Free Web NovelChapter 279: Chapter 278: They All Want to Come?
Sun Jiaming opened the door and froze. He could hear someone inside, laughing raucously.
"Brother Jia Ming, maybe I shouldn’t go in. I think I’ll just head back."
Gu’er recognized the voice. That boisterous laugh could only belong to Cao Qiu. She hadn’t expected her to be here and really didn’t want to see her.
Before Sun Jiaming could even nod, Cao Qiu heard them and rushed over like a gust of wind.
"Gu’er, you’re finally back! Jia Ming, what are you just standing there for? Get in here with Gu’er! I brought two fish and had Aunt Zhao start stewing them. Gu’er, you have to stay for dinner. You two need to get some nourishment; you’ve both gotten so thin."
Cao Qiu said, pulling Gu’er by the hand.
’Well, there’s no getting out of this now.’ Gu’er had no choice but to follow her into the house.
Cao Qiu was incredibly enthusiastic, and Gu’er found it a bit overwhelming. Still, her way of speaking had improved quite a bit. She wasn’t as grating as she used to be.
Even Cao Qiu’s attitude toward Grandma Sun had changed. She now smiled at her mother-in-law and no longer spoke so confrontationally. Whenever Grandma Sun chided her, she just took it.
It seemed Sun Jiaming’s talk with her had actually worked. Cao Qiu had changed a little. While it still wasn’t enough, it was passable on the surface, and that was good enough.
They had dinner there, and the meal was fairly harmonious. Although Cao Qiu never stopped talking, it was better than her causing a scene.
After dinner, Cao Qiu pulled Gu’er over to the sofa.
"Gu, you’re so capable now. I went to your department store to have a look. Business is booming! How much money do you rake in each day?"
Cao Qiu asked Gu’er.
"Hehe, Auntie, I honestly don’t know. I’m not the one who manages the accounts."
Gu’er just smiled. She had no intention of telling Cao Qiu how much they earned; it would only stir up trouble.
"Gu, how can you feel at ease letting outsiders manage such a big department store? You should hire your own family! Especially for the accounting. Aren’t you afraid they’ll steal your money? People who aren’t family... they don’t have your best interests at heart. Who knows how much they’re secretly pocketing."
Cao Qiu watched Gu’er’s expression as she spoke.
"Don’t worry, Auntie. We have rules and procedures in place. And there’s more than one person in the finance department. If we find any discrepancies in the accounts, or if anyone pockets any money, we won’t just fire them—we’ll press charges. So, they wouldn’t dare." freeweɓnovēl.coɱ
Gu’er said this seriously. ’Family,’ she thought. ’Sometimes, hiring family isn’t such a good idea. Sometimes, they’re the ones who cause the most trouble.’
"Oh, okay, that’s good. But I still think you need family members watching over the business. Gu, your sister-in-law is great at accounting. If the books were in her hands, you could rest easy, right? And your uncle—with him watching the warehouse, you can be sure nothing would go missing. And me! I could supervise the sales clerks. I guarantee none of them would dare to slack off. I’m telling you..."
Cao Qiu rattled on, but before she could finish, Gu’er heard Grandma Sun call out, "Gu’er, come in here. Grandma has a word with you."
"Auntie, I’m going to see what Grandma wants."
Gu’er took the opportunity to stand up.
"Gu’er, don’t you listen to her," Grandma Sun told Gu’er. "Jia Ming has already told me everything. You just do what you think is best. Letting their oldest son work there is more than enough. Just pretend you didn’t hear a word Cao Qiu said."
"Ma, isn’t Zhuzi your son? If we do well, we’ll be able to honor you too, won’t we?"
Cao Qiu thought the old woman was getting muddled in her old age. ’Why let outsiders make all the money instead of her own family?’
"I don’t need you to honor me. I have food to eat and clothes to wear; that’s more than enough. And don’t you dare glare at me. I told Jia Ming a long time ago that none of you could work there. What kind of man is Zhuzi? Him working there would be no different than you working there. And if you went, would anything good come of it? Do you think it’s easy for these kids to earn a bit of money? They’re running all over the place, day in and day out, barely getting any sleep. You think opening a department store is easy? It cost so much money! Do you think money just falls from the sky? They’re already in debt over it! So don’t you go meddling in their business. You just stay put at home and don’t ever bring this up again."
Grandma Sun laid it all out on the table.
Cao Qiu was so furious her chest ached, but she kept her mouth shut. Her son, Jia Ming, had made himself perfectly clear on his last few visits: whenever she came over, she was not to argue with his grandmother. She was his mother, and he would be filial to her, but Grandma was his elder, and he expected his mother to show her respect as well. The alternative was for them to live their lives separately. He wouldn’t forget his mother and would still come to see her, but he didn’t want their relationship to deteriorate to the point where they were no longer on speaking terms.
Cao Qiu was beginning to understand. Her son had her in his heart and sympathized with her, but his compassion wasn’t unconditional. If she kept acting the way she used to, she feared she would end up alienating everyone. That’s why she always told herself not to argue with her mother-in-law when she came over. But sometimes, their ways of thinking were just too different.
"I was just thinking... it’s our family’s business. Shouldn’t we help out?" Cao Qiu argued weakly.
"The more you ’help,’ the more of a mess you make," Grandma Sun retorted. "You used to say you were saving money so Jia Ming could get married. Well, now Jia Ming doesn’t need you to save for him; he can afford a wife on his own. What more do you want? Cao Qiu, think about your son for once. Don’t put him in a difficult position. If you truly care about him, then you should be happy when he’s doing well, shouldn’t you? Even if it’s just Jiasheng earning money, that’s enough to get by, isn’t it? Plus, Jia Ming gives you some money too. Is it still not enough? Why are you always so fixated on what other people have? Jia Ming is a good, filial son. He won’t neglect you in the future. Don’t lose something great by chasing after something small."
Grandma Sun offered this advice to her daughter-in-law, as she didn’t want any turmoil in the family.
"Who ever complains about having too much money?"
Cao Qiu muttered. When she saw her mother-in-law glaring at her again, she quickly added, "I get it, I get it! I won’t go, alright? I just won’t go. I’ll wait until they actually need help, and then I’ll offer. How about that?"
Everyone breathed a sigh of relief when they heard her say that.
Gu’er looked at Cao Qiu. ’While having a good mother-in-law would be a relief, at least Cao Qiu isn’t the truly scheming type,’ she thought. ’Dealing with someone like that would be even more exhausting. As long as she’s passably civil, I can live with it.’
All in all, Sun Zhuzi and Cao Qiu’s visit had passed without an argument. As Sun Jiaming walked them downstairs, Gu’er heard Grandma Sun let out a sigh.
"Auntie."
Aunt Zhao called out to her, knowing what she was thinking.
"I’ve endured it for so many years," Grandma Sun said. "As long as she doesn’t act up, I don’t care whether they’re filial to me or not. Things are civil enough on the surface now, and she isn’t making trouble for the children. I should be content with that."
Grandma Sun said this, but her voice was tinged with a hint of melancholy.
"Gu’er, come with Mom."
Just then, Li Hua took Gu’er by the hand and led her into another room.
There was no one else in the room, just the two of them.
"What is it, Mom?"
Gu’er asked. It seemed her mother had something she needed to say.
"Gu’er... Mom wants to come work at your department store."
Li Hua fell silent for a moment before looking up at Gu’er, her expression resolute.
Gu’er was stunned. ’I just turned down Cao Qiu, and now Mom wants a job too?’ But her mother was completely different from Cao Qiu. ’What could she be thinking?’
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