you have to buy two new clothes for your brother and sister-in-law when you get married...... And your younger siblings' school also requires them to make uniforms......"

The phone was in her ear, but her father's words were as distant as if they had come up from under the ground, and like an ethereal fog.

"I'll figure it out." She said calmly to her father. Tears immediately welled up in her eyes, and everything in front of her became blurry. The only way she can think of now is to die, and perhaps for her now, death is a complete relief.

My father let out a long sigh on the other end of the phone, which broke her heart with a sigh of desolation, sadness and helplessness.

She survived the painful torture of the afternoon and evening, and when she returned to the rental house and saw Jiang Yan, she immediately hugged her friend and cried, and told her the contents of the phone call intermittently.

Jiang Yan, who was a lot shorter than her in terms of generation, but was three years older than her, heard this, and didn't catch it. She could only choose good and obedient words to comfort her: in fact, she might not need so much money to do these things, and in order to be more relaxed in her brother's marriage, her family must have said some more vain items, so the money she really needs will not be 5,000, at most 4,000...... But Jiang Yan can't take out this money, all the money she earns in the provincial city is in this house, the TV, the washing machine, the bed and so many clothes...... Counting the salary she is about to receive, she can only lend a thousand yuan, after all, there are still a lot of places to use the money, and she has to set aside a part to pay for the expenses of firewood, rice, oil and salt.

She finally promised Jiang Lihong that she would help her find a way, and she would go to her acquaintances and friends tomorrow to borrow the money.

But she also told Jiang Lihong very sincerely, don't have too much hope for this matter. If you borrow 1,200 yuan in emergency money, people usually don't refuse, but it is almost impossible to borrow so much - they are both outsiders with no roots and no foundation, and they are both working people who earn money in this city, who would dare to lend them so much money for no reason?

Seeing Jiang Lihong sitting on the edge of the bed in despair and wiping her tears, Jiang Yan could only comfort her over and over again with the old saying "There must be a road before the car reaches the mountain, and the boat will naturally go straight to the bridge".

This kind of cliché that cannot solve practical problems teaches Jiang Lihong more pain. That's why she would run to the balcony very late to cry. Hey, this strong way of emotional catharsis is her only choice now. While sympathizing with her and her family's plight, we can't help but be touched by this girl's behavior—at such a time, she can still be considerate of others, and is unwilling to affect others' rest because of her own misfortune......

It was on the balcony that she met Gao Jinsong, who ran there in the middle of the night to learn to smoke.

He is her colleague, but the place where he works is on the second floor, and she is only a salesperson in the shopping mall on the first floor, the difference on the floor, the desk in front of him and the notebooks and pens on the table all show the distance between them, in her eyes, Gao Jinsong, who has the title of manager on his head, is not the same kind of person as herself. What's more, there are rumors in the company in the past two days that he is about to be promoted to business manager, which is an important position that can be equal to the financial manager, and other idlers can't even think of it.

But he resigned!

She remembered something. A salesman who is very familiar with the company's history told her that the first few salesmen of the Olympic company did it in the end, either opening their own company as the boss, or being the regional sales manager of the manufacturer.

Could it be that Gao Jinsong's resignation is also because he has found a better job? Do you want to start your own company or do senior management?

The moment she saw Gao Jinsong, she also turned her mind to ask for help, maybe he could help herself. But she quickly dispelled this idea, and the furnishings in Gao Jinsong's single room showed that he was in a bad situation now. What happened later also proved her conjecture, when Jiang Yan said that he needed 4,000 yuan, he couldn't even say a polite hypocritical word.

But what happened next made her stunned!

Gao Jinsong took out 4,000 yuan without asking anything, and gave her the money without mentioning any conditions......

At that moment, she was so shocked that she couldn't even remember a word of thanks.

By the time she came to her senses, he was back in the house. She dragged her limp legs back to her room with the wad of money in her hand, and fell on the bed, tears mixed with bitterness and gratitude welled up in her eyes. The light was still on in the room, and Jiang Yan, who was lying on the bed, did not sleep, she sat up and saw her tears and the money in her hand, and then asked her very calmly: "What does he want to do?" What conditions does he have? Does he want your person, or does he just want your body? ”

She remembered that when Jiang Yan asked these cold, almost cruel questions, she told her angrily: "No! No conditions! He didn't say anything and gave me the money......"

She knew that Jiang Yan was afraid that she would suffer if she asked like this, but how could she imagine everyone so unbearable?!

After that, Jiang Yan, who had much richer life experience and lessons than her, also said a lot of things, to the effect that why would Gao Jinsong lend her money, if he didn't covet anything, it didn't make sense at all.

She didn't listen to a word of that. She was still basking in the bliss that had suddenly befallen her. The 4,000 yuan in her hand and pressed on her chest was tantamount to saving her life, and before that, she had thought very seriously about seeking death, and had also seriously thought about those methods that were similar to death...... But now that all the problems have been solved, she has finally crossed this threshold! She lay on the soft pillow with her eyes closed, the cool cowhide mattress under her, her fingers gently rubbing the hard papers, carefully experiencing the delicate lines on the papers, and enjoying the unexpected luck. At this moment, she didn't want to see anything, didn't want to hear anything, didn't want to think about anything, just wanted to lie there quietly......

She jumped to her feet and rummaged in and out of bed looking for paper and pens. She didn't even give people an IOU, and she didn't even say a word of thanks.

She stood at the door of Gao Jinsong's private room for a while, until Jiang Yan, who had been worried about her through the crack in the door, became a little impatient, and then she knocked on his door.

She had prepared a lot of words of gratitude in her heart, but he stood at the door and didn't even give her a door, and stared at them and yawned......

Until this morning, when she went to work, Jiang Yan was still muttering to her on the bus: "I have never seen a man like him!" At that time, as long as he hooked his fingers, I guess you would jump on his bed......" Before she could think about whether to pretend not to hear or use some other way to express her dissatisfaction, Jiang Yan had already admitted her mistake: "I said something wrong." - Actually, he can even save the action of hooking his fingers. As soon as he gets out of the way, you won't hesitate to rush in and jump on his bed......"

Jiang Lihong couldn't help but admit that Jiang Yan didn't guess wrong, she did have this kind of thought at that time, if Gao Jinsong really showed that kind of meaning at that time, she would not resist. She will accept him. But Gao Jinsong didn't say anything except yawning and saying a few kind words and then sending her back to the house to sleep. This made the nervous stone in her heart fall to the ground, but it also couldn't help but have some melancholy.

When Jiang Yan got out of the car, he inadvertently asked: "Where did he get the money from, have you asked?" ”

This sentence is like a boulder thrown into a pond that has not completely calmed down.

Yes, where did Gao Jinsong get this money? Was it public money, or was it deposited with him by someone else, or was the money simply obtained by him in some improper way?

For a whole day, these questions swirled around her like a poisonous snake, leaving her mind at peace for a moment. If it had been public money, he would have given him a bad reputation for it, and would probably have lost the good job he had just found; If someone else has deposited it with him, then this person must have trusted him very much, and will he misunderstand his friends by doing so? Maybe it's more than just a misunderstanding, which may lead to an irreparable rift in their friendship and eventually turn them against each other. Either way, she didn't want to see it. As for the latter, it is even more terrifying, this matter will eventually involve her, and if this matter is transmitted back to her hometown, she and her family will never be able to hold their heads up again, and her life will be completely ruined......

This terrible conjecture made her break out in a cold sweat, and she had to bite her lip tightly to teach them not to tremble.

She almost wanted to find Gao Jinsong immediately and ask about it clearly.

But she couldn't believe that Gao Jinsong was a bad person. And she really needs that money now......

Maybe this money was saved by Gao Jinsong to marry his wife and buy a house? She couldn't help but wonder at the idea of herself. I don't know what kind of wife a good man like him will marry in the future, but in any case, his wife must be a virtuous and intelligent kind of girl. Thinking of this, she couldn't help but have some beautiful longings in her heart, and this thought made her ears blush and her heart beat. If only she could find a husband like him in the future, his thick arms and legs gave him a sense of security, and he had a good heart—good men would never beat or scold their women. Thinking of this, she couldn't help but feel a little sad, because she knew that this could only be her wish, an impossible wish. She remembers what her colleague told her that the business manager who went out of the Olympic company was either his own boss or an agent — no need to think about anything else, just the disparity in social status would dispel that unrealistic idea.

But could this money be the kind of terrible life-buying money that often appears on TV? In the TV series, those well-dressed people in suits and leather shoes will often take out a lot of money and let others kill and cut people for them, and according to the story routine in the TV series, the killers will always collect some deposits first to do this kind of bloody business...... There are often such storylines in TV dramas, and those screenwriters and directors don't make things up, right? And Gao Jinsong has a good body to be a killer, and it is absolutely no problem to strangle a person with both hands. She shuddered at the terrible image she had sketched in her mind.

This shuddering caught the attention of the supervisor again. She walked over again and asked with concern, "Are you really okay?" As she spoke, she also put her hand on Jiang Lihong's forehead to test her body temperature. Although everything seemed normal, the supervisor who had been worried about this matter decided to let Jiang Lihong go back to rest early, anyway, she was on the morning shift today, and she should get off work in half an hour, and it was not a big deal to leave a little earlier. The supervisor kindly whispered to her that doing so would not deduct her wages.

Jiang Lihong didn't care about whether her salary was deducted or not, she just wanted to go back and ask her about it clearly.

In a hurry, Jiang Lihong called a taxi for the first time in her life, and the destination was a vegetable market near her rented house. It's not good for her to ask about this with white eyebrows, and besides, no matter what, Gao Jinsong is doing her a favor, and it should be right to invite him to a meal she made herself? She walked around the vegetable market, bought a lot of raw and cooked food, and specially bought a bottle of hardcover liquor for more than 40 yuan, ready to thank Gao Jinsong. She also kept an eye on it, if Gao Jinsong repented now and taught her to pay back the money, she would tell him that the money had been remitted......

She returned to her "home" with large bags and small bags.

The door of Gao Jinsong's room was closed tightly, but the door of their room was open, and Jiang Yan had already returned, cooking in the kitchen. Hearing the sound of the door, she rubbed her wet hands with a towel as she walked into the living room to check the situation. She immediately shouted, "You've bought so many things!" I also said that you are going to invite him out to dinner tonight, and cultivate a relationship by the way! She put Jiang Lihong on the living room and opened the plastic bags on the dining table one by one, and cheered every time she saw it clearly, "Auntie, I really didn't expect you to be so good to me, and I also know that I am lonely and lonely at home in my young life!" She also saw the bottle of liquor, so she gloated and told Jiang Lihong that Gao Jinsong hadn't come back yet. I didn't see him anyway. It's been a long time since I've been back, and there's no noise in his room. ”

Jiang Yan was talking in her mouth, and her hands were not idle, she went to the kitchen to take out the plates and bowls, poured the cold vegetables and braised vegetables that Jiang Lihong bought back into the bowls and plates, and put these large things together, and carefully covered them with a gauze cover. Then they went to the kitchen together to pick up the raw and cold things that Jiang Lihong bought. While cooking, Jiang Yan was still joking.

"Wild goose." Jiang Lihong, who had been looking down at the fish, suddenly said, "Thank you." ”

"Thank me for what, if you want to thank that ignorant guy, but you have to be careful not to put yourself in it." Jiang Yan, who was preparing the ingredients, continued to joke. In fact, this is no longer a joke, there is still a hint of warning and reminder in it.

"Thank you." Jiang Lihong insisted.

Jiang Yan was embarrassed. Of course, she understood the meaning of Jiang Lihong's words: if she hadn't brought her out of her hometown, this matter would not have been resolved as easily as it is now; If she hadn't taken care of her for these two months, she wouldn't have been able to gain a foothold in the provincial capital so quickly; And during the period of time that the two have been together, Jiang Lihong's silent and introverted personality is slowly changing, at least she already knows how to confess her inner thoughts and emotions to others......

Jiang Yan said: "What are we two still talking about? After a pause, she added another sentence to dilute the somewhat serious atmosphere, "You're my aunt......"

This sentence made Jiang Lihong smile happily with big eyes.

*********

The two of them cooked the meal, cleaned up the tables, chairs and benches, and then there was a gossip that didn't match, waiting for Gao Jinsong, the protagonist of today's sumptuous dinner, to come back.

Six, six, seven, seven, half-past seven, time slipped by minute by second, but Gao Jinsong never showed up.

Jiang Yan, who talked a lot about her experiences and encounters before and after the divorce, finally couldn't bear it, and she asked viciously: "Did you say this guy drilled into the soil?" Why don't I buy a pack of candles and light them? Let's count it as a candlelit dinner. ”

Before she could finish speaking, the rusty iron door in the corner made a small clattering sound. Someone is using a key to open the door.

Jiang Lihong, who had been listening to the story intently on the chair, immediately stood up, and quickly glanced at herself to see if there was anything missing. At this moment, she suddenly had a feeling that she was going on a blind date.

The door opened, and her smile immediately froze on her face.

It was not Gao Jinsong who came in, but a fat man, his bald head was still dripping with sweat, while he tried hard to fan the wind with a large piece of sweatshirt wet on his chest, and wiped the sweat on his forehead, face and neck with a dirty hand towel.

This is the landlord, and he lives in another unit in this building.

"Here it is." The landlord took two quick steps to get out of the way, and said to the two girls with surprised faces, "I'll show them the house." You eat yours. He touched the sumptuous dishes on the table, swallowed a mouthful of saliva and smacked his lips and said, "I can't see that you two little girls still have this method, and you have a good ability to clean up the food!" …… And wine? Can you two still drink? I can't see it, I can't see it! He sighed in admiration, and then said to the man and woman who had just entered the house, "Come, I will show you the house." You eat yours, I'll take them to finish reading and then leave. The latter sentence is said to Jiang Lihong and Jiang Yan, who have not yet figured out the taste.

The two girls, who had been busy for a long time, looked at each other. What does this mean by looking at the house? Could it be ......

"It's this room, if you think it's appropriate, we can sign a contract, a deposit of 100 or 200 yuan a month, a down payment for three months, and then you can pay whatever you want - monthly or quarterly. On the 10th of every month, I come to collect the rent, and by the way, I also collect the water and electricity bills...... The optical fiber here is in the house, and it's absolutely no problem for you to watch a TV or something. Why don't I take you to the little ginger next door to watch the effect of TV? ”

Jiang Lihong stood anxiously on the side and couldn't open her mouth, but Jiang Yan understood her current mood and hurriedly helped her ask, "Brother Yu, what about the people who lived in this house?" ”

"You say Kodaka? He moved out at noon today. The fat man grinned. Then he said to the two housekeepers, "How is it, are you satisfied?" ”

The man didn't speak, and the woman said, "It's okay...... We discussed it again and decided to paging you. ”

"Okay. Anyway, you have to hurry, and I won't leave it for you. The houses in our neighborhood are easy to rent, both cheap and close to the city, convenient transportation, and there is a large farmers' market and several branches of large shopping malls nearby......"

"Why did he move away? Where did you move? Jiang Yan interrupted him again.

The fat man glanced at her with a knowing look and laughed: "How do I know why he moved out, I'm the landlord and not the police." Besides, do you need to tell me where he's moving to? Besides, how can I ask him? He also teased Jiang Yan, "He didn't tell you about moving away?" ”

Jiang Lihong bit her lip and stared at the single room that had become empty. All that's left is a worn-out wooden chair, and a few old newspapers on the walls, with a few nails on the top of them, which are digging deep into the hard concrete walls......

To be continued, please land in the chapter more if you know what will happen in the future, support the author, and support the genuine