After lying in bed for two days without eating or drinking, the illness struck like a landslide, and she lost even more weight. When Jiang Shuhuai returned home that evening, he saw that his sister hadn't eaten a single bite of the food he had prepared for her, and his brows immediately furrowed.
"Sis, why haven't you eaten again? You still have no appetite."
Jiang Shuya lay blankly at the head of the bed, her pale face devoid of any color.
"Sis, did you have a fight with your husband? Did he hit you? I'll go talk to him and help you get revenge."
Jiang Shuhuai noticed that his sister was ignoring him, so he brought out his newly bought laptop to show off.
"Sis, look, this computer is brand new. How about it? My second sister transferred the online store link to me. From now on, I can handle everything myself – online operations and offline pickup."
Jiang Shuya then came to her senses, glanced at the computer, and smiled. Suddenly, she remembered that her phone was out of battery, so she asked Shuhuai to plug it in and charge it. She then downloaded a food delivery app on the computer to check her data usage over the past few days, when suddenly her stomach started growling.
"Shuhuai, I'm hungry. Make me a bowl of noodles."
Jiang Shuhuai was overjoyed to see that his sister had finally responded, and immediately went to the kitchen to make her a bowl of shredded pork noodles.
Jiang Shuya asked Jiang Shuting for the merchant's account and verification code, and then sat on the bed browsing her restaurant's listings.
The noodles were served to her. Jiang Shuya saw her younger brother wearing an apron, looking quite professional. She smiled, picked up the bowl of noodles, and started eating.
"Sister, is it because you feel too much pressure running the restaurant that you collapsed and got sick?"
Jiang Shuya, who was eating noodles, almost choked on her food when he asked her that question.
Seeing this, Jiang Shuhuai became even more convinced, and then he began to offer words of comfort;
"Sister, everything is difficult at the beginning. Why don't you start with the family members first!"
Yesterday, Mom called me. She said the food at your restaurant is good, so she asked me to pack some for her to eat two meals a day. Our parents have over a dozen workers there, right? Mom, like you, isn't a great cook and often eats out. Since the money's going to others, why not let it go to our family? What do you say, sister?
Upon hearing this, Jiang Shuya's eyes lit up. She quickly put down her chopsticks, pulled Jiang Shuhuai over, and pinched his face twice.
"You're such a good brother! How could I not have thought of that? They have nearly twenty workers, and with two meals a day, that's almost forty servings."
After saying that, Jiang Shuya got out of bed and put on her shoes. She felt as if she had regained her strength and realized that her parents ran a packing station. They knew many bosses on construction sites, as well as high-end factory owners and low-end contractors. If she could open up this route, it would be a good start.
She took the bowl of noodles to the living room and, perhaps because she hadn't eaten for several days, ate it all in one go. Just then, she heard the door open outside.
Li Dalan was carrying a bulging crossbody bag and holding a flip phone, making a business call.
Li Dalan waved to the door, and a tall, plainly dressed girl entered. Jiang Shuya took a closer look; the girl had slightly dark skin and resembled her mother, Li Dalan, to some extent. Suddenly, her younger brother, Shuhuai, remembered and exclaimed, "You must be my cousin Xiaoru!"
"Ah, you're Li Xiaoru, from your maternal uncle's family, right?"
Li Dalan hung up the phone, looking reproachful.
"Xiaoru is your eldest uncle's child. Your second uncle's family has no daughters, only sons. Your maternal grandmother has three grandsons and only one granddaughter. Shuting grew up at your maternal grandmother's house, so Xiaoru is closer to Shuting. It's normal that you're not familiar with her."
Jiang Shuya glanced at her unfamiliar cousin, guessing she was about the same age as Shuting. It seemed she had suffered a lot in the countryside, her skin was quite tanned. She wondered if she could recover with some rest.
Before she could even open her mouth, Li Xiaoru spoke first: "Cousin, you're so pretty! All the aunts say you're beautiful, and they're always comparing you to the people around them. It's such a pity you didn't go to university. Uncle said that with your looks, you could easily get into film school."
Jiang Shuya noticed that Li Xiaoru had a very sweet tongue; "Are you in college?"
Li Xiaoru shook her head; "No, I wasn't good at studying. I started helping my mom with chores after graduating from junior high."
Li Dalan leaned over to ask;
"Xiaoya, could you find your cousin a job? Your uncle isn't well, your cousin is still in school, and the family is so poor they're barely making ends meet. Please help her. My packing shop isn't suitable for her; it's all heavy physical labor, and she can't handle that kind of hardship."
So Jiang Shuya spoke up;
"Xiaoru, do you want to work in a shopping mall, or come with me to run a fast food business? I just registered my online fast food store, so I can't guarantee you a stable income yet."
Li Xiaoru thought for a moment and glanced at Li Dalan;
"Cousin, I'm willing to work at the mall. On my days off, I'll make you fast food. Is that okay?"
"Okay, sure. You'll come with me to the mall tomorrow."
Seeing that Jiang Shuya readily agreed, Li Dalan walked around the room and glanced at the blankets on the bed.
"Xiaoya, do you often stay here? Have you and Huang Minghao separated?"
Jiang Shuya did not refute, but lowered her head in acquiescence.
Li Dalan was somewhat annoyed;
"Didn't I tell you to be patient? Even if you want a divorce, you can't do it now. Hurry home and find a way to improve your relationship with Huang Minghao."
Also, I'm planning to cancel the lease on this house. You can take Xiaoru to live on Jiangdao Island. The three rooms in your front yard are currently empty; one can be given to Shuhuai and the other to Xiaoru.
Li Dalan was interrupted by Jiang Shuya before she could finish speaking;
"Mom, what are you saying? It's not appropriate for us to live in Xixia Village."
"What's wrong with it? Don't forget, our family paid for it to be built. Why can't we live there? Your dad said those three rooms are great, perfectly fine for living in."
Besides, it's not convenient for your cousin to stay with me; it's all a bunch of men. Since you're helping her find a job, why not bring her along? It'll also make it easier for you to get fast food.
Li Dalan made a firm promise, giving Jiang Shuya no room to refute it.
Jiang Shuya didn't argue with her;
"I can't do that. That's Huang Minghao's house. If you want to talk to him, go tell him yourself."
To everyone's surprise, Li Dalan dialed Huang Minghao's number directly, and a string of obsequious words made Jiang Shuya's hair stand on end and her pupils shrink.
He then hung up the phone, making a solemn vow;
"It's settled, he agreed, he wants you to go home today and get both rooms ready."
Jiang Shuhuai collapsed onto the sofa, looking distressed and pale.
Oh no, I can't play games all night anymore. My good days are over, with my sister watching me all the time.
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