Anan nodded, "Yes, my dad is a drunkard. He often gets drunk and comes back to beat or scold me and my mom."
With no capability outside, at home he only knew how to throw his weight around.
"So, you didn’t come to work in my shop on your own, it was someone else who made you do it, right?"
If it weren’t for someone giving fake notes to Anan, Anan definitely couldn’t have gotten so many fakes himself.
"Manager, I don’t know what you’re talking about. I don’t understand."
"Anan, do I really have to spell it out? I saw with my own eyes that you put those counterfeit bills into the cash register," Xiaofeng gently reminded.
If it hadn’t been for Xiaoqi who suddenly alerted her, she wouldn’t have become suspicious.
Ana suddenly knelt before Xiaofeng, "Manager, I’m sorry. I didn’t really want to harm the store, I had no choice. When I came to work this morning, a man in a black coat suddenly stopped me and threatened me with a knife, saying if I didn’t do as they told me, he would kill me after work. Manager, I was so frightened, afraid he would really ambush me on my way home, that I had no choice but to do as they said."
Xiaofeng narrowed her eyes, Ana’s demeanor didn’t seem to be lying.
If someone really threatened Ana, they were probably associated with the young people who had stirred up trouble before.
"What did the person look like?"
"I was so scared at the time, I didn’t dare to look at them. Whatever they said, I just nodded. Manager, I know you won’t want me around anymore, and I know I’ve made a mistake today and it’s impossible to come back from it. I only ask you to please give me my wages for the past few days and not to withhold them. If I go home without money, my dad will beat me to death."
Having worked for several days without pay, her father would definitely beat her to death.
Hearing her words, Xiaofeng felt both heartache and helplessness. This was a child ruined by their own family. She took out a hundred yuan from her wallet, "Just go."
Although the other person was pitiful, their predicament was not her fault. She was no philanthropist and could not help everyone.
Doing wrong was still doing wrong. That was the fact.
Anan took the hundred yuan Xiaofeng handed over, crying profusely, "Thank you, thank you."
"What, you and Ye Cheng are getting married on May 1 and want us to go?" Guaizi was surprised to receive Xiaofeng’s call, "Are you guys holding a wedding ceremony again?"
"Yes, I said it wasn’t necessary, but Ye Cheng insisted. He said that everyone in Imperial Capital knows we are married but that we haven’t hosted a banquet yet. If we don’t host one, we’ll be looked down upon by other families," replied Xiaofeng.
"Would it be appropriate for me and your mom to go? We’re just farmers, and we wouldn’t even know how to converse with them," Guaizi said, thinking of Xiaofeng’s biological parents and suddenly feeling diffident.
"Dad, listen to you. This is what my biological parents want too. They said they didn’t know I was their daughter last time and couldn’t thank you properly. This time they definitely want to express their gratitude and also want you to come to Imperial Capital for a visit," Xiaofeng said, revealing her birth parents to be good people as well.
If she hadn’t acknowledged them as adoptive parents, suddenly being told they were her biological parents would have been somewhat hard for her to accept.
"I’ll discuss it with your mom and see if we should go. It feels a bit awkward to suddenly announce a visit," Guaizi said with an embarrassed expression.
"Mom and Dad, you must come. Shouldn’t you see what my in-laws’ home is like? If I were to be bullied here, you wouldn’t know about it," Xiaofeng said, a bit coquettishly.
"You silly girl," Guaizi was somewhat overwhelmed by his daughter’s playfulness, "I’ll discuss with your mom how we’ll make the trip. If you’re getting married, we’ll definitely come."
Though they hosted a wedding at home, the last ceremony didn’t quite seem fitting, so having another one was a good idea.
Hearing from Tie Bao and Xianghe, Ye Cheng’s family was indeed a very prominent household. Since they were willing to hold another wedding ceremony, it showed they valued Xiaofeng, and that was a good sign.
When Guaizi mentioned it to He Ximei, she became somewhat excited, "I never thought I could go to such a big place like Imperial Capital, and now our daughter is married there. We must go. Our Xiaofeng is no worse than others, why shouldn’t we?"
As Xiaofeng was getting married, it was natural for her family to attend.
"We’ll go buy some new clothes tomorrow. I haven’t seen my two grandchildren for a while, and I miss them. Those two must have grown quite a bit," He Ximei said, anticipating the reunion.
Time sure flies; Xiaofeng has been in the Imperial Capital for several months now.
"Sigh, Su Peng." Yin Li beckoned to Su Peng as he came out, "Come over here."
Su Peng walked over with a smile, "What’s up? Weren’t you supposed to be going back to the countryside to haul goods?"
Su Peng thought Yin Li had a real talent for driving; she had gotten the hang of it after just a few lessons. When he was tied up, he would have her go back to the countryside to transport goods.
"Don’t you even look at what time it is? I came down early," Yin Li said with a somewhat ruffian-like demeanor, "I heard from your parents that you’re going to the Imperial Capital. Is that true?"
Su Peng scratched his head, "Yes, my sister is getting married on Labor Day; we are her family, so of course, we have to go."
His sister getting married was a big deal, and as her family, they naturally had to show their support.
"Hey, can you take me with you when you go back?" Yin Li twisted her hair, looking a bit embarrassed.
"Is your home in the Imperial Capital?"
"Yes, you can tell from my accent, right?"
"Alright, but will you come back here after you go?" Su Peng felt a bit distressed at the thought of her not returning.
"It depends. I’ll see if I can find my brother. If I can’t, I’ll come back with you. If I do find him, I’ll decide then," Yin Li spoke nonchalantly, raised an eyebrow, "Why, can’t you bear to part with me? Do you want me to come back, or do you not?"
Su Peng looked away, feeling very embarrassed, "Your legs are on your own body; how could I decide for you? If you find your family, that’s of course for the best."
Yin Li laughed at his naive reply.
How could there be such a foolish man in this world? And fool that he was, he was really quite adorable.
She tiptoed, kissed him on the face, then left with a laugh.
Everything was different when she returned to the Imperial Capital.
Su Peng touched the spot where Yin Li had kissed him and smiled foolishly.
Yin Li sized up the woman in front of her and was satisfied with Lin Jing’s identity as Su Xiaofeng’s stepsister, "You know most about Su Xiaofeng’s situation, but you’ll have to follow my orders on what to do."
Lin Jing bowed her head, very calm, "Don’t worry, I’ll do whatever you ask me to do, but I have one condition. Once it’s done, you’ll help me gain a foothold in the Imperial Capital."
Xijiang County is nothing, just child’s play.
She was never someone to settle; she was bound to spread her wings and soar in a place like the Imperial Capital.
"If you manage to pull this off, securing you a footing in the Imperial Capital is a given," Yin Li stood up, "Prepare yourself. You can head to the Imperial Capital in the next few days, and someone will naturally meet you once you get there."
Lin Jing nodded, "What about my safety and travel expenses on the way?"
Yin Li handed her a thousand yuan, "This is for your travel expenses. Be careful how you spend it on the way. As for your safety, as long as you don’t dress too conspicuously, there definitely won’t be a problem."
Lin Jing pocketed the thousand yuan, her eyes full of longing for the Imperial Capital.
Yin Li watched her with a sneer.
She had come to Xijiang County to dig up information on Su Xiaofeng, and this Lin Jing was the most suitable witness she had found so far. Lin Jing was vain and greedy, with a relationship with Su Xiaofeng that was not entirely clear.
Such people were the easiest to control, the most obedient, weren’t they?