?Chapter 38: Thirty-eight Annoying Shen Cuilan!_1 Chapter 38: Thirty-eight Annoying Shen Cuilan!_1 Ji Pianran was truly angry now.
In her pair of pitch-black eyes, the tiny specks of starlight dimmed.
“Gu Chen didn’t steal or rob to buy clothes for the child. It’s his hard-earned money. And besides, what happens in our family is hardly any of your concern.”
Her voice wasn’t loud, but the indifference in her tone was laced with a chill.
It had a subtle, oppressive quality, especially when paired with her distant and cool expression.
For a moment, Shen Cuilan was actually panicked, not knowing what to say to regain her footing. Sёarch* The N??elFirё.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.
Next door, Aunt Zhang was in the courtyard feeding rabbits.
She heard the conversation at the gate between Shen Cuilan and Ji Pianran.
Knowing these two were about to quarrel again and fearing Ji Pianran might be at a disadvantage, she dropped her handful of grass and ran outside.
She shouted loudly, “Shen Cuilan, will you ever stop? Are you not living your daily life anymore? Only caring about who bought new clothes or who stewed meat. If you care so much about it, tell your man to go out and make money too!”
Over the years, Aunt Zhang knew how hard it had been for Ji Pianran.
She had always been there to help her.
But this was all based on her understanding of Ji Pianran.
Ji Pianran might have a hard fate, but she never resigned herself to it, always striving to provide a better life for Tangtang.
Yet, she was an honest person.
She never engaged in any underhanded dealings.
She was polite to others, and although poor, she couldn’t offer much during holidays, she would still pay a visit.
As the saying goes, “treat others as you would like to be treated.” Aunt Zhang naturally treated Ji Pianran kindly.
It was true that she had a tough life,
often borrowing money from others.
But as soon as she had some, she would promptly pay it back.
Aunt Zhang saw all this.
She felt for Ji Pianran and for Tangtang.
Though rural areas are small, to tell the truth, the people there have more humanity than those in the city,
and they also know better how to respect the elderly and care for the young.
Seeing Aunt Zhang come out in support of Ji Pianran, Shen Cuilan was even less convinced.
Her face became longer than a donkey’s.
But there was nothing she could do, as Aunt Zhang was older.
And besides, Aunt Zhang had often helped look after Yan Yan.
Everyone in the village knew this, and if she were to defy Aunt Zhang now, she feared the village’s spit alone could kill her.
After a long struggle, Shen Cuilan turned to Aunt Zhang and said, “Why are you out here? I was just speaking off the cuff. It’s cold; you should go back inside and rest.”
Aunt Zhang knew Shen Cuilan all too well.
She gave Shen Cuilan a cold sneering laugh.
She walked over to Ji Pianran, took Tangtang from her arms,
and then turned back to give Shen Cuilan a fierce glare.
“You’re a mother too. Wouldn’t you be angry if someone scolded Tian Laosì in front of your son for being worthless?”
“Besides, what has Gu Chen ever done to you? Yes, he did hit you that day, but did you ever think about why? You insulted his wife, getting hit was letting you off easy!”
“Now that he’s repaid the money, what’s there to fuss about? They say distant relatives are not as good as close neighbors, but you make things so ugly. If you run into hardship in the future, see who’ll be willing to help you!”
Aunt Zhang has always stood for justice and not just for relatives; her words left Shen Cuilan speechless on the spot.
Shen Cuilan, though normally a formidable character, known for throwing tantrums, could not say a word in front of Aunt Zhang.
“I….”
Shen Cuilan, at that moment, was like a cat with its tail stepped on, utterly unable to speak.
Aunt Zhang gave her a disdainful look, “What ‘I’? Get your child and go home to cook!”
Saying this, she followed Ji Pianran into Gu Chen’s house.
She looked at Tangtang with a smile, and seeing the child’s outfit was really pretty, she couldn’t help but praise, “Wow, our Tangtang’s little outfit is so lovely!”
Tangtang was over the moon, “Grandma, this was bought for me by my dad, and he even took us to a restaurant for some delicious food!”
The little girl couldn’t wait to share her happiness with everyone.
Her dad was so amazing!
She wanted everyone to know it.
Aunt Zhang listened to this and looked at Ji Pianran with a surprised face.
“Yo, it looks like Gu Chen is making money now.” After saying this, she laughed again, “Making money is good. Once you start earning, your days will get better, and you won’t have to suffer so much.”
Ji Pianran smiled slightly, “Thank you, Aunt Zhang, for protecting me just now.”
At these words, Aunt Zhang laughed heartily.
“You’ve had a tough life, child. In our village, you were always alone. You hoped to have a better life after getting married, but who knew, Gu Chen turned out to be such a worry.”
After saying this, Aunt Zhang sighed.
“Don’t worry, if Shen Cuilan dares to bully you again, I’ll yell at her every time I see it!”
Ji Pianran looked at Aunt Zhang, who seemed ready to fight for her.
She couldn’t help but laugh out loud.
“Auntie, I’m not a child anymore, I can handle some things.”
To be honest, Ji Pianran was truly grateful for Aunt Zhang’s care and attention towards her and Tangtang over the years.
Aunt Zhang had a son and a daughter, both of whom had moved to the city.
Both children had their own families and had children of their own.
Ever since Ji Pianran had a child, Aunt Zhang would bring over her grandchildren’s old clothes for Tangtang to wear.
Just from clothes alone, Ji Pianran had saved a significant amount of money.
Later, when Ji Pianran needed to go out to make money, she would leave Tangtang with Aunt Zhang every now and then, asking her to keep an eye on her.
The kind-hearted old lady would always steam an egg for Tangtang whenever she visited.
From time to time, she would also lend Ji Pianran some money to buy nutritional supplements for her child.
Ji Pianran would never forget this kindness.
Aunt Zhang smiled.
“You, in my eyes, are still a child. I don’t have much ability and couldn’t help you much, but now, it’s good that Gu Chen is making money. As the saying goes, ‘a prodigal who returns is more precious than gold.’ I hope you and your child have finally seen the light at the end of the tunnel!”
A prodigal who returns is more precious than gold.
Gu Chen, oh Gu Chen, I hope you have truly turned over a new leaf.
Ji Pianran smiled at Aunt Zhang, her eyes sparkling attractively.
“I’ll take your word as a good omen.”
She hoped that Gu Chen wouldn’t let her down again this time.
As she said this, it was as if something reminded her.
She bowed her head and reached into her cloth bag to take out the photographs and pattern designs she had brought back from the market.
Then, she carefully handed them to Aunt Zhang.
“Auntie, can you take a look at this and see if there is anyone who could embroider it?”
Truth be told, Ji Pianran could embroider it herself.
But it was her first time doing work for someone else.
Especially since she valued this job so much.
She always wanted to do an even better job.
If she could embroider it beautifully, it would be like her own business card!
Who knows, it might lead to earning even more.
Aunt Zhang squinted her eyes and examined the patterns carefully for a long while.
“Yo, these patterns are quite complex.”
Ji Pianran nodded, her eyes filled with desire.
“Yes, a woman gave them to me today. She said her family is in the qipao business, and if I do a good job, they’ll hire me as a master.”
At these words, Aunt Zhang looked as though she had just realized something.
“Now I understand. Do this—go to Li You’e’s house at the east end of the village tomorrow. When she was young, her embroidery work was unparalleled. Go ask her, maybe she’ll know how to do it!”