Chapter 608: Excited Jia Zhangshi, How Much Money Should I Take?

Jia Zhangshi wanted to leave.

But given the situation on site, she simply couldn't walk away.

The security guard at the door stared at Jia Zhangshi with a tiger's glare.

You Fengxia seized the moment to lay down harsh words, declaring that if Jia Zhangshi didn't settle the bill, she would seek police intervention.

Bangeng ended up with the consequence of eating ten years of free meals just for eating white rice.

Faced with this living example, Jia Zhangshi certainly didn't want to follow in Bangeng's footsteps and become the second person jailed for eating without paying.

It's said that those who go inside all suffer bullying.

Her expression changed, and she blurted out the rumor she'd heard—that Bai Xu workers' families could eat one meal for free—hoping to shift blame.

She even put on a face saying, "I'm an old woman and also a victim."

You Fengxia was both amused and exasperated.

The nearby diners also treated it as a joke.

Seeing the situation escalate, You Fengxia sent someone to summon Xiao Dang.

Jia Zhangshi ate without paying; as her granddaughter and a Bai Xu employee, Xiao Dang should, by reason and emotion, clean up the mess.

Xiao Dang, who was taking out trash in the back kitchen, initially snorted coldly upon hearing someone had eaten for free at Bai Xu without paying, and cursed a few times in her mind.

In this day and age, it's truly astonishing that someone would still be so foolish as to eat without paying—Bangeng got ten years for it, and everyone knows that; yet, even with such a bloody fact before them, someone still dares to eat white rice without paying, and worse, chooses to do so at Bai Xu, such a famous place.

Really, like a fly buzzing in a toilet, specifically hunting for dung.

When someone called her, saying Jia Zhangshi had brought people to eat without paying and You Fengxia had told Xiao Dang to handle it, Xiao Dang only then realized she had just eaten her own family's melon.

Again, it's Jia Zhangshi.

It's the work of her so-called good grandmother.

I didn't want to go out and dump this person, but because You Fengxia named Xiao Dang,

left with no choice.

Xiao Dang appeared before Jia Zhangshi.

In Jia Zhangshi's mind, it was nothing but donkey dung balls, or perhaps her neural circuitry simply differed from others'.

If it were someone else, having caused trouble and seeing someone come to clean up the mess, they'd surely hurriedly admit fault and first deal with the immediate problem.

But Jia Zhangshi didn't; she remained stubborn, and the moment she saw Xiao Dang, she burst into tears, accusing Bai Xu of either bullying customers or failing to treat her as a staff family member.

Many people around were watching the spectacle.

Xiao Dang, mindful of her reputation, asked You Fengxia for the meal cost.

You Fengxia said eighteen yuan.

Upon hearing that price, Xiao Dang felt like killing Jia Zhangshi—one meal cost nearly a month's wages, and it was mountain delicacies and seafood, no less.

Seeing Xiao Dang's confusion, You Fengxia handed her Jia Zhangshi's menu.

The signature dishes listed made Xiao Dang tremble all over.

Damn, what an appetite.

No way around it.

This bill can only be settled by Xiao Dang.

Afterwards.

You Fengxia used Jia Zhangshi's free-meal incident as a case study, sharing and summarizing it with the staff present; Xiao Dang, for this, also wrote a thousand-word self-criticism, which she publicly read at the next morning meeting.

I thought this was already the maximum punishment for her.

Little did I know.

The real punishment for Xiao Dang had only just begun: as the sole employee at the Bai Xu branch to make a mistake in its ten months of operation, Xiao Dang lost the chance to recommend relatives for employment at Bai Xu.

This isn't about job recommendations.

This is about money.

Bai Xu jobs in the Capital City are highly sought after; Xiao Dang knows that, even though she's just a regular trash-collecting employee at Bai Xu, people still try to cozy up to her.

The suitor is a widower with several children; his eldest son is at marriageable age, and he had a matchmaker propose to Xiao Dang.

He doesn't disdain Xiao Dang's past.

Xiao Dang knows he's not after her, but after her Bai Xu job.

This shows how valuable a Bai Xu job is.

Because of Jia Zhangshi's one free meal, Xiao Dang lost this opportunity entirely.

Xiao Dang was the only unhappy person among those present; her coworkers' excited voices, heard by her, clearly sounded like mockery.

If she could, she truly wished to become deaf and blind.

Seeing Xiao Dang's expression, Shazhu said nothing; he was very much looking forward to the Jia family drama.

……

Past nine o'clock in the evening.

Jia Zhangshi returned from the toilet.

Her face was full of excitement.

Just then, while squatting in the toilet, she heard several neighbors chatting.

They said their children had come back and said they could recommend relatives to work at Bai Xu, but since their relatives lived far away, phones were out of reach and telegrams took five or six days, so the job was sold to a neighboring neighbor, who asked for 1,800 yuan.

Jia Zhangshi's mind was filled with 1,800 yuan!

With this money.

What couldn't be done?

Could buy two houses, wait for Bangeng to return, and use it for his marriage.

Only Bai Xu employees have the chance to recommend relatives or friends to work at Bai Xu.

Xiao Dang was cleaning up garbage at Bai Xu, and he is also a Bai Xu employee.

Bangeng is not here, but if he were, this job would definitely be his, because Bangeng is in prison, and the Jia family has no relatives, so Xiao Dang's recommendation right can only be used to exchange for money.

The neighbors from the neighboring Dayuan spent 1,800 to buy a quota to work at Bai Xu; Jia Zhangshi didn't dare hope for 1,800, 1,750 would do, and she decided for Xiao Dang.

Before returning home.

She even deliberately walked around the Siheyuan once, telling the neighbors that Bai Xu employees could recommend relatives and friends to work at Bai Xu.

There was no shock as Jia Zhangshi had imagined.

The neighbors seemed to already know all about this.

It was said they learned it from Thus: Thus: Mahua's wife.

Jia Zhangshi was not discouraged; she talked about selling the work quota and even shouted the slogan "highest bidder wins," then immediately went into the Jia family home.

Seeing Xiao Dang sitting silently on the bed in the inner room.

She immediately stepped forward to Xiao Dang's side.

She tried to make her tone as gentle as possible.

"Xiao Dang, what's going on? Such a great opportunity, why didn't you tell Grandma? If Grandma hadn't gone to the toilet and overheard the neighbors chatting, you'd really have kept us in the dark."

Qin Huairu glanced at Jia Zhangshi.

She slightly furrowed her brows.

Showing an expression of not understanding.

During Xiao Dang's time working at Bai Xu, he had thoroughly acted as a mediator reconciling the Jia family widow, and under Xiao Dang's mediation, Qin Huairu and Jia Zhangshi's relationship had eased considerably; although they still guarded against each other, they no longer used the old terms like "old immortal" and "little flirt," changing instead to the familiar terms "his grandmother" and "his mother."

"His grandmother, what are you saying?"

"His mother, you've been fooled by your daughter; I just heard people say that Bai Xu employees have one chance to recommend someone to work at Bai Xu, Old Wang's son works at Bai Xu carrying trays, and he directly sold the recommendation quota to Bai Xu, do you know how much he sold it for?"

Two fingers.

Were raised by Jia Zhangshi.

"One thousand eight hundred, one quota, sold for one thousand eight."

The tone shifted.

Wild thoughts sprang up.

"Xiao Dang is also a Bai Xu employee, she also has a recommendation quota, Xiao Dang's mother, Mom thinks this way: this quota, we won't sell it for one thousand eight; whoever offers the highest price gets the quota, and the money from selling the quota, Mom and you split half, Xiao Dang takes the other half alone."

Qin Huairu said nothing.

Instead, she turned her gaze toward Xiao Dang.

Jia Zhangshi took Xiao Dang's displeased expression as Xiao Dang stringing them along, but Qin Huairu would not; the widow noticed Xiao Dang's current expression was even worse than when he first returned.

It was hatred.

Her heart leapt up to her throat.

This matter seems off.

She said nothing.

With Jia Zhangshi present, Qin Huairu didn't need to speak.

As expected.

Turning to Qin Huairu to explain Jia Zhangshi, seeing Xiao Dang still sullen, she pushed Xiao Dang with her hand.

"Xiao Dang, Grandma is talking to you, why aren't you responding to Grandma? Do you think Grandma and your mother are dividing your money, making you unhappy? Grandma isn't making excuses; this money I hold with your mother, if anything comes up we won't need to ask you for it, and it's also for your consideration, to let you work better at Bai Xu. Xiao Dang, you speak."

"Say what?" Xiao Dang gave Jia Zhangshi an icy glance, "What do you want me to say?"

"About the quota?"

Jia Zhangshi, sensing Xiao Dang's emotions were off.

Hesitated a moment, then still spoke her inner thoughts.

She now only cared how much money this quota could sell for, whether it could be sold, and whether the money from selling the quota could be grasped in her hand.

Xiao Dang's reaction was taken by Jia Zhangshi as wanting to swallow all the money alone.

Originally, because of money, Xiao Dang ran away, causing Jia Zhangshi to resent him for years; not because she resented Xiao Dang leaving home, but because she resented herself for not watching Xiao Dang closely, letting him run away.

This time.

No matter what, she must seize the opportunity.

Jia Zhangshi had a premonition that this was her last chance in life to grab a big sum of money.

"Your matter of recommending someone to Bai Xu, your brother isn't here, otherwise this job would have gone to your brother; precisely because your brother isn't here, as your sister, you should think for your brother."

Jia Zhangshi hadn't finished speaking.

When Xiao Dang interrupted her.

"My brother, again my brother, I am also your granddaughter; when will you think for me? Am I not surnamed Jia? Or am I not the child of Jia Dongxu and Qin Huairu?" Her gaze fell on Qin Huairu, and she asked: "Mom, you tell me who my biological father is? Simply, I'll go find my biological father, go find my biological grandmother."

"Xiao Dang, what nonsense are you spouting? Who said you're not my Jia family's child? You bear the Jia surname, you are Grandma's biological granddaughter!" Looking at the money, Jia Zhangshi could not possibly let Xiao Dang leave; Xiao Dang's reaction made her increasingly convinced Xiao Dang wanted to swallow all the money alone, "As for your saying Grandma doesn't care about you, when has Grandma ever not cared about you?"

"Caring about me?" Xiao Dang retorted: "Your way of caring for me is bringing a bunch of people to Bai Xu to eat for free, one meal costing me eighteen yuan in wages? I earn only twenty yuan a month, plus bonuses and benefits, at most twenty-five yuan; you ate my twenty days' income in one meal, is that how you care for me? If it were my brother, could you do that?"

Qin Huairu then realized Jia Zhangshi had once tricked Xiao Dang.

Her gaze fell on Jia Zhangshi.

So many years have passed.

Jia Zhangshi still hasn't made the slightest progress.

Always doing muddleheaded things.

"Xiao Dang, things are all in the past, why do you keep bringing up something endless? Grandma has already apologized to you, and Grandma hasn't gone again."

"You want to go, who's paying for you? You ate my eighteen yuan without saying, and you also ate my opportunity to recommend someone to Bai Xu."

"Xiao Dang, what did you say?"

Jia Zhangshi lost her voice.

The expression on her face.

Carrying a few parts of strong disbelief.

Xiao Dang's words.

She heard them in her ears.

Only then would she feel it was extraordinary.

How come there's no chance for a recommender anymore.

"Don't scare Grandma, Grandma can't take your scaring, Xiao Dang."

"I scare you? I actually want to scare you, but it's no use. If scaring you could get the recommender's chance back, I'd gladly scare you a few times."

"Xiao Dang, tell Mom, what exactly is going on?"

The matter is urgent.

Qin Huairu also couldn't bother to pretend to be a simpleton anymore.

She anxiously asked a question.

"How else could it be? Because my grandmother took people to Bai Xu to eat rice without paying, causing great loss to Bai Xu's reputation. I, Xiao Dang, am the first employee since Bai Xu's establishment to make a mistake. The higher-ups said that anyone who violates Bai Xu's regulations will have this recommender's opportunity canceled. So I said my grandmother is daydreaming, still thinking of selling the quota, and she took a quarter of the money."

Jia Zhangshi heard clearly.

Her eyes fixed tightly on Xiao Dang.

She wanted to see from Xiao Dang's facial expression, to see through what Xiao Dang was thinking in his heart—whether the recommender's opportunity was truly canceled, or if he wanted to swallow this money himself.

The more she looked.

The more she believed the latter.

Seeing Jia Zhangshi staring at her, Xiao Dang guessed what Jia Zhangshi was thinking, and pointed his hand outward.

"I know you don't believe me. Ma Hua in the back yard is Bai Xu's head chef, Dang Xianghong in the middle yard is Bai Xu's manager. Go ask them, see what they say. If I, Xiao Dang, said a lie, my Jia surname spelled backwards."

Jia Zhangshi turned her head and left the Jia Family.

Not believing Xiao Dang's words, she always felt there was something fishy about this.

Qin Huairu, however, seized the moment to pull Xiao Dang into her embrace.

To draw closer to Xiao Dang.

……

"Head of the household, I heard you canceled Xiao Dang's right to recommend to Bai Xu?"

"Hmm!"

"Regarding the Jia Family's affairs, I can now roughly guess." Yu Li looked at Shazhu, "You've dug another big pit for the Jia Family. Jia Zhangshi will surely cause a commotion."

"Is it a pit? I don't think so."

"You still don't think so? I've seen the two words 'scheming' on your face."

Shazhu touched his face with his hand.

Unreassured, he picked up a small mirror.

Facing the mirror.

He began to observe.

When he was engrossed in looking, suddenly he was startled. Yu Li appeared behind Shazhu at some unknown time, and her wrinkled face also appeared on the mirror.

Reflecting inwardly.

This seems to be the second time Shazhu has seriously observed Yu Li since marrying her.

The second time he carefully examined Yu Li.

Her cheeks, once full of collagen, now had some wrinkles and lost their former youthful charm.

Completely a yellow-faced woman.

Not with disdain, but in lamenting how quickly time passes.