The Wealthy Eldest Sister Rules Supreme

“Well, you two chat. I’m going to pick some chives.” Zhang Qiuying turned to Mrs. Liu: “Grandma, I’ll prepare scrambled eggs with chives and some cornmeal pancakes for our midday meal.”

After all, they had a guest at home and although unable to provide meat as a courtesy, they should at least serve eggs in their dishes.

“Sounds good, just do as you please.” Mrs. Liu agreed with a smile as she watched her granddaughter leave.

Shortly after, she chuckled and said to Zhuang Qingning, “Our eldest granddaughter might be young, but she’s clever and resourceful, just like you two responsible young ladies.”

This effectively sang high praises of Zhuang sisters.

Zhuang Qingning smiled and asked with concern, “How are you feeling, ma’am? Have you taken your medicine and consulted the doctor?”

“I saw the doctor. It’s nothing serious, just a common cold and some fatigue. After a couple of doses of medicine and a few days of rest, I should be better. Yet, at my age, my body is no longer as strong. I need to rest more to completely recover, so as to prevent the minor illness from getting worse later.”

“And how are you? How’s business at the tofu stall lately?”

After she asked, Mrs. Liu slapped her back of her hand and laughed, “What a silly question I’m asking. Your tofu business must be doing well, isn’t it? And with the increased tofu production, you must be pretty busy, no?”

“It’s manageable…”

Zhuang Qingning went on to explain the situation in the county town, including the hiring of two workers at the tofu shop.

“That’s great news!” Mrs. Liu was beaming with happiness, “Didn’t I tell you? Your prosperous days are ahead of you and now it seems we have the proof!”

“By the way, speaking of the tofu business, I remembered something. Did Mr. Ge, who sells pea cakes, come to see you in these past few days? He mentioned something about wanting to sell tofu.”

Zhuang Qingning blinked in surprise and smiled, “How did you know, ma’am? Uncle Ge really did come to see me today, all smiles, with a proposition to sell tofu from my stall.”

“That cunning old man, with such thick skin. A few days ago, after you left with your tofu, Mr. Ge came to me, talking non-stop about your tofu stall. He praised your booming business and lamented about not being able to help out. I suspected that he was thinking about selling tofu himself, and it turns out I was right!”

Mrs. Liu frowned and said, “Qingning, listen to me, you should not agree with him. Mr. Ge used to have a convenient stall and he abandoned it to set up shop in a more remote location. Do you know why?”

“Why?”

Zhuang Qingning was clueless and a bit curious about the reason.

“I didn’t know why at first, so I didn’t want to pry. I thought maybe he had some issues or secrets. But later I found out he moved because he thought your tofu business would prosper and would inevitably offend others. He expected conflicts and feared being involved. So he moved far away to avoid any fallout.” “Sheer nonsense! Is this how people act?”

“Now that your tofu business is thriving, he shamelessly returns wanting to capitalize on your success. How could you let him take advantage of your hard work?”

“Beware of such a self-serving person. Once things go south, he would be the first to run. You should avoid any association with such people.”

“Rest assured, ma’am, I’ve already decided to entrust the tofu business to trustworthy relatives. So I firmly refused him.”

Zhuang Qingning laughed, “Seeing that I wouldn’t oblige, Uncle Ge quietly left.

I doubt he will come to me about this in future.”

“Best if he doesn’t bother you, who has time to engage in nonsense with such people?”

Mrs. Liu was indignant and scoffed, “It’s bizarre as he was the one seeking help, so isn’t it normal not to agree? But now he’s miffed. Can’t he just accept kindness without expecting something in return?”

“In the future, keep your distance from such people, so they may realize their true character!”

On any normal day, Mrs. Liu would despise such opportunists. Moreover, Ge Hetong was now taking advantage of Zhuang Qingning whom Mrs. Liu cherished. She lambasted him extensively, only mellowing when Zhuang Qingning veered the conversation on to another topic.

The three women exchanged words in the house for a while on a variety of topics.

They spoke about happening in the town and at home, until it was about time for them to leave. Both Zhuang Qingning and Zhuang Qingsui rose to bid their farewell to return home.

Just then, Zhang Qiuying entered the room, announcing that lunch was ready.

“Stay for the meal before you leave,” Mrs. Liu insisted.

Although there wasn’t much food to offer.

“We already had a meal with Qingsui in town. It’s getting late and we should head back home for an afternoon nap,” Zhuang Qingning explained.

With the need to grind tofu at night and selling it in the town the next morning, the only time they could rest was during the afternoon.

Taking their schedule into account, Mrs. Liu didn’t insist any further. She just warned them to be careful on their way back and gave them some freshly picked vegetables — cabbages, garlic sprouts, and chives from her garden.

“You are so busy every day that you don’t have time to grow your own vegetables. Take these back home and cook them. That way, you’ll save some money,” Mrs. Liu offered.

They didn’t lack vegetables at home, but considering Mrs. Liu’s intention, Zhuang Qingning accepted the offer gracefully so as not to offend or disappoint them.

“I’ve already picked the chives and garlic sprouts. Just rinse them when you go home,” Zhang Qiuying added.

“Alright, thank you, Qiuying.” Zhuang Qingning was increasingly fond of the considerate and attentive younger girl.

Zhang Qiuying accompanied them until the outskirts of the village. Only after Zhuang Qingning repeatedly urged her to return home and look after Mrs. Liu, did she reluctantly retreat, often glancing over her shoulder.

Zhuang Qingning and Zhuang Qingsui then headed home,

They planned to nap in the afternoon, and after nightfall, head to the tofu shop, beginning their bustle anew.

The next morning, Dong Dazhu, as usual, came first to pick up the tofu.

Arriving with a wide smile, he said, “Miss Zhuang, today 1 need 240 pounds of tofu. Could you please weigh it out for me?”

Zhuang Qingning’s smile faded slightly, “Brother Dong, it’s not that my tofu is so precious that I won’t sell it even for money. But as you can see, my tofu shop isn’t that big, and we only have these two tofu pots. We cannot prepare much tofu in a single night. Although the quantity of tofu we need each day varies, we roughly know how much we need..”