Chapter 91: Repaying 100,000 Yuan, Painful Past
The five days of selling fried skewers passed quickly. After the last day, Su Yuchen collapsed on the bed, exhausted as if he was about to fall apart.
From the first day she informed Zhao Xiaojing in the group that she was leaving, the customers' orders started to go crazy. Almost every order was 20 kilograms of fried skewers plus 5 cups of milk ice or more. On the first day, just one hour after the order was placed, the order reached 1,300 kilograms.
At that time, Su Yuchen had no idea about the weight of the fried skewers, and he was just happy to see everyone enthusiastically taking over.
It wasn't until Zhao Xiaojing glanced at her phone and saw that most of the people in the group hadn't started placing orders yet that the terrifying number had already been reached. She immediately issued a group announcement to limit purchases, stipulating that each person could order a maximum of 5 kilograms of fried skewers and 2 cups of shaved ice.
But even so, the enthusiasm of more than 200 people in the group remains undiminished. All members go out every day and everyone orders the maximum quantity of 5+2.
It was not until he really blasted over 1,000 kilograms of meat every day that Su Yuchen realized the horror of physical labor. He was exhausted to the point of dizziness.
On the other hand, Zhao Xiaojing took on most of the work and was busy all day long, but after finishing, she could still sit in a chair and take notes?
Su Yuchen looked straight over, his eyes full of disbelief.
"I told you to do less work, but you didn't listen. Now you know you're tired, don't you?" Zhao Xiaojing looked at the man with amusement, saying, "After practicing standing meditation tomorrow, you can rest at home. I can go by myself."
"Oh my God! Can you take a day off from practice tomorrow? I can help you move things." Su Yuchen looked worried.
Since meeting Wei Liguo and the others, Zhao Xiaojing dragged Su Yuchen to the square downstairs every morning to learn Tai Chi. Su Yuchen was very excited on the first day, thinking that he could finally learn a few moves.
Unexpectedly, Zhao Xiaojing didn't teach her any moves, but just asked her to stand in a stance. It took her half an hour to teach her the stance alone, and she stood there for five days...
Su Yuchen wanted to cry but had no tears. His legs went weak when he heard about standing still.
"No, I can move things by myself, but I have to practice standing still." Zhao Xiaojing put down her pen with a smile and helped Su Yuchen press his calf.
She had just finished calculating the accounts for the past five days. She had sold 1,150 kilograms of fried skewers and 460 cups of smoothies every day, but the profits varied depending on the product.
The most she earned in a day was close to 8,000 yuan, and the least she earned in a day was more than 6,000 yuan. Now she has more than 140,000 yuan in savings.
Zhao Xiaojing felt like a dream, as if it had only been a short time since she'd last worried about her 350 yuan rent. Back then, she had only a few hundred yuan left. Now, more than two months later, she had a six-figure savings account.
Although she was about to pay back most of it, she felt a special sense of accomplishment when she held the six-figure sum of money she had earned in her hands for the first time.
"What are you thinking about? I really don't need to go tomorrow?" Su Yuchen waved his palm in front of Zhao Xiaojing. "Are you going to have another fight?"
"I don't think so. We've already agreed on it. I'll have a good chat with her tomorrow." Zhao Xiaojing answered uncertainly.
Zhao Xiaojing had already taken Su Yuchen to the Wen family and told the old couple that they were leaving. Now only Dong Mei was left.
It just so happened that tomorrow was the weekend and Dong Mei was on vacation. Zhao Xiaojing had already called in advance and was ready to go over to repay the money, and by the way, temporarily leave the things in the rental house that she would not take to Jiangcheng at Dong Mei's house.
Another night of anxiety.
The next morning, Zhao Xiaojing moved her things to Dong Mei's door. After preparing herself mentally for a while, she knocked on the door quietly.
After knocking twice, the door opened from the inside. Dong Mei looked at Zhao Xiaojing expressionlessly, and then helped carry Zhao Xiaojing's things into the small room.
The cabinets in the small room were empty and wiped clean, obviously having been specially cleaned.
Zhao Xiaojing sighed softly, put her things away and followed Dong Mei back to the living room.
"Aunt, here's 100,000 yuan." Zhao Xiaojing took out ten neatly stacked stacks of 100-yuan bills from her bag and placed them on the table in front of the sofa.
Although the outstanding amount was 80,000 yuan, it had been borrowed for more than six years, and Zhao Xiaojing paid an additional 20,000 yuan in interest.
"You're really capable!" Dong Mei glanced at the money on the table and turned her head away, speaking with her usual sarcasm, "Take the extra 20,000. I wouldn't let you do this kind of work, and you're using this money to slap me in the face, why?"
"Aunt, you know I don't mean that. I'm going to Jiangcheng tomorrow. I just want you to rest assured. I have the ability to make money now, so you don't have to worry about me anymore."
"Go wherever you want. You have legs on your body. What's the point of me worrying? I can't control you!" Dong Mei still had a look of lawsuit on her face, speaking with sarcasm. "You can do such a shameful job, don't listen to a word the adults say, and don't care about your mother and me. Why are you saying this now?"
Zhao Xiaojing was silent for a while and decided to make things clear.
"Aunt, I didn't want to tell you these things.
You don't know, but before I started high school, my mom told you she worked in a cotton mill, but she was actually lying. We didn't interact much back then, so you didn't notice.
She didn't go to the canteen to wash dishes because she couldn't stand the three-shift work in the cotton mill. It was just an excuse when you found out that she was washing dishes.
At that time, the cotton mill only recruited people under the age of 35. Any formal job had an age limit, so my mother had no chance of getting in.
She lied to you because although you rarely chatted every time you met, you would always ask about her work and whether her money was enough to support me. She didn't want to trouble you or make you worry.
In fact, she would get up early every day to set up a small stall to sell fried cakes, tofu pudding and porridge. After selling them, she would go back to work in the canteen. Sometimes she would string beads at night and take them to the night market to earn some money.
During the most difficult times, she set up a small stall in the morning, washed dishes in the cafeteria during the day, and took care of me at night to help me stay up late to do homework. If I was hungry after studying until midnight, she would make me something to eat. I would get up at 6:30 in the morning and she would already be up to set up the stall.
She said she didn't ask for anything else, didn't ask me to be rich, she just asked that after I graduated from school I could have a skill to support myself, and not be like her.
I am good at cooking porridge, and it’s not entirely because I learned it after she fell ill. I helped her cook it when she set up a stall before.
Later, when my mother was ill, I helped Ding Laowu's pork stall deliver lard, 20 kilograms at a time, to the fourth floor. When my mother found out, she cried, but she didn't stop me. She just said that after she was gone, I wouldn't starve to death.
So, Aunt San, for my mom and I, we've already done all the hard work. Working on construction sites and setting up stalls to earn money is not shameful at all. Poor people don't have much face. My mom has long since gotten over it, and so have I.
Zhao Xiaojing had a calm expression on her face as she whispered things that she had been unable to say before and had kept secret for her entire life in her previous life.
Dong Mei, who was standing next to her, became more and more shocked as she listened, and she stared at Zhao Xiaojing with wide eyes.
How could this be? Why is this happening?
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com