Cousin Salted Fish Dressed as a Heroine

Chapter 18 The Sudden Bad News

Coming out of the bathroom, Zhang Jiao, who heard Tian Tian talking to someone, thought it was Mama Liu who had returned.

I didn't bother to wipe my hands, so I hurried out.

"Has Mama Liu come back? How is Aunt Feng? Is she sick or is something happening at home?"

She opened the curtain and found that both Tian Tian and Wang Shasha were looking at her with red eyes.

"What's wrong? Why do they look like rabbits?" Zhang Jiao didn't know why and was joking with them.

Tian Tian sniffed, "Sister Jiaojiao, Aunt Feng passed away, and Sasha came here to resign for her."

"Ah?" Zhang Jiao looked at Wang Shasha in shock.

She really couldn't believe it, how could such a good person suddenly disappear?

Wang Shasha repeated what she had just said to Tian Tian to Zhang Jiao, and then thanked her again.

This was her second purpose for coming here today, besides resigning from work.

"Miss Boss, thank you for taking care of me during this time. If it weren't for your willingness to help us, I'm afraid my mother and I would have been unable to survive."

In the past few years since they came to Hong Kong City, Zhang Jiao's help to their mother and daughter was one of the few warmths they could have in their barren lives.

Zhang Jiao felt sour after hearing this, and stepped forward to hug the girl who was obviously very sad but still pretending to be strong.

"Why didn't you come and tell us earlier? How hard it is for a little girl like you."

She is not yet 19 years old, but she is so sensible that it makes people feel distressed.

Wang Shasha felt the kindness exuded by Zhang Jiao, and tears of sadness flowed from her dry eyes.

She hugged Zhang Jiao tightly, and cried out sadly, "We have received too much help from you, and we can no longer trouble you."

Zhang Jiao sighed, there are always some people who only receive a little help, but keep it firmly in their hearts.As if I owed others a lot, I panicked.

She patted Wang Shasha's back gently, "Has Aunt Feng's funeral been completed?"

Wang Shasha nodded, came out of Zhang Jiao's arms, and wiped her tears.She looked at Zhang Jiao's wet clothes with embarrassment.

I got the boss lady into trouble again.

She used the money her mother had saved during this time to buy a cheap public cemetery, cremated her and buried her there.

There were only two of them left in the Wang family, so it was pointless no matter how lively the ceremony was.It's just a pity that my mother can't pass away happily.

Zhang Jiao couldn't help but lament that hemp ropes only break at the smallest points, and bad luck only seeks out the miserable.Aunt Feng's family thought that Hong Kong City would be a new beginning in life, but it turned out to be a tomb of their family's ruin.

Zhang Jiao advised, "You should study hard in the future, and don't disappoint your mother's hard work. If you have any difficulties, come to me, and I will try my best to help you."

"Why don't you come over and do part-time work on rest days or holidays?"

Anyway, I can have a source of income to last until I finish college.

Zhang Jiao thinks that what Wang Shasha needs most now is money. If she doesn't have enough money, she might not be able to finish her university studies.

What Aunt Feng is most proud of in her life is that her daughter has won the exam and was admitted to a good university.

Zhang Jiao thought that she must really hope that her daughter can graduate smoothly.

And Zhang Jiao also hopes that this strong girl can have a new life of her own.

Wang Shasha smiled bitterly, where does she have a future?

She shook her head and declined, "Mrs. Boss, thank you, but no need. I'm going back first. I still have some unfinished business at home."

She made a lame excuse and said goodbye to Zhang Jiao.

Zhang Jiao wanted to keep her, but she couldn't resist Wang Shasha's insistence, so she could only watch her go away.

When Wang Shasha's back was out of sight, Zhang Jiao withdrew her gaze.

She glanced at Tian Tian who was hiding under the cashier and was wiping tears, and she paused for a while without saying anything.

After all, even I, who had been with Aunt Feng for a short time, felt uncomfortable hearing the news of her death, let alone Tian Tian, ​​a person who was closer to Aunt Feng.

Zhang Jiao hid in the back kitchen operation room in a depressed mood, picked up the flour bag, poured half a bag of flour on the chopping board, added water, and kneaded the dough nervously.

Aunt Feng is a strong and gentle woman who single-handedly supports her daughter's life.

Zhang Jiao admired her, respected her, and felt sorry for her unexpected death.

Zhang Jiao thought of her smiling face full of hope for life, and was unable to adapt to the sudden negative emotions, so she could only rely on kneading dough to express them.

Brother Peng, who had failed at the police station, came back with his bag and saw that everyone looked depressed.

Without being curious or asking too much, after reporting to Zhang Jiao, he sat down in the corner tactfully.

Not long after he sat down, Mother Liu came back.

She carried the big and small bags of presents that she was supposed to give to Aunt Feng, and entered the door with red eyes.

*
At six o'clock in the morning, Mama Liu took the first Star Ferry to Tsim Sha Tsui Pier.

Aunt Feng's family rented in the crowded Liyuwan. Liu's mother walked around the narrow streets carrying the supplements Zhang Jiao asked her to bring, as well as the gifts she prepared herself.

Finally came downstairs to Aunt Feng's house.

Her home is on the third floor, and there are dozens of families living in a long corridor. Shoes, coal stoves and other daily necessities are messily placed at the door of each house.

Mama Liu searched for a long time before finding the door of Aunt Feng's house.

It was her first time here, if she hadn't left Aunt Feng's address, she might not have been able to find the place exactly.

There are so many families living here that there is no clear house number, so it is really difficult to find them.

Liu Ma put the gift bag on the ground, moved her red palms that were strangled, and then bent her fingers and knocked on the door three times.

She waited for a while, but no one knocked on the door.

She thought she didn't hear it, so she raised her hand and continued to knock several times.

Still nothing happened.

Mother Liu thought, could it be that Sister Feng is really sick and hospitalized?

"Stop knocking, there's no one in her house." Seeing that she kept knocking without giving up, the fat mistress across the door kindly reminded her.

Not long ago, Fat Mistress saw the daughter of the opposite family go out, even if the door was knocked, no one would open the door.

Mama Liu turned her head and saw Fat Grandma sitting at the door peeling beans. She stepped forward and smiled politely, "Do you know where her family is?"

Fat Grandma doesn't get along with Aunt Feng's mother and daughter very much, but it's the first time she's seen someone come across as a guest after being a neighbor for so long.

She couldn't help being curious, "Who are you from her family? Why haven't I seen you?"

Fat Master didn't want to gossip, she just felt pity for the mother and daughter opposite and was afraid that Liu Ma was here to cause trouble.

Liu Ma took a snack from the gift bag and put it in the fat teacher's basket, and continued to inquire without changing her expression.

"I'm a friend who works with her. She hasn't gone to work for many days. Do you know what happened to her family?"

The fat lady looked down at the snack box. The price was not cheap.

She looked Liu Ma up and down, and let out a sigh for a while.

"You're late. The sister-in-law opposite me fell down the stairs a few days ago and died immediately..."

Fat Grandma said something again, but Mama Liu didn't hear anything clearly.

All that echoed in my mind was the phrase "It's gone."

how can that be possible?A few days ago, Sister Feng said that when Shasha came back from vacation, she would treat her to dinner and ask Shasha to recognize her as her godmother.

How could people disappear?

Mother Liu seemed to have been hit by a bolt from the blue, her mind went blank, she turned around and left in a daze, instinctively wanting to go back to the store.

The fat mistress saw that her eyes were dull after hearing the letter, and she didn't know how to get the things.He quickly picked up the gift bags that Liu's mother had piled in front of Aunt Feng's door, chased after her and stuffed the things into her hands.

There are all kinds of people living here in Liyu Bay, but not everyone is as kind as her.If the things were left there, they would be taken away quickly without waiting for the daughter on the other side to come back.

"My condolences, be careful when you go back." Seeing that Liu Ma took the things in a daze, she still knew how to thank her, she was really a polite person, so she comforted her sympathetically.

When she went back, the fat teacher couldn't help but sigh in her pacifier. The teacher's wife on the opposite side was quite popular, and even a colleague was so sad when she heard the news of her death.

What a pity, seeing how young she is and with a daughter who is still studying, how could she be willing to die?
The fat mistress shook her head and entered the house.

*
If anyone in the whole store has the best relationship with Aunt Feng, it must be Ma Liu.

The two are similar in age and have similar personalities.

Mother Liu is cheerful and optimistic, and Aunt Feng is gentle and kind. After getting along for a long time, they have become a pair of old sisters.

Aunt Feng saw that Liu's mother had no children, so she decided to ask Wang Shasha to recognize her as her godmother, so that she could legitimately take care of her when she got old.

Mama Liu is also willing, and said with a smile that she has more companions for retirement.

What now?well!
Zhang Jiao came out of the operation room and saw that everyone was distracted and had no intention of doing anything.

Tian Tian who has stopped crying but still can't cheer up, Mama Liu who is sitting there in a daze, and two new employees who don't know Aunt Feng very well but keep sighing and regretting.

The negative emotions grew and Zhang Jiao made a decision in her heart.

"Everyone, please go back. I'll give you two days off to adjust to your condition. Come back to work on Friday."

After saying that, he took off his work clothes first and asked the two new employees to put all the unsold desserts and cakes on the container into brown paper bags. Then he gave Tian Tian and the two of them a bag and asked them to leave first.

After that, she took out the bread made from the dough she kneaded when she just vented her emotions in the oven, and packed it carefully with kraft paper.

I plan to send it to Chu Chan and the others for afternoon tea later.

After she cleaned up, Liu's mother was still sitting there without moving. Zhang Jiao walked over and patted her on the shoulder.

"It's time for Mother Liu to leave. Do you want to go back with me?"

Zhang Jiao wanted to take Mama Liu back with her, as she was not fit to be alone.

Hearing the young lady's words, Mama Liu woke up like a dream. She quickly wiped the tears off her face with the back of her hand. "I won't go back to you. I'll go home later."

Now she just wants to go back to her home and have a good rest.

After taking over Linglong, Liu's mother used the savings she had saved over the years to buy an apartment in a community not far from Pearl Street.

Zhang Jiao was worried, she was in such a bad state.

"Miss, I just want to be alone." Mother Liu said this with a bit of stubbornness.

Zhang Jiao sighed, she didn't expect that the relationship between Liu Ma and Aunt Feng would be so good. "Then I'll ask Brother Peng to take you back."

She also didn't care about Liu Ma's willingness or not, so she directly took Liu Ma out of the house and stuffed her into the car parked at the door.

"Brother Peng, take Mama Liu home first, and pick me up at the police station later."

Brother Peng saw that every employee in the store had left, and Ma Liu didn't look like she was capable of working, so he took a broom and rag and carefully cleaned the stains everywhere.

When Zhang Jiao called him, he was still working on the chopping board in the operation room.

Brother Peng hastily turned off the faucet, strode out of the store, "Miss, I'm here to protect your safety, how can I leave your side?"

But seeing Liu Ma's extremely sad look, Brother Peng hesitated a little. "Otherwise, I'll take you to the police station first, and then I'll take you to Mother Liu. You'll wait for me at the police station. It'll be safer this way."

Mother Liu opened her red eyes and struggled to get out of the car, "Miss, go ahead and do your work. I can do it myself."

Zhang Jiao looked at these "disobedient" employees and acted like a young lady, pretending to be angry. "Okay, listen to me. How far away is Gudun Road from here? What's the danger? Don't wait any longer and go quickly! I still want to go home early."

In this way, they finally bluffed the two of them.

After they left, Zhang Jiao returned to the store to continue the unfinished cleaning work.

In fact, it wasn't much work. Brother Peng had already cleaned up the store. Zhang Jiao only needed to drain the water from the sink, put the broom away, and then close the store door and leave.

Carrying the bread and the things her aunt asked her to bring, she slowly moved to the street corner step by step.She didn't stop until she saw a rickshaw waiting by the side of the road.

She hailed a rickshaw and asked the master to take her to the police station.

I'm a little tired today and really don't want to walk.

(End of this chapter)