The woman looked up in surprise.
“Another one?” she asked, noticing for the first time that the man was indeed holding two documents in his hand. “What’s this?”
“This one is for our benefactor,” Li Dashao replied.
The woman was even more astonished.
“Benefactor?” she asked.
“Actually, it was originally mine,” Li Dashao said, placing the document on the low table as he sat cross-legged. “But I’ve decided to give it to our benefactor.”
The woman’s eyes widened, and she put down the needle and thread in her hands.
“Here’s the thing. The boss said that they used up all their money to lease and renovate the shop, so for the first few months, it might be difficult to pay my wages,” Li Dashao explained.
The woman froze in shock.
“No wages?” she stammered, struggling to find the right words. “Then, then…”
“So, they plan to give me a share in the business as compensation,” Li Dashao said. “They’ll pay me my wages in six months, but in the meantime, I can take food from the shop.”
The woman let out a soft “Oh,” her face filled with confusion.
“Getting a share is that easy?” she said with a sigh. “Back then, Old Master Dou gave you one, but it was all kept secret. In the end, you were still driven out by Young Master Sun. If not for that, we wouldn’t be in this situation now.”
“I said the same thing,” Li Dashao replied. “The boss just laughed and said that this little shop of theirs doesn’t make much money. As long as everyone can have enough to eat and live a stable life, that’s good enough. They call it a share, but it might not even be worth as much as regular wages.”
The woman nodded. Foreigners and amateurs taking over someone else’s shop—the business prospects were obvious. How could it compare to the glory of the old Drunken Phoenix Pavilion?
“Then what does this have to do with the benefactor?” she asked hastily.
“When I was talking with the boss, we got onto the topic of their past. They mentioned how they suffered in the northwest, nearly dying from illness, and how a passerby’s help saved them. When they heard my story, they felt deeply moved. They said people like us, who have received kindness from others, truly can’t thank our benefactors enough,” Li Dashao explained, with a sigh. “The boss said that’s why they insisted on having me as their head chef—as if by doing so, they could repay some kindness of their own. Even though, honestly, it’s completely unrelated.”
As he spoke, he shook his head and laughed.
“These men from the northwest, they really are…” he said.
“Honest people,” the woman added.
“So when the boss patted me on the shoulder and said that repaying kindness is the greatest joy, I suddenly had an idea,” Li Dashao said, looking at the contract in his hands.
Or perhaps someone suggested it to him at the time—he couldn’t quite remember. Either way, the thought had taken root.
“Why not give this share to Young Master Han? After all, in a few months, I’ll start receiving my wages. This share, well, without Young Master Han, I wouldn’t have it in the first place. Let alone the wages! I might as well transfer it to Young Master Han. Receiving kindness must be repaid—that’s what it means to be a man!” he declared.
As Li Dashao said this, he seemed to relive the moment of speaking with the manager, and he felt a rush of exhilaration.
The woman stared at him, her face full of astonishment.
Li Dashao turned his head to look at the woman, coughed, and sat upright again.
“Do you… think this is a bad idea?” he asked.
The woman shook her head and smiled.
“I think you’ve really changed for the better. Just now, when you were speaking, you were so full of energy—I’ve never seen you like that before,” she said, her gaze soft and full of admiration that she couldn’t hide. “What you’re doing is right. We may be poor, but if we have the chance, we must repay the kindness we’ve received.”
Li Dashao nodded.
“The boss and the others are honest people. They truly want to make this shop a success, and I’ll work hard alongside them,” he said, gripping the woman’s rough, calloused hands from years of hard work. “You’ve suffered so much, following me.”
The woman lowered her head, tears falling, and shook her head.
“It’s not suffering. You’ve always been so good to me,” she said.
In their humble home, the couple embraced, their warmth filling the cold end of winter with tenderness.
The sun rose in the east, and the morning light brightened the world.
Madam Zhou sat for quite a while before she finally saw Cheng Jiao-niang come out.
“Jiao Jiao, are you feeling better?” she asked with concern, carefully studying Cheng Jiao-niang’s complexion. “You look much better now.”
In truth, it was hard to tell if this young lady looked well or not—she always seemed the same anyway.
Cheng Jiao-niang made a soft sound of acknowledgment, nodded slightly in thanks, and sat down.
“Should we consult another doctor? Get some more medicine? Jiao Jiao, what do you think you’d like to eat?” Madam Zhou chatted on with casual questions.
Cheng Jiao-niang answered one out of every three.
“Don’t worry about money. Our family may not have much else, but food and drink are never lacking. Not like your father, who even mistreated you with food and drink. When your brother told your uncle about it, he was so angry he wanted to confront your father directly,” Madam Zhou said, sighing as tears welled in her eyes. “My dear child, they’ve been living off your mother’s dowry, yet they dared to mistreat you. If I’d known it would come to this, why would we have bothered honoring family ties? We should have brought you back long ago.”
Cheng Jiao-niang raised her sleeve to cover a yawn.
“Speaking of this, rest assured, everything that belonged to your mother is yours. No one will ever take it from you. When you marry, we’ll add more to it,” Madam Zhou continued, then changed the subject. “Let me manage your money. Whether it’s for saving or investing in a few shops, it’s all for your good. Jiao Jiao, your uncle and I will make sure you live a life of wealth and dignity without worry.”
Cheng Jiao-niang bowed her head in acknowledgment.
“Then bring me the flying money vouchers from the Tong family. It’s a waste to leave money sitting idly. It’s better for us to hold onto it ourselves,” Madam Zhou said with a smile.
Cheng Jiao-niang lifted her head.
“No need,” she replied.
Madam Zhou’s expression stiffened slightly.
“Jiao Jiao, I’m not trying to take your money, don’t be afraid. You’re still young, and it’s not good for you to manage it yourself. Let me handle it for you—it’s not like I won’t give it back to you,” she said, forcing a smile to persuade her. “If you hold onto the money, it’ll just stay the same, and you’ll end up spending extra unnecessarily. If I manage it, the money can grow, and it’ll all be yours in the future.”
“No need,” Cheng Jiao-niang said again.
Why was this child so stubborn? Madam Zhou took a deep breath.
“Madam,” a maid interjected, frowning. “My mistress has already said no, no, and no again. Could you please not insist? If you make her cry, it’ll only give others something to laugh about.”
This insolent maid! Madam Zhou was furious but quickly calmed herself.
“Jiao Jiao, I’m doing this for your own good. Are you really unwilling?” she asked.
“Yes,” Cheng Jiao-niang replied, looking at Madam Zhou. “I’m hungry.”
Hungry?
I’m hungry?
At what time? How could she be hungry? Why suddenly bring this up?
Madam Zhou froze, then immediately thought of something. A shiver ran through her as she looked at Cheng Jiao-niang.
The voice of Zhou Liu-lang suddenly echoed in her ears—her son recounting his experiences after returning from Jiang-zhou.
“When she saw me, she said just two words that threw the Cheng family into chaos and disgrace. Father, Mother, guess what she said?”
“She said, ‘I’m hungry.'”
I’m hungry…
She had only spoken those two words at the right time, in front of the right people.
Madam Zhou stared at the young lady before her. Beneath her ink-black bangs framing her forehead, those seemingly wooden eyes, upon closer inspection, held a faint, unfathomable depth. It was an unsettling sight.
This foolish girl—was she threatening her?
