Jing Shu shoveled another mouthful of rice before heading back to the bedroom to fetch the contract for her Aunt Wang Fang to see, already considering her excuses should it be questioned.
Who would have thought occupational hazards could also afflict lawyers!
Aunt Wang Fang didn't check the company name but went directly to look up the company credit code, which is akin to an identity card number.
"The company and contract are both fine," Aunt Wang Fang said.
"That's good to hear. I'm planning to round up the 800,000-yuan deposit first." Both Mr. Jing and Jing Shu breathed a sigh of relief. What followed was a period of silence that became even more awkward.
Uncle Su Yiyang glanced at Zhang Zhongyong, who was drinking, and Su Meimei, who was eating. "We have some spare cash," he began, "no rush to pay it back. Let's lend 300,000..."
Aunt Wang Fang shot Uncle Su Yiyang a look. Startled, he immediately corrected himself, "Let's lend 200,000..."
"COUGH, COUGH." Wang Fang coughed twice.
Uncle Su Yiyang's face turned bright red. This time, he spoke quickly, "Let's lend 100,000 yuan first. There's no rush to pay it back; we can talk about it in a few years when things ease up for you." Saying this, he nudged Wang Fang. "Transfer the money to Lan Zhi using WeChat."
"Just transfer it directly to Jing Shu. Big Brother, Sister-in-law, we'll pay you back in a few days when our money comes through; we just need this for an emergency." Mrs. Jing wasn't pleased; she always felt that her sister-in-law was acting as if they wouldn't repay the money.
From this point on, Aunt Wang Fang is someone who can lend a helping hand if we're in trouble, Jing Shu thought.
Mr. Jing then turned his gaze toward his younger sister-in-law, Su Meimei.
The main event is finally here! Jing Shu felt a thrill of excitement as she accepted the transferred money, observing her Aunt Su Meimei, who was pretending to be deaf and dumb.
Whether I can plant a thorn in Mom's heart depends entirely on this. I really hope Aunt Su Meimei doesn't let me down!
Uncle Su Yiyang, feeling the awkwardness couldn't continue, said, "Younger Sister, Zhongyong, it's time for you two to state your position."
Zhang Zhongyong's hand, holding a piece of fried fish, paused in mid-air. He smiled and said, "Meimei, you make the decisions for your family's matters." Only then did he put the fish into his mouth.
Su Meimei mentally berated Zhang Zhongyong a hundred times. Then, she began to pour out her woes: how they had recently bought a house and were poor, how her child's art academy tuition was expensive, making them poor—in short, they had no money at the moment.
Mrs. Jing remembered her younger sister, Su Meimei. When Su Meimei first arrived in Wu City, she had no job or partner and had stayed at their house for four or five years. During that time, she never once mentioned being poor. Later on, Mrs. Jing even helped her find a job. This led to her meeting Zhang Zhongyong, a government official, and she moved out after getting married.
PTUI.
Zhang Zhongyong spat out the fried fish, which was salty enough to kill someone. That little temptress not only knows how to fry fish but also how to drain me dry every time, he recalled, his mouth suddenly parched. And she really wants that little BMW...
"Big Sister," Zhang Zhongyong suddenly interjected, "times are really tight for us recently, and we're also thinking of buying another car. Why don't you sell us the little BMW?"
It was as if Su Meimei had just offered her left cheek to be slapped, only for Zhang Zhongyong to immediately slap her right one; all her previous complaints seemed utterly pointless. But Zhang Zhongyong already has an Audi, she thought. So, is this little BMW for me?
I've always envied Su Lanzi for having that little BMW, Su Meimei mused. Is it finally going to change owners?
"I'm not selling that for now," Mr. Jing said reluctantly. "That car may be three years old, but it has only been driven a little over 8,000 kilometers, so it's practically like new. Besides, as you know, Lan Zhi takes great care of her things. They always look brand new, no matter how long she uses them."
"It's going to have to be sold sooner or later! It's better to let family get the bargain! Sister, sell us the car cheap! I've never owned a car in my life!" Su Meimei pleaded, nearly bursting with excitement.
Jing Shu was dumbfounded. She had anticipated that her Aunt Su Meimei wouldn't lend them money, but she hadn't expected her aunt's family to be so shameless as to try and take advantage of their own relatives. More importantly, I don't want to get entangled with them over money matters again. If we sell the car now, it'll be useless in the apocalypse. Then Aunt Su Meimei will come crying, and Mom will feel guilty and give her a ton of compensation. No, I can't sell it to this family, not even if we were to sell it.
"My mom's car is not for sale!" Jing Shu quickly stated. "If we sell this house, and our villa is so far away without even taxis available, how would we get to work?"
Mrs. Jing hesitated. Maybe I should just sell it to my younger sister for a bit cheaper, she thought.
"My dear sister, we're paying the deposit tomorrow! If you sell to us, you get cash directly. Second-hand cars aren't easy to sell right now," Su Meimei urged.
"Auntie, in that case, why don't you just lend us the money directly?" Jing Shu added, twisting the knife.
Su Meimei flashed an embarrassed look. "You mischievous child, you must be joking! We only have that little bit of money saved up to buy a car."
Mrs. Jing's eyelids drooped. It was the first time in so many years she had asked her younger sister for anything, only to receive this response.
"I'll give Old Sun a call to see if he can pay us back tomorrow." Mr. Jing really didn't want to sell the little BMW. After saying this, he stood up to make the phone call. It wasn't long before his excited voice could be heard. "Great, great, thank you so much, Old Sun! That settles it then. He'll transfer it to me tomorrow at twelve."
The matter of the deposit was thus temporarily settled. Uncle's family transferred 100,000 yuan on the spot. Su Meimei didn't succeed in buying the car, nor did she lend any money. This dealt Mrs. Jing a double blow—an outcome Jing Shu found to be an unexpected delight.
Aunt Su Meimei is always venturing further down the road of courting death, Jing Shu mused. In my previous life, my pushover parents always abided by 'let's not trouble anyone' and never asked for help. That's why you shouldn't test human nature. Test a relationship a few too many times, and it's bound to collapse. Mom and Dad are bound to be upset tonight. Tomorrow, they'll probably not only be upset but also start doubting life itself. The thought is a bit exciting... Pah, no, it's actually quite sad. Sigh, growth always comes at a price. Only when it hurts will they truly understand.
Jing Shu returned to her bedroom and first inspected the living conditions of her livestock in the Magic Cube Space. The black pigs had eaten their feed and were sleeping. The cows and sheep looked peaceful together, occasionally shifting positions. The little rabbits were hopping around; there was plenty of space for activity, with rabbit droppings scattered all over the floor.
The surprise was that the quails had laid two eggs and were still incubating them. The seller had mentioned that light could improve the quails' egg-laying rate, and the light in the Magic Cube Space was abundant, as the Space itself was luminescent.
The seventeen chickens looked pitiful. Chicken droppings were everywhere, and the two eggs they had laid were stepped on and eaten. I'll have to think of a solution soon, Jing Shu decided.
She marked each bottle of mineral water with a number, then cut a white shirt into strips and wrote the corresponding numbers on them.
First, she fed the cows, ewes, and sows 1 drop of Spiritual Spring water mixed with 250 grams of mineral water. The bulls, rams, and boars received 1 drop mixed with 1 kilogram of mineral water.
The fifteen hens were each given mineral water with 1 drop of Spiritual Spring in 100 grams, with the amount of water gradually increasing for subsequent feedings. One rooster drank undiluted Spiritual Spring water, and another rooster drank plain mineral water without any Spiritual Spring. I want to see the differences in their development and lifespans, Jing Shu thought.
Ducks, rabbits, and quails were also numbered and then fed mineral water according to their numbers. I want to test what differences will arise when animals of varying sizes and lifespans consume proportionally similar amounts of Spiritual Spring water, she planned.
After numbering them, she tied the cloth strips around the necks of all her livestock in the Space. Then, she placed the prepared mineral water mixtures in the feed storage area. Jing Shu directly took the water and administered it into the cows' stomachs.
The cows were probably quite perplexed. Their mouths were pried open, and a stream of water inexplicably flowed past their throats directly into their stomachs. You probably wouldn't believe it if I said it, but the water just went into my stomach all by itself!
With skillful operation and swift movements, Jing Shu soon finished feeding all the animals their diluted Spiritual Spring water. Poor rooster Number 0 got nothing at all.
The six fields in the Space had already sprouted. The fastest-growing plants were already several centimeters tall. If I hadn't planted them myself, I wouldn't even know what I'd sown, Jing Shu mused.