Chapter 31: Precautionary Shot

Sun Weiguo took a deep breath. The weaving workshop had been famous enough lately; if any more "dog-eat-dog" drama broke out, people would only laugh at them.

In the end, the two parties reconciled, and each person was led away by their respective side.

Sun Weiguo looked at Li Xiangqin with an indescribable expression. "Just focus on your own work from now on. Don't meddle in other people's business."

"Foreman, I really didn't want to cause trouble for you. Besides, I want to retire smoothly... As the old saying goes, a death in the family brings three years of bad luck. It might have a bit of an impact."

Li Xiangqin also felt she was quite unlucky to have encountered such a pair of eccentric sisters.

Foreman Sun froze for a moment, then waved his hand. "It's getting late. Hurry back."

On the other side, Zhou Dan was still indignant and wanted Li Xiangqin to pay her medical expenses, but she was directly kicked by Director Zhou.

"You deserve it. Don't drag me into your self-inflicted mess. I was hauled over here in the middle of the night. Just because we share a grandfather, does that mean I owe you? As for that idiot Zhou Sufen, she should be laughing through her tears that she was only suspended and not fired.

The batch numbers of the faulty fabric were all produced during her shift. The evidence is staring you right in the face, and you still want her to return to work immediately? Has your brain been filled with shit?"

By the time Li Xiangqin arrived home, it was already 1:30 AM.

Hearing the door open, the fourth child immediately came out of her room.

"Mom, why are you back so late?"

"Something held me up. Go back to sleep; you have to get up early tomorrow," Li Xiangqin said, waving her off to urge her to sleep. She washed up and then lay down in bed.

When she opened her eyes, it was already ten in the morning.

After washing her face and brushing her teeth, she took the dirty clothes from yesterday out to the courtyard to wash. Two rows of tap water pipes were installed in their residential compound for the convenience of washing clothes and vegetables.

Just as she had hung the clothes on the line, the fifth child returned.

"Mom, the breakfast I left for you is still warming in the pot. Have you eaten?"

"No, let's just wait and eat together at lunch."

It wasn't much time before lunch, so Li Xiangqin carried the basin back into the house. She glanced at the fifth child.

"You received your report cards yesterday, right? How did you and the sixth child do on your final exams? If you fail and have to repeat a grade, I'll make you both drop out and go work to earn money."

"Hehe~ I'm afraid your wish will go unfulfilled, Mom. Although the sixth child only passed by a few points, my grades have always been above average."

The fifth child lifted her chin boastfully, looking extremely proud.

"Even though summer vacation has officially started, don't go running around like a madwoman. Besides studying, help out more with the housework."

The fifth child pouted, looking very reluctant.

"This morning, Third Sister said she didn't have time to cook yesterday, so she punished herself by not eating at home. Today it's my turn to cook. I got up early to boil porridge so I wouldn't delay Fourth Sister's work."

Li Xiangqin glanced at the door of the third child's room and cursed their cunning under her breath, but she didn't pay it much mind.

Zhao Meijuan's twisted personality wasn't anything new. A few words wouldn't change her bad habits.

As soon as the timing was right, she would kick her out immediately. She wouldn't even allow her to keep her son; whether the daughter-in-law was good or bad was no longer worth caring about.

In the past, she seemed to have heard someone say that in the adult world, one only filters, never preaches.

At noon, Li Xiangqin had the fifth child start the rice while she washed the vegetables and assisted, using the opportunity to guide the girl's cooking.

"Cut the potato shreds thinner. Don't rush at first, watch your hands..."

Looking at the thick potato strips, Li Xiangqin's eyebrow twitched. "With your knife skills, once you marry, your mother-in-law will be scolding you three times a day."

"Why should I have to cook just because I'm married?" The fifth child argued, continuing to wreak havoc on the green beans.

Li Xiangqin gave her a look.

"If you don't want to cook, you have to be capable of making money to have a say. Everything else is empty talk; no in-law family likes to raise an ancestor."

"Then I'll find a husband who likes me. With him protecting me, even if my mother-in-law is dissatisfied, she won't be able to do anything to me?"

"Life is just about firewood, rice, oil, and salt. When emotion meets reality, even the most beautiful love can be dragged down to earth. Feelings have an expiration date. Once the passion fades, who do you expect to protect you?"

The fifth child turned her head in surprise. "Wow, Mom, you're quite trendy. You certainly have a way with words."

"Of course. At my age, unless I want to be fooled, no one can deceive my eyes."

Li Xiangqin looked at the fifth child, preparing to deliver another "preventative shot."

"I also know that girls your age all like those 'literary' pretty boys. You go crazy just mentioning those Hong Kong and Taiwan stars.

It makes many street thugs imitate those actors just to trick girls your age. By the time you realize you've been conned, it'll be too late."

Whether it was useful or not, the warning was necessary.

The fifth child stared with her mouth open. "Mom, you're exaggerating too much."

"Exaggerating my ass! Every Saturday afternoon, around your high school gate, there's a circle of idlers squatting around, smoking, crossing their legs, and sporting mohawks.

They look like they're nothing serious, yet little girls still fall for it and go fooling around with them."

The fifth child opened her mouth but didn't argue. She was entering her second year of high school this autumn, so she was aware of such situations.

"Don't worry, Mom. I don't like those flashy street thugs anyway."

"It's better that you don't. If you ever make such a stupid mistake and fall for a pretty boy, I'll use a rolling pin to send you down to meet your father, and I'll act as if I never gave birth to a daughter like you."

The fifth child: "..."

*Does it have to be that harsh?*

Fortunately, she truly didn't like those street thugs; they all looked shady and untrustworthy. She preferred people who looked clean and neat.

Someone who could keep themselves tidy was definitely a person of substance.

Under the fifth child's knife skills, lunch turned out to be a one-pot mixed dish. It didn't care about shape; anything could be thrown in.

When the dish was finished, the fifth child felt a bit embarrassed. "Ahem... I'll definitely be able to cut them properly next time."

"Knife skills are practiced; no one is born with them." Li Xiangqin didn't mind the appearance, as long as the seasoning was right.

Before serving the food, Li Xiangqin packed a separate portion for herself to eat at the workshop.

Just as Zhao Meijuan pushed the door open, the sixth child happened to walk in.

"Sixth Brother, come eat quickly."

Li Xiangqin didn't even give her a glance and sat down to eat.

Since the third child wasn't home today, no one was there to serve her food, so she ate quite contentedly on her own.

Compared to her maiden home where she didn't even have a seat, eating at home was much more comfortable.

After the meal, the fifth child cleaned up, and Li Xiangqin washed her face and lay on the bed for a short nap before heading to work.

As for Zhao Meijuan, she was like an invisible person; after eating, she slipped straight back into her room to continue playing dead.

When Li Xiangqin arrived at the workshop with her lunch box, she learned that Zhou Dan had taken leave. Thinking of her injured face, Li Xiangqin felt no guilt at all; with her not coming, her ears would finally have some peace.

Wang Ailian, having changed into her work uniform, leaned in and whispered coquettishly.

"That fox didn't come today. I wonder if she split her legs too far?"

(End of Chapter)