Seeing that something was wrong, Zhao Lingli came out from the kitchen. She had been selling alcohol for many years and had seen all kinds of people.
Then, with a smile, he glanced at the bowl and steamer, which were completely empty of soup, and said...
"Brother and sister-in-law, look, we've finished eating, which proves the food was pretty good. As for whether there's meat or whether it's worth the price, we can go out and ask around. If you think our food isn't good or worth the price, I won't just not charge you, I'll even give you a refund. How about it? Brother, do you want to come with me to ask at a similar restaurant on this street, or Sister-in-law?"
Why did the two of them come here to eat? Wasn't it because it was cheap? Other places charge 1,500 for meat wontons and 2,000 for a basket of steamed buns, and they're not even this big. Even though it's made with mixed flour, at least the size is decent, and the taste is really good too. Otherwise, how could they have finished it all in one go?
The boss's confident words made them blush and speechless. The man took out five thousand yuan from his pocket, put it on the table, and pulled the woman away. Before leaving, the woman did not forget to threaten Tang Cuihua.
"You just wait, I'll make sure you can't do this job without telling your grandma when I get back!"
As soon as she left, Tang Cuihua didn't even look back and went straight to the kitchen with her bowl and chopsticks. Zhao Lingli followed her in and saw her washing dishes while shedding tears.
Perhaps the thought of going back made everything go dark?
She went over and patted her on the shoulder: "Do your parents know me?"
Tang Cuihua shook her head: "They only know that your surname is Tao and that you run a tavern, they don't know you personally, but..."
Even though she didn't say anything more, Zhao Lingli knew what she wanted to express, and immediately sighed, feeling both amused and exasperated.
"I knew this day would come sooner or later. You are a member of the Tang family, and your household registration is with the Tang family. The town is only so big, and there are only a few businesses. It was only a matter of time before they found out about my family. I think you are not afraid of your mother or your maternal grandmother, but you are afraid of your extremely shameless grandmother, right?"
Just thinking about that shrewish grandmother who was a master of cursing makes Tang Cuihua's head buzz with pain.
The more she thought about it, the less she wanted to stay any longer. She tugged at her sleeve and said restlessly.
"No, I can't stay here any longer. If they go back and tell everyone, your restaurant will be out of business. I have to go back to find my sister and see if I can find a way to escape."
Cuihua's panicked appearance made Zhao Lingli feel sorry for her: "Don't worry, it's not as serious as you think. How could an old woman from the countryside come to the county town? Even if she did, there are police in the city, there are..."
“Auntie, you underestimate her. She might even turn around and accuse you of cheating me out of my wages. That old lady is the worst person I’ve ever met. No, I can’t stay here any longer. This will prevent you from doing business. I have to leave. Yes, I’ll go home. I’ll talk to them about what to do when I get home.”
"Calm down first. Once we're done with this, I'll close up shop. Your uncle will be over around 5 or 6 o'clock, and we'll discuss it with him."
"Right now, none of my neighbors know I've opened a shop in the county town. If nobody knows, the news won't leak out, and those people won't make the connection,"
Cuihua was both amused and exasperated. "Auntie, this is Tao's Snack Shop!"
Zhao Lingli choked, her face immediately turning red: "Oh no, how could I forget that? I should have known better than to use that name. But then again, hiding like this isn't a good solution. Why don't you go back and see what's going on with your parents?"
Cuihua fell silent, lowering her head to continue helping Zhao Lingli with her work. Just then, a customer arrived. Seeing that Cuihua's expression was not good, Zhao Lingli went outside to greet the customer herself. She was busy until after 2 p.m. before the whole street finally quieted down. To prevent anyone from coming again, Zhao Lingli simply closed the door.
Cuihua was cleaning with a heavy heart. Zhao Lingli thought for a moment and then said something.
“After so much time, your parents might have repented. It’s not that your aunt is trying to get rid of you, but after what happened today, I think you’ll have to go back and face them sooner or later. What if they’ve changed their ways and can work properly?”
Tang Cuihua didn't even look up and curled her lip: "Auntie, I don't blame you, but they won't change. My mother has been beaten by my father for so many years, but she still can't get rid of her bad habit of wanting everything to come from her parents' home. As for my father, he knows that he won't get any return for his efforts, but he still thinks about his brothers and nephews. Now he dares to shirk his responsibilities because his own laziness has become greater than everything else, so they can keep my shrewish grandmother in check."
"But who knows what's going on at home these past few months? Anyway, I can't go back. I have a feeling that once I go back, I won't be able to get out again. And they might sell me to raise money for my cousin's dowry. They've said that before. I was younger before, but now I've been running around for a year. I'm fourteen this year, so they definitely won't miss this opportunity. I can't go anywhere far either. If it weren't for you taking me in, I don't know what would have become of the three of us sisters!"
"Didn't you think about asking the police, the village committee, or the commune for help in solving this problem?"
Tang Cuihua's smile was now tinged with tears: "Auntie, those are my parents. What can they do? Who can stop them? They don't care about these things. In our village, every year there are countless girls who are sent to other families to raise money for their brothers' dowries or to be exchanged for other husbands. Who has ever felt sorry for them? They live like that, and then they are called back to work by their domineering mothers during the busy farming season. I saw with my own eyes her being chased and beaten by her husband, and her mother-in-law dragging her by the hair to her husband's house. Her own family just stood there watching the show. It was heartbreaking. Why? Just because we are daughters, they treat us like this?"
Cuihua was angry and vented her frustration by cleaning the restaurant. When Tao Changyi arrived by bicycle to deliver the food around 4 p.m., he learned about the terrible thing that had happened that day. Seeing Cuihua's listless and anxious appearance, he thought for a moment and looked at his wife.
"How about we send him back and talk things over properly?"
Upon hearing this, Tang Cuihua jumped up and said, "Uncle, that won't work at all. To put it bluntly, those two are vermin. Whoever gets involved with them is doomed. They already know your surnames, and if you go, you'll meet them completely. Who knows how they'll corrupt Xiao Jiu when he grows up? We can't go, absolutely not! I'm fine, I can just go back. I can't bear to leave my two sisters. Yes, that's it, I'll go back by myself. Pandi and Zhaodi will stay with you. It's just that I won't be able to work here anymore. What will we do with this stall?"
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