Because Zhen Yu had taken all the first year of junior high school textbooks back home, she still spent the afternoon at Han Mingyue's house, passing the time by reading fairy tales.
As soon as it struck four o'clock, she immediately stood up, "I will be coming late and leaving early starting the day after tomorrow... no reason."
Han Mingyue pursed her lips and, in the end, still nodded her head, watching Zhen Yu leave.
The dinner prepared by Zhen Yu wasn't served until almost six o'clock when Mrs. Zhen returned home, promptly collapsing onto the kang bed, laughing and proclaiming her exhaustion.
Zhen Yu brought the warm food that was covered in the pot to the table, and her brother swiftly set out bowls and chopsticks.
Mrs. Zhen sat up and, seeing the two dishes and a soup on the table, felt a warmth in her heart, her voice choked with emotion as she asked, "Did Xiao Yu make this?"
"En, go wash your hands and let's eat," Zhen Yu replied, her expression still flat but her voice softer than usual, carrying a faint hint of care.
"En! Mom will go wash her hands and try my daughter's cooking skills!" Mrs. Zhen wiped her face and went to the kitchen to wash up.
Zhen Yu sat in the chair, silent.
Zhen Yan, for some reason, suddenly felt the atmosphere becoming oppressive, opened his mouth but was unsure what to say.
What Mrs. Zhen walked into was the sight of her daughter's stern face and her son's sorrowful sighs. Forcing a smile, she loudly said, "Mom's here! Let's eat!"
Zhen Yan's mood was as quick to change as it was to arrive. Seeing his mother smiling, he happily said, "Mom~ You have to try~ Xiao Yu's noodles at noon were so delicious, my little sister is a great cook!"
"Really? Then Mom will have to eat more!" Mrs. Zhen jested with her son, taking a bite from her chopsticks, "Mm! It is indeed great! Xiao Yu's cooking skills must be inherited from me~"
"Little sister, you eat more too!" Zhen Yan served Zhen Yu a portion of eggs with slices of cucumber.
"En," Zhen Yu picked up the eggs, her chopsticks hesitated briefly before she also served some shredded meat into Mrs. Zhen's bowl, "Mom! Eat more."
"Ah!!" Mrs. Zhen's voice brimmed with joy; her daughter was unexpectedly considerate today, and it made her extremely happy!
In reality, Zhen Yu did not intend to be distant from her mother and brother.
It's just that since she started boarding school in the first year of junior high, she gradually became accustomed to being alone.
Even after moving to live with her grandfather, her relationship with him was also awkwardly polite.
When her grandfather passed away, she had little contact with others besides work.
After living alone for so long, she felt uncomfortable with the idea of being close to others.
The meal was eaten joyfully. Afterward, sitting in the living room, Mrs. Zhen reported on the day's sales.
"We sold over 20 pairs! There's a profit of fifty percent on a pair of shoes! Although the styles differ and so do the prices, even if we take an average profit of 20 yuan per pair, that's over 400 yuan in gross profit for today!"
Mrs. Zhen, holding her children's hands, excitedly said, "Xiao Yu! I never thought selling shoes could be so profitable! Back when we were selling hardware, earning two or three yuan on a lock was considered high profit!"
"Mom! It's busy because it's the opening! There are no rental fees, that's why there's high profit!" Zhen Yu intended to cool down her mother's enthusiasm, but it ended up fanning the flames.
"Right! We don't have rental fees! We were lucky Xiao Yu suggested renting a shopfront!" Mrs. Zhen was excited for a while then leaned sideways onto the kang, "It's just that I can't manage it all by myself! Today I didn't even have time to go to the bathroom!"
Zhen Yu had already anticipated this; no shop can be sustained by one person alone, and if it continued , Mrs. Zhen would certainly break down.
"We should hire someone," Zhen Yu said in an even tone: "Tomorrow we enter August, before school starts I can take turns helping with Brother, find someone you trust, probation for a month."
"Probation?" Mrs. Zhen didn't understand, it was not a common practice in a small town, and it was no surprise that Mrs. Zhen was unaware.
Zhen Yu patiently explained, "Let's make it clear in advance! If she can't sell shoes, we'll pay her daily and let her go! We must find an unmarried young woman!"
"Why?" Zhen Yan asked curiously first.
"Married women with children have too many things going on, always asking for leaves every other day!"
"..." Mrs. Zhen was at a loss for words and tentatively asked, "How about you go and have a look after we hire someone?"
"Sure!" Zhen Yu readily agreed, as she had her summer vacation and plenty of time, so she didn't mind making the trip.
Mrs. Zhen immediately found her backbone, "Alright! I'll ask the neighbors to help me look around tomorrow to see if there's anyone suitable..."
And so, the decision to hire someone was settled.
Zhen Yu went to bed promptly after studying until 9 pm, and the night passed without incident.
The next day, Zhen Yan and Zhen Yu followed their mother to Shoe City again, where Zhen Yan stayed to help, while Zhen Yu headed straight for Zhen Cheng Hardware.
She had 'agreed' with Mr. Zhen yesterday that she would come over today to get the child support.
Although it wasn't very nice to block the store's entrance early in the morning, it depended on who you were dealing with.
When it came to someone like Mr. Zhen, Zhen Yu had absolutely no qualms.
She pushed the door open and entered, finding only Mr. Zhen inside. Zhen Yu guessed that the woman had been beaten 'silly' and was at home recovering.
"Xiao Yu! You're here! Come, sit, sit down!" Mr. Zhen was extremely welcoming, showing no sign of reluctance at all, as if he wasn't the same person who got so angry his face turned dark purple because of her the day before!
There was something fishy! The better the attitude, the more difficult it probably was to get the money...
Zhen Yu was very clear about it in her mind, but for the moment, she had no intention of calling him out.
Zhen Yu sat down where Mr. Zhen pointed, with a bland expression on her face.
Come on! Let the performance begin!
"Xiao Yu, ah!" Seeing his daughter obediently seated, Mr. Zhen felt that the matter was half successful and sighed before speaking, "Dad's rented a new place for this store, and the rent nowadays is not cheap at all! Look, how about Dad gives you and your brother this month's first?"
Seeing Zhen Yu remain silent, Mr. Zhen continued to persuade her, "Wait a couple of months until the store's cash flow starts rolling! Then I guarantee I'll pay the full sum to you two in one go! What do you think?"
"No way!" Zhen Yu flatly refused.
"You," Mr. Zhen's eyebrows started to rise, but he seemed to think of something in an instant and softened his tone, "Xiao Yu, although Dad and your mom are divorced, both you and your brother are my own flesh and blood. If I have money, who else would I spend it on if not for you two? I really don't have it now—"
"—for that woman's child to spend!" Zhen Yu didn't let him finish saying 'don't have money', quickly cutting in and directly pointing it out, "You're going to have a 'son' again, aren't you?!"
Zhen Yu stressed the word 'son' particularly hard, and indeed saw Mr. Zhen's face change color.
"Now you only want to give one month's worth, but once your 'new son' is born, my brother and I probably won't even be able to get a penny!"
I knew you wouldn't hand over the money easily!
Still want a son? What are you dreaming about?
Let's see how you're going to explain this now?
It's just that I can't be bothered to argue, but when it's necessary, I can put on a performance too!
The room suddenly fell silent, Zhen Yu's words were too direct, and Mr. Zhen didn't know how to respond properly for the moment.