Without being named directly, Lin Chuxia knew Old Lady Liu was calling her.
But so what? Did she have to pay attention just because she was called?
She went upstairs without turning her head.
Old Lady Liu hadn’t expected to encounter Lin Chuxia here. After calling out twice and seeing the other party didn’t hear her, she hurriedly took a few steps to catch up, only to be stopped by the receptionist at the front desk.
“You old woman, if you have no money to stay at the hotel, why are you forcing your way in? Let me tell you, this is not a place for you to throw a fit. Be careful, or I’ll call the police and have you taken away to the station.”
Old Lady Liu pointed urgently at Lin Chuxia going upstairs, “We know that girl, is she staying at your hotel? Let me go and talk to her. She can’t occupy such a big room all by herself. It should be fine for us to squeeze in with her, right?”
The receptionist had already figured out Old Lady Liu’s character. She had been arguing with her for a long time about staying without money, playing the pity card and being shameless.
Just now, Old Lady Liu had called that female comrade; at such a close distance, it was impossible not to hear her. When she was being ignored, how could she possibly let this old woman in?
“Whether you can share a room with her is not something I can decide, and I can’t let you in. Who knows if you really know each other or not. If you did, why didn’t you come together earlier? I have to be responsible for the personal safety of every guest staying here.”
This delay caused Old Lady Liu to lose sight of Lin Chuxia, and in her anxiety, she tried to barge in, but the receptionist immediately called someone to drive Old Lady Liu out.
Old Lady Liu was undeterred, standing at the entrance of the guest house and yelling.
“Girl, for the sake of sharing a ride together, please be kind and let us mother and daughter stay with you for one night.”
“Look how cold and dark it is outside. I, an old woman, won’t be in the way. Xiao Hua is just a kid; she can’t endure this hardship. You seem to be kind-hearted. If necessary, I can stand guard outside, and you can let Xiao Hua stay with you?”
“The incident on the train is not entirely our fault. People of poor status have short ambitions. Xiao Hua and I are both unfortunate souls. Seeing you, you seem to have good fortune and a kind heart, so please consider it a good deed.”
When Liu Xiaohua saw Lin Chuxia appear, she also felt a moment of surprise, but now seeing her mother shouting for so long without anyone coming out, she opened her mouth anxiously, “Mother, stop shouting. She doesn’t want to live with us, looks down on us, just like those people in the village who disdain us. If my brother were still alive, they wouldn’t dare to treat us like this.”
Mentioning her son, Old Lady Liu sighed deeply, “Your brother was also unfortunate. Your father traded his life for an opportunity, thinking it would bring us better days. Who knew that just after a couple of good years, he left us here. Had I known this would happen, I would have asked for more money when your father died.”
Liu Xiaohua looked disgusted, “We should have given the opportunity to me in the first place. My brother was just a doomed soul; giving him the chance was a waste. Now, the opportunity is gone, and so is he. Are you satisfied now?”
Old Lady Liu felt bitter in her heart. She had one son and one daughter, and it was natural to favor the son who was given such a good opportunity since a daughter is like water poured out.
But who could have known…
Seeing her daughter discontented, she quickly comforted, “What’s the use of talking about this now? You’re the only kin I have left now. Once we get there, you must stand up for yourself. Money is secondary; if you have someone to rely on, won’t you live a life of luxury without needing to look at others’ faces?”
Liu Xiaohua was full of determination, “Mother, we must get an explanation this time. If my brother died here, they have to take responsibility for us, mother and daughter, for a lifetime. It’s what they owe us.”
Old Lady Liu’s eyes also became firm, “You’re right, that’s what they owe us. As long as they continue to send us money on time and arrange a good match for you, we can let this go. Otherwise, it’s not over. Even if we have to cling on here stubbornly, let’s see what they can do.”
“Mother, where did you put my new clothes? I need to wear them tomorrow.”
“Yes, yes, you must wear the new clothes. Let them see how well our Xiao Hua has grown,” Old Lady Liu looked around at the environment, stood up, and cursed loudly.
“You little cheap wench, with a black heart, is it just because you disdain my daughter and me? Let me tell you, don’t look down on others, one day you’ll regret it and won’t be able to escape the consequences.”
“If you let us in now, everything can still be amicably resolved; otherwise, even if you beg us, we wouldn’t care…”
“Splash…”
Old Lady Liu didn’t manage to finish her words when a basin of water was dumped on her head, drenching the yelling woman to the bone.
Xiao Hua, who was sitting beside her, couldn’t escape either; the water poured onto Old Lady Liu and splashed all over her.
Xiao Hua jumped up with a shriek, “So cold…”
The already thin clothes were soaked through and clung to their bodies.
Old Lady Liu’s clothes were dripping wet, and her hair stuck to her face.
A gust of north wind blew, and she shivered uncontrollably.
The people who were drenched stiffened for a moment but then quickly came to their senses, seeing their own and their daughter’s appearances, their eyes almost shooting fire, cursing as they attempted to storm into the guesthouse.
The front desk staff had long wanted to teach Old Lady Liu a lesson; their establishment wasn’t a state-owned guesthouse but a privately-operated, individually-run business.
Their shop was small and could only make a bit of money by providing better service than the state-run ones. Old Lady Liu’s rabble outside had caused a drop in their guests, directly affecting their income.
Now that someone had taken it upon themselves to teach the two a lesson, how could they possibly allow Old Lady Liu to come in and make trouble?
Lin Chuxia, holding an empty basin, stood by the second-floor window and watched the commotion below for quite a while. In the end, Old Lady Liu and Xiao Hua still didn’t manage to enter and reluctantly walked away shrunken with their luggage. Only then did Lin Chuxia withdraw her gaze.
She was not a cold-hearted person; in her previous life, when her business grew, she did a lot of charity work.
Having no children of her own, her heart was even softer.
But helping others should be conditional; for those who do not know gratitude, it is disrespectful to one’s own intelligence to offer them more help.
With peace returning to her ears, she went to space to take a shower and then sorted out the things she was going to give to Qin Yang tomorrow.
She hadn’t noticed when she bought them, but upon taking them out, she realized that there were quite a few items.
However, Lin Chuxia didn’t mind.
For the first time in two lifetimes, someone had treated her with such importance, nearly cherishing her in the palm of his hand. This unfamiliar feeling was quite nice.
She was no young girl, not someone who would be moved by a bit of kindness to the point of giving everything, but she could repay his kindness in her own way.
After several days of unrest on the train, Lin Chuxia had a very solid night’s sleep and didn’t wake up until the sky was bright.
After washing up, she changed into a new set of clothes. It was a bit colder here in the Northwest than in Ancheng County, so she wore a black high-necked wool sweater she’d bought in a mall last time, paired with a red overcoat, black pants, and small leather shoes.