NOVPUB
Chapter 222: Chapter 222 She is Director Deng’s Daughter
After chatting with Liu Qing for more than half an hour, Tong Yao made up an excuse to return to her room while Liu Qing also went to her mother-in-law’s place to fetch her child. She and Guo Zhi had a son, who was just over a year old. The child was usually looked after by the grandmother and Liu Qing would take over during her days off.
Originally, she was going there just to pick up her son, but she stayed a little longer after she bumped into Tong Yao.
Although Tong Yao wasn’t particularly keen on Liu Qing’s family affairs, she knew that a better understanding of one’s neighbors was rather beneficial. Therefore, as Liu Qing chatted, Tong Yao listened attentively with a smile, despite being indifferent.
While idling at home, Tong Yao spotted a pear flower cat in the hallway and deliberately lured it to her home with food. Surprisingly, it turned out to be Deng Wenwen’s cat. Tong Yao learned quite a bit about the Deng family from it.
Every time Wenwen was mentioned, the cat appeared resentful. Wenwen had a bad temper and often lashed out at the cat due to trivial frustrations. The director Deng and his wife spoiled their daughter rotten and wouldn’t reprimand her, much less for a cat, so one can imagine how the cat was treated.
The cat also shared some stories about other doctor’s families. Tong Yao wasn’t interested in those she didn’t know, but she did get a sense of the current situation of the residential quarters from it.
In one word, chaotic.
The situation was really chaotic. In the residential quarters, Liu Qing was the one with the lowest living standards among the doctors’ families. She had a low salary and wasn’t a formal employee, which meant she could be laid off at any time. As a result, many of the families in the residential quarters looked down upon Liu Qing and tried to ignore her whenever possible, rarely greeting her voluntarily.
That was precisely why Liu Qing showed an inscrutable expression when she learned that Tong Yao was unemployed. To put it bluntly, she seemed to look down on Tong Yao as well.
Tong Yao originally thought of herself as someone with some savings since she had over a thousand yuan. However, within a single night of moving from Li City to Kyoto, her savings felt trifling.
Take the resident quarter for example! Each household had at least a thousand yuan in savings, and their consumption levels had escalated. If Tong Yao didn’t work hard to earn money, even Liu Qing would likely not want to talk to her.
Tong Yao wasn’t eager to compete, but she believed that it would be a waste if she didn’t seize this golden era to make some money for her retirement.
Tong Yao wasn’t familiar with running a business, so after careful consideration, she decided to open a milk tea shop near Kyoto University. The location was close to her place, which was convenient for her to commute.
Having decided to open a shop, Tong Yao went to the nearby vegetable market to buy some ingredients. She brewed two dishes and a soup at noon. Judging by the time, Si Chen should be home any minute. As she prepared to open the door for Si Chen, she heard Deng Wenwen’s voice coming from the staircase.
"Dr. Si, there is a woman in your house who claims to be your wife. Are you married?"
From the sound of Wenwen’s question, it seemed she had been to their home. Si Chen furrowed his brows with apparent displeasure. "Yes, I am married. She is my wife."
"..."
Caught off guard by the fact that Si Chen was really married, Wenwen’s eyes welled up with tears. She looked at Si Chen with a aggrieved expression, her teary eyes making her look very pitiful.
Dr. Si looked young, but she didn’t expect him to get married so quickly. She hadn’t even started dating, yet she was experiencing heartbreak.
Si Chen frowned, "She likes peace. Please don’t disturb her if it’s not necessary."
Leaving behind those words, Si Chen went upstairs. Seeing Tong Yao standing at the door, he was slightly stunned. His eyes softened as he took her hand and walked into the room.
"Dr. Si, when did you get married?" Tong Yao mimicked Wenwen’s voice on purpose.
Si Chen affectionately ruffled Tong Yao’s hair, "Stop teasing. She is director Deng’s daughter."
Tong Yao pouted and teased, "I didn’t expect Dr. Si to attract the attention of a director’s daughter so soon after his arrival."
Misinterpreting her banter for jealousy, Si Chen quickly clarified, "Don’t think too much, I’ve only met her twice."
Knowing that Si Chen had seen Wenwen only twice eased Tong Yao’s discomfort. However, there was something puzzling. "I heard you saved her. Didn’t Director Deng bring her over to say thank you?"
"Saved her?" Si Chen raised an eyebrow, "It seems you misunderstood something. I just ran into some punk bothering her when I was returning from visiting my parents. He ran off when he saw me but we didn’t exchange a word. I wouldn’t call that a rescue."
Si Chen didn’t usually engage in casual conversations with others. Therefore, he didn’t know that they had exaggerated the mundane incident into a daring rescue behind his back. It was a good thing that he clarified this with Tong Yao, or goodness knows how the rumors would have escalated.
Tong Yao: ...
So, Si Chen just happened to be a passerby in the whole incident?
No matter where you are, one should never fully trust rumors.
The misunderstanding was resolved, and it would be wrong for Tong Yao to keep harping on it. Instead, she guided Si Chen to the kitchen to wash up for dinner. While eating, she mentioned her plan to open a milk tea shop by the entrance of Kyoto University.
"I plan to open another milk tea shop near Kyoto University. Although the cost of opening a shop here is higher, it’s easier to earn money since adults have a higher purchasing power. The only issue is that I lack funds and would have to borrow from my parents. But I don’t see it as a problem since they should be willing to lend me the money. What do you think?"
After contemplating for a few seconds, Si Chen calmly said, "It’s great that you have a goal. If we borrow money from your parents, I’ll write them an IOU when the time comes."
Tong Yao didn’t expect Si Chen to be so supportive and even voluntarily suggest writing an IOU. She was delighted with his response and rewarded him by serving a large piece of meat, "Alright, let’s visit my parents tomorrow evening after your work."
Having agreed on the shop matters, Tong Yao felt motivated and enjoyed her dinner much more. Si Chen occasionally brushed aside the strands of hair on her forehead and served her a portion of the dinner. It was nearing the end of the meal when Si Chen suddenly remembered something and turned a bit uneasy.
"Yaoyao, about last night..."
"Hmm?" Tong Yao paused her eating and blinked at Si Chen, her cheeks heating up as the memories of last night resurfaced at the mention of it.
She had already laid him bare last night, so what was there to be shy about?
After mentally calming herself down, Tong Yao nonchalantly inquired, "What about last night?"
Si Chen observed Tong’s fair little face, his expression serious, "What’s your take on having children?"
Si Chen respected Tong Yao’s opinion when it came to children. Once a couple started being intimate, certain things became routine. If Tong Yao didn’t want a child now, they would have to take precautions for her health.
