The Abused Heroine Stops Pretending [Quick Transmigration] - Chapter 86.2

From a distance, she spotted a familiar figure standing at the village entrance. As she drew closer, she realized it was Chi Yu. She quickly braked. “Chi Yu, what are you doing here?”

Chi Yu looked at her anxiously.

“Don’t worry, I just had more to sell today, so I’m back late,” Tang Jing reassured her, gesturing to the bike. “Hop on, let’s go home.”

“Mm.” Chi Yu clung to her clothes as she settled onto the bike.

Grandma Qin was waiting in the main room. Seeing them return, she fretted, “Why are you back so late? Chi Yu was worried and insisted on waiting for you at the village entrance.”

Fortunately, the village troublemaker , Lai the Cripple had been arrested, making the area safer. Still, Tang Jing couldn’t help scolding Chi Yu gently. “Next time, don’t wait at the entrance. It’s pitch black out there, how scary is that?”

Chi Yu clutched the hem of her clothes and nodded, but her eyes still stole glances at her, making sure she was alright before secretly letting out a sigh of relief.

That little gesture didn’t escape Tang Jing’s notice. She smiled, took the other’s hand, and led her to sit at the table. Then she went to close the door, untied the cloth pouch from her waist, and poured out the money inside.

Seeing how much she had earned, both Granny Qin and Chi Yu were stunned.

“How did you get so much?” Granny Qin’s eyes widened. “Xiao Nan, you didn’t go robbing people, did you? That’s not allowed, it’s against the law!”

Tang Jing found the old woman’s reaction adorable. She cupped Granny Qin’s face and gently rubbed it, saying, “Granny, all of this was earned honestly. Go ahead and count it, see how much we made in total.”

Granny Qin stared at the pile of money on the table, feeling a bit dazed, as if she were dreaming.

She began counting while Chi Yu helped by sorting the bills from largest to smallest. Soon, the total was tallied.

“A thousand yuan!” Granny Qin’s hands trembled as she held the money. “That’s so much more than yesterday!”

If they could earn a thousand yuan in a single day, Granny Qin couldn’t even imagine how much thirty thousand would be in a month.

In the village, making five thousand yuan a month was already a fortune. Earning over ten thousand would make them the talk of the town.

Granny Qin’s expression turned serious. “Xiao Nan, you’d better hide this money right away. Don’t let anyone see it.”

Though the village appeared harmonious on the surface, there were always those who couldn’t stand to see others doing well. If people found out Tang Jing was making money selling clothes, they’d surely want to tag along. If they were left out, resentment might brew, leading to trouble and in the end, their family would suffer.

“I know, Granny. Don’t worry.” Tang Jing tucked the money back into the pouch.

Once the counting was done, Granny Qin suddenly realized something was missing. She looked around but couldn’t find what she was searching for. “Where are the clothes?” she asked.

“What clothes?” Tang Jing paused, then explained, “Oh, I already talked to the shop owner. I’ll pick up the goods directly tomorrow morning, so there’s no need to haul them back and forth.”

Granny Qin thought this was a good idea and finally relaxed completely.

“Have you eaten dinner yet? There’s food kept warm in the pot for you. I’ll go get it.” Granny Qin started to stand up.

But Chi Yu was already on her way to the kitchen.

Granny Qin chuckled and sat back down. “That girl Xiao Yu is such a sweetheart. While you were away, she was the one helping me with everything.”

Tang Jing smiled. “Granny, you’re not as strong as you used to be. Leave some of the work to us young folks. From now on, you just focus on enjoying life.”

Granny Qin felt deeply comforted. “With the two of you here, I have everything I need.”

After dinner, the family washed up and prepared for bed.

Once they were lying down, Tang Jing said, “Xiao Yu, if there’s any housework that isn’t urgent, leave it for me to do when I get back in the evening. Don’t try to do everything yourself. When you have free time, just take Granny out for a walk. Don’t overwork yourself, okay?”

Chi Yu shook her head, gripping Tang Jing’s clothes without saying a word.

This was a little habit she had developed since they started sharing a bed, it made her feel safe.

“What’s wrong?” Tang Jing was surprised by her refusal.

Chi Yu patted her chest, signaling that she was capable of handling everything. To emphasize how tired Tang Jing would be when she returned, Chi Yu began massaging her arms and shoulders.

Tang Jing understood instantly. She gently stroked the girl’s hair and said softly, “Is Xiaoyu feeling sorry for Sister Nan?”

Chiyu nodded.

Seeing her so well-behaved, Tang Jing’s heart melted. She stepped forward and hugged the girl, whispering tenderly, “Good girl.”

Because of the need to run the business, household chores inevitably fell on Chiyu. Grandma’s health wasn’t as strong as before, and the tasks that Tang Jing used to handle now rested on Chiyu’s shoulders.

“Just don’t overwork yourself,” Tang Jing no longer tried to stop her but still felt the need to say, “Don’t push yourself too hard. Our family doesn’t have those kinds of rules. Besides, you’re part of our family now, even if you didn’t lift a finger, Sister Nan would still take care of you.”

Since Gu Sihuan left, Tang Jing had thrown herself entirely into the business, no longer needing to worry about her sudden appearances or playing along with her charades.

In just a month, her stall had expanded, and business was booming. Sometimes, she even had to ask Xiaoyu to come help her out.

Since Xiaoyu had never been to school, Tang Jing set aside time every evening after returning home to teach her arithmetic. She also planned to buy some sign language books so Xiaoyu could teach herself.

She had even considered sending her to a school for the deaf and mute, but their small town didn’t have one. She decided to wait until the business grew enough to open a shop in a bigger city, where she could then enroll Xiaoyu in such a school. If that wasn’t possible, she’d hire a tutor to teach her at home.

After all, sign language was something Xiaoyu needed to learn eventually. Grunting and gesturing might work with Tang Jing and Grandma, but others wouldn’t understand.

“Xiaoyu, come eat,” Tang Jing called. Heavy rain had forced them to pause business for the day, giving them a chance to rest. Besides, she had been planning the shop’s next steps these past few days.

At the dinner table, Grandma Qin voiced her concerns. “Are you really going to rent a shop? The yearly rent alone will cost a fortune. What if sales don’t cover it?”

Even though they had made good money this past month, Grandma Qin still felt uneasy.

“Don’t worry, Grandma. I’ve factored all that in,” Tang Jing reassured her as she placed a large chicken drumstick in Xiaoyu’s bowl. “Eat up. There’s plenty more.”

Chiyu nodded. “Mmm.”

With the business thriving, the family’s clothes had all been replaced with new ones.

Now, the villagers knew Tang Jing had started her own business. Just as Grandma Qin had predicted, a few nosy neighbors kept dropping by, fishing for information. But Tang Jing always managed to deflect them.

She had even been cornered a few times herself. She didn’t hide anything, she told them how to source goods and how to sell them. Whether they made a profit or a loss was none of her concern.

She wouldn’t stop anyone in the village from starting their own business. But if they tried to use their status as uncles or aunts to guilt-trip her into partnering with them, she’d have to reconsider.

After all, they might share a village, but they weren’t family. Even within families, clear accounts kept brothers from quarreling. If future conflicts over profits arose, it was better to nip such risks in the bud early.

“Don’t take Third Aunt and Aunt Liu’s words to heart. Just listen politely, but don’t actually involve them,” Grandma Qin advised. “If they make money, they’ll be all smiles. But if they lose it, they’ll blame you for it.”

“I know, Grandma,” Tang Jing replied. She had already been thinking along those lines.

Finally, she came up with a solution: she would let them source goods from her shop and give them a commission for each item sold. This way, they could earn money without worrying about being stuck with unsold clothes.

As for any clothes that were damaged without reason after being handed over, they would still be responsible for covering the losses.

After some thought, Third Aunt and the others agreed to the arrangement.

They weren’t ungrateful people and understood that Xiaonan had already made an exception by looking after them. They couldn’t push their luck by using their status as aunts to pressure her.

In truth, Tang Jing also benefited from this arrangement, it indirectly helped promote her shop’s reputation.

The stall name used by Third Aunt and the others was the same as her shop’s name, which inadvertently served as free advertising. Over time, the entire town became familiar with “Nanyu Clothing Store.”

Of course, some of the younger girls in the village weren’t allowed by their families to follow the aunts’ example and take clothes to sell outside. Besides, these girls were shy and couldn’t bring themselves to hawk goods. In the end, they asked Tang Jing if her shop needed any helpers.

Tang Jing had been planning to hire workers anyway. Seeing that the village girls were decent-looking and hearing from her grandmother that they had good character, she decided to take them on.

Within half a year, Nanyu Clothing Store’s reputation grew steadily. Soon, the end of the year approached.

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