Chapter 6, Chapter 006: It smells so good!

After the third son's family left, Old Mrs. Gu sighed with a face full of doubt, "Does a marriage to ward off bad luck really work?"

"have no idea."

Science told her it was useless.

But if she can act out a script, what's the point of talking about science?

If it were her, she might not be able to be rational either; she'd probably be superstitious too.

Looking at the table full of jewelry and gold, Old Mrs. Gu asked, "How do you plan to store them? Can you use the safe in my house?"

Ye Baoling, who only trusted herself at the moment, closed the jewelry boxes on the table one by one, and then smiled and said, "Grandma, it's not that I don't trust you, it's that I don't trust my uncle."

They're getting more and more cunning!

However, it's good to be shrewd; what's worrisome is being naive and having no defenses against anyone.

Grandma Gu was still worried. "Where do you want to put it? Your room is full of people and eyes, so it's not safe."

"bank."

Ye Baoling deftly packed the jewelry boxes into an inconspicuous canvas bag, then had her family driver take her to the nearby China Bank.

She spent three thousand to open a safe and stored all her treasures inside.

With only 300 yuan left in her hand, Ye Baoling felt insecure without money, so she went to Baihui Bank again. The 200,000 yuan she had redeemed from her flexible investment plan had arrived in her account, and she directly withdrew 50,000 yuan in cash from the counter.

She had wanted to ask Cindy about redeeming her four million S101 stock fund, but Cindy wasn't in the office, so she had to go home first.

The Gu family, apart from her maternal grandmother, uncle, and aunt, only secretly told Gu Man'er about Ye Baoling's plan to marry Ye Huaizhang to bring good luck.

Gu Man'er looked at her cousin with disbelief: "Are you crazy? How is this any different from a ghost marriage?"

Ye Baoling shushed her: "Don't be so loud. You mustn't say anything about a ghost marriage outside. If Old Madam Guan hears you, she'll definitely think you're cursing her grandson."

"Cousin, when did you become so shrewd?"

This is called having basic emotional intelligence.

Ye Baoling didn't refute it. She and Man'er shared a room and slept in the same big bed. The two were the closest of friends, even closer than sisters, according to the script.

Gu Man'er sighed, "If Ye Huaizhang hadn't died, it would have been quite good for you to marry him."

"Why?"

"You haven't met Ye Huaizhang? He's handsome, rich, and has a bright future. He gave a speech at our school and has a lot of personal charm. But I read in a gossip magazine that he's ruthless and doesn't care about family ties. He turned against his old ministers and elders as soon as he took office, so his reputation doesn't seem very good."

Ye Baoling had no interest in discussing it further.

She looked at the building across the street and asked softly, "Is Wei Zai Qiang home?"

"I don't know. He's been away for so many days, he should be sleeping in at home right now, right? What's wrong?"

Ye Baoling told Gu Man'er about her idea of ​​helping Chen Weiqiang's family, "It can help them solve their problems, and when I go to the third branch of the Ye family, I will have someone to accompany me and protect my safety."

"That's a good idea, but... do you have the money?" Gu Man'er asked, then immediately added, "Did you exchange the gold bars for cash?"

Ye Baoling didn't explain in detail: "Never mind that, I have money to use now. Let's go, let's go to his house and take a look."

The two sisters went out through the back door, walked through the alley, and went up the dimly lit stairs, finally stopping at room 303.

The person who opened the door was Chen Weiqiang's sister, Chen Yulan.

Chen Yulan had her hair in braids and her hands were muscular, clearly indicating that she was a trained fighter.

"My brother is sleeping."

"We've come to visit your grandmother." Gu Man'er was carrying a fruit basket given to her by the third branch of the Ye family.

Chen Yulan was somewhat flattered. As she ushered them into the house, she called out, "Brother, brother! Sister Man'er and the others have come to see Grandma."

The room was small and cluttered with miscellaneous items. In the inner room, on the bunk bed, Chen Weiqiang rolled over and jumped down from the top bunk.

"Why did you buy such an expensive fruit basket? It's a waste of money."

Gu Man'er honestly replied, "It was a gift from someone. I brought it for Grandma Lin to eat."

His grandmother, Granny Lin, slumped on the sofa in the living room, her whole body swollen. She asked weakly, "Who is it?"

"Grandma Lin, it's us, Gu Man'er who lives across the street, and my cousin Ye Baoling. How are you feeling?"

Grandma Lin sighed, "It's no use anymore."

Ye Baoling suggested, "Why don't you go to Aihe Hospital for a thorough examination?"

“It’s not that I don’t want to, but we can’t afford to go to a private hospital. I’ve inquired, and the fees there are ridiculously high. For my grandmother’s condition, you can’t get in without spending at least 20,000 or 30,000 yuan.”

Chen Weiqiang works as an apprentice at a martial arts school during the day, earning a very low wage that barely covers his living expenses. At night, he works for a branch of the martial arts school, but his income is unstable, and he uses all the money he earns to pay for his grandmother's medical treatment.

Ye Baoling continued the conversation, saying, "I came here today to discuss something with you."

"What is it? Cousin, just tell me. You're Man'er's cousin, which means you're my cousin, Chen Weiqiang's cousin. If I can help, I definitely will." Chen Weiqiang wasn't very tall, and he was dark-skinned and thin, but he was a very loyal person.

Gu Man'er laughed at him: "What? You're two years older than me, my cousin is one year older than me, and you're older than my cousin, so don't call my cousin old."

Chen Weiqiang smiled sheepishly.

Ye Baoling: "It's okay, you can just call me Baoling. I'd like to find a bodyguard."

Chen Weiqiang asked in surprise, "You want me to be your bodyguard?"

He knew that Ye Baoling was the daughter of the Ye family, but she usually dressed very simply and did not seem like she needed bodyguards.

"No, I want to ask your sister to help me." Ye Baoling looked at Chen Yulan, who was standing at the kitchen door, picking water spinach while listening to their conversation.

Chen Yulan opened her mouth wide in surprise: "Me? A bodyguard?"

Chen Weiqiang asked, puzzled: "You want my sister to be your bodyguard, or... your nanny?"

"She can also serve as a bodyguard's personal assistant," Ye Baoling clearly defined her role.

Chen Yulan immediately put down what she was doing, "I can do it. I'm very good at fighting!"

The girl then made a squatting gesture, saying, "I can do housework, chores, and moving things. When do we start?"

Gu Man'er said, "My cousin has something very important to do tomorrow and needs a girl to accompany her. If you can handle it, she can start work tomorrow."

Ye Baoling took out an envelope. "There is 40,000 here, which is eight months' salary."

5000 yuan a month? And the salary is paid in advance?

Chen Weiqiang wasn't stupid: "Did you deliberately make up an excuse to give us money in order to help me?"

It doesn’t count, it doesn’t count either.

Ye Baoling smiled and said, "I need someone I can trust to help me, and your sister is the most suitable candidate. I will do my best to pay her salary in advance, and your grandmother can go to a private hospital to receive better treatment. Isn't that a win-win situation?"

Her words were very pleasing to the ear, and even if Chen Weiqiang was stubborn and had a strong sense of self-respect, he easily accepted her kindness.

Chen Weiqiang took the envelope from Ye Baoling. "Forty thousand Hong Kong dollars for eight months' salary is far too high for my sister, a newbie who has never worked before. Can we consider this a year's salary?"

Chen Yulan nodded in agreement repeatedly, saying that the high salary put a lot of pressure on her and she was afraid she wouldn't do a good job.

"Forty thousand a year is more than my brother earns."

Chen Weiqiang clicked his tongue after being teased by his sister.

Gu Man'er smiled and said, "I think it's a good idea."

Ye Baoling didn't insist: "If you think it's okay, of course I have no problem with it."

As if he had met a benefactor, Chen Weiqiang insisted that they stay at his home for lunch, saying, "I'll go out and get some char siu."

The two sisters didn't stand on ceremony and had lunch at their house. They also helped call a taxi to take Grandma Lin to Aihe Hospital for treatment.

*

In the afternoon, Ye Baoling and Gu Man'er went shopping at the mall together.

Ever since she learned that the clothes in her wardrobe were all handouts from her stepmother, Ye Baoling had been determined to replace them all.

Those clothes didn't suit her taste anyway, so changing them made her feel incredibly happy.

She didn't have much cash on hand and couldn't afford luxury goods, so she ended up spending five thousand Hong Kong dollars on seven new outfits and three pairs of shoes.

Although it's a niche brand, the styles are all quite trendy and attractive.

She also bought Gu Man'er two sets of formal wear for work.

Gu Man'er was not only beautiful, but also had a great figure. When she changed into her new clothes, Ye Baoling was stunned.

"This outfit is perfect for a law firm interview."

"It's so beautiful!"

"It's so beautiful!"

"purchase?"

"I'll buy it." Ye Baoling generously went to pay.

In this day and age, everything is spent in cash, and the feeling of spending money is really great.

Afterwards, they ate a bowl of beef offal noodles, a bowl of fried wontons, and a bowl of pig's blood soup on the street. It was already 8 p.m. when they got home.

My second cousin said that someone from Parkway Bank called her in the afternoon and asked her to reply when she had time.

The bank was already closed at this time, and Ye Baoling originally intended to call back tomorrow, but as a workaholic from her past life, she still habitually made a return call.

To my surprise, someone answered the phone after it rang twice.

I don't know if Cindy was really working overtime or was waiting for her call. She said that her boss might be able to handle the S101 fund redemption issue.

Ye Baoling exclaimed with delight, "That's wonderful!"

"Manager Li would like to meet with you the day after tomorrow to discuss the details. Would that be convenient for you, Ms. Ye?"

Ye Baoling is going through the wedding process the day after tomorrow, and for the next three days she must abide by the rules and stay in the third wife's house.

She asked, "Is tomorrow okay?"

"Manager Li has to attend a full-day meeting at headquarters tomorrow, but he's available at any other time."

"I'm busy this week, so let's meet next Monday. I'll come to see you at 10:30 am next Monday."

"OK. See you then, Miss Ye."

After hanging up the phone, Ye Baoling went back to her room, humming a song as she put away her new clothes.

The summer night was incredibly hot and humid, with the fan whirring as the sisters sat around a small round table eating watermelon.

"What delicious food did you guys eat outside? You didn't even take me with you."

Gu Man'er countered, "What are you having for dinner at home tonight?"

"Stir-fried winter melon, scrambled eggs with chives, and steamed salted fish." After saying that, my second cousin took a bite of watermelon. "I don't ask for much. It would be nice if you could replace the salted fish with grouper."

Gu Man'er teased her, "You're not asking for too much by exchanging it for a grouper?"

"Tch, can't I even dream about it?"

Ye Baoling peeled the melon rind clean. After finishing eating, she turned her head to look out the window. Chen Weiqiang's house was not lit.

At this time, Chen Weiqiang was taking care of his grandmother at the hospital, while his sister Chen Yulan, after returning from the hospital, was downstairs learning the rules of the wealthy family and work tips from Sister Ping.

"Leave a slice of watermelon for Yulan."

At night, there was no moon outside the window, nor could the stars be seen.

Ye Baoling lay on the bed, pondering the events of the past few days. She considered herself lucky; she had successfully obtained the orange-grade Ugly King Jade today, completing one-third of the mission.

Thinking about it carefully, perhaps the ugly jade pendant in the original owner's grandfather's possession was the hardest to obtain.

After all, in that old man's eyes, there was no place for her as his granddaughter, let alone the possibility of passing on the Ugly King Jue to her.

Even if the ugly king's jade pendant is worthless, it's not her turn.

We need to find a way.

The floor fan may be making a squeaking sound when it oscillates, possibly due to rusted parts.

Gu Man'er, who was reading a novel under the lamp, suddenly sighed, "When I have money, I must install an air conditioner in our room."

Air conditioning had become common in Hong Kong during this era, but only Grandma Gu and Shen Yue'e in the Gu family had air conditioning in their rooms; the others could only use fans.

Ye Baoling yawned: "Go to sleep, you can have anything in your dreams."

"Cousin, how many days will you stay at Ye Huaizhang's house?"

"Three days."

She will complete her mission in three days, and then she will go back to her grandmother's house.

Without a groom, who will she marry? Will it be like in the TV dramas, where Ye Huaizhang's cousin accompanies her to the wedding with a rooster?

A wedding ceremony with a rooster?

Lost in thought, she fell asleep.

In her dream, after the wedding ceremony, she stewed the rooster in an iron pot and enjoyed it with her cousins.

It's delicious, it smells so good!

A note from the author:

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Ye Huaizhang: I dare not go home.

Rooster: Trembling.

Ye Baoling: Don't be afraid, it will be fine after stewing.