Chapter 316: The Middleman Earns the Price Difference
Chapter 316: Chapter 316: The Middleman Earns the Price Difference
"I-I’m not hungry. You can have it all!"
Lu Haoyu pushed the rice bowl toward Lu Tingting.
Lu Tingting snorted and pushed it back. "You eat your own food. It’s not like there’s no rice left in the pot. If I want more, I know how to get it myself."
Fan Wenfang had originally thought her son was just throwing a tantrum by refusing to eat.
But seeing him refuse to eat, no matter what, she knew something was up.
She picked up the bowl in front of Lu Haoyu and examined it for a long time, but she couldn’t see anything wrong with it.
"What did you put in the rice?"
Lu Haoyu protested, "I didn’t put anything in it! You’re not actually going to believe my sister’s nonsense, are you?"
Lu Yuan glared at him. "If you didn’t tamper with it, then eat your food. If you dare waste food, I won’t let you off!"
Lu Yuan had spent half his life in the military and had an imposing presence. Lu Haoyu didn’t dare disobey him.
Seeing him obediently start eating, the rest of the family resumed their meal, occasionally glancing his way. They were all clearly curious whether there was actually something wrong with the bowl of rice.
After just a few bites, Lu Haoyu put down his chopsticks. "I’m full. You guys take your time. I’m heading out!"
"Why is there still half a bowl left? Finish it. No leftovers allowed."
Fan Wenfang chided him, looking at the rice remaining in his bowl.
"I’m full, I can’t eat anymore!"
"You, stop right there! Finish your food!"
Faced with Lu Yuan’s sharp, sword-like glare, Lu Haoyu had no choice but to confess. "I can’t finish it... I spit in the bottom of the bowl..."
Lu Tingting slammed the table and shot up. "I knew you were up to no good! How dare you spit in my bowl! You’re asking for a beating..."
"Ow! Mom, look, Sis is hitting me again..."
"You’re the one who deserves it!"
Not only did Lu Haoyu get a "mixed doubles" beating from Lu Tingting and Lu Yuan, but he was also stripped of his summer vacations for the next three years.
For the next three summers, he would have to go to a military base for training.
Although Fan Wenfang felt sorry for her son, she wasn’t a foolish woman who blindly spoiled him. When her son acted out of line, he had to be disciplined.
But Fan Wenfang was just as baffled by Lu Tingting’s seemingly prophetic intuition.
A mother knows her daughter best, and her daughter was never the sharpest tool in the shed.
"How did you know your brother spit in the bowl?"
Lu Tingting grinned smugly. "That’s one of my old tricks. He thought he could pull one over on me."
Fan Wenfang choked for a second. "You’ve done that before? Whose bowl did you spit in?"
Lu Tingting didn’t have the nerve to admit that her prank, intended for Jiang Moli, had backfired on her instead.
"I’m done eating. I’m going to Grandma’s!"
Fan Wenfang glared at her retreating back, fuming.
Turning her head, she glanced at her youngest daughter, who was still holding her bowl and eating. She couldn’t help but ask suspiciously, "Nana, you haven’t done anything like this, have you?"
"N-No, of course not! Mom, I’m done eating. I’m going back to my room to do homework."
Watching her youngest daughter flee in a panic, Fan Wenfang was simply speechless.
’Where on earth did these three kids pick up such nasty habits?’
Hearing Fan Wenfang’s complaint, Lu Yuan, for once, felt a pang of guilt and kept quiet.
His own mother loved to do that sort of thing. When he was little, two collaborators had come to their house, and he had personally witnessed his mother spitting several times into their noodle bowls.
***
After leaving the house, Lu Tingting didn’t go to the Lu Family residence. Instead, she went out to hang with her girlfriends.
She had earned a lot of extra cash over the past two days, and her pockets were full.
Not only did she treat Wu Meixia and Song Ke to a movie, but she also bought them snacks afterward.
The fifteenth day of the Lunar New Year hadn’t passed yet, so the streets were still filled with a festive atmosphere, and there were many food stalls.
Lu Tingting bought a bowl of glutinous rice cakes, while Wu Meixia and Song Ke each got a bowl of soft tofu pudding. The three of them strolled down the street, eating as they went.
"YAWN~"
Seeing Lu Tingting yawning from time to time, Wu Meixia asked with concern, "You slept through half the movie, so how are you still sleepy? What have you been up to these past two days?"
"I have to get up at 6 a.m. every day now to take the old lady to the park."
When they learned that Jiang Moli had arranged this, both Wu Meixia and Song Ke felt it was unfair to Lu Tingting.
"Isn’t Jiang Moli just blatantly bullying you?"
"Seriously, that’s going too far! Don’t your grandparents do anything about it?"
Lu Tingting mumbled, "She’s not bullying me. As long as I take the old lady out on time in the morning, she gives me one yuan."
The anger on Wu Meixia and Song Ke’s faces visibly transformed into envy and jealousy.
"She gives you a yuan every day?"
"Jiang Moli is pretty generous."
For students like them who didn’t have jobs yet, their monthly allowance was only three to five yuan. Lu Tingting was a bit better off, getting ten yuan a month.
Jiang Moli giving Lu Tingting one yuan every day made her seem like a Goddess of Wealth!
***
That night before bed, Jiang Moli gave Lu Tingting a yuan as usual.
"There’s no rain tomorrow, so remember to take Great-Grandma out for an hour. If she gets tired of the park, take her somewhere else lively—the more people, the better. Old folks like her love to be where the crowds are."
Lu Tingting took the money and stuffed it in her pocket. "Got it."
Jiang Moli patted her head. "Good girl. Turn off the light. Time to sleep."
"All you do is boss me around. You’re so lazy you could just drop dead."
Lu Tingting grumbled under her breath, but her body obediently went and turned off the light.
***
The next morning at 7 a.m., just as Lu Tingting was pushing Zhu Huanghua out the door, she clutched her stomach and cried out in pain.
"Ouch, my stomach hurts so bad! I need to go back and use the bathroom. We’re not going to the park today."
Zhu Huanghua grew anxious the moment she heard that.
She wasn’t well-liked at home; everyone picked on her. Going to the park every morning to hang out with other elderly people was her greatest relief. Not going was simply not an option!
She slapped the armrest of her wheelchair and cursed, "A lazy ox has more piss and shit! Why don’t you just die of laziness, you turtle’s son..."
Wu Meixia appeared out of nowhere. "Tingting? What’s wrong? Are you not feeling well?"
"I have an upset stomach, but my great-grandma insists on going to the park... Oof, I can’t hold it, I’m gonna crap my pants..."
Wu Meixia said quickly, "Then you should hurry back! I happen to be free, so I can help you take your great-grandma to the park."
"Okay. Great-Grandma, this is my friend. She’ll take you to the park today and bring you back later."
Zhu Huanghua sized Wu Meixia up from the corner of her eye. Although her face was full of displeasure, she didn’t say a word.
Using Zhu Huanghua’s blind spot, Lu Tingting quickly slipped Wu Meixia fifty cents.
Wu Meixia took the money, stuffed it in her pocket, gave Lu Tingting an "OK" sign, and then pushed Zhu Huanghua away.
After watching their figures disappear into the morning mist, Lu Tingting turned and went back home.
Ma Hongmei was in the kitchen making breakfast, while An Hui and Lu Deyao were in their room.
Lu Tingting didn’t disturb anyone. She crept back to her room, closed the door, quietly took off her clothes, got into bed, and burrowed under the covers.
Just as she was about to drift off into a blissful sleep, Jiang Moli woke up.
"Why are you back? Where’s Grandma?"
Knowing she couldn’t deny it, Lu Tingting decided to come clean about the agreement she’d made with Wu Meixia and Song Ke.
From now on, the two of them would take turns helping her take Zhu Huanghua out for an hour, and she would split the money she earned from Jiang Moli with them.
Jiang Moli was so exasperated she had to laugh. "So you’re acting as a middleman and pocketing the difference? Look at you, using your brain."
Lu Tingting pondered this for a long time but couldn’t figure out if Jiang Moli was praising her or mocking her. She turned to ask, only to find that Jiang Moli had already fallen back asleep.
’To hell with it,’ she thought. ’Time to sleep!’