11. Snob
Jiang Nan suppressed her temper, added two sets of tableware, and tried her best to keep smiling: "Auntie, Sister Qianqian, let's eat together."
"You're welcome," Hong Wenzhen waved her hand, but her eyes were fixed on the sizzling pork belly roasting on the oil paper. "Oh, Nannan, auntie hasn't seen you for a long time. How come you have lost so much weight? Your work must be very hard." As she spoke, she looked away and glanced at the shopping bags that Jiang Nan and Wenwen had placed under the table. Seeing that they were not branded, the smile on her lips deepened.
Guan Qianqian gracefully picked up the shopping bag that Hong Wenzhen had placed on the table and placed it between her and Hong Wenzhen's seats.
Then she took a sip of the lemonade the waiter had just brought and said slowly, "Are you worried about your aunt's illness? You're so cruel. Your aunt is so seriously ill, and you don't even stay at home to accompany her more?"
"We have to work." Jiang Nan's tone was full of impatience.
Although Chen Yunsheng covered all of Hong Qiuping's medical expenses, and she also used his monthly salary to cover Hong Qiuping's subsequent recuperation costs, she certainly couldn't just sit there and do nothing. If she resigned and went home, leaving a gap, it would be difficult to find a job with a suitable salary later - by then, she would be truly half-dead.
"Those of you who don't have a stable job are like this. You don't dare ask for leave, and you don't dare disclose your family's difficulties," Hong Wenzhen sighed, then changed the subject, "Qianqian's job is better. It's stable, and the boss is easy to talk to."
Wenwen pursed his lips and drank Coke with deliberate force to vent his dissatisfaction.
Hong Wenzhen glanced at Wenwen with disdain, then turned to Jiang Nan and said, "Nannan, I think you should get married soon. Don't hang out outside all day. Your mother definitely wants to see you live a good life. Besides, you're not young anymore, 25, right? Back home, the kids are old enough to help out. Your mother was still nagging me the last time she called, she was so worried. Oh, do you have a boyfriend in Jiangcheng?"
"I'm busy with work and haven't had time for it yet." Jiang Nan answered her perfunctorily.
"How can that be?" Hong Wenzhen took the new dishes and chopsticks brought by the waiter and continued, "Girls' youth is only a few years. Look at your sister Qianqian. Although she is two years older than you, she has a stable job now and has found a partner. He is a rich second-generation and will get married next year." She showed off proudly.
Guan Qianqian adjusted the placement of the dishes and chopsticks, and responded to Hong Wenzhen's words, revealing a reserved and slightly complacent smile at the right time.
"Nannan, let me tell you, when it comes to finding a partner, you can't just look at the face, you have to look at the reality. Someone like our Qianqian's partner, who has a house, a car and a career, is reliable. The people you know in Jiangcheng are all working people, right? Those who drift around without roots are not acceptable!" Hong Wenzhen said earnestly, as if Jiang Nan had already gone astray.
Wenwen couldn't help herself and interrupted, "Auntie, what era is it now? It's good for girls to work hard on their own. Nannan is very capable."
Hong Wenzhen glanced at Wenwen with disdain, not taking it seriously. "Strong ability? No matter how strong you are, how strong can you be? Can you compare to others who have been here for generations? Nannan, listen to your aunt. If you really can't make it, go back to your hometown. I'll introduce you to some people with better conditions. I guarantee they will be better than you wandering around in Jiangcheng." As she spoke, she suddenly glanced at the ordinary bracelet on Jiang Nan's wrist, "Look at you, you don't even have a decent watch."
"I don't have high material pursuits," Jiang Nan said calmly, "unlike my aunt and sister Qianqian, who love chasing after famous brands."
"What do you mean by chasing after famous brands?" Hong Wenzhen said with dissatisfaction, then a look of joy appeared on her face. "This is a gift from Qianqian's boyfriend. I said I didn't want it, but Xiaofan insisted on giving it to me."
"Oh, so what Sister Qianqian is wearing was also given by him?" Jiang Nan replied casually.
Guan Qianqian's expression froze for a moment: "Yeah. He said I look good in these."
"I told you, you can't buy these with a stable salary." Jiang Nan smiled and touched Wenwen's leg with his knee, suggesting that she should prepare to retreat.
Wenwen touched back and winked at Jiang Nan subtly.
But Jiang Nan's words made Hong Wenzhen and Guan Qianqian lose face, and both of them were very dissatisfied.
Guan Qianqian was still able to maintain her expression, but Hong Wenzhen even put down her chopsticks. She snorted, "It can't be helped. Our Qianqian has always been lovable. By the way, Nannan, you borrowed a lot of money to raise money for your mother's surgery, right? Can you afford it? If you're really struggling, your aunt can lend you some money. The interest rate is negotiable."
"Thank you, Auntie," Jiang Nan said calmly, "but it's already been resolved. Besides, you couldn't borrow money before, so how could you suddenly have so much money now? Are you going to look for Sister Qianqian's rich second-generation boyfriend? That would be so embarrassing."
Wenwen gave Jiang Nan a thumbs up under the table.
"Once the debt is collected, there will be money." Hong Wenzhen's face became more and more ugly. She looked up at Jiang Nan's face and continued, "How did you deal with so much money? Did you borrow money from loan sharks? Oh, that won't work. It will just keep growing."
Wenwen couldn't bear to listen any longer and put her chopsticks on the table. "Auntie, you're worrying too much. Nannan is doing well now."
Guan Qianqian snorted softly, "Good? Just based on her salary? Nannan, I'm not saying anything bad about you, but people should know their own limitations. If you can't make it any longer, it's not shameful to ask relatives and friends for help. Tell me the truth, are you not on the right path?"
At first glance, it sounds like Guan Qianqian is concerned about Jiang Nan, but in fact, her words are malicious.
Jiang Nan smiled brightly. "Sister Qianqian is right. It's not shameful to ask relatives and friends for help. But I asked you before, and you didn't help me. It's okay if you don't want to help, but you had to come to my mother and say that you couldn't raise the money for the surgery. I said at the time that my mother was recovering well in the hospital, why did she suddenly ask to be discharged?"
She took a sip of ice cola before continuing, "Later I found out it was you, Auntie, who went to care for my mom."
She emphasized the word "care".
Hong Wenzhen's expression was embarrassed and her eyes were a little vague.
"Sister Qianqian, it's a good thing you found a boyfriend who's a second-generation rich kid. I wish you all the best. But I think it's better to live a good life than to marry well. Look at me, even though I don't make much, I can eat whatever I want and buy whatever I want without asking anyone for anything. How free I am!"
Hong Wenzhen's face changed: "How can you be so ignorant, child? Auntie is doing this for your mother and your own good."
"I know you're doing this for my own good, Auntie," Jiang Nan said with a polite smile. "So I'll treat you to this meal as a thank you for your concern."
Hong Wenzhen was stunned for a moment: "You——"
"You're welcome, it's my duty. And I'm afraid if I don't pay, I'll be called an ungrateful person," Jiang Nan interrupted her, standing up and packing up with Wenwen. "Take your time to eat. My friend and I have something to do, so we'll be leaving first."
Guan Qianqian's face turned pale and blue as she glared at Jiang Nan angrily.
Jiang Nan looked at Guan Qianqian nonchalantly. "I wish you a happy wedding soon. Remember to send me an invitation when you get married." Then, she took Wenwen to the cashier. After paying the bill, the two of them hurried out of the restaurant.
As soon as they left the house, Wen Wen leaned close to Jiang Nan's ear and whispered, "Auntie was discharged from the hospital before. Was it them who did it?"
Jiang Nan hummed. "My dad used to have the same attitude as my mom. He thought my aunt just spoke harshly but had no bad intentions. But when that incident happened, he sided with me. Now he's keeping a tight rein on my aunt's family and won't let them see my mom."
"I'm glad you're okay, Auntie." Wenwen patted Jiang Nan's back as if to comfort her.
"Let's go," Jiang Nan turned and smiled at Wenwen, "Let's go eat hot pot."
"Ah? Now?" Wenwen asked back.
"Are you full?"
"That's indeed not the case." Wenwen smiled innocently.
"Let's go." Jiang Nan grabbed Wenwen's hand and walked quickly towards the elevator, chatting and laughing all the way, feeling much more relaxed.
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