Ugly girl only wants to farm

Chapter 255 Making Friends

Chapter 255 Making Friends

Xu Chaoyan quickly made way for her, inviting her to sit down. She had a good impression of Zhang Rongrong after their previous argument. She thought Zhang Rongrong was straightforward and had a good personality, and had even considered getting to know her better in the future. However, she had been so busy with her stall business that she had forgotten about it.

Zhang Rongrong also sat down on the bench without any hesitation, took out all kinds of dishes from the food box, and invited everyone to eat.

Then she gave Shen Siheng a disdainful look: "If your mother hadn't given me ten taels of silver, do you think I would have come to deliver food for her? Do you think I'd be so bored?"

Shen Siheng looked at her with a hurt expression: "Sister-in-law, I never thought you were this kind of person. I am your own brother-in-law, how can you bear to let me freeze and starve here?"

Zhang Rongrong scolded, "You're supposed to be freezing and starving, but I see you've gained a lot of weight recently. Aren't you living a very comfortable life? Even if no one brings you food, you're still standing here. Don't try to pull this on me."

Xu Chaoyan laughed along, "That kid is always so glib, how could he go hungry? He comes over every day just by smelling the aroma."

Zhang Rongrong placed the last plate of pastries in front of Xu Chaoyan: "You should try some too. These past few days, it's all thanks to you all for taking care of my brother-in-law. We've been quite busy with things at home, and haven't been able to look after him much. It's all thanks to you all. He doesn't have many proper friends. Before, he would just hang out with those people, fighting crickets and drinking. His father-in-law has scolded and beaten him, and he seems to think he's hopeless. But lately, he hasn't been causing any trouble. His father-in-law has seen his behavior and has silently praised him several times, saying that he should thank Scholar Meng properly next time."

Xu Chaoyan accepted the plate of delicate pastries: "Thank you, thank you. May I ask how to address this lady?"

Zhang Rongrong chuckled: "What's with all this 'older sister' stuff? Just call me Zhang Rongrong. I'm the eldest daughter in my family. I've had my head ache from all the younger brothers and sisters calling me 'older sister' since I was little."

Xu Chaoyan was attracted by her cheerful personality and chatted with her happily. The three of them talked and laughed there.

Seeing his sister-in-law smiling so happily, Shen Siheng cast an envious glance at Meng Jiuhe: "Brother Meng, you are truly blessed to have married your wife. I have never seen my sister-in-law smile so joyfully before. Since she married into our family, her relationship with my mother has not been good. My mother is quite patriarchal. My sister-in-law has not given birth to any children and is always finding fault with her, putting you in a difficult position. She is also depressed all the time. It is rare to see her in such a good mood this time. I must let my sister-in-law spend more time with your wife in the future."

Zhang Rongrong picked up a pastry and handed it to Shen Siheng: "Your eyes are practically bleeding from looking at it. Why are you missing out on pastries at home? You're such a glutton."

Shen Siheng angrily took it, stuffed it into his mouth, swallowed it quickly, and then suddenly looked like he was about to cry tears of joy: "Sister-in-law, how long has it been since I've had any pastries made by you? Since you had that big fight with Mother last time, how long has it been since you cooked? Why don't you come to the county school more often and bring me a meal? Look at all those other people, they all have family members coming over, unlike me, all pitiful!"

Zhang Rongrong didn't indulge him and said directly, "Fine, ten taels of silver a day. Your mother gave me ten taels of silver today, so I reluctantly came here. Do you think I'm as idle as you are? My father-in-law and the others manage the restaurant, and I also have to manage my little shop. Although I don't earn much money, it's still my livelihood. We women have confidence when we have money in our own hands."

Xu Chaoyan gave her a thumbs up: "Well done, you'll have plenty if you do it yourself."

Shen Siheng asked again, "Sister-in-law, is everything alright at home? You wouldn't be secretly poisoning me with rat poison, would you?"

Zhang Rongrong glared at him again: "What? You don't believe me? How about I eat it and show you?"

Shen Siheng muttered to himself, "Your arrival today really surprised me. It's like the sun has risen in the west."

Zhang Rongrong waved her hand: "Alright, let me tell you the truth. Today, someone at the restaurant is hosting a banquet, and they've booked the entire place, upstairs and downstairs. The restaurant is short-staffed, so your mother went to help out. She paid me, and I reluctantly ran errands. After all, we're family, and the restaurant will belong to you and your older brother in the future, so I have a responsibility too. Although your mother and I are incompatible and argue every time we meet, she's still my husband's mother, and even if I'm unfilial, I can still understand that."

Xu Chaoyan chatted with Zhang Rongrong for a few more minutes. The more they talked, the more they felt they got along well and wished they could meet sooner. Yueniang occasionally chimed in from the side.

As Yue Niang was talking, she casually mentioned the matter of renting a shop. Her intention was to ask everyone to persuade Xu Chaoyan not to have such thoughts for the time being and to wait until things stabilized first.

Zhang Rongrong looked surprised after hearing this: "Is it such a coincidence that you're looking for a shop? What are your requirements for the shop? Maybe I can help you."

Xu Chaoyan spoke without any reservations: "My requirements are not high. I just need a shop that can shelter me from the wind and rain, near the county school. The small stall I used to run required me to get up early every day to move all the tables, chairs and benches around, which was quite tiring. It was also quite annoying that I couldn't set up my stall on rainy days."

Zhang Rongrong pointed to a shop not far away: "Do you see that bookstore? That shop is the county school of my mother's hometown. There's a lot of competition here, and the Four Treasures of the Study aren't easy to sell. We don't usually make much money. The bookstore owner plans to go back to his hometown after this month. Coincidentally, his daughter-in-law is also about to give birth. If you're interested, I can talk to my father and he can give you a discount on the rent."

Xu Chaoyan knew about the bookstore over there. Its location was indeed less desirable than the shops adjacent to the county school. The items sold there were quite affordable, but the bookstore didn't actually make much profit. Meng Jiu and the other stationery items they used before were all bought from that bookstore; the price-performance ratio was good.

She hesitated for a moment before speaking, "That shop looks nicely decorated and quite spacious. I just want to know how the rent is calculated? And since we're in the food business, will that have any impact?"

Zhang Rongrong breathed a sigh of relief: "I thought you were worried about something else? Turns out this is what you're worried about. You don't need to worry about the rent. We're friends, and I'll definitely help you. I'll talk to Dad. As for what business you want to run, don't worry. That bookstore only opened in recent years. Before that, it was a steamed bun shop with steam rising everywhere. Since you're opening a shop here, I can come over and chat with you when I have time. I'm so bored running that little shop all day. I don't earn much money, and it's really frustrating. I've wanted to close the shop for a long time, but I don't know how to kill time."

Xu Chaoyan glanced at Meng Jiuhe. She hadn't discussed this matter with him yet. She carefully observed his expression, afraid of upsetting him, and explained to him, "I originally planned to go back and discuss it with you."

Meng Jiu looked at her gently and said, "My wife can make her own decision. There's no need to explain these things to me. I also feel that it's inconvenient to be out in the wind and rain every day. In a few months, the sun will get stronger and it won't be easy for you either. This is fine."

Xu Chaoyan: "Then I'll make a good plan and get started as soon as possible, so it will be convenient for you to rest there in the future."

They agreed to visit the bookstore in three days, having heard that the lease on the bookstore would expire in ten days.