Chapter 522: Foodie Miao Cuihua

The distance to that residence wasn’t very far, just from one end of the small town to the other.

Di Cheng arrived at the approximate location but could only wander nearby, not sure which specific small residence it was.

In the end, he sat down by the roadside.

Di Yelei slowly approached, walking over to him and sitting down as well.

“When I was younger, I had a lot of strength. At five or six years old, I could carry a large load of firewood. But that strength didn’t benefit me. Instead, at such a young age, I was forced to go up to the mountains to chop wood. Not only did I have to supply firewood for my large family, but later I also became a woodcutter and charcoal maker.”

“And because I did more work while eating the least, I nearly starved to death several times. Finally, Zhang Peng saved me, taught me to go hunting, so that I wouldn’t starve anymore.”

“Cheng’er, although you are Second Brother’s child, you look and act the most like me, too honest and straightforward. Being honest and straightforward is not always a good thing. You need to judge people and situations. Blindly enduring will not make people remember your kindness, but instead, they will think you are weak and easy to bully, taking your efforts for granted.”

“Third Uncle didn’t understand these things either until Third Aunt married into the family. Only then did he learn how to live like a real person!”

After Di Yelei finished speaking, he patted Di Cheng’s shoulder heavily.

Then he stood up and said, “It’s getting late, so go back and rest early. If you have any problems, think about them carefully and make a decision. It’s never too late to come to me.”

It’s better to teach someone to fish than to give them a fish!

To deal with people like Ms. Wang, unless Di Cheng can stand up for himself, others can only help him once, but they can’t always be there for him!

Di Yelei left alone. After walking away, he looked back and saw Di Cheng still sitting there, as if deep in thought.

That night, both husband and wife worried about Di Cheng, and neither of them slept well.

Liu Sisi got up early and went to the bookstore, only to find the main entrance locked, and Miao Cuihua was walking back and forth outside the door, determined not to leave until she found someone!

Liu Sisi didn’t call out to her; she quietly walked past and went to the small residence that everyone had pointed to yesterday. She asked two more people on the road and finally found the three rooms that Ms. Wang mentioned.

As expected, it was three rooms and a small courtyard.

But it was just three crumbling, low houses made of broken stones, and it was easy to see that no one had lived there for years. The straw covering the top had become moldy and black, and there were lumps of it. Through the half-open wooden door, she could see the dark room inside. The courtyard outside was only about three or four square meters in size, with no room for even two tables.

Liu Sisi sighed! It was amazing that Ms. Wang could come up with this!

Could this be called a residence? Even the chicken coop in the third family branch’s old house was much bigger!

She glanced around again, her eyes falling on a small courtyard separated by a wall.

In the courtyard, an old woman was cleaning. Liu Sisi hurriedly raised her skirt hem and walked over to the yard door, calling out softly.

“Old lady, Sisi wants to ask you about something…”

It wasn’t until she had taken care of everything that Liu Sisi casually turned back and walked away.

Upon returning to the bookstore, she saw that Miao Cuihua was still there.

After some thought, she walked up to the door and casually used her key to unlock it. This spare key had always been with her, and she never thought it would come in handy today.

“Sisi, I… I came to help too, hehehe!”

Miao Cuihua swiftly approached to help.

Liu Sisi looked at her but didn’t stop her. Surprisingly, although Miao Cuihua was tall and had a loud voice, she had her advantages.

Things that Liu Sisi could hardly move, Miao Cuihua carried with one hand. She wiped the top of shelves that Liu Sisi couldn’t reach. Fetching water, mopping the floor, cleaning—Miao Cuihua did everything efficiently, far outperforming Shou Hou.

“I say, Miao Cuihua, waiting here like this isn’t really a solution, is it?”

Liu Sisi couldn’t hold back any longer: “You’re always hanging out in my store, who did you ask to help take care of the little chubby at home?”

Miao Cuihua’s wiping hand paused slightly, then she laughed: “Sisi, don’t worry, I’ve already sent Little Chubby back to my mom’s home. Once I find Shou Hou, I’ll bring him back.”

“What if you never find him?”

Miao Cuihua’s hand stopped for a while before shaking her head in self-comfort, her words full of resignation.

“No! That won’t happen. Shou Hou is just mad at me! When he’s had enough fun and gets tired, he’ll definitely come back. Definitely!”

“Alright! If that’s what you think, then it’s up to you.”

Liu Sisi shrugged, adopting an “it’s-your-call” attitude, and picked up the account book to check the accounts.

Miao Cuihua felt like she was punching cotton as she had expected Liu Sisi to continue opposing, but instead got such an answer in the end.

Thinking of her own predicament, she gathered courage and approached Liu Sisi.

“Sisi, I have a matter, I’d like to discuss with you…”

“What is it?”

Liu Sisi lifted her eyelids slightly.

“I… I have no money for food…” Miao Cuihua awkwardly rubbed her hands.

“Do you want to borrow money from me?”

She looked up at her, half-smiling.

“No, no, that’s not it!”

Miao Cuihua quickly shook her hands like a rattle drum, then she coughed lightly and tugged on her obviously ill-fitting clothes.

“I was thinking that from now on, I could help clean the store every day, and you could cover my meals. Really, I’ll only need to eat five bowls… no, no, just four bowls, no! I only need three bowls of rice per meal. If there’s any trouble in the store, I can help too.”

She embarrassingly stretched out three fingers and gestured to Liu Sisi.

Liu Sisi gave Miao Cuihua an up and down look before saying without further ado: “My Second Sister has opened a dumpling restaurant over there, where they also sell steamed buns and stuffed buns. You go and eat first, then come back to work after you’re full.”

After finishing her words, she buried her head in the account book again.

Miao Cuihua gloomily walked outside. She had a solution for this meal, but what about the next one?

Huh? That’s not right!

“Sisi, Sisi, you agreed to let me stay, didn’t you? Sisi!”

Miao Cuihua was overjoyed! She didn’t expect that she could actually stay.

“That’s right! You can stay and do the chores Shou Hou used to do. Three meals a day and 100 copper coins a month for you. If you’re willing, you can start working today.”

“I’m willing! Of course, I’m willing.”

How could she be unwilling? Now she doesn’t have to worry about going hungry, and there’s an extra 100 copper coins coming in. She’s more than satisfied!

With this in mind, she smiled shyly, her behavior coquettish: “Sisi, I will work hard, but… I’m sorry that you’ll be at a disadvantage.”

It wasn’t until she returned to the mansion and heard Liu Zhi’er talking about how the other party actually ate twenty-five steamed buns and ten stuffed buns in one meal that she understood what Miao Cuihua meant by being at a disadvantage.