Chapter 7 She definitely wanted to find another one.
Su Ruyi was lucky; she didn't encounter any mothers or grandmothers with boys in the bathhouse.
Although she disliked the lack of privacy in such large public bathhouses, she had to admit that they offered a better atmosphere for scrubbing, and after a scrub, she felt like she had lost two pounds.
After Su Ruyi gave Tong Yunyun a good massage, the child's skin became noticeably fairer.
Su Ruyi couldn't rub her back herself, so at first she asked Tong Yunyun to help her. But the child's rubbing was always a little off. Su Ruyi was going to make do, but the auntie next door at the water tap couldn't stand it and offered to help. She was so enthusiastic that she couldn't refuse.
As the older woman would say, "Since we're already here, it'd be a waste of money not to clean it thoroughly."
Going to a public bathhouse isn't cheap these days. In the past, the factory would issue invoices, but now you have to pay out of pocket, and it's even more expensive than before. You have to take a good bath, otherwise you'll lose out.
While rubbing it, he said, "Look at it, it's thin and has everything you need, not just skin and bones."
After Su Ruyi came in, she didn't feel awkward at all. She was very adaptable when there were no other options.
Therefore, Su Ruyi would not feel embarrassed in the face of such remarks.
"I'm just at a disadvantage because I have a small frame, so I look thin."
"Being thin is good. Things are different now than before. Young people nowadays love to be thin and don't care about being fat."
When you start belittling yourself, the other person will help you make amends; Su Ruyi was well aware of this.
When Su Ruyi left the bathhouse, she knew exactly how many people were in that woman's family, what jobs they did or where they went to school, and which daughter-in-law she had the biggest conflict with.
The other person was just too talkative; they couldn't resist talking to her, a complete stranger.
When Su Ruyi was about to leave, the aunt was reluctant to let her go and asked her to wash her clothes in the bathhouse before leaving, but Su Ruyi declined, as she could not do such a thing.
When they got home, Wang Huiting had already decorated the fruit basket and eagerly came over to show it off as soon as she saw Su Ruyi.
"What do you think of this fruit basket? I went to the newly opened boutique to buy ribbons and colored paper."
If you look closely, there aren't actually that many fruits in the fruit basket, but because Wang Huiting knows how to arrange them, they look particularly abundant, beautiful, and tempting.
Li Mei said, "Tingting just likes to mess around and do all sorts of fancy things. She's busy for a long time but hasn't accomplished anything. It's a waste of time."
Upon hearing this, Wang Huiting pouted unhappily.
"I'm not making this up. When my sister and I went to the provincial capital, we saw people packaging fruit baskets like this near the hospital, and they were selling them for a much higher price!"
Wang Huizhen has always had good grades. Two years ago, she was admitted to a vocational school in the province to study accounting with excellent results.
Vocational school graduates are still in high demand because they are guaranteed job placement upon graduation and gain several more years of work experience than university graduates.
Many students from ordinary families with good academic performance will choose vocational schools instead of thinking about going to high school, because the admission scores for good vocational schools are even higher than those for high school.
In small counties like Liulin County, many of the jobs assigned to work units are for vocational school graduates, and college graduates are relatively rare.
When Wang Huizhen went to vocational school two years ago, Tong Aihua took her there. Wang Huiting also insisted on going with her, which became a topic of conversation for her for a long time.
"Can you compare to them?"
Wang Huiting felt as if she had been doused with cold water; all her previous excitement vanished.
Su Ruyi: "Of course we can't compare."
Wang Huiting's eyes reddened when she heard this.
Su Ruyi added, "Tingting's aesthetic sense and cooking skills are much better than what you can buy outside!"
Wang Huiting suddenly looked up, her eyes wide open.
"What, do you think I'm a country bumpkin and can't keep my word?" Su Ruyi raised an eyebrow and snorted coldly.
"Of course not!" Wang Huiting smiled, her smile as radiant as a sunflower. "You really think I did a good job?"
"Otherwise what? I'm not a comedian, and I'm not responsible for making you happy."
Wang Huiting was overjoyed and was incredibly attentive, asking Su Ruyi if she wanted tea or an apple, which she would peel for her.
Seeing her so engrossed, Li Mei couldn't help but say, "It's just a little trinket..."
“Aunt Mei, you’re wrong about that. These days, everything is about packaging. Not only does the product have to be good, but it also has to look high-end to make a good impression. Look at the fruit basket that Tingting made. The fruit inside and the basket itself are worth maybe a dollar or two, but with this packaging, it’s worth at least ten dollars!” Su Ru affirmed earnestly.
Wang Huiting felt a little embarrassed listening to this. Was she really that amazing?
Upon hearing this, Li Mei looked at the fruit platter again and seemed to think that the items there were more expensive than they appeared in the haphazard arrangement.
"Tingting usually likes to mess around and doesn't care about studying. She just wants to look pretty. She braids her hair in a different way every day of the week. Today was just a lucky accident."
Wang Huiting couldn't help but roll her eyes when she heard this; her mother really couldn't say a single good thing about her.
It was supposed to be a good thing, but they had to say these discouraging things.
"Everything is packed. Shall we take it to be delivered now?"
Wang Huiting immediately changed the subject, otherwise the argument would have gone on and on, and she would have wanted Wang Huiting to kowtow and admit her mistake.
Su Ruyi nodded, "You go deliver it, I won't go."
Logically, it would be more sincere for her to visit in person, but if she went, she would inevitably be pulled aside and told how her father was, and it wouldn't seem right if she didn't shed tears with him.
Su Ruyi has now completely merged with this body, so she has feelings for Tong Aihua and doesn't want to be dragged into pain by others.
Regardless of her past or present life, her relationship with her father was very shallow. In this life, they spent seven or eight years together day and night, and continued to correspond afterward.
In her previous life, she was not even three years old when her father and mother smuggled themselves across the border. They didn't make it to the afterlife and were thrown into the sea, just like her father in this life, who never returned.
This is her biggest regret. Although her mother was not around when she was young, she knew that she still had a mother and could see her every few years. Later, with the development of communication, she would video chat from time to time, but she had no memory of her father at all.
Finally, it was Wang Huiting who brought Tong Yunyun to deliver the gifts. These gifts were brought by Su Ruyi, and Li Mei felt it was inappropriate for her to do it herself.
Su Ruyi's arrival had already spread throughout the entire furniture factory.
She showed off her skills as soon as she appeared, which shocked the entire factory.
With such a powerful person arriving, everyone is wondering what will happen.
Su Ruyi is so arrogant towards her own grandmother, everyone thinks that Li Mei and her three daughters are definitely going to lose their jobs and money.
To everyone's surprise, Wang Huiting sent several beautiful fruit baskets, containing many fruits that everyone had only heard of but never seen, let alone tasted.
Southern fruits are not cheap when they come to the north; that basket of them makes everyone envious.
It was obvious that these fruits were brought by Su Ruyi, and everyone had their own thoughts upon seeing this.
When Aunt Wang found out, she was particularly indignant: "Why should it be given to just a few families? We've helped them a lot lately. If they're so stingy, who will be willing to help in the future?"
Yang Wenjuan remained silent upon hearing this. Her mother-in-law had gossiped about that family countless times in front of her, and she had been scolded for not agreeing with them.
Her mother-in-law had mentioned Li Meikefu quite a bit.
"Mom, if you want to eat it, I'll have my sister bring some back from the province when she goes on a business trip."
Not only did Aunt Wang not calm down, she became even angrier:
"Do you think I'm doing this for the food? You're showing off like you're afraid people won't know your family is powerful and can buy anything!"
"Mom, that's not what I meant..."
"I know you too well. You never live a proper life, all you do is show off. My son is such a smart person. When I gave birth to him, all the roosters in the village crowed. Everyone said he had the destiny of a phoenix, a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. I didn't even show off, and you're showing off in front of me..."
While Wang Dama's family was making a fuss over the fruit basket, Zhao Gang's family next door, who had just received their fruit basket, were all smiles and ignored the noise from next door.
Zhao Gang's family was also quite ordinary, and most of these southern fruits were things they had never eaten or seen before. The children were especially happy to see them, as they matched them with the ones in the book and finally knew what they tasted like.
At first, Zhao Gang's wife, Li Chaoxia, was reluctant to eat it, thinking she would give it as a gift later.
Seeing how much the children were craving it, Zhao Gang told his wife to just divide it up. The fruit wouldn't keep for long, and he didn't have many people to give him gifts lately.
The furniture factory is in such a state that no amount of gifts can solve the problem; it's better to keep the good food to yourself.
Wang Zhaoxia sighed, "I was worried that if Accountant Tong's daughter came over, their family would make a bigger fuss, but now that the child seems to be doing well, I guess it's not as bad as I thought."
"I saw that she was coming, and maybe this family can be saved."
"How can a young girl like her manage? Besides, there's always something awkward about their family relationships. I think they'll break up after a while."
They seem to be getting along well now, but it's still awkward. They've never known each other before, and the bond that held them together is gone. All that's left is Tong Yunyun, who doesn't know anything. It's impossible for them to be a good match.
In any case, if Wang Chaoxia were to put herself in Wang Chaoxia's shoes, they definitely wouldn't be able to live together.
“You don’t understand.” Zhao Gang shook his head. He had a good relationship with Tong Aihua and knew some things about her family.
"Just you wait and see, once this girl arrives, Li Mei might never get married again."
Wang Chaoxia still disagreed, saying, "Li Mei isn't that old yet. Although this is her third marriage, it's not easy for a woman to raise three children alone. She'll definitely want to find another family. With her personality, she can't stand on her own; she needs a man."
When Li Mei's ex-husband passed away, she remarried hastily within a month.
The situation is very similar to that time. She has a job and a pension in her hands. If she hadn't been unable to find Tong Aihua's body, she might have already started making arrangements.
Having been neighbors for so many years, Wang Chaoxia believed she knew Li Mei quite well.
Zhao Gang didn't continue arguing with Wang Chaoxia.
That night, Su Ruyi slept on the upper bunk in the living room.
Li Mei originally wanted her to sleep in her bed, but Su Ruyi refused and chose the upper bunk in the living room instead.
This is where Wang Huizhen usually sleeps. After Su Ruyi took it, she went to sleep on Tong Yunyun's bed, while Tong Yunyun went to sleep with Li Mei.
Tong Yunyun is still in the same room as Li Mei, but they sleep in different beds, separated by a curtain.
There is some privacy, but not much.
Only when Su Ruyi lay in bed could she properly plan what to do next.
Making money is definitely the most important thing. She went to the toilet before going to bed. Although the conditions were better than a dry toilet, it was a long squat toilet.
At the very front is a faucet, and below the faucet is a water basin. The faucet is never turned off, so the water keeps flowing. When the basin is full, it tilts backward due to its weight, and the water falls into the pit, flushing the dirt backward from the front.
However, the toilet had no door, and it was smelly and not very clean. If someone defecated crookedly or the water flushed too weakly, the scene was unbearable. There were also unidentified objects on the walls, whether they were boogers or someone rubbing their buttocks there, which made Su Ru feel extremely disgusted. Going to the toilet was like torture.
She needs to quickly earn money to buy a house and install a flush toilet just for her!
Riding the wave of the times and possessing memories of the future, she doesn't necessarily have to become a tycoon, but at least she should be similar to her former self, a landlady who can pay taxes without having to work.
However, before that, she had to go to the Zhang family, which is the home of the male protagonist in the original story. This was a plot point she couldn't avoid.
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