Yang the jailer did not want to supervise two prisoners.
Wen Hongyan equally had no desire to stay and become a dishwasher.
Shulu had never done such work, and neither had Wen Hongyan!
Back when the Wen family lived in the countryside, Wen Hongyan had three brothers. The heaviest farm labour naturally fell to her eldest and third brothers, never reaching her. Later, when Wen Dongrong settled in the city and lifted the whole family, Wen Hongyan got a factory job. Titles like “production pacesetter” were forever beyond her reach, but when it came to slacking off and cutting corners, she was always top of the list.
Wash dishes? Wash what dishes?
Wen Hongyan stuck her neck out and declared she had big business to attend to. Shulu tugged hard at her mother’s sleeve.
The mother and daughter huddled aside whispering for ages. Just as Yang the jailer’s patience was wearing thin, Wen Hongyan approached awkwardly. “I’ll listen to Lulu. For now, I’ll wash some dishes here.”
“Pah!”
Yang Xi crossed her arms. “And now you’re feeling aggrieved? Do you still think you’re the old boss lady of a seafood stall? A dishwasher at ‘Prawn King’ isn’t something you can just decide to be. Outside, plenty of people are dying for this job. If not for Wen Ying, do you think you’d even get a chance?”
Yang Xi wanted Wen Hongyan and Shulu to face reality.
They did not even qualify as proper dishwashers yet. They had to endure a probation period like everyone else.
No, this mother and daughter’s probation would have to be longer than average!
Yang Xi scolded Wen Hongyan, then grew tired of arguing with the pair. She left the store manager in charge of assessing their work and went off to handle her other tasks.
Wen Hongyan was actually a bit afraid of Yang Xi.
She could throw tantrums in front of Wen Ying, who would at most walk away. But in front of Yang Xi, throwing a tantrum might earn her a beating!
Even Shu Guobing could not beat Yang Xi…
Wen Hongyan turned to complain. “Lulu, are we really going to wash dishes?”
Shulu nodded. “Of course we are. How else will we make Sister Wen Ying and Second Uncle calm down? Mum, just bear it. Hardship is temporary. Our good days are still ahead!”
Wen Hongyan thought about it and agreed.
In truth, Wen Hongyan was all talk.
If she did not stay at ‘Prawn King’ to wash dishes, she had nowhere else to go.
Originally, the family rented a place in the county town.
After Shu Guobing was released from prison, Shulu took the travel money sponsored by little Cai and left. Wen Hongyan and Shu Guobing could not even afford the county rent, so they slunk back to the village.
They stayed in the village for a while. Wen Hongyan got involved in pyramid schemes, Shu Guobing gambled, and the couple racked up huge debts. Debt collectors came knocking daily, forcing them to flee back to the county to hide.
Once in the county, Shu Guobing quickly hooked up with the divorced female owner of a teahouse and moved in with her, taking his few ragged clothes.
Wen Hongyan thick-skinnedly sought out old factory colleagues, sponging meals and stays at several of their homes.
Those old colleagues grew utterly fed up with her.
They were all ordinary workers from the factory. Which family could tolerate Wen Hongyan freeloading long-term?
The colleagues she had mooched off gave her dirty looks daily and eventually banded together to refuse her.
Wen Hongyan truly could not hold out any longer. Just then, Shulu returned from Shanghai, and the mother and daughter immediately agreed to seek forgiveness from Wen Dongrong.
Wen Dongrong had no wish to see them.
Wen Ying, instead, left a chance for Shulu.
Hearing that ‘Prawn King’ provided dormitories, Wen Hongyan secretly breathed a sigh of relief. At least it was a temporary place to stay, and Shu Guobing could not come beating her there.
Thinking this way, staying at ‘Prawn King’ to wash dishes felt more like entering a refuge.
Wen Hongyan was truly naive. With Spring Festival approaching, ‘Prawn King’ business was booming. Wen Hongyan and Shulu washed dishes until they collapsed, not finishing until after two in the morning!
Wen Hongyan’s back nearly broke, her arms could barely lift. That very night, she wanted to run away.
Shulu lay on her single bed in the staff dormitory, aching from head to toe and unable to sleep. She cursed Wen Ying countless times in her heart but endured the discomfort to persuade her mother. “We can’t leave now. If we do, all this suffering will be for nothing. Just bear it a bit longer.”
The young employee sharing their dormitory was a former subordinate of Yang Xi. Hearing the mother and daughter’s complaints, she only wanted to laugh. They’ve come this far. Leaving won’t be that easy!
…
At the same time, Wen Ying was on the phone with Xie Qian.
“All sorted. Both of them are now under Yang Xi’s watch. With her keeping an eye, they won’t easily cause trouble. Grandma has woken up too. The doctor says to keep her hospitalised a while longer and discharge her after the New Year.”
Wen Ying had heard about the miserable state of Shulu and Wen Hongyan in the ‘Prawn King’ kitchen. Her appetite soared, and she even ate an extra half bowl of rice.
Not just her. The whole Wen family was pleased.
Though the suffering the mother and daughter endured was far from offsetting the trouble they had caused the Wen family, everyone felt the satisfaction of at least recouping some interest!
It was long overdue.
When Wen Hongyan wanted to quit her job back then, Wen Dongrong should have asserted his authority as family head and suppressed her. Only Chen Ru dared say such words.
Wen Dongrong was speechless.
How could he have foreseen? Who could predict that after Wen Hongyan quit her job, the family of three would charge down the path to self-destruction?
“You’re dangling a carrot in front of them. They won’t bear to leave.”
At first, they think of enduring. Once they’ve endured to a certain point, they won’t leave at all. After all, if they walk away then, won’t all the previous effort be wasted?
Xie Qian instantly understood how Wen Ying planned to restrain those two oddballs.
Well, originally three oddballs. But with Shu Guobing determined on divorce, the number of oddballs Wen Ying needed to manage suddenly dropped by one.
If he did not divorce, Shu Guobing could still use the title of Wen Ying’s uncle. Once divorced, Wen Ying would have no obligation to care who he was.
This was good news.
Xie Qian told Wen Ying, “I need to return to the capital for a trip. To see Uncle and the others, and visit Grandma.”
“Mm. I’ll definitely stay in Rongcheng for the New Year… So does that mean we won’t see each other until after the holidays?”
Only a couple of days after returning to Rongcheng, Wen Ying had been busy with matters, her mind fully occupied. Now, having handed the two troublemakers to Yang the jailer and freed from distractions, she realised how much she missed Xie Qian!
“We’ll meet again soon.”
Xie Qian assured Wen Ying.
After hanging up, Xie Qian turned to Dr Joseph, who had been waiting nearby. “Sorry to trouble you. Begin the evaluation.”
Joseph spoke exaggeratedly. “Is this the power of love? Xie, you are the patient with the strongest willpower I have ever seen. Bar none!”
Xie Qian smiled faintly without explaining.
Was it the power of love?
Perhaps.
But wanting to recover quickly was not solely for love.
…
While Xie Qian underwent his final evaluation with Dr Joseph in Shanghai, Wen Ying’s friends gradually returned to Rongcheng.
Another Spring Festival approached.
Qin Jiao had said this year ‘Prawn King’ would distribute dividends to shareholders. Wen Ying and Xie Qian did not care about the money, but Wang Shuang, also a minor shareholder in ‘Prawn King’, cared very much.
Wang Shuang’s second venture had used his father’s private savings.
As a veteran henpecked husband, Wang Jun’s private funds were clearly limited.
Wang Shuang was counting on the pre-New Year dividends from ‘Prawn King’ to ease the pressure. Yet Qin Jiao’s promised dividends were actually delayed?
“I feel like something’s off.”
Wang Shuang called Wen Ying to grumble. “Qin Jiao always keeps her word. She wouldn’t break a promise…”
Wen Ying laughed. “Are you that short of money?”
“You… you wouldn’t understand!”
Wang Shuang hemmed and hawed.
Wen Ying was a girl. She did not understand the world of boys.
Business funds could wait, but money for Li Mengjiao’s New Year gift could not.
The ‘Prawn King’ shares were earned by Wang Shuang himself, different from his ‘Tianjiao’ shares. Using ‘Prawn King’ dividends to buy Li Mengjiao a New Year gift would make Wang Shuang’s back straight with pride!
This was Li Mengjiao’s first Spring Festival as Wang Shuang’s girlfriend. He took it very seriously.
Wen Ying pondered. “Now that you mention it, it does seem a bit unusual. I’ll ask Sister Jiao directly.”
