Chapter 189: Ma Shi Appears

Disclaimer: 

1. This is an unofficial translation and no permission has been obtained from the author/ official publisher. It may be taken down if the author/official publisher requests. 

2. This is a fan work and the interpretation represents only the translator’s personal views without any input from the author. 

3. No permission has been granted to use, publish, upload and/or copy this translation to any other site except for Second Life Translations.

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Liu Tao waited for them to leave before cleaning up the store. Then he went to arrange the goods and took out the store’s ledgers. The other shop assistant wasn’t coming in today – it happened to be his rest day. 

He Zhongzhou was a rather attentive person. When he and his brothers came out to apprentice, none of them were literate and no one had made plans for them to study. But when they came to work at the store, they saw that the others were capable of managing the ledgers, but they couldn’t. With these comparisons, they couldn’t help feeling inferior to others,  and it had propelled them to study. 

He Zhongzhou was the eldest amongst them, and therefore was saddled with the heavy weight of responsibility. So he was especially conscientious about his studies. Liu Xu’er had assigned him to this store, because he was capable of managing the store solo. With two people to rotate, this store could be easily managed. There wasn’t the need for any additional hands. 

After checking through the ledger, it was nearly noon. Liu Tao realised he should have checked with Xiuxiu earlier – did they want to head back for the noon meal or eat out? Should he wait for them?

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Nkw Mys pxkzle yde pyke, “Zsw’hl cswtbv psxlvbkdt cynj vs lyv?”

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Nkw Mys oyp yxwple, Tl pyke, “Ebld eke R…. Hbsdtgbsw, byhl usw clld nsxrzykdkdt ycswv xl? Ps R sqvld pnsze usw?”

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Nkw Mys oyp alxkdele. Ksjkdtkdtzu, bl pxkzle yde pyke, “Mbyv’p vawl! Mbl pxlzz sq vbl cwdp kp vss pvasdt. Rv’p dsv tsse vs lyv kv kd vbl pvsal. Ebu esd’v usw lyv kv yv vbl essaoyu.”

Dkwmkw oyp pvwddle, “Ebu kp vbkp ps ekqqknwzv?”

Liu Tao was about to explain when He Zhongzhou replied, “Jie! This isn’t like home! Customers come to the store to buy goods, and don’t want to have to be hit in the face with the smell of steamed buns. Some people might like it, but not everyone does. What if someone who doesn’t like the smell comes in to buy goods? We cannot just think of ourselves – since we are doing business, then we must think for our customers. They come to the store to relax. Only if they are relaxed would they be willing to part with their money. If they aren’t, then who would spend money? Just like when you went to buy silk flowers – you were upset that someone had touched the silk with oily hands, leaving a stain on it. It’s the same principle!”

Xiuxiu was shocked when she heard. It took her a long while to respond, “Zhongzhou, how come you can argue so well now? I just said a sentence, but your response was so long.”

He Zhongzhou smiled, “But was what I said reasonable?”

Xiuxiu thought it over carefully before tearily agreeing, “You’re right… I got it. We will eat at the door.”

She headed to the door as she spoke and picked up a stool along the way. Placing the buns on the stool, she turned at the two of them and smiled, “Are you coming to eat?”

He Zhongzhou went to wash his hands, but Liu Tao had come over. He hadn’t said anything when Xiuxiu piped up suddenly, “Oh, oh, oh! I just remembered. I haven’t washed my hands.” She hurriedly went with He Zhongzhou to the corner where the wash basin was.

Liu Tao smiled fondly and shook his head. When he heard He Zhongzhou’s mini speech earlier, he was thinking – He Zhongzhou was rather smart. 

Now that everyone had washed their hands, they came over to eat. Because Xiuxiu was still thinking about all of her new purchases, she ate rather quickly. In a jiffy, two of the buns had disappeared, then she ran over to pull her bags over and show off her purchases. 

Liu Tao had just heard He Zhongzhou’s comment that they had bought silk flowers. At the time, he hadn’t paid it any attention, but seeing Xiuxiu take out four or five of them, he couldn’t resist saying, “This store also has silk flowers. Why did you buy them from outside?”

Xiuxiu, who had been admiring her purchases, immediately flushed red. He Zhongzhou’s voice was rather meek when he said, “My jie said… The designs were not the same….”

Liu Tao shook his head. It really wasn’t his place, but he wasn’t able to resist. So he turned to Xiuxiu, “Although your family is now better off, your family started out poor. Surely you aren’t yet at the phase of being so picky about your things. Especially when it comes to these sorts of items that cannot be eaten or worn. Having one or two is fine, but you can’t buy every single design that catches your eye right? Wouldn’t that be excessive?”

Xiuxiu had worried that he would reprimand her, and sure enough he had. Face even redder, she lowered her head and hurried to keep everything, looking like a misbehaving child. 

He Zhongzhou was sticking his tongue out at the side. When his jiejie wanted to buy these items, he had also advised her against it. But his sister really wanted it, and he – well, he had some money in his hands. Since his sister had never requested anything from him before, he couldn’t refuse her first request. Wouldn’t that just hurt her feelings? So although he didn’t feel the need to spend this money, he still bought them for her.

Liu Tao saw Xiuxiu’s pouting expression, and thought that she was upset at what he had said. So he smiled and said, “I am just saying it because it wasn’t easy for He Zhongzhou to earn money. Any money we earn must first go into basic necessities, like our food and drink before thinking of these types of things, right? But of course, all you girls like beautiful things. Buying two flowers isn’t that big a deal. I’m just saying this… You don’t have to take it to heart.”

Xiuxiu spoke in a small voice, “I understand… I won’t buy anymore in the future….”

He Zhongzhou had also come over. Liu Tao saw that Xiuxiu seemed to have understood, so he smiled and nodded his head, not saying anymore. 

In the afternoon, Liu Tao reflected on himself. Was he too hard on Xiuxiu? Xiuxiu was just a girl, and would of course like pretty things. Being reprimanded by him for buying a few silk flowers, especially when he wasn’t actually her elder, was a bit presumptuous of him. He started to feel guilty about the episode. Knowing that Xiuxiu enjoyed fruits, he went out to buy two jins of peaches for Xiuxiu and He Zhongzhou to enjoy. 

Sure enough, the siblings went off to peel and eat the fruit. Seeing Xiuxiu’s fixed attention on the fruit, drooling over them, having completely forgotten the earlier episode, Liu Tao couldn’t help laughing. She was still such a kid!

Just as he was thinking that, he heard someone outside calling, “Tao, Tao!”

The familiar voice caused Liu Tao’s brow to wrinkle. Sure enough , the one hiding furtively behind the neighbouring store was his own mother, Ma shi!

Helpless, Liu Tao stood up and walked out. 

Inside, both Xiuxiu and He Zhongzhou heard the call as well. They both glanced out and Xiuxiu saw a furtive looking woman outside calling Liu Tao. When Liu Tao left, she quickly asked He Zhongzhou, “Who is that?”

He Zhongzhou was shaking his head. Helpless and frustrated, he said, “Tao ge’s mother.”

Xiuxiu was shocked, “The one who was divorced…”

“Shh!” He Zhongzhou moved to shush his sister. He nodded his head and said, “That’s right, that’s the one.”

“How does she have the face to come here!” Xiuxiu said, somewhat angrily, “She’s shameless! She’s already been divorced…” Of course, her voice was much softer.

He Zhongzhou said in a low voice, “You’d better not say anything about this to Tao ge directly…. Tao ge is in a very difficult position. Even if she’s been divorced, that’s still his mother! Just because it’s shameful, doesn’t mean he cuts ties with her right?”

Honestly, Xiuxiu was very sheltered, and was still a rather naive little village girl. She only knew that a woman who had been divorced must have done something terrible, and would therefore never dare to show their faces in public. That was why her reaction to Ma shi was so big. Now that she heard her brother’s words, she started to understand. She quickly nodded, “That’s right. No matter what, that’s still Tao ge’s mother.”

Originally, she had copied Liu Xu’er’s address and called Liu Tao “Sange”. But after hearing her younger brother repeatedly refer to him as “Tao ge”, she had started to use that instead.

“That’s why I said that Tao ge is in a very awkward position. That woman is truly terrible…” He Zhongzhou said in a whisper, “Everytime she comes, she asks Tao ge for money. The last time, she said that her daughter had fallen ill and wanted Tao ge to give her 10 taels of silver! Tao ge was so angry, his face turned all white!” 

Xiuxiu jumped up in shock, “Her daughter? Which one? Haven’t they all gotten married? Why does she still need money to help them?”

“Oh, that woman has already gotten remarried. It’s her daughter from her new marriage. She seems to only be a few years old….”

“What?! How…. how shameless. She even remarried?!”

He Zhongzhou rolled his eyes, “Why can’t she? Anyway, I heard that the two of them are made for each other! I heard that she married a lout – he gambles all day, and when he loses, he takes money from her. If she doesn’t give him money, he beats her! When she gave birth to a daughter, she was again beaten harshly everyday. The woman has no choice, so she keeps pestering Tao ge… The last time I saw her come – the bruise around her eye was very shocking!”

“Really?!” Xiuxiu looked at the woman outside with disgust. She saw that Liu Tao was saying something to the woman and was about to head back, but that woman grabbed hold of his shoulders. Rage suddenly flooded her, and she angrily scolded, “What a hateful woman! She’s shameless! Why does she keep pestering Tao ge?!”

He Zhongzhou pursed his lips, “Tao ge has money now. Of course she would come to him!”

“Tao ge is rather pitiful. Having a mother like that.” Xiuxiu said. 

He Zhongzhou nodded his head in agreement, “That’s right!” Then he thought of something and quickly said to Xiuxiu, “Jie, when you head back, you mustn’t say anything to the rest of the family! You can’t tell anyone, not even Xu’er jie! Tao ge doesn’t want them to know. The rest of the family holds a grudge against that woman. Whenever the family hears her name, they get angry!”

Xiuxiu nodded her head, “I got it! I definitely won’t say anything… What if gugu got angry and chased Tao ge out of the house!”

“That shouldn’t happen…. But it would make Tao ge feel very awkward, and would make everyone in the family upset… So, just don’t say anything.”

“Got it.”