Song Qinian's cooking skills, as always, showed no improvement.
She likely spent all her energy on making the food look good. At first glance, her dishes would make you think they tasted delicious, but in reality…
It's a long story.
Shen Chi Yan, fearing that Song Qinian would be devastated by eating her own cooking, ate everything she made and then personally prepared her a late-night snack.
Seeing Song Qinian eat the meal he made, a look of joy and happiness on her face, his heart felt soft and warm.
But what made Shen Chi Yan feel melancholic and annoyed was that Song Qinian was no longer afraid of cats, yet she still couldn't speak.
It seemed this matter still required a long-term plan.
Time flew by, and soon it was the Chinese New Year.
Song Qinian sent a WeChat message to Mu Yuxin, wanting to arrange a meeting. Mu Yuxin said she was too busy lately and would talk after the new year.
Song Qinian understood Mu Yuxin's implied meaning. Thinking that Mu Yuxin might not have figured out how to tell her, or was avoiding the topic, she didn't push further.
So, before the new year, she bought a pile of New Year's goods and had Gao Kunlun deliver them to Mu Yuxin.
Gao Kunlun had been investigating the car accident recently. He had searched extensively in Jinghua City and found several women with six fingers. However, upon further investigation, these women had no connection to Song Qinian and couldn't have possibly harmed her without reason.
Gao Kunlun worried that the woman might have malicious intentions again upon seeing his young madam living well, so he wanted to quickly find her. But the more anxious he became, the less he could find.
As Gao Kunlun arrived at Mu Yuxin's shop with the New Year's goods, he saw a woman causing a scene inside.
"Mu Yuxin, you've gotten bold. Now that you own a shop and are your own boss, you don't care about me, your mother anymore. Don't forget who raised you, feeding you and changing your diapers."
Because it was Mu Yuxin's mother, the store employees felt awkward and stood by without saying anything.
Mu Yuxin's face was as pale as paper. Due to Guan Yang's matter, she had been suffering from insomnia recently, and even when she managed to sleep, she would be woken by nightmares.
A couple of days ago, she had gone to the prison to see Guan Yang. As expected, Guan Yang still refused to see her.
It made sense, he must hate her to death, how could he possibly see her?
Back then…
If it weren't for her sister and her mother, things wouldn't have escalated to this point.
Thinking of this, and then seeing Feng Wan Hui's sharp and malicious face, Mu Yuxin felt both heartache and anger.
In the past, no matter what Feng Wan Hui said or did, she could endure it. But today, she didn't want to.
As her mother, Feng Wan Hui was publicly embarrassing her in front of so many people. Why should she still care about her dignity?
"This shop was opened by Sister Nian and me. We don't earn much money day in and day out. I have to pay employee wages and cover various expenses. I don't have that much money for you."
Early this morning, Feng Wan Hui had come to find Mu Yuxin, first questioning why Mu Yuxin hadn't come home recently and why the food in the refrigerator had spoiled because no one was cooking.
Then she asked Mu Yuxin for money, and at first, she asked for two hundred thousand yuan.
Mu Yuxin's shop hadn't been open for long, and the person who invested the money was Song Qinian. She didn't have that much money.
But Mu Yuxin was still worried that Feng Wan Hui asked for so much money because she was ill and needed medical treatment. So she asked Feng Wan Hui why she needed so much money.
"Why are you asking me what I need the money for? You just need to get the money!"
Feng Wan Hui's attitude was extremely arrogant. Seeing that she seemed energetic and not ill, Mu Yuxin said she didn't have the money. So Feng Wan Hui started causing a scene in the shop.
Mu Yuxin was extremely tired. There were a few customers in the shop earlier, but with Feng Wan Hui causing such a disturbance, they all left.
"I really can't come up with that much money. But if you tell me what you need it for, I can try to find a way."
When Feng Wan Hui heard Mu Yuxin say she could find a way, her eyes lit up, and she immediately said, "Then hurry and find a way. I really need this two hundred thousand yuan urgently."
"First, tell me, what do you need it for?"
Feng Wan Hui didn't hesitate for a moment. "The third day of the Lunar New Year is Miss Qiu Tong's birthday. I want to give her a bracelet as a birthday gift."
For a moment, Mu Yuxin thought her ears were playing tricks on her. She looked at Feng Wan Hui incredulously, her chest aching with bitterness.
Seeing Mu Yuxin staring at her, Feng Wan Hui frowned. "Why are you looking at me like that? Miss Lin is no ordinary person. Her gift naturally has to be expensive, otherwise, how could I present it?"
Mu Yuxin suddenly started to laugh, but her laughter was filled with desolation. "You're asking me for two hundred thousand yuan just to buy a birthday gift for Lin Qiu Tong?"
"Yes! Hurry and find a way to get me two hundred thousand yuan."
In Feng Wan Hui's eyes, for over twenty years, she hadn't celebrated her daughter's birthday. Since there was an opportunity this time, she naturally wanted to give the best to her daughter.
Moreover, Miss Lin had been in a bad mood lately, and she wanted to cheer her up.
"Mom…"
Mu Yuxin felt extremely heartbroken. She looked coldly at the person she called her mother, utterly disappointed. "Have you forgotten that the third day of the Lunar New Year is also my birthday? When you think about buying a birthday gift for Lin Qiu Tong, have you ever thought of me? Am I your daughter, or is she?"
As soon as Mu Yuxin said this, Feng Wan Hui's face showed no trace of guilt. Instead, she said righteously, "Look at what you're saying! I raised you to be so old, how many birthdays have I celebrated for you? What's wrong with missing one? Besides, if it weren't for Miss Qiu Tong, how would I have such a good job? Isn't it normal for me to buy her a slightly more expensive gift?"
"Normal? Go out and ask, which ordinary person buys a birthday gift for two hundred thousand yuan? Moreover, count on your fingers, how many birthdays have you celebrated for me since I was little? How many birthday gifts have you bought me?"
Mu Yuxin wasn't someone who liked to dwell on things, but her heart had grown cold over time.
As far as she could remember, she rarely celebrated her birthday.
Other children looked forward to their birthdays, because on that day, their parents would take them out to play, or treat them to delicious food, and buy them their favorite birthday gifts.
And although she would look forward to it at first, every birthday, apart from her sister making her a bowl of longevity noodles, Feng Wan Hui was nowhere to be seen.
The only birthday gift Mu Yuxin ever received from Feng Wan Hui was when she turned eighteen. For some reason, Feng Wan Hui was in a very good mood and bought her a pair of shoes on her way back.
She was ecstatic at the time and cherished the shoes, planning to wear them when she reported to university.
Who knew the shoes were of poor quality? They came unglued on her first day of university, and with everyone looking at her feet, she felt incredibly embarrassed.
Later, she glued the shoes together and didn't wear them much. After graduating from university, she brought the shoes home. Feng Wan Hui saw them and said, "Why are you still keeping these shoes?"
Mu Yuxin said Feng Wan Hui had given them to her, so she hadn't thrown them away.
At that moment, Feng Wan Hui chuckled and said, "They're just street-stall goods, one pair for fifteen yuan. Hurry and throw them out!"
Those shoes were eventually thrown away by Feng Wan Hui, without any lingering attachment.
Feng Wan Hui bought her a gift for fifteen yuan, yet was willing to spend two hundred thousand yuan on a gift for Lin Qiu Tong.
This disparity in treatment was truly heartbreaking.
Seeing Mu Yuxin question her, Feng Wan Hui's anger flared up. "Mu Yuxin, what has happened to you? Before, you would listen to whatever I said. Now you dare to argue with me. It's really because you've been with that Song Qinian for too long, and she's corrupted you!"