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Chapter 267: Chapter 267: Return to Kyoto
In the house, Tong Yao naturally overheard the conversation in the living room, asking quietly, "Mom is still angry, huh?"
She isn’t willing to accept the money, so it appears she’s genuinely angry this time.
"It’s fine, go to sleep!"
Si Chen took off his shoes and climbed into bed, tucking Tong Yao in, seeming unconcerned with Lin Fengying’s anger.
Tong Yao lifted her chin to look at Si Chen, discovering that his jaw was tight, and he had already closed his eyes to sleep.
She didn’t want to meddle in the affairs between the mother and son, sleeping even more soundly than Si Chen.
Early the next day, after breakfast, the two of them prepared to leave for Li City. Si Boyi, Zhang Lijuan, and Si Xiaohui escorted them to the village entrance. Lin Fengying excused herself by saying she had to wash the dishes and didn’t go to send them off.
Everyone knew she was still sulking, but nobody spoke up about it.
They returned to the city in Uncle Zhang’s car, but this time they paid the fare. Uncle Zhang insisted it was on his way and wouldn’t accept any money. Helpless, Si Chen bought him breakfast from the railway station.
Because they were leaving before the start of the new year, the train back was practically empty. As the train ’chugged’ out of Li City, Tong Yao, lying in the sleeper berth, felt this bed was much more comfortable than the one at the Si family’s house.
After a good sleep, she woke up to find they had arrived in Kyoto. Fortunately, the weather in Kyoto was clear and although cold, it didn’t feel damp. Due to the large number of returnees, Kyoto was less bustling than usual.
As it was already pretty late, the two of them didn’t head back to the Tong family, but ate a bowl of piping hot beef noodles in a restaurant.
As the end of the year approached, many factories had begun their holidays, and the residential areas were all bustling. A few sisters-in-law were standing downstairs chatting, and many children were running around the courtyard, with laughter all around.
"Didn’t you two go back to your hometown in Li City? Why did you come back so soon?"
Liu Qing greeted them warmly, pulling Tong Yao into the conversation with the rest of the sisters-in-law and telling Si Chen to go upstairs first.
"Ahchen has to be on duty over new year, so we came back early to wish my parents a happy new year," Tong Yao said. She glanced at the several sisters-in-law present. Other than Liu Qing, she didn’t recognise any of them, finding them unfamiliar.
They probably just never ran into each other due to their busy schedules.
"So you had to return early," Liu Qing chuckled and changed the topic, "When will the milk tea shop open after the new year? My son keeps saying he wants to drink milk tea."
In reality, Liu Qing had only taken her child to the milk tea shop once. Her intention was to make it known to everyone that Tong Yao was a waitress at the milk tea shop, a ’milk tea girl’.
"After the Lantern Festival," Tong Yao responded crisply.
"You opened a milk tea shop?" the wife of Doctor Wang from ophthalmology exclaimed in surprise.
Everyone had heard that the surgeon from the countryside, Doctor Si, had married a beautiful wife. They hadn’t seen her until now, and they didn’t expect that she truly was very pretty. With her temperament and appearance, she could easily become a celebrity. 𝓃𝓸𝓋𝓅𝓊𝒷.𝓬𝓸𝓂
Before Tong Yao could respond, Liu Qing laughed heartily, saying, "its not her shop, Tong Yao just works as a cashier there. However, I’ve heard that jobs like finance are not easy. If the accounts are wrong, salaries get deducted."
The other sisters-in-law, who had hoped to get to know Tong Yao, subtly shifted their expressions upon hearing she was a cashier at a milk tea shop. One woman of similar age to Liu Qing laughed and said.
"It’s not like being a financial executive at a company. How much money could a cashier at a milk tea shop possibly handle? Even if the accounts were off, it would only involve a few cents."
At these words, the other sisters-in-law ridiculed her with their smiles. Knowing these people felt her job was beneath them, Tong Yao responded dismissively, "That’s true, you all can continue chatting, I’ll go back first."
Everyone was preparing to leave, but Tong Yao’s presence had created a new topic of conversation, causing them to start discussing her once again.
"The young couple, Doctor Si and his wife, both look quite attractive. They certainly seem well-matched."
"Isn’t it said that her father is the factory director? With a father who’s a director, why isn’t she given a better job? It’s quite strange."
"In our residential area, there are too many people with inflated egos, always boasting about how good their family conditions are. There’s one in our department who claims his father is the leader overseeing the entire sector, guess what his dad actually is? Turns out, he’s a janitor, cleaning our streets."
This comment amused the other sisters-in-law, resulting in a burst of laughter. They all understood the sarcasm in the words, but no one explicitly pointed it out. As they chatted enthusiastically, nobody noticed a pear blossom cat squatting in the corner.
Once the people dispersed, the cat jumped in through the window into Tong Yao’s place and relayed the conversation of the sisters-in-law. Upon hearing about their attitudes, Tong Yao didn’t mind and continued listening to the cat talk about what had happened in the residential quarters over the last few days.
"[Wenwen argued with her family again, she went to her grandmother’s and hasn’t returned. If she doesn’t return for the new year, it would be great, I could have a peaceful new year.]"
Just listen to this, the tone is like an old woman in her seventies or eighties.
"[Liu Qing also argued with her husband the other day. Her mother-in-law is unwell and can’t continue to look after the child. Next year, she’ll have to take care of the child herself. The child is quite naughty and makes a lot of noise, there won’t be any peace in the house.]"
"[Doctor Si performed well in the operation last time, many people are jealous of him behind his back...]"
As the cat was speaking, its ears perked up and it dashed out of the window. Tong Yao turned her head to see Si Chen coming out of the restroom. He had just taken a shower and his hair was still dripping wet. She hurriedly went to the room to get him a hairdryer.
After not showering for several days and having taken two long train journeys, Tong Yao also felt tired and smelled a strange odor on her body. She got her change of clothes and went to take a hot shower.
When she came out, she saw Si Chen sitting on the bed reading a book. These were the books Si Chen had brought back before they left for Li City. She hadn’t paid much attention to them before, but now, she noticed that the book Si Chen was reading was in English.
For some reason, Tong Yao instantly guessed his thoughts. "Are you preparing for postgraduate studies?"
"Yes, I plan to do postgraduate studies while working," Si Chen placed the book on the pillow and started drying her hair with the towel, while speaking, "with a higher degree, the necessary work years required for the professional title examination will be shortened."
The competition in Kyoto Hospital was intense, even if you had the ability, if you didn’t have enough experience, it was impossible to get a promotion, causing one to miss out on many learning opportunities.
Postgraduate studies was one of the methods to prevent that.
At these words, Tong Yao immediately responded, "I support you. Prepare well for your postgraduate studies. The milk tea shop is stable now. From now on, every night before going to bed, you can study for some time. I won’t disturb you."
Preparing for postgraduate studies was not a quick process. Tong Yao couldn’t help much, but she would do her best to support him.
The young couple chatted for more than half an hour about the postgraduate studies. As they chatted more and more, the atmosphere gradually became more intimate, until their book fell under their bed...
