Free Web NovelChapter 411: Chapter 409: Surrounded
Liu Yuan’s maternal aunt, Wu Sanduo, had arrived the day before yesterday. Her older sister had only one son, and he was getting married. How could she not come to help out?
Looking at Gu’er, she was filled with emotion. ’That poor girl back then couldn’t even hold her head up in the village. No one thought anything of her. Who would have thought she’d make it so big?’
’She remembered that night. The Zhou family had forced her to cut herself. Zhou Mazi had also pressured her, demanding money to sever ties. Because she had a different surname, everyone was too afraid of offending the Zhou family to help her, even if they secretly sympathized. It was Sun Jiaming who stood up for her and took her in.’
’Liu Yuan had liked her, but back then, both she and her older sister had disapproved. They even said a lot of bad things about Gu’er, all to ruin her image in Liu Yuan’s eyes.’
’Later, when they found out Gu’er liked Sun Jiaming, they were finally relieved. At the time, they were so afraid Liu Yuan and Gu’er would get together. Marrying a daughter-in-law like Gu’er would have been a huge embarrassment for them.’
’People introduced Liu Yuan to a few girls from the city. There was one named Huang Meiyu that her older sister really liked, but nothing ever came of it.’
’As for Gu’er...’ Wu Sanduo thought about how she had found her birth parents and moved to the city. Her father was even an official. Just like that, her fortunes had completely turned. It wasn’t that she wasn’t good enough for Liu Yuan anymore; it was that he would be marrying up if he got with her now.
Wu Sanduo recalled her and her older sister’s wistful conversations. They had wanted Liu Yuan to go after Gu’er, but unexpectedly, the boy never made a move.
’Later on, Liu Yuan was just a factory worker while Gu’er and her partners were making money. They started thinking how wonderful it would be if Liu Yuan and Gu’er got together. Then wouldn’t they be the ones getting rich?’
’But they could only dream.’
’What they hadn’t expected was for Gu’er to invite Liu Yuan to join the mall. Liu Yuan was making good money now, but it was still nothing compared to Gu’er. And now Gu’er had married Sun Jiaming and was pregnant. To think, if he had married Gu’er back then, wouldn’t they be living in luxury now?’
’After being so picky, Liu Yuan ended up marrying a salesgirl from a department store. She seemed nice enough, but how could she possibly compare to Gu’er? They truly regretted it.’
"Gu’er, just sit still. You’re precious cargo now. We can’t have you getting bumped or bruised, or the Old Sun Family will have our heads."
Wu Sanduo spoke to Gu’er with great enthusiasm.
Gu’er smiled at her. ’Wu Sanduo isn’t a bad person,’ she thought. ’She even spoke up for me once. Although she said a lot of bad things about me regarding Liu Yuan, I can understand it. Of course Wu Sanduo would side with Liu Yuan. It’s only human nature for her to think I wasn’t good enough for him and to say so.’
"Gu’er, you know I treated you well back when you were in the village, right? Now that you’ve made something of yourself, you should look out for me a little, huh? Let me work at your mall. Whether it’s as a salesclerk or whatever, just give me a job. I’ll be forever grateful."
Wu Sanduo whispered to Gu’er.
Gu’er glanced at her, surprised that Wu Sanduo would bring this up. "Auntie, why didn’t you talk to Liu Yuan about this?"
"Why wouldn’t I? I bring it up every time I see him! But you know Liu Yuan’s temper. He insists that anyone who joins needs unanimous approval, that he can’t open the back door for anyone, that I have to go through some test or something and can only get in if I pass. I’m his own aunt! I helped my sister raise him when he was little! How can he be so unfeeling? Didn’t your mother get a job at the mall? Why can’t he let me in? You have to talk some sense into that boy."
Wu Sanduo complained to Gu’er.
"The main thing is we aren’t hiring right now. And we did agree at the beginning that any relative who wants to join needs everyone’s approval. I asked the others before my mother joined the mall, and they all agreed. Besides, my mom worked without pay at first. We only started paying her a salary after seeing she was doing a good job. Liu Yuan is right. Besides, Auntie, your home isn’t in the city. The commute would be inconvenient, and finding a place to live would also be a problem."
Gu’er said calmly.
"Living arrangements are no problem! If I have to, I’ll just stay at my sister’s place. Besides, your mall could set aside a place for lodging, couldn’t it? Aren’t the fourth and fifth floors empty? You could just let people live there. It wouldn’t even cost you anything."
Wu Sanduo didn’t think any of these were real issues.
"You’re Gu’er, right? I’m a hard worker, too. Can you get me into your mall? I’m Liu Yuan’s third paternal aunt."
"Gu’er, I’m Liu Yuan’s sister-in-law. Let me in, too. I can be a salesclerk."
"I’m from Liu Yuan’s second maternal aunt’s family. My husband is strong. See if you can arrange a job for him."
...
Wu Sanduo had opened the floodgates. Soon, many others in the room started approaching Gu’er.
Marina was a little dumbfounded. Why were these people so forward? So many of them were asking Gu’er for jobs at the mall. How many people was that?
Seeing everyone crowd around Gu’er, she quickly steadied her, afraid someone might carelessly bump into her.
"I’m pregnant now, so I’m not managing the mall’s affairs. If you need something, please talk to Liu Yuan."
Gu’er was getting a headache. ’Since they’re Liu Yuan’s relatives, I should just let him handle it. He must have already refused them, otherwise they wouldn’t be coming to me. I’m sure he can take care of it.’
"Excuse me, please let me through. It’s a bit stuffy in here, I’m going to get some fresh air."
Seeing that they were about to say more, Gu’er stood up, leaning on Marina’s arm.
Marina helped her out of the room.
People were everywhere. The two of them finally found a less crowded spot to catch their breath.
"Can’t they find jobs? Why is everyone begging you?"
Marina asked Gu’er, confused.
"It’s not that they can’t find work. It’s because our place offers high wages and good benefits. In the beginning, everyone thought that since we were a private business, it wasn’t a secure job for life, so no one wanted to work for us. But now, people are beating down the doors to get into our mall. Even though they’re all Liu Yuan’s relatives, I can’t agree to their requests. For one, the mall isn’t hiring right now. Also... these relatives... how should I put it? Take Liu Yuan’s aunt from just now. She immediately demanded we find her a place to live, and if not, just give them the fourth and fifth floors to use. They feel entitled, like you should do anything for them. I can’t let people like that into the mall. It would cause problems in the long run, and because they’re family, it would be difficult to deal with."
Gu’er explained seriously to Marina. The education and environment in their two countries were different, so there were many things about the local culture that Marina couldn’t understand.
Marina listened and nodded in understanding. She also thought the woman’s request was outrageous. The fourth and fifth floors had their own purpose. For that person to demand them for housing right off the bat, without any thought for the mall’s interests and only thinking of herself... nobody would want an employee like that.
"Speaking of which, it’s about time to renovate the fourth floor. I estimate that by the second half of the year, we’ll be able to eat delicious food right in our own mall instead of having to go out."
Gu’er had discussed it with Sun Jiaming, Li Zhi, Dingzi, and Liu Yuan. They all agreed to turn the fourth floor into a food court. That way, shoppers wouldn’t have to leave the mall to eat. It would be very convenient. If the food was good, it could also attract another set of customers. Some people might come just for the food, but after passing through the first three floors, they might see something they like and buy it.
There was no need to leave the fourth floor empty. Putting it to use would generate a significant amount of income each year. It was a win-win.
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Thank you to Bu Er Qing Shu Y, Dong Han Yue, and Wang Xinduan for the monthly tickets. Thank you all for your support.
