Switched Marriage: The Coddled Little Wife-Chapter 367: In Our Neighboring Location?

The night breeze was gentle, Jia Liang closed up the shop and made his way home in the moonlight.

Old Mrs. Jia had not gone to bed yet, still working under the light, stitching together shoe soles.

It was about to get cold, and she had only made one pair of cotton shoes for her son.

Her son was quite capable these days, running around all the time, wearing out his shoes quickly.

He was also a team leader now and couldn’t just wear old cotton shoes; those fancy leather shoes he bought didn’t seem as warm as the ones she made.

Seeing his mother doing this again, Jia Liang frowned slightly and reminded her, "Mom, don’t bother making them for me, I have plenty to wear. Working at this time of night is bad for your eyes."

Old Mrs. Jia didn’t even lift her head, "It’s fine, I’m used to this work, I could stitch them even without looking...ouch..."

Before she could finish her sentence, she raised her finger as if it was shocked by electricity, and a drop of blood had already formed at the fingertip.

"You child, always such a drama queen."

Jia Liang: "..."

Is she really blaming him for this?

"I’m going back to my room to sleep, you should go to bed early too."

If he couldn’t reason with her, he could at least avoid her.

Old Mrs. Jia spoke again, "Liangzi, what happened to your boss’s cousin? I remember you mentioning a while back that the cousin, a woman named Qin Juan, was going through a divorce with her husband, right?"

"Why do you ask about that?" Jia Liang had only mentioned it to Old Mrs. Jia briefly.

Old Mrs. Jia put down her work and leaned forward, "I saw your Boss Lin today, with her cousin. It was right next to our house. Is she divorced now?"

Jia Liang was surprised, "Next to our house? Has she moved in?"

He remembered the two rooms next to their house had been empty for a while.

"Not yet, seems like she came to look at the house. Looks like she will move in these next days. I saw that the girl looks good and has a pleasant face; what kind of family would get such a good daughter-in-law and still not be satisfied?"

Mentioning Qin Juan, the scene of her, bound hand and foot, being dragged out from under the bed, the look of utter despair, surfaced in Jia Liang’s mind.

It was a scene so shocking that even though he was used to street fights, he never hit women.

Such a weak woman, beaten black and blue, also tied up and gagged, in fear she might call out for help.

Jia Liang couldn’t imagine what Qin Juan would’ve endured if they hadn’t intervened.

He couldn’t help but share with his mother Qin Juan’s ordeal, including her husband’s affair and domestic abuse.

Listening, Old Mrs. Jia clenched her fists, "That’s just outrageous, how could they lay a hand on such a nice girl."

"The kind are taken advantage of, and the gentle are ridden roughshod. Qin Juan is too mild-mannered and weak, so her in-laws took advantage of her."

These days Qin Juan was working at the Bun Shop, and Jia Liang got to know more about her.

She was incredibly nice.

Always smiling and in good spirits when dealing with colleagues and customers.

Once, a customer waiting in line outside lost patience and lashed out at their staff; the young girl selling the buns cried from being scolded, but without a word, Qin Juan took her place and continued the sale, calming the customer while doing so.

As if she had not a hint of temper.

Jia Liang was a hothead, especially when he was younger, always ready to fight if he didn’t agree with something.

But it has been these recent years working with Lin Chuxia that he gradually reined in his temper.

Even so, he often lost his temper over upsetting matters, and there was not a single employee in their shop who wasn’t afraid of him. If they made a mistake, he would really scold them.

That’s why Qin Juan’s good temper was beyond Jia Liang’s comprehension, yet he also found it admirable.

"Mom, with Qin Juan living next door in the future, take extra care of her. It’s not easy for a woman to live alone with a child. Help her out whenever you can."

With him looking after the shop and everyone knowing she is the boss’s aunt, she wouldn’t suffer any grievances. frёewebnoѵēl.com

The neighborhood residents here are a diverse bunch, and his mother has a quick temper.

"You don’t need to tell me that. I’d have to help out just considering Boss Lin’s face anyway."

What Jia Liang meant wasn’t about considering Lin Chuxia’s face, but that he simply felt sympathy for this woman’s situation.

However, he didn’t object to his mother’s words, after all, being more attentive is the right thing to do.

With the elder sister moving out, Lin Chuxia and Qin Yang returned to their two-person world and daily routine.

The weather was getting colder by the day. Lin Chuxia, who disliked the cold, found herself even more reluctant to go outside.

The voice of Sister-in-law Fu came from outside, "Chuxia, this afternoon the unit is bringing in cabbages, and they will also send a truckload over here for the families. Remember to have someone at home to stock up on cabbages."

"Alright, got it, thank you, sister-in-law."

Lin Chuxia stuck her head out from the house and shouted back to the neighboring house.

There were quite a few people living in the family housing, and Qin Yang’s unit took care to look after them all.

Recently, when the unit brought in coal, they also delivered a couple of extra trucks here.

Most people now use honeycomb coal briquettes, and since coal chunks for boilers are generally unaffordable, many wouldn’t use them.

However, there are still a few households that keep some coal chunks. Crushed into smaller pieces, they could also make their own honeycomb coal.

Lin Chuxia and Qin Yang discussed keeping two tons of coal. She didn’t really like burning honeycomb coal because of its strong smell, and if handled incorrectly, there was a risk of carbon monoxide poisoning.

The couple considered installing radiators and getting a small household boiler which could heat water and also the radiators, making the house warmer.

When Qin Yang returned at midday, the two of them discussed the matter again while eating.

Master Zhang from their unit, skilled at installing radiators, had installed them for several households in the residential area.

Lin Chuxia handed a slice of fatty meat to Qin Yang from her bowl, "These state-owned enterprises really have an outdated sales concept. After selling stoves and radiators, can’t they offer an installation service for free? It’s no wonder that these units can’t keep running. They have no ambition. If you lag behind, you will get beaten. This slogan has been chanted for so many years, to no avail."

Qin Yang glanced at his little wife and joked, "They sell you things and still need to install them? Should they also deliver them to your home?"

Lin Chuxia nodded as if it were only natural, "Exactly, one-stop service."

Qin Yang just laughed, knowing that his little wife had some insights on doing business but also found the idea somewhat fanciful.

One-stop service?

Even if you pick an extra item when shopping, the sales assistants in department stores can give you such disdainful looks, and reluctant to assist you, let alone deliver goods?

Lin Chuxia knew he didn’t believe her and huffed, "Just wait and see, it will happen one day."

Some ideas are indeed deeply ingrained and hard to change, even for Qin Yang.

Lin Chuxia reflected that the reform and opening up had been happening for less than 10 years. The country really started to develop rapidly after joining the WTO in 2000.

Even she occasionally felt an illusion that certain things should naturally be so, but it was only in this era that she realized history’s wheels didn’t turn as quickly as she imagined, including people’s ideologies at the time, which were still in a conservative and outdated state.

Right after finishing the meal, Master Zhang from the unit arrived.