Chapter 115: That Is Impossible

It was just past ten o’clock in the evening.

Liu Xing had just finished making the custom high-heeled sandals that Ding Lan had ordered.

Seeing that it was getting late and ready to go to bed, he suddenly heard Village Chief Zhao calling from outside, “Liu Xing, are you asleep yet?”

“No, not yet!” Liu Xing quickly stepped outside.

Liu Dongju, busy in the kitchen, heard the noise and came out as well.

On seeing Village Chief Zhao accompanied by Zhang Jinde, the village butcher, she smiled, greeted them briefly, and then returned to her kitchen work.

“Village Chief, is there something you need so late at night?” Liu Xing brought out a long bench for Zhao and Zhang to sit on.

“I heard from Nie Quan earlier that Xie Zhong has handed over the market’s management to you?” Village Chief Zhao cut straight to the point after taking a drag from his pipe.

“Yes.” Liu Xing nodded.

There was no need to hide that.

“So, under your management, can all the villagers of Laowu Village trade freely in the future?” Zhao asked again. His face lit up with genuine joy at the confirmation.

His happiness was heartfelt, not feigned at all.

Since the market’s management was entrusted to Liu Xing, it was truly great news for Laowu Village, with no downsides.

Zhang Jinde also smiled happily.

“It’s not just the villagers of Laowu Village who can trade freely, but the entire Zhangmu Township. However, controlled goods are still prohibited from being traded,” Liu Xing confirmed and added to Zhao’s statement.

He didn’t specify which items were controlled, but Zhao and Zhang surely knew well enough.

“Haha… Of course I know that, I’m not stupid,” Village Chief Zhao chuckled. “I want to set up a stall at the market to sell woven bamboo baskets, trays, and dustpans on market days. Is that allowed?”

“Absolutely, but I hope you’ll abide by some basic market rules,” Liu Xing smiled in return.

“Huh?” Zhao was momentarily taken aback.

Zhang Jinde was also puzzled.

They had never heard of any basic rules governing the market before.

“I’ll explain the rules in detail later. But no matter who you are, if you want to set up a stall and sell goods at the market, you must pay a management fee and follow the management’s directives,” Liu Xing said succinctly.

“That’s only natural,” Zhao nodded in agreement.

Zhang Jinde had no objections either. “If I want to set up a stall to sell pork at the market, is that okay?”

That was the real reason he and Zhao had come to see Liu Xing today. Although he suspected it might not be possible, he wanted a clear answer.

“Of course, that’s fine!” Liu Xing smiled. “Brother Zhang, if you trust me, just go ahead. I can help you get a temporary business license. But there’s one condition: absolutely no trading of dead or diseased pork at the market. If anything happens, I can’t protect you.”

“Who do you think I am?” Zhang Jinde said happily.

“I know you’re not that kind of person, but I have to say it upfront,” Liu Xing replied.

“Fair enough,” Zhang nodded slowly.

No rules, no order. Although Liu Xing was easygoing, if something went wrong, no one would be spared.

Rules were necessary to restrain people.

Only then could business at the market grow bigger and stronger.

“Anything else you want to ask?” Liu Xing smiled, noticing Guazi rubbing her sleepy eyes and coming out to find him.

“No, that’s all,” Zhang Jinde replied with a smile.

“Me neither,” Village Chief Zhao said, patting Liu Xing on the shoulder. “It’s late, so I’ll head back first. We can discuss the details about setting up stalls tomorrow.”

“All right!” Liu Xing nodded.

“Let’s go.” Zhao and Zhang disappeared into the night.

Liu Xing didn’t dwell on anything else but held Guazi’s hand and headed to the backyard to sleep.

...

Because he stayed up late, Liu Xing didn’t get up until after nine the next morning.

After washing up and grabbing a quick bite, he began explaining the shoe shop renovation details to Village Chief Zhao and Nie Quan.

Seeing everyone understood, he wasted no time on idle chatter and told Liu Dongju goodbye, then rode his bike home with Guazi.

There was no choice. With renovation matters settled for the moment, he had to hurry to check on the progress of the shoe production at home.

At home, it was already past eleven. Liu Dazhao was not there—no doubt out plowing the fields preparing for rice planting.

Zhou Qiuxiang was busy in the kitchen, and the aroma of meat wafted far enough for passing villagers to catch a whiff.

Guazi smelled it too. As soon as she got off the bike, she ran straight to the kitchen.

Liu Xing didn’t stop her. Instead, after parking his bike, he went into the main hall.

He was momentarily stunned to find not only Zhao Xiaomo, Liu Qiuyuan, and Kang Hu there, but also more than ten other young women helping make shoes.

He had never expected so many people to be working on shoe production at home.

Liu Qiuyuan smiled upon seeing Liu Xing. “What’s with that expression? These helpers all have your mother’s approval. They don’t want wages, just meals.”

“I never said I disagreed,” Liu Xing shook his head with a smile. Seeing the shoes on the floor were decent quality but small in quantity, he asked no more and left after a brief chat.

In the kitchen, Zhou Qiuxiang smiled as she chased away Guazi, who had been sneaking bites with a bamboo stick. Noticing Liu Xing standing absentmindedly in the drying yard, she asked, “What’s wrong? You look so unhappy coming back.”

“Nothing,” Liu Xing replied, picking up Guazi, who was hiding behind him. Seeing a crumb of broken fried dough on Guazi’s mouth, he laughed and wiped it off.

“Nothing, huh?” Zhou Qiuxiang tossed the bamboo stick aside and came over with a look of helplessness. “Honestly, I didn’t want to take on so many, but they all helped us before. Now that they’re in trouble and just want a meal, how could I say no?”

Last year’s drought had left many farmers unable to even pay their grain tax.

They had barely made it through until April or May by scrimping and saving, but eventually had no choice but to look for work.

Many young women in Xiaoshi Village had no special skills and were starving thin at home.

Zhou Qiuxiang hadn’t known at first but learned of this after visiting the Lao family.

To prevent people in the village from starving, she had invited some familiar young women over to help make shoes—a way to repay past kindnesses.

“I know that, but I’m really not unhappy because of their arrival,” Liu Xing quickly explained. “I’m just wondering, since there are so many people, why isn’t the shoe production speeding up? I need to find a solution.”

If he didn’t fix this, it would cost him money.

“They’re not slacking off at all,” Zhou Qiuxiang agreed.

Not only were they working hard, but they worked from morning until sunset without taking breaks.

“Sigh, enough worrying. Mom, you go ahead and cook. After eating, I’ll head to the black market to see if there’s any tool that can speed up shoe production,” Liu Xing said, rubbing his stomach.

“All right, you rest first,” Zhou Qiuxiang smiled and went into the kitchen.

Liu Xing took Guazi’s hand and returned to the main hall.

Noticing Zhao Xiaomo cutting shoes incorrectly by the window, he shook his head and patiently began teaching her the right method.

The other young women, seeing this, also came forward eagerly to ask for guidance. The entire hall instantly grew lively.

Guazi, seeing how popular Liu Xing was, smiled sweetly.

She moved a small stool and sat nearby, resting her chin on her hand and tilting her head with interest.

...

An hour passed swiftly amid the bustling activity.

“Time to eat, everyone wash your hands,” Zhou Qiuxiang called out.

Guazi dashed out first, nearly tripping from running too fast.

Liu Xing shook his head at her and stepped forward to steady her but suddenly froze.

Liu Qiuyuan, brushing off rubber scraps from her clothes, saw Liu Xing’s expression and looked toward the door.

There stood Third Brother Liu Dazhu, accompanied by eldest sister Liu Wanqiu, missing a tooth.

She too was stunned. “What’s going on? How did Wanqiu end up like this?”

“Let’s go see,” Liu Xing snapped out of it, picked up Guazi who was standing by the door, and headed outside.

Liu Qiuyuan, Kang Hu, and Zhao Xiaomo followed behind.

Zhou Qiuxiang at the kitchen door saw Liu Wanqiu but pretended not to notice and returned to her cooking.

“Third Brother! What’s this about?” Liu Qiuyuan pointed toward Liu Wanqiu.

“She... came to borrow money from Second Brother,” Liu Dazhu hesitated before explaining. “If you have money, could you lend some to eldest sister? Her husband... he’s been arrested. Without money for bribes, he might never get out.”

“I don’t have any money; you know our family’s situation,” Liu Qiuyuan said, both shocked and angry. After glaring at Liu Dazhu, she left with Kang Hu.

Liu Dazhu wanted to stop her but didn’t act.

Wanqiu had already thoroughly alienated Liu Qiuyuan, so borrowing money was out of the question.

Liu Xing said nothing further and, holding Guazi, went to eat.

As for Third Uncle and Liu Wanqiu, he didn’t dare entertain them.

He could feel the suppressed anger radiating from his mother in the kitchen even from a distance.

He understood the anger—Wanqiu had disdained his parents when she was well-off, but now shamelessly came begging for money in misfortune. Was this how one should behave?

Just when it seemed Third Uncle wouldn’t drive Wanqiu away and a quarrel was inevitable, Liu Dazhao returned from the fields.

Not only was there no argument, but he took Third Uncle to the drying yard.

Wanqiu naturally followed.

No one knew what they discussed, but in the end, Wanqiu burst into tears—sobbing deeply and heartbreakingly.

Zhou Qiuxiang considered calling Liu Dazhao back but, seeing the scene, refrained.

She didn’t want to embarrass Liu Dazhao or create a rift between him and Wanqiu.

After all, Wanqiu’s downfall was a form of retribution. The resentment and unfair treatment she had dealt out before had now come full circle.

But Liu Dazhao lending money to Wanqiu? That was impossible.

Not in this lifetime!