Chapter 139 - Chapter 139: Chapter 139: Speak Directly

Chapter 139: Chapter 139: Speak Directly

Translator: 549690339

“Big Sister Ning, if there are dishes to wash, just leave them there. I’ll wash them all together after I’ve finished eating.” Zhang Qiuying, upon entering the backyard and catching sight of this, hurriedly called out.

”1 haven’t had a chance to drink any water this entire morning, and this cornmeal noodle soup smells so delicious, let me get a bowl of it,” Zhuang Qingning laughed.

That’s how it was.

Zhang Qiuying let out a sigh of relief, grinned, and said: “Then, Big Sister Ning, go ahead and drink your noodle soup. Leave your bowl, and I will wash it.”

“Okay.” Zhuang Qingning used a ladle to scoop out the noodle soup, also ladling a bowl for Zhuang Qingsui.

The two of them didn’t leave the kitchen but stood inside holding their bowls, drinking straight from them.

The noodle soup, fresh from the pot, was slightly hot; they had to blow on it a few times before they could take a sip.

They were drinking slowly, and Zhang Qiuying didn’t dare to lift the plate from her bowl in front of them; she just stood waiting.

“Why aren’t you eating? If you let these noodles sit for too long, they’ll clump together.” Zhuang Qingning was a bit puzzled as Zhang Qiuying showed no intent of picking up her chopsticks.

“I will eat, I’ll eat right now.” Zhang Qiuying answered hurriedly, “I was too engrossed watching you drink your noodle soup, I almost forgot to eat.”

Bearing in mind she couldn’t eat this in front of them, and that she must eat it nevertheless, Zhang Qiuying decided to take her bowl into the courtyard to eat.

Zhuang Qingning raised an eyebrow at this.

It was a normal thing to take the bowl outside to eat, but leaving the plate still covering the top of the bowl, that was unusual.

“Why didn’t you take off the plate? Aren’t you afraid it will fall?” As Zhuang Qingning spoke, she reached over and took the plate off.

The contents of Zhang Qiuying’s bowl were now laid bare in front of Zhuang Qingning and Zhuang Qingsui.

Unlike the fragrant cornmeal noodles they had just eaten, Zhang Qiuying’s bowl contained only noodles with no meat. Presumably worried it would be bland, she had added some green onions and soy sauce.

Besides, the noodles were not made from white flour, but a mixture of sweet potato flour and cornmeal, with only a meager addition of white flour.

“So, this is what you and your aunt cat?”

Zhuang Qingning was quite surprised.

Originally, Zhuang Qingning had asked Mrs. Cao to cook in the backyard so they could all eat lunch together. With people taking turns eating these few days, Zhuang Qingning hadn’t paid much attention to what everyone was eating. She assumed they were all eating the same things. To her surprise, what Zhang Qiuying and Mrs. Cao ate was indeed different from what she and her sister had.

“Big Sister Ning.” Zhang Qiuying was caught off guard and a little flustered at first, but seeing that she couldn’t hide it, she steadied herself and explained, “This can also fill my stomach. When I was at home, I could only eat sweet potato pancakes. Now I can eat it mixed with cornmeal and white flour, which tastes much better. I can eat a large bowl of this!”

Zhuang Qingning, however, didn’t listen to her explanation, and went on to ask, “Is this what your aunt told you to tell me?”

Zhang Qiuying just pursed her lips, neither nodding nor shaking her head, just lowering her voice to explain, “My mother said, since you let us work and earn money, that’s already wonderful. We also get a meal at noon, which we feel is too generous. So, my mother and I brought some cornmeal and sweet potato flour from home…”

“Big Sister Ning, this is a common thing. I heard my parents mention it before. People who go out to work are typically fed differently from the main household. I know you mean well, but some rules are still rules.”

Zhuang Qingning frowned for a moment before telling Zhang Qiuying, “Go ahead and finish your noodles.”

“Qingsui, help your Sister Qiuying wash the dishes and pot later on. I’m heading out to the front.”

“Okay,” replied Zhuang Qingning, as she went to the courtyard to fetch water from the water tank.

Since there was no rebuttal, it must be alright then.

However, Zhuang Qingning would definitely speak to Mrs. Cao about this, and Mrs. Cao would certainly reprimand her for being careless and getting caught by Zhuang Qingning.

This certainly was not her concern, she should admit her mistake to her mother later.

As these thoughts raced through Zhang Qiuying’s mind, she started eating the noodles from her bowl.

She was starving, and it only took a few bites for the noodles in her bowl to be cleaned out. Following that, she went on to wash the dishes and scrub the pots with Zhuang Qingsui.

“Auntie.” Zhuang Qingning walked to the front and upon seeing that there was no one in the shop, she immediately started, “Considering our relationship, I won’t beat around the bush.”

Seeing Zhuang Qingning’s demeanor, Mrs. Cao roughly guessed what was going on, and she sighed as her hands fell to her sides, “Ning girl, Auntie…” “Auntie, please let me finish first.”

Zhuang Qingning said, “We agreed before that regardless of whether I’m here or not, as long as the kitchen is working, you always cook, and this meal is covered by the shop. But while you said yes, you’ve been cooking different meals behind the scenes.”

“Auntie, I know that you feel embarrassed eating this meal, but there’s really no need. It’s just white rice and white flour. It’s not like we’re eating expensive meat and fish every day. You need to realize, it doesn’t cost much every month. To be honest, if you work harder and help me sell more goods, it can offset many meals.”

“Auntie, listen to me, cook as you usually do in the future. We all eat the same, and there’s no need for any difference. Don’t let it bother you.”

“Putting aside our familiarity with each other, just focusing on the shop, you’re essentially my colleague. And a well-fed worker is a productive worker. If you’re well-fed and clothed, you can do your job with dedication. I’m not just considering you and Qiuying, but myself as well.”

“If you don’t eat properly, I will worry about whether you’re still able to work properly in the future.”

“How could that be?” Mrs. Cao exclaimed hurriedly as she heard the last part, “Even if you didn’t help me out so much, just based on the work, we have to do it well since we’ve taken it.”

That was a principle strictly followed in their family: If you’re taking someone’s money, you must work hard for them. Only then can you have a clear conscience.

“So, you see, since you feel this way, I need to ensure you eat properly. They say that to whom much is given, much is required. Since you take your work seriously, as the manager, shouldn’t I treat you well?”

Noting Mrs. Cao’s loss for words, Zhuang Qingning continued, “Let’s do it my way from now on, no more bringing stuff from home, no more trying to save these small amounts. Focus instead on selling the goods. Helping me earn back these small expenditures is the best thing you can do.”

“Given that I plan to add more items to this shop in the future, maybe I’ll need to hire new workers if the business grows. If the workers feel that I’m a generous manager, they will work diligently, and they wouldn’t easily be poached by others..”