Reborn in the 80s, Get Rich by Eating Melons

Chapter 91: Chapter 91: Queen-level Treatment

Si Xiaohui was the last to get out of the police car. Her eyelids were swollen and her eyes were dull. Her hair was a mess, looking like a bird’s nest, and stains were all over her clothes. She cautiously followed behind the police officer, her usual haughty demeanor at home completely gone. She looked pitiful and distraught.

"Xiaohui," Tong Yao called out.

Startled, Si Xiaohui slowly raised her head and stared blankly at Tong Yao and Si Chen for a while. Once she confirmed it was them, she burst into tears with a loud cry.

"Brother," she sobbed.

"It’s fine now." Si Chen walked up to Si Xiaohui, patted her shoulder gently. Si Chen, who was always cool and composed, was not accustomed to comforting others. For him, this gesture already meant an intimate contact.

Releasing all her fear in an instant, Si Xiaohui was gripped with a dreadful retrospection. Her lips trembled as she sobbed: "Brother, Ma...Ma Xiulan is a human trafficker. I almost got sold by her."

"I know," Si Chen nodded.

"I almost never saw you all again," Si Xiaohui said, the events of the afternoon feeling like a dream to her.

In the afternoon, she and Ma Xiulan left the village but soon after a stranger was introduced by Ma Xiulan as her distant cousin. Si Xiaohui was suspicious; growing up together, she had never heard about such a cousin before.

Next, Ma Xiulan and the man engaged in a brief conversation, during which the man would occasionally glance at Si Xiaohui, making her extremely nervous. Making things worse was how Ma Xiulan’s demeanor changed drastically after they left the village, her expressions cold and alien, a stark contrast to her usual self. Reminded of Tong Yao’s words, Si Xiaohui feared their situation and wanted to back out.

Just when she was about to confess her anxieties to Ma Xiulan, she saw the man signaling to the woods. Suddenly, a few sturdy, burly men sprang out and before she could react, she was knocked unconscious.

Bathed in scorching midday sun and at mealtime, the area outside the village was desolate and void of people. When she woke up again, she found herself tied up in a van with several strange men, including Ma Xiulan, who was seated in the passenger seat.

Her fearful cries were met with threats and slaps by the man seated next to her. Mute with fear, Si Xiaohui stared at Ma Xiulan, pleading silently for help, but Ma Xiulan never glanced her way.

She found out they were traffickers through their conversations. Tong Yao had discovered Ma Xiulan’s true identity, disrupting their plans, forcing them to flee earlier than planned.

Si Xiaohui regretted her decision bitterly for ignoring Tong Yao’s warning. As her tears flowed unceasingly, she remained silent - these people were fierce and ruthless, they really could kill her.

Only when the police caught up with them and they were forced to flee into the mountains did she get rescued. The ordeal caused her to narrowly escape death. For her, who experienced no hardships from an early age, surviving this was already an extremely good outcome.

"Brother, I’ll never be willful again," she promised.

"As long as you understand," Si Chen said as he got on his bike. "Let’s go home."

"..."

A twitch developed in Tong Yao’s eye. Her brother didn’t offer a single word of comfort to their kid sister who almost got sold - he was just glossing over the situation as though it was nothing of significance? talk about negligence!

Compared to this, the day Si Chen carried her home could almost be considered queen-level treatment!

"..." Si Xiaohui followed Si Chen obediently after wiping away her streaming tears.

It was nine in the evening, most of the people in the residential quarters were asleep. Tong Yao found a set of loose-fitting clothes for Si Xiaohui and took her to have a bath downstairs. After all these activities, it was already ten at night.

"Xiaohui hasn’t returned yet, mom and Boyi must be getting worried," Tong Yao sat cross-legged on her bed, pondering how the three of them would sleep that night.

"I called the village and let them know Xiaohui is here," Said Si Chen nonchalantly, sitting on the edge of the bed. He indicated Xiaohui to sit down and continued, "since you are here, you can go house hunting with your sister-in-law tomorrow and start helping her out the day after."

"What...what kind of work?" Si Xiaohui’s eyes lit up at the thought of staying in the city.

"Helping me sell milk tea." Tong Yao chimed in crisply, "Mom said you wanted to work in the city. I also just so happen to have a milk tea stall that’s understaffed. I wanted to discuss this with you but before I could, you went off with Ma Xiulan. Now consider whether you want this job or not. If yes, rest for a day and start working with me the day after tomorrow. If not, I can send you back to the village tomorrow."

With her baby face, even though Tong Yao was a year older than Si Xiaohui, it didn’t show on her appearance. Besides, she usually acted childlike in front of Si Chen and when she talked about serious matters now, there was a dash of a big sister figure in her.

Upon hearing about going back to the village, Si Xiaohui quickly made her stance clear: "I’m willing."

As soon as she spoke, she remembered how she had contended with Tong Yao and had badmouthed her. Her cheek flushed with contrition and she lowered her head, avoiding Tong Yao’s gaze.

Unexpectedly, Tong Yao had truly helped her by finding work, and had even waited for her outside the police station. Though Si Xiaohui was reluctant to admit it, the sense of warmth and excitement she felt when she heard Tong Yao’s voice stepping out of the police car was almost like seeing a loved one.

Upon reflection, Tong Yao wasn’t that bad and she hadn’t done anything to harm her. Si Xiaohui acknowledged that she was indeed at fault for meddling with Tong Yao’s dowry. Tong Yao had never stolen her dumplings. It was the arrival of another woman in their lives that made her fear losing her brother. She was jealous of Tong Yao’s higher social status and hence, was biased against her.

Now, thinking about how her obstinacy nearly cost her life at the hands of Ma Xiulan’s deception, she wanted to slap herself...

"Hold up with the conclusions." Tong Yao continued in a serious tone: "I must make things clear first. You’re my employee, and just because you’re Ahchen’s sister, I won’t give you any special treatment. When you work for me, you have to do as I say. Additionally, I’ll cover your living expenses and your monthly salary would be thirty yuan. If you have any objections, spit them out now. Don’t start complaining after some time that I’m treating you unfairly."

The old saying still held: she hired a worker, not a spoiled princess. If Si Xiaohui wouldn’t listen, Tong Yao wouldn’t keep her around.

Si Xiaohui was stunned when she heard the salary would be thirty yuan a month. Back home, they could only earn around a hundred yuan a year from selling their crops. Fortunately, if she worked for three or four months, she could earn even more?