Free Web NovelChapter 395: Chapter 393: Difficult to Handle
After Gu’er and Marina left, Dingzi and the others came out as well.
When they emerged, Grandma Dingzi looked at Marina in a completely new light. Before, she was just a guest, but now, this was her future granddaughter-in-law. She held Marina’s hand, repeatedly saying, "Good, good." Whether Marina could understand her or not, she just kept talking to her.
Marina didn’t quite understand what the old woman meant, but she could sense her kindness. So, she let Grandma Dingzi hold her hand, listening with a gentle expression as the old woman spoke, nodding and smiling continuously.
’Grandma Dingzi agreed?’
Gu’er hadn’t expected this. This wasn’t some future era; even in later years, international marriages were still frowned upon. At this time, they were practically unacceptable. ’Why would Grandma Dingzi agree so easily?’ She had thought Dingzi and Marina would have to fight a long-term battle. Gu’er didn’t understand.
"We’re old. We don’t have many days left. All we want is for you young ones to be happy. As long as you’re happy, what else is there to say?"
Grandma Sun’s explanation made Gu’er understand.
The two grandmothers had been through so much that they had a broader perspective on life. As long as their grandchildren were happy, they would accept it.
’They’re so lucky.’ Gu’er was also happy for Marina. Even though Marina had left her home and had no family here, if she married Dingzi, she’d be set. Dingzi was the kind of man who, if you were with him, would treat you with all his heart. He would rather suffer himself than let his partner suffer. He would likely never betray Marina in his entire life and would always treat her with sincerity. Grandma Dingzi was a good person, too. ’Marina will be happy.’
Sun Jiaming walked over and took Gu’er’s hand. Gu’er leaned against his shoulder, and his gaze was incredibly gentle. He too was moved and happy for Dingzi and Marina. But he was even happier for himself; having Gu’er made him one of the lucky ones, too.
"Sigh, even Dingzi has someone now, and I’m still the only single one left. Heaven is so unfair! A great guy like me, how come no good woman has taken a liking to me? Why won’t heaven just send a good one my way?"
Li Zhi wailed dramatically from the side.
Everyone burst out laughing.
Grandma Dingzi suddenly slapped her thigh. "Oh no! I already arranged for Dingzi to meet a girl tomorrow for a potential match! Now that he’s with Marina, he definitely can’t go. What am I going to do?"
Grandma Dingzi hadn’t expected her grandson to go on a trip and bring a granddaughter-in-law home. The other family was still waiting for him to show up for the matchmaking meeting.
"What’s the big deal? Just tell them he’s already found someone,"
Li Zhi said nonchalantly.
"That’s right! You’re still single, aren’t you? Why don’t you go tomorrow? Maybe the girl is nice, and you two will hit it off."
Grandma Dingzi set her sights on Li Zhi.
"No way, I’m not going! Absolutely not! Don’t even think about asking me. You could beat me to death, and I still wouldn’t go on a blind date."
Li Zhi waved his hands frantically. The thought of blind dates still gave him shivers.
Seeing his reaction, everyone burst out laughing again. Marina, a little confused, asked Gu’er and Dingzi why everyone was laughing. Gu’er listened as Dingzi explained it to Marina and marveled internally. ’It’s funny how people are.’ Dingzi was usually so quiet, but he explained everything to Marina so clearly. ’This must be what love is.’
After chatting and laughing for a while longer, everyone got ready for bed.
The grandmothers couldn’t stay up late, and Dingzi and Marina were exhausted from the fear and anxiety of the past few days. They really needed a good rest.
Li Zhi had wanted to pull Dingzi aside to talk about the shipment, but Gu’er shook her head, signaling that they should discuss it tomorrow and let Dingzi get a good night’s sleep first.
Marina went with him to Dingzi’s house. There was enough room for her to stay there.
Gu’er and Sun Jiaming hadn’t seen each other in days, so naturally, they shared an intimate, tender moment. Afterward, they had intended to talk, but both were so exhausted that they fell fast asleep after exchanging just a few words.
「The next day」 After breakfast, the group gathered in Gu’er and Sun Jiaming’s room.
"This time, the entire shipment was stolen. Between our initial investment and the losses from the goods and the shop over there, we’re out nearly one to two hundred thousand. There was also some US Dollar, but I knew those Vietnamese men earned it with their lives on the line, so I distributed it among them. I made that decision on my own, and I’ll cover the cost myself."
Dingzi was a man of few words, but when something needed to be said, he was always clear and direct.
"Brother Dingzi."
Gu’er cried out, then continued, "Last time, when I wanted to open the nursing home, I said I would pay for it myself. But what did you all say then? That we’re a team, that we’re in this together. Why are you acting like an outsider now? Those Vietnamese men earned that money with their lives; we can’t take it. Besides, by giving it to them now, they’ll be grateful. When things settle down over there, they’ll keep working for us. That’s something money can’t buy. What you did is what we would have done. Don’t ever talk about paying for it yourself again."
Sun Jiaming nodded in agreement.
Li Zhi chimed in, "Exactly! Why are you acting like a stranger with us? What’s all this ’my money’ talk? Just because you have Marina now, you want to draw a line between us? Don’t forget, we’re a team."
Dingzi nodded at them, showing he understood. He was deeply moved. ’These are friends worth having.’
"But here’s the thing. We lost almost two hundred thousand this time. Compared to our total earnings, it’s not a huge amount, and business at the mall has been good lately. But you need to understand, with the turmoil in the Soviet Union, we’re now relying on our warehouse inventory. If we can’t get new shipments, our profits will drop significantly. We can’t touch much of the mall’s profits either, because we need a large amount of capital just to keep it running smoothly. If something were to happen and our cash flow gets cut off, it would be a disaster. So, we can’t use the mall’s money. Plus, right after the New Year, we have to pay the government for the other two nursing homes, and that’s no small sum. If this trip to the Soviet Union had been profitable, it would be a different story. But we didn’t just fail to earn a cent; we lost almost two hundred thousand. We still have some savings, but with the Soviet Union route gone, things are going to be tough. We could be in a very tight spot next year."
Li Zhi’s expression was serious as he spoke. When he first heard the shipment was stolen, he had been too worried about Dingzi to think about all this. But now that Dingzi was back safe and sound, he couldn’t help but consider the consequences.
The mood in the room grew heavy.
"Also, I should tell you, Zhang Zhengu’s shop closed down. He took a huge loss this time. He owes a ton of people their deposits—he invested all that money into his own shipment. Now he has no money to pay them back, and people are camped out at his front door demanding their money. His dad just found out what he’d been up to and got so angry he ended up in the hospital. Zhang Zhengu himself has taken off and doesn’t even dare to go home."
Li Zhi couldn’t help but feel a little satisfied that Zhang Zhengu had ended up this way. Besides running his own shop, Zhang Zhengu had also been taking orders to supply goods to others. These people would buy from him and then resell the items. To secure a good price, they had all paid him deposits. But now, Zhang Zhengu had no goods to give them, and they, of course, were furious. They were hounding him every day. This time, Zhang Zhengu had truly crashed and burned.
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Thank you to Bing Rong Huo Mie and Book Friend 160820081542713 for the monthly tickets. There will be an extra Chapter tomorrow for the He Shi Bi contribution.
