Chapter 201: Chapter 200: A Breakup Shows One’s True Character

Ge Meili returned home, her eyes red from crying.

Besides Ge Meixia, no one else was home.

“Have you been crying? Weren’t you waiting for him to apologize and take you out for a nice meal? Why’d you come back in tears?”

“We broke up. Don’t mention him to me again,” Ge Meili said, her voice filled with despair.

Ge Meixia gave her a strange look. “Broke up? Weren’t you just swearing up and down yesterday that he treated you well and really liked you? How could you break up today? Did you tell him all the things Mom taught you to say?”

’The moment I heard I wouldn’t be able to spend a single cent of his money every month, I was so furious I went blank. How could I have remembered what Mom told me to say?’

Ge Meixia looked at her with contempt. “I knew you were useless. It was such a small thing. We told you exactly what to do, and you still managed to screw it up. But still… he didn’t ask you to give his gifts back, did he?”

Ge Meili was confused. “What things?”

“The gifts he gave you, of course! He bought you clothes, a watch… That’s a lot of money. You’re saying he didn’t ask for any of it back?”

Ge Meili shook her head blankly. “He didn’t say anything. They were gifts. Can he even ask for them back?”

“Of course he can. Have you forgotten about Aunt Zhang’s daughter in the front courtyard? She was dating a government official, and when they broke up, he made her pay for her half of every meal they’d ever eaten out. Aunt Zhang was furious. A breakup really reveals a person’s true colors.”

Ge Meili lowered her head, staring absently at the watch on her wrist.

When Aunt Ge found out that Shitou and her daughter had broken up, she immediately gave Ge Meili a vicious tongue-lashing before starting to worry about whether it would affect her job.

But since her daughter refused to be the one to back down, she had no choice but to go find Shitou herself, feeling rather disgruntled.

Shitou felt a knot of apprehension the moment he saw her.

“Shitou, what is your problem? My daughter spoke to you so nicely, so why do you still want to leave her? You’re an old man, and my daughter is only in her twenties. You’re the one who got the good end of this deal! My daughter wasted all this time on a good-for-nothing like you.”

Shitou was already exasperated. “Aunt Ge, I may be older, but we were together because we both wanted to be. Besides, in all these months, the only thing I’ve ever done is hold her hand. How exactly did I get the ’good end of the deal’?”

Aunt Ge’s weathered face flushed. “That’s not what I’m talking about! Let me tell you, this isn’t over. You owe my daughter compensation for her wasted youth and emotional distress.” She had picked up the phrase from her younger daughter.

Shitou scoffed. “And who’s going to compensate me for my wasted youth? Or does my youth not count? Besides, I contributed more than just my ’youth’ to this relationship. Should I demand compensation for everything I’ve given, too?”

Aunt Ge knew Shitou had spent a good deal of money on Ge Meili, but she just couldn’t stomach letting it go that easily. She glared at Shitou for a long moment before turning and leaving.

That evening, Shitou got his payback.

They had closed up shop late, and when they returned, Aunt Ge served each of them a bowl of noodles in gravy.

Shitou took one bite and nearly spat it out. It was salty, sour, and numbing all at once—a flavor so intense it felt like it shot straight through the top of his skull.

Shitou choked, setting down his bowl. He grabbed the cup of water beside him and took a gulp, only to spray it right back out. It was a cup full of salt water.

He Lang and Little Chen both looked over at him. “What’s wrong?”

Shitou glanced at Aunt Ge standing in the kitchen doorway and shook his head. “Nothing.”

Shitou forced down one more bite, but it was simply too vile to eat. He put down his chopsticks.

“Third Brother, I’m not hungry. I really can’t eat another bite. I’m going to head back to my room.”

He Lang nodded. As he watched Shitou enter his room, he glanced down at Shitou’s bowl of noodles and narrowed his eyes. Then, he looked up and saw Aunt Ge’s triumphant smirk. His face hardened.

From that day forward, Shitou moved into the shop. He threw himself completely into his work, opening early in the morning and closing late at night.

「At the end of July」

It was once again time for Xue Yue to go over the accounts.

This time, Aunt Ge stood off to the side, watching as Xue Yue flipped through the month’s ledger.

“This month’s expenses include chicken six times, fish eight times, and thirty kilograms of pork. The total is over forty yuan more than last month, and yet we’ve had one less person to feed for the past two weeks,” Xue Yue murmured.

Aunt Ge quickly explained, “Oh, you wouldn’t know, but prices are skyrocketing! Even the price of green onions has gone up by a dime, to say nothing of meat.”

Xue Yue gave Aunt Ge a look, then pulled a small notebook out of her pocket.

She began reading from it.

“July third, had chicken.”

“The fifth, had fish.”

“The eleventh, had fish.”

“The thirteenth, had chicken.”

“The twentieth, had fish.”

“The twenty-first, had chicken.”

“The twenty-fourth, had fish.”

“The twenty-seventh, had chicken.”

“The thirtieth, had fish.”

“That adds up to chicken four times and fish five times. So, where did the extra two chickens and three fish in your ledger come from? Or should I ask, who ate them?”

Aunt Ge went rigid. ’She never thought Xue Yue would actually keep her own records.’

“Ma’am, I write down the expenses the moment I return from the market. I’m certain I haven’t made any mistakes.”

Xue Yue chuckled softly. “So you’re saying that I’m the one who remembered incorrectly?”

Aunt Ge said nothing.

Seeing that she still wouldn’t confess, Xue Yue continued, “On the twenty-seventh of last month, you recorded that we ate chicken, but we all know we didn’t. I’m not going to list every other discrepancy. Take your own ledger and look at it. There are only a few of us here, and on many days, we only eat two meals at home. Yet our monthly food expenses are nearly what other families spend in two or three months. I know you’re going to bring up inflation, but here are the prices I noted down after making inquiries at the market myself.”

Xue Yue tossed the notebook to Aunt Ge.

Aunt Ge picked it up. One glance was all it took to know that Xue Yue had truly done her homework.

Xue Yue’s voice turned cold. “Aunt Ge, Shitou was the one who recommended you. Out of respect for him, we’ve often turned a blind eye. But I am not an idiot. I know how much things cost, and I refuse to be treated like a fool. I’ve placed your wages for this month here. Take the money, and don’t come back.”

Aunt Ge stared at the money on the table and began to plead with Xue Yue.

“Ma’am, I’m an old woman. My memory must be failing me. Please, just forgive me this one time. I’m not a cheat, I swear.”

Xue Yue regarded her with a cool gaze. “Aunt Ge, I won’t be using your services any longer. There’s nothing more to say. Take the money and leave.”

When Aunt Ge saw that Xue Yue was completely unmoved, her voice rose in pitch.

“This isn’t the first time I’ve cooked for a family! I have never made a single mistake. And you’re going to slander me based on some scribbles in a little notebook? Not a chance! Who’s to say your memory isn’t the faulty one? You’re only doing this because Shitou and my daughter had a falling out! You want to get rid of me, so you’re making things up! I’m not leaving this easily. Unless you give me severance pay, I’m not going anywhere, no matter who you get.”

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