RGL – Chapter 94

“Sister, I know Sun Hai is a good man.” Li Meng lowered her head. She had been with Sun Hai for so long, and they even had a child together. Of course she knew he was a good person. And it was exactly because of this that she was even more afraid.

She had never really had a home, and now that she finally did—had a home and a child—no one could understand just how much she cherished this life. So whenever she thought about possibly losing it, she felt terrified. Sometimes she would even dream that after Sun Hai found out about what she had done, he would get very angry, accuse her, and not want her anymore.

And then there was Doudou. If they got divorced, Sun Hai definitely wouldn’t let her keep Doudou. She didn’t want to be separated from her child.

But all of this, she couldn’t talk about with anyone. She could only bury it deep in her heart and try to figure things out on her own.

Seeing her eyes turning red like she was about to cry, Sun Qiufang asked in confusion, “Are you hiding something from us?”

Li Meng quickly wiped her eyes. “It’s nothing, Sister, don’t worry. I’m fine.”

Sun Qiufang looked at her and still felt like something was wrong. But since Li Meng said it was nothing, she didn’t know how to keep asking. “Hey, we’re family. If you have anything going on, just tell us. We’ll figure it out together. Don’t carry the burden alone.”

“Mm.” Li Meng nodded in agreement.

After coming out of the supermarket, Sun Qiufang took Su Min to the bus station to return to the city.

Once on the bus, Sun Qiufang said, “Something feels off between your little uncle and your little aunt. I don’t know what happened, but your little uncle seems completely unaware.”

Su Min had noticed it too, but she couldn’t figure out what could be wrong.

Right now, her little uncle’s business was going well. They had a house, and once the county developed further, it was only a matter of time before he bought a car. They didn’t have to worry about anything anymore, so what problems could they possibly have?

Besides, her little aunt didn’t have much in the way of family. Other than visiting her eldest uncle’s family in the village during the New Year, there wasn’t any contact. So it wasn’t likely to be an issue with her side of the family.

Could it be emotional?

Had her little aunt changed, or had her little uncle changed?

They both didn’t seem like the type.

Su Min couldn’t figure it out. In her previous life, she’d never dated or married, so she didn’t know what kind of problems came up between men and women after getting together. She understood even less about the mundane details of married life—cooking, groceries, money. In her memory, her parents had always had a good relationship. In this life, it was even better—lovey-dovey sweet—so she didn’t understand how other people’s marriages worked.

After returning to the city, Su Min stopped paying attention to the store.

Everything had been arranged, and the store wasn’t particularly fancy. They just needed to apply a coat of whitewash, paint the walls white, and add a big picture to the outer wall to brighten things up—then it could be used.

Su Changrong doted on his daughter, so he had the renovation team work on her store first before starting on his own.

Because of that, Su Min’s store was almost finished in just a week. But since there was still a strong smell, she didn’t move anything in immediately. She planned to air it out for a week before bringing in the merchandise.

On Saturday, Sun Yan called and came over to Su Min’s house. Sun Qiufang picked her up from the station and brought her home.

That evening, the three girls gathered in the room to discuss the store.

“We agreed—Yan is the main force here, she’ll be at the store full-time. Zhaodi and I will help out when we’re off from school. Zhaodi will earn a commission for the clothes she sells. I’m just helping out for free.”

Hearing that she’d have help made Sun Yan feel more at ease. She’d been a little nervous about doing it alone, but since Su Min would also come on Saturdays and Sundays to check on things, she’d have someone to discuss problems with.

“You should just stay here at night,” Su Min said. “It’ll be more convenient for all of us.”

But Sun Yan immediately shook her head. “No, I don’t want to stay here. I’ll rent a place on my own.”

Su Min and Liao Zhaodi looked at her in surprise. Su Min frowned. “Why not? Staying here would save you a lot of money.”

Sun Yan sighed. “Minzi, I don’t want to trouble Aunt anymore. If I stay here, my mom will definitely come looking for Aunt and pick a fight again. Besides, I’m turning seventeen soon. I used to live in the factory dorms—it was fine.”

She already felt embarrassed coming over now, since her mom always argued with her aunt. Even the best relationships could be ruined by repeated fights. The fact that Minzi was willing to let her join the clothing business was already more than she could ask for.

“That won’t do. I brought you to the city, and if you’re living alone and something happens, what then? My mom would never agree to it if she knew.”

“Minzi, please don’t force me anymore. I really don’t want to live in your home. After all, this isn’t my house, and I don’t feel comfortable. I’m not a child anymore. I’ll be fine.”

Su Min said, “I have to ask my mom about this. She definitely won’t agree.”

That evening at dinner, Su Min brought up the matter with Sun Qiufang.

As soon as Sun Qiufang heard that Sun Yan wanted to move out, she immediately rejected the idea. “No way. You’re both still young, how can you live outside on your own? What if something happens? We have enough space at home. We can just add a bed in one of the rooms.”

“Auntie, I really want to live on my own. Even if I weren’t in the city, I would still be living on my own in the county. I want to take care of myself and manage my own life. Please let me try it out, otherwise, I’ll just go back to the county.” She came here to earn money, not to be a burden on her aunt’s family. Even the best of relatives can’t take endless trouble. Her mother had already caused enough; if she added to that, it would really leave no room for kindness.

Her own parents couldn’t be relied on, so how could she lean on relatives?

“Yanyan, listen to your aunt. There’s room at home. Don’t move out. I wouldn’t feel at ease with you living alone in a place like this.”

Su Min added, “Exactly. Let’s all live together—it’ll be more convenient that way.”

But Sun Yan shook her head firmly.

Seeing how determined she was, Sun Qiufang said, “Then wait a bit. Let’s take our time to find a place. Once we rent a suitable one, we’ll talk again.”

“…Alright.” Sun Yan reluctantly agreed, but in her mind, she was already planning when to go out and find a cheap place to rent.

After dinner, Sun Yan and Su Min washed up together and went to their room to sleep.

Lying on Su Min’s bed, she looked around the room, full of envy.

Her aunt and uncle had followed Minzi from the county all the way to the city just to support her in opening a shop. That clearly showed how much they loved Minzi.

Unlike her—her parents didn’t care about them at all. All they did was mess up their lives with random decisions.

Su Min read for a while, and seeing that Sun Yan couldn’t fall asleep, she put her book away in her bag. “I’ll take you to see the shop tomorrow. The renovation turned out great. I plan to open next week. It’s already cold, and since we opened later than most, if we wait any longer, we’ll lose the market completely.”

Sun Yan responded with a soft “mm,” then added, “Minzi, once I earn some money, I want to buy a home of my own and have a stable life. Honestly, sometimes I really miss the village. Life wasn’t as good there as it is in the city, but Qiangzi and I were happy. I could hang out with classmates during holidays. But ever since we came here, it’s been nothing but work every day. Qiangzi’s also having a hard time at school. His classmates look down on him because we don’t have money. That fight he got into—he only hit the boy because the kid insulted him. And some rich kid even stuffed trash into his desk.” Her voice started to choke. “At the time, I was working in the factory, and my parents were busy working too. No one paid attention to him. When he got into trouble, there was no one to help him. After the fight, my mom wanted to stop him from going to school altogether. Luckily, when I went back to give him his living expenses, I found out. Otherwise, my mom would’ve made him drop out.”

Listening to all that Sun Yan said—especially when she spoke about missing life in the village—Su Min felt a growing sense of guilt.

If it weren’t for her, Yanyan and Qiangzi would probably still be following their path from the previous life: attending middle school, then staying at home, and a few years later getting married and having children.

She let out a sigh and said with determination, “Yanyan, we will definitely buy a house someday. We’ll have a home. Don’t worry—everything will get better.”

Although Sun Qiufang had agreed to let Sun Yan look for a place, Sun Yan knew her aunt was just placating her. She said they’d move out once they found a place, but in reality, she had no intention of letting her rent on her own. So the next day, when Sun Yan went out with Su Min, she brought up the matter again.

Seeing Su Min about to object, she said, “Minzi, don’t try to talk me out of it. I mean it. I have to rent a place. When Qiangzi comes on holiday, we need a place to stay.”

She was determined to rent no matter what.

Su Min, seeing how firm she was, couldn’t argue anymore. She remembered she had rented a place near her school. Originally, she had planned to use it as a small workshop for her clothing business, but since she had decided to just open a shop now, the place was sitting empty. It would be wasteful to leave it unused, and it felt a bit awkward to ask Zhao Xue to cancel the lease. It actually made perfect sense to let Sun Yan stay there.

She smiled. “If you really want to live outside, there’s no need to rent a new place. I already have one that’s perfect. Let’s go see the shop first, and then I’ll show you the apartment.”

“Really?” Sun Yan was skeptical. She had just mentioned renting—where would Minzi suddenly get a place?

Su Min grinned. “Why would I lie to you? Let’s go see the shop first, then the place. The apartment’s in a nice area, right near our school. You won’t have to worry about safety at all.”

“That would be amazing.” Sun Yan let out a sigh of relief. She had been worried that finding a place would be difficult—she hadn’t expected Minzi to already have a suitable one.

Liao Zhaodi stood nearby, a thoughtful look on her face.

Sun Yan had only heard about opening a store before, and hadn’t felt fully settled about it. But now, standing in the actual shop, she finally realized—she really was going into business with Minzi. She’d get a share of the profits too. Minzi had said she was half a boss now.

Sun Yan felt a surge of ambition. “Minzi, don’t worry, I’ll definitely work hard. We’ll make this shop a huge success!”

Su Min teased with a smile, “I’ll take that blessing! Once we start making money, we’ll open more branches. We’re gonna make big money.”

Sun Yan, however, was serious. “Hey, you never know. Look at Aunt and Uncle, they’ve already opened several stores. Maybe we can do the same someday.”

Now that she’d seen the shop, her confidence had grown even more.

After checking out the store, Su Min took Sun Yan and Liao Zhaodi to look at some housing options.

Su Min knew how stubborn Sun Yan could be. She’d nearly taken a job as a waitress in a restaurant just to spite their aunt. Now she was set on renting a place of her own, saying she didn’t feel comfortable living with the family. Since she was determined, there was no stopping her.

So Su Min didn’t try to persuade her otherwise. She just wanted to help her find a proper place to live.

This apartment complex was close to the school and mainly housed workers. It was a big community, with a guard at the gate—definitely safer than randomly rented shacks outside.

After seeing the place, Sun Yan looked surprised. “Minzi, this place must be expensive. I don’t need such a big apartment just for myself.”

“It’s not expensive—I rented it through a friend. It is a bit much for one person, but didn’t you say Qiangzi might come visit you? This way, there’s space. And honestly, I couldn’t find a better place.”

“How about I live with you?” Liao Zhaodi suddenly suggested.

Su Min looked at her in surprise. “You’ve got a perfectly good place. Why would you want to move out?”

Liao Zhaodi said, “It’s closer to school here, and I’d like to live nearby. Plus, I can keep Sun Yan company.” Ever since Sun Yan came over yesterday, she had realized she couldn’t keep staying at Su Min’s house.

Even though Su Min and her aunt and uncle never said anything, Zhaodi still couldn’t help overthinking it. After all, Sun Yan was actually related to the family and still didn’t feel comfortable living there. But she, a total outsider, had been eating and staying there for free—it just didn’t feel right anymore. She’d once said she could help Su Min make clothes, but now she had to focus on her studies, and even contributing through that was becoming less possible. The guilt weighed heavier on her heart.

Now that Sun Yan was moving out, staying at the Su house felt more awkward than ever. She figured she might as well move out with her.

Su Min was a bit reluctant. She and Zhaodi had become almost inseparable lately, and she was used to having her around. Not to mention, Zhaodi didn’t have much money, and she still wanted to go to college. Living at Su Min’s house saved her at least the cost of food.

“Zhaodi, it’s easier to eat if you stay at home.”

“It’s fine. This place is close to school—I can come back at noon and cook for myself.” Zhaodi smiled and turned to Sun Yan. “Sun Yan, mind if I move in with you? We can split the rent.”

Su Min frowned. “If it’s just about being close to school, staying in the dorm would be even closer.”

“I don’t want to stay in the dorm anymore. Things got so messy last time, and even though Tang Man and the others made up with me, I still feel awkward going back. Don’t worry about me, I’ve still got some money. I’ll find a job over summer break. I’m not going to shortchange myself anymore—I’ll live comfortably.”

Sun Yan added, “If Zhaodi moves in, that’d be great. We can keep each other company. Otherwise, this place would feel way too empty with just me.”

Su Min sighed inwardly. She knew Zhaodi’s decision was clearly influenced by Sun Yan moving out. And now that she was set on it, Su Min didn’t know what else to say. She could only plan to talk to her mom later.

After looking at the apartment, Su Min called home and told them she wouldn’t be coming back for dinner. Instead, she took Sun Yan and Liao Zhaodi to the city center for a bit of shopping.

The city center was way livelier than their old county town. There was even an entire street dedicated to food stalls. The kind of spicy skewers they used to make—chuanchuanxiang—already had two shops doing it here.

Su Min loved spicy food. She got a few skewers for herself and bought a portion each for Sun Yan and Zhaodi.

“Minzi, it’s not even as good as what we used to make,” Zhaodi said in a low voice after a few bites.

Su Min laughed. “The real deal is in Chuancheng. Who would come all the way out here just to start a business selling this stuff? If you want the authentic taste, you’ll either have to go there or wait for someone from there to open up shop here.”

Zhaodi quickly polished off a few more skewers and grinned. “I don’t crave it that badly—I’m not about to travel that far just for food.”

Sun Yan said, “You don’t have to go eat it—you could learn the skill instead. Look at how good their business is! I bet they’re making a lot of money. If I had this skill, I’d watch the shop during the day and sell skewers at night—two incomes at once.” Her eyes sparkled as she spoke.

Then, she suddenly remembered how her younger uncle had once tried to convince her parents to start a business like this, but they hadn’t wanted to. They insisted on keeping their jobs at the hotel. And now, life had only gotten harder.

Seeing how thriving this business was, even if her parents didn’t do as well back then, it would’ve still earned them more than working at a hotel. If she and Qiangzi helped out in the evenings, and the whole family worked hard to earn money together, their life wouldn’t be as difficult as it was now.