Chapter 100: My Treat
"Zhaodi!"
Han Ruochen was scared out of her wits when she saw a dark shadow fall over her. She thought that this was a new scheme that Yang Jianming had cooked up for her; never did she think that it was Tong Zhaodi who was waiting for her.
"Sister Han, did I disturb you?"
Han Ruochen patted her chest as she tried to ease her heartbeat that was getting higher with each passing second. "Zhaodi, what —just what are you doing here? Why did you fall over inside like this? What were you doing?"
Just now, Tong Zhaodi fell over and scared her so much that she thought for a second that she was going to die all over again. She looked at Tong Zhaodi, whose complexion was pale and who had dark circles under her eyes. "Were you acting like a thief? Why did you become like this in just a few hours?"
Tong Zhaodi simply smiled. She did not say anything, but she was scolded by her mother. Even though she handed twenty yuan to her mother and secretly hid the remaining eighty, she was still scolded by her mother for being useless. She kept cursing her by repeatedly saying why she didn’t die as soon as she was born.
At that moment, she really wanted to take out every penny that she had earned and hurl it at her mother to let her know that she was not useless. But then she thought of what Han Ruochen said to her and held back.
Her mother also said a lot of things about Han Ruochen. She called her an unscrupulous merchant, saying that she earned so much money, and yet she was sending her away like she was a beggar. In the end, Tong Zhaodi couldn’t help but fight back.
She had done nothing other than dig the soil where Han Ruochen had pointed; it was good enough that Han Ruochen was willing to hand her a hundred yuan. How dare she be greedy? To which her mother got even angrier and kicked her out of the house.
Tong Zhaodi didn’t know where to go, so she could only come looking for Han Ruochen, but of course, before she left the house, her mother took the twenty yuan from her. Tong Zhaodi felt that her heart had gone cold thoroughly. She couldn’t understand where she had gone wrong or why her mother could never like her. She was also her daughter, and it was not her fault that she was born on the boat. If she could have controlled it, then she would have rather been born as the daughter of the Han family than the Tong family.
"I just wanted to ask you if I can stay here?" Tong Zhaodi asked with a hesitant smile. She didn’t say anything extra, but Han Ruochen seemed to have understood what the woman was trying to say. She pursed her lips and waited for the woman to finish speaking before saying, "I wish I could say that you can stay, but I am going to the town."
"What are you going to town for?"
"I have finally made enough money and want to spend it a little."
Han Ruochen then walked out of the house without giving Tong Zhaodi another chance to speak. When Tong Zhaodi saw that Han Ruochen had walked away, she quickly followed after her. Since she couldn’t go back home, and she couldn’t stay at the Han family’s house either, she could always follow Han Ruochen to the town.
Han Ruochen borrowed the bicycle from her second aunt, who handed the keys to Han Ruochen and said to her that she could always take the cycle on a ride as long as she promised to return home before six pm in the evening.
When Tong Zhaodi saw how much Han Ruochen’s second aunt cared for her, she could not help but become envious. She had to admit that Han Ruochen’s aunt was better than her own mother, but as soon as she finished thinking, Tong Zhaodi suddenly felt really guilty. What was she even doing? How could she feel envious over something like this? So what if Han Ruochen’s second aunt treated her well? In the end, she was just as pitiful as herself. Both of them had mothers who couldn’t care less about whether they lived or died.
The two of them arrived at the store that sold the electrical appliances.
"Hello, Mam. How can I help you?" said the salesperson with a professional smile. She looked at the two of them and said, "Are you here to buy something, or are you just here to window-shop?"
The salesperson was used to seeing all kinds of customers; thus, she was very polite, and her tone was even. She patiently waited for Han Ruochen to reply to her.
"I am here to check up on the latest washing machine and water heater." Han Ruochen looked around, and her eyes fell on the washing machines that were put on display.
The salesperson watched her looking at the washing machine, and her heart flinched slightly. Because she could see that Han Ruochen was not lying. She was genuinely here to buy a washing machine. If she managed to sell this washing machine, then she would certainly be able to get a bonus. It was a good thing that she didn’t look down on these honest-looking women; if she were not careful, then she would end up losing such a good deal.
Her eyes were lit up with glee as she stepped forward and then said in a polite voice, "Then how about this Cloud XO model? This is the latest and newest washing machine model. The speed is really good and can wash off even the most stinky and stubborn stains. It won’t take more than thirty minutes; this is the best model."
Han Ruochen looked at the washing machine and nodded in satisfaction. Indeed, this was the best model. She knew this because Han Ziyan had the same one after she got married to the Yang family.
