Earning 100 million a day, yet trapped in a county town.

Chapter 30 Beaten for Being in Debt

On the way, Wang Guanxi picked up his phone and dialed his mother Zhou Lijuan's number, his tone somewhat distant:

"Mom, I'm back in Jiangcheng. I'm coming to find you. Where are you?"

There was a two-second silence on the other end of the phone.

Zhou Lijuan's voice sounded a little off; it was as if she was speaking in a low voice.

"Edison Chen, I'm in the hospital right now."

Wang Guanxi was stunned for a moment.

"The hospital? What happened to you?"

"It wasn't me, it was your Uncle Cheng." Zhou Lijuan sighed. "He was beaten up a few days ago and is recovering in the hospital now."

Wang Guanxi frowned.

Cheng Wanhua, his stepfather.

To be honest, Wang Guanxi's feelings for this person are very complicated.

We weren't particularly close, nor were we particularly disliked.

He's just someone who lives with his mother.

Not long after his mother divorced Wang Jiming, she met Cheng Wanhua.

Cheng Wanhua ran a garment factory. At that time, the factory encountered a financial crisis, and Zhou Lijuan took out all her savings to help him get through it.

Then the two got married.

Zhou Lijuan quit her job as a Chinese language teacher to devote herself to helping Cheng Wanhua manage the garment factory.

Not long after, she gave birth to a son, who is now seven or eight years old and in the second grade of elementary school.

At that time, Wang Guanxi had just started high school and lived on campus. Later, he went to university in Shanghai and rarely saw his stepfather.

The relationship is neither good nor bad.

It's that kind of "You're my mom's husband, I respect you, but we're not close" situation.

But no matter what, if someone gets beaten up, he has to go and check on them.

"Which hospital?" Wang Guanxi asked.

Zhou Lijuan gave her name.

"County People's Hospital, third floor of the inpatient department."

"I'll be right there."

......

The county hospital is in the old town area, not far away, about a ten-minute drive from here.

When Wang Guanxi arrived, he first bought a fruit basket from a fruit shop near the hospital entrance, and then bought a carton of milk from a convenience store next door.

Carrying my things, I entered the inpatient department, went up to the third floor, and found my ward.

The ward was a double room, but the bed next door was empty, with only a middle-aged man lying on the bed by the window.

His head was wrapped in gauze, and his left arm was in a cast; he looked quite pitiful.

Zhou Lijuan sat on a chair beside the hospital bed, her face looking somewhat haggard.

There was a little boy sitting next to me, about seven or eight years old, playing on his phone with his head down.

Wang Guanxi knocked on the door frame.

"mom."

Zhou Lijuan looked up and saw Wang Guanxi, a hint of a smile appearing on her tired face.

She stood up, walked over, and took the things from his hands.

"You're here, why did you buy so much stuff?"

"It's not for you."

Wang Guanxi smiled and placed the fruit basket and milk on the bedside table.

Cheng Wanhua, lying on the hospital bed, stirred and turned his head to look at Wang Guanxi.

"Edison Chen, you're here."

The voice was soft, carrying a sense of weakness and embarrassment.

Wang Guanxi nodded and called out "Uncle Cheng" as a greeting.

Then he turned and looked at the little boy.

The child was still playing on his phone, not even looking up.

Zhou Lijuan patted him on the shoulder.

"Xiao Jun, call me brother."

The little boy then looked up at Wang Guanxi, called out "Brother" in a voice barely audible, and then lowered his head again to continue playing on his phone.

Wang Guanxi didn't care; it's normal for an eight-year-old to be addicted to his phone.

He sat down on another chair beside the hospital bed, looked at Cheng Wanhua's miserable state, and then at the sorrowful look on Zhou Lijuan's face, feeling a little uneasy.

"Mom, what happened? How did Uncle Cheng get beaten up like this?"

Zhou Lijuan hesitated for a moment, her lips moved a few times, as if she didn't really want to say anything.

Cheng Wanhua sighed and spoke up.

"Lijuan, don't hide it anymore, Edison Chen isn't an outsider either."

Zhou Lijuan glanced at him, then at Wang Guanxi, and finally spoke.

"Let me explain."

She sat in a chair with her hands on her knees, as if organizing her thoughts.

"Your Uncle Cheng's clothing factory recently received a big order."

"It's Mew, you should know that."

Wang Guanxi nodded.

Meiwei, a brand that used to be very popular, is not as popular as it used to be, but even a fallen camel is bigger than a horse, and it still has some weight in the clothing industry.

"The order is quite large, but the terms are a bit harsh." Zhou Lijuan's voice lowered. "They don't give a deposit; they only pay when the goods arrive, and it's a lump sum payment for each batch."

Wang Guanxi frowned.

They dare to do it without a deposit?

That's too risky in business.

Why should I work for you if you haven't paid me?

But Cheng Wanhua clearly didn't think that way.

Zhou Lijuan continued, "Your Uncle Cheng thought that Meiwei is a big brand, and if he could get in touch with them, he wouldn't have to worry about orders in the future. So he gritted his teeth and accepted the job."

"He took out a loan from the bank to produce this batch of goods. There are many SKUs in this batch, meaning there are many styles and sizes, which puts a lot of pressure on material preparation, and all the money is tied up in the goods."

Wang Guanxi listened without interrupting.

"After the first batch of goods was shipped, Meiwei started delaying. They said there were problems with the quality inspection and that the process wasn't finished, but they just wouldn't make the payment."

As Zhou Lijuan spoke, her tone became somewhat indignant.

"Your Uncle Cheng thought that since it was a big factory, they wouldn't default on their payment, so he didn't pay much attention. But the factory's working capital was running low, and they needed to start making the next batch of goods, so he..."

She paused and glanced at Cheng Wanhua.

Cheng Wanhua closed his eyes, and the muscles on his face twitched slightly.

"He borrowed money from outside sources," Zhou Lijuan finished speaking.

Wang Guanxi's heart skipped a beat.

In a small place like Jiangcheng, the word "foreign debt" is basically synonymous with usury.

"And then?" Wang Guanxi asked.

"Not long after, Meiwei suddenly said that the goods weren't selling well and they wanted to breach the contract, so they didn't want the rest of the goods. They paid a small penalty, which was pitifully little."

Zhou Lijuan stretched out her hand and held up a number.

"We only lost this much money, not even enough to cover the bank interest."

Wang Guanxi's brows furrowed even more.

"What about the debts Uncle Cheng incurred?"

"It's due." Zhou Lijuan's voice trembled slightly. "They've come to our door demanding payment."

Wang Guanxi glanced at Cheng Wanhua's cast on his arm and the gauze on his head.

"So, they made their move?"

Zhou Lijuan nodded, her eyes a little red.

"They came the day before yesterday, several men, around thirty years old, all very muscular. Your Uncle Cheng said he wanted to postpone the repayment for a while, and they started beating him without saying a word."

Zhou Lijuan's voice was filled with lingering fear: "I tried to stop them, but I was pushed and fell to the ground. Xiao Jun was terrified and cried, constantly calling for his father."

After hearing Zhou Lijuan's words, Wang Guanxi frowned even more deeply.

He thought for a moment and then asked a question.

"Didn't you contact my dad? Or call the police?"

Zhou Lijuan sighed.

"We found him. It was your dad who came with his men and arrested him."

The latest chapter is now available! Book lovers, hurry back!