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Chapter 246: Chapter 246: No Escape from One’s Nemesis
"Yes."
Almost without hesitation, Gu Hongwei agreed to Tong Yao’s request to work a few more days here and earn some extra money. At least he would be able to buy some more meat for the New Year celebration.
Life has been a struggle for his family these past few years. His aging father hasn’t had a decent day’s rest, not even daring to indulge in meat during New Year holidays. Now, the money he’s earned from his part-time job and scholarship is more than enough. He can afford a few more pounds of meat for the holiday feast which would definitely make his father happy.
Nowadays, despite the rapidly improving economy, there are still countless people who can’t afford meat during the New Year celebrations and treat themselves to rice and wheat only on special occasions, resorting to mixed grain pancakes on regular days.
Gu Hongwei’s family is just like that.
Tong Yao knows this well even if she does not speak about it. The teashop’s turnover is very good and the hard-working students are diligent and honest. She plans to discuss this with Si Chen and give them each a generous red envelope for the New Year so they can return home happily.
Those who graduate from Kyoto University are rarely unsuccessful in life. Doing a little extra now means having more options in the future.
Tong Yao might have never run a business in her past life, but she understands how people behave and knows how to take measures that protect her own interests. She would never utterly destroy anything.
Recently, she has been getting along pretty well with Zhou Lei and others. Zhou Lei plans to become a civil servant in the future. Although she isn’t sure about his prospects, Zhou Lei has a good character and might achieve something significant in the future. If she wants to expand into bigger businesses, it’s better to avoid offending capable people.
It’s not that she looks down on these people, but they have not done anything that hurts her interests. Without any vested interests, they could at least remain on neutral terms if not become good friends.
This is what Tong Yao is like - she is clear about what she likes and dislikes. As long as someone doesn’t provoke her, she doesn’t enjoy causing trouble for anyone. However, if someone comes straight at her, she will not sit back and be bullied.
"Yaoyao, you’re working here?" A surprised voice suddenly rang out.
Tong Yao paused in the middle of counting the cash. She looked up to see Liu Qing holding a kid, standing at the counter. Beside her was Deng Wenwen. Who knows when they start hanging out together? Both women were looking at her with weird expressions, they clearly mistook her for a staff member.
The residents in the worker’s housing are like that. They despise you if you seem to be too rich, and yet they also scorn you if you seems too poor.
Look at the situation Si Chen is in now: if Tong Yao held a job in a government department, everyone would be respectful to both of them. However, if they found out that she owned a teashop instead, even if they knew that teashops can be profitable, they wouldn’t respect her. Instead, they would be jealous and try to trip her up.
To make life easier for Si Chen in the hospital, Tong Yao decided to play along and act as a staff member. She smiled and said, "Yes! I’m a cashier here."
A cashier?
She bragged about how capable her parents were, yet she herself is working as a cashier here? This is simply too ridiculous.
After hearing Tong Yao’s words last time, Liu Qing thought it over more carefully at night and felt that something was off. if Tong Yao’s family were really that powerful, why did they marry her off to such a backwater place?
Does she think this is a TV drama?
Now, seeing that Tong Yao is working here, Liu Qing is even more convinced of her own suspicion.
If Tong Yao’s parents were really all that capable, wouldn’t they at least find her a good job, if not a rich husband?
Now that Liu Qing is convinced that Tong Yao was just bluffing before, she sees things in a whole new light. Teasingly, she said, "I heard that there’s a new teashop around here with really good drinks. I wanted to buy some for my kid to taste. I happened to run into Wenwen and so we came together. Little did we expect to find you working here. You must be paid well, right?"
"It’s okay." Tong Yao replied with a light smile, she quickly changed the topic, "All the flavors are listed here. Take a look and decide what you want. Do you want to take them away, or will you stay here to drink?"
"Of course, we’re going to stay." Deng Wenwen held her chin high and arrogantly responded, "I want a cup of oat milk tea. Have it brought to me when it’s ready."
With that said, she sat down at a nearby table as if she owned the place.
Last time she drank a little too much, but she didn’t black out. She had always remembered the embarrassment inflicted on her by Tong Yao and Si Chen. Now seizing the opportunity, Deng Wenwen started to give orders as if she were the boss.
Liu Qing, carrying her kid, sat across from Deng Wenwen, laughing, "Yaoyao, I also want a cup of oat milk tea, and an original flavor for my kid. I’m holding my child and it’s inconvenient. Could you bring over the drinks when they’re ready?"
Although she was saying it was inconvenient for her, it was clear that Liu Qing was acting even more arrogantly than Deng Wenwen. If you didn’t know any better, you’d think that a queen had just arrived.
Before Tong Yao could say anything, Gu Hongwei stepped in and said, "Please wait a moment, and it’ll be ready soon."
Both he and Zhou Lei saw the way the two women deliberately belittled Tong Yao and recognized Liu Qing as the woman who made unkind comments near the marketplace. Hence, they didn’t have a good impression of her but didn’t say anything either.
Zhou Lei was already at the counter making the milk tea.
Seeing that Tong Yao just stood still while the two men got busy, Deng Wenwen stood up and proposed, "I don’t want the drinks made by you two. I want Tong Yao to make it."
Deng Wenwen particularly enjoyed ordering Tong Yao around. It made her feel superior. She decided to come here for bubble tea and order Tong Yao around everyday until she grew tired of it.
Tong Yao shrugged, looking amused, "I’m sorry, but I am the cashier here. I don’t make milk tea. However, if you insist on me making it, I’m okay with it. Just don’t mind if it tastes bad."
Usually, when Gu Hongwei and Zhou Lei were busy, Tong Yao would help out with the milk tea. But right now it’s clear that Deng Wenwen and Liu Qing are acting high-and-mighty. Tong Yao was certainly not about to indulge them.
Spending one yuan and acting as if she’d spent more than two hundred and fifty thousand. Did she forget to wash her face this morning?
Seeing Tong Yao agree so readily, Deng Wenwen thought it was strange. While she hasn’t met with Tong Yao more than a few times, she knew that Tong Yao wasn’t a pushover. Just as Deng Wenwen hesitated to ask Tong Yao do it, Liu Qing quickly chimed in with a laugh.
"I thought you’d know how to make it. If you don’t, never mind. Let the two handsome guys do it!"
Tong Yao had already declared that she didn’t know how to make it. If they still insisted that Tong Yao make it and it ended up tasting bad, wouldn’t that money be wasted? Plus, what would happen if Tong Yao did something to the milk tea?
Deng Wenwen obviously considered this as well, but she wasn’t willing to just let it go, so she said, "You can just bring over the milk tea when it’s ready. As long as your arms and legs are working, even if you don’t want to, you should do the job. Don’t tell me you can’t."
She had spent the money, she had to enjoy the service. Tong Yao used to act so arrogant, now she had to serve her.
Gu Hongwei, neither overbearing nor obsequious, added, "She’s the cashier and is not responsible for that. Customers usually come to the counter to get their milk tea themselves. However, since you are both holding children and it is inconvenient for you, I’ll bring the milk tea to you."
