Pretty and charming, dressed in the 90s, she's good at everything from making money to causing

A kind heart cannot lead an army, and excessive sentimentality cannot accomplish anything.

Although Lin Ting really wanted to find a trustworthy store manager, if the only advantage of this store manager was that he was "trustworthy," then she should forget about it.

She now only feels fortunate—fortunately, when Yingzi asked her before she came to the Zheng family today if she had anything else to do, she said no, it was just a simple visit.

Otherwise it would be really awkward.

Aunt Zheng was completely bewildered by the series of unexpected events. After confirming the details many times, she finally believed that the money belonged to her and her daughter.

She took the money and unconsciously rearranged the bills one by one.

Zheng Miaoying was a little nervous. She grabbed her mother's hand and said, "Mom, you don't still want to give the money to my second aunt, do you?"

Lin Ting had just recounted Uncle Nie's phone conversation to her. Compared to her second aunt, who had always been unfriendly to her, Yingzi trusted Uncle Nie more—after all, Uncle Nie had no reason to lie to them, and saying such things would do him no good at all.

Aunt Zheng came to her senses, put the money back into the red cloth bag, and said while wiping away her tears, "I'm just a little worried. Could something have really happened to Da Ning? And... how did your second aunt know that our family is rich? You came back late and didn't know, but her expression was strange when she first came in."

Aunt Zheng was indeed worried about her nephew, but despite her concern, she had no intention of lending them the money.

To put it bluntly, she has been raising Zheng Miaoying for so many years, and the two of them have relied on each other to get through so many hardships. When they were in trouble, no one helped them.

Leaving aside distant examples, just consider the time she fell ill before the Lunar New Year. When her relatives heard she was injured, they almost immediately started saying things like, "I might lose my job too," "My brother-in-law took all the money we had," and "The business failed," etc.

The other people, all lively and energetic, seemed to be in a worse state than her, who had broken her leg.

When her mother was still alive, she would take Yingzi to her maternal grandmother's house during the Chinese New Year. If Yingzi ate an extra piece of meat, she would be accused of being greedy.

She may not be as bright as them, but she wouldn't be foolish enough to lend out her daughter's tuition fees for the next few years.

She was thinking about the hardships of the past, while Zheng Miaoying was thinking about her mother's words.

"Yes, how did she know?"

Zheng Miaoying was also certain that she had never told anyone that she had made a lot of money, and her mother would never say it either—since being discharged from the hospital, she had not gone out except for follow-up examinations. During the holidays, Zheng Miaoying was responsible for buying groceries and cooking. After school started, she tried to come back every one or two days.

Lin Ting had always assumed that the mother and daughter had accidentally let it slip, but seeing their puzzled expressions, she knew that they hadn't told anyone themselves.

That's strange, how did she know?

Lin Ting didn't understand the intricacies of the matter, nor did she care to think about it; there were more important things to do now...

"Yingzi, come with me for a moment."

Lin Ting called Zheng Miaoying out, and the two found an inconspicuous corner. Lin Ting then said, "Why don't you take Auntie and move out first? There's an empty room in the house we rented from Grandma Li. You and Auntie can stay there for now."

Zheng Miaoying asked in confusion, "What's wrong?"

"I...I just felt that your second aunt's eyes were strange when she went out," Lin Ting said vaguely.

She suddenly remembered a plot point—Yingzi was almost sold to a loan shark as a concubine because her cousin was a gambler who owed him money and couldn't pay it back, so he wanted to use his sister to settle the debt.

She hadn't connected this plot point to the original book because the part about borrowing money wasn't in it.

Now, thinking back, if Zhao Lijuan was in a hurry to borrow money and it wasn't for legitimate business, then it must have been to resolve this matter.

The truth obviously couldn't be told to Zheng Miaoying, otherwise Yingzi would think that I could predict the future and what would happen if she asked me to read her palm and calculate her birth chart?

Zheng Miaoying was so engrossed in pretending to cry that she didn't notice Zhao Lijuan's expression.

She thought for a moment and said, "Then I'll pay you half the rent."

She was actually quite worried about her mother being home alone, always afraid that she might fall or feel unwell.

If they move to a place near the school, she can cook for her mother every noon, and she can even ask her teacher to let her stay with her mother at home in the evening.

In case anything happens to her mother, she can rush over immediately.

Lin Ting didn't refuse and nodded: "Okay, you talk to Auntie, it would be best if you could move out today."

"Moving today?" Zheng Miaoying couldn't help but feel nervous. "Was she really that scary when she left?"

Lin Ting could only nod: "Really."

Zheng Miaoying rarely saw Lin Ting so serious, and she also felt that this was a big deal, so she immediately said, "Then I'll go tell my mother, and I'll pack my things and leave now."

"Okay, I'll call Sister Yue."

"Row!"

Zheng Miaoying jogged home, taking a few deep breaths before entering to make her expression more composed. Seeing her mother crying, she went over, took her hand, and said, "Mom, why don't you move to live near my school? Tingting rented a place as staff dormitory, and there's a spare room... Since you're close to my school, I won't have to worry about you falling at home."

Aunt Zheng wiped away her tears and said without much hesitation, "Then we have to pay Ting'er the rent. We can't take advantage of people for nothing."

She was reluctant to rent a place to live even though she had a house at home, but seeing her daughter running back and forth and losing weight in just over a month after school started, she, as a mother, felt sorry for her.

She thought that moving to live near the school would be good. Now her daughter wouldn't have to travel back and forth anymore, and she could cook for her in the future. How could the food in the cafeteria be as delicious as homemade food?

Zheng Miaoying had prepared a lot of words to persuade her mother to move, but as soon as she opened her mouth, her mother agreed.

This, in turn, made Yingzi unable to do it.

"Um... Mom, do you want me to finish explaining my reasons? I'm all ready..."

"..."

The Zheng family had very little wealth; they had very few pots and pans, and the mother and daughter had even fewer clothes, but Zheng Miaoying had quite a lot of books.

Over the years, no matter how difficult things were at home, Aunt Zheng never sold a single book by Zheng Miaoying. She kept even a newspaper with writing on it neatly.

Zheng Miaoying packed up all the things she wanted to take with her—including her old kang cabinet and the thermos that was even older than her.

Aunt Zheng was used to being thrifty, and she felt that if the door lock was broken and a thief targeted her, her things would be stolen!

Yingzi guessed the thief wouldn't want her family's kang cabinet and thermos, but seeing her mother's reluctant expression, she took them with her.

While Yingzi was packing her things, Lin Ting went to the labor market and hired a small truck and a laborer to help with the move.

The truck wasn't big, but it was big enough to move all of the Zheng family's belongings in one trip.

While they were busy at work, their neighbor across the hall suddenly opened the door and asked with envy, "Are you selling all your junk to buy new stuff?"

Aunt Zheng, leaning on her cane, laughed and said, "Why would I need to buy a new one? Where would I get the money? It's just that my legs are too weak, so I have to sell the house."

"Come on, everyone knows your family's rich now!" the neighbor said, scoffing, clearly not believing it.

Aunt Zheng was stunned: "My family has become rich? Who spread this rumor?"

"Who needs to spread the word?" the neighbor said, glancing at her sideways. "Your house has been filled with the smell of meat all year round, making my grandson cry with envy."

"..."