Li Family Household.
Li Cuihua was still fuming, her liver aching with anger over Wang Shufen’s visit with her crew to threaten her during the day. She slammed things around, incessantly cursing Ji Shuyu and the He family.
Her elder brother, Li Tiezhu, came home, his hands covered in grease, a smug look plastered across his face.
“Mom, Cuihua, the team leader praised my skills today, said I fix machines fast and steady. If this keeps up, I might even be in the running for ‘Advanced Producer’ at the end of the year.”
Being rated as advanced was one thing, but the most important part was the bonus he could get. That was what made Li Tiezhu happiest.
Hearing this, Mother Li beamed with joy. “Oh, that would truly bring honor to our ancestors!”
Li Cuihua temporarily forgot her anger, thinking her brother really did have what it takes.
Only their sister-in-law watched them from the side, not saying a word.
However, Li Tiezhu’s pride was short-lived.
Just after noon the next day, he was summoned away and didn’t return until almost dark. When he did, his face was ashen, as if his soul had been sucked out, and he staggered with every step.
“Tiezhu, what’s wrong? Why do you look like this?” Mother Li’s heart sank, and she hurried over to him.
“It’s over… Mom… It’s over…” Li Tiezhu collapsed onto a small stool in the yard, burying his hands in his hair, his voice hoarse.
“The team… the team doesn’t want me anymore! They fired me!”
“What?!” Mother Li shrieked, nearly fainting. “Why? Weren’t you doing a good job? The team leader even praised you!”
“Why?” Li Tiezhu looked up sharply, his eyes red-rimmed, filled with both grievance and hatred. “They said I neglected maintenance! They said Boat No. 3 went out to sea yesterday, and the engine broke down halfway! It almost missed the fishing window and caused losses! They insist it’s because I didn’t do the last inspection properly, calling it a major accountability incident!”
“But I checked everything properly! That old machine has problems to begin with! How can they blame me entirely for a random malfunction?!” Li Tiezhu roared in injustice, the veins on his neck bulging.
He had only slacked off once, selling off the maintenance oil… But he’d been so careful, no one should have known. How did this get exposed?
Li Cuihua’s mind buzzed. Instantly, she thought of Wang Shufen’s warning yesterday. How could her brother have gotten into trouble for no reason? He Yuan. Yes, it had to be He Yuan.
He Yuan held a high status; he definitely had connections with the island’s fishing team. Making a move in a situation like this, or just applying a little pressure, would be all too easy for him.
It was him! It had to be him!
This was He Yuan’s warning to her, Li Cuihua: If you dare lay a finger on Ji Shuyu again, I can make the entire Li family pay dearly. He could even cut off their livelihood directly!
A chill ran through Li Cuihua’s entire body, as if she had been plunged into an ice cellar. For the first time, she clearly realized that away from the He family, she was nothing. And He Yuan’s protectiveness of Ji Shuyu had actually reached such an extent.
The Li household immediately descended into wails and chaos, their previous arrogance completely gone. With Li Tiezhu losing his skilled job, the family’s income would plummet sharply, making life on the island very difficult.
Watching the miserable scene at home, Li Cuihua gritted her teeth until they creaked. Ji Shuyu! He Yuan! Your hearts are so cruel!
She clenched her fists so tightly that her nails dug into her palms, drawing blood without her even noticing.
“Cuihua, you have to think of something! If your brother has no job, how will our family survive from now on?” Mother Li sat to the side, crying and wailing. “If it weren’t for you insisting on falling out with the He family and going to cause trouble for Ji Shuyu, would we be in this mess today?”
These words made Li Cuihua whip her head around to glare at her mother. “Mom! What’s the use of blaming me now? Weren’t you all looking down on He Jiang before too? Now that something’s happened, it’s all my fault?”
Beside them, Li Tiezhu hung his head, his hands still unconsciously clutching his hair. The face that was once full of smugness now held only despair. He knew that if his reselling of the oil was exposed, the consequences would be even worse. But right now, having lost his job, even supporting himself was a problem, let alone providing for the whole family.
The sister-in-law remained standing in the corner, watching the family’s squabble coldly. She had long been disgusted by Li Cuihua’s arrogance and domineering ways. She also knew that Li Tiezhu often slacked off and cut corners in his work. In her view, ending up like this was nothing but his own fault. But she didn’t speak, just silently turned and went into the kitchen. If divorcing wasn’t so difficult right now, she would have left Li Tiezhu long ago.
Ji Shuyu knew nothing about the Li family’s troubles. She hadn’t expected He Yuan to act so quickly either. These past few days, she had been busy with Director Wang, taking inventory and doing the accounts. Their goods were selling well, and the marketing strategy was excellent. However, some people kept giving feedback that the variety of items they sold was limited. So, Director Wang was considering whether to stock some of those things.
But Ji Shuyu advised against it. Those items had few buyers. If they stocked them and couldn’t sell them, it would be a loss. There was no need to do that for just one or two people. Director Wang thought it over and agreed, dropping the matter.
That day, while Ji Shuyu was diligently checking the accounts behind the counter, a burst of noisy commotion suddenly erupted. Li Cuihua stormed over, hands on her hips, slapping one hand for emphasis. “Everyone, come and see! Ji Shuyu is cooking the books! Embezzling public funds!”
Lin Feifei stood nearby, pretending to dissuade her. “Sister-in-law, don’t say things like that. Shuyu might have just had a momentary lapse in judgment…” Her words sounded like persuasion but actually served to cement the accusation.
Xiao Zhou, along with a few people who were usually friendly with her family, egged them on from the side. “Yes! Check the accounts! We must get to the bottom of this! We can’t trust someone with dirty hands to manage the books!”
“My family supplies goods, I can prove their purchase price definitely isn’t that low!” Xiao Zhou seized the moment to shout. The scene quickly attracted a crowd of onlookers, who began pointing and whispering about Ji Shuyu.
Ji Shuyu, unhurried, put down her pen and looked up. Her gaze swept over the aggressive Li Cuihua and the smug-looking Xiao Zhou opposite her. Finally, her eyes settled on Lin Feifei’s face.
“Oh? You say I’m embezzling? Cooking the books?” Ji Shuyu leaned against the counter, raising an eyebrow. “Where’s the evidence?”
“Evidence? Checking your account books is the evidence! Do you dare to show the account books to everyone?”
“Of course the account books can be checked.” Ji Shuyu smiled slightly, pulling out several thick ledgers from under the counter. “However, not for you to see, but for the commune accountant and director to examine together.”
Ji Shuyu had long sensed they might try something. It just so happened that these account books had been thoroughly reviewed by someone she brought in yesterday. Because the previous records were a mess and she couldn’t make sense of them, she had them checked. She never thought it would come in handy so soon.
“If there’s no problem, then wouldn’t that mean that when Xiao Zhou’s family was supplying goods before, they were cooking the books?” Ji Shuyu said with a slight smile, pointing the finger directly at Xiao Zhou. These flies really are buzzing non-stop.
“You!”
“Me what me? Still want another slap?” Before Xiao Zhou could speak, Li Cuihua jumped forward first. Ji Shuyu directly raised her hand, threatening her.
Li Cuihua shrank her neck back, as if she could still feel the stinging pain on her face.
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