Siheyuan: I am a trader in both worlds!

Chapter 445 Oh no, I'm on the scale!

Ximen Lang never expected that Li Huaide would become so haggard in just half a month.

You know, he used to care a lot about his image; his hair was always shiny and his Zhongshan suit was always impeccably tailored.

But now, how utterly destitute they are!

He almost didn't recognize him, Ximen Lang exclaimed in surprise.

"What happened, Brother Li? You've looked down on yourself after just a few days!"

After taking another careful look at Li Huaide's hairstyle, Ximen Lang couldn't help but ask.

"Where's your old hairstyle? You need to stick it out!"

Li Huaide both loved and hated it; it was the same familiar teasing that never stopped, regardless of the occasion or situation. Hearing this, Li Huaide quickly looked over at Ximen Lang.

Upon seeing that the person who came was indeed Ximen Lang, the very culprit who had directly caused him to become like this, and also his last hope to once again set foot on the mountain peak.

Li Huaide grabbed Ximen Lang's hand and shook it vigorously.

"My little brother, my goodness, it really is my little brother!"

After a long while, Li Huaide finally calmed down.

She almost cried as she replied to Ximen Lang.

"Brother, I can't stand up anymore. This time, I really can't stand up anymore!"

Just as she was lamenting and wailing, a thunderous roar suddenly echoed from inside the building.

"Li Huaide! Which vixen have you been fooling around with again?! Get back here right now!!!"

The sudden shout startled not only Li Huaide, but even Ximen Lang.

He quickly dropped a sentence.

"Brother, wait for me, please wait for me, I'll be right back."

As he spoke, he hurriedly ran back to the tenement building, which seemed fashionable in those days but actually offered a terrible living experience.

Another series of crashes and bangs made Ximen Lang feel a chill run down his spine!
After a while, Li Huaide, whose face clearly bore the marks of a slap, finally ran back, covering his face.

Then, she just burst into tears.

Holding Ximen Lang's hand, she began to sob softly.

"It's over, brother, I'm really finished this time, completely finished!"

Ximen Lang was completely confused by what he heard, which seemed to come out of nowhere.

After much persuasion, they finally convinced Li Huaide to find another place to continue crying, arguing that this wasn't the right place to talk.

We went straight to the biggest restaurant in the area, got a quiet private room, and ordered a whole table of dishes.

Then, he transformed into a curious child, picking at peanuts one by one, and let Li Huaide begin his performance.

Goodness, their eyes were shining with curiosity like light bulbs, almost confusing Li Huaide.

But after all, he was still counting on Ximen Lang.

Helpless, Li Huaide could only suppress his unease and begin to explain to Ximen Lang.

Simply put...
"Brother, it's me, your elder brother!"

"!!!"

The answer was indeed explosive, leaving Ximen Lang completely stunned. He even forgot to eat the peanuts that were practically offered to him and hurriedly asked, "What's wrong?"

"That serious? Why? Just because of that thing in your crotch? Didn't you clean up the mess beforehand? How can you still be punished so severely?"

Seeing that Ximen Lang had not yet realized the seriousness of the problem, Li Huaide continued to explain to him.

"Brother, you should understand that some things may not weigh four ounces on the scale, but once you put them on the scale, they can weigh a thousand pounds!"

"To put it mildly, this is a matter of conduct. But to put it more seriously, any kind of serious accusation could be leveled against me!"

As he spoke, Li Huaide went straight to several serious accusations that could have easily destroyed someone!
Good heavens, one after another, heaping accusations upon accusations on Ximen Lang's mind kept pouring out of Li Huaide's mouth, scaring Ximen Lang into quickly calling for a stop.

"Stop, bro, stop talking, stop now. I understand, I understand everything."

"No, brother, you don't understand. Let me put it this way: even this, it's only because the higher-ups considered that I did indeed make a lot of contributions and that I handled the aftermath quite well that they were lenient with me, leaving me some leeway. Otherwise..."

Ximen Lang was speechless after reading this.

Out of habit, Ximen Lang subconsciously asked Li Huaide a question from the perspective of the future.

"No, brother, what about your all-powerful father-in-law? Doesn't he care about you?"

Upon hearing Ximen Lang mention his father-in-law, Li Huaide shuddered and said in a trembling voice.

"Father-in-law? My father-in-law heard that I was cheating on my wife with someone else, and he wanted to shoot me dead! He's helping me? I'm being kind by not encouraging them to kill me!"

"Just two days ago, my father-in-law was telling my wife to divorce me as soon as possible! If it weren't for the deep affection between my wife and me, and her insistence on not agreeing for the sake of the children, I would have been all alone by now!"

The truly heartbreaking story of human suffering filled Ximen Lang with immense sympathy.

It is evident that even at this point, Li Huaide's wife still defended him in every way.

As for Li Huaide, with such a good wife and such a happy family, he still went out and did all sorts of nonsense.

Suddenly, Ximen Lang realized he wasn't so sympathetic anymore.

It even started to feel, almost involuntarily.
"Serves you right! Who told you to be so unruly? You dare to act recklessly at this critical juncture. Even if you were executed, it would be your own fault!"

But Li Huaide was, after all, his older brother, and in many ways, he was quite to his liking.

Despite the talk and the commotion, when it's time to lend a helping hand, we should still step in and do our part.

Therefore, it was clear that Li Huaide was truly in dire straits.

In fact, if it weren't for his wife having a decent formal job, the steel mill would have taken back the house they were living in, leaving Li Huaide completely destitute.

It was truly heartbreaking; Li Huaide's constant crying was just too distressing.

With a sigh, Ximen Lang finally spoke.

"Alright, so what if you lost your job? It's not like you're dead, it's not a big deal!"

"As the song goes, success or failure, life is full of pride. If all else fails, we can always start over!"

"And there's that really great poem: 'The road ahead is long and arduous, but we'll start afresh!'"

"Of course, you are definitely not worthy of this poem right now."

"But you can still start over, just like the lyrics say!"

"Starting over? Easier said than done. I'm already this old, and I still have my personnel file. What company would want me?"

"If nobody else wants me, I will! Perfect timing, I just formed a guard battalion and I'm short-handed right now. Pack your things and come straight to my place!"

(End of this chapter)