During work today, Shen Meng noticed a tremendous disparity. Not to mention when she managed the workshop, even before when she met fellow villagers in the county, they would always include her in greetings and chats, laughing merrily along the way. But now, except for Wu Xianglan and Yu Xueli who spoke with her, there was not a single person to exchange words with.
One by one, they all kept their heads down and remained silent. Wu Xianglan pouted; she felt that although the elder sister-in-law was no longer in charge of the workshop, she had fought for their benefits before. How could people be so shameless to this extent? She herself couldn’t do such a thing.
This morning, Zhou Jiaojiao kept boasting about her familiarity with the leaders of the textile factory, and her good relationship with the factory director’s wife. So what? As the director’s wife, she wouldn’t dare trouble a cleaner, right? Now she also had acquaintances in the textile factory and couldn’t be bullied as they pleased. If the director’s wife dared to provoke her, she would definitely lie right at the entrance to the textile factory, no, she would hang herself to scare them to death.
Wu Xianglan’s mind was filled with thoughts, and she finally understood how good Shen Meng had been to her, always advising her to make good connections in the factory and to watch out for Zhou Jiaojiao setting traps. Look now, even before she, the cleaner, had been dealt with, the elder sister-in-law, the manager, had already been stripped of her title.
How despicable, really too despicable.
Yu Xueli already knew about Shen Meng’s plans, so she was not worried at all. She looked around at the people on the ox cart, thinking that when she invited people back to the village next time, none of these women or daughters-in-law would be allowed in the workshop. Pah, conscienceless wretches.
On the way to the hospital, Shen Meng pulled her aside and found a secluded spot to talk.
"I have something to discuss with you, I meant to tell you yesterday, but that incident happened at home before I could."
"What’s the matter, just tell me."
Shen Meng looked around before leaning close to her ear and sharing the trade with the subsidiary food factory. Yu Xueli’s eyes widened in shock.
"We can’t do this, if it’s discovered, we would be..."
"Shush, I’m just telling you. I can’t do this alone. If you’re scared, I’ll find someone else."
After saying that, Shen Meng walked away, but Yu Xueli quickly blocked her path. It was true that she was afraid; a careless move could land one behind bars. If it really came to that, what would become of her two children?
But she could see that Shen Meng had made up her mind. Her current good days were thanks to Shen Meng’s help, who had never before asked her for anything.
And now, for the first time, Shen Meng was asking for her help; if she really refused, she wouldn’t be able to forgive herself.
"Xiao Meng, I’m just asking you, are you sure you can ensure the safety of this operation?"
It was quite a redundant question to ask; after all, should anything go wrong, it’d be a disaster, and no one could guarantee complete safety. But at least this wasn’t as dangerous as dealing with the black market—the buyer was the subsidiary food factory, which added a layer of security.
"If I say it’s safe, you might not believe it, but rest assured, I won’t let you handle the complicated matters. We’re just middlemen taking a bit of benefit. Plus, we’re living such a stable life now, I wouldn’t take risks, especially not for the sake of our children. Don’t worry."
"But I’ve heard that the subsidiary food factory has a fixed quota for grain supplies each month. If suddenly there’s so much extra, how would they explain it?"
"That’s their business, not ours. We just set up the connection. The money for us comes from the seller—fifty yuan each time. You don’t have to get involved right now, I’ll handle it. When I need help, I’ll call you. Shirley, I just want to know, are you in or out?"
Fifty yuan a time, Yu Xueli’s eyes grew wide, and she swallowed nervously. If this kept up for a year, wouldn’t they be comfortably well-off?
She actually doesn’t have much money on hand right now, and if the family has to live a frugal life, it’s not for anything else but the hope of saving up to make future days more comfortable.
But now... she’s actually hesitating over so much money.
Shirley stared intently at Shen Meng; she didn’t tell her brother Shen Xiaobin and Wu Xianglan, who are also in the county, about this matter, but instead she confided in herself. It seems she truly only trusts her.
"To seek fortune, one must take risks. I’m in, Shen Meng."
"Great, it’s settled then. You go to work first. I’ll call you if needed, and remember to keep it a secret."
After arriving at the bus company, Shen Meng resumed another day of her corporate drone life, sipping milk tea and snacking on spicy strips, making everyone in the office drool with envy.
While munching, Shen Meng suddenly looked down at the spicy strips in her hand. Couldn’t these be used for taste-testing at the snack factory as well?
Spicy, numbing, and satisfyingly appetizing.
Once she had this thought, Shen Meng hurriedly jotted down the ingredients in a notebook. She hadn’t made this before and wasn’t sure if she could succeed.
That evening when she got home, she took out all the ingredients needed for the spicy strips and started to make them.
Lu Zhenping and the kids occasionally poked their heads into the kitchen, curious about the clanging and banging sounds, their hearts hanging in suspense.
"I knew Mom was only pretending to be happy. She’s actually very sad inside."
"This morning when I went to school, Fourth Aunt was all dressed up and even wore the leather shoes from her wedding day. Her hair was slick and shiny, I wonder if she applied lard to it. Hasn’t she been complaining about not wanting to go to the workshop? How come she got up earlier than me, a student?"
"Big brother, Fourth Aunt only put up such a front; if she didn’t, it would seem like she was particularly villainous. The workshop is managed by Mom, and Fourth Aunt has taken over it. Some people outside praise her, while others say she’s just jealous of Mom. I had never realized how much of a scoundrel Fourth Aunt could be."
"On the outside, she looks good, but inside, she’s a scoundrel."
"Scoundrel, scoundrel, may the God of Thunder strike her down with lightning..."
"What nonsense are you spouting, Lu Ming Kai? You’re so young and all you talk about is the God of Thunder. Who did you learn this from? Wishing for thunder to strike someone; are you relatives with the God or what? Keep talking nonsense, and I’ll give you a spanking."
Lu Ming Kai shrank his neck from the scolding and cautiously sneaked a peek at Lu Zhenping, then hurried toward the kitchen.
"Mom, Dad’s gonna spank me, he’s gonna spank my little butt!"
Lu Zhenping looked speechlessly at Ming Kai covering his butt and running away. He hadn’t planned to interrupt the kids’ conversation in the first place. They have their own opinions, and it’s normal for them to want to speak up, even if it’s about an elder. But every time the little guy pipes up, it’s as if everyone gets a heart attack from listening.
Idle, that’s what it is, idle. Every time they go out, their eyes are glued to the old lady, clearly remembering the gossips the most.