Jiang Shuya's expression was indifferent as she spoke softly;
"Yes, that's true. We only operate an online restaurant, not a physical store, so it shouldn't affect you."
Zhang Qing pursed her lips, clearly disagreeing.
"Your online business has little to do with me, but our customers love Zhang Xiaohui's cooking. If you steal her away, who will guarantee the continued operation of my restaurant? You know, a popular chef isn't easy to find. Now I have a stable customer base, and she's not working for me anymore, and you've poached her."
The atmosphere instantly became heavy. Liu Kai winked at Zhang Qing, while Huang Minghao remained silent.
Jiang Shuya immediately retorted;
"Zhang Qing, I don't want to concern myself with the conflict between you and Sister Xiaohui. Let me make it clear first: it was Sister Xiaohui who proactively turned to me for help. Didn't she tell you that? Or are you just making this up on your own?"
Veins bulged on Zhang Qing's face;
"Then why don't you refuse?"
"Sister-in-law, I'll call you sister-in-law again, we're relatives! You have absolutely no morals, no compassion, no family affection whatsoever."
Seeing that Zhang Qing was angry, Liu Kai was afraid that it would upset her and harm her baby, so he quickly comforted her and then turned to her and said in a humble voice:
"Sister-in-law, could you please put in a good word for us with Zhang Xiaohui? Zhang Qing is pregnant, and I can't manage everything by myself. Where can I find a chef so quickly? Please help us out, okay?"
Huang Minghao frowned, his voice low;
"Jiang Shuya, are you really determined to do this business? Is Zhang Xiaohui, who lives right next door, really that trustworthy? If you two were on good terms, you should help Liu Kai and the others persuade Zhang Xiaohui, ask her what conditions she wants, and agree to them."
Since their values clashed, the conversation couldn't continue, but Zhang Qing shook his head.
"I don't know what's wrong with Zhang Xiaohui. I've tried everything to persuade her, but she still won't come to work at the store. I've even promised her a salary of four thousand, but she still won't budge."
Jiang Shuya couldn't help but sneer, though she didn't show it on her face. Now that Zhang Qing was pregnant, she was the one everyone was protecting, and she didn't want to cause herself any trouble.
Seeing that she wasn't speaking, Huang Minghao assumed she was wavering.
"Xiaoya, when we get back, we'll invite Zhang Xiaohui to Liu Kai's shop for a meal. Could you do me a favor and try to persuade her? After all, we're all relatives."
Jiang Shuya didn't reply, and listlessly opened the car window to look at the cargo ships sailing on Jiang Island.
At this moment, Liu Kai punched Huang Minghao on the arm and winked at him.
"Cousin, this won't work either. Your wife isn't even talking to you."
Huang Minghao gritted his teeth patiently, then turned to ask, "Jiang Shuya, didn't you hear what I just told you?"
Jiang Shuya looked back calmly;
"Silence means you don't want to hear it."
Huang Minghao: !
The car soon arrived at the mother-in-law's home in Zhou Tou, Donghong Village. After getting out of the car, Liu Kai immediately came over and hugged Zhang Qing's arm, carefully following her home.
Jiang Shuya carried her things and went to Huang Minghao's maternal grandmother's courtyard. When she went in, she saw her two aunts-in-law. The eldest aunt was holding her daughter's baby. Tangtang was standing under the loquat tree watching the newly hatched ducklings, blinking her eyes and smiling warmly.
There was a clatter of mahjong tiles inside. Looking inside, I saw my aunt, mother-in-law, maternal grandmother, and second aunt playing mahjong. When my sharp-eyed second aunt saw Jiang Shuya standing at the door, she exclaimed in admiration.
"Oh my, Hao Hao's wife is a once-in-fifty-years beauty! No one on the whole of Jiang Island has ever seen anything like her. Even we women can't help but steal a second glance at her figure. Hao Hao is such a lucky guy."
Her mother-in-law gave her a reproachful look;
"Where's the good fortune? I'm constantly getting angry and frustrated."
My aunt is showing off again;
"Zhang Qing came back a few days ago, and the car was packed. Her parents really dote on her, afraid she'd be mistreated at my house. They gave her money and bought her so many things; I don't even know what to say."
When this matter was brought up, my mother-in-law got really angry and brought up the incident from before the New Year to add fuel to the fire, but she didn't expect to be refuted by my second aunt.
"Everyone knows your family's situation. Both houses were built with money from Xiaoya's family. You benefited from this and don't even know how to be grateful. I really don't know what to say about you. All you do is bring up those petty gains. I think that child is capable, but she just doesn't show it in these childish matters. I was really blind to have found your family."
The mother-in-law was furious, clattering mahjong tiles in her hands. Seeing her mother glaring at her, she swallowed her anger and didn't dare to retaliate.
Second Aunt called Jiang Shuya over, looked her up and down, and when she saw Zhang Qing come in, she looked at her with disdain again.
"She's always bragging about how capable and wealthy her family is, not only squeezing money out of her own family, but also draining her husband's family dry like a vampire, and now she's even eyeing the old lady."
Holding Tangtang, Jiang Shuya instantly understood that her second aunt already knew that the money Zhang Qing and Liu Kai used to open the restaurant was given by her maternal grandmother. After all, Liu Kai was her maternal grandmother's grandson, just like Huang Minghao.
The child belonged to the married daughter, while the second aunt's child was the maternal grandmother's biological grandson. How could the second aunt feel comfortable knowing this? Her own grandson received no help, yet she helped an outsider; it was unsettling to think about.
Zhang Qing naturally understood his second aunt's bluntness and arrogant expression, which conveyed, "That's how it is, what can you do to me?"
"The money to open the restaurant came from my mother; as for whose money it was, that's none of my business."
Obviously, the solution is to tell the second aunt that the money was given to her by her aunt and has nothing to do with her; the aunt should take the blame.
My second aunt chuckled.
"What an irresponsible person! Now I see it clearly; some people's future is over."
Everyone was confused, except for Grandma, who coughed twice, looked up at Zhang Qing, and asked, "Did you get the money?"
Zhang Qing nodded; "Twenty thousand yuan, I've put it away for you, usual place."
Everyone looked at Zhang Qing; the old lady trusted Zhang Qing so much that she had entrusted her with the financial power.
The mother-in-law noticed everyone's confusion and, without keeping them in suspense, spoke directly;
"I can give my money to whomever I want. If you don't like it, then don't set foot in my house. You only put on a show during holidays. I'm not senile yet; I know who treats me well."
The concubine also spoke;
"That 20,000 yuan is for Dad's 80th birthday celebration. In a few days, everyone will get together, and all the grandchildren will receive a share."
Grandpa stood at the doorway, holding a hoe, probably having just returned from the vegetable garden, and chuckled as he teased his great-grandson in his aunt's arms.
Tangtang yawned and rubbed her eyes as if she was about to sleep. Jiang Shuya got a baby food packet from her mother-in-law, took out the milk powder, and made her a cup of milk. She quickly fell asleep. Seeing this, her grandmother told Jiang Shuya to put Tangtang in her bedroom to sleep on the bed.
In her grandmother's bedroom, after covering Tangtang with a blanket, Jiang Shuya sat on the edge of the bed and quietly watched Tangtang stare blankly. Feeling a little tired, she also lay down next to her and dozed off for a while.
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