At this moment, Zhang Liunian was still negotiating with the police. Jiang Qingqing did not go forward to disturb him, but waited anxiously on the side, listening to the situation.
As time passed, Jiang Qingqing once again deeply realized that this department store was a huge mess.
If Tang Guo could not be found, they would lose nearly twenty million yuan in savings.
Their family could afford to pay twenty million, but that would be the very last cent.
Thinking of this, Jiang Qingqing naturally felt reluctant. What made her feel even worse was seeing her husband so worried about this matter.
Her husband had not had so many troubles when he first started his business. Now, just taking over a department store had brought so much trouble. She felt heartbroken.
If only she could help her husband share his worries.
As Jiang Qingqing thought this, she suddenly realized how useless she was, unable to help her husband in any way. Instead, she had to rely on him to spend money and effort to buy factories and land for her to make clothes.
She was truly too useless.
Zhang Liunian, after seeing off the police, turned around and found his wife hugging her legs with her head buried, looking as if she had been struck by something. He stepped forward, put his arms around her, and gently asked, "What's wrong?"
Sensing her husband's presence, Jiang Qingqing immediately leaned against his chest, her voice slightly choked, "I suddenly realized how useless I am, I can't help you at all."
Would such a useless me eventually annoy you?
Thinking of this, Jiang Qingqing's heart suddenly ached. Just the thought of such a consequence made her feel suffocated.
She thought that if her husband no longer loved her, if he no longer needed her, she probably wouldn't be able to live.
Because she truly loved her husband, loved Liunian dearly. Without him, she really couldn't live.
Zhang Liunian realized that his wife's mood was not right. He held her tightly with his large hands, then rubbed his chin against her hair, stroking her head, as if to comfort her, "Who says you are useless? You are very useful. As long as you are here, I feel happy. As long as you are here, I feel that everything is hopeful. As long as you are here, I feel infinitely safe and content. Without you, my life has no direction, no happiness, no motivation. You are the motivation for me to strive and work hard, so your existence has meaning and purpose, do you understand?"
After hearing these words, Jiang Qingqing's body trembled violently. Then, she raised her red-rimmed eyes and gazed at Zhang Liunian with deep affection, "Liunian, meeting you might be a blessing I've accumulated over ten lifetimes."
She had indeed been comforted by her husband. It turned out that it wasn't just her who felt that the future was inseparable from the other person, and that she wasn't useless. Her existence itself was meaningful to her husband.
Thinking of this, Jiang Qingqing turned and threw herself into her husband's arms, disregarding the gaping mouths of the office staff behind her and their envious gazes.
Zhang Liunian held her in his arms and stroked his wife's hair, "It's my blessing too."
Jiang Qingqing's ears turned completely red upon hearing this, and she buried her face in her husband's embrace, too embarrassed to be seen.
She had lost control of her emotions earlier and hadn't paid attention to their surroundings. But now, after being comforted by her husband, her mind had returned to normal. She realized that she had just been acting spoiled and embracing her husband in front of these office staff, and now she was too embarrassed to face anyone.
Zhang Liunian looked at his wife's red ears, wanting to tease her, but considering the current situation, he could only put his arm around his wife's waist and, in front of a group of gaping office staff, carry her into the bedroom where Tang Guo had stayed.
"I'm going to take care of things. I'll come back after I'm done. You rest here for a while," Zhang Liunian said as he placed his wife on a stool, rubbing her head.
Jiang Qingqing nodded honestly, her beautiful face flushed.
Closing the small door of the bedroom, Zhang Liunian returned to the office. He glanced at the time. Not to mention lunch, even dinner was about to be missed. He turned and asked someone to send a meal to his wife, while they continued with their business.
"Team leader, it's almost five o'clock. Take everyone downstairs to collect the sales figures for today's forty stores. I need to know how much the department store sells per day and how much it earns, so I can calculate how much money Tang Guo actually took."
Since there were no ledgers, he would have them re-tally the figures.
As for the matter of the purchase price, he believed that he wouldn't have to go looking for it; they would come to him soon enough.
"No problem. Although we haven't collected these sales figures before, over the years, the forty store managers and we are old acquaintances. Our relationship is quite good, so they definitely won't make things difficult for us." The team leader felt that this task was not difficult at all and left with his people full of confidence, but they soon hit a snag.
The forty store managers, who were usually accommodating, learned that they were there to demand a day's sales figures. Some claimed it wasn't time yet, while others refused to cooperate. No matter what the team leader said, it was useless.
As a result, an hour passed, and the office staff had not received a single sales report. However, a female store manager and a female accountant quietly whispered the approximate quantities, doing so when no one was paying attention.
"What has happened to you all? If you don't give us the data today, will you give it tomorrow? Don't you forget who your boss is? You are just employees." The team leader was infuriated by their behavior and yelled at them.
The forty store managers were not to be trifled with either. Since it had come to this, there was no need to maintain pleasantries. The lead store manager stepped forward and retorted, "No matter who comes today, we will give you the same answer. Until the sales figures are out, you can just give up!"
The team leader trembled with anger. He had just boasted to the new boss about how he could definitely handle this matter, but upon coming down, he was rebuffed.
"Are you guys out of your minds? This department store doesn't belong to your families; it belongs to the new boss's family. If you don't provide the sales figures, do you want to be fired?
Don't be foolish. The store managers at this department store have good salaries and it's easy work. Unless they are crazy and don't want to work anymore, they wouldn't offend the new boss like this."
The store managers of the department store indeed had high salaries and the least amount of work, a coveted position. In the past, so many people had squeezed their heads to get in. If Tang Guo hadn't specifically nominated them, they might not have had this opportunity.
Wait a minute, they were all nominated by Tang Guo to become store managers. It was no wonder they would learn from Tang Guo and conspire against the new boss.
But the consequence of their actions would certainly be dismissal.
"We are well aware of that, you don't need to remind us," the store manager representative naturally knew the consequences of doing so, but they were Tang Guo's people, so they naturally had to follow Tang Guo's instructions.
She had told them to cooperate and drag things out for two days, so they would drag things out for two days. Moreover, they were not shortchanged.
Tang Guo had said that as long as they followed her instructions, she would give each of them ten years' worth of salary in advance. And if the new boss was easy to fool, they could also get the sales figures for these two days.
Do not underestimate the sales figures for these two days. Even if they could only get one day's worth, it would be equivalent to nearly a year's salary for them.