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Chapter 154: Chapter 154: Don’t Overstep One’s Bounds.
Upon hearing Si Xiaohui say this, Tong Yao imagined that Si Boyi must be nursing an unrequited love. He was good-looking, just not particularly eloquent or sweet-tongued when it came to pleasing girls. He was very honest.
While everyone liked honest people in this age, girls were not too fond of those who didn’t have any particular skills and lived under the shadow of an extraordinarily competent elder brother.
"Sis-in-law, what are you thinking about?" Si Xiaohui questioned Tong Yao, having not heard from her in a while.
"Nothing much, let’s find a place to eat!" With the weather being too hot and Tong Yao feeling too exhausted to cook, they decided to eat out to save time.
Upon hearing that they were going to a restaurant, Si Xiaohui nearly jumped up with excitement. She quickly sped up to catch up with Si Boyi, "Brother Boyi, slow down. Our sister-in-law said we’ll eat before we return home." She hadn’t had her fill from the restaurant meal yesterday, especially the large pot of Pickled Fish that was so tasty. It was particularly appetizing in the summer.
Si Boyi paused, turned around, and said, "Let’s just get some steamed buns and we’ll be fine, we don’t need to go to a restaurant."
Yesterday’s meal was rather expensive. Their sister-in-law was polite and had treated him to a decent meal since it was his first time in the city. He couldn’t indulge in such luxury again. Although he knew that the city’s money was easy to earn given the right opportunities, without any connections, the monthly salary from his factory job was only twenty-something yuan. There wasn’t much left to save at the end of the year.
People should be practical and not overstep their positions.
Si Xiaohui pouted, looking as if she wanted to stomp her feet. Her brother was always playing the good guy.
Since Si Boyi had already said that, she couldn’t insist without appearing imprudent. She therefore pinned her hopes on Tong Yao, hoping that Tong Yao would insist on going to the restaurant like yesterday.
Unexpectedly, Tong Yao nodded and said, "There’s a Bun Shop just ahead. Let’s go buy some Meat Buns and soda!"
The weather was too hot and she couldn’t stomach a heavy meal. A simple steamed bun would do. As for Si Xiaohui’s reaction, Tong Yao saw it but chose to ignore it.
Tong Yao bought a dozen Meat Buns and a few bottles of soda. She had originally planned to hire a taxi to take them back, but Si Boyi was reluctant to pay the fare, plus he got motion sick. Despite everything, he insisted on walking back.
Feeling helpless, Tong Yao had no choice but to walk back with him. Luckily, the rental house wasn’t too far from their location and as Si Boyi was carrying everything, Tong Yao didn’t feel overly exhausted – just a bit hot.
Upon returning to the rental house, the three ate their buns and drank their soda. Before they could relax, the workers contracted by Si Chen arrived for the renovation job. Tong Yao led him to the school entrance. After the worker saw the blueprint provided by Tong Yao and understood what she needed, he nodded and said,
"Alright, no problem. You can leave the keys with me. We’ll start the renovation tomorrow and aim to complete it within half a month."
Aside from the cabinet construction being a bit troublesome, painting the walls was relatively quick. The original floor was still usable and so overall, the project wasn’t too difficult.
Tong Yao nodded and politely thanked, "Alright, thank you for this. How many workers will come over tomorrow? I’ll prepare lunch for everyone at noon."
"Two, including my younger brother." The worker was pleasantly surprised by Tong Yao’s generosity. He thought to himself that when the time came, he’d definitely need to be meticulous with his work.
After agreeing on the renovation plans, the worker left to prepare the materials needed for the next day. As soon as he left, Si Xiaohui, not understanding, said discontentedly, "Sis-in-law, why did you offer to provide their lunches? We’ve hired them with money, why do we have to feed them too?"
The amount of food two men could consume was not small. Sis-in-law, having not experienced hardship, doesn’t understand the cost of food.
Si Boyi, despite having never been exposed to the wider world, was more understanding than Si Xiaohui. Seeing that she was meddling in everything, he replied, "Our sister-in-law must have her reasons for doing so. Why do you have to question everything?"
Their elder brother had just reminded them last night to listen to their sister-in-law more often. She was more educated, knowledgeable, and clever. Yet, Si Xiaohui, not quite understanding, asked about everything. He got annoyed just hearing it. Their sister-in-law was their employer and they were essentially working for her. Does an employer need to discuss every decision with the staff?
Sis Xiaohui does not understand her own position.
Si Boyi was worried that this might eventually lead to conflict between sister and sister-in-law.
"..." Si Xiaohui was quieted by this, resentful yet choosing not to retort.
Initially, Tong Yao didn’t intend to explain to Si Xiaohui, but hearing Si Boyi’s sensible words, her mood lightened, and she leisurely said, "He was introduced by Ahchen’s colleague. It’s nice of his colleague to recommend him, therefore, we should be a bit generous. This will cast a good impression on your brother’s colleagues, and also, if we treat them better, they might do a better job on the renovation."
At this, Si Boyi nodded vigorously, thinking to himself that their sister-in-law indeed always had good reasoning for her decisions. Their elder brother was right. Despite their sister-in-law’s young age, she was very considerate in her actions.
"Sis, did you guys rent the shop?" A timid voice suddenly sounded at the entrance.
Si Xiaohui turned her head to see He Fang and displeasingly said, "What are you here for again?"
She could not stand anyone more shameless, stealing their skills, taking their business and still sucking up to them constantly.
With an awkward smile, He Fang replied, "I saw you guys here, so I came to say hello."
"Who asked you to!" Si Xiaohui replied with a roll of her eyes. She was annoyed every time she saw He Fang’s sneaky demeanor.
Upon hearing this, He Fang’s face turned red. She stood there awkwardly, unsure of whether to stay or leave. She thought Tong Yao might step in and ease the situation, but the latter simply closed the shop door, leaving He Fang stranded outside in discomfort. Why had she felt the need to come and strike up a conversation when she could just sell her milk tea peacefully?
She was currently making twenty to thirty yuan a day, which was a comfortable amount. After comforting herself with this thought, she felt better.
However, she still felt unsteady. She had the feeling that once Tong Yao’s shop opened, she would be out of the milk tea business.
For the past couple of days, her milk tea sales had been good. Sometimes she was too busy to handle the business herself. However, recently the number of students buying milk tea had decreased. Judging by the current situation, she probably wouldn’t be able to sell all the fresh milk by the end of the school day. She wondered if the students had noticed that the taste of her milk tea was off.
He Fang debated whether she should add more fresh milk, but after considering the cost, she dismissed the idea. Her pricing was already half the price of Tong Yao’s milk tea. Adding more ingredients would mean less profit.
