"Then...then could you let me help you too? I don't need Wang Mei's salary, I...I only need half of it," Fan Lijuan said hurriedly.
Song Lili's eyes turned cold instantly. "Do you know how much salary I pay Wang Mei?"
"I...I...I don't know," Fan Lijuan said blankly, startled by Song Lili's gaze.
Song Lili raised an eyebrow. "Then you'll say half? What if I pay Yang Mei a salary of one yuan, and you still want fifty cents?" A sarcastic smile played on her lips.
Would Fan Lijuan do something that offers no profit?
"I...I want to..." Fan Lijuan gritted her teeth and said firmly after a long while, then looked at Song Lili.
"Why?" Song Lili was stunned and couldn't understand why Fan Lijuan would agree after she had said all that.
This... doesn't fit her personality.
"I heard it includes meals, right? As long as you provide meals, I won't ask for a salary and I'll work for you." Fan Lijuan said, her eyes red.
"Just for the meals?" Song Lili asked in disbelief.
“Yes, as long as you provide meals, I’ll take it. I… I don’t have any money right now, and I don’t get any subsidies during my holidays. Yan’er can’t go hungry with me. She… she’s already so thin and weak.”
"Song Lili, I'm begging you, please help me. I don't want a salary, I just want you to provide meals, no, I just want you to provide meals for Yan'er."
Song Lili felt conflicted; she had never imagined that Fan Lijuan would do this for such a reason.
So all those little schemes and her tendency to take advantage of others in the past were because of her daughter, Yan'er?
Song Lili felt as if her throat was blocked, tight and full, but she couldn't let her voice out.
Finally, she sighed, but still nodded, "Okay, bring Yan'er over."
Even for Yan'er's sake, Song Lili couldn't refuse.
"Since you're planning to come, I'll tell you in advance. Let's be upfront and clear about this beforehand."
"Okay, go ahead." Hearing Song Lili agree, Fan Lijuan's tears of joy fell again, but her lips curled into a wide smile.
His eyes were full of gratitude as he looked at Song Lili.
"I need people who are reliable and hardworking, that's the most important thing, so put away all your previous little schemes."
“I will pay you 25 yuan a month, but that is based on the premise that you work hard.”
"If you don't work properly, I will deduct your wages depending on the situation, or I may fire you directly. Do you understand?"
"I...I understand." Fan Lijuan's face stiffened for a moment before she nodded.
Song Lili's words were too blunt, which made her feel a little embarrassed.
But she can still distinguish between what's important and what's not. Right now, work is the most important.
So, Fan Lijuan moved in with her daughter, and they stayed in the room with the two children.
The two children went to stay in Zhang Qingguo's room.
Because there were three people, Song Lili made enough batter for the whole day.
In other words, she plans to set up her stall all day.
With Fan Lijuan joining them, Song Lili felt much more relaxed at noon.
She also has time to talk to the children and play games with them.
Although there's one more person, the daily income is still considerable, around thirty yuan a day. After deducting the wages of both people, it's not bad at all.
And so, throughout the entire holiday, they were all busy making money.
Later on, Zhang Qinghua stopped going altogether. He was only responsible for delivering the buckets of batter in the morning and picking them up in the evening.
He just stays at home taking care of the children and reading books.
Sometimes, Zhang Qinghua felt powerless and useless.
Song Lili was also afraid that Zhang Qinghua would think that way, so she specifically asked him once, "Won't you feel uncomfortable about it?"
Some men mind if their partner earns more money than they do.
Their current situation is even more extreme.
One person has income every day, while the other has almost no income. Song Lili was afraid that Zhang Qinghua would feel uncomfortable.
Zhang Qinghua remained silent for a long time before shaking his head. "No." Even if he did, he would process it himself and wouldn't let Song Lili notice.
"Really?" Song Lili was a little skeptical. Putting herself in her shoes, she felt that even she couldn't stand it.
Zhang Qinghua smiled and touched Song Lili's still smooth cheek. "Really, I won't feel uncomfortable."
"Because I know this is something you enjoy doing, and I will support you."
"And it's not that I'm incapable of supporting you and the child; it's just that I still need to learn a skill." He has the ability, he just needs time.
Song Lili then smiled, realizing that Zhang Qinghua was genuinely not uncomfortable.
"I'm giving you time." That's your way of repaying me for giving me freedom and support.
"Okay," Zhang Qinghua reached out and hugged her. The two of them nestled together quietly, their hearts close together.
With no problems on Zhang Qinghua's side, Song Lili focused all her attention on doing business.
Because there are many of them, she no longer only sells multigrain pancakes, but also other snacks such as hand-pulled pancakes and roujiamo (Chinese hamburger).
With more variety comes more choices, and naturally, more customers follow.
The three of them resumed their lives of never having their feet touch the ground.
The reward was that Song Lili's wallet quickly became bulging.
In one month, she earned a full thousand yuan, which, after deducting costs, was still several hundred yuan.
So on the day that the month was up, she gave her salary to Wang Mei and Fan Lijuan.
"You've worked hard for a month, here's your salary, take it." She handed it over with a smile.
"Lili, did you miscount? Did you give me too much?" Wang Mei counted and found there was thirty yuan.
The agreed-upon salary was 25 yuan per month.
This salary is only slightly less than that of a regular worker, and the two of them are very satisfied.
But now, Song Lili actually gave them thirty yuan.
"That's because you did a good job. The five yuan is your bonus." Song Lili grinned, her face full of innocence.
"This..." Wang Mei was tempted, but she also felt that this was not a good idea.
Fan Lijuan took the money without saying a word and stood quietly to the side.
"You can take it without worry. It's what you deserve. I won't let myself suffer a loss."
“You’ve worked hard this past month, getting up early and working late. Consider this five-yuan bonus as my consolation.”
She wouldn't have made any money without the help of these two people, so everything is mutually reinforcing.
"Well... thank you." Wang Mei hesitated for a moment, then accepted the gift.
"Thank you..." Fan Lijuan said in response.
"Alright, let's not talk about this anymore. Let's have a good meal tonight as a celebration," Song Lili announced happily.
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