Chapter 376: Eighty-Flavor Food System (14)

Xiao Rong immediately thought of this point as well.

After the midday rush passed and the Canteen became quiet again, he immediately returned to the back kitchen to tell Xie Yang about this matter.

"Sister Xie, it's bad! The window next door just sent someone to our window to buy the dish you made; they're likely going to study it. How despicable! If Master Fan manages to figure it out and imitates us, does that count as stealing your craft?"

Xie Yang waved her hand indifferently: "If they can grasp the essence just by looking at it once and eating a few bites, then that is their ability. But in fact, it is very difficult to make it exactly the same."

Xiao Rong breathed a sigh of relief: "That's good then."

Seeing him so concerned, Xie Yang asked with a smile: "Do you want to learn? I can teach you."

Xiao Rong's entire spirit lifted, but in an instant, he wilted at a speed visible to the naked eye: "My family won't agree to me taking you as a master."

Xie Yang laughed out loud: "It's just learning to cook a few dishes, why bother with taking a master."

It was mainly because she saw that he had a cheerful personality and was warm and sincere toward others, so she was willing to teach him a few tricks.

Having more skills is never a burden, after all.

Just like when she first learned this skill many, many years ago, even if it wasn't used to make a living, cooking for herself or for the people she loved when she had free time was also a pleasant enjoyment.

"Sister Xie, are you really willing to teach me?"

"If you are willing to learn, I will teach."

"I am definitely willing!"

"Alright, I'll teach you."

"Thank you, Sister Xie!"

Xiao Rong was overjoyed!

Although it wasn't a formal apprenticeship, Sister Xie agreeing to teach him was no different from taking a master.

In any case, he regarded Sister Xie as his master from the bottom of his heart.

At most, the form of address remained unchanged.

A teacher for a day is a mother for life.

He decided to buy a decent gift to give to Sister Xie.

Back to Xie Yang, there was still one extremely important matter this noon.

As soon as she got off work, she dashed home to have lunch with the two children.

After eating, she let the older one take the younger one for a nap, and she arrived at the main gate of the Gad Steel Factory on time to accompany someone to process the handover procedures for the position.

No one blocked her process; it could be said that the handover went quite smoothly.

After all, she and Zhang Li were a legally married couple, and now that both the mother and son of the Zhang family were gone, and the two children were still so young, she was fully qualified—and the only one qualified—to handle the work position left behind by Zhang Li.

But there was no lack of gossip behind her back:

"A Li has only been gone a few days, his body not yet cold, and she's already selling his job? Tsk tsk!"

"I originally thought she was quite honest, didn't talk much, but was especially diligent. I didn't expect that as soon as A Li left, she would show her true colors."

"If Zhang Pozi knew about this in the afterlife, wouldn't she be so angry she'd jump out of her coffin?"

"Anger is useless; even if Zhang Pozi were alive, this job would have been sold sooner or later. A Li's two children are too young; by the time they grow up to take over A Li's shift, the opportunity will have long passed."

"How much did she sell it for? A thousand, maybe?"

"More than that! If she had a conscience and raised A Li's two children, it would be worth it. I'm just afraid she'll sell the job today and run off with the money tomorrow. Sigh..."

Two days later—

"Whoa! You really guessed it right, old sister! She left! She moved out of the Tube Building yesterday!"

"What? She ran away?"

"What what? A Li's wife ran away? I told you she wouldn't stay long! Poor Zhang Pozi's two grandsons! They're done for now!"

When Liu Shen heard this rumor, she felt angry on Xie Yang's behalf:

"What ran away? Don't talk nonsense if you don't know the truth. Dani just took the two children and moved to a different place to live."

"Everything was fine, why move? The factory didn't make her return the house."

Liu Shen glared at that person with annoyance: "You think everyone is like you, not letting your granddaughter go to school even though she's eight. Dani has a good heart; she thinks studying has a future and plans to send both children to the Yuhong Class, that's why she was willing to spend the money to move."

"..."

At this moment, the people present no longer said Xie Yang was bad, they just felt there was something wrong with her brain.

A stepmother, with the man and mother-in-law both gone—giving the stepchildren a bite to eat and not letting them starve to death would be considered having a conscience, yet she's actually sending the stepchildren to school? And moving house for their sake?

"What is she thinking? From the Yuhong Class all the way to graduating from junior high or high school, how much money would that take? The one thousand plus from selling the position won't be enough, right?"

"A Li's two children, I remember the older one is only seven, and the younger one is only two, right? Providing for their schooling, and starting from the Yuhong Class, that means for the next ten or twenty years, she'll be the only one in the family earning money while three people spend it. What's the point? They aren't even her own flesh and blood."

Those who originally felt it was a pity for the Zhang family now felt it was a pity for Xie Yang.

There was even an elderly woman who loved to play matchmaker who took the initiative to introduce a second-marriage candidate to Xie Yang.

"This one is a relative of my nephew's wife, a worker at the Lianyouchang. His family conditions are quite good, it's just that he's a bit older, his skin is a bit dark, and he's a bit short. But being older means he knows how to cherish people, and the dark skin and short height don't matter—Dani, you are fair-skinned and tall, the children will take after you in the future and be just as tall and strong."

"If you aren't satisfied with that one, I have another one here. His parents both have iron rice bowls, and he's the only seedling in the family. Although he has some bad habits—I won't hide that from you—but Dani, you are capable, and you can keep him in line after you marry him..."

"Don't be in a hurry, I have another one here..."

Xie Yang: "..."

What kind of crooked melons and cracked dates dare they bring before her?

Is she, this sister, the kind of person who is so desperate she'll eat anything?

Not to mention that she now has two sensible and cute children and isn't lonely or bored enough to want a man for company, even if she were single, she wouldn't look at these people.

She smiled: "I have one condition for remarrying: wherever I go, Shuisheng and Musheng go with me. The three of us will not be separated, and I will provide for them until they graduate from university. If you can't accept this condition, then don't bother talking."

"..."

Do you even hear what you are saying?

When a biological mother remarries, she doesn't even take the two brothers with her; you, a stepmother, are actually going to take these two burdens with you when you remarry?

Truly insane!

This was exactly the effect Xie Yang wanted.

Now her ears were finally at peace.

She moved into her new home at lightning speed and sent the two children to Yuhong Class.

With the children in a stable place for childcare, she felt much more at ease.

She went to work and returned home regularly every day, and whenever she had spare time, she would tidy up the yard in front of and behind the house:

She built a sturdy solid wood swing set for the children.

She turned the vegetable patch behind the house twice and planted seasonal vegetables.

She didn't leave the Chicken Coop empty either; she entrusted the landlady to buy a few chicks, letting them run wild in the fenced-off area, intending to raise them to lay eggs to provide nutrition for the two children.

She added a cover to the well in front of the house and installed a hand pump.

She renovated the grape trellis.

This was the first year the grapevines bore fruit; there wasn't much, but it was enough to make the two children happy.

Every day after coming home from school, they would first go under the grape trellis to count the bunches of grapes, not even bothering to play on the swing.

"One, two, three..."

"Mom, I counted clearly today, there are six bunches in total!"

Shuisheng had been in school for three days and could already count from 1 to 10.

"Mom, I can do this!"

Musheng hopped and skipped, showing off the first skill he had learned at Yuhong Class: wiping his own bottom after pooping.

Xie Yang rewarded the brothers with one spiced tea egg each.