Chapter 25
Xiuyu got the approximate location of Yingxiang Shop from Liu Shi, and then, under the pretext of going out to buy groceries, she started looking for it one shop at a time.
She quickly found the place.
"Third sister-in-law, I'm busy."
Yingxiang subconsciously looked up and saw her sister-in-law with a smile on her face, which puzzled her.
"Sister-in-law, what brings you here?"
The shop is currently doing very well, with the restaurant packed with customers. The fourth brother and Madam Ma shuttle back and forth between the lobby and the kitchen to serve the customers. The two of them are sweating profusely, but they are both in high spirits.
The money in hand is the most important thing. The second son was busy in the kitchen, while Yingxiang was in charge of the accounts. Before, with Liu Shi and Old Man Wen helping out in front, they were able to have some free time.
Now that these two have gone to the boss's place, business is booming, and everyone has to work.
"This business is really good, sister-in-law."
"Sister-in-law, I'm still busy. You go upstairs first. Second sister-in-law, take care of the child upstairs. We can talk after we're done."
"well."
Xiuyu was dissatisfied, but since she had come to ask for a loan, and she didn't want to work, she went straight upstairs.
In addition to collecting payments, Yingxiang also has to shuttle between the front and back of the kitchen to help serve dishes.
By noon, the sun was rising, and the food prepared in the morning was almost sold out. With only a few people left to eat, Wen Laosi closed the shop as usual.
Brother Wen shouted from below, and soon after, Sister-in-law Wen came down with the child and Xiuyu.
Xiuyu looked pale for some reason, and Yingxiang ignored her. In the morning, each person would eat at most a steamed bun and an egg to tide them over. The leftovers around noon were their proper meal.
She was so hungry that her stomach was practically sticking to her back. When Ma brought out the food, everyone ate very quickly, as they were all starving. Xiuyu sat to the side, feeling rather awkward.
"Sister-in-law, what brings you here?"
"Sister-in-law, let's talk in private for a moment."
By noon, the sun was blazing, and there were fewer and fewer pedestrians on the street, all afraid of catching a heatstroke. It was just as hot inside the shop, and Yingxiang felt her forehead covered in sweat.
Xiuyu was wearing a blue dress and a wooden hairpin in her hair. She also had makeup on her face, but she didn't apply it evenly. Yingxiang didn't seem to mind.
“We’re all family, sister-in-law, you can say whatever you want here.”
Yingxiang held a palm-leaf fan and kept fanning herself. The thought of this awful weather lasting for another two months made her extremely worried. This year was much hotter than last year, but there was not much rain.
If this year's harvest is reduced, it will inevitably affect her business next year, and grain prices will definitely rise.
Xiuyu glanced at everyone, gritted her teeth, and then said, "Sister-in-law, our parents have been with us for quite a while. When do you think you should go and bring them back? I see you're all quite busy, and it would be easier for them to lend a hand."
Yingxiang didn't even lift her eyelids when she heard this.
“Sister-in-law, it’s not my business where our parents go. If they care, they will come back. We are the younger generation.”
Xiuyu was upstairs just now, and Sister-in-law Wen didn't pay much attention to her. She kept staring downstairs and was surprised to find that the shop's business was much better than she had expected.
Based on the principle of getting things done without borrowing money, she changed her mind. Unexpectedly, Yingxiang pulled this stunt on her. Everyone looked at Xiuyu, and even those who weren't stupid understood.
“Sister-in-law, it’s only right that our parents live with you and enjoy their retirement. Our brother has been studying and the family has supported him for so many years. Since you married into the family, have you ever done a single day of farm work? We’ve been taking care of our parents at home for so many years. We should have a conscience.”
Upon hearing her sister-in-law's words, Xiuyu immediately stood up, her face flushed, clearly angry.
Ma looked at her two sisters-in-law without saying a word, but the smile on her face had already disappeared.
Yingxiang picked up her teacup, poured herself a cup of tea, and stared straight at Xiuyu.
"How could your elder brother and I be heartless?"
“I didn’t say you and your brother are heartless. It’s getting late, sister-in-law, and your third sister-in-law is going home too. We still need to pack up, so we won’t keep you any longer. As for our parents, they’re not senile. They can do whatever they want. As their children, we just need to be filial.”
After speaking, Sister-in-law Wen carried the child upstairs. Madam Ma and Wen Lao Si also got up one after another. Xiu Yu was so angry that she wanted to say something, but no one paid any attention to her.
In the end, she could only slink away. Yingxiang watched her retreating figure, her expression changing slightly.
This matter was probably not over yet. Sure enough, as soon as she stepped out of the street, she was immediately stopped by Sister-in-law Wen.
"Sister-in-law."
"Hasn't your sister-in-law gone back yet?"
The weather outside was hot and dry, and Xiuyu felt a little embarrassed when she heard this, but she didn't care too much about saving face, after all, her family was the most important.
"Sister-in-law, there's one more thing. I'd like to borrow some money from you?"
Yingxiang glanced at Yuqin, then started counting on her fingers; “Sister-in-law, I want to help you too, but we’re not well-off either. My husband needs money for his studies, we need money to rent a house in the county, and we also have to pay for the rent and purchase of this shop. We can’t let our brothers work for free, so we have to pay them wages. I’m not well-off either.”
After Yingxiang finished speaking, Xiuyu was startled.
She really didn't expect that the third son and his wife would bring their whole family out to work, just to give them food and wages.
If it were her, she wouldn't give a single penny. We're family, why be so calculating? Even if we give them money, we can't let them eat and stay for free.
"Third sister-in-law, are you still paying them their wages?"
"Of course. By the way, sister-in-law, Xiao Wu is now studying away from home. I suppose your parents have already told you that your husband is also providing the money."
Xiuyu was speechless. She suddenly understood why Old Man Wen and Madam Liu were so determined to ask them for money this time.
The third son and his wife are complete fools. How can they be so good to their family? Compared to them, the old couple naturally didn't like them.
She hesitated several times, unsure of what to say.
"Sister-in-law, it's getting late and it's still incredibly hot. I'm going back now. You should go back too, or you'll catch a heatstroke."
After Yingxiang finished speaking, regardless of Xiuyu's interesting expression, she headed straight home.
After returning home, Yingxiang went straight to the kitchen. She cooked a pot of mung bean soup and took out a packet of rock sugar that the system had given her when she checked in yesterday. She was a little reluctant to put some in, as these things were rare items these days.
The weather is hot, so the couple needs to take care of themselves and avoid heatstroke.
Life is slowly getting better, and Yingxiang is very satisfied with this kind of life. After returning to her room, she changed her clothes and began to silently sign in.
"Today's reward has been issued. Please open your backpack."
Yingxiang opened her backpack, and the next second she suddenly had a mahogany basin in her hand, which was quite heavy. Then the electronic voice in her head sounded again, which surprised her.
"Congratulations, host. Today's sign-in reward is a smart laundry tub. Add clothes and water, and it will wash automatically."
The electronic voice in Yingxiang's mind disappeared immediately after it finished speaking, but Yingxiang was stunned. She looked at the wooden basin in her hand in disbelief, examining it from head to toe, but she didn't find anything special about it.
Recalling what the system had just said, three words involuntarily popped into her mind: washing machine.
Yingxiang decided to give it a try, since washing clothes herself is quite tiring. She threw in several sets of dirty clothes that the two of them had accumulated over the past few days. The clothes were overflowing, so she pressed them down with her hands. She then poured in two buckets of water. The two of them changed clothes very frequently, and there was no shortage of water at home. Wen Shi didn't act like a king at home; he would wash his own clothes, so they weren't that dirty.
After pouring the water, Yingxiang subconsciously took two steps back.
The next second, something amazing happened: the clothes in the wooden basin started spinning on their own, just like a washing machine, spinning very fast, and water would splash out from time to time.
Yingxiang squatted under the eaves, staring intently at the wooden basin in the middle of the yard.
After a while, the clothes in the basin stopped spinning. She walked straight over, took the clothes out of the basin one by one, and began to wring them out.
In this weather, even if she doesn't wring the clothes very dry, they'll be dry by the time she gets back in the afternoon.
Yingxiang happily poured out the water from the basin and carefully put the basin away. She was in a very good mood at the moment, and she could finally free her hands from now on.
This thing is so useful; she feels it cleans better than washing by hand, and she no longer needs to beat the water with a stick.
Thinking of the bedding on the bed, which used to be washed only once a year in the village, Yingxiang didn't hesitate much and went inside to take off the quilt covers and sheets on this hot day.
The couple's bedding was made of ordinary cotton, not expensive silk. After washing it, Yingxiang happily draped the sheets in the yard.
The spilled water dried quickly. Seeing the somewhat glaring sunlight, she didn't linger. After tidying up, she went inside to rest.
"This is wonderful!" she thought, sitting down in her chair and picking up a teacup. She was filled with delight.
From now on, she can't miss the sign-in; the system will still give her surprises.
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