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Chapter 266: Chapter 266: Indeed, We Can’t Let This Woman Get the Upper Hand
Li Guangyuan nodded haphazardly; after all, it was all excuses—whatever Lin Jiayi said was right.
Seeing how obedient Li Guangyuan was, Lin Jiayi’s mood instantly improved a lot.
"I tell you, we sold all our cooked food today. Those who bought it knew I was the Lin Family’s daughter and they all rushed to buy it. Plus, the old customers who have tasted our cooked food said it’s good, on par with the county’s Qin’s Cooked Food."
After finishing, she glanced at her sister-in-law behind her, "Isn’t that right, Dongmei? Didn’t they say so?"
Li Dongmei nodded in agreement, "Brother, they really said that. Knowing my sister-in-law and Qin Family’s daughter-in-law are sisters, they all said our cooked food tastes like Qin’s."
Li Guangyuan was noncommittal; he had tasted Qin’s Cooked Food and knew exactly how his family’s own tasted.
As they spoke, Li Hongmei came out of the house.
The moment Lin Jiayi saw Li Hongmei, her face instantly turned cold, "Why have you come back again?"
"Oh, sister-in-law, you are doing so well now that you don’t even acknowledge your own relatives?"
Lin Jiayi scoffed coldly, "I dare not acknowledge a relative like you. Let’s get one thing straight: the money at home was earned through the hard work of me and your brother. Even if you’re his real sister, you can’t cling to us to suck our blood dry. A married daughter is like spilled water; if you’re unhappy with your in-laws, just divorce. Don’t act like we owe you all the time."
Li Hongmei was so angry her chest heaved. Indeed, one cannot let this woman feel too powerful.
But then she remembered what her mother had said—the family business still relied on her—and she had to suppress her anger.
Old Mrs. Li came out of the house, "It was I who called Hongmei back. There are many things to do at home right now. Your sister-in-law is pregnant and it’s not convenient for her, so the more help the better. Hongmei, from now on, you’ll work with your sister-in-law; your brother and your sister-in-law won’t treat you unfairly."
Ever since Lin Jiayi returned from her parents’ house and brought out a secret recipe for cooked food, Old Mrs. Li’s attitude towards her had changed.
And since they had made money from selling the cooked food, there was no need to say anything else.
Lin Jiayi did not immediately agree, but instead looked towards Li Hongmei.
Ever since her sister-in-law got married, she hadn’t stopped meddling in the family affairs, accusing Lin Jiayi of hurting her, setting traps and making things difficult for her. If she didn’t make her stance clear today, Lin Jiayi wouldn’t easily let it go.
Li Hongmei, seeing her act so high and mighty, wanted to claw at her face, but in the end, she restrained herself.
"Sister-in-law, I was out of line before. Mother is right; you’re heavily pregnant and shouldn’t deal with this dirty and tiring work. We’ll do more work in the future, and you should rest up."
Only then did Lin Jiayi reveal a smile, "We’re one family; there’s no need to be so polite. But now that our business is doing well, we really should stock up more and prepare more cooked food. With you here, you can really help out."
Afterwards, she discussed the matter with Li Guangyuan.
Li Guangyuan hesitated. Cooked food was something everyone wanted fresh.
The villagers were not like city folk; no one had spare cash to eat cooked food every day.
The sales these days were good solely because they had just started this business. It was uncertain if they could continue selling as much in the long run.
Now that the weather was hot, any leftovers would easily spoil.
Cooked food was not like vegetables; if vegetables were left for an extra day, the worst would be they became wilted, but cooked food would change in taste.
Li Guangyuan had just shared his thoughts when Lin Jiayi interrupted him.
"How could it not sell? Ask Dongmei how good our business is. If we don’t strike while the iron is hot, when will we save enough to open a store? We surely can’t set up a street stall forever, can we?"
Li Dongmei also nodded in agreement.
It was too much suffering to sell things at a street stall. She longed to stand behind a counter as a shop assistant. How prestigious that would be.
Li Hongmei added, "I think sister-in-law is right, and besides, I’m here now, aren’t I? One more person should be able to sell more. Brother, a person looking to accomplish big things can’t be so hesitant."
Her mother told her that all the money she earned in the future would belong to her, and of course, the more the better.
Lin Jiayi was rarely idolized by her two younger sisters-in-law. Had her pride not been larger than her aspirations, she would have laid herself on the ground.
Seeing Li Guangyuan still hesitating, she pressed further, "Just look at the Qin Family’s shop; aren’t they opening one after another? Now they’ve even started a factory. How long has it been? The Qins were farmers just like us, where do we fall short of them? Guang Yuan, I know what you’re capable of. Compared to Qin Han, he’s far behind."
Li Guangyuan didn’t know about Qin Han’s capabilities, but he thought of his younger sister-in-law.
If his younger sister-in-law could do it, so could he.
............
The night was still, and in the latter part of the night, a light rain began to patter down.
Dogs barked in the distance, one after another, gradually, all the dogs in the surrounding area joined in.
Jia Liang jolted awake from his sleep.
The Bun Shop’s renovation wasn’t finished yet, so they laid their bedding there every night.
The room was pitch-black, lightning flashed in the distance, and a silhouette stood up.
"Zhuzi, where are you going?"
Tian Jinzhu didn’t expect to have startled Jia Liang, but the noises from afar made him uneasy as well.
"I’m going to take a leak."
"It’s raining outside, put on a raincoat and go further away; don’t just pee at the doorstep," reminded Jia Liang.
"Got it, Brother Liang. Look at you, getting more naggy by the day."
Tian Jinzhu joked indifferently, but his face in the dark was quite grim.
He put on his coat, donned a raincoat, and stepped into the drizzle as he opened the door.
He hadn’t walked far when several figures suddenly rushed out, "Don’t move, put your hands up."
At the same time, someone kicked open the door of the Bun Shop, a flashlight swept around a few times, and voices shouted inside, "Police operation, put your hands up and squat to the side."
After a commotion, the lights in the room were turned on.
Jia Liang, Feng Zhong, and Tian Jinzhu squatted on the ground, facing several police officers.
The leading officer’s gaze fell on Tian Jinzhu, still dressed in a raincoat, dripping with water as he squatted on the ground.
"Are you Tian Jinzhu?"
Tian Jinzhu wanted to say he wasn’t, but the officer’s gaze indicated he recognized him, so he hung his head in silence.
"Think staying silent will do any good? If you’re not guilty, why did you run?"
When they arrived just now, Tian Jinzhu’s actions clearly looked like he was trying to escape.
"You’re quite alert, aren’t you? Do you know Yu Dahu?"
Tian Jinzhu kept his head down, saying nothing. Jia Liang, however, had already realized something. His look towards Tian Jinzhu was filled with anger. Suddenly, he stood up and delivered a kick.
"You damn still have dealings with Yu Dahu? Who is Yu Dahu? How many times have I told you all, what things we should do, what we shouldn’t, and which things we must absolutely not touch? Are you trying to get yourself killed and drag us down too?"
Jia Liang, though he had mended his ways, still had some brothers from the old days to keep in touch with, of course, only in a lawful manner.
