Upon hearing Xu Mingjiang bring up this topic, Zhang Xuemei immediately replied, "I asked Teacher Chen about this before, but he said he needed to report it to the school, and the finance department wasn't working then, so it wasn't settled. Now that it's alright, let's go ask Teacher Chen together!"

"However, Mingjiang, now that you're in charge of these three floors of the cafeteria, you must manage them well, especially regarding hygiene and taste. You can't afford to start cutting corners after a while, understand?"

"Third Sister-in-law, don't worry about that. Don't you know who I am? I'll definitely manage the canteen well," Xu Mingjiang assured, patting his chest. He had many ideas in his mind, just waiting for the opportunity to show them in the future.

Zhang Xuemei asked around and finally found Teacher Chen's office, but unfortunately, he wasn't there.

"Third Sister-in-law, why don't we wait outside for a while? They might be back soon." Xu Mingjiang glanced at his watch. They were going to stay at school all day anyway, so a little extra time wouldn't make a difference.

Zhang Xuemei was about to say something when she glanced up and saw Teacher Chen walking up the stairs. She waved happily and called out, "Teacher Chen!"

Teacher Chen saw Zhang Xuemei and the other person and understood why they had come to see her, so she smiled and welcomed them into the office.

"Sit down. The matter you wanted to discuss has been resolved. The finance department has no objections; they really don't want this extra task. So, from now on, you'll be responsible for selling the meal tickets yourselves. However, you'll need to pay a deposit of ten thousand. You have no objections to that, right?"

Xu Mingjiang was initially happy to hear that they were allowed to sell their own meal tickets, but he immediately objected when he heard that a deposit of 10,000 yuan was required. "Teacher Chen, why do we need a deposit? Isn't this supposed to be our cafeteria's responsibility?"

"Mr. Xu, we were just worried about something going wrong along the way. Don't worry, we will definitely pay you back when the contract expires."

"No, I..." Xu Mingjiang was about to say something when Zhang Xuemei stopped him. He glanced at his third sister-in-law and reluctantly shut his mouth.

"Teacher Chen, we have no problem with the deposit, but this morning I discovered that the students are still using meal tickets from last semester. So, when we settle the bill, should we still go to the finance department?"

Zhang Xuemei had also thought about this problem on her way here. If the cafeteria were to sell meal tickets themselves in the future, what would happen to the meal tickets that students had left over from the previous semester? The money wouldn't end up in their hands anyway, so there should be some explanation.

“We’ve thought of that too. Here’s what we’re going to do: we’re going to tell the students to use up their old meal tickets within a week. You should also hurry up and make new meal tickets. Then at the end of the month, you can use the old meal tickets to settle your accounts with the finance department. After that, it’s up to you.”

Hearing what Teacher Chen said, Zhang Xuemei breathed a sigh of relief, and then brought up the matter of renewing the contract, "Teacher Chen, it's like this, we'd like to renew the contract for the next five years as we agreed before, do you think it's possible now?"

"Sure, why not? We're not asking you to pay now. You can pay when the time is up. If possible, we can sign the contract now."

Teacher Chen was straightforward; it didn't matter who he contracted it to, and besides, he felt that Zhang Xuemei and the others seemed honest and should be able to manage the cafeteria well, as long as no major problems arose.

...

With everything in the canteen under Xu Mingjiang's management, Zhang Xuemei returned to her old routine. Every morning, she would get up early to check on the maternity and baby store, and then go to collect accounts and check the day's turnover before leaving get off work. Her life was quite relaxed and comfortable.

Until someone came knocking and shattered the peace of their lives.

Looking at Li Xiufen standing in front of her, Zhang Xuemei's expression was very complicated. She didn't know how to face this former sister-in-law, especially since Li Xiufen seemed to have awakened something as well.

Li Xiufen looked at Zhang Xuemei's home renovation with envy, feeling even more resentful. She felt that all of this should have been hers, but she missed out.

Zhang Xuemei didn't miss the expression on her face, but she remained calm and asked with a smile, "Xiufen, how did you find your way here?"

"What? Is Sister Xuemei not welcoming us?"

Zhang Xuemei paused upon hearing this, then replied coldly, "I didn't mean that. I just feel that you and Minghe went on a date before, and as you know, my mother-in-law has some issues with you. She's taken the child out to play now, and I don't want her to see you when she comes back, so it won't be awkward for everyone."

Since she can't speak properly, she's not going to hold back anymore. Does she really think she's someone important? The two families aren't even that close to begin with, so who is she putting on this act for?

As soon as Li Xiufen uttered those words, she regretted them. She seemed to be influenced by her dream, feeling that Zhang Xuemei and Xu Minghan had changed everything, and that this was the reason she and Xu Minghe missed each other, so she was somewhat resentful.

But she quickly composed herself and tentatively looked at Zhang Xuemei, "Sister-in-law Xuemei, do you believe in reincarnation?"

Hearing this, Zhang Xuemei became even more certain, but still looked puzzled. "What past life and present life? Xiufen, what are you trying to say?"

Li Xiufenmei ignored her question and continued, "Sister-in-law Xuemei, do you know what? I had a dream a few days ago. I dreamt that I married Xu Minghe and became your sister-in-law..."

"Xiufen, a dream is a dream, and besides, you and Minghe are both married now, so it's not appropriate to talk about these things." Zhang Xuemei interrupted her hastily before she could finish speaking.

"No, Sister Xuemei, in my dream I was with Minghe, and we even had two children. We just lived an ordinary life. Minghe didn't come to Tianshui City, and your Xu family didn't prosper..." As she spoke, Li Xiufen looked at Zhang Xuemei with a puzzled expression, wondering why her dream was so different from reality.

Seeing her confused expression, Zhang Xuemei knew that she was just dreaming and didn't have memories of her past life like them, so she breathed a slight sigh of relief and then retorted, "So it's a dream, Xiufen. You should know that dreams can't be taken seriously. Don't you think it's ridiculous to say that?"

"I'm divorced," Li Xiufen suddenly blurted out, then stared intently at Zhang Xuemei, making her feel uneasy. She regretted inviting her in; now she was all alone at home, and if…

“I regret not listening to my mother, but it’s too late now. Sister Xuemei, I came here today for no other reason than to confirm if what I dreamed was real. Now it seems I was just overthinking things.”

Li Xiufen didn't wait for Zhang Xuemei's reply. After speaking, she stood up, smiled at her, and left.