I Bacame the Mother of His Child-Chapter 99 - 98: Holding a Grudge Against Me

"Xiuxiu, we’re real sisters, flesh and blood, connected by sinew. It’s because I’m truly in a bad way that I’ve come to you," Xu Fangfang took on the magnanimity of an elder sister. "Since you say 300 yuan isn’t enough to cover a few months’ rent, I believe you! But I’ve heard that there is something called investing. Your restaurant is doing well, so how about this! I’ll invest the 300 yuan into your restaurant for a 10% share of the profits, all right? My elder brother-in-law has culinary skills, so I can also help out in the restaurant, maybe waiting tables or something. Your brother-in-law can take on the cooking. This way, you can save on hiring a few workers, right? What do you think?" Xu Fangfang was full of ideas and having brought her husband with her today, she had opened up this topic and wasn’t planning to give up easily.

Xu Xiuxiu had admitted to earning a few hundred yuan a month, so Fangfang figured even a smaller share would not be insignificant. An investment of 300 yuan could be recouped in a few months, which seemed like a good deal, and since Xu Xiuxiu’s Sichuan Pavilion was already running smoothly, it was quite a bargain to invest now, with practically no risk from her perspective.

"Big sister, I can’t agree to that." Xu Xiuxiu also stopped adding food to Song Chengguang’s plate and looked at Xu Fangfang with a serious expression.

She had never planned to entangle Sichuan Pavilion or her own career with her family and friends back home. She intended to leave her business for her children and was selfishly unwilling to let anyone else get their foot in the door.

Xu Fangfang’s face darkened unpleasantly, clearly angry at Xu Xiuxiu’s outright rejection. Song Guomin, a man of honesty, quickly intervened to smooth things over, "Fangfang, let it be. It wasn’t easy for Sanya to start a restaurant by herself. We shouldn’t make things difficult for her. Willing to help is a favor; it’s also a favor not to help." Zhou Guomin said while trying to reason with Xu Fangfang.

"All you do is say nice things, but it’s also a favor not to help? Is Xu Xiuxiu just looking down on me, her elder sister, because she’s got a bit of money now, is her heart that cold? She doesn’t even think about how I wouldn’t have asked for her help unless I had no other choice. Our mother-in-law hadn’t passed away in the past two years, but she racked up much debt lying in her sickbed, with debt collectors coming to our door daily to demand their money. I was so distressed! With the New Year over, Doudou still has to go to school. Do you know how expensive tuition fees are now? Isn’t this all for the sake of the family? How can Xiuxiu be so cruel—I barely ask her for help with something, and she’s full of excuses, not willing. Is this how sisters behave, heartlessly unconcerned with the life and death of their elder sister’s family?" Xu Fangfang lifted her head to shout at Song Guomin and began to cry as she did so.

Xu Xiuxiu’s head ached at this response; Xu Fangfang’s underhanded tactics were insufferable!

"Auntie, can’t you help us open a big restaurant? My mom says you’re rich now," Doudou was too young to understand, but upon seeing her mother cry, she glared resentfully at Xu Xiuxiu. "Mom says if you don’t help us open a restaurant, I won’t be able to go to school after the New Year. I’ll have to earn money by tending to calves for Song Niu in the village to support the family. Grandpa, Doudou doesn’t want to watch the calves." Doudou said, looking pitifully at Mr. Xu.

Mrs. Xu, with a heart soft by nature as a woman, was already distressed by her eldest daughter’s sob story. Now hearing her eldest grandson say he wouldn’t go to school but rather tend calves after the New Year, how could she stay calm and seated quietly?

"Sanya, why not just help your big sister out! It’s not easy for her, you kids haven’t suffered much, but your big sister grew up in hardship. When she was little, she often went hungry and whatever little food there was, she would feed to you youngsters. My heart aches as a mother! What your big sister suggests doesn’t seem too bad, and Guomin’s cooking is indeed good; he won’t be a drag or a nuisance. Why don’t you just take your big sister along and let her invest a little in your restaurant!" Mrs. Xu, reminded of past hardships, felt even more sorrow for her eldest daughter.

Both the palm and the back of the hand are flesh, and Mrs. Xu asked herself if she had been fair, but she was also someone who was easily swayed by others’ words. Once Xu Fangfang started to weep and complain, the balance in Mrs. Xu’s heart immediately tipped in Xu Fangfang’s favor, proving that a crying child indeed gets the milk.

"Sanya? Can you just help your elder sister out?" Mr. Xu also quietly chimed in.

Back in the early days, when times were tough, their eldest daughter was clamoring to attend school, and he had refused, pressing her to stay home to look after her younger sisters. Later, when policies relaxed, and the eldest daughter could go to school, the children in the family only needed to pay one set of miscellaneous fees, and the siblings could share a single book to study. But by then, the eldest daughter had already grown older, and at thirteen or fourteen, she was unwilling to study basic knowledge like 1+1 with her seven- or eight-year-old sisters. She resisted and only attended classes for a few days before giving up for good.

These things weighed heavy on the father’s heart. He felt guilty!

To Xu Xiuxiu, the consolation offered by Mr. and Mrs. Xu suddenly felt like she was being forced to swallow a fly. The taste of being forced to help was genuinely unpleasant, "Dad, Mom! It’s not that I don’t want to help my elder sister, and I know her family’s situation and feel sad about it too. But there are many ways to solve a problem. They don’t have experience and only a little capital, they could actually just open a small restaurant in the county. My brother-in-law is skilled and need not fear a lack of business. There’s no need to insist on going to the city. The competition in the city for everything is so intense now, and it’s not easy to open a restaurant there. When I started out, I, too, bumped my head against the wall many times to achieve today’s results."

If elder sister Xu Fangfang and her husband Song Guomin really had the ability and the skills, opening a small eatery in the county would definitely not be too bad. There was no need to be necessarily associated with the Sichuan Pavilion. frёewebηovel.cѳm

"I think what my third sister is saying makes a lot of sense. It would be better for our elder sister to just open a restaurant in the county. Why on earth should she go all the way to Z city to cause trouble for my third sister! My third sister doesn’t owe anyone anything." Xu Jingjing, who had recently received quite a few favors from Xu Xiuxiu, naturally leaned a bit toward Xu Xiuxiu. She wasn’t swayed by Xu Fangfang’s tearful complaints. Anyway, she disliked how her elder sister had timed her return home to coerce help from their third sister.

Xu Jingjing’s echoing words meant Xu Xiuxiu then wasn’t turned into the target of everyone’s displeasure. Seeing this, Xu Xiuxiu glanced at Xu Jingjing and, noticing the girl’s silent wink, couldn’t help but laugh. She unexpectedly found herself quite liking this girl—her clear sense of love and hate, her straightforward attitude in liking and disliking things, and knowing to offer some help after having accepted favors.

"Si Ya, what do you know? Can our county compare to Z city?" Xu Fangfang simply believed that the city was far superior to the county, "Forget it! I knew that sisters couldn’t be relied upon once they married. I won’t trouble you, Xu Xiuxiu, to help. Is that good enough?" Xu Fangfang complained with a cold huff.

Seeing this, Xu Xiuxiu had no intention of responding. Whether she engaged in the conversation to pacify or not, she would still end up resented by Xu Fangfang. With things as they were, she might as well feign ignorance.