"What were you talking about just now?" Li Rouniang wasn't here; she went to get lunch and came back to hand one to Xiuer.
Seeing Manager Fan leave with a bad expression, I asked him.
Xiuer didn't notice Manager Fan's expression and said with a smile, "It's nothing. Manager Fan asked who introduced us, and I told her. She was really nice to us. She took good care of us all morning. It was much better than at the restaurant."
Compared to his constant busyness at the restaurant, Xiu'er felt that Manager Fan was actually a good person, but unfortunately, she was a little too quick to judge.
Li Rouniang lowered her head and didn't say much. Manager Fan's expression had been very bad just now. She had just greeted Manager Fan with a smile, but he had ignored her with a sullen face. She had thought that Xiu'er had accidentally offended Manager Fan while he was chatting with her.
It seems that's not the case. Could it be just my imagination? Was Manager Fan not targeting me just now, but had something else on his mind? Perhaps I'm being too sensitive!
"What's wrong, Rou Niang?" Xiu'er asked, noticing Li Rou Niang's unreadable expression.
"It's nothing, I'm probably just overthinking it. Let's eat, we have to go back to work this afternoon," Li Rouniang said with a smile, not saying anything more, hoping it was just her imagination.
However, this was confirmed in the afternoon. Unlike in the morning, Manager Fan did not take good care of the two of them. Instead, he not only ordered them around frantically, but also nitpicked and found fault with them.
Finally, in front of the entire kitchen, he started cursing at the two of them: "Don't think you're so great just because you know a few people. You have to listen to me. If you don't obey me, get out of here."
Xiuer felt somewhat aggrieved, not understanding why Steward Fan had changed like this in just one afternoon. Li Rouniang also didn't understand the specific reason, but fortunately, the incident at noon had given her some mental preparation, so her psychological shock wasn't as great as Xiuer's.
They finally finished work in the evening and walked home together.
"Rou Niang! Xiu'er!"
"What brings you here, Fourth Brother?" Li Rouniang asked with some surprise.
"Since it's your first day here, and I introduced you, I was a little worried, so I came to check on you first. How are things going? Have you been bullied?" Li Si asked with a smile.
"Don't even mention it, Brother Li. Everything was going smoothly until this afternoon when I don't know what got into Steward Fan, he just couldn't stand the two of us and started targeting us at every turn," Xiu'er complained, sounding a little aggrieved.
She wasn't originally like this; she had endured far more suffering. But when she saw Li Si, she couldn't help but want to say more.
Li Si frowned upon hearing this and asked, "Which Manager Fan?"
"It's nothing, he's just asking us to do normal work. Maybe we didn't understand a lot on our first day, so he gave us some pointers," Li Rou Niang said quickly, afraid that Li Si would cause trouble for Manager Fan and make things more complicated.
“It’s the one in the kitchen! Rou Niang is right, I might have misunderstood.” Xiu’er quickly chimed in after Rou Niang’s reminder, admitting that she had acted impulsively just now.
Having finally found a job with a relatively stable income, she didn't want to give it up so easily; she still had the grass to feed.
"It's her. I'm afraid you've been implicated because of me." Li Si chatted with the two as they walked. "Years ago, her son got into trouble, and I personally went to arrest him. I bet she still holds a grudge about it. Why don't you not go tomorrow, so she won't make things difficult for you. I'll find you some other work."
Li Si felt somewhat apologetic.
"It's alright, Brother Li, it'll get better with time. I think she's just having trouble getting over it right after finding out. By the way, what happened to her son?" Li Rouniang wanted to resolve the conflict as much as possible. At least she didn't want Brother Li to be blamed for doing his job. After all, Li Si was a constable, and arresting people was his duty.
"Sigh, don't even mention it. He wasn't well-behaved in prison either. He got a beating from some of the prison bosses, and they broke his leg. Now I hear he's at home drinking and gambling all day long, not doing anything productive. I bet Manager Fan is having a hard time too," Li Si sighed.
Back then, Steward Fan's son got into a fight over protection money. Several constables chased after him to arrest him, but he escaped. Li Si went to his house and caught him, just as Steward Fan witnessed it. Steward Fan pleaded for leniency. At the time, he was a newly appointed official, somewhat upright and incorruptible, so he didn't show favoritism or bend the law. This is why Steward Fan has held a grudge ever since.
What's more, when her son was released, his leg was broken, and he limped around. His wife had also run away. Now he spends his days drinking and gambling at home, and the house is no longer a home. Manager Fan must be having a terrible time, and his hatred for her is probably even stronger now.
Li Rouniang fell silent. It seemed this was a dead end, one that couldn't be untied.
From now on, she and Xiuer will try to be more diligent and observant. At worst, they'll just have to listen to her scolding a bit more. Anyway, a few more scoldings won't hurt them.
"Brother Li, this wasn't your fault. Who told him to do it? It's okay, Rou Niang and I will do our job well. You don't need to worry about us." Xiu'er felt wronged for Li Si. It was clearly the other person who did the wrong thing first. Was it wrong for him to arrest him?
Without realizing it, Xiu'er had psychologically sided with Li Si.
Li Si thought Xiu'er was quite considerate. She smiled at him, and the smile made Xiu'er blush to her neck. Fortunately, it was late and no one noticed.
"I originally planned to take you out for a nice meal on your first day of work, but then I thought about the elderly and children at home, so I just packed up the food from this restaurant. You can heat it up and eat it when you get home." Li Si saw the two of them to the village entrance before handing the food box to Li Rou Niang.
"Oh dear, how could I accept this? We should be the ones treating you," Li Rouniang quickly waved her hand.
"What's there to be embarrassed about? Do you need to be so polite with me? You should go back now. You have to go to work tomorrow morning, but if you really can't, you don't have to keep going. It's okay." Li Si instructed her, and seeing Li Rou Niang wave her hand, he handed the food box to Xiu Er.
"Why don't you come over for a bite, Brother Li? You'll have to cook for yourself if you go back alone," Li Rou Niang said politely.
"I'm afraid you're being too shy." Actually, Li Si had the same idea. Whether he ate or not didn't matter; he just wanted to spend more time with Li Rou Niang.
"What's there to be embarrassed about? Let's get to know Brother Li together," Xiu'er quickly said. She couldn't wait to spend more time with Li Si.
Each of them returned home with their own thoughts on their own.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
