Chapter 85: All Schemes

Chapter 85: Chapter 85: All Schemes

"Dad, I’ve rented a small storefront. I’m planning to start a little tailoring and mending business to earn some spending money."

Song Yao said with a smile, bringing up the new shop she was setting up.

As expected, Shen Zhenwu grew anxious.

"Oh, for goodness’ sake! Why are you running off to do needlework? Is Dad’s money not enough for you? If you need anything, just say the word, and Dad will get it for you right away!"

His daughter had suffered in the countryside for nineteen years. She was supposed to come back and enjoy a comfortable life!

Yao Yuzhen and Song Shuangshuang hadn’t lifted a finger to help around the house in all these years. How could he let his own daughter go out and toil like that?

Shen Zhenwu’s heart sank. ’As a father, how can I be so useless?’

"Dad, what era are we in now? Earning your own money is something to be proud of!" Song Yao said cheerfully.

"But just a few years ago, if you got caught doing this kind of private business, you’d be punished!" Shen Zhenwu said, his face stern.

Song Yao shook her head and laughed. "You’re still stuck in the past! I’m renting a proper shop, and I’m going to get a business license for a sole proprietorship. I’ll be a legitimate business owner. Who would dare to arrest me?"

She pulled a neatly folded piece of paper from her pocket and showed it to Shen Zhenwu.

Shen Zhenwu was about to speak again, but Song Yao wagged a finger. "Alright, Dad, I’m heading out. I won’t disturb the three of you at your meal."

"You’re... not going to eat with us?"

Shen Zhenwu was taken aback. He never imagined things between mother and daughter were this cold, that his own daughter wouldn’t even stay for a meal with them.

"She went all out today, and she’d rather I not show my face. I’m not clueless, so why would I stick around and be unwelcome? Besides, I have hands and feet. I won’t starve."

As soon as she finished speaking, Song Yao turned, walked through the inner door, and entered the back courtyard.

She had installed a new lock on that door herself. Once she bolted it from her side, it wouldn’t budge no matter how hard someone pushed from the outside.

It was an extra layer of security.

’In my last life, Song Shuangshuang’s schemes were incredibly well-hidden. If I hadn’t been reborn and overheard Ji Xianbei whispering with Ling Qinghan,’

’I would never have guessed that beneath that gentle face was nothing but calculation.’

That was why she didn’t dare to let her guard down for a second.

Yao Yuzhen and Song Shuangshuang approached, carrying several large bowls of hot food.

Shen Zhenwu’s gaze immediately fell on the plate of dumplings in his wife’s hands.

His chest tightened, and a mix of emotions washed over him.

A half-month ago, he would have been beaming, thinking his wife had finally come to her senses.

And six months ago?

He would have been so happy he’d have slapped his thigh and shouted, "This is great! This is wonderful!"

It would have been more festive than New Year’s!

But in the current situation, he knew full well that even when his own flesh-and-blood daughter stepped over the threshold of this house, she always felt like she was on unstable ground.

And it was all because of his wife, Yao Yuzhen, and Song Shuangshuang!

And what was the result?

She had been forced to go it alone, set up a stall, and earn her own living!

This was his, Shen Zhenwu’s, own flesh and blood!

Here in Beijing, which family didn’t push their children into the military?

They did it for a stable career, for the respectability of it all!

If Yao Yuzhen hadn’t pulled a long face every time she saw Song Yao, if Song Shuangshuang’s family hadn’t gotten involved...

Shen Zhenwu’s face was as hard as an iron plate.

Song Shuangshuang flinched and subconsciously glanced at her mother, her eyes filled with uncertainty.

Yao Yuzhen gritted her teeth, forced the corners of her mouth into a smile, and put on a gentle, soft-spoken act.

"Zhenwu, I specially rolled the dough and chopped the filling for these today. Your favorite three-delicacy dumplings. Try them while they’re hot?"

She pushed the plate toward Shen Zhenwu and quickly shot a look at Song Shuangshuang, signaling for her to sit down immediately.

But just as her chopsticks touched the rim of her bowl, Shen Zhenwu let out a heavy snort.

Song Shuangshuang trembled, immediately lowered her head, and clenched the corner of her shirt.

Yao Yuzhen, still smiling, asked, "What’s wrong? Is something the matter?"

Without even looking up, Shen Zhenwu said, "Figure it out yourself."

Yao Yuzhen paused for two seconds, then it dawned on her. She quickly added, "Oh, you mean Song Yao? That child has been so secretive lately. She leaves before dawn and only comes back at night. I was worried she’d be hungry, so I already set her share aside on the stove to keep it warm."

Before she could finish, Shen Zhenwu’s expression darkened even more, and his voice dropped.

"Yao Yuzhen, that’s your own daughter! She’s out there working from dawn till dusk. I’m telling you, she’s learning to support herself!"

Yao Yuzhen’s temper flared, and her voice suddenly shot up.

"Does she listen to me? For the past two months, I haven’t touched a cent of your allowance. I gave it all to her. Isn’t that enough for her to squander?"

Shen Zhenwu glanced at Song Shuangshuang, his voice as cold as frost.

"Song Shuangshuang gets a tiny crack in her fingernail, and you notice it and fret about it for three days. Song Yao fell yesterday and scraped her knee, and you haven’t asked a single thing about it, have you?"

Song Shuangshuang immediately looked up, her eyes rimmed with red, her voice soft and fragile.

"Mr. Shen... I know you’re upset, but this whole identity swap with Song Yao, I really wasn’t the one who started it. My parents have already been disciplined and have left. For the sake of the fact that I’ve called you ’Dad’ for over a decade, can’t you just let up on me a little?"

Shen Zhenwu looked at her quietly, his tone devoid of any emotion.

"If I hadn’t already let up, you would’ve been on a bus back to Shunping Village long ago."

With that, he turned and walked out without a hint of hesitation.

Yao Yuzhen shot up from her seat in a panic. "Shen Zhenwu! Where are you going?"

He didn’t stop walking, his back ramrod straight. "You have your daughter to eat with. Shouldn’t I go find mine? Do you think she can enjoy a meal all by herself?"

"Wait!"

Yao Yuzhen hurried after him, grabbing his arm and forcing a smile onto her face.

"Song Yao... She’s back? I was busy in the kitchen just now, I really didn’t see her..."

In reality, the small kitchen window faced the main gate. The moment Song Yao pushed the door open and came in, both of them had seen her as clear as day.

But Song Shuangshuang already hated Song Yao to the bone. The sight of her made her furious, and her glare was like a knife scraping against Song Yao’s skin. How could Yao Yuzhen dare to go against her daughter’s wishes?

She had immediately pretended not to have seen her.

Shen Zhenwu had lost his temper on the spot, absolutely insistent on defending Song Yao.

He stood motionless in the center of the main room. He had taken off his hat, placed it on the corner of the table, and was now staring at Yao Yuzhen.

Yao Yuzhen had no choice but to grit her teeth and concede. She couldn’t just let him walk out. If she did, all her work—cooking and setting the table for half the day—would have been for nothing, right?

She turned and urged Song Shuangshuang, "Go on, get Song Yao to come eat. You have to go pull her over. She’s withdrawn and won’t come in on her own."

Finally, she added in a low voice, "Shuangshuang, you have to treat her like your own sister."

Song Shuangshuang understood immediately. In Shen Zhenwu’s eyes, Song Yao was now a precious treasure. Her own mother, Yao Yuzhen, didn’t even rank, let alone an adopted daughter like her who was a complete outsider.

She bit down on her back teeth, her fingernails digging into her palms.

But she didn’t dare to explode, nor could she. There was still a long road ahead. If she confronted him head-on, she would surely be the one to lose out.

She clenched her fists and forced a smile. "Alright, Mom. I’ll go get her. Even if I have to get on my knees and beg, I’ll bring her over."

When Song Yao entered the house, she hadn’t gone to the kitchen at all.

She tossed her bag onto a chair and walked straight to her room without even changing her shoes.

She had gone shopping earlier and noticed that everyone’s clothes were quite plain.

But when they saw her wearing something a bit brighter, several passersby had secretly turned to look her over.

’After all, who doesn’t like to look at something pleasing to the eye?’

In this era, people’s lives had just started to get a little easier. They weren’t just thinking about having enough food and warm clothes anymore; they were also starting to consider how to dress respectably and with spirit.

But they still hadn’t gotten bold enough. No one dared to wear styles that were too avant-garde.