Chapter 78: Don’t Let Her Down

Hua Daling stared in shock, eyes wide.

She reached out to touch the nine hundred yuan—it looked like two thick stacks of bills.

Feng Chunhua slapped her hand away.

“Help me with this, and when it’s done, the money is yours!”

She quickly stuffed the two stacks into her pants pockets.

Hua Daling snorted coldly. “You’re always making empty promises.”

Remembering how Chu Xuan had warned her about Feng Chunhua’s ruthlessness, Hua Daling didn’t dare take her money—she was afraid she’d end up dead before she could spend it.

So she added, “I’m doing just fine working for Chu Xuan. Sooner or later, I’ll earn nine hundred yuan myself. There’s no need for me to help you and then be threatened by you for the rest of my life.”

She was truly fed up with being threatened by Feng Chunhua.

Feng Chunhua looked confused. Hua Daling, who always cared about money, had actually changed?

“You really won’t help me? This is nine hundred yuan! Enough to build another room for your house.”

Faced with the temptation, Hua Daling straightened her back. “That’s right! I won’t help! I don’t want your money! But we’re still neighbors. I won’t say a word about this.”

That’s what she said, but in her heart, she decided she’d tell Chu Xuan about this in private tomorrow—who knew what tricks Feng Chunhua would try next.

Feng Chunhua said, “At least you know what’s good for you.”

She turned and went back to her own house.

With money in hand, she was sure she could find someone to help.

At 9:30 that night, Mu Chenze arrived at Chu Xuan’s house to pick up roasted fish jerky.

Chu Xuan helped him load the packaged fish jerky onto the cart.

“Mu Chenze, I heard from your mom that you want to buy a truck?”

Mu Chenze sighed. “My mom’s against it. Ji Ping doesn’t support me. My dad and older brother came back and they’re against it too. Bro, do you support me?”

Chu Xuan’s first instinct was to support him, but then she remembered the car accident in her previous life—the truck they’d been in was the very one Mu Chenze had bought.

“I don’t support it. Brother Lin is a steady driver. You can just hire him in the future.”

In her past life, Lin Yong had never had any accidents.

Mu Chenze looked disappointed. “You know the money I spend on hiring a truck for a year is enough to buy my own. Why are you against it too?”

Chu Xuan could tell how much Mu Chenze wanted it, so she found an excuse. “Once, I met a fortune teller. I gave him your birthday and asked for a reading. He said you’re a good person and a reliable partner, but you’re not suited to buying a truck—he saw signs of financial loss and disaster. Mu Chenze, I just want you to be safe.”

“You had my fortune told? You know my birthday? Why?”

“Because we’re business partners. At the very least, I need to know if you’re lucky with money! If you weren’t, what would be the point of working together? As for your birthday, before your family split up, Feng Chunhua found out and told me.”

Chu Xuan would rather have Mu Chenze think she was greedy than tell him the truth.

Mu Chenze looked skeptical. “You’re not lying to me, are you?”

“I’ll say it again: buying a truck means financial loss and disaster. If I’m lying, I’m a dog.”

Mu Chenze saw that Chu Xuan didn’t seem to be lying. “Alright, I won’t buy a truck. I was planning to go to the bank tomorrow to ask about a loan, but I guess I don’t need to now.”

“That’s good.”

Chu Xuan watched as Mu Chenze pulled the cart away.

The next morning, just after six, Chu Xuan had just gotten up when she heard a knock at the door.

She ran to open the courtyard gate.

Outside, Hua Daling was leaning against the doorframe, panting heavily.

“Aunt Hua, is something urgent?”

Hua Daling was so out of breath she couldn’t speak, so she just nodded. After a moment, she managed to get the words out.

“Feng… Feng Chunhua offered me… nine hundred yuan last night to help her with something. I refused. I think she’s targeting you. If she can’t buy me off, she’ll find someone else. You’d better be careful.”

Chu Xuan’s face was calm. “She’s being pretty generous. I’d like to see who she can buy off!”

There were only a few people who would do her dirty work.

The ones most likely to be picked by Feng Chunhua were Hua Daling, Liu Zhaodi, and Widow Niu.

All three families were poor and needed money.

This time, Hua Daling had resisted temptation, which made Chu Xuan very pleased. She continued, “Aunt Hua, thank you for coming to tell me. I’ll make sure you’re taken care of. Even if my fish jerky workshop closes, I’ll help you find another way to make a living. Oh, and don’t forget to join in on the village’s factory investment.”

Hua Daling slapped her forehead. “Thanks for reminding me! I almost forgot. There should be someone on duty at the village office now—I’ll go pay right away.”

She dashed off in a flash.

After washing up, Chu Xuan told her little brother she was heading out to exercise and lose weight.

When she got near Widow Niu’s house, she saw someone she disliked—Feng Chunhua.

But Feng Chunhua was busy knocking on Widow Niu’s door and didn’t notice Chu Xuan.

Chu Xuan hid by the courtyard wall.

Soon, she heard the door open and Widow Niu’s voice: “Feng Chunhua, what are you doing here?”

Feng Chunhua chuckled. “I have a little business to discuss. Let’s talk inside?”

“My son’s still sleeping. Don’t wake him. Whatever it is, just say it here.”

Widow Niu didn’t like Feng Chunhua and wasn’t welcoming.

Feng Chunhua kept smiling. “Want to make some real money?”

“How much is ‘real money’?”

“One thousand yuan!”

Widow Niu was immediately interested. “How do I earn it?”

Seeing she had a chance, Feng Chunhua’s smile grew even wider. “Help me deal with Chu Xuan. Once it’s done, you get a thousand yuan!”

The moment Widow Niu heard the words “deal with Chu Xuan,” she lost her temper. “Pah! You old hag, get lost! Chu Xuan is my benefactor, and you want me to go against her? I’ll smash your head in with a rock!”

She grabbed a stone, and Feng Chunhua ran away, covering her head.

Widow Niu threw the stone aside, cursed her a few more times, then shut the door and went back to bed.

Chu Xuan quietly followed Feng Chunhua.

She didn’t think Feng Chunhua would give up so easily.

Sure enough, a few minutes later, Feng Chunhua stopped at Liu Zhaodi’s door and knocked.

Liu Zhaodi came out to answer, but as soon as she saw Feng Chunhua, she slammed the door shut.

“If you have something to say, say it through the door!”

Feng Chunhua forced down her anger and put on a pleasant face. “Can you talk business through a door? This is about a thousand yuan!”

The gate opened again.

Liu Zhaodi’s family really needed money.

Hiding nearby, Chu Xuan silently prayed: Liu Zhaodi, don’t let me down.

Liu Zhaodi’s voice rang out, “Old Feng, tell me how I can earn a thousand yuan. Do you want to order willow baskets or backpacks?”

Feng Chunhua was annoyed by the “Old Feng” nickname, but didn’t say anything. She pulled a thick wad of cash from her pocket. “It’s easy. Just help me deal with Chu Xuan. Once it’s done, all this is yours.”

Liu Zhaodi’s eyes fell on the money. “How exactly do you want me to help you deal with her?”

Feng Chunhua grinned, her face wrinkling up. “Come to my house at noon and I’ll tell you all the details.”

“I might have to work overtime at noon. The earliest I can come is after two.”

“That’s fine. Just make sure no one sees you.”

“I know, don’t worry. But shouldn’t you leave a deposit?”

Feng Chunhua counted out ten ten-yuan bills. “Here’s a hundred yuan as a down payment.”

She stuffed it into Liu Zhaodi’s hand and was about to leave, but Liu Zhaodi stopped her.

“Just words aren’t enough. Let’s put it in writing. What if I help you and you don’t give me the other nine hundred?”

[There’s another chapter at noon today, but there may be a delay on QQ Reading, so it might not be updated until noon tomorrow…]"