Chapter 29

Zhang Tian watched Qian Jianing flatly reject that stack of money, and her emotions were a tangled mess. With such expensive dishes and a wealthy fool willing to pay in advance to reserve a spot, why wouldn’t you accept the money quickly and instead let people line up? Is your head screwed on wrong? Once that rich fool figures out the math, he definitely won’t come to eat. How could someone so lacking in business sense become so popular? Is it really just because the food is good?

Although Zhang Tian didn’t like Qian Jianing, she had to admit that Qian Jianing’s cooking skills were truly impressive. Every dish from that table earlier had been delicious enough to make a person want to swallow their tongue. It would’ve been even better if she didn’t have to pay for it herself. When she thought about the two hundred yuan bill for that meal, Zhang Tian felt like fainting from the heartbreak. The Factory Director Wang’s family was outrageous, and Qian Jianing even more so!

After introducing the new dishes, Qian Jianing went around collecting payment from each table: “Table one, 238 yuan. Thank you for your patronage; table two, 156 yuan, thank you for your patronage; table three, 215 yuan…” Before she could finish, Zhang Tian’s mother stepped up, grabbed her hand, and pulled her aside two steps. She gave a beaming smile and said in a low voice, “Jianing, you’re classmates with Tiantian, and I know your mother too. Couldn’t you give me a little discount? It’s not too much trouble to cook, and giving me a deal shouldn’t be a big deal.”

Qian Jianing flashed a sweet smile, and just as Zhang Tian’s mom thought she had relented, she heard Qian Jianing say resolutely, “Small business, no discounts.”

Zhang Tian’s mom’s expression changed at those words, her face taking on a tinge of mockery. “But this is far too expensive. The whole cost of the food on this table is maybe twenty yuan at best, and you’re charging over two hundred? Isn’t that a bit heartless? For someone so young, you sure have a calculating mind.”

Qian Jianing coldly retorted, “My skills are worth the price. If you think it’s too expensive, you can buy your own ingredients and cook at home. I didn’t beg you to come to my restaurant.”

“How can you talk like that? I’m your elder,” Zhang Tian’s mother snapped, her voice rising, “Haven’t your parents taught you any manners?”

“Elder?” Qian Jianing couldn’t help but laugh. “I don’t recall being related to you. If this counts as being an elder, then half of Zibo City could claim to be mine. Auntie, let’s put it this way — in my restaurant, unless I personally invited someone in, even my actual uncle has to pay.”

The two raised their voices, and the customers waiting in line behind them began to frown and started criticizing Zhang Tian’s mother.

“What’s going on? Are you paying or not? We’re waiting in line here!”

“If you don’t have money, why are you eating here? Aren’t there plenty of cheap diners by the roadside?”

“Exactly! Forcing Boss Qian to give you a discount — what a joke! I’ve been here more than ten times, and she’s never given me even a cent off. If anyone deserves a discount, it would be me first.”

“If being older makes someone an elder, then I could be your elder too. Why don’t you go ahead and pay for my meal? If you refuse, it means you don’t respect your elders.”

Zhang Tian’s mother flushed red with embarrassment and hastily pulled ten large denomination bills from her purse, shoved them into Qian Jianing’s hand, and was about to leave. Treasure Bowl exploded in Qian Jianing’s mind, jumping up three feet: “She shorted you 115 yuan! If you let her leave, I will deduct your virtual coins! I’ll deduct a thousand! I’ll deduct your rewards!”

Qian Jianing grabbed Zhang Tian’s mother’s arm. Her previously smiling eyes turned frosty. “Are you certain you’re only paying this? If that’s the case, not only will your family, but the entire Factory Director Wang’s family will also be banned from dining here.”

“What’s taking so long to settle the bill?” Zhang Tian’s father walked in from the yard where he’d been waiting. “The Wangs are still waiting — what are you dawdling for?”

Qian Jianing smiled lightly. “Uncle Zhang, it seems Auntie didn’t bring enough money and wanted to skip out on the bill. Since you’re here, please tell the Wang family not to come here anymore. My restaurant refuses to serve them.”

Zhang Tian’s father’s face changed instantly. He grabbed his wife’s bag, took out all the cash, and bent over repeatedly in apology: “I’m so sorry — she didn’t understand the situation. I’ll pay.” Without even counting, he handed the money directly to Qian Jianing.

She accepted it and glanced at him. “Still short by fifteen yuan.”

Sweat broke out on Zhang Tian’s father’s forehead. He quickly searched his pockets and pulled out twelve more yuan.

Qian Jianing took it but still looked at him coldly. If he had just said at the beginning that he was short a few yuan, she might have waived it. But after making a big fuss and then trying to haggle, there was no way she’d let that go.

Mr. Zhang wiped his sweat with a handkerchief and suddenly thought of something. He turned and called for Zhang Tian, who hurried in, confused.

Grabbing her, he said, “Quick, give me your pocket money!”

Zhang Tian immediately stepped back, clutching her pocket, face full of grievance. “You just gave that to me today.”

“Don’t fuss. Is five yuan really that important right now?” Mr. Zhang grabbed her hand, pulled out the money. Zhang Tian had already spent one yuan treating her friends Zhao Ran and the others to popsicles and soda, so Mr. Zhang fished out three yuan from the remaining change and handed it to Qian Jianing. Finally, he heaved a sigh of relief. “Boss Qian, we’ve got the full amount now.”

Taking the money, Qian Jianing gave a light chuckle. “What an ordeal. I’ve been in business for a while, and this is the first time I’ve encountered something like this.” She put the stack of large notes into the money box by the window and picked up the menu again. “Table four: 220 yuan.”

The elderly man at table four handed over the already prepared money and gave Zhang Tian’s mother a disdainful look. “Useless woman.”

Zhang Tian’s mother glared at him furiously. Who are you calling useless? She was just trying to save money — that dead girl had no sense of family and demanded money in front of everyone like that. As she looked like she was about to lash out, Mr. Zhang grabbed her arm and lowered his voice through clenched teeth, “The Factory Director Wang is still outside — do you want me to lose this Deputy Factory Director position over this?”

That struck Zhang Tian’s mother’s nerve. She instantly quieted down, her head drooping. Mr. Zhang turned to Qian Jianing, bowed repeatedly with a forced smile. “Boss Qian, please don’t be angry. I’ll deal with her when we get home. Today’s mistake is all our fault. Please, be generous and drop it this time. The Factory Director Wang and his wife love your food — if they can’t dine here anymore because of me, it won’t just cost me the Deputy Factory Director role, I might not even keep my current post.”

Qian Jianing raised an eyebrow at him. “Staff appointments at your factory are that casual? Isn’t it a state-owned enterprise?”

Mr. Zhang glanced around and whispered, “It’s not about this incident exactly, but competition for the Deputy Factory Director spot is fierce — the better the connections with leadership, the better the chance. You’re still young and don’t understand these things. In our factory, what the head says goes.”

Zhang Tian watched in disbelief as the once strong and authoritative father in her eyes bowed and begged before Qian Jianing. Her chest felt tight, like a heavy stone was pressing down.

Qian Jianing finished collecting from the last table. She dropped the thick stack of notes into the cashbox, glanced at Zhang Tian’s sullen face, and finally said, “Since Uncle has said all that, for the sake of us being classmates — I’ll let it go just this once. But never again.”

Mr. Zhang finally relaxed upon hearing this, bowed several more times in gratitude, and left with his wife and daughter. The Factory Director Wang’s family was lounging in the yard enjoying the cool breeze. Seeing them come out, he smiled and asked, “Done settling the bill?”

Mr. Zhang didn’t dare dwell on any underlying meanings behind the question. He just forced a laugh. “Tiantian and Boss Qian are classmates. Her mom was just chatting with her a bit.”

“I heard she just turned eighteen,” the Factory Director said with admiration as he glanced back at the brightly lit little shop. “Tell me, how did they raise this kid? With skills like hers, who cares whether she goes to college? College is just for getting a good job anyway. Name one job that pays better than owning a successful restaurant. Even being mayor wouldn’t earn this much.”

Zhang Tian followed the adults out of the courtyard with her head down, a bitter lump in her throat, holding back tears.

****

Qian Jianing stood by the window and only closed the front gate once they’d left. The restaurant instantly returned to its usual neat state. Back inside the courtyard, she found her mother Li Wanzhen knitting a sweater. Seeing her enter, Wanzhen immediately called her over. “Jianing, your grandma’s birthday is next Saturday. We’ll need to go back to town for the celebration, and also stop by your other grandma’s house for a day. Let your customers know early so they don’t come lining up from afar.”

Hearing this, Qian Jianing went to the master bedroom door and listened for any noise from Qian Guosheng. Then, she tiptoed back and pulled Li Wanzhen into her room, whispering, “Mom, when we visit Grandma, will Uncle come too?”

Li Wanzhen immediately got what she was thinking and looked at her regretfully. “Of course he will. We haven’t been back in over two months — your grandma will definitely call the whole family together.”

Qian Jianing plopped down on the bed, frustration on her face. “I can’t stand him.”

Qian Guosheng had an elder sister and brother, and a younger brother. The eldest, Qian Guohua, was bold and capable, keeping everything in and out of the house spotless. The older brother, Qian Guomao, was a solid man — he leased land and farmed livestock and had made a good life for himself. Qian Guosheng worked in a factory, once an enviable secure job that could support a family. Only the youngest brother, Qian Guocheng, spoiled by their parents as the baby of the family, had grown up lazy and incompetent. He couldn’t do anything right and was constantly borrowing money under all kinds of pretexts.

“Mom, listen, when we go back this time, make sure you remind Dad — he must not mention my restaurant to anyone.” Qian Jianing said seriously, “Every cent we’ve earned has been through hard work. I absolutely don’t want to give that money to a leech like him.”

Having turned eighteen and being so capable and beautiful, Qian Jianing had, in Wanzhen’s heart, already become the woman of the house. In the past, she hadn’t wanted to argue with Qian Guosheng, and often turned a blind eye when he lent money. But now that her daughter made a stand, she had to back her up.

Wanzhen nodded. “Alright, Mom will listen to you. Whatever you say goes.”

Seeing how decisively her mother supported her, Qian Jianing smiled with a bit of relief. “And don’t go soft on Dad either! Mom, listen to me — we’ll earn more and more in the future, but that’s not a reason to lend freely. If Dad wants to lend, let him use his own pocket money — but if he tries to ask for cigarettes or liquor later, he’s getting nothing.”

Wanzhen laughed, “Your dad only gives himself five yuan a month for pocket money — what hidden stash?” Seeing the serious look on Qian Jianing’s face, she quickly raised her hand. “Alright, alright, I’ll listen to you.”

Qian Jianing stood up. “I’m going to talk to Dad now. He’s soft-hearted and has a simple way of thinking. He always assumes the best of people and is easily manipulated. I need to set him straight — make him instinctively say ‘no’ the moment someone brings up borrowing money!”

Suppressing her laughter, Wanzhen nodded earnestly. “Okay, Mom’s got your back! The money is all in my hands anyway — even if he dared to lend out, I’m not handing it over.”

With strong backing in place, Qian Jianing knocked on the master bedroom door. “Dad, come out a sec — I have something to talk to you about.”

Qian Guosheng was flipping through a cookbook, wanting to learn how to make Qian Jianing’s signature spicy duck dish. He loved her cooking but also felt bad watching her work so hard, so he planned to learn and make it himself someday.

Hearing his daughter call him from outside, Qian Guosheng quickly set the cookbook aside and opened the door with a beaming smile. “Jianing, what’s up? Is there a parent-teacher meeting?”

She sat him on the sofa, dragged a stool to face him, and said with gravity, “I want to talk about our visit to Grandma’s place in a few days.”

“What about it?” he asked, puzzled. “We’ll stay a night and come back Sunday afternoon. That’s all.”

“That’s not what I mean.” Jianing took a sip from the water cup on the table. “Dad, a lot has changed at home these past two months. I opened a small restaurant. Mom quit her job to run a street stall. But none of the family over there knows anything.”

Upon hearing this, he chuckled. “Of course I’ll brag about you two — who else has such amazing wife and daughter? Your mom already told me she wants to buy a storefront too.”

Qian Jianing turned back to tell her mother, “Let me pick the storefront location for you. Don’t rush to buy one yet.” Seeing her mother nod, she looked back at her father. “That’s what I’m talking about — no one at Grandma’s house can know how much we’re making.”

“Why not?” he asked, bewildered. “Isn’t this a good thing?”

“It’s great!” Qian Jianing nodded, a wry smile spreading across her face. “But once other people know about it, it may stop being a good thing. If nothing else, aren’t you fully aware of what kind of people Grandma and Uncle are?”

Realization dawned on Qian Guosheng. He gave a sheepish smile. “Your Uncle doesn’t have a proper job… your Grandma worries about him out of love.”

“But I don’t!” Qian Jianing’s eyes flared with anger. “If no proper job’s the issue, even my other uncle doesn’t have one, but he leases land and raises chickens, ducks, pigs — he’s doing well. My aunt and uncle run transport and built a two-story house. So what makes this uncle different? Is he dumb? Injured? If they can earn money, why can’t he?”

Qian Guosheng fell silent. He knew deep down what kind of person his brother was. But every time Qian Guocheng came begging for money, spinning sad tales, and stirring up their mother to guilt-trip him, he ended up giving in.

“I won’t be anyone’s sucker,” Qian Jianing’s eyes turned ice-cold. “Let me be clear. I won’t give him a single cent. Even if he’s starving to death and kneels in front of me for food, I won’t feel bad. That’s my bottom line. If I find out you gave him money behind my back, I won’t recognize you as my father.”

Her words stunned him. He stared at her in disbelief. “How can you be so heartless? He’s your uncle!”

“Uncle?” She gave a cold smile. “Has he ever acted like one?”

In her past life, she’d lost her parents and brother, suffered a miscarriage after catching Chen Kai cheating at seven months pregnant. Thrown out of the Chen family, on the verge of selling her house to recover, her so-called uncle Qian Guocheng had shown up claiming she, married off, had no right to inherit her parents’ home. He assaulted her — a woman barely recovering from the procedure — saying the house should go to his son.

Thankfully, her aunt and uncle, once estranged from her for blaming her for her parents and brother’s death, removed him then. They’d grimly looked at her and said, “We’ll keep him away. Take care of yourself.”

She never blamed them — she too had hated herself back then. But Qian Guocheng? He was different. On the day they buried her father, he wasn’t grieving — only gleeful as he plotted how to divide his brother’s inheritance.

Qian Guosheng was a bit startled when he saw the look of resentment on Qian Jianing’s face, and quickly tried to comfort her cautiously. “Jianing, I know ever since you and your brother were born, your uncle has never given you red envelopes or bought you any gifts. But that’s just the kind of person he is. I’m aware of it. Over the years, the money I’ve given him wasn’t much, just five or ten yuan each time.”

Qian Jianing let out a breath, pulling herself out of her memories. Fortunately, none of that had happened yet. Fortunately, she had come back again. She would never allow such things to repeat.

She closed her eyes to calm down for a moment, and when she opened them again, her gaze was clear and sharp. “Mom, tell Dad — how much did those five and ten yuan bills add up to in total?”

Li Wanzhen glanced at Qian Guosheng and replied coolly with a number: “One thousand and ninety-eight!”

Qian Guosheng was visibly shocked. “That… that much… really?”

Li Wanzhen shot him a sarcastic look. “What did you expect? I didn’t even spend that much raising Jianing and Jiafeng. Anyone who didn’t know better would think I had another son.”

Qian Guosheng immediately lowered his head sheepishly. “I didn’t realize it was that much.”

Li Wanzhen went to the kitchen to cut up a plate of watermelon, watching her daughter scold her husband while occasionally chiming in to jab at him. “All the little bits add up. You’ve been giving him money since we got married. We even paid the bulk for his wedding. Now our daughter is already eighteen — you tell me how much money you’ve handed out?”

Qian Guosheng scratched his head and couldn’t help but sigh. “I know your uncle is worthless. Honestly, I don’t want to give him money either. But every time, your grandma is wiping her tears, what was I supposed to do?”

Qian Jianing looked at him and sneered. “Then why doesn’t Grandma dare to wipe her tears in front of my aunt or my eldest uncle?”

Qian Guosheng opened his mouth but didn’t say a word.

Qian Jianing picked up a slice of watermelon from the plate and took a bite. “Because you’re too honest. Easy target.”

A trace of embarrassment flickered across Qian Guosheng’s face as he rubbed his face with both hands. “Then what do you say we do?”

Finally getting to the point, Qian Jianing immediately said, “From now on, don’t give Qian Guocheng another cent. And don’t give any money to Grandma either.”

The decision to stop giving money to their mother had actually been agreed upon by Qian Guosheng and his siblings. They all knew the old lady had a bad habit of secretly giving money to the youngest son, so the three families had come to a consensus: whether it was for New Year’s, holidays, birthdays, or regular visits, they would bring food, clothes, or snacks directly. If she got sick, they’d pitch in to buy medicine together. But they absolutely could not let the old lady touch any actual cash. Because once she had it in her hands, Qian Guocheng would get hold of it in less than an hour. Might as well cut off any hope between the old lady and her youngest son right from the source.

Qian Guosheng nodded solemnly. “Alright, I’ll listen to you.”

Qian Jianing breathed a sigh of relief and exchanged a smile with Li Wanzhen. Then she softened her tone. “Dad, I know you’re a filial son. It’s hard and uncomfortable for you to refuse Grandma. So I’ll take responsibility for that. From now on, hand over all your money, including your private stash. When you go home without a dime in your pocket, even if you want to give money, you won’t have any to give. If Grandma gets upset, just say you spent it all buying materials for me. I’ve got a big college entrance exam coming up — that stuff costs money.”

Qian Guosheng moved his lips, then gave a firm nod. “Alright!”

“One more thing…” Qian Jianing continued her momentum, “We’re going to try to get all the money that was given out back.”

This time, not only did Qian Guosheng’s eyes widen — even Li Wanzhen was so shocked she dropped the piece of watermelon she was holding. “You’ve really got guts, huh. Even if we sold your uncle, he wouldn’t be worth that much.”

Qian Jianing gave a triumphant smile. “Exactly because I know he can’t pay it back that I want to collect. I want him to be so scared of our family that he avoids us like the plague — not only won’t he dare to ask for more money, but he’ll bolt like a mouse when he sees a cat.”

Qian Guosheng imagined such a scenario and, strangely enough, felt a faint sense of anticipation brewing inside.