socalfunplaces Chapter 43 Rats
Chapter 43 Rats
In Zhang Yingning's office at the Yingning Grand Hotel's main branch.
Zhang Yingning had just hung up the phone when her expression turned serious, making Li Hongmei, who was standing next to her, anxious. "Sister Zhang, how is it?"
"I can't tell..." Zhang Yingning frowned. Over the past month, the prices of the agricultural products provided by Yang Ming have changed repeatedly, and each time they have decreased significantly. Tomatoes have dropped from 10 yuan per jin to 5 yuan per jin, potatoes and sweet potatoes have dropped even more, from 12 yuan per jin to 4 yuan per jin, and green onions and peppers have been priced at 5 yuan per jin since the beginning.
Moreover, he didn't even deliver the goods himself; instead, he had an unassuming old man drive over. This old man was strange; he just delivered the goods without saying a word, and sometimes he wouldn't even get out of the car. He would just wait for people to unload the goods and then drive away.
This move made Zhang Yingning and the others feel uneasy. Did Yang Ming intend to not renew their contracts after they expired?
Using the agricultural products provided by Yang Ming, the turnover of these large hotels has skyrocketed. In just a few days, these hotels have already shown the potential to become the leading hotels in the province. If Yang Ming does not renew the contract with them after a year, they will be brought back to square one. Not to mention the new customers attracted by Yang Ming's agricultural products, they will also lose many of their original customers.
"This guy is really something. Why did you have to lower the price for no reason? It makes people feel uneasy," Li Hongmei couldn't help but complain.
Zhang Yingning glanced at Li Hongmei, whose face was full of reproach, and chuckled: "How can you say such a thing? They lowered the price and you think that's wrong?"
"I didn't say he made a mistake by lowering the price, but you could have just lowered it a little bit. Why did you have to lower it so much? Zhang Dapao has been so anxious these past two days that his lips are covered in blisters..."
"Hmph, don't worry, I believe my brother is not the kind of person who would betray someone after using them. I absolutely trust his character," Zhang Yingning said confidently, though she wasn't really that sure herself.
"I'm still a little worried. How about we find out who's behind him?" Li Hongmei said, her eyes darting around.
Zhang Yingning and Li Hongmei had already thoroughly investigated Yang Ming's background, but they couldn't find out the true source of his agricultural products. Of course, they didn't dare to investigate too deeply, otherwise, if Yang Ming found out, a good thing would turn into a bad thing.
"Don't investigate! Also, tell those who have this idea to nip it in the bud, or I, Zhang Yingning, will sever all ties with him. If you offend him, don't drag me down with you," Zhang Yingning said solemnly.
"Is it really necessary to react so strongly?" Li Hongmei muttered to herself upon seeing Zhang Yingning's reaction.
"We're just speculating right now. To suspect our partners without any evidence, especially when they've offered to make concessions, is already unethical. Do you really want to cut off their livelihood? If you're really like that, then I, Zhang Yingning, dare not continue to associate with you," Zhang Yingning said solemnly.
"You were just saying that, did you really take it seriously? Alright, alright, I'm not talking to you anymore, I'm going home to sleep." Since Zhang Yingning had said he wanted to end their friendship, Li Hongmei's expression turned a little unpleasant. She muttered a few words and then took her leave.
"Hongmei, we've been sisters for so many years. Do you trust your sister?" Zhang Yingning said as Li Hongmei walked to the door.
Li Hongmei paused, then nodded heavily.
"That's good. Remember, we met when we were setting up a street stall together. Back then, you were young and beautiful. Although life was tough, you never strayed from the right path and always walked with integrity. It was because of your upright character that I've stayed with you all this time. I hope you're still the same Li Hongmei..."
"What do you mean by that?" Li Hongmei's face darkened. "Am I not young anymore? Am I not pretty anymore?"
"Pfft..." Zhang Yingning couldn't help but chuckle as she watched Li Hongmei's face contort. "You are pretty, but you're definitely not young anymore. You're already a ripe peach. If you don't eat it soon, it'll be too ripe... Hahahaha..."
"I...I'm not talking to you anymore..." Li Hongmei muttered and walked away with a dark face. Zhang Yingning knew that Li Hongmei was unlikely to do anything stupid. No matter what industry you're in, cutting off someone's escape route is the most taboo thing.
Zhengjia Village is peaceful and serene under the night sky. A light drizzle falls quietly, pattering on the leaves like a cheerful serenade, gentle and melodious, relaxing the mind.
"Qingqing, tomorrow is the 20th, the day we deliver vegetables to Aunt Zhang and the others. Let's go back to the city together, tidy up the house, and bring your parents to live with us. We'll pick up my parents the day after tomorrow..." Yang Ming said, leaning against the pile of blankets.
"Okay!" Wei Qingqing replied while holding Zheng Bao'er in her arms and watching TV.
Zheng Bao'er struggled for a moment, then jumped off the kang (a heated brick bed), pushed open the door, and ran out, jogging home.
"Little girl, what's going on..." Yang Ming glanced at Wei Qingqing.
"They can't bear to part with us. This child is pitiful, losing his father at such a young age..." Wei Qingqing's tone was somewhat low.
"If you ask me, I'd say take her home with you, and let Aunt Liu come too..."
"She's a widow, and she left with you during the Mid-Autumn Festival. What will the villagers say about her?"
"That's true. There's always a lot of gossip around a widow's house. There are always some idle people who love to gossip and spread rumors..." Yang Ming said.
Liu's mother and daughter were close to Yang Ming's family, and in recent days, there had been many rumors in the village. Some said that Liu's mother couldn't bear the loneliness of being a widow and had an affair, others said that she was someone's mistress, and still others said that Liu's mother had an improper relationship with Yang Ming and Zhang Yang. As a result, Liu's mother didn't dare to visit their house at night anymore.
Wei Qingqing sighed, "Forget it, let's not talk about this anymore, let's go to sleep!"
Zheng Bao'er's commotion made the couple lose interest in watching TV, so they locked the outer door, turned off the TV, and went to bed.
The room was dark. Listening to the drizzle outside the window, neither of them could sleep or speak. Zheng Bao'er's behavior made them feel uneasy.
Now that the puppies are almost all grown up, it doesn't really matter whether the door is closed or not. When the couple goes to sleep at night, they only close the door to the outer room, leaving the gate open. If any stranger tries to sneak in at night, the puppies will pounce on them. These little guys are just as fierce as the adult dogs when they tear things apart, and they are even more ferocious, especially Big Black. Although he is just an ordinary dumb dog, he has seen blood and is the most ferocious.
In the middle of the night, the couple had just fallen asleep when they heard a loud noise coming from the yard. The sounds of cats meowing, dogs barking, and chickens crowing filled the air. The couple immediately woke up, turned on the light, put on their clothes, got out of bed, and went outside to see what was going on.
The courtyard lights were on, shimmering with a rainbow of colors in the misty rain.
The courtyard was in complete chaos. A bunch of puppies were surrounding the entrance to the east wing, growling menacingly. The chickens that had been perched on their perches were startled and wandered around the courtyard in a panic. As soon as they sensed danger, they would run away. By the way, these chicks had grown into half-grown chickens, and with a flap of their large wings, they could even fly up to the roof of the wing.
At that moment, a dark figure suddenly appeared from the window of the side room. The figure leaped down from the window and, like a black lightning bolt, quickly climbed to the roof of the side room.
The couple could see clearly that the dark shadow was Miaomiao, and it had a large rat, about half a foot long, in its mouth.
Meow jumped out of the window of the side room, but the puppies remained outside the door, growling softly. The couple exchanged a glance, both sensing something was amiss. Braving the light drizzle, they went to the door of the east side room, pushed it open, and the puppies rushed in. Immediately, howling barks echoed from inside. Then, the puppies emerged one after another, each carrying a mouse, large or small, in its mouth, happily running to a corner to enjoy their meal.
Yang Ming and Wei Qingqing exchanged a glance, both feeling a chill run down their spines. Twenty-seven dogs, plus a large black cat, each carrying a large rat. How many rats must there be in this east wing?
"Honey, open the door, let's see what's going on inside..." Wei Qingqing urged Yang Ming.
"This..." Yang Ming wouldn't be afraid of one or two mice, but after having 28 mice dragged out in a row, he was starting to get worried. Could there be a rat infestation inside? However, he couldn't say "no" or "scared" in front of his wife, so Yang Ming suddenly pushed the door open, turned on the light, and what appeared before them immediately made their scalps tingle.
The side room is where miscellaneous items are stored, and it's usually quite messy. Yang Ming's family didn't have much miscellaneous stuff; the side room contained things left over from Grandpa Zheng's family thirty years ago. Some things were broken, so Yang Ming just threw them away. The east side room didn't seem too messy, but at this moment, it was covered in splattered blood, and countless rat corpses covered the floor in a thick layer. These rats had all died from having their heads bitten off, so there were still specks of brain matter mixed in with the blood.
"Ugh..." Wei Qingqing couldn't help feeling nauseous and bent over to vomit, her little face turning deathly pale.
"Don't be afraid, they're all dead. We...we'll go...we'll go to the hot spring and sleep in the cabin for the night..." Yang Ming also felt nauseous. These rat corpses were disgusting, covered in blood and goo, making one's hair stand on end. It was nighttime, and it really felt like being in a horror movie, making one instinctively want to get away from here.
"I can't take it anymore..." Wei Qingqing covered her mouth, turned around and ran away.
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