Chapter 82: A Few Matters at the Shop and at Home

Gui A County.

“At last, I’m home,” Lu Kun said as he opened the car door and stepped out of Shi Tou’s vehicle.

“See you another day,” Lu Kun waved with a smile, politely declining Shi Tou’s offer to help carry his things upstairs.

“All right then, see you next time,” Shi Tou replied, not one to linger, and revved up his car before roaring off.

…

It was around eight in the evening. Liu Liping and her daughters were likely having dinner by now, while the shop was being watched over by the employees.

“Zhaodi, this is for you. Work hard—the future is bright,” Lu Kun handed her a box of chick-shaped pastries, smiling as he spoke.

Ma Zhaodi was a diligent and honest girl; she always completed every task assigned to her with meticulous care. Both her work capability and attitude left Lu Kun and Liu Liping thoroughly satisfied.

“Thank you, boss! Thank you, boss!” Ma Zhaodi bowed repeatedly, her gratitude heartfelt.

After the brick factory’s downturn and massive layoffs, Lu Kun had recruited her into the Huakun Supermarket at Gui A County First Middle School’s campus store.

The job here was much easier than it had been at the brick factory. Not only was the pay punctual, but she could also learn skills from the boss and his wife.

Just a few days ago, Liu Liping had confided that if she continued to perform well, she could be promoted to store manager by the end of the year at the latest.

The day she heard that, only heaven could know how excited Ma Zhaodi had been.

Now she earned over forty yuan a month. Each time she brought her wages home at the end of the month, the entire village—young and old—looked on her and her family with envy.

Even the “village heartthrob” who used to look down on her for being poor and plain had started to engineer “chance encounters” and shower her with attention.

Of course, Ma Zhaodi’s standards were no longer what they once were.

Back in the day, if the “heartthrob” had so much as spoken a word to her, she might have fainted from happiness.

Now, she relished the look of respect in others’ eyes—the kind that said, “Who says women are inferior to men?”

She wasn’t fighting for bread, but for dignity!

Her parents had given birth to a string of daughters over the years and had always been looked down upon in the village. But now that Ma Zhaodi had made something of herself, her family finally had some standing.

Whenever her mother used to argue with others, being mocked for not being able to bear a son would almost make her furious enough to faint. Now, when she argued, she could stand with her hands on her hips and retort, “My one daughter is worth your three useless sons!”

…

“Heh, boss, what about mine?” The one speaking now was Tie Chui, the long-term hand at Lu Kun’s store.

This fellow had a weakness for women. When he first started, he was a frequent visitor to the red-light district, coming to work every day exhausted and listless.

Lu Kun had finally had enough and informed Tie Chui’s parents back in the countryside.

The old couple, both hot-tempered, arrived brandishing hefty wooden sticks and threatened to break his legs.

They didn’t hold back—Lu Kun winced just watching.

After that, Tie Chui straightened out.

Liu Liping had mentioned over the phone that recently, Tie Chui seemed to be pursuing Ma Zhaodi, his attentiveness enough to give anyone goosebumps.

When Lu Kun heard this, he was utterly dumbfounded.

Had Tie Chui been without a woman for so long that any girl looked attractive to him? Or was he simply looking to marry a sensible woman and settle down?

What a melodrama—probably another one of those “she loves him, he loves her, she doesn’t love him” stories.

“Here you go, catch!” Lu Kun tossed a box of chick-shaped pastries to him, his tone less than warm.

Since they were both staff, the gifts had to be distributed fairly.

…

“You’re home, dear?” Liu Liping, hearing the commotion downstairs, came down and spotted Lu Kun chatting with the two employees. Her eyes lit up.

“Daddy, give me a hug!” The younger daughter, Er Ya, wriggled free from Liu Liping’s hand and ran to Lu Kun, arms outstretched.

But Lu Kun, with his mind full of Liu Liping, didn’t notice her and walked straight toward his wife.

Er Ya’s little arms froze in midair, missing her father’s embrace.

The sudden silence was the most awkward.

“Mmm-hmm-hmm, waaa…”

Er Ya’s face crumpled in misery, and fat tears rolled down her cheeks as she plopped down on the floor and began to wail.

Heaven knew how aggrieved she had felt lately.

Since Lu Kun’s business trip, Madam Liu had signed her up for a slew of tutoring classes.

“I always come in first—why do I have to go to extra classes?” the little girl once asked, tugging at Liu Liping’s sleeve with wounded innocence.

But Liu Liping dismissed her with, “Naughty children need extra lessons.”

If only Er Ya knew that most of those classes had been selected by Lu Kun himself, she would probably let go of any illusions she had about him.

…

Just as Lu Kun and Liu Liping were about to embrace, the beautiful moment was shattered by Er Ya’s crying.

“Let’s head upstairs first,” Liu Liping whispered in Lu Kun’s ear.

He nodded, grasping his luggage in one hand, and with the other arm, he scooped Er Ya up by the waist, climbing the stairs steadily.

Er Ya stopped crying and quietly let herself be carried upstairs.

Once the family had gone up, Ma Zhaodi and Tie Chui wisely refrained from following. Family matters were none of their business.

Upstairs, Lu Kun saw that Da Ya had already set out the bowls and chopsticks for him, the bowl brimming with rice, and was now ladling soup.

“She really is a thoughtful girl. No wonder they say daughters are their parents’ little sweetheart,” Lu Kun sighed, then looked at the one in his hand, feeling a surge of exasperation.

Born of the same parents, yet the difference was staggering.

“Let’s eat first—whatever it is, we’ll talk later,” Liu Liping said, urging Lu Kun to eat and not to quarrel with the troublesome child.

Lu Kun nodded.

He was already famished.

He’d never been one for snacks or junk food, only fond of braised pork and white rice—he simply couldn’t go without meat.

Once he could finally afford it, he never denied himself a good meal.

Nothing tasted as good as home cooking.

No matter how luxurious the food outside, nothing matched the warmth of a meal at home.

Besides, Liu Liping’s culinary skills were impeccable—masterful among ordinary folk.

Da Ya took after her mother and was keenly interested in cooking, always eager to watch whenever Liu Liping tried out a new dish.

Er Ya, on the other hand, had no interest in these things at all.

She was far more enthusiastic about causing mischief and picking fights, often leaving Lu Kun and his wife at their wits’ end.