NOVPUB
Chapter 231: Chapter 231: Annoying Problems
Today, Si Chen was working and wouldn’t be home until the evening, so Tong Yao wasn’t in a hurry to return home either. She took the group of four to the local market to buy supplies for the shop. They spent the whole afternoon shopping and bought most of what they temporarily needed for the shop.
As they were leaving the market, they unexpectedly ran into Liu Qing, who had brought her child to go shopping. Seeing Tong Yao out shopping with four men, she thought her eyes were deceiving her. As she stepped closer, she confirmed it was indeed Tong Yao and couldn’t help but give a sardonic glance at the men behind her.
"Oh, weren’t you looking for a job? Why are you here shopping and with four bodyguards to boot? Did Dr. Si arrange this for you?"
Gu Hongwei didn’t know Liu Qing, but hearing her words, he couldn’t help but frown. The tone of her voice and the glance she gave painted an uncomfortable picture. He wasn’t sure of Liu Qing’s relationship with Tong Yao, so he didn’t intervene.
The rest of the three men also kept their discontent faces silent.
"They are students at Kyoto University. I have something to do, so I’ll go first." Tong Yao didn’t want to say more to Liu Qing, she lifted her foot and walked away directly.
Long after Tong Yao and the others were out of sight, Liu Qing finally retract her gaze. Like discovering a piece of grand news, she lost interest in walking around the market. After buying a few more snacks for her child, she hurriedly returned to the living area.
After delivering the supplies to the store, Tong Yao took the group to eat. When they returned home, they saw Liu Qing and a few other sisters-in-law whispering in the corridor. Their faces were full of incredulity. They would stop to snicker while their eyes frequently wandered towards Tong Yao’s door.
As soon as they saw Tong Yao returning, they immediately closed their mouths and dispersed, each using the excuse that they had something to do at home.
Tong Yao furrowed her brows slightly, wondering if she was just paranoid, but she couldn’t shake off the feeling that those sisters-in-law were speaking about her.
After taking a warm bath, she saw Deng Wenwen’s cat jump in through the window. The cat sauntered around her room, chose a comfy spot and plopped down lazily, then began to gossip without a filter.
[Liu Qing said you were acting as an unmarried college student and messing around with a group of men behind Dr. Si’s back. She called you a fox spirit and implied that you’re not a decent person. She mentioned Dr. Si wears a green hat because of you. She also said that you show off your wealth everywhere; it must be all talk. If you were as rich as you claim to be, you wouldn’t have to marry into such humble background.]
Tong Yao had guessed earlier on that these ladies wouldn’t be saying anything pleasant about her when they are gathered together. However, she didn’t expect that just because they saw her with a group of students, they would conjure up such unrealistic fantasies.
With a cold smile, she retorted, "Liu Qing really obsesses over me. She is always whispering criticisms about me behind my back. If I ever caught her gossiping about me in person, I’d give her a piece of my mind."
Upon hearing this, the cat said maliciously: [I can catch a few mice and throw them into her house.]
Tong Yao’s eyes curved in amusement, "I think that’s a good idea."
The cat didn’t waste any time to enact its plan. It caught two or three rats that very night and released them into Liu Qing’s house. The next morning, they heard Liu Qing’s frantic cries of catching mice. Acting clueless, Tong Yao happily left for the store.
Ever since Liu Qing spread the rumor about Tong Yao spending time with a group of men, the residents of the housing complex would look at Tong Yao with strange eyes. Even Dai Linlin’s gaze towards Tong Yao was a bit weird.
However, Dai Linlin was a career-oriented woman so she didn’t like to gossip with these ladies about trivial matters.
Soon, the day came for the store to open. Tong Yaohui and Wen Yun specially made a trip to offer their congratulations. They had brought several bags of gifts and helped out in the store all morning. Seeing that the shop’s business was doing well, they were even happier than Tong Yao.
Especially Tong Yaohui, who felt as if a weight had been taken off his chest. He praised how well the tea shop has opened and wore a smile throughout the day.
"Being able to open her own store and earn money is also a good thing. Your temper isn’t suited for working under someone, and opening your own store means you can take care of your home and have an extra income to help ease the family’s financial burden. As expected of my daughter Tong Yaohui, you’re very smart."
Initially, he had been worried about how his daughter would survive in society with her temperament. But now, seeing his talented daughter and her supportive husband, he felt completely reassured.
Wen Yun frowned at him mockingly, "How do you make it sound like Yaoyao’s success has anything to do with you, always trying to make yourself look good."
Tong Yaohui’s face fell a bit, and he lowered his voice, "I let you nag me at home, but couldn’t you let me save some face outside?."
Not only was his daughter present, but also the staff.
Wen Yun glared at him but didn’t say anything else.
The old couple saw that Tong Yao was busy, so they found a place to have lunch near the university. They even packed two bowls of beef noodles for Gu Hongwei and Zhou Lei. Zhou Lei was so thrilled that he started calling Tong Yaohui "Uncle". Gu Hongwei, however, was a little more reserved and wasn’t a man of many words. After expressing his appreciation, he focused on helping out around the shop with vigor.
Tong Yaohui and Wen Yun stayed until Si Chen finished work. After a couple of drinks between the father-in-law and son-in-law, they left with Wen Yun.
The business of the tea shop was better than Tong Yao had expected. She was busy every day and life felt very fulfilling. As winter was approaching, Si Chen got busier, but whenever he had time, he would accompany Tong Yao home.
During this time, Tong Yao had called Si Xiaohui and Lin Fengying several times, and everything at home was fine. It was only when Si Boyi was not around, Si Xiaohui told Tong Yao some things about Zhang Lijuan.
Actually, it wasn’t much, just that Zhang Lijuan visited the store to see Si Boyi and noticed a female employee working there, which made her unhappy. She repeatedly made a fuss and wanted Si Boyi to fire the woman and hire a man.
Si Boyi felt that the woman was working diligently and saw no reason to fire her on a whim. Furthermore, the woman had been hired by Tong Yao. Since he wasn’t the boss, he didn’t have the authority to fire her.
When they disagreed repeatedly, they had a falling out, and Zhang Lijuan began talking about meeting suitors at home. When Lin Fengying heard this news, she was immediately anxious. She swallowed her pride and went to talk to Chen Jinlan who generally didn’t reason with anyone. Surprisingly, this time Chen Jinlan seemed to be understanding.
Her implication was simple, Zhang Lijuan was just acting jealous. If the Si Family sincerely wanted to settle down with this marriage, they should hurry and prepare for the wedding ceremony.
This was a big deal and Lin Fengying couldn’t make the decision on her own. She felt that she needed to discuss it with her eldest son as well. After all, Chen Jinlan had raised some requirements that she couldn’t satisfy and she needed her eldest son’s support.
After waiting for a while, Si Chen finally called home. Just after exchanging a few pleasantries, Lin Fengying mentioned the situation with Si Boyi and Zhang Lijuan.
"Xiaochen, now your Aunt Chen is pressuring us to prepare Si Boyi and Lijuan’s wedding. She said if we don’t plan it now, she will arrange for Lijuan to meet suitors and marry her off before the new year. Si Boyi has been upset these days because of this, and I can’t bear to see my son like this. You, as an elder brother, how do you think we should handle this situation?"
