Chapter 3: The Homeless Female Supporting Character 3

Zhang Yu packed her luggage while comforting Pan Juan, "Doesn't this mean you'll be able to see your eldest grandson often?"

Knowing that in the old couple's hearts, no one held a higher status than Zhang Yi, she kept comforting the old lady.

In any case, she knew that the old couple's so-called reluctance to let her go was not out of concern for whether she, as a daughter, could adapt to working in another city alone.

Their so-called reluctance was simply the feeling of losing a hardworking, complaint-free maid.

Zhang Yu felt that this old couple wasn't necessarily unaware that their other children might not be reliable, but in their hearts, the three older children had happy families and good jobs.

In contrast, their youngest daughter had been a low-level accountant for so many years, was still unmarried, and was essentially a drag on the Zhang family.

"Mom, think about it. Since the eldest brother and the others have all received apartments, they will be living in the same residential complex as you soon. Won't you be able to see your grandsons and granddaughters often?"

"As for cooking, when my brother and the others make something delicious, they can just send a portion over to you two. Wouldn't that be enough for you to eat?"

Zhang Yu was offering this suggestion with complete sincerity; she truly felt this was the best possible arrangement.

As for what Zhang Guohua and the others might think when the time came, she couldn't be bothered to worry about it. After all, didn't they often fantasize about living close to Zhang Dagui and his wife and talk about how they would take care of them?

It would soon be time for them to show their worth. She just wondered how they would perform now that they had such a perfect opportunity.

She felt that if she alone could take care of Zhang Dagui and his wife quite well, there was no reason why the three siblings couldn't do the same.

"That's true." Pan Juan thought it sounded reasonable. This way, she wouldn't have to wait until the weekend to see her grandchildren; she could see them every day.

The more Pan Juan thought about it, the more pleased she became. However, she wasn't about to let Zhang Yu off the hook so easily; after all, she had grown accustomed to the food Zhang Yu cooked over the years.

Besides, her son and the others worked hard all week, and taking care of the old couple was exhausting, so Zhang Yu would still need to come back on weekends to take charge in the kitchen.

"Even though you're in your thirties and, logically, we should be very confident in you, you never even left the city for your studies, and you've always worked right on our doorstep."

"Now that you're suddenly going to work in another city, we're worried. You should come home on the weekends."

The two days of the weekend would be just enough time to get things done, and it would also give Guohua and the others a bit of a break.

Good heavens. Even knowing she was going to work in another city, they still wouldn't let her go, actually expecting her to come back every weekend.

Zhang Yu could only conclude that while this old lady looked kind and benevolent, she was actually full of malice.

"I can't, Mom. The round-trip tickets are expensive, and the company won't reimburse them every week. After all, a single round trip costs over a thousand."

She wasn't about to mention that her company would reimburse one round-trip ticket per month. If she did, they would likely expect her to return once a month.

"Plus, I've just arrived there, so I'll definitely be busy." So, she was sorry, but she wouldn't be able to help with the moving process.

In the past, the original owner had been so busy with the move that she was run off her feet and had even lost over ten pounds.

Even then, Zhang Dagui and his wife still complained that she hadn't done a good job, claiming things weren't organized properly.

In any case, she wasn't going to do this thankless task again; she would leave it to Zhang Guohua and the others.

With three families and nine people in total, they would surely be able to finish the move in a few weekends.

Upon hearing this, Pan Juan was immediately displeased, "You aren't planning to help us move?"

One had to know that compared to the weekly family dinners, the most important thing was the move. Ever since the news of the move broke, the old lady had been rehearsing it in her mind.

The old house was full of clutter, and since neither she nor Zhang Dagui were the type to throw things away, there was quite a lot to take with them.

Packing and organizing for a move took a lot of time, and since they were elderly and lacked the time and energy to deal with it, they could only stand on the sidelines and offer opinions.

The heavy lifting of the move required Zhang Yu, so she hadn't expected that Zhang Yu wouldn't be able to help.

"It's not that I don't want to help, it's that work is busy." Zhang Yu knew the old lady was anxious; after all, it would be strange if she were happy about losing a capable, obedient laborer to another city.

But for her, her mood was soaring. However, she couldn't show it right now.

"Mom, you and Dad always say that work is important and that I should prioritize my career."

"I think you'll understand, right?"

"I also hope to become your pride."

"When you mention me to friends and relatives, you'll be able to say that although I started late, I'm catching up."

"Mom, don't worry. I've decided that I'm going to study hard and pursue further education to try and earn more professional certifications."

Without these people causing all sorts of trouble on the weekends, she was truly confident that she could pass some exams.

When Pan Juan heard this, she felt a sense of panic. She had a feeling that with Zhang Yu saying this, it meant she wouldn't be coming back much in the future.

"Xiao Yu, are you not planning to come back to see us in the future?" Pan Juan didn't even realize that her voice was trembling as she spoke.

If she could, Zhang Yu would certainly hope that was the case, but she knew it wasn't possible. "How could that be?" she retorted loudly.

"This is my home, where my parents, brother, and sister are."

If she could, she would stay as far away from them as possible. "I'll definitely come back once every month or two."

"Mom, don't you worry."

"It's impossible for me not to come back."

Zhang Yu kept making promises. Of course, she wasn't lying to the old lady; she really did intend to do so.

If she didn't come back, how would she know how chaotic things were inside the Zhang family? The three close-knit siblings would surely cause all sorts of trouble over money and who was doing more to take care of the old couple.

These were things she had to return to find out; otherwise, since they were all such good actors, they would never let her see those conflicts.

Only by coming back and walking around could she see how deep their internal conflicts were, and it would also be the best opportunity to clear her own name.

Coming back once every month or two and putting on a good show in front of the old couple—she just wondered if the fickle old couple would eventually think that out of their four children, only Zhang Yu was the best to them.

But that was just her thinking about it. Even if the old couple had such thoughts, they wouldn't voice them; after all, in their hearts, Zhang Guohua and the others were the face of the Zhang family.

Pan Juan listened to Zhang Yu's assurances, staring at her the whole time, "You promise you'll definitely come back?"

Zhang Yu, of course, had no problem with that. Even though she found the old lady's constant need for reassurance troublesome, she obediently gave her word.