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Chapter 208: Chapter 208: Did you go to Qing City for support?
Tong Yao returned to her bedroom, straightened her pillow intending to go to bed, but noticed a sheet of letter paper peeking out from under the pillow. It was covered with fine handwriting, the first three characters being Gu Hongwei’s name.
She knew about Si Xiaohui’s crush on Gu Hongwei, but she didn’t expect to find a letter written to him by Xiaohui under her pillow. As she was about to place the letter back, Xiaohui suddenly barged in, snatching the paper out of her hands and hiding it behind her back, her cheeks flushing as she scolded Tong Yao.
"Sister-in-law, how could you sneak a peek at someone else’s letter?"
Tong Yao rolled her eyes, "I am too tired to bother snooping on your letter. I was going to put it back under the pillow."
Seeing that Tong Yao’s other hand was still in the position of lifting the pillow, Xiaohui guessed what had happened. Her face reddened as she asked, "Did you see what’s written on it?"
"I wouldn’t have to look to know."
Taking off her shoes, Tong Yao climbed into bed and closed her eyes, planning to sleep.
Xiaohui, however, was restless, nagging Tong Yao, "Sister-in-law, since you know, I won’t hide it any longer. I do like Gu Hongwei quite a lot. Do you think he and I are well-matched?" Since Tong Yao already knew about her affection for Gu Hongwei, Xiaohui stopped hiding it and decided to lay her feelings on the table.
"I don’t know. I’m not a matchmaker." Tong Yao turned her back to Xiaohui, "Please, let me sleep."
But Xiaohui persisted, pestering Tong Yao, "Sister-in-law, I heard that Gu Hongwei also went to Qing City for disaster relief. Did you see him there?" She had been wanting to ask this during dinner, but Boyi was present and she didn’t want to ask in front of him. Now, she couldn’t hold back any longer.
"I didn’t see him." As long as she admitted she saw him, Xiaohui would surely ask endlessly. Tong Yao was too tired, she didn’t want to talk anymore and just pulled the blanket over herself and fell asleep.
Xiaohui pouted, looking disappointed. After a while, she heard Tong Yao’s steady breathing and realized how tired she was. Deciding not disturb her further, Xiaohui looked at the letter she had painstakingly written in her hand, feeling both sweet and melancholic.
Unfortunately, she hadn’t known Gu Hongwei was also going to Qing City. Otherwise, she would have gone with her sister-in-law. Maybe she could have accidentally run into Gu Hongwei and they could have gotten to know each other better.
Regretfully, time couldn’t be turned back. Now, regret was useless.
*
Tong Yao slept until 8 a.m. the next morning, having slept so soundly she had no idea when Xiaohui had come to bed.
After waking up, she went to check on the shop. The renovation had far exceeded her expectations. Judging from the shop’s exterior, it looked no different from the 21st century tea shops.
Now that the shop was completed, the opening was imminent. She had lost hope in the residents of their housing unit after the earthquake and decided not to rely on them anymore. She originally planned to report to the commerce bureau, but as she remembered that there were other things she needed to take care of, she decided to purchase a refrigerator first.
When Boyi saw a refrigerator cost 1300 yuan, his eyes widened in disbelief, and he was rendered speechless. In the countryside, 1300 yuan was enough to marry off three or four daughters, each one with a watch, bicycle, and sewing machine completely paid for.
Boyi didn’t know how much his brother made from his city job every month, but he was sure it wasn’t much, which made him think most of the money must have come from Tong Yao’s dowry. His sister-in-law seemed so nonchalant about spending it, causing him to feel distressed at the sight.
It was really different with someone born into a wealthy family. They had the poise to be spendthrifts. Boyi felt the gap between them for the first time.
On the other hand, Xiaohui didn’t feel shocked in the least, "Sister-in-law makes several tens of bucks a day selling bubble tea, what’s a little expense like this to her?"
Once the shop opens, they would be making a lot of money.
The appliance shop owner agreed to deliver the refrigerator, so Tong Yao asked Boyi to accompany the delivery while she and Xiaohui went to the Vegetable Market to buy a few kilograms of pork. She had previously promised to make Pickles Dumplings for the old man, but had been delayed because she had to go to Qing City. Now that she was back, it was time to fulfill that promise.
Back at the rented house, Tong Yao assigned the task of mincing the pork to Boyi. His strength made the job fast and efficient. The three of them quickly filled the kitchen with activity, and soon a large batch of pork dumplings was ready.
"Sister-in-law, it feels like we made too many dumplings, the three of us can’t possibly finish all of this, right?" Xiaohui looked at the dumplings meticulously arranged on the chopping board, and felt worried.
If they couldn’t finish all the dumplings, they would be wasted!
Tong Yao answered sweetly, "I intentionally made extras to give away."
"To give away?" Xiaohui muttered with a sour face, "Such good dumplings that even our mom doesn’t get to eat, and here you are, saying you’ll give them away so easily. You really are generous."
"Xiaohui," Boyi chided, "Don’t interfere in your sister-in-law’s affairs. She’s our sister-in-law. Does she need your permission to do things?"
Xiaohui clearly didn’t know her place, always sticking her nose in other’s business like a hasten-money-style mother-in-law. Tong Yao had grounds to send Xiaohui back, and Xiaohui would have only herself to blame.
"So, you’re gonna play the good guy, huh?" Xiaohui snorted, finally shutting her mouth.
After having her fill, Tong Yao packed a box full of dumplings and went to the Hospital Building. Since the earthquake, the patients who could be discharged had left the hospital. The rest were crammed on the side of the building that hadn’t collapsed.
Tong Yao circled around before she finally found the old man’s bed. It was mid-day and Jiang You happened to be visiting his father during his break. Seeing Tong Yao, the old man’s face lit up with joy, but Jiang You seemed to be a little upset.
She had promised to make dumplings for him last time but never showed up. Seeing his father’s disappointed face, Jiang You felt so much pity. He felt that Tong Yao, if she didn’t want to help, should have just said no. It wasn’t right to give his father hope and then dash it.
It was too much to deceive an elderly man who didn’t have much time left. He wanted to reject Tong Yao’s dumplings, but seeing his father’s joyous look, he couldn’t bring himself to say it.
Tong Yao noticed that Jiang You seemed upset and guessed that it probably had something to do with her breaking her promise. While he was feeding his father, she explained, "Mr. Jiang, I’m really sorry. It wasn’t intentional. That morning, I saw the news about the severe earthquake in Qing City and impulsively decided to go there with my neighbour to help. I only returned yesterday afternoon."
She apologized because she saw how happy the old man was to see her, which gave her an idea of how disappointed he must have been when she didn’t deliver the dumplings. After all, she didn’t follow through on something she promised, and it was reasonable for Jiang You to be upset about it.
After all, giving an elderly person, who didn’t have much time left, false hope was really too much. Jiang You’s anger showed that he was a dutiful son.
"You went to Qing City to help?" Jiang You’s initially upset expression rapidly changed to one of surprise. He hadn’t expected that this frail girl would display such courage and compassion.
