Chapter 31: “More sugar, please”

Since Old Lady Mao was arrested, both Li Juan and Tao Yu cooperated with the police to make statements.

Old Lady Mao has not been released so far.

According to Li Juan, she once ran into Old Lady Mao’s son and daughter-in-law on the street. When they saw Li Juan, they quickly avoided her, not saying a word, and just ran off. They didn’t dare to cause trouble at the small house for Old Lady Mao.

Not long after, due to the special circumstances, Old Lady Mao was taken to a public trial.

Aunt Chang went to watch and came back to tell Li Juan the result of the trial.

“Old Lady Mao is finally done for. They said the case is going to be handled… what’s the word… oh! Strictly and swiftly!”

Old Lady Mao may not have had good luck, but she truly deserved it.

She was jealous of Li Juan and Tao Yu’s improving lives, so she went to their homes, throwing tantrums and even trying to smash things.

In the past, when an old person like Old Lady Mao was arrested, if the sentence was light, she’d probably be out in a month or so.

Old Lady Mao thought that, with her age, she could just lie down and cause a scene to get away with things.

But who would have thought that the situation wouldn’t care about her age?

Now, it was unclear whether she would be out in a year.

No wonder Old Lady Mao’s son and daughter-in-law quickly avoided Li Juan when they saw her. They were afraid of what would happen to Old Lady Mao, and they weren’t thinking about her anymore. They were just looking out for themselves!

Speaking of which,

Couldn’t Tao Lijun be caught in the same way?

It’s hard to say. After all, people would just call it a family matter, especially since Tao Lijun didn’t physically harm anyone.

Tao Lijun had also gone into hiding, and Li Juan still hadn’t received the divorce certificate.

Back to Tao Yu

After Song Hecheng returned, Tao Yu’s time became more available.

This was because Director Li disagreed with her bringing work home to continue overtime.

Even when Tao Yu mentioned that there were still many key tasks unfinished and that her workload was manageable, Director Li hesitated for a long time but still refused her request to work overtime.

Not only that, but Director Li personally monitored her during lunch breaks and after-work hours.

Tao Yu naturally knew who was behind this sudden change in attitude, but she didn’t address it directly and returned to her normal work routine.

Tao Yu wasn’t a workaholic by nature.

It was just that with too much free time, she didn’t know what else to do with it.

She seemed to have no hobbies, and no friends either.

All these were luxuries to her.

Spending all her time working, to quickly achieve her “plan,” wasn’t that better?

One day, Tao Yu was resting at home.

Li Juan, seeing that her daughter could finally take a break, discussed with Chang Hua and stopped the sewing machine, resting along with her.

Early in the morning, Li Juan went to the vegetable stand to buy groceries. By the time Tao Yu woke up, there was already a steaming breakfast set on the round table in the backyard, brought over by Li Juan.

Seeing Tao Yu eating the buns she steamed with care, Li Juan also poured her a bowl of warm, cool tofu pudding.

Based on what Tao Yu had been eating the past few days, Li Juan added three generous spoonfuls of sugar.

Although Li Juan preferred savory tofu pudding, and had never seen anyone eat sweet tofu pudding, she noticed that her daughter always skipped the savory and added sugar to the tofu pudding. So, Li Juan remembered this and immediately bought a pound of white sugar, replacing the coarse brown sugar she had been using.

As long as her daughter liked it, Li Juan would indulge her.

But perhaps she had added a bit too much sugar?

Tao Yu didn’t mind; she loved it this way.

Others might find the sweetness overwhelming after just one bite, but she could quietly finish it all on her own.

Then Li Juan smiled and said to Tao Yu, “Yuer, when I saw you so busy before, I didn’t want to disturb you, but now that you’re resting, I want to discuss something with you, alright?”

Tao Yu, holding a bun in her hands, nodded and responded, “Okay.”

Li Juan urged her to eat quickly while talking. “Last time, your factory manager rented us a house, and Xiao Zhang helped catch that old woman. All in all, we really should thank them. Now that things have settled down, I was thinking maybe we should send a gift?”

But Li Juan wasn’t sure what would be appropriate. After all, the man was a big factory manager—what kind of good things hadn’t he seen? She was afraid whatever gift she prepared might be too shabby and embarrass her daughter.

Tao Yu gently stirred the tofu pudding in her bowl, the tofu gradually breaking into smaller, more delicate pieces that were easy to eat.

The sugar scattered through the tofu pudding, glistening like crystals.

Tao Yu listened carefully to Li Juan’s suggestion, her gaze briefly landing on the bowl of cold food on the table, a subtle mischievous smile flashing in her eyes.

She told Li Juan, “Send the bā yú.”

Li Juan, a bit confused, pointed at the plate of bā yú on the table. “What, send bā yú? The one on the table here?”

Tao Yu nodded firmly.

Bā yú is a type of northern noodle dish that resembles slippery fish-shaped cold noodles, usually served with shredded cucumber, vinegar, soy sauce, sesame oil, and other condiments. It can also be customized with personal preferences, making it a perfect dish for summer.

Tao Yu had never eaten this northern food before, but after Li Juan made it, she found the taste quite good.

As for why they should send bā yú? Well, it was clear that someone with ill intentions was up to no good.

Li Juan felt a bit unsure and asked again, “Yuer, should we send something else too? I’ve saved up some money and have some coupons…”

Tao Yu shook her head. “Just send bā yú. Manager Song doesn’t lack anything, ‘thoughtfulness’ is what matters.”

Look, last time when they received a whole shipment of expensive seafood and mountain delicacies, Tao Yu scanned the items casually.

She remembered a piece of amber-colored fish maw, the kind of high-quality product that even ordinary people could never get with money or coupons. But for Song Hecheng, he just casually gave it to her when she asked.

Manager Song truly didn’t lack anything…

Since that was the case, Li Juan decided to follow her daughter’s advice. Then, she glanced at Tao Yu and, with a bit of curiosity, asked, “Yuer, what should we send to Xiao Zhang? Do you have anything in mind?”

Tao Yu lowered her head and replied, “Send something else, Mom. You decide.”

When Li Juan heard her daughter call her “Mom,” her mood immediately brightened.

Without further questions, she decided to follow her daughter’s suggestions.

…

Li Juan and Tao Yu had settled the matter and Li Juan began preparing the gift. It was simple, not expensive, but Li Juan thought it best to get things ready in advance since Tao Yu had to work early the next day. She could make it fresh when the time came.

But just as night fell, there was a knock at the door.

Tao Yu listened to the forceful knocking and her eyes darkened. “I’ll go open it.”