Chapter 21 — Thirty Million And One Man's Worth

She stopped. He let out a very light breath.

“If dad was still alive, he wouldn't let everyone consume you like that.”

That sentence caused the whole room to fall into a long silence. A long time later, Chu Minh Le bent down, picked up the envelope, and held it tightly in her hand.

“Thirty thousand…”

“Enough to do anything.”

“Enough for me to think about how I should continue living.”

She looked at Chu Minh Vien for a long time. For the first time, her eyes were no longer sharp but somewhat... empty. Then she turned around and left, this time without banging on the door, just gently closing it, like the first time she gave in without making a fuss. Three days later, my phone rang. Not Chu Minh Vien's. It's from Chu Minh Le.

“Understanding.”

“Is my bakery… still recruiting people? Receptionist, packing, running, whatever.”

I was silent for a few seconds.

“Are you telling the truth?”

"I'm telling the truth, I've already talked to Quoc Cuong, he's his debt to handle, I don't have to bear it anymore, but I have to have my own income."

The other end of the line was silent for a moment, then her voice lowered.

“What happened before… I was wrong, I know.”

“It's okay to know.”

“Don't take it to heart.”

“Don't take it to heart.”

“So… are you still recruiting?”

I thought for three seconds.

“Come to work tomorrow, salary 4,500 yuan, three-month probation, if you do well, you will get 6,000.”

To Dinh stood next to it and listened, frowning.

“Are you crazy, let her work, the person who treated you like that.”

I leaned back against the counter, my eyes as calm as water.

"She is now not my sister-in-law, but someone who needs a job, and I am no longer the one being oppressed by her, but the one who has the right to make decisions."

“But aren't you afraid of her causing trouble?”

I smiled slightly, very softly but very firmly.

“Because this time, the rules of the game are in my hands.”

“If she causes trouble, I will fire her in three days, the contract clearly states.”

“You…” To Dinh shook his head, half helpless and half admiring.

“Are you a Bodhisattva or a fox?”

“Nothing, I just saw that—”

“A person who humbles himself to ask for a job, compared to raising his head and asking for fifty thousand, deserves a lot more respect.”

To Dinh thought for a moment then nodded.

“Sounds reasonable.”

"Besides, if she comes to work, my mother-in-law will feel secure. If my mother feels secure, Minh Vien will feel secure. If Minh Vien can rest assured, my noodle shop will do better."

“Your calculating mind really doesn't let a single step go to waste.”

“It's business, if you don't count you will die.”

Chu Minh Le officially went to work. On the first day, she stood at the counter for eight hours, from welcoming customers, taking orders, packing to collecting money. She did not do it skillfully but was very serious, did not complain, and did not show any discomfort. On Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday, she consistently arrived on time, left on time, not a minute late. After a week, To Dinh secretly said something to me.

“Your sister-in-law… seems to have changed.”

“Change how?”

“Today she took the initiative to stay an extra hour and help me pack a hundred boxes of macarons, and they did it quite well.”

"She also speaks very politely to customers. One customer complained that the cake wasn't hot enough. She apologized three times in a row. Before, she would have argued anyway."

“When people are in need, they will know how to change.”

“Your sentence sounds a bit cold.”

“But it's true.”

A month later, Chu Minh Le worked more and more skillfully, even catching up Start learning to bake. To Dinh taught her from the simplest things like cookies and scones. Her learning speed was not fast but she was very diligent, staying an extra half an hour every day to practice her hands. One day she made a pretty good batch of cookies, brought it to the counter for customers to try, the customer said "delicious", she smiled, that smile reminded me of the scene three months ago, when she showed off a necklace of more than thirty thousand. Now, just saying "delicious" is enough to make her happy. The gap between people has never been in money, but in the fact that one person is spending other people's money, while the other is creating his own value. On Thai Quoc Cuong's side, there was finally a result. The court forced the sale of the car and the remaining beauty salon equipment, plus personal items, collecting seven hundred thirty thousand, still four hundred seventy thousand short. He signed an installment agreement, paying twenty thousand each month for two years, and at the same time worked at a car care shop with a salary of thirty-eight thousand.