Chapter 107 Resentment

After a long silence, Tao's mother sighed helplessly.

"Alright, now that you have your own ideas, do whatever you want. I won't say anything more."

"Mom, don't worry, everything I do is for the good of this family."

Tao Tao leaned on her shoulder, and the two clasped hands.

"By the way, Mom will make you red shredded crystal sashimi tomorrow. It's your favorite. I haven't heard you mention eating it in a long time."

"I used to eat it only once every two or three months, but now that I have the means, I can eat it every day."

As she listened to her, Tao Tao unconsciously frowned.

This crystal sashimi is made with pork skin and chicken, but she hates eating pork skin, so she's not the one who actually likes this dish.

"Tao'er? Tao'er..."

Tao's mother waved her hand in front of her, her eyes filled with confusion.

"Oh, Mother, that's great! It's rare that you still remember what I like to eat."

She looked up at her with a smile.

Tao's mother smiled and said, "Then eat more tomorrow."

Today marks the opening of the "Life's Big Events" store branch in the eastern part of the city.

Due to the nature of the industry, Tao Tao did not make a big fuss, and there was no ceremony. She simply changed the signboard and then opened for business.

Passersby would find it unlucky to even glance at the funeral parlor, completely unaware that it had changed owners.

Only the nearest neighbors knew.

Tao's mother and Xixin lived in the shop in the south of the city, so she temporarily kept the two brothers, Yu Shan and Yu He, in that shop.

Since it just opened, she'll be here for a while to see if business is bad.

Ding Yunxiang told Xixin about the shop and then went out.

Xi Xin didn't ask her where she went, since it was none of her business where she went anyway.

After making several inquiries, Ding Yunxiang arrived at the residence of the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Personnel, the Cai family.

“Brother, I am Ding Yunxiang, daughter of the Salt Commissioner of Suizhou. I have come to see Uncle Cai. Please go in and announce my arrival.”

The gatekeeper glanced at her from head to toe, noticing her shabby clothes and her self-proclaimed status as the daughter of a salt commissioner, and immediately looked disdainful.

Thinking about it, this young lady looks pretty, but she's a lunatic who actually dares to come to the Cai family to swindle and cheat.

That's incredibly audacious.

"Young lady, open your eyes and take a good look. This is the residence of the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Personnel, not a place where you can swindle money!"

"Be smart and get out of here, or I'll report you to the authorities and have you arrested right now."

The gatekeeper's attitude was extremely rude. He thought to himself that beautiful women in the capital were as numerous as carp crossing a river, and even the concubines in the ministers' harems were all stunningly beautiful.

To think that one could impersonate the daughter of a salt commissioner based solely on one's appearance is simply wishful thinking.

Ding Yunxiang was stunned, her face instantly filled with shame and embarrassment. She hadn't expected that these people wouldn't even bother to give her a heads-up.

"I really am the daughter of the Salt Commissioner. I have proof. Look, it's real!"

She took out a jade ring from her bosom and showed it to them.

These jade rings were originally a pair. Ding Yixu's promotion document as salt transport commissioner was stamped with the seal of the vice minister of the Ministry of Personnel. The two were both members of the Crown Prince's faction, so they naturally became acquainted over time.

At a promotion banquet, Cai Jiuwen, the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Personnel, and Ding Yixu toasted each other and chatted happily. Cai's eldest son, Cai Benbai, and Ding's eldest daughter, Ding Yunge, were about the same age.

The two hit it off immediately and decided to establish their marriage with a token, with the eldest son to marry the eldest daughter, Ding Yunge, once he achieved success.

Three years later, Ding Yixu took the initiative to write a letter mentioning marriage, but it disappeared without a trace.

Not long after, an imperial edict was issued from the capital, marking the end of the Ding family's fortunes.

The jade ring originally belonged to her older sister. When her sister was sold, she specifically gave the jade ring to her, hoping that one day she could seek help from the capital and clear the Ding family's name.

The two gatekeepers glanced at each other, looking at each other with a hint of doubt in their eyes.

Could this young lady really be the daughter of the Salt Commissioner?

"What's going on? What are you doing?"

A middle-aged man dressed as a butler came out of the door.

The gatekeeper immediately became cautious and turned to say respectfully, "Steward, this young lady says she is the daughter of the Salt Commissioner of Suizhou, and she also has a token."

The Salt Commissioner of Suizhou? The Ding family!

The butler's expression changed instantly, and he scrutinized her from head to toe with sharp eyes.

He clearly knew about the Ding family's property being confiscated, which meant she was the daughter of a disgraced official. Regardless of whether there were any tokens or not, her coming to their door would be a problem.

“We don’t know any salt commissioner here. You should leave immediately and stop causing trouble.”

"close the door!"

After the butler finished speaking, he turned around and left.

The doorman followed him inside and slammed the door shut without hesitation.

Ding Yunxiang tried to step forward to stop them and squeeze in, but was pushed out and fell to the ground in a sorry state, unable to get up for a long time.

Having endured countless hardships to get here, and finally escaped from that hellhole, I thought that the Cai family, with whom I had a marriage agreement, wouldn't be like those opportunists.

In the end, I realized that human relationships are cold and indifferent; these people are all the same, without a shred of affection.

Thinking of this, she couldn't help but cry sadly.

People passing by cast their gazes at her. Ding Yunxiang was crying when she suddenly realized that everyone was looking at her. She quickly stood up and wiped her tears with her sleeve.

But the rough cotton sleeves made his face feel particularly uncomfortable, and he also felt the strange looks from those people.

All of this made her feel extremely uncomfortable, along with a strange sense of shame.

She hurriedly fled the area and stumbled back to the Tao family home.

The sun is setting.

Xi Xin helped Tao's mother into the alley leading home.

"Aunt Tao, the boss took her in, so she should at least do some work. What's the point of letting her eat and drink for free?"

"Still acting like a rich heiress, putting on such a haughty air for who knows what? She even looks down on me when we share a room."

"She just lay down on the table and fell asleep, making me feel like I was unclean."

Xi Xin spoke indignantly, feeling very dissatisfied with this person.

Tao's mother patted her hand helplessly and said with a smile, "Alright, don't be angry. This lady has been pampered since childhood, so it's normal for her to be unaccustomed to it for a while. Just be more accommodating to her."

"Aunt Tao, you and the boss are too kind. What do you mean by 'golden branch and jade leaf'? This person is just a beggar that the boss picked up on the street."

"Women who end up on the streets may have lost their homes."

As she spoke, she pushed open the door, and Ding Yunxiang happened to be sitting in the middle of the courtyard.

She stared intently at Xixin as she entered, her expression suggesting she had overheard something.

Xi Xin looked unwell, and her eyes seemed a little guilty. Then, she mustered her courage and pretended nothing had happened as she went into the kitchen to prepare dinner.

Thinking of what they had just said at the door, Ding Yunxiang's face tightened, and she twisted her clothes with both hands, full of resentment and anger.

If her father hadn't been framed, how could she have ended up like this, suffering so much hardship and discrimination?