Chapter 16: Chapter 16: Moral Kidnapping

"What are you thinking about?" Tong Ya crept up behind Chen Yu and asked softly.

Chen Yu then realized, "The number of customers we're serving daily has already exceeded this food cart's capacity. I've been thinking whether I should switch to a larger venue!"

Upon hearing this, Tong Ya didn't even think twice before pulling out her phone.

"Actually, if you need it, I could invest. I do have some spare cash!"

Chen Yu repeatedly waved his hands, "No need! In fact, you've already troubled yourself enough. You've been coming here to help out these past few days, and I don't know what to say."

"It's okay. As a teacher, I should care about my students' family situations too!"

Just then, Tuan Tuan suddenly popped out.

"Dad, why don't you just marry Ms. Tong Ya as a thank-you!"

Chen Yu had a head full of black lines, this little girl just wouldn't quit!

Tong Ya also coughed twice to ease the embarrassment.

"I saw you have a used battery over there; I can take it back and charge it for you if you need!"

A weight finally lifted from Chen Yu's heart, "Really? That would be great!"

Tong Ya didn't say much, just went ahead and picked up the battery, placing it in the trunk of her car.

"Hold on, Ms. Tong Ya, this one is also about to run out of charge!" Tuan Tuan pointed at the nearly empty electric meter of the car.

"Then let's take it down, and I'll bring it back with me as well!"

Chen Yu felt a bit embarrassed as he took down the battery and replaced it with the last spare one.

"A single battery can only last for a day, right?" Tong Ya quickly grasped the food cart's battery consumption.

"That's right. I was just worried about how to charge them!"

Tong Ya leaned back with her hands behind her and unconsciously lifted one foot, "Actually, you can tell me directly if there's anything I can help with in the future. If possible, I'll do my best to help."

Chen Yu was taken aback, "Ms. Tong Ya, if you're just coming over to help out of kindness because I am a single father with a child, there's really no need. That would make me feel..."

Before he could finish, Tong Ya immediately understood Chen Yu's implication.

As a man, especially someone like Chen Yu with considerable responsibilities and a strong sense of pride,

her unsolicited, day-to-day help would only add psychological pressure to him.

"You've misunderstood, Chen Yu! Actually, I'm helping you entirely out of gratitude!"

Chen Yu was utterly confused, "Gratitude? But you've been the one helping me all along! And you've even taken such good care of Tuan Tuan in her dance classes. I feel like I've done nothing!"

"No! It's from back in college!" Tong Ya hurried to explain.

She was truly afraid that Chen Yu would stop her from coming here because of this.

"College?"

Chen Yu was even more puzzled, "We knew each other in college?"

"I thought you remembered!"

Tong Ya suddenly felt a bit aggrieved, "In your junior year, at the end of summer when the freshmen were enrolling, you performed CPR on a student who had heat stroke and took her to the hospital. The hospital fees were paid by you!"

Chen Yu opened his mouth slightly, instinctively stepping back to look Tong Ya up and down.

"That person was you?"

On the side, Tuan Tuan also jumped up excitedly, "Dad, you knew Ms. Tong Ya that early on!"

Chen Yu let out a light sigh, "That was just something I did on a whim! Plus, that year I completed my credits and went on to the graduate department, so I never saw Ms. Tong Ya again!"

"But I have always seen you! At the orientation party, you played the guitar on stage. Then there was the advanced math competition, thesis defenses; I was in the audience every time! I always wanted to pay you back the hospital fees, but I could never find you after the events!"

Chen Yu suddenly felt an unexpected sense of relief.

"I was enrolled in two graduate programs at the time, so I was very busy with coursework. I didn't even recognize all my classmates!"

Tong Ya's smile suddenly became playful and warm, "So remember that! Everything I do now and in the future is out of gratitude, got it!" seaʀᴄh thё NôvelFire.nёt website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

The implication of her words was to tell Chen Yu that under no circumstances was he to send her away.

Tuan Tuan promptly stepped forward and grabbed both Chen Yu and Tong Ya's hands.

"Wow, Dad, you're so mean! Luckily, Ms. Tong Ya ran into you again so she can repay the favor. You've got to accept it properly!"

Chen Yu's mind was filled with black lines. Was this moral blackmail?

Tong Ya covered her mouth and chuckled, then went back to the car carrying the battery.

"I'll be coming over again tomorrow morning!"

Chen Yu felt resigned, as it seemed he really had no reason to refuse Tong Ya now!

"Wow, Dad! When did you learn to make these dumplings? They are so delicious! If I had known, I would have taken a few more for Ms. Tong Ya."

Chen Yu also sat down and picked up a dumpling.

"If it's delicious, eat more, this is our dinner tonight!"

"Yay!"

Tuan Tuan cheered and then started gobbling up the food.

Chen Yu, on the other hand, dialed his phone to arrange for tomorrow's supplies.

Four hundred pounds of a mix of sweet potatoes and purple sweet potatoes.

Two hundred pounds of brown sugar and two hundred pounds of white sugar.

Two hundred pounds of black sesame seeds.

One hundred pounds each of beef, lamb, pork, and cod.

Four hundred pounds each of leeks and cabbage.

One hundred pounds each of shiitake mushrooms and marinated tofu.

He then went on to stock up on a thousand beverages, just like the day before.

Flour, bottled water, and seasoning were exactly enough for the next day's use, so Chen Yu did not place another order for them.

Moreover, Chen Yu specifically asked the delivery driver to arrive an hour earlier because now there were two kinds of goods that needed to be prepared in advance.

When all was calculated, the cost for the next day would be 14,400 yuan!

Chen Yu did some rough calculations in his head and thought that if the sales were as good as today, his turnover might be close to 60,000.

Just then, a rather rough voice interrupted Chen Yu's thoughts.

"Old Chen, how do you find the fridge? Is it convenient to use?"

"Convenient, quite handy! Oh, by the way, Old Xie, it's been a day on trial, let me transfer the money to you!"

Xie Jiang also hurriedly took out his phone, "We're all neighbors here. I'll give you a 20% discount, 3,200 yuan! Just let me make a little profit!"

"Oh, how could I accept that!"

"Old Chen, don't be so polite to me! Just reserve a few fried cakes and dumplings for me tomorrow morning."

Chen Yu stopped refusing and scanned over 3,200 yuan with his phone.

With that settled, Chen Yu now had 14,100 yuan left in hand!

This money was pure profit for him to keep!

"Dad! I'm going to watch some cartoons and then sleep!"

By this time, Tuan Tuan had finished the dumplings and had also effortlessly cleaned up the table.

Chen Yu let out a yawn as well, after the busy day, he was truly tired.

"Let's go, Dad will watch with you!"

"Hooray!" Tuan Tuan grabbed Chen Yu's hand, "When can Ms. Tong Ya join us to watch cartoons?"