Chapter 391: Sailing (II)
Han Ruochen raised her hand to refuse Tong Zhaodi. "There is no need. This one sailing point has a lot of turbulence; even I am not confident that I will be able to return uninjured. How can I take you along with me? This is a risk that I shall take alone."
"No, there is no such thing as only sharing the joy and hiding when it rains." Tong Zhaodi shook her head and took the rope from Han Ruochen. She started untying the rope and continued speaking. "And I don’t want to go back home; it will be better to go to this dangerous sailing point than to go back home." These days had been exceptionally hard on her. In the past, she could bring twenty yuan home, so her mother would at least give her some rice gruel in exchange for the twenty yuan that she brought back home.
But ever since Han Yichen got into an accident, Han Ruochen had not gone to the sea, and the twenty yuan that Tong Zhaodi earned every day was also gone because of this; the rice gruel that she received every day as a meal returned to the water of the washed pot. If not for the fact that Han Ruochen was smart enough to tell her not to disclose all of her earnings and keep a part for herself, Tong Zhaodi would have starved to death.
It was easy to get used to comforts, but it was really difficult to start living without them.
Tong Zhaodi was used to eating thick rice gruel every day; even if there was no meat or egg, it was enough to fill her stomach. Suddenly, she was no longer getting the rice porridge—it would definitely have been hard on her stomach. Fortunately, she had enough money to go to the restaurant in the county and eat something to fill her stomach.
Or else Tong Zhaodi had no idea what would have happened to her.
When Han Ruochen heard her response, she knew that something must have happened at the Tong family’s. She sighed and waved her hand. "If you want to come with me, I will not stop you. But you better go and tell your family that you are going with me, and we have no idea how long it will take to return this time around. I don’t want your mother to blame me."
Han Ruochen knew that Tong Zhaodi’s mother was not a simple character. If she took Tong Zhaodi away with her today and did not return for a day or two, that woman would definitely cause a fuss. She would even insist that Han Ruochen had kidnapped her child away without asking her. This was a hat that Han Ruochen was not willing to carry on her head.
Tong Zhaodi nodded and went to look for her mother, and just as Han Ruochen expected, Mother Tong came looking for her with Tong Zhaodi in tow.
"Ruochen, are you taking my Zhaodi to the sea again?" Mother Tong smiled at Han Ruochen with a hint of flattery but Han Ruochen could see the smug look in the woman’s eyes. Thinking about the calculations that might be going on in the head of this woman, Han Ruochen pursed her lips.
"It is true." Han Ruochen did not actively turn the woman away but waited to listen to what she wanted to say.
Sure enough!
As soon as she nodded, Mother Tong’s expression turned worried as if she were really troubled by what Han Ruochen had told her. She dragged Tong Zhaodi forward and then complained to Han Ruochen in a loud voice, "Ruochen, it’s not that I don’t want to send her away, but I am worried. You said that the trip will take more than three days...it must be dangerous, right? Zhaodi is the eldest of my three daughters, after her elder sister. If something happened to her, how will I look at my old man’s eyes?"
Han Ruochen knew what the woman was trying to do, but she did not agree at once. She simply said, "Aunt Tong, first of all, I have hired Zhaodi to work for me. I pay her more than the factory workers. Go and ask around the village who can earn twenty yuan in a day. I know that the trip this time is dangerous, but at most I can promise to take care of Zhaodi’s medical expenses if something happens, but you cannot be greedy for too much, right?"
"But—"
"Aunt Tong", Han Ruochen’s voice turned colder as she addressed the matter at hand. "It’s not that I am being harsh, but look at the situation. My family is in a difficult position, and I am already being fair by not withholding Zhaodi’s salary. When I hired Zhaodi, I made it clear that she would receive a basic pay no matter what and where the destination of the sail was set. I am not exploiting her in any way or manner."
Mother Tong’s face turned red when she heard Han Ruochen’s words. She knew that what Han Ruochen said was correct, but at the same time, she was quite upset in her heart. Clearly, Han Ruochen could help their family more or less by paying Tong Zhaodi more. Why did she have to be so stingy? But she was also unwilling to part with the twenty yuan, so she could only agree.
However, in her heart, she was determined to make a fuss with Tong Zhaodi. What kind of deal was this? Han Ruochen could easily earn thousands of yuan, and their family was only getting twenty yuan. This was too much bullying!
"Sister Ruochen, I am so sorry." Tong Zhaodi was really embarrassed. She was not willing to let her mother follow her, but her mother refused to listen and came looking for Han Ruochen anyway.
"It’s alright; every family has some problems." Han Ruochen was used to handling Meng Yunhan, so she did not mind Mother Tong’s actions too much. Anyway, she was in a hurry to leave. "Let’s go we need to start sailing."
Comments