Reborn as the Villain's Wife, I Shine in 80s
Chapter 148 - 144 One Piece of Dongpo Pork

Chapter 148: 144 One Piece of Dongpo Pork

Tian Tian begrudgingly washed the ribs, keeping her head down, trying her best not to let her tears fall.

She cursed inwardly. A month’s wage was just twenty bucks, and yet they made her do so much work. Twenty bucks shouldn’t require doing this much. If she worked for a family who ran a restaurant, they’d definitely pay more.

"Hold on." The villain, Tian Sangsang, put her chopsticks down again and frowned impatiently. "You can’t keep your head that low. Don’t you know that, in our line of work, when you walk into the kitchen, you can’t let your hair hang loose like that? Your hair swings around with your movements. What if a strand with white dandruff falls off? If customers see that, would they still dare to eat here?"

"And one more thing, friendly reminder: don’t wear skirts in the kitchen. Otherwise, if oil splashes on you, you’ll only have yourself to blame when it feels like your heart is breaking."

"Alright, carry on. My porridge’s gone cold because of this." Tian Sangsang waved her hand nonchalantly and strutted off.

"Ha, the most unhygienic one here is obviously you. Looking all gross like that—seeing you makes me lose my appetite," Tian Tian muttered under her breath.

Muttering aside, after getting scolded like that by Tian Sangsang, she didn’t dare slack off anymore. She worked diligently now. She hadn’t known how to wash meat and vegetables before, but now she was slowly picking it up, even if her movements were still somewhat clumsy.

"When I have money in the future, I’ll hire someone to serve me exclusively," Tian Tian thought greedily.

"Ah!" Tian Tian suddenly flung a tiny bok choy from her hand. It fell to the ground, leaving a wet spot.

Tian Sangsang walked out of the room, carrying a bowl. "What nonsense are you up to now?"

Tian Tian trembled, her lips pale. She pointed shakily at the bok choy on the floor and stammered to Tian Sangsang, "There’s... there’s a bug."

"You’re saying... what? What is there?"

"There’s a bug." Tian Tian stared blankly, tears streaming down her face as she shouted, "I saw a bug on the vegetable leaf! I’m not washing it anymore! I won’t wash vegetables! I refuse!"

"Stop yelling." Tian Sangsang glanced at her speechlessly, suppressing the churn in her stomach—it wasn’t pleasant to hear about bugs while eating.

"What’s wrong with a bug? Why are you making such a fuss? Just do your work. If there’s a bug, it means the vegetable is organic and pesticide-free. Do you know how many people would kill for greens like that? And you’re here being picky about it. Do you have any idea how much protein there is in one bug? Some people even roast those bugs into skewers to eat."

Tian Tian, face soaked with tears, cowered in terror in the corner, crying. Roast bugs into... skewers?

Chen Ying, about to leave for work, looked around in bewilderment, then glanced at Tian Sangsang. "What’s going on here?"

Tian Sangsang retold the story.

"You’re so dramatic." Chen Ying cast a disdainful glance at Tian Tian, then burst into laughter as she walked out the shop door. "A bug? That’s nothing! I’ve crushed a wriggling green caterpillar with just my thumb and forefinger before. Smashed it, wiped my hand on my clothes, and went right on with life."

Urk. Tian Sangsang lowered her gaze to her bowl, pressing a hand to her chest as she quietly retched.

"Sangsang, got a new helper at the store, huh?" A male customer ogled Tian Tian as she wiped a table.

"Yep, she’s my cousin here to help out. Works real hard," Tian Sangsang replied.

He didn’t know if she was hardworking or not, but "She’s real pretty!" he remarked.

Tian Tian loved being complimented like this; it gave her a giddy, dizzy confidence. When it was time to settle the bill, she said softly, "One dollar."

She wasn’t just pretty—she was feisty, too. The man handed her the money. Tian Tian took it and immediately handed it to Tian Sangsang.

The day was exhausting. That night, when Tian Tian lay down, she was dead tired and quickly fell into a deep sleep.

At around six in the morning, Tian Sangsang opened her door to find a woman standing there.

Tian Tian, with two dark circles under her eyes and bloodshot veins running through them, looked utterly terrifying.

Tian Sangsang jumped in surprise, then smiled faintly. "Morning. You’re quite punctual for work today."

"Didn’t you say you’d be up early to prepare the soup base?" Tian Tian’s voice was taut with suppressed anger.

"Oh, the soup base," Tian Sangsang said.

She turned back, walked inside, and came out carrying a pot of soup base. With a shrug, she said, "I didn’t want to disturb you guys, so I made it in my room. What’s the problem?"

"Tian Sangsang!" Tian Tian could no longer hold back. Her face twisted in fury. "You did this on purpose! I’ve been waiting outside your door since the middle of the night, just to catch you making the soup base. But you never even came out! And now you’re telling me you made it inside? You’re clearly messing with me!"

"I only said I get up earlier than the chickens. Did I ever specify where I get up earlier than the chickens?"

Hearing her calm response, Tian Tian found herself unable to retort. She glared at Tian Sangsang with hatred, her expression livid.

Tian Sangsang brushed past her and said, "Stare all you want, but it’s time to start work."

"I quit!"

"Sure, that’s fine." Tian Sangsang smirked. "You were the one who wanted to come in the first place. If you want to leave now, go ahead. I won’t stop you."

Tian Tian ultimately didn’t leave. Leaving before achieving her goal wasn’t her style.

The bland noodles were hard to swallow. From the table next door, the tantalizing aroma of meat wafted over continuously. Apparently, Tian Sangsang had made it. It smelled heavenly; the dishes were colorful, with a balanced mix of meat and vegetables.

Tian Tian glanced over with resentment, then lowered her head and silently ate her plain noodles. What she didn’t realize was that Chen Ming’s gaze lingered on her for several seconds.

"Bro, why are you eating so slowly today?" Chen Ying asked curiously. Normally, her brother devoured his food like a wolf.

"Good food shouldn’t be eaten in a hurry," Chen Ming replied, his eyes flickering. "You guys finish up and rest. I’ll clean the dishes today."

"Sangsang, let’s go. Let my brother handle it today—it’s rare to see him being this domestic." Chen Ying looped her arm through Tian Sangsang’s.

Tian Sangsang gave Chen Ming a thoughtful glance but still followed Chen Ying out.

The hall was now quiet, with only Chen Ming and Tian Tian remaining.

Tian Tian had nearly finished her bowl of noodles when a pair of chopsticks reached into her bowl.

A plump, juicy, glistening piece of red Dongpo pork.

One piece, then another.

She slowly lifted her eyes in disbelief. "Chen Ming, you..."

"Eat," Chen Ming said with a long sigh. He never looked directly at her, merely uttering the word before returning to his seat to clean up.

Her heart raced wildly, her eyes welling up with tears. Tian Tian remained silent for a long time.

Suddenly, her expression turned fervent, even manically intense. Chen Ming still liked her! He definitely still liked her! Otherwise, he wouldn’t have given her the meat! If she could take advantage of Chen Ming, perhaps she could get the secret recipe from Tian Sangsang!

She always calculated others’ kindness towards her in terms of profit, ignoring the flicker of genuine warmth in her heart. It wasn’t until years later that she realized what she had squandered so carelessly had been someone else’s love. And how many loves could start over again...