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Chapter 642: Chapter 642: Where Did the Child Go?
At this point, if Si Boyi still refused, it would show his lack of gratitude. Si Boyi nodded in agreement. "You can rest assured, sister-in-law. As long as Xiaoshuang is willing to work in the shop, I guarantee I won’t fire her. We owe her a lot for her help during this time. I’m grateful, I wouldn’t think of replacing Master Niu, let alone making a fortune off the back of others."
With Si Boyi’s assurance, Tong Yao breathed a sigh of relief. "That’s good. You should rest a bit more. The baby will probably be hungry soon. I’ll go get some hot water."
"Thank you, sister-in-law," said Si Boyi. Seeing Tong Yao bustling around with her big belly, he felt a bit guilty.
Tong Yao and Zheng Xiaoshuang returned quickly. Xiaoshuang had not only gotten help but also bought brown sugar and all the daily necessities, even bottles, although she had forgotten to buy formula. Just as the baby started crying from hunger, Tong Yao fed him some warm water.
Xiaoshuang was fretting over her oversight and was about to go buy formula when Zhang Lijuan woke up due to the baby’s crying.
Seeing that Tong Yao was feeding the baby warm water, Lijuan asked, "Is he hungry?"
Tong Yao nodded, "We forgot to buy formula. I am going to go buy some. You keep sleeping."
But Lijuan said, "Sister-in-law, I have started producing milk, so it’s best to feed the baby breast milk."
Tong Yao thought since Lijuan just had a c-section, she worried, "You just underwent surgery. So, it’s better if you don’t move too much, in case it strains your wound."
"It’s okay, sister-in-law, you can just help me turn over. I can manage," Lijuan assured her.
Seeing Lijuan insisted on breastfeeding, Tong Yao didn’t say anything more. Together with Xiaoshuang, she helped Lijuan feed the baby. Having already had a child, Lijuan was experienced in nursing a baby.
The newborn didn’t eat much before he fell asleep, exhausted. Seeing the child’s content look after feeding, everyone in the room laughed. Little kids are just adorable.
"Sister-in-law, you are due soon. Will my big brother have time to come back then?" Zhang Lijuan asked concerned.
Having given birth to two babies, Zhang Lijuan knew that a woman giving birth wishes for her husband’s company and care, to let him understand that being a mother isn’t any easier than being a father. However, her mother believes that as long as men earn money, they don’t need to be by their wives’ side all the time.
According to Chen Jinlan, after she gives birth, Si Boyi will still continue selling milk tea, earning around ten yuan a day, which is money not to be disregarded.
However, Zhang Lijuan believed that one could never finish earning money.
The two disagreed on this point and had argued before. They never expected so many things to happen all at once, in such a short span of time.
At the moment, they thought themselves unlucky. But on second thought, perhaps there was a plan all along. If it weren’t for Si Boyi’s accident, Tong Yao wouldn’t have returned and promptly urged her to get a check-up. If not for that, something dreadful might have happened to both her and the baby.
Tong Yao shook her head, "I don’t know yet. Even if he does come back, he may only stay for a couple of days and then leave. There’s no way he would have the time to stay with me for the postpartum confinement period."
She consoled herself, "But it’s okay. All I need to do is to hold on for two years. Things will be all right when he comes back to the country."
Zhang Lijuan suggested, "Sister-in-law, why don’t you give birth here and rest up after confinement. By the time I finish my confinement, I can take care of you."
Tong Yao shook her head, smiling, "No need, my Mom will take care of me."
Upon hearing her reply, Zhang Lijuan said no more. Seeing that Xiaoshuang was there and Lijuan was awake, Tong Yao brought up the topic of the shop again. Xiaoshuang was surprised by it, but felt it made sense.
Tong Yao’s business in Kyoto was growing bigger while Si Boyi and his wife seemed to be short on cash. Tong Yao wanting to help them out by offering a shop was an ordinary act of kindness. However, such a generous sister-in-law was a rarity. Si Boyi and Lijuan indeed were fortunate.
Her continuing to work in the shop, despite the change from the boss, wouldn’t affect her that much. So, Xiaoshuang had nothing to worry about.
With Lijuan looking after the baby in the future, she wouldn’t have time to help in the shop. The shop would still need staff like them.
Lijuan hadn’t expected Tong Yao to be so generous as to give them a shop outright. She was stupefied for quite some time before she gathered herself. She didn’t refuse, feeling quite touched, she agreed. Their family all being bedridden and unable to make money, they desperately needed a source of income.
However, considering the kindness Tong Yao showed her, Lijuan felt she couldn’t take advantage of her. "Sister-in-law, the renovation and rent of the shop should be our responsibility. We will return the money to you later."
Having given up the shop, why would Tong Yao care about the renovation money? 𝙣𝒐𝒗𝒑𝒖𝒃.𝙘𝙤𝒎
She shook her head and refused, "No need. The renovation cost has been earned back long ago. All you need to do is take care of your family."
Si Boyi laughingly said, "Sister-in-law, I’ve been thinking, the shop is filled with girls. It really isn’t appropriate for me to squeeze in there. So, I won’t help out in the shop. I’ll set up a small stall at the shop entrance and sell roasted sweet potatoes. When I visited uncle in Kyoto last time, I thought the roasted sweet potatoes he made were awesome. I haven’t seen anyone selling those here."
Tong Yao nodded with a smile, "That’s a good idea."
Upon hearing this, Xiaoshuang felt relieved. This way not only she could avoid being laid off, but everyone else in the shop would be able to keep their jobs too. Having worked together for such a long time, she would hate to see any of them being let go.
Seeing the sun setting outside, Tong Yao worried about Xiaoshuang returning home alone at night. So, she told Xiaoshuang to leave early and also reimbursed her for the shopping.
Xiaoshuang didn’t want to accept the money at first, wanting to consider it as a gift for the baby. But Tong Yao said, "You’ve already helped so much, you shouldn’t be paying out of your own pocket too, right? When it comes time for the banquet, there’s no escaping giving a gift. You should keep this money for now!"
Upon hearing this, Xiaoshuang accepted it without further hesitation. As Tong Yao was pregnant, she also didn’t want Tong Yao to walk with her.
The ward had a male and a female carer, so Tong Yao’s services weren’t needed at the moment. In the evening, Guo Nan came by and noticing that Tong Yao didn’t have a place to stay, he offered her a nearby vacant ward for the night.
The two also chatted for a bit. Unexpectedly, Guo Nan brought up some news that shocked Tong Yao, "Dr. Yu has resigned and quit the job. I heard she switched her career and started a business. It seems she has gone to Kyoto."
Tong Yao was surprised, "Last time I came back, she was close to her due date, right? Her baby is not that old, why would she suddenly go away so far to do business?"
Tong Yao didn’t know about many things in Li City since she hadn’t been staying there. So it was normal for her not to know. With the door closed, Guo Nan lowered his voice, "Dr. Yu lost her baby. I’ve heard that it will be very difficult for her to conceive in the future."
"How did she lose her baby?"
Tong Yao’s first thought was that the baby didn’t survive after being born. However, Guo Nan said, "Apparently, she had an argument with Dr. Si Jun and got too emotional. She fell down the stairs."
