Capítulo 7: Incredulous
Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
Brother Leopard hastily led his subordinates to apologize.
Ye Zhuo did not pester them, but she turned her head to look toward Ye Sen as she said, "Let's go, uncle."
"Sure." Ye Sen immediately followed after Ye Zhuo.
Brother Leopard and the others watched Ye Sen and Ye Zhuo's departing silhouettes, stunned in bewilderment.
Ye Zhuo had obviously addressed Ye Sen as 'uncle'; yet, why did Ye Sen look more like the footman trailing behind Ye Zhuo for some unknown reason?
Both of them walked along the road when Ye Zhuo suddenly shifted her gaze to look toward Ye Sen and ask, "How much money did you win tonight?"
"It's all here." Ye Sen immediately pulled out the money in his pocket and passed it all to Ye Zhuo.
Ye Zhuo realized why he was so obedient to her after Ye Sen passed the money over. The feeling was extremely peculiar, yet it was almost subconscious to him.
Ye Zhuo counted and found that there was a total of 15,000 bucks in there.
She counted the money so swiftly that Ye Sen could only see the remnant shadows of her hands' movements. Before Ye Sen could react to the situation, Ye Zhuo was already done counting.
"This is for you, uncle." Ye Zhuo took out a small portion of money for Ye Sen.
Ye Sen was somewhat dumbfounded. Could it be that not all this money was his?
Ye Zhuo could read Ye Sen's thoughts, so she continued to speak, "Uncle, don't you forget that it was me who won all this money. Had I not been there, you would have lost so much that you won't even have pants to wear home."
The well-crafted meaning behind her words was that 5000 bucks was already quite a substantial payoff for him.
Ye Sen answered smilingly, "You're still a child, so why do you need so much money? It's better to pass it to me for safekeeping."
Ye Zhuo answered, "My mother is ill. I want to take her to see a doctor and pay for her medication."
Ye Sen was immediately rendered speechless upon finding out that she wanted to treat Ye Shu's illness.
Ye Shu's health was in an extremely poor condition over the years. It seemed that his niece was genuinely a filial, kind child!
Meanwhile, a stream of piercing white light cast over them from a nearby area.
Ye Sen raised his hand to shield his eyes subconsciously!
On the contrary, Ye Zhuo behaved as if she had not seen the piercing light. She did not even bother to look up but continued to walk ahead, cool as a cucumber.
A slim and tall silhouette was seated at the backseat of the car. He had a string of prayer beads in his hand, and his eyes were closed. When the car passed by, the originally closed eyes parted ever so slightly, and the fine, long corner of the man's eyes was lifted to reveal the pitch-black eyes beneath them that were deep beyond comprehension. It was as if his eyes were tainted with thick ink.
Then, the corners of his lips curled into a faint arc.
F*ck!
Was he smiling?
Li Qiandong was so astonished that his jaw dropped upon observing the scene through his rearview mirror.
He had been working with Cen Shaoqing for such a long time, yet he had never known that the man was actually capable of smiling.
Could it be that he saw it wrongly?
Li Qiandong had one hand on the steering wheel while he used his other hand to rub his eyes. By the time he rechecked the rearview mirror, everything had already returned to its prior state.
Perhaps, he really did see it wrongly…
He was thinking about how the emotionless block of ice behind him could even smile.
Meanwhile, Cen Shaoqing raised his hands to massage his temples, and then he suddenly spoke in a rather lazy tone, "Spread the news of the Cen family's return to Yunjing City was due to a financial crisis and that they are on the verge of bankruptcy."
Li Qiandong looked at him in puzzlement.
Since when was the Cen family in a financial crisis? When was the family business on the verge of bankruptcy?
Soon afterward, Li Qiandong came to a realization that under the pretense of bankruptcy, all sorts of people with bad characters would reveal their true selves. He smiled and said, "Alright!"
Upon saying that, Li Qiandong continued, "Brother Fifth, Aunt Xiang, and Madam Cen will be visiting the Mu family tomorrow morning. Will you be joining them?"
"Visiting?" Cen Shaoqing raised an eyebrow with a look of mockery in his gaze.
Li Qiandong understood the meaning behind Cen Shaoqing's tone. "Don't worry, Brother Fifth. The daughter of the Mu family is so kind that she is even willing to accept her fake sister... she will certainly agree to go through hardships with you!"
Li Qiandong admired Mu Yourong very much, and he trusted her moral standards.
To him, Mu Yourong would not do anything ungrateful, for sure. Even if she were to learn that the Cen family was on the verge of bankruptcy, she would never opt out of the marriage!
Nevertheless, Cen Shaoqing did not speak. Instead, he moved the prayer beads along in his hand and stroked them gently.
…
The gambling den was quite a distance away from the Ye family's basement. Therefore, both of them walked for about 20 minutes before they finally reached home.
It was already past three o'clock by that time.
"Sleep well, my niece!"
"You too, uncle."
The next morning, Ye Shu woke up early in the morning. She made porridge and, out of concern that Ye Zhuo was not used to having plain porridge, prepared two more eggs.
After a while, Ye Sen walked into the house from the outside and said loudly, "Sister, are you awake? I bought Chinese donuts and steamed meat buns. Come and have breakfast, quick!"
Ye Shu dried her hands on her apron and walked out from the kitchen. She said in surprise, "Why are you spending your money recklessly? I'm done cooking the porridge anyway!"
Ye Sen laughed and said, "I received a bonus at work this month! In addition, my niece is a growing child, so we should feed her nutritious food too."
Upon saying that, Ye Sen continued, "Oh right; sis, my niece has yet to come out from her room, right? I shall wake her so she can join us for breakfast!"
Niece? Ye Shu was dumbfounded. Who was the niece character mentioned by Ye Sen? Could it really be Ye Zhuo?
Just yesterday, Ye Sen was still calling her an 'ungrateful little brat'... How did it turn into 'niece' today? Was she dreaming?
Out of the blue, Ye Zhuo walked into the house from the outside too. "Good morning, mom, uncle."
Ye Shu asked in puzzlement, "Where did you go, Zhuo Zhuo?"
"I went for a run." The original owner's fitness level was too weak with her tiny arms and skinny legs. She had only run for a few rounds when she started panting for breath. However, Ye Zhuo was not in a rush. She was planning to advance step by step and build her stamina up slowly.
Ye Sen tugged at Ye Zhuo's arm to get her to sit down. "My niece, I bought steamed meat buns and Chinese donuts for breakfast. There's milk too for calcium! You are a growing child, so you need more calcium for bone growth!"
"Thanks, uncle."
Both of them displayed a relationship that a kind uncle and loving niece would share.
Ye Shu rubbed her eyes incredulously. "Ye... Ye Sen, do you have a fever…?"
Ye Sen smiled and replied, "Sister, you're being a little dramatic! Zhuo Zhuo is my niece! Who am I going to treat nicely if not my niece?"
Ye Shu was rendered speechless. She suspected that Ye Sen was putting up an act, but she had no proof. Her confusion remained throughout the meal.
When breakfast was done, Ye Zhuo placed her chopsticks down and looked toward Ye Shu. "Mom, I can see that you don't look so well. Let me take you to the hospital later for a checkup! Is that okay?"
Ye Shu answered smilingly, "It's okay. My body is still strong!"
Could one not spend money for a checkup in the hospital?
Ye Shu was the type of person who would endure any illness in silence even if she were sick.
The family's financial condition was not very good, so she could not allow herself to be a burden anymore.
Nevertheless, Ye Zhuo continued to speak, "If you refuse to go to the hospital, then please allow me to examine you. Coincidentally, I had practiced a little Chinese herbal medicine before."
"Zhuo Zhuo, you're skilled in traditional Chinese medicine, huh?"
Ye Zhuo made a gesture with her hand in response. "Just a little."
In other words, Ye Zhuo was a world-renowned miracle-working doctor. Moreover, the original owner of her body used to live in a wealthy family. Many wealthy families would send their children to numerous courses and classes, so it would not be unusual for her to be skilled in traditional Chinese medicine practice.
"You can examine me then."
Ye Zhuo nodded, stretched out her hand, and placed her fingers on Ye Shu's wrist to begin examining her pulse attentively.
Ye Shu's health was feeble. Her symptoms included deficiency of vital energy and blood accompanied by malnutrition and a chronic cough.
After a moment, Ye Zhuo loosened her grip on Ye Shu's wrist and said, "Mom, have you donated blood recently?"
Ye Shu was stunned for a moment but then nodded when she came to her senses.
Ye Sen interrupted from the side by adding, "What do you mean by donating blood, huh!? It's pretty obvious that she sold her blood for money. Which hospital would have the courage to let your mom donate her blood in her current health condition?"
One would need to go through a physical examination prior to blood donation. The hospital would normally reject a donor if the donor's physical condition were poor.
"What's going on?"
Ye Sen answered furiously, "She did it so she that could get Mu Yourong an iPhone!"
An iPhone was a flagship smartphone from a luxury brand, and it was very expensive! An ordinary person would not be able to afford it.
One year ago, Mu Yourong wanted Ye Shu to get her an iPhone and threatened to stop eating unless she got it. Yu Shu loved her daughter dearly, and she was afraid that Mu Yourong would get sick if she did so. Therefore, she found a black market clinic to sell her blood to get money for the phone.
Due to this incident, Ye Shu's body, which was already weak prior, became even weaker.
Capítulo 8: Don’t Deserve Her
Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
Ye Shu was a great mother. What a shame that Mu Yourong was not a good daughter to her.
Besides the blood selling incident, Mu Yourong had committed many other selfish acts.
Not long before this, Mu Yourong had proposed for Ye Shu to sell her kidney so that they could buy a new house.
Had it not been for the Mu family suddenly dropping by at the house, Ye Shu would have sold her kidney away by now…
Afterward, Mu Yourong made an even bigger fuss. She spread the rumor that Ye Shu was a disreputable mistress and gave a false account by claiming that Ye Shu was guilty of switching her child with a wealthy family's child… She did not have the slightest care about Ye Shu's love for her over the years.
In the past, Ye Sen did not understand why the kind and loving Ye Shu would have such a selfish daughter like Mu Yourong. He had only come to the realization when the Mu family found them.
It turned out that Mu Yourong was not Ye Shu's biological daughter. The switched-at-birth incident came as a crushing blow to Ye Shu. She did not expect that the daughter she painstakingly raised was actually not her biological child.
To make matters worse, her adopted daughter had a fallout with her and hated Ye Shu after she was reunited with her family. She even refused to meet her or acknowledge her as her mother.
Ye Shu felt that her determination over the years turned into a joke. In fact, she even wanted to commit suicide at one point. Fortunately, Ye Zhuo came home.
Ye Zhuo lowered her head to write the prescription while she said, "Mom, I'll go with you to resign from your job at the barbecue skewer shop later."
Ye Shu worked in a barbecue skewer shop to make a living.
"Resign?" Ye Shu asked in astonishment, "How is that okay!?"
Even though the barbecue skewer shop did not pay very well, it was enough to pay for the household expenses at the very least!
What would the entire family eat if she were to resign from the job?
Right then, Ye Zhuo placed down her pen after she wrote the prescription. "Mom, you really can't be working anymore in your current health condition! Otherwise, the consequences will be dire, and your life will be at stake."
Upon hearing that, Ye Sen was startled, so he hastily added, "Listen to Zhuo Zhuo, sis! There's nothing more important than your health!"
Ye Zhuo had easily made the diagnosis that Ye Shu sold her blood recently. As a result, Ye Sen believed in her medical skill without the slightest doubt.
"All of you are making a mountain out of a molehill. My health has always been the same; I don't see what's the issue there." Ye Shu put on a carefree expression on her face.
Meanwhile, Ye Zhuo continued to speak, "Mom, if you're refusing to resign because of monetary reasons, there's no need for you to worry about that. I borrowed 10,000 bucks from a classmate yesterday, and I'm planning to use the money to purchase some investments and wealth management products."
In truth, her money was earned from the gambling den, and there was utterly no need for her to borrow from her classmate. She said so because Ye Shu was not fond of gambling.
Right then, Ye Sen hastily took out all the money in his wallet. "Sis, this is the monthly wage and bonus I received yesterday. I shall hand over my monthly wage to you for safekeeping from now on."
"I can't take your money." Ye Shu rejected.
Ye Sen replied, "We're a family, sis. There shouldn't be a difference between what's yours and mine. I want you to be healthy too."
Ye Shu chuckled and replied, "My body is really doing fine."
As a sister and a mother, Ye Shu could not allow herself to stay home doing nothing. Even resting and recuperating made her feel like an ungrateful person.
Then, Ye Zhuo looked at Ye Shu. "Mom, we have just rekindled our relationship. I don't want to lose you as my mother because of money issues. As the saying goes, it is always better to endure short-term pain than allow a disease to remain untreated. If you insist on going to work, I will leave this family at once and assume that you are not my mother so that I won't be sad when you're gone!"
Upon saying that, Ye Zhuo turned around and left without the slightest hesitation.
"Don't leave, my niece!" Ye Sen hastily tugged at Ye Zhuo's sleeve and then turned around to look toward Ye Shu. "Do something, sis!"
Ye Shu hesitated for a moment but then said, "Zhuo Zhuo, I promise you that I… I will resign from my job."
"Alright." Ye Zhuo cracked into a faint smile and held Ye Shu's hand. "Let's go then, mom!"
Together, the mother and daughter walked across the long basement corridor. Ye Shu was generally a nice person, so many people greeted her along the way. "Are you heading out, Ye Shu?"
Ye Shu introduced these people to Ye Zhuo one by one. "Zhuo Zhuo, this is Auntie Wang; this is Auntie Liu."
In response, Ye Zhuo greeted the crowd respectfully.
"Ye Shu, is this your niece?"
Ye Shu chuckled and answered, "Sister Liu, this is my daughter, Ye Zhuo."
"What a good girl! She looks really pretty too! Ye Shu, you'll have a blessed life from now on!"
Needless to say, the crowd broke into a heated discussion after they left.
"Ye Shu's biological daughter is really pretty! She looks just like Ye Shu!"
"She is pretty, but what a waste that she's an illegitimate daughter that no one wants."
"I don't know what was on Ye Shu's mind. She is beautiful, so why couldn't she just get married to someone? Why did she have to be someone's mistress? In the end, she didn't get anything out of it, and now she even lives in a basement."
"Look at you talking! Where else is a mistress going to stay if not a basement? It's her fault for ruining someone else's marriage and family!"
"That's karma!"
"..."
It did not take long before Ye Shu and Ye Zhuo arrived at the barbecue skewer shop where she worked.
The barbecue skewer shop owner was a middle-aged woman about the age of 40, and her name was Qian Lingyu.
After finding out that Ye Shu was resigning from her job, Qian Lingyu spoke in a displeased tone, "We're going through a busy phase now, yet you suddenly want to resign from your job. How are we going to hire a replacement in such a rush?"
Ye Shu was very ashamed, so she answered, "Boss, will you please look into this matter and see if you can make an exception…?"
"We're running a barbecue skewer business, not a charity. If every staff member in my shop were to do what you are doing, I wouldn't be able to stay in business anymore. You have to inform me a month in advance if you want to quit, at the very least, so that I can hire a new staff. How are we going to get another staff member if you quit whenever you like? You can quit, but I'm going to take one month's pay as a penalty!"
Upon hearing that, Ye Shu replied, "I won't resign anymore then."
One month's wage was over 2,000 bucks. She felt that it was a waste to have her wage deducted like that.
Ye Zhuo looked toward Qian Lingyu. "Auntie, my mother is ill, and she needs some time to rest and recuperate. How about this, I will work on behalf of my mother for a month so you can have time to hire a new staff member. Do you think that is alright?"
"You?" Qian Lingyu sized up Ye Zhuo. "Young maiden, let's not joke around. This job is not suitable for you."
The maiden had slim arms and skinny legs; how was she capable of working the job?
Then, Ye Shu tugged at Ye Zhuo's hand. "Zhuo Zhuo, why don't we just forgo the pay…?"
Ye Zhuo smiled and then looked toward Qian Lingyu. "Please allow me to give it a try, auntie! If I don't perform, you can fire me."
Even though a month's pay was not much, it was Ye Shu's hard work and effort. Ye Zhuo did not want her hard work to go to waste just like that.
Qian Lingyu smiled and answered, "Alright then. I shall give you a chance in view of you being such a filial child! However, I'm just going to put it out there. If you're incapable of performing, I will send you away at once!"
"Thank you, auntie."
"You start at half-past six at night, don't forget to come," Qian Lingyu added.
After leaving the barbecue skewer shop, Ye Zhuo took Ye Shu to a traditional Chinese medicine dispensary.
Ye Shu asked out of curiosity, "Zhuo Zhuo, what are we doing at the traditional Chinese medicine dispensary?"
Ye Zhuo said, "We're here to get some herbal medicine! It's not enough for your body to recuperate only through rest; you need some traditional Chinese herbal medicine as nourishment too."
…
Over at the other side in the Mu family's home, the butler jogged over to the living hall and said in a panic, "Sir, madam, the Cen family are arriving soon!"
"So soon?" Mu Dabing was stunned for a moment.
Mu Dabing learned about the news of the Cen family's return to Yunjing Province only this morning. He learned that the Cen family was in a financial crisis and that they are on the verge of bankruptcy too. Mu Dabing did not expect that the Cen family would pay a visit so soon.
Shen Rong frowned ever so slightly and said, "The Cen family came back at this crucial time… is it because of the marriage between their fifth son and Yourong?"
Mu Dabing replied, "Tell me about it; I am certain it is because of that! The Cen family is in a financial crisis, and they are on the verge of bankruptcy too. They probably want to use the marriage alliance to close a loophole in their funding!"
"No!" Shen Rong continued, "I won't allow our Yourong to marry into the Cen family!"
In Shen Rong's heart, Mu Yourong was the bright moon in the sky and the fairy maiden of the nine heavens! How could she allow Mu Yourong to marry into a family that was close to bankruptcy? She would never allow it!
"Tell me about it! I won't allow Yourong to marry into the family, of course!" Mu Dabing's expression made him look extremely displeased.
The marriage between the Cen family and the Mu family was not a secret in Yunjing City.
The Cen family was a century-old powerful family with imperial court officials in the family a few generations ago. Would they not be ridiculed by others if they were to break the marriage so recklessly? As a result, they had to figure out a way to satisfy both sides.
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