Chapter 9
Jiang Ying chuckled as he looked at Fu Le, whose lips were covered in milk, his gaze falling on the half-empty can of milk in her hand. "Lele, could you sell Uncle Jiang a few bottles of this milk? Uncle Jiang has a pair of twin brothers and sisters at home, they're only five years old, and they both love drinking milk." Of course, he liked to drink it himself too, but he couldn't say that, otherwise the little girl would think that he, an adult, was craving children's milk, even though that was a fact.
"Sure, how much do you want?" It would be foolish to refuse money offered to you.
"Five bottles, no, ten bottles, is that okay?" There were at least twenty bottles on the little girl's table. She had drunk three bottles, so ten bottles should be enough to spare.
"Is Uncle Jiang also from Shucheng? Does he have family in Shucheng?"
Jiang Ying was taken aback by the question, clearly confused as to what it had to do with milk.
"Yes, our home is in the county town, it only takes about ten minutes to drive here." Even though it seemed strange, there was nothing she couldn't say.
"Lele, let Uncle Jiang take us back later. Pack all the milk for Uncle Jiang. You're so old, why are you still drinking milk?" Old Fu's old habit of being generous with family's money came back to him.
Upon hearing this, Jiang Ying noticed Fu Le's expression change and quickly tried to ask about the price. Fu Le, however, held up two fingers first. "Uncle Jiang, my standard bottle is 500 ml. Right now, 150 ml of milk costs 3.5 yuan, and that's with water added. This 500 ml bottle, plus the delicious taste, and without water added, how about I sell it to you for 21 yuan?" Fu Le didn't mince words when it came to the price of the milk he had worked so hard to make. This was a very high price even in later years, not to mention the prices in 2006, when five yuan could buy a pound of meat.
Upon hearing the price, Jiang Ying was stunned, and Old Fu almost jumped up on the spot. "Fu Le, can your price be any more outrageous? Stop talking nonsense. Brother Jiang, don't pay attention to this brat. Take all the milk, it's free. It's just a little milk, it's not worth much."
Upon hearing this, Fu Le's thick, dark eyebrows furrowed into a knot. "Dad, this is my classmate's milk. Why shouldn't you pay for it? It's a lot of money to start with. Their cows are imported from Westland; they're imported dairy cows, and the milk they produce is also imported. Do you think it's ordinary milk? They asked me to bring it back so I can sell it at the market, and I have to hand over the money! It's not for me! Don't you think I'm going to find so much milk? You're just spouting nonsense!"
In front of outsiders, Fu Le still had to give Lao Fu some face.
After Fu Le said that, Old Fu really didn't know whether to give it or not. He looked at Jiang Ying awkwardly, but before he could apologize, Jiang Ying had already agreed, "Brother Fu, don't talk about giving it away. Even if it really is my niece's, I can't just take it for free. It's 20 yuan a bottle, 500 ml, which is a good deal. My two kids can have half a bottle each, which is enough for breakfast. Lele, how long is the shelf life?"
"Three days, starting today. Keep it in the refrigerator and boil it before drinking."
"Okay, then I'll take it."
"Uncle, I accept orders here. You can come and pick it up every three days. It will help your child grow taller." Fu Le quickly promoted the product to someone who knew its value.
"Okay, I'll go back and talk to your aunt. If she has time, she can come and pick it up. She can call your landline then." My wife has been talking about ordering milk for the child for a while, but she was still struggling to decide which brand to choose. Now that this imported milk is available, my wife should agree to it.
"Okay."
Jiang Ying drove the father and daughter home, chatting all the way, completely unaffected by the atmosphere at the dinner table earlier.
Fu Le packed ten bottles of milk for Jiang Ying, charged him two hundred, and put them in his pocket. Fu Le also told him to bring the bottles back next time he came.
After seeing Jiang Ying off, Old Fu approached Fu Le with a grin. Before he could even speak, Fu Le raised his hand, gesturing for him to shut up. "Dad, I know what you're up to. My money is mine, and neither you nor Mom can have it. Also, from now on, if you give away anything in our house for free, I'll take it back exactly what you gave it to. If you take it, I'll go to the other person's house and demand it back. I'll make you lose face. Let's see who dares to take advantage of my house, eat, wear, or use anything else! And those of your cronies, if they dare bring any of them home for dinner, I'll demand money from each of them. Don't think you can bring them home behind my back while I'm at school. I'll ask the neighbors, and if I find out you're bringing them home again, I'll call the police and accuse you of gambling! We'll see who's in trouble then!" Without giving Old Fu a chance to speak, he turned and went upstairs to his room, locking the door in one swift motion.
Old Fu: ……
So infuriating!! But there was nothing he could do about his own daughter. Furious, Old Fu went to the refrigerator to get some milk.
You brat, you unfilial son! If I drink an extra bottle from you, I'll deduct it from your commission! Humph!
Fu Le really angered Old Fu, she knew it, but she was happy. She would get Old Fu back on his good side sooner or later, knowing he was generous with family money.
Aunt Fu usually gets home around 3 p.m., still hungry, because she can't bear to spend five yuan on a boxed lunch outside. In the past, she didn't care about anything else, and even if Aunt Fu came home hungry, she would still wait for Aunt Fu to cook and call her to eat.
Needless to say, Lao Fu was even worse. He didn't earn any money but kept bossing people around. The two of them would start arguing after only a few words. Lao Fu was a shrewd man. When he saw that his wife was really angry, he would quickly go and wash and chop the vegetables, but he would never cook them. This made Fu's mother so angry that she sometimes wanted to hit him with a hammer.
Looking back now, she was really too immature, even less so than Lao Fu.
Seeing that it was almost two o'clock, Fu Le quickly went downstairs, started cooking rice in the rice cooker, picked some tomatoes with a vegetable basket and made a tomato salad with sugar, took out a green vegetable from his space and stir-fried it until it smelled delicious, cut a piece of cooked meat and stir-fried it with chili oil and minced garlic, and also put chopped strawberries on the table. Three dishes and one fruit, perfect.
I have half an hour left to pick up my mom.
Exhausted and hungry, Qi Hua got out of the car, leaning against the door. After a long day, her legs were weak. The thought of cooking when she got home made her even more tired. The whole family depended on her, and there was also Old Fu's irresponsible and unreliable nature. If she talked to him too much, they would start arguing. The girl in the house was also immature. She was fifteen or sixteen years old and always expected to be fed and clothed. She had spoiled both father and daughter. When they lost their temper, there was nothing she could do.
Just as Qi Hua was standing by the station in a daze, Fu Le saw her and said, "Mom, hurry up, get on the train, let's go home for dinner. I've already prepared the meal."
Upon hearing Fu Le's voice, Qi Hua thought she was hallucinating until Fu Le rode up to her and cheerfully called her to get on the back seat. Only then did she come to her senses that her girl had really come to pick her up.
"Hua, your daughter's here to pick you up! She's so filial!" someone who knew her said enviously from the side.
"Haha, yes, yes, my girl is definitely filial. Let's go." Qi Hua sat on the back of Fu Le's seat with a smile on her face. She couldn't remember the last time she had been this happy. Having her girl pick her up today was something she had never imagined.
"Alright, ma'am, hold on tight!" Fu Le wobbled as he mounted her, then slowly settled down, his bottom swaying from side to side. "Mom, I've made dinner, and I also bought some strawberries. Have some, they're delicious! Oh, and I also bought some braised meat from a classmate's house. It's all good quality meat, and it looks really fragrant. I also stir-fried some greens and made a plate of tomatoes. Eat plenty later..."
Listening to his daughter's energetic words and thinking about the meal waiting for him when he got home, Qi Hua smiled gently. The wrinkles on his face seemed to have faded a lot, and his eyes quietly reddened. Tears slid down his cheeks, but he wiped them away quietly, afraid that his daughter would see them.
In recent years, Lao Fu has done nothing but shoulder the burden of the family. She knows that her constant complaining to her daughter is not good for her mental and physical health, but she feels wronged. She is a frail woman who is less than 1.6 meters tall, yet she bears the heavy responsibility of the family. She has to carry everything on her own. Her children and husband are unwilling to lend a hand, and she does everything by herself. She is really too tired.
Old Fu ran away as soon as he heard her about to curse. If she didn't complain to her daughter, she would go crazy very soon.
When the mother and daughter arrived home, the door was locked, just as it had been when Fu Le left. Fu Le was relieved that her father wasn't home, otherwise she was worried that he would steal her mother's food.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
