Wen Ying shook her head, “She wasn’t selling at the school gate, just passing by. I didn’t even notice her at first, and I don’t know if she saw me. Anyway, she hurried off quickly, even though several people called out to buy her roasted sweet potatoes, she didn’t stop.”
So it wasn’t intentional.
Zhu Meiqun, unfamiliar with Rongcheng, likely wandered near the provincial key school by chance, only realizing where she was when she saw students leaving school.
Not wanting to be seen by Wen Ying, she panicked, ignoring business to rush away from the school area. Chen Ru briefly explained Zhu Meiqun and Wen Changlin’s plans to make a living in Rongcheng, then warned Wen Ying, “Your dad and I are pretending we don’t know. I know you’ve got money now, but unless you plan to buy them a house and support them for life, stay out of this!”
Wen Ying had no such intention.
A peck of rice fosters gratitude, a bushel breeds enmity. No matter how much money she had, she couldn’t support relatives. They clearly didn’t want to be leeches, so why force them into becoming useless?
“I’m talking to you, are you listening?” Chen Ru raised her voice, noticing Wen Ying’s distraction.
“I heard, I’ll listen to my mom. If Mom says to help, I’ll help; if Mom says don’t meddle, I won’t,” Wen Ying said, flattering as usual.
Chen Ru glared at her, but her lips curved into a smile.
She knew Wen Ying was buttering her up, but the words warmed her heart.
*No wonder old Wen always acts like the head of the family; being in charge feels pretty good!*
Wen Ying initially thought her uncle’s family was in trouble, but her mother’s words revealed a different story.
Another variable different from her past life!
Indeed, in her previous life, her family bought a house in Rongcheng but didn’t live there, treating it as an investment.
In this life, Manager Chen’s career took off after transferring to Rongcheng, and with no plans to return to their small hometown, old Wen was also more ambitious than before.
In both lives, relatives saw Wen Ying’s family as a benchmark.
In her past life, her family stayed in the small city, so relatives stayed put, content with small-city life.
In this life, her family’s active efforts to settle in Rongcheng stirred relatives to strive for better lives.
Having relatives who worked hard was far better than having parasitic ones.
Wen Ying was delighted, not just for her relatives’ grit, but because these positive changes were ripples from her rebirth.
First, her aunt’s family.
Then Manager Chen and old Wen.
Now, it had spread to relatives back home.
These changes made Wen Ying feel her rebirth had meaning!
And in less than two years, with over a decade before Xie Qian’s tragedy, she was certain she could change his fate.
Wen Ying’s joy surged like waves.
How happy? Hard to describe, but compared to receiving *Teen Idol*’s first-quarter royalties, this felt even better.
Unable to resist, Wen Ying sent Xie Qian a text, “You remember our pact to live to a hundred, right?”
“…?”
Xie Qian replied with a question mark, but Wen Ying played coy.
He didn’t need to know her past life’s trajectory; she did.
She was certain she could change it!
At the Xie household, Xie Qian made a long-distance call to Gong Sheng in Shanghai.
Since Zhao Dong went to Shanghai, Xie Qian was wary, fearing he’d cause trouble for the logistics company. He repeatedly cautioned Gong Sheng to be careful, but Zhao Dong showed no signs of trouble, while Gong Sheng signed several big deals in Zhangjiang.
Something felt off.
Xie Qian knew he had to visit Shanghai himself. This weekend, no more delays—it’d give the slackers a break.
The slackers weren’t entirely useless. Take Wen Ying, the slacker who texted him; she wasn’t great at tests but had a knack for sweet talk.
A pact to live to a hundred.
Such words could easily be misunderstood!
Xie Qian couldn’t help rereading the message.
Who doesn’t like hearing kind words, especially sincere ones? Like Chen Ru, Xie Qian was charmed into a smile by Wen Ying.
*Can’t say why, just in a great mood.*
Wen Ying listened to advice, which pleased Chen Ru.
So when Wen Dongrong came home that evening, finding both his wife and daughter in high spirits, he wondered what good news had happened.
His own sense of disappointment lingered.
Days passed, and neither his sister-in-law nor younger brother contacted him.
What, did they really not need his help?
Selling roasted sweet potatoes—how long would it take to buy Wen Kai a house in the provincial capital?
Of course, Wen Dongrong had no money to buy his nephew a house now, but he thought families should discuss and plan together; he could at least offer ideas.
Before bed, he couldn’t hold back, “Shangwei had someone check for me. Sister-in-law is selling roasted sweet potatoes, and Changlin got a job selling insurance.”
Wen Changlin selling insurance?
Chen Ru thought it suited her brother-in-law.
Among the four Wen siblings, the eldest was honest, the youngest, Wen Hongyan, was lazy, and all the family’s smarts went to Wen Dongrong and Wen Changlin.
Wen Dongrong excelled academically; Wen Changlin, less so, but was a smooth talker. Selling insurance wasn’t a bad move!
But in insurance, newbies start by selling to friends and family.
The Wen family’s most capable supporter was their own household, yet Wen Changlin hadn’t approached them, showing he was determined to succeed on his own. Combined with Wen Ying’s words, Chen Ru could now conclude that both Zhu Meiqun and Wen Changlin truly wanted to stand on their own.
Self-reliant people earned Chen Ru’s respect. Married to Wen Dongrong for years, she’d never stopped him from helping the Wen family, but genuinely liking and respecting them? This was a first!
In this, Chen Ru and Wen Dongrong were a perfect match, as he’d only recently started seeing his brother-in-law Deng Shangwei as family.
So Chen Ru issued a firm order with peace of mind, “This is good, isn’t it? Don’t ask Wen Ying for money. If sister-in-law or third brother come to us with troubles, I agree to let them stay in the house we planned to rent out.”
Last year, when buying a house, they met Wang Jun and his son. Following Wang Jun’s advice, they split a large unit into two 105㎡ apartments, both now renovated and furnished, airing out.
The one for their own use had better finishes; the rental unit had basic kitchen and bathroom renovations, tiled floors, and white walls. Chen Ru planned to move into the new house by year-end and rent out the other, but if Zhu Meiqun and Wen Changlin asked for help, she was willing to let them use the rental unit.
Of course, having her brother-in-law and sister-in-law under one roof would be odd, but if Grandma Wen was willing, she could move in too; the three-bedroom place was big enough.
Chen Ru once had issues with her mother-in-law, rooted in the old lady’s preference for boys when Chen Ru gave birth.
Now, with Wen Ying so outstanding, if her mother-in-law still favored boys, Chen Ru wouldn’t know what to say!
