The two sides had already fallen out countless tis, so running into each other again could only be blad on Chen Guilan and company’s shalessness.
Tian Sangsang had no interest in playing any gas with implied anings. She went straight to the point: "Who’s going to do the hard labor then? Could it be ? Isn’t hiring a hand ant to have soone help with the work?"
Tian Tian’s smile was visibly strained, so Tian Sangsang tempered her tone sowhat: "Alright, I get it. Cousin, you want to learn a trade. You can work as a helper and learn as you go. I’m in the store all day anyway. In other places, this arrangent would be called an apprenticeship. Apprentices learn real skills while doing odd jobs, and that’s how they grow. As the saying goes: ’When Heaven is about to place a great responsibility upon soone, it first exhausts their mind, hardens their will, and starves their body...’ I won’t go on. You’re an educated person, Cousin. I trust you understand."
Tian Tian opened her mouth, as if about to speak.
—"Moreover, the most critical part of running this little shop is the preparation. If even small tasks like labor are done poorly, how can I trust soone with cooking? As the saying goes, ’People take food as their Heaven,’ which shows just how important food is in life."
Tian Tian opened her mouth again, still trying to speak.
—"There’s another saying: ’If one cannot sweep a room, how can they sweep the world? If one is unbalanced within, how can they bring balance externally?’ The wisdom of the ancients never fails!"
Tian Tian was about to explode with anger. Fine, you’ve said everything, what’s left for to say? And what does "unbalanced within" even an? What *exactly* do you an by unbalanced?!
Chen Guilan instinctively looked at Tian Tian, waiting for her to make the call. A rural woman like her, hearing Tian Sangsang’s words, felt her head spinning.
Tian Tian slightly curled her lips: "Fine, Cousin. You said it yourself—working while learning." She emphasized the word "learning."
Tian Sangsang nodded with indifference: "That’s right, I said it." Let’s see if you can actually learn anything.
On the way back, the more Chen Guilan thought about it, the angrier she got. She spat out: "That Tian Sangsang—just because she’s opened a little store in town and made so money, her head’s practically in the clouds. She looks down on us more and more now. She’s getting too proud and doesn’t even see as her aunt! When we get back, I’m going to tell your grandmother all about this ungrateful, heartless girl!"
Such injustice, such humiliation.
"She’s flaunting her wealth and despises us rural folks," Tian Tian mused. "Obviously, she doesn’t trust us either. But... if she did, that’d truly be strange."
"But what are we going to do, Tiantian? Since you were little, I’ve never let you do farm work or house chores. And now you’re going to be ordered around like a servant by Tian Sangsang? I can’t stand the thought!" Looking at her radiant daughter—the perfect picture of beauty—it made no sense that she should live like a maid. anwhile, that black and chubby Tian Sangsang gets to eat and drink well. When has Heaven ever been fair?
Beautiful people are always made to suffer, while wealthy ones—no matter how ugly—are exalted. Beauty is destined to be bullied! Tiantian, her precious Tiantian—why must life be so cruel to her!
"Mom, soon we’ll be the ones bossing her around. All I need is to learn that recipe for her skewers." Tian Tian stared at Chen Guilan with confidence, though a faint venom glead in her eyes. "Work? Fine, let work. If I can’t do it well, isn’t that still on her? She’ll just have to do it herself."
Chen Guilan thought about it and agreed. "But this back-and-forth to town is so ti-consuming. What if I ask your father to buy a bicycle so he can take you every day?"
"No, no way. Bicycles are too expensive," Chen Guilan bemoaned, shaking her head. "Just do what Tian Sangsang does—ride on Li Zhengxiong’s ox cart to town every day. It’s so convenient. That fool won’t charge you anyway."
"Who said I’d stay ho?" Tian Tian smirked, throwing the question back at her mother.
What? If not ho, where? Chen Guilan was stunned.
The next morning, Tian Tian arrived early, carrying so changes of clothes, bedding, and other items. She stood confidently at the shop doorway.
"Chen Ming." She called out to him as he prepared to leave for work, her tone tender and full of emotion: "Mr. Zhou and I have already—"
Chen Ming walked past her without a word or a glance, his face devoid of expression.
Tian Tian froze in place.
"Tian Tian." Tian Sangsang’s voice ca from behind her, full of amusent as she observed her: "You brought all this stuff?"
"Oh, Cousin, this?" Tian Tian swiftly masked her earlier discomfort with a shy smile. "Ho is just too far. Can I stay here? Don’t be polite with , Cousin. Just deduct whatever rent is appropriate from my wages."
The probation period wasn’t even over yet, and she was already thinking about wages—wages she hadn’t even earned a single day of. Was there even any money in her "account" to deduct?
It was beyond comprehension how so people could be so matter-of-fact.
"Well..." Tian Sangsang paused with a light smirk. "This place isn’t under my control. If you want to rent it, you’d have to talk to Chen Ming or Chen Ying, since I’m renting it from them too." She neatly passed the problem to Chen Ming and Chen Ying.
Tian Tian contemplated this, recalling how Chen Ming had seed earlier, leaving her flustered. He was like a different person now. Perhaps Chen Ming was no longer soone she could manipulate.
That evening, Tian Tian sought out Chen Ying, who shot her down imdiately: "n and won living under the sa roof—it’s improper. Wouldn’t your city fiancé have sothing to say about you living here? I wouldn’t dare jeopardize your path to marrying into the city. And if I let you stay, then in the future, if anything goes wrong, you’ll bla and have tied up in so abandoned house, won’t you?"
Tian Sangsang glanced unexpectedly at Chen Ying. Quite sharp-tongued.
Tian Tian’s face turned pale instantly. She hadn’t expected Chen Ying to be so blunt.
The atmosphere grew tense, and even Tian Tian’s eyes reddened with fury.
"Yingzi, let her stay." Chen Ming’s voice broke the stalemate; he descended the staircase at that mont. "Charge her the regular rent rate."
"Why?!" Chen Ying stood up in anger. "Brother, are you still...? After all, she clearly... There may be a spare room upstairs, but I’m not letting her stay! Over my dead body!"
Tian Tian gazed softly at Chen Ming, her heart reigniting with hope. Chen Ming still liked her. He hadn’t forgotten her.
"Dead or alive, stop talking nonsense. It’s not what you’re thinking." Chen Ming sounded mildly irritated. "I’m moving back ho to live with our parents tomorrow. It’s a quick drive anyway. They’ve been missing , and if I move back, they’ll be able to see every day."
"But..." Chen Ming’s gaze swept over the group, landing on Tian Sangsang, and he grinned: "I’ll still eat at the shop. I’m just sleeping at ho at night. Can’t starve , can you?"
Chen Ying breathed a sigh of relief, her earlier tension dissipating. As long as it wasn’t because of Tian Tian, it was fine.
Tian Sangsang nodded and replied, "Sure."
Tian Tian felt awkward, her smile forced and bitter.
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