Chapter 578
“Then we need to store this properly and make sure it doesn’t get damaged.” Aunt Guo quickly said.
She could tell how important this box was. It was the emperor’s personal collection and the only one in the world. Normally, such an item should be handed over to the state, but since it was her daughter-in-law who asked to keep it, how it should be handled still depended on her.
“Don’t worry, I’ll make sure to take good care of it,” Su Xiaoxiao smiled and reassured her.
After carefully wrapping the box in cloth, she handed it over to Jiang Yexun.
They looked around again and found two paintings, a porcelain plate, and a porcelain bowl. However, these items were no longer rare antiques, especially once antique trading was open.
Su Xiaoxiao didn’t plan to keep them and handed them all to Jiang Yexun, telling him to find a chance to sell them in Harbor City.
China had many old items, and not all were rare or valuable. Su Xiaoxiao wasn’t interested in hoarding them. In thirty to forty years, inflation would devalue them by about forty times, so something worth thirty to forty thousand now would be worth one to one and a half million later.
Moreover, the country was about to open up its economy, and many businessmen would rush into the market, with foreign investors bringing huge funds. Many domestic businesses that were just starting out wouldn’t be able to compete with the pressure of capital and would be wiped out along with their markets.
So instead of holding onto these valuable items in the hope of them appreciating, Su Xiaoxiao thought it would be better to cash them in early. Once the market opened, there would be too many ways to make money. As long as she had startup funds, it would be like a bet with guaranteed returns.
In the afternoon, Aunt Guo couldn’t sit still and said she was going to the supply and marketing cooperative to buy vegetables for dinner at Jiang Xinyue’s house. On the way, they had already discussed that since Hua Shoucheng had been acting suspicious lately, it would be better to stay in the city for a while to see what was going on.
Su Xiaoxiao wanted to go to the supply and marketing cooperative with Aunt Guo, but she was turned down.
“It’s just buying some vegetables; do I still need help carrying them?” Aunt Guo waved her hand and, with the vegetable basket, left the junkyard.
Once her figure disappeared around the corner, Jiang Xinyue stopped smiling and showed a hesitant expression.
“Is something wrong, sister?” Su Xiaoxiao asked, noticing her sister’s change in demeanor.
“It’s nothing, it’s just that your brother-in-law has been really anxious lately. Their factory merged with another one from a different city, and now there’s only need for one finance department. He’s been worried about it. I don’t know how to comfort him. Now that you’re back, maybe you can talk to him.” Jiang Xinyue held Su Xiaoxiao’s hand, pleading.
Su Xiaoxiao was a bit surprised. Wasn’t her sister oblivious to this kind of thing in the past?
Seeing her sister, who was heavily pregnant yet still so anxious, Su Xiaoxiao quickly comforted her. “Sis, what’s there to worry about? Brother-in-law’s professional skills are solid. Even if they cut down staff in the finance department, it won’t affect him. Even if it does, they’ll just move him to the workshop.”
After all, the factory was still in its early days, and layoffs were not as severe as they would be many years later.
“I’ve told him the same thing, but if he gets moved to the workshop, his salary will only be thirty-six a month, which is nine less than what he earns now. I told him it’s not a big deal, since I already have a job, but he just won’t let it go. I really don’t know what to do, that’s why I want you to talk to him. You and Yexun are out and about more often, and you do a lot of different things. Please help him see things clearly. Most importantly, don’t let him get into conflicts with his colleagues or bosses. He’s such a bookish person, and he’s never fought with anyone. I’m afraid he might get taken advantage of.” Jiang Xinyue sighed helplessly.
The reason their relationship had lasted from high school to marriage, and why a country girl like her could marry into the city, was mostly because of her husband’s stubbornness.
Su Xiaoxiao listened to her sister’s words and realized that something might have gone wrong in the past life.
She held her sister’s hand and gently patted it. “Don’t worry, sis. Yexun and I will definitely talk to brother-in-law and take care of it.”
Hearing this, Jiang Xinyue finally relaxed.
After a while, someone came to sell old newspapers, and Jiang Yexun went over to weigh them. Su Xiaoxiao followed him.
After sending the person off, she pulled Jiang Yexun’s sleeve and quietly said, “You should ask a few friends to secretly follow brother-in-law. I feel like some people might try to sabotage him in order to secure that office job. They’re all people who rely on their brains, and when they take action, they’ll be ruthless.”
If it were just a simple competition for the position, Hua Shoucheng wouldn’t have resigned so quickly after being moved to the workshop. He was more than capable of staying in the finance department.
This made it even more likely that he was facing some kind of retaliation.
“Alright, I’ll find someone after mom gets back,” Jiang Yexun nodded and looked at his wife with gentle eyes, smiling.
Seeing her still furrowing her brows, looking like the sky was about to fall, he reached out and touched her head. “Don’t worry, I won’t let anything happen to brother-in-law.”
With only six or seven people in those two departments, it would be easy to keep an eye on things with some money.
After all, that was his brother-in-law, and nothing could happen to him while his sister was pregnant.
Soon, Aunt Guo returned with the groceries.
Jiang Yexun packed up the antiques and local specialties from Shanghai and Beijing into a bamboo basket and headed to the small house to see Big Gao.
When the door opened, the people inside were stunned for a moment, then greeted him joyfully.
“Yexun, you’ve finally shown up! We’ve been worried sick about you since you haven’t been back for so long.”
“The snow melted late, so I stayed outside for a while,” Jiang Yexun explained as they led him into the courtyard.
Big Gao stood in the yard, smiling warmly at him.
“Finally, you are willing to show up! I wasn’t worried about your money being here, but I was about to go crazy waiting for you.”
Without wasting time, Big Gao led Jiang Yexun into the room.
After closing the door, Big Gao took out a cigarette and handed it to Jiang Yexun.
But Jiang Yexun shook his head. “I’ve quit smoking.”
His wife had told him smoking was bad for his health, and he had to take good care of himself so he could stay with Xiaoxiao for a long time.
“Did you get married and become a wife-controlled man?” Big Gao was a bit surprised.
“No, I just don’t want to smoke. It makes the house smell bad.” Jiang Yexun casually said, but his face was filled with the pride of having married his wife.
Big Gao shook his head.
But since Jiang Yexun didn’t smoke, Big Gao wasn’t going to force him.
“Do you know how much the antiques I took to Harbor City last time sold for?” Big Gao asked eagerly, excitement in his eyes.