Chapter 225: Peace Rope

Chapter 225: Chapter 225: Peace Rope

"Come and take a look! Hand-woven Peace Ropes for good luck!"

When a customer haggled, she remained calm and simply repeated Song Yao’s sales pitch.

"I’m hardly making anything on these; I’m almost losing money on materials! How about you pick one more item, and I’ll round the price down for you?"

When the crowd thinned out at noon, Song Yao sidled up and quietly gave her a thumbs-up.

"Mom, you’re a natural! With that presence, you could pass for a veteran stall owner with twenty years of experience!"

Wei Guilan’s face grew warm, and a blush crept up to her ears.

"Oh, not at all... I was just learning from you! But hey, it really works! I sold quite a few more that way!"

She gazed at Song Yao, her eyes curving into smiling crescents and the corners of her mouth constantly turned up.

"I always thought you were so quiet and gentle. I never expected you to have such a head for business in your bones!"

Song Yao shrugged, tucked her hands into her apron pockets, and said plainly,

"Ever since I figured things out, it’s like a window opened in my mind. I can look at something and just know what to do with it and how much it’s worth."

Wei Guilan slapped her thigh, her palm making a sharp THWACK.

"The heavens have smiled upon us!"

Song Yao nodded emphatically.

"Exactly!"

After a pause, she said softly, "Mom, from now on, if you help me watch the stall and weave bracelets, I’ll pay you daily. Three yuan a day. What do you think?"

She’d come up with the idea last night and discussed it thoroughly with Li Hanchen.

Li Hanchen had said at the time, "My mom will definitely refuse."

Song Yao believed him. Her mother-in-law’s first reaction would surely be to refuse, insisting that you don’t charge money for family matters.

She knew Wei Guilan’s temperament well.

Her refusal would be a mixture of stubbornness, embarrassment, and awkwardness.

Every time money was mentioned, her mother-in-law’s brow would instantly furrow.

But Song Yao was determined to pay her.

She earned more than three times that amount in a single day.

But in her mother-in-law’s hands, that three yuan would be real money that was hers to control.

That’s why this money had to be given.

Just as predicted, Wei Guilan immediately waved her hands in protest.

"Oh my, you’re giving me a wage? I’m just lending you a hand, and you’re going to pay me? How can that be right?"

"If word got out, the neighbors would laugh me out of town!"

Song Yao blinked and changed her approach.

"Then it’s not a wage. Think of it as a gift from me to show my respect for you!"

"It’s only natural for a daughter-in-law to take care of her mother-in-law!"

She stood with her back straight as she spoke, her tone calm.

Wei Guilan just kept shaking her head.

"You bring me three hot meals every day, there’s always tea available, and I don’t even have to wash my own socks. I’m already living in the lap of luxury, so what’s all this talk about showing respect?"

"Really, there’s no need! No need at all!"

She hesitated for a long moment, then suddenly called out.

"Song Yao..."

Seeing her expression, Song Yao knew exactly what was on her mind and quickly prompted her.

"Mom, if you have something to say, just say it!"

"Well... summer vacation is starting soon, and Xiao Ying will be out of school. She’ll be home all by herself with no one to look after her... I was thinking..."

Before Wei Guilan could finish, Song Yao slapped her own thigh.

"Oh! My memory is terrible, I almost forgot all about that!"

"Of course she should come! Have her come straight to Beijing!"

"I’ll have Li Hanchen write to her as soon as I get back. Tell her to pack a bag and come over the moment vacation starts. It’s not like we don’t have a place for her to sleep!"

She casually lifted the curtain to the inner room and pointed to the empty wooden bed by the window.

"See? I’ve already aired out the bedding twice. It’s perfectly clean!"

This was exactly what Wei Guilan had been hoping to hear, and for Song Yao to bring it up herself made her eyes light up instantly.

"Song Yao, don’t you worry! I’ll work my hardest, and I won’t take a single cent! Just covering room and board for me and Xiao Ying is more than enough!"

Song Yao replied cheerfully.

"Of course I will! And there will be meat at every meal!"

’As for the wages, she had a clear plan.’

’She had to pay her, and not a penny less.’

’But if she brought it up now, her mother-in-law would get all awkward about it, and maybe even her sister-in-law would feel too embarrassed to come.’

’Better to get her to agree first and deal with the payment later.’

She scooped a spoonful of lard and poured it into the iron wok with a SIZZLE.

The chopped scallions danced and scattered, and their aroma instantly filled the room.

They had brought plenty of stock that day, and business was even better than the day before.

When they closed up shop and counted the money, they had made over two hundred and thirty-five yuan.

After scarfing down a quick lunch, Song Yao dragged Wei Guilan along for another trip to the wholesale market.

They bought heaps of colorful beads, elastic cords...

They stuffed two large bags until they were bulging at the seams. The weight made Song Yao’s shoulder dip, and Wei Guilan reached out to support the bottom of one of them.

Only then did they start for home.

The trip was long, and by the time they were on the bus, Song Yao had grown listless.

Wei Guilan’s brow was deeply furrowed with worry as she watched Song Yao slowly ease herself off the bus, clinging to the door for support.

She hurried around to the other side and took Song Yao by the arm. "From now on, I’ll run these errands myself!" she said, helping her. "I know the way now—which streets, which stalls, I have it all memorized! You just stay home and rest. Don’t exhaust yourself running back and forth."

Song Yao shook her head. Once she was steady on her feet, she gently patted the back of her mother-in-law’s hand.

"How could I rest easy letting you go alone? What if you run into a swindler? They could confuse you in just a few words. They’re smooth talkers who specifically target the elderly. You wouldn’t understand their convoluted talk and could easily be taken advantage of."

"But with your belly..."

Wei Guilan’s gaze fell on Song Yao’s slightly protruding belly.

Song Yao looked down and rubbed her small, swelling belly with a chuckle.

"It’s fine! If I’m cooped up at home all day, my bones will get all creaky! Walking a bit and breaking a sweat actually feels great."

"If I really couldn’t handle it, do you think I’d just tough it out in silence? I would have started complaining long ago!"

She looked up at her mother-in-law, her eyes bright.

"If you don’t trust me, then trust my belly! If it were uncomfortable, it would have started raising a fuss by now."

"Besides, there’s no end to the money you can make, but our health is what’s most important, right?"

She paused, then added,

"The baby needs a healthy body to grow strong, too."

Wei Guilan nodded repeatedly.

"Exactly, exactly! We’ll get by whether we’re rich or poor. No matter how urgent things get, you can’t trade your health for a few days of profit!"

She linked her arm more tightly with Song Yao’s.

"We’re not trying to get rich. We just want to be safe and sound."

Song Yao agreed with a smile.

"That’s exactly it!"

She let go of her mother-in-law’s arm and smoothed back a strand of hair that the wind had blown out of place.

"In that case, don’t you be so fussy either. Go home and lie down and rest. The cooking, the sweeping, the grocery shopping—leave it all to me!"

"And from now on, don’t you wash your own clothes. Just leave them aside. I’ll take care of them when I get up in the morning."

As she spoke, Wei Guilan reached out and straightened the collar of Song Yao’s coat.

"Things like washing are cold and wet. You should stay away from them."

Song Yao froze.

"Ah? About that... actually, Li Hanchen does all the laundry."

Her voice softened, and a slightly embarrassed smile touched her lips.

"Ever since we started living together, Li Hanchen has always taken care of the laundry. Especially since I got pregnant, he insists on washing everything, even the tiny socks and baby bibs. He’s always got the clothesline completely full."

"If he’s happy to do it, then let him! What’s wrong with a grown man doing a little extra work?"

Wei Guilan’s tone was completely natural.

"Your belly is getting bigger by the day. You should save your energy whenever you can and not push yourself. When you need someone to do something for you, you should just ask."

Song Yao looped her arm through her mother-in-law’s and gently nuzzled her head against her shoulder.

"Mom, you spoil me so much! You care more about me than my own mother does!"

Her voice was soft, and her eyes shimmered.

Wei Guilan opened her mouth, about to say that a mother-in-law could never compare to one’s own mother.

But the words died on her lips as she remembered Song Yao’s biological mother...

She hesitated for a moment, but still asked,

"Didn’t your parents get divorced? Did your mom move back in with her parents?"

’These days, women don’t dare to divorce so easily. Why is that?’