Liang Shuyan didn't think too much about it and nodded, "Yes, of course, don't be sad!"
Upon hearing this, Zhao Heng quickly wiped away his tears, but a thought surged in his mind: "Why can't my aunt be my mother? If my aunt is my mother, then wouldn't I have a mother?"
He silently compared his mother to Liang Shuyan in his mind and sighed, "If my aunt could really love me the same way she loves Dashan and Sanwang, then she wouldn't be any different from my mother."
A shout rang out from the tea workshop: "Oh no! A basket of rose petals is missing!"
Chunyan ran out with a sullen face and shouted.
Liang Shuyan walked over quickly and saw Chunyan looking flustered. She said, "Rose petals, what would anyone want with these? Did you forget where you put them? Look carefully again."
Chunyan shook her head firmly: "No, Auntie, I've been thinking about it, and it was my mother who came to the workshop yesterday. Could it be that my mother took it?"
Although Liang Shuyan had some estrangement from Zhao Shi, she couldn't tolerate Chunyan's irresponsible remarks about her mother. She pulled Chunyan over and said, "How can you wrong your mother like that? No matter what, she's still your mother. What does your mother need these rose petals for? She can't eat or drink them!"
Chunyan shook her head vigorously: "Auntie, I didn't. A few days ago, my mother said that my grandmother's 70th birthday is in a few days and she wanted to make rose jam pies for her. So I suspect it was my mother. It wouldn't be of any use to others to have these rose petals. Besides, no one else has come to the workshop except my mother."
Liang Shuyan felt it was better to investigate this matter thoroughly, so she said to Chunyan, "Chunyan, stop making a fuss. There are so many people here, you can't just say things without evidence, especially since it's your mother. Officials need evidence to judge cases, so don't say things without evidence."
Grandma Jin came over with a form and handed it to Liang Shuyan.
"Look, this is what I had Sanwang write down. It's the current staff arrangement for our restaurant. We don't have anyone we can rely on at home. Apart from the teahouse staff, these are the only people left!"
Liang Shuyan hadn't expected the old lady to be so concerned, so she glanced at the list of people and said, "Mother, there are only a few people left, and there's no plan for them. Why don't we wait until we recruit more people before making arrangements?"
The old lady glanced at Chunyan, who hadn't gone far, and asked, "By the way, what was Chunyan yelling about just now?"
Originally, she didn't want the old lady to know about this so soon, but at this critical juncture, if she didn't say anything, wouldn't the old lady become suspicious?
"Mother, let's go inside and talk."
Once inside, Liang Shuyan closed the door, sat on the edge of the kang (a heated brick bed), touched it, and said, "Mother, let's talk on the kang."
Grandma Jin took off her shoes, climbed onto the kang (a heated brick bed), and said with a smile, "Oh dear, ever since you started the cold jelly business, my daughter and I haven't had time to sit this close and chat. By the way, tell me, did a thief break into the workshop? Judging from Chunyan's expression, I knew it wasn't good news."
Liang Shuyan hesitated for a moment, then took the old lady's hand and said, "Mother, Chunyan said a basket of rose petals went missing from the workshop, and she insisted that her mother did it. I said a few words to her, saying that these rose petals aren't worth much, so why would the second son's family do something like this for rose petals?"
The old lady thought for a moment, and then said, "That's true, but you know Chunyan. She wouldn't talk nonsense if she wasn't sure. She must have some confidence."
"Mom, she said that her mother said her grandmother is going to celebrate her 70th birthday and her mother is going to make rose jam cakes for her grandmother. I said, don't make things up without evidence!"
The old lady of the Jin family clenched her fists tightly: "Hmph, that bitch, aren't there any rose petals on this mountain? Why did she come to our house to steal them? Although there is no evidence, I believe Chunyan's words. I have met Chunyan's grandmother, and she has indeed been talking about rose jam. This matter was probably done by the second son's wife."
Liang Shuyan didn't want to cause trouble for Zhao Shi like this. Without solid evidence, she didn't want to tarnish Zhao Shi's reputation.
"Mom, in short, since there's no evidence, let's not talk about it. Let's leave it at that and talk about it when we find the evidence. Anyway, these rose petals aren't a big problem. There are plenty on the mountain. We can just have Niu Niu pick a basket of them after school."
Suddenly, a gust of wind blew up outside the window. Zhang looked up at the sky and said, "Oh dear, how can the weather change so suddenly? It was a perfectly sunny day just now, and now it's all covered in thick clouds."
Remembering the things drying on her roof, Liang Shuyan quickly said, "Mom, please sit down first. I'll go take a look. There are still dried radishes drying on the roof. I'll go and tidy them up right away!"
Stepping outside, they saw a dusty, yellowish wind. Fortunately, Da Shan had sharp eyes and quickly gathered up the dried radishes and peppers drying on the roof. Zhao Heng, holding the ladder, carefully said, "Da Shan, be careful."
Ruyan carried a pile of firewood into the kitchen, smiling as she said, "Sister-in-law, let's put this firewood in the kitchen for now. It looks like it's going to rain outside."
Now that Ruyan is calling Zhang Shi this, Zhang Shi is also smiling and saying, "Ruyan, it's easier and sounds nicer to call you sister-in-law. Anyway, you two will be engaged soon, it's only a matter of time."
Liang Shuyan walked in, glanced at Zhang Shi, and asked, "What's wrong? I haven't seen the second son's wife for the past few days. Didn't she come back?"
“Mom, the day before yesterday, she said she had to go back to her parents’ home. I didn’t ask what it was about and just let her go. Before she left, she told me to take good care of Beibei.”
The second son's wife, ever since what happened at the martial arts school a few days ago, was scolded by Liang Shuyan. She promised to come back and not go to the martial arts school anymore. Why did she suddenly say that something had happened at her parents' home and leave without saying a word, without even saying goodbye to her mother-in-law?
Just then, Beibei's voice came from outside the door: "Mommy, Mommy, you're back!"
Liang Shuyan then took a step forward, glanced at the door, and sure enough, it was Liu Shi, heavily pregnant, who had returned with a bundle in her hand. She didn't seem to be in a very good mood.
Upon seeing Liang Shuyan, she couldn't hold back and burst into tears.
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