The white rose I picked up cried and said she liked me.

"Oh, okay then..."

......

When we reached an intersection, it was packed with a dense crowd.

"Give me back my hard-earned money!"

"Why shouldn't we get paid if the chairman jumps off a building? Does our money grow on trees?"

"Corruption between officials and businessmen! Who will give us justice? I've worked hard all year and haven't received a single penny of salary. I'm too ashamed to go home for the New Year!"

"Give me my money back! Give me my money back! Give me my money back!"

Shouts rose and fell as a group of angry workers, wielding bricks, gathered downstairs at the city hall.

Several reporters were interviewing the emotionally charged workers with microphones, while a photographer was broadcasting the interviews live with a video camera.

Many police cars were parked nearby, and police officers were holding riot shields to hold back the surging crowd.

"What happened here?"

Seeing some of the violent scenes, Xu Xi shrank back, instinctively feeling afraid.

She hugged her brother even tighter.

"I don't know, I passed by here a few days ago and they were like this."

Xu Nian looked at the rioting workers with a complicated expression.

It's easy to tell from their conversation that it was about unpaid wages and the issue of demanding back pay.

For these lowest-level manual laborers, the only motivation to keep going through the physical labor and sweat is this hard-earned money.

Xu Nian also encountered malicious wage arrears. When he was desperate, he sat in front of the unscrupulous intermediary with a kitchen knife, which scared the other party into immediately paying him.

If it were now, he wouldn't do such a thing again.

Because there are people to care about, people to look after.

Fortunately, Xu Hu was loyal enough and never delayed paying their wages.

"Aren't there reporters over there? Just look it up online."

Wen Yao took out her phone, switched to the local news channel in Yuncheng, and immediately several live streams popped up.

The title is quite shocking.

"Yuncheng's leading construction company, Zhao's Group, went bankrupt overnight; its chairman committed suicide by jumping from a building."

The Zhao Group has been in arrears with workers' wages for a year; the truth behind it is collusion between officials and businessmen. Workers: Who will help us?

"The Zhao Group?"

Xu Xi looked at the small print on the screen behind her and let out a soft "Eh."

"Zhao Lin also has the surname Zhao, so it can't be..."

"Who knows?"

Wen Yao turned off the screen.

"Who cares? Even if it is, what does it have to do with us?"

"Besides, there are so many people with the surname Zhao, how could it be such a coincidence?"

......

A few minutes later, the electric vehicle came to a steady stop in front of the No. 5 compound.

"Alright, I'm leaving now. Have fun."

Xu Nian helped Xu Xi and Wen Yao out of the car and prepared to leave.

"Wait a minute, brother."

Xu Xi called out to Xu Nian, and under the latter's somewhat puzzled gaze, she jogged back home.

A moment later, she took out a raincoat and carefully put it on her brother.

"Brother, the weather forecast says it will rain later, so please ride your bike carefully. If you don't have time to eat, just let me know and I'll go home early to cook for you."

"Okay, I understand, Xiaoxi."

Xu Nian felt a warmth in his heart. He gently rubbed the little one's head and lightly touched the tip of her hair with his forehead.

Goodbye, brother, have a safe journey~

After seeing Xu Nian off, Wen Yao pulled Xu Xi toward her family's convenience store.

The convenience store was not open at the time, so Wen Yao pulled open the roller shutter door, allowing the two of them to enter.

A layer of dust had settled on the cash register. Xu Xi gently wiped it with her finger, leaving a faint trace.

"Yaoyao, your shop hasn't been open for many days."

Wen Yao nodded.

"My parents go out to play every few days. I can help look after the place when I'm on vacation, but I have to close it down when I go to school."

"It doesn't matter, I won't make much money even if I open the shop, so I'll just consider it saving on electricity bills, hahaha."

As Wen Yao spoke, she led Xu Xi upstairs through a hidden door.

It turns out that this storefront has three floors. The first floor is used as a small shop, while the second and third floors are used as living quarters.

"Go to my room and put your backpack down first."

The second floor contains the kitchen and Wen Yao's parents' room, while Wen Yao's room is on the third floor.

As soon as she opened the door, a faint musty smell wafted into Xu Xi's nostrils.

She frowned and looked at the messy scene in the room.

The bed sheet was crooked, the quilt was half on the bed and half on the floor, the desk was piled with all sorts of miscellaneous items, the wardrobe door was half open, and various clothes were haphazardly stuffed inside, some of which had fallen to the floor.

The situation was similar to when I first met my brother and he moved into the shantytown; our home was in a similar state of disarray.

"Hehe, I've been so engrossed in watching anime these past few days that I haven't had time to pack up."

Wen Yao scratched her head somewhat embarrassedly.

"Xi Bao, turn on the light for me, it's on your left."

Xu Xi looked to the left and saw the switch on the wall.

She pressed the switch, but the room did not light up as she had expected.

Xu Xi tried a few more times, but it was still like Magikarp using Splash.

Nothing happened.

"Huh? What's going on?"

Wen Yao stepped forward, pressed the switch to try it, but there was still no response.

She went downstairs and tried the other switches and sockets in the house, only to find that none of them worked.

"Damn, the power's out!"

"No way, I just remembered that the bubble tea shop next door was still open as usual."

Xu Xi recalled that when she was downstairs, the sign of the milk tea shop next door was still shining brightly.

Wen Yao opened her phone and checked the bill payment function on WeChat. It instantly turned red.

"Damn it! My dad, that forgetful idiot, forgot to pay the electricity bill again!"

She muttered to herself as she topped up her electricity bill.

According to her, this wasn't the first time her father had done something like this.

The household electricity bills are sent to her father's phone, and since he has been scammed before, he has blocked all unknown numbers.

Including the power bureau.

This means that even if someone's electricity bill is overdue, no one will be notified.

A few minutes after I paid the electricity bill, the lights in my house came on.

"Oh no! Oh no!"

Wen Yao hurriedly ran to the refrigerator, opened it, and took a look.

A stench hit me.

The vegetables were either rotten or spoiled, and the beef rolls had turned soggy.

"Ah!!! When my dad comes back from his trip, I'm going to kick his ass hard with my leather shoes."

Wen Yao stomped her foot angrily.

I finally managed to invite Xu Xi over for dinner, but she lost so badly.

"Ugh... these are all rotten, they can't be eaten."

Xu Xi helped Wen Yao take out the broken items one by one, glancing at them with a touch of heartache.

It's such a waste to waste so much food.

"Waaaaah, my hot pot is ruined..."

Wen Yao said, feeling wronged.

"It's okay, it's still early. I'll go out and buy some groceries and then we can eat."

Xu Xi glanced at the sky outside the window. At this time, the vegetable market should still be open.

"That's right! Xi Bao is so smart, hehehe~"

"Then I'll tidy up my doghouse first and wait for Xi Bao's good news."

"By the way, you said it was going to rain later, did you bring an umbrella?"

"I brought it, it's in my backpack."