NOVPUB
Chapter 772: 762
In the afternoon, Zhang Chunwang organized a team to start lifting out the already-brewed white liquor from the belly of the mountain, then bottled it in smaller containers, sealed them, and finally affixed the pre-printed labels.
Since Feiyang Liquor was aiming for the mid- to high-end market, the railway and bus stations were not its main sales channels. This had already been instructed by Shen Yunfang to the sales department staff, who had made contact with department stores in various cities of Z Province to have Feiyang Liquor displayed on the shelves.
Shen Yunfang spent the afternoon bustling about in the factory. At four o’clock, she washed her hands, told Zhang Chunwang, and then rode her bicycle to the greenhouse.
With Li Hongjun away on a task, it was just the three of them at home. Manman loved tomato and scrambled eggs, hmm, she’d pick a few more. Shen Yunfang deftly chose the reddest tomatoes and picked over a dozen, then she went to another greenhouse, picked a few cucumbers and eggplants, and filled a medium-sized basket to the brim before stopping.
Upon leaving the greenhouse, she hung the basket directly onto the handle of her bicycle and then rode back home.
As she passed the gatehouse, the young soldier inside seemed hesitant to speak, which left Shen Yunfang puzzled. However, by the time she arrived at the bottom of her building, she understood what that soldier’s expression had been about.
"Yo, my sister-in-law is back, make way, everyone, let the owner and my sister-in-law talk," Li Xianghe had been keeping an eye on the top of the building the entire time. She hurriedly called the crowd of mothers that were gathered around to make room as soon as she saw Shen Yunfang’s bicycle. 𝔫𝖔𝔳𝖕𝖚𝔟.𝔠𝔬𝖒
Shen Yunfang dismounted the bike and changed from riding to pushing it, stepping closer.
It’s not like she could have gone anywhere else; her home was in this direction.
In just a few steps, she had enough time to go over the situation in her head.
There was a crowd in front of her home, and thanks to Li Xianghe’s shouting, they did indeed make way, allowing Shen Yunfang to see the person surrounded in the middle: Shen Yingxue, who had been creating a scene in her office that morning. Currently, she was sitting on the ground, sobbing pitifully and looking immensely wronged.
The closer Shen Yunfang walked towards the scene, the worse her mood became. Probably no one could keep their spirits up knowing they were heading towards a bunch of troublemakers.
When Shen Yingxue lifted her tear-stained face to look this way, Shen Yunfang asked very bluntly.
"How did you get in here? I remember I’ve clearly told the young soldiers at the gate not to let in social idlers like you into the compound. Did you sneak in by yourself?"
Shen Yunfang frowned. Last time, she had specifically told the gatekeeper’s young soldier not to let Shen Yingxue in, and yet here she was in the family courtyard already, which could only mean someone must have brought her in. She scanned the crowd and, upon seeing Li Xianghe’s half-smiling face, understood who was behind this trickery.
"Yunfang, it’s not like that, I didn’t sneak in. I came in with someone else." Shen Yingxue wasn’t foolish; she knew exactly what this place was. If she were branded a sneak, in the next moment, she would surely be seized by soldiers and taken away, so she hurriedly cast a pitiful look at Li Xianghe beside her.
"Hehe, Second Sister-in-law, don’t you recognize who this is? I was just passing by the gate and heard her saying her name was Shen Yingxue, that she’s from your hometown, looking for you. The name sounded familiar to me—it seemed like your old best friend from back home was also called Shen Yingxue. Here I am, kindly bringing her to you. You don’t need to thank me, we’re all family after all." Li Xianghe let out a sly laugh. She hadn’t actually met Shen Yingxue before, but she had heard of her deeds from her mother’s tales. It was deliberate; she just wanted to see what would happen when these two came together and whether her generous Second Sister-in-law would cause a scene.
Ah, day in, day out, here in the military family courtyard, gossiping about this and that—it had become rather dull over time. So, of course, she’d put in the effort when the chance arose to stir up some drama with her Second Sister-in-law.
Shen Yunfang looked at her coldly, "How come I don’t remember ever mentioning Shen Yingxue to you? How did you know we were close? We’re not even from the same village." She clearly remembered never bringing up Shen Yingxue in front of Li Family, so how could this outsider have known about her?
"Hehe, I, uh, heard it from my Second Brother. Though I never met her, I’ve heard about her, how she grew up with you, and how close you two were, almost like the same person. I thought she seemed to be in urgent need of finding you, so I brought her here. You, hey, stop crying, didn’t you have something urgent to discuss with my Second Sister-in-law? Go on, speak." Li Xianghe nervously shifted the topic.
Indeed, she hadn’t heard the name Shen Yingxue from her Second Brother or Second Sister-in-law; she overheard it when her Third Brother and mother spoke about writing a denunciation letter against her Second Sister-in-law, and of course, she learned of the grudges between this woman and Shen Yunfang.
"Yunfang, sob sob, you’re back, I really had no other choice but to come to you. I’m begging you, for the sake of our past relationship, to help me, to give me a way out." Shen Yingxue, her eyes red and swollen, cried out in a choked voice, pulling at the heartstrings of those around her.
Shen Yunfang seemed unwilling to pursue the matter any further, as if she hadn’t heard anything, turned around to lock her bicycle, then removed the vegetable basket hanging from the handlebars, ready to head upstairs.
Li Xianghe was eagerly waiting to see her embarrassment; she couldn’t let her just walk away, so she quickly stepped forward to block her path, "Second Sister-in-law, look at you, why aren’t you speaking? Did I make a mistake, or is she lying? Isn’t she the Shen Yingxue from your village? I remember how close you two used to be, almost like the same person. Why don’t you have anything to say now that you’ve seen her?" When she saw this woman at the military base gate, saying she was looking for her Second Sister-in-law, she contrived to bring her in. She wasn’t after anything else; she’d just be content to annoy her Second Sister-in-law.
Shen Yunfang knew exactly what Li Xianghe wanted just by looking at the expression on her face. Some people don’t learn their lesson until they feel real pain; it’s not enough to just talk about it.
"Li Xianghe, aren’t you a little too bored, meddling so much? Who I’m close with and what Shen Yingxue means to me are none of your business. What’s your motive for being so enthusiastic?" Shen Yunfang said coldly, looking at her.
"Oh, Second Sister-in-law, listen to you! What motive could I possibly have? Whether or not you two are close doesn’t concern me in the slightest. Isn’t this just a gesture of goodwill? Everyone in our village knew about your friendship. What’s wrong? Did becoming prosperous in the city make you forget old acquaintances? That’s not right. You know what they say, ’One must never forget one’s roots.’" Li Xianghe spoke with a mocking intonation.
"How very kind of you, then. Since you’ve said so much, let me state my position. I used to be on good terms with her, but now we’re estranged. I am not capable of helping her with her troubles. Have I made myself clear? If you feel sorry for her, then feel free to extend your own kindness." Shen Yunfang gave a gesture that read as ’you’re welcome to help, but don’t count me in’. "Just a friendly reminder, she’s not a trouble-free person. Since it was you who brought her in, you’ll be responsible for getting her out. If she does something that endangers the country or harms the collective within the complex, it’ll be on you, the one who brought her in. Understand?"
