The room plunged into darkness. Jiang Yingying froze for a moment, finally losing her composure. “Shen Yao, I haven’t gotten into bed yet!”
In this pitch black, was she supposed to feel her way back?
In the darkness, Shen Yao’s lips curved slightly, and his stern features softened a bit. “Close your eyes, wait a moment before opening them, and you’ll be able to see.”
Half-doubting, Jiang Yingying closed her eyes for a while. When she opened them again, she could indeed make out the vague shapes in the room through the moonlight filtering through the wooden window frame.
She made her way toward the bed and deliberately stepped on his foot as she passed by him. “Sorry, Yao-ge, it’s still hard to see the floor.”
She did it on purpose—even with only the moonlight, one could see the mischievous glint in her eyes.
Glistening and even more beautiful than the moonlight.
Shen Yao’s voice suddenly grew hoarse. He turned his back to her and spoke in a low tone, “It’s fine, it doesn’t hurt.”
Jiang Yingying shrugged, then lay sideways on the bed, though she felt no drowsiness.
“Hey, are you asleep?”
Shen Yao snorted coldly. “Even if I were, you’d have woken me up!”
Jiang Yingying propped her head up with one hand, blinking as she looked at the shadowy figure on the floor. “How about we chat for a bit?”
Shen Yao remained silent for a while before speaking. “About selling clothes three days from now?”
Jiang Yingying nodded, then realized he couldn’t see her and lowered her arm, resting her head. “Today’s cost was 15 yuan, plus the wages to be paid over the next two days, which is 2 yuan. The fabric my third brother gave me should also be included—let’s estimate it at 20 yuan.”
“So the total cost is 37 yuan. After deducting the cost of the sewing machine, I expect to have about 40 to 50 yuan left.”
“Subtracting the costs, the initial profit is roughly 10 yuan. As we agreed the other day, I’ll give you 2 yuan, and the rest is mine.”
The way she calculated the accounts—it was a shame she wasn’t in the business of robbery!
Shen Yao hadn’t planned on taking her money in the first place, but hearing her say this, he became serious. “The market price for a sewing machine is 120 yuan. Shouldn’t that be included in the profit calculation?”
“Besides, you only mentioned an estimate. The final profit is still unknown.”
Jiang Yingying’s eyes darted around. “Yao-ge, that’s not right. The sewing machine should only be counted as part of our next cost investment. How can it be included in this round’s profit?”
As for how much profit they would actually make, she kept silent.
Anyway, she only wanted to give him two yuan…
Shen Yao let out a derisive laugh. “No need to guard against me like this. No matter how badly off I am, I wouldn’t scheme after a woman’s money.”
Jiang Yingying clutched her little money pouch and muttered, “You’re the one who said we’d divorce eventually. This is all private property and can’t be split evenly.”
Divorce?
The smile vanished from Shen Yao’s lips. He turned back to her and said coldly, “We’ll each earn our own money. Don’t worry, I’ll divorce you within three years!”
Jiang Yingying put on a pitiful act, pouting. “Yao-ge, no matter what, we are husband and wife. Since you don’t like me, I can’t force you to stay.”
Then her tone shifted abruptly. “It’s settled then—we divorce in three years. Whoever doesn’t divorce is a dog! And our money stays separate!”
One moment she sounded reluctant to part, the next she was eagerly pressing for it.
Shen Yao let out a mocking sneer. “As long as you don’t make things difficult for my parents during these three years, everything else can be discussed.”
She was a kind and good girl—why would she make things hard for the elderly? Besides, Li Xuelian and Shen Qinghong had been so good to her…
The conversation came to an end. Having received reassurance, Jiang Yingying soon drifted into a peaceful sleep.
This time, it was Shen Yao who couldn’t sleep. Listening to the soft breathing from the bed, his face remained expressionless.
In three years, he would settle his parents and then venture out into the world. If he could make a name for himself, that would be ideal. If not, he would return dutifully to this land and live out his days caring for his parents.
As for Jiang Yingying—a woman like her, lazy, gluttonous, and cunning—she was truly not a good wife…
Yet his gaze lingered on the bed, unable to pull away…
The next day, Jiang Yingying, whom Shen Yao had described as lazy, gluttonous, and cunning, didn’t open her eyes until seven o’clock. As expected, it was raining outside.
By the time she had straightened her clothes, Shen Yao pushed the door open. Seeing she hadn’t even put on her shoes, he couldn’t resist a sarcastic remark: “The workers you hired have been waiting for half an hour. You sure know how to take it easy!”
Jiang Yingying frowned. “Why didn’t you wake me up?”
Shen Yao sneered. “You’re the boss. Who would dare disturb you?”
Jiang Yingying sighed helplessly, rubbing her temples. “Brother Yao, you could’ve called me! It’s so embarrassing to keep them waiting.”
At this, Shen Yao’s expression darkened further. “If I called you, would you actually get up?”
He had tried once before, only for the woman to keep her eyes shut and curse at him to get lost…
When Jiang Yingying finally put on her shoes and entered the main hall, Xiao Hua was sitting nearby chatting with Xiao Yun. Upon seeing Jiang Yingying, Xiao Hua quickly stood up, not daring to lift her head.
Xiao Hua was about the same age as Shen Xiaoyun, but she was short and thin, looking more like a child in her teens.
Her hair was dry and yellowish, her complexion dull, and her frail frame made Jiang Yingying instantly feel guilty, as if she were employing child labor.
“Are you sure you can handle this?”
Hearing the doubt in Jiang Yingying’s tone, Xiao Hua hurriedly looked up and spoke: “Sister Jiang, I can do it! I’m really good at needlework!”
Shen Xiaoyun, standing nearby, nodded in agreement. “She makes all the clothes and shoes for her family. Her skills are even better than mine!”
Jiang Yingying gave her another glance. “Here, you just work. Don’t ask questions or gossip, and don’t talk carelessly outside. Otherwise, there won’t be any future opportunities.”
Xiao Hua immediately covered her mouth and nodded vigorously.
She came from a family with four sisters and one younger brother. The three older sisters were already married off, leaving her as the only girl at home.
She was treated like a slave, someone anyone could hit or scold…
That night, she had overheard her parents discussing marrying her off after the New Year to Old Chen from the neighboring village—a man who had already buried three wives!
She didn’t want to go. So when Shen Xiaoyun suggested she take this job, she wondered if earning her own money might make her parents reluctant to marry her off.
Jiang Yingying cleared her throat. “Let me eat first. Wait for me a moment.”
Shen Xiaoyun quickly spoke up. “Sister-in-law, I’ve already eaten. How about I take her to look at the fabrics first? So she can get familiar with them!”
“Sounds good.”
Jiang Yingying felt a little embarrassed. It was only seven o’clock—she hadn’t even overslept…
Outside, the rain grew heavier. Li Xuelian emerged from the kitchen wearing a bamboo hat and smiled at Yingying. “I kept your meal warm, dear. Eat first!”
Jiang Yingying felt even more guilty. Even her birth mother in her previous life hadn’t treated her this well…
Every day, she was reminded not to anger her stepfather, not to upset her stepbrother…
It was a miracle she hadn’t fallen into depression.
No sooner had she sat down than Li Xuelian placed a peeled, white, round egg into her bowl. “I heard from Xiaoyun that you have a lot of work to do these days. Eat more!”
After saying this, she wiped her hands and lowered her voice. “Yingying, did you really pay Xiaohua one yuan as wages?”