Rebirth: I became rich by farming

Chapter 648: Chapter 648: Hit the mark by a fluke (4/5)

This isn’t because everyone doesn’t love gossip; rather, when food is involved, gossip can wait. Let’s finish eating first and then chat.

At Mei Mengchen’s strenuous insistence, he peeled the shrimp himself and enjoyed his meal with gusto. He finished off an entire box of steamed

crawfish on his own, and some non-spicy skewers were also picked out for him by Yan Keke, which he ate with relish. After he was completely stuffed from the late-night meal, he waved his hands, leaned back on the couch, rubbed his stomach, and said, "I’m so full."

"Rest for a while. Don’t go to sleep right after eating. Wait half an hour before sleeping.

"Hmm, I remember, I need to brush my teeth before sleeping, sister."

Mei Mengchen clearly remembered this, but now that the late-night snack was over, the issues they hadn’t asked about earlier now piqued his curiosity, so he asked Mei Mengzhen, "What happened, how did you start fighting?"

While cleaning up the trash in front of her, Mei Mengzhen replied, "I thought you weren’t curious at all. You really held it in, eh? But it’s just some superficial relationships. Isn’t it normal to have arguments?"

Everyone understands the principle, and they similarly dislike Wang Qiuhe, but there has to be a reason, right?

He Yiran immediately said, "It couldn’t be over money again, could it? She’s got her eye on your film compensation."

If we’re talking about money that Mei Mengzhen would care about, it’s her movie acting fee. Although it wasn’t discussed in their rooms in Ning City, Chen Zhi’s acting fee was well-known to everyone—200,000 yuan. No matter whether Mei Mengzhen’s was more or less, she definitely had tens of thousands on her.

Mei Mengzhen glanced at her and said, "You guessed it right, but it’s not just that. She guessed that Brother Tianyu is the Boss of Xiyuan."

Yan Keke said with exaggeration, "She’s got her sights set on your Fan Ge as well."

Yan Keke deliberately lowered her voice, but in the quiet living room at night, the words were still very clear.

Wang Qiuhe’s behavior was shameless, but it fit the character and style of Mei Mengzhen’s relatives very well. Although Wang Qiuhe was obedient when working with her, liking or disliking someone is innate. If you don’t like someone, you simply don’t, and familiarity, even if it’s every day, won’t breed affection.

With Wang Qiuhe not around, and having fallen out again with the others, He Yiran spoke even more unrestrainedly, "We’re just not people of the same world. You don’t know how uncomfortable it is to force ourselves to stay together. Several times I saw Sister Tianhua’s anger almost bursting out, but she somehow swallowed it every time. I’m curious how she managed to hold back."

Mei Mengzhen did know the reason, "From the beginning, Sister Tianhua looking after her meant giving money. Brother Tianyu said that giving 20 or 30 thousand should be enough. Sister Tianhua has a fiery temper and simply couldn’t tolerate it. I personally topped up with another 100,000. Do you think the trip could have been peaceful without that?"

But to be honest, Yan Keke’s temperament was really quite good, considering she had to deal with Wang Qiuhe for so many activities.

Yan Keke said, "I barely interacted with her. It was a non-paying job to begin with. I couldn’t force her to work, could I? Anyway, like you said before, as long as she didn’t get lost, that’s enough. Sometimes, when I found it inconvenient to speak up, I let Lai Xixi’s Tian Sha do it for me. You know Lai Xixi’s temperament, she can’t hold back, even more explosive than Sister Tianhua."

But He Yiran always felt that the 100,000 yuan spent on someone like Wang Qiuhe was not worth it.

"The money is already spent; let it be. The main thing is that I’ve repaid my debt, and they can’t hold this matter over me anymore," said Mei Mengzhen, then asked quietly, "How many days did Qiuhe and Brother Yongwang work for you?"

Yan Keke had the records on her phone. She tallied the days Wang Qiuhe worked and credited them day by day, "Qiuhe worked a total of 31 days, and Brother Yongwang worked for 7 days. But Brother Yongwang’s work in those 7 days was very solid. What’s up, are you planning to pay them?"

Wang Qiuhe joined midway through the previous month, and from her arrival, she started working with her, continuing until the beginning of this month. She took some days off in between, but Wang Qiuhe was present most days, making up a total of 31 days. The days Qi Yongwang worked were straightforward to count, a straight stretch of 8 days.

"How do you calculate pay for part-time work here?" After asking, Mei Mengzhen added, "Forget it, let’s calculate at a hundred yuan a day. Give her 3,100 yuan, and Brother Yongwang 1,000 yuan. I’ll give you the money; can you come tomorrow and pay them both?"

Yan Keke naturally had no issues. One hundred yuan a day was about right for part-time work at that time, with the hourly rate being around ten yuan. Wang Qiuhe certainly didn’t work ten hours a day, and she even got a meal out of it, so this rate wasn’t low at all. Moreover, Keke wasn’t the one who paid—it was a private investment on her part, so it was even less of a concern.

He Yiran suggested, "Giving money is the right thing to do, to avoid any confusion. But I suggest you have a witness when giving the money."

There was a fear of having no witnesses around and Wang Qiuhe taking the money and then denying it later, asking for it again. They believed Wang Qiuhe was capable of denying it, especially since they were giving such a large sum directly to a minor. Whatever wrong she might do with the money, they would still be blamed. When He Yiran laid out the situation, Mei Mengzhen understood, "So, Saturday morning the day after next, then. My first aunt, second aunt, and my little aunt are all coming over."

"Okay. Send me a message when the time comes, and I’ll come over to deliver the money. It’s better to do it in front of others. But what if they ask about the name of our foundation?"

"What about it? This foundation really had nothing to do with me from the start."

Yan Keke was taken aback but then replied, "I was thinking wrong."

At the thought of this, Yan Keke couldn’t help but sigh, "Zhenzhen, it’s so exhausting. You must be tired dealing with this every day. Can’t you just break away from them?"

"They can’t be shaken off unless I leave this place. I don’t mind the university; I can endure two or three years until I graduate and then just disappear to find peace. But Chenchen still needs to go to school; he can’t be dragged around by me. And why should I run? Right now, I’m swallowing my pride because I worry about these people causing trouble at my school. But now, I don’t need to worry about whether or not these people will make trouble anymore."

Liang Xiao unwittingly exposed her family situation, and it was well known that she was seen as the pitiable one among her classmates. So if these relatives didn’t kick up a fuss, all the better, but if they did, it would just backfire on them even more. If things really escalated, it would be them who would be left without face.

As for Mei Mengchen, there was no need for her to worry. She believed Mei Yinan would truly protect her younger brother’s orphan, so when it came down to it, she didn’t need to remain as passive as before. When it was time to stand her ground, she didn’t hold back anymore.