Chapter 87: Sun Flower
The world is unpredictable; perhaps yesterday’s riches turn into passing clouds in the blink of an eye.
No one guessed that a tycoon would go bankrupt and become a pauper in such a short time. A pampered noble lady, in the blink of an eye, was selling off family property and running around to raise money. After all, just the day before, she was still showing off her newly bought bag.
Li Shujun’s husband, due to investment errors leading to insufficient funds and suppression by competitors, encountered a major crisis in his company. If not resolved in time, the company faced the risk of bankruptcy. Her husband couldn’t hold on; his vision went black, and he fainted. When he woke up, he was already in the hospital, with his wife, Li Shujun, wiping tears by his bedside.
Facing his wife’s questions, he could only helplessly reveal the company’s predicament—the company likely wouldn’t survive.
He was prepared for Li Shujun to leave. He knew very well that Li Shujun had married him for money. Now that he had no money and was old and ugly, while the well-maintained Li Shujun still retained her charm, she could completely leave him for someone else. Moreover, he couldn’t bear to let Li Shujun suffer with him, so he had thoughts of divorce.
But unexpectedly, Li Shujun didn’t leave. Instead, she dazedly asked him how much money was owed.
It was a huge figure. In the past, he wouldn’t have thought it was much, but now he couldn’t even plug one hole.
“I’ll go raise money. I’ll raise however much I can!” Li Shujun gritted her teeth and spoke with difficulty.
He hadn’t expected Li Shujun to be able to do anything. He knew what kind of person Li Shujun had become after being pampered by him for over a decade. But to his surprise, after Li Shujun went back, she sold her luxury cars, luxury bags, clothes… everything she could sell. She even sold the house under her name. Aside from that, she thickened her skin and went from house to house to borrow money from people she knew…
…
“I didn’t expect Li Shujun to have such boldness. We all thought she would divorce him,” the lady lamented. Some people can share wealth but not hardship; as the saying goes, “Husband and wife are birds of the same forest, but they fly separately when disaster strikes.” They thought Li Shujun would be that kind of person, but her actions were admirable.
Li Shujun, an ordinary salesclerk marrying into a wealthy family, was tantamount to a sparrow becoming a phoenix; her behavior revealed the aura of the nouveau riche. She liked to show off and liked to put on airs. The ladies often couldn’t stand her and always liked to roast her behind her back. However, this time, they were slapped in the face (proven wrong).
Human hearts are made of flesh. Although the ladies often roasted Li Shujun, when she came to ask for help, those who could help still lent a hand.
“So that’s how it is.” Lin Xia nodded, his mood somewhat heavy. The business world was like a battlefield; one careless move and you could lose everything. You see people’s glamour, but you don’t see them walking on thin ice.
“I hope they can get through this difficulty,” the lady said, then paid and left the pet shop.
“Aowu?” Papa, what are you thinking about? The White Dumpling wanted water and came to find Lin Xia to pour it for him, only to see Lin Xia spacing out.
“Papa isn’t thinking about anything.” Lin Xia smiled and pulled the White Dumpling into his arms. “Papa will ask you a question: between opening a small shop and opening a company, which one would you choose?”
Lin Xia thought of this question suddenly. Between him and Tang Yinlang, one opened a pet shop and one opened a company. If the White Dumpling were to inherit, what would he choose?
“Aowu?” Why a small shop and a company? The White Dumpling tilted his head, asking in confusion.
“Never mind. You’re still little; I asked too early.” Lin Xia smiled bitterly; he realized he was overthinking. The pet shop and the company didn’t necessarily have to be inherited by the White Dumpling; they could find agents to run them. Besides, the White Dumpling was still young; it wasn’t certain what he would want to do in the future.
“Aowu!” If I have to choose, An’an chooses the small shop, because all the yummy food is in small shops! The White Dumpling wagged his tail, giving a thumbs up (in spirit) to his own wit.
“Little foodie.” Lin Xia grabbed his paw and played with the paw pads. The White Dumpling felt ticklish and couldn’t help but yelp.
“Aowu…” Ticklish…
The White Dumpling didn’t let Lin Xia manipulate him for long. He quickly scrambled up, broke free from Lin Xia’s “clutches,” and shook his body to get his messy fur back in order.
“Aowu!” Papa, An’an wants water!
“Mn.” Lin Xia got up, poured him warm water, and stuck a straw in the cup.
“Aowu…” The White Dumpling sucked the water. Lin Xia smoothed his fur and asked, “Are you hungry? Do you want something to eat?”
They got up late this morning. The “brunch” they ate around eleven was the porridge Tang Yinlang made, which should be mostly digested by now.
“Aowu!” An’an is hungry! The White Dumpling had been playing just now and didn’t feel very hungry. Now that Lin Xia asked, he realized he really was hungry.
“What do you want to eat?”
“Aowu!” An’an wants fried chicken legs!
“Alright.” Lin Xia didn’t want him eating fried foods, but eating it once in a while didn’t matter.
He took out his phone to order delivery. Few people ordered delivery at this time, so it arrived quickly.
Mong Zheng and Wang Ziyu had gone back to class, so only Lin Xia and the White Dumpling were in the shop; the other part-time student wouldn’t arrive for a while. Thus, the burger and fried chicken leg combo was divided up by Lin Xia and the White Dumpling.
The White Dumpling ate until his mouth was covered in grease. Just wiping it wouldn’t do; Lin Xia had to wash his face after he finished eating.
After eating and drinking his fill, the White Dumpling took a leisurely stroll, incidentally patrolling his territory (the pet shop). If there was something new anywhere, he had to note it down and run to ask Lin Xia the reason. While he wasn’t paying attention, a new item had arrived in his territory.
“Aowu!” Papa, there’s a new pot of flowers on the balcony! The White Dumpling shouted as he ran down the stairs.
“That’s Brother Ziyu’s Sun Flower; he’s keeping it here.” Lin Xia answered.
When Wang Ziyu came over this morning, he met an auntie selling flowers on the road. On impulse, he bought a pot of Sun Flowers (Taiyanghua – likely Moss Rose/Portulaca). The auntie said this pot of Sun Flowers bloomed pink, which was very special.
Wang Ziyu brought the flowers to the pet shop with a smile all the way. He planned to give the flowers to Li Hao when he returned.
“Aowu?” Is a Sun Flower a flower that grows the sun? The White Dumpling thought a Sun Flower was a flower that produced suns.
“No, a Sun Flower is a flower that blooms when it sees sunlight, not a flower that grows suns,” Lin Xia explained.
“Aowu!” Sounds so amazing! The White Dumpling shook his head, not quite understanding.
“Finished patrolling the territory?” Lin Xia smiled and teased him.
“Aowu!” Patrol complete! The White Dumpling wagged his tail and sat down. After patrolling the territory, the little tiger was tired. Actually, he hadn’t finished patrolling; the roof on the second floor was locked and he couldn’t get up there, which was a real pity.
“Want me to rub your paws?” Lin Xia asked with a smile.
“Aowu!” Yes please! The White Dumpling lay down happily, extending a paw for Lin Xia to rub.
Lin Xia held one of his paws and rubbed it slowly.
The White Dumpling exposed his soft belly to Lin Xia. That was a place he needed to protect, but in front of Lin Xia, he could expose it anytime, anywhere.
After rubbing his paws, Lin Xia couldn’t help but stroke the White Dumpling’s soft belly. As he stroked, he thought about playing with the Big White Tiger’s belly.
The Big White Tiger’s belly must be very comfortable, right…
Author’s note: Lin Xia: “Big White Tiger, I want to touch your belly!” Big White Tiger: “Okay!” Lin Xia: “Huh? Why is it so hard?” Big White Tiger: “Hehe, those are abs. Do you like them?”
Thanks to Xue Chen for the Nutrient Solution (* ￣3)(ε￣ ) Thanks to everyone for the Nutrient Solutions (￣з￣) Goodnight~
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