NOVPUB
Chapter 58: Chapter 58: A Close Shave
It’s true that Si Chen’s refusal to accept her meals made things easier for Tong Yao. She hadn’t planned to take him food often. However, his words left a bitter taste in her mouth.
Was he worried that Yu Shiya would get upset if she found out?
Upon this realization, Tong Yao felt relieved.
Ah, what can she do? After all, Tong Yaohui forcibly married her off to him.
Si Chen ate quickly though. By the time Tong Yao returned from her daydream, he’d already finished the noodles in the lunchbox and was washing it under the tap.
Tong Yao stood up and took the lunchbox from him. "You carry on with your work, I’m leaving."
"Remember to lock your doors and windows tonight," Si Chen said, escorting her to the door. Seeing her fragile figure walking down the cold hallway elicited a strange feeling in his heart.
"I’ll remember," Tong Yao waved and walked away with an air of nonchalance, not even looking back.
Once home, she delightfully started counting the money in her tin box. As expected, she had made more money than yesterday, earning a total of 72 yuan.
Doing the math, she could make at least 1,500 yuan in profit per month, enough to buy three televisions. However, Tong Yao had no plans to buy a TV. She wanted to purchase a fridge first, it was more convenient for storing items at home, plus she could sell iced milk tea.
Making milk tea was simple, and no one was eying this cash cow yet. But as time went on, people would undoubtedly become jealous and try to steal her business. She must create a unique milk tea that others couldn’t replicate, and serving it on ice was one way to do so.
A fridge cost at least a thousand yuan. Wealthy people wouldn’t bother with her small business, and the poor couldn’t afford such an expensive appliance. As long as she had the fridge, she wouldn’t have to worry about competitors. And by that point, she could expand her menu to include other types of cold drinks. She was determined to monopolize this market.
After planning her ambitious future, Tong Yao stashed the money away and fell asleep. She was so exhausted from the day’s work that she slept soundly until morning.
Before sunrise, Tong Yao was up and out the door, only to run into a man and a woman groping each other passionately at the bottom of the building. They only parted when she got close. Once she got a clear look at their faces, she was taken aback.
The culprits, caught in the act, appeared flustered. Li Nuanchun managed to force a smile, uglier than crying, and said, "You’re off to work so early, yeah?"
Before Tong Yao could speak, she went on to introduce the man nervously, "This is Liu Gensheng from the pharmacy. He got something in his eye and I was just helping him."
After saying this, she urgently signaled for Liu Gensheng to go upstairs.
Tong Yao pretended not to notice Li Nuanchun’s little charade and played along, "There are a lot of bugs in the morning."
Li Nuanchun was uneasy, not knowing whether Tong Yao had seen anything. She asked tentatively, "Did you... see anything just now?"
Tong Yao blinked, looked towards Liu Gensheng, who was going upstairs, and pretended to be clueless, "See what?"
"Nothing, just asking. You should hurry to work. Don’t be late." Seeing that Tong Yao looked calm and seemed genuinely unaware of what just happened, Li Nuanchun heaved a sigh of relief.
She thought, she couldn’t spoil Liu Gensheng anymore. He insisted that nobody would be around so early in the morning and wanted to fool around. Initially, Li Nuanchun reluctantly agreed, while watching for any movement around them. But she was so caught up in the moment that she forgot to keep an eye out.
Fortunately, Tong Yao didn’t see anything. Otherwise, if word got out, she’d lose face and Dai Liwen would definitely divorce her.
Granted, Dai Liwen isn’t satisfactory in certain areas, but he’s holding a golden job. He earns a decent salary each month and might even get a promotion to deputy director soon. He also treats her well. Life would definitely be tougher if they got divorced.
She’s not getting any younger and likely wouldn’t be able to get pregnant again if she remarried. Liu Gensheng, a spendthrift who can’t save money and isn’t generous towards women, would make her regret it. She couldn’t afford to let Liu Gensheng get out of control in the future.
Watching as Li Nuanchun sighed in relief, Tong Yao chose not to expose her. But she was puzzled. Liu Gensheng was balding, greasy, short, and chubby. His big belly and short waist made him look much worse than Dai Liwen. What on earth did Li Nuanchun see in such a man? It seemed she just loved torturing herself.
They say love is blind, but Li Nuanchun’s blindness seemed to have reached a new level.
Still puzzled on her way to He Fang’s place, she quickly forgot about it as she became busy with school.
For the following days, Tong Yao was leaving early and returning late. As soon as she got home and took a shower, she would sleep right away. Even though she never verbally complained about being tired, her actions made it evident. Whenever Si Chen saw her rushing off to work in the mornings, he wanted to ask a few questions, but she was always in such a rush that he never got the chance.
After another busy day, Tong Yao sold out of milk tea just after four in the afternoon. She quickly pocketed the money and headed home, thinking that once she got a fridge, she would also get a bike. It would shorten her commute and make it easier on her.
As she reached to the stairs to her apartment building, she saw Baodan riding a broom back and forth in the hallway, cooing gibberish sounds that vaguely sounded like ’driving’.
If Baodan was here, his gossip-loving mother was definitely around as well, no doubt ready to talk behind her back.
Every single time Chen Yanmei saw her, she always had something to say. Tong Yao was used to it by now. She had been too busy earning money lately to pay Chen Yanmei any mind.
Just as she was about to reach the second floor, Baodan suddenly crashed his broom against the wall while turning a corner. Losing balance, he was about to tumble down the stairs when Tong Yao quickly caught him, preventing him from rolling down.
At the same time, Chen Yanmei’s terrified scream echoed through the hallway, "Ah... Baodan... My Baodan..."
When Chen Yanmei arrived and saw that Baodan had been caught by Tong Yao, she quickly pulled Baodan into her arms and frantically checked him for injuries. Baodan, startled by the incident, began crying loudly. Seeing this, Chen Yanmei felt guilty and smacked herself on the cheek a couple of times.
"It’s all my fault for not watching you closely, don’t cry. Mommy will buy you some candy." 𝒏𝒐𝒗𝒑𝒖𝙗.𝒄𝒐𝒎
At the promise of candy, Baodan immediately stopped crying. Clapping Chen Yanmei’s cheeks, he echoed, "Buy candy, Buy candy."
Tong Yao was taken aback by their interaction. It’s true when they say mothers all spoil their children. Baodan’s teeth were rotten due to excessive candy consumption, yet he was still interested in having more.
