"Xiao Wan, our cousin from back home recently came to Z City, and she brought her lover along. Just before New Yearâs, they came to our store looking for Mom. They brought quite a few gifts with them."
"Is it Zhang Dandan? She really came."
"What, have you met them?"
"I saw them when I went to Shanghai. That man with Zhang Dandan is no good. You donât need to bother with them too much."
"I didnât give them a warm welcome, but I found that man pretty shameless," Mom sighed as she heard their conversation, sat next to them, and said.
"Mom, didnât they bring a lot of things that day? I saw quite a few good items."
"Yes, they did spend a lot, but I didnât take any of it, I returned everything to her. I thought they wouldnât dare to return. But they came back the next day, still bringing many things. These past few days have been annoying because of them. Just before New Yearâs Eve, they came to the courtyard. Luckily, I warned the guard at the gate, and they didnât get in."
"Mom, if they keep pestering us, just let Dad and Brother handle it. That man with Zhang Dandan sees how big our family business is and wants to get some benefits from us." Lin Wan was very clear about their intentions.
"If he were doing business honestly, and if there were a cooperation project, we might consider some business with him. But I heard from Xiao Dung that this man is pretty heartless. As soon as he gets the money, he turns his back."
"Yes, a few days ago, I ran into them at the gate. Somehow they knew I was working on a hot spring project. They said they dealt with timber and offered me contact information, claiming since weâre âfamily,â itâd be cheaper than sourcing from elsewhere. I took the contact info but have no plans to use it. Ying Han introduced someone to me whoâs been in the business for years. Their lumber supplies to furniture factories, and the quality is quite good, reasonably priced too."
"Iâll have your dad handle Zhang Dandan and that man. Didnât you hear your aunt call before New Yearâs? Apparently, that manâs son didnât want him anymore and threatened to divorce, but her original family didnât want to. Later, Liang Weixiang went straight to their place and beat up the son-in-law. That son-in-law is a coward, leaving just like that. With such good conditions, why canât he find another? Why cling to this? In my opinion, itâs better for her to leave. Such a daughter-in-law only brings trouble to her own family."
"Who knows what people are thinking, but at least now theyâre divorced. Over time, things will open their eyes. Zhang Dandan wonât have a great life following that man. Youâll see."
Liang Hongmei had seen more in her years, definitely more than the younger ones, but this was clear to anyone.
About Zhang Dandan, Mom had told Dad, though they werenât sure how they handled it, Wang Qianjin didnât dare disturb them anymore. But they didnât leave Z City; instead, they rented a house and continued their old trade by renting land in the suburbs. Somehow, they acquired timber and resumed their business.
We only found out about this at the end.
This matter was something Saozi heard from Ying Han, who was more exposed to this field. A new timber factory opened in the city, and sheâd seen their timber; it was of the lowest quality. However, this guy was smart; they processed it to appear good, passing the inferior off as quality. Pricing was a bit lower, promoting a big sale for the opening. Quite a few people bought it. Only after taking it home did they realize they were conned. When going back to confront, they insisted that someone swapped the items deliberately to frame them. Many fell victim to this. But the goods were already taken, the money paid, and a few days later upon revisiting, the story was it was their fault for switching the items, trying to cause trouble. He had plenty of excuses, leaving people speechless.
In the end, Wang Qianjin even claimed they were relatives with the Lin Family, saying they were cousins of the Lin Familyâs eldest, causing some potential accusers to back down.
However, the Wang Family caught wind of this and exploited Wang Qianjinâs shameless con to make a stir, accusing the Lin Family of abusing their influence, allowing relatives to act recklessly, profiting heartlessly off everyoneâs hard-earned money.