Chapter 396

"Wanqing, there are only you and Wanqing left in the family. You don't even come home for lunch. I'm bored with nothing to do here all day, so I might as well take some time off these two months before the kids come back and I resume my duties of taking care you of you guys. What do you think?" Sister Zhang wasn't the kind of person who liked to take advantage of others. It wasn't right for her to just idle around here all day long while collecting wages. She felt bad about it herself.

Wanqing thought since no one else was home, there really wasn't much to do. If Sister Zhang stayed here by herself, she would be bored indeed. "Sister Zhang, why don't we do this - I know we can't leave this place completely unattended. You getting bored here all day long makes sense. These two months, just come over and clean up every now and then. I'll still pay your wages. What do you think?"

With no one home, there was no need for Sister Zhang to grind it out here every day.

What she lacked during these two months wasn't the wages. It was someone reliable whom she could leave the house to safely. Sister Zhang had been working here for years without any incidents. There was no need to lose one’s head over trivial things.

"That won't do. I don't want the wages. You said I could come clean up every now and then, and that works since I'd just be idling at home anyway." Even without the wages, Sister Zhang was very thankful to Wanqing.

Back then, her daughter was set on going out to study hairdressing. Thankfully, she listened to Wanqing's advice and stopped her daughter in time.

Her daughter's classmate who was going to go with her still hadn't contacted home after such a long time. No one knew what had happened to her.

A perfectly good daughter raised until 17 or 18 years old, now missing without a trace. How distressed must her parents be?

Not only that, Wanqing had also found her daughter a proper place in Shen City where Wu Lei could look after her to study hairdressing. Now graduated, she had opened her own hair salon. Business was booming with her perms and dyes.

"Sister Zhang, just listen to me..." It took Wanqing a while before she finally convinced the other party.

The construction of the central mall was also nearing completion. Built according to government plans, but based on designs provided by Wanqing’s side.

Overall, it had been very successful.

Even before its completion, many merchants had come asking about it. Most stores were snatched up. Those remaining could be rented out for rental income, which was pretty good too.

Hu Zhou came over with the plans, "The restaurants on the 4th floor are full. We'll operate the supermarket ourselves on the 1st floor. There are still quite a few vacant shops left on the 2nd and 3rd floors. Shall we turn the 3rd floor into more restaurants?"

Although the central mall only had 4 floors, its floor area was huge. Having sold so many stores before even opening, they had exceeded expectations already.

"It's good as it is for now. Restaurants mainly rely on merchants. Whether they can survive depends on business after opening. Too many restaurants will lead to oversupply. That won't be good for the mall either." Wanqing said, "Stick to the original plans for now. The merchants have all prepared to move in right? Can we open by end of June?"

"No problem. They're all renovating now. Definitely by then."

"Good. Don't forget to invite people from the government for the opening too. Also, restart pre-sales for the first batch of residential housing after the mall opens..."

Getting in more foot traffic will make the nearby houses sell better too. Those with insight will understand.

"Oh yes. Pay more attention to the government side recently too. If sales go well this time, we need to grasp the next land auction."

"Shouldn't need to worry about that. We have priority rights." That was the condition when they first took over. The government had agreed.

Wanqing smiled, "Things change. Keep an eye out still."

In the past, the government needed them so naturally they could make demands. Now the mall was built and store sales were good. They had profited a lot too. If residential sales went well too, land prices here would definitely shoot up.

Competition would be quite intense by then.

Their original condition was only priority rights, not absolute. And it was only verbal. Going back on one's word was easy, just a few words.

Hu Zhou always listened to Wanqing. Things always worked out when he listened to her over the years.

Everything went smoothly as plans started rolling out, business was doing exceptionally well too.

At the same time, Pei Jianguo was also valued again by his superiors because of this. He had successfully been promoted to deputy section chief at rank 22, two levels away from full section chief.

Promotion and raise, things couldn't be more joyous.

Yet at such a critical juncture, like a bolt from the blue on a sunny day.

Pei Jianguo held the hospital checkup report in his hands. His face was ghastly white as he asked Liu Chunhua, "Could the results be wrong? Didn't they say you can't conceive last time? How did you get...get pregnant?"

"And at such timing too. This is fatal!" Pei Jianguo had just gotten promoted. According to family planning policies, public servants could only have one child. He hadn't even gotten over the excitement of his promotion yet before this issue of illegal second child popped up. Would he even keep his job now?

"No, we can't keep this child. Must get rid of it." Pei Jianguo pulled Liu Chunhua and went out the door, "Chunhua, listen to me. We can't keep this child. I'll be out of a job then. We'll be eating the bitter winds. Come with me to abort it at the hospital now."

He had to question that doctor who checked her too. How could he have missed something like this?

Someone already diagnosed to be infertile getting pregnant now. Did he think they were still in the old days where you could just pop out kids whenever?

Liu Chunhua struggled free of his hand, looking at him pleadingly as she shrank away, "JianGuo, I'm begging you. Let's keep this child, okay? It's already 5 months along. I can feel it moving in my belly. And my body is ruined. If I lose it, I may not be able to have my own child ever again in this lifetime. Please spare me some pity. Keep it for me. I'm a woman too. I want to be a mother too..."

If she didn't truly want to keep this child, how could she have deceived him? How could she have hidden her pregnancy for 5 months before telling him?

Stroking her slightly bulging belly, Liu Chunhua thought firmly to herself that no matter what, she would not abandon her child.

This child was different from her previous one. She had desperately fought to keep this one that she loved concieving with the man she loved.

She didn't fear hardship. Hadn't she endured enough already? Even if they went hungry and cold, as long as she could bear him a child, someone to rely on, she would be content.