Chapter 523 - 507: Hooligan

The young man Gu’er had spoken to glanced at her. He could tell she meant no harm, but this woman seemed very enthusiastic and chatty.

’Then again,’ he thought, ’people around here are just like that.’ He thought of his neighbors—the aunties and sisters-in-law—who could talk endlessly once they got started. ’I guess all women are like that.’

"My name is Dong Liang. My family calls me Liangzi. I work at the textile factory—just started two months ago. I used to live in the west side of the city. I’m not sure if you’ve seen me before, ma’am. You look a bit familiar to me, too, I just can’t place you."

The young man introduced himself.

Gu’er silently committed it to memory.

Xinghua glanced at Gu’er. ’My sister is amazing,’ she thought. ’She got his name and job out of him in just a couple of sentences. Not like me—I talked to him for ages last time but was too embarrassed to ask.’

"I’m sure we’ve probably met, but I can’t remember either. We’re all from the same city, though, so we might have seen each other somewhere. And look, haven’t we met today? This must be fate. You should come by more often when you’re free, young man."

Seeing that her objective was achieved, Gu’er smiled at Dong Liang.

Dong Liang smiled back at Gu’er. His smile was a little shy, but it looked very sincere. No wonder Xinghua liked his smile; it was genuinely charming.

Just then, Jiji came over and hugged Gu’er’s leg, crying out, "Mommy!" He was clearly upset that his mother was ignoring him to chat warmly with a strange man.

"There, there, Jiji, good boy. How about Auntie gets you some more yarn to play with?"

Afraid Jiji was upset, Xinghua quickly squatted down to comfort him.

Dong Liang watched Xinghua. ’This young woman is so kind,’ he thought. Before coming here, he had visited several other sweater shops, but they had all given him the cold shoulder. When they heard he wanted a simple, inexpensive sweater, they acted like he was too much trouble. They claimed they were too busy with the New Year rush and were only taking on big jobs, so they had no time to knit for him and told him not to waste their time and keep them from making money.

Finally, he found this shop. It was quite large, and at first, he was a little hesitant to go in. But when he did, the young woman who helped him was very welcoming. She explained a lot to him without a hint of impatience. The shop was busier than the others, but they didn’t try to chase him away.

But most of the items were quite expensive, and he didn’t have that much money on him, so he left, embarrassed.

He wasn’t sure why, but he came back the next day. Maybe it was because he felt the people here were nice. This time, he explained his request to the young woman. She didn’t look down on him in the slightest. Instead, she helped him pick a style and choose the yarn, telling him which kind was warm, durable, and the most affordable, and suggesting which styles would suit him best.

He felt the young woman was truly down-to-earth and kind, not the type to look down on people. So he ordered one, explaining that he was in a hurry and asking if they could prioritize it. She agreed without a second thought, telling him she would knit it as quickly as possible and that it would definitely not be delayed.

When he came in today, she recognized him immediately. He looked at the sweater and was extremely satisfied. He admired the young woman’s character even more. This shop was bigger than the others, but there wasn’t a trace of arrogance or bullying customers. On the contrary, they were warm and attentive. Whether you were buying or not, they greeted you with a smile and did their best to meet your needs. They didn’t get upset or give you a sour look just because you ordered something cheap. ’People like that are truly rare.’

’What did that other woman call her just now? Right, Xinghua. What a nice name. She really is as beautiful as a flower.’

Dong Liang stared intently at Xinghua. Gu’er saw the admiration in his eyes. ’Looks like this young man has some feelings for Xinghua, too,’ she thought.

But he’d heard that Xinghua was the owner of this shop. For someone so young to run such a big store, she either had to be very capable herself or come from a capable family. ’And me?’

Thinking of himself, Dong Liang’s expression darkened. ’I’m not good enough for her. Even my neighbors look down on me. How could I ever be worthy of such a good woman?’

"W-Well, I should get going. Here’s the money, for you."

Dong Liang placed the money for the sweater on the table, then said goodbye to Gu’er and Xinghua.

Xinghua said goodbye and saw him to the door before turning back.

"Sis, what do you think?"

Xinghua asked Gu’er in a low voice while comforting Jiji.

"He seems alright. Now that we have a name and a workplace, I’ll have someone ask around before we say anything more. This is a serious matter; we can’t be careless."

Gu’er couldn’t make a judgment based on one meeting, even though she had a good impression of Dong Liang.

"Okay. I’ll have to trouble you then, Sis."

Xinghua blushed slightly. She didn’t know why, but seeing Dong Liang brought a little flutter of joy to her heart. ’Is this what it feels like to have a crush?’

When Sun Jiaming came to pick up Gu’er, she told him about the matter. Sun Jiaming said he would find someone to ask around.

After returning home, Gu’er went to see Lin Shuying and explained the situation to her.

"Gu’er, you must have someone investigate him thoroughly. Xinghua is a simple girl; she’s not cunning. It’s one thing for a man, but for us women, marriage is a huge deal. If you find a good man, you’ll be happy for the rest of your life. But if you find a bad one, your life is ruined. I don’t want Xinghua to suffer like I did, so choosing the right person is critical."

Lin Shuying said gravely. She was truly invested in, and worried about, Xinghua’s marriage prospects.

"Don’t worry, Auntie. Xinghua is my sister. I’ll definitely get to the bottom of it."

Finding a bad man could ruin your whole life. Gu’er knew this from personal experience, so she would be cautious.

Seeing how serious Gu’er was, Lin Shuying felt relieved. Gu’er wasn’t someone who didn’t understand the gravity of the situation; she would definitely investigate thoroughly.

「Three days later.」

The person Sun Jiaming had hired had found out everything about Dong Liang. That evening, they gathered at the Zheng Family’s home to tell Zheng Changsheng, Lin Shuying, and Xinghua what they had learned.

The Dong Family was from the city. Dong Liang’s father, Dong Daguo, had been a worker at the textile factory, and the family had lived a decent life. Dong Liang hadn’t suffered much as a child; he was a good student and even went to high school.

Six years ago, someone at the factory, a woman named Yu Jinfeng, accused Dong Daguo of sexual misconduct. This woman had a bad reputation, while Dong Daguo was known as an honest man, so many people didn’t believe it at first. But Yu Jinfeng kept making a scene, insisting that Dong Daguo had assaulted her. She even went to the Dong Family’s home to cause trouble. The whole affair got so big that Yu Jinfeng threatened to kill herself if the factory didn’t intervene. In the end, the factory had no choice but to turn the matter over to the Public Security Bureau.

Dong Daguo claimed he was framed and had done nothing, but Yu Jinfeng produced a witness who testified that Dong Daguo had indeed assaulted her. After an investigation, the Public Security Bureau convicted him of the crime of hooliganism.

Dong Daguo was convicted. Seeing this, the factory fired him. He couldn’t bear the false accusation, nor could he bear being fired from the factory. In a moment of despair, he killed himself by bashing his head in.

But even after his death, people still called him a degenerate. His name was never cleared. At the factory and in the neighborhood, people started pointing fingers at the Dong Family. Because of all this, Dong Liang had to drop out of school.