CHAPTER 99: 097 NANNY

"What did you say? Tian Sangsang did such a thing?" Chen Ying’s voice rose sharply, her eyes widened, and her mouth spared no harsh words as she began ranting. "This Tian Sangsang, how can she be this shameless? She already has Ye Jiang, and now she goes looking for another man? It’s outrageous, absolutely outrageous! No, I have to go find her—this shameless woman and her bastard lover—"

"Yingzi!" Chen Ming shouted anxiously. What did it matter to her if someone looked for a man? Why get so worked up? Also, who was Ye Jiang? Why did that name sound vaguely familiar?

"Chen Ming, let’s go check it out. If Yingzi continues like this..." Tian Tian hesitated.

Chen Ming said, "Yingzi can be a bit blunt, but her heart is in the right place. Tiantian, I’m sorry you got dragged into this..."

Tian Tian shook her head and replied softly, "I know. Sometimes she does get overly impulsive, like now."

Chen Ming nodded at her in agreement, and the two hurried after Chen Ying.

Chen Ying stormed furiously to Tian Sangsang’s house. The yard was eerily quiet, and Chen Ming and Tian Tian stopped behind her. The hall door stood wide open, and as they approached, fragmented, muffled voices of a man could be heard from inside—

"Ah... it hurts! Ahhh!"

"Tian Sangsang, you shameless hussy! Just wait till I beat the crap out of you!" Chen Ying charged angrily into the house, her finger pointing accusingly at nothing but air. "You dare betray Ye Jiang and mess around with another man, you—you... huh???"

A chill wind suddenly swept past, making her freeze on the spot like a stone statue.

Hearing those strange sounds earlier had already left Chen Ming blushing furiously, but now...

Tian Tian’s eyes widened in disbelief. So, it wasn’t what they thought? How could it not be?

"Auntie Yingzi, who’s Ye Jiang?" Meng Shuyan tilted his small head, blinking his big, innocent eyes.

Chen Ying walked over and gave his little curls a few pats.

"Zhao Chun, enough already! A grown man screaming like that. You even manage to hurt yourself while walking! Didn’t I tell you not to act tough? Can’t you see? You’re hopeless! Hurry up and lie down properly!" Tian Sangsang yelled in frustration, her voice full of exasperation. But then she turned and noticed the three unexpected visitors standing in her room, and a sly smile crept across her face. "Oh, I think I heard someone just now claiming they’d beat me to death? Who might that be?"

Chen Ming and Tian Tian turned in unison to look at Chen Ying.

Sensing the accusatory stares, Chen Ming quickly looked away, feigning innocence, though he glanced back at Tian Sangsang with defiance.

"Well... so... what exactly were you doing just now? Why was he screaming... I... oh, whatever!" Chen Ying huffed, clearly losing the argument.

"He tripped, and I was just helping him up. If he wants to scream, what can I do about it?" Tian Sangsang casually explained. "City folks are so delicate; they can’t handle the slightest bump or bruise. Not like us country people—resilient, tough, able to endure hardship."

"Hmph!" Chen Ying shot back with a domineering tone, "No matter what, Tian Sangsang, let me warn you—if you ever betray Ye Jiang or do anything to hurt him, you’ll have me to answer to!"

"Hey, Yingzi..." Always quick to come and quicker to go. Tian Sangsang felt utterly exasperated. Honestly, this character—just because I slept with Ye Jiang once, does it mean I have to be faithful and chaste for him for the rest of my life?

After Chen Ying, Chen Ming, and Tian Tian left, Zhao Chun sat on the bed, his face switching between pale and flushed. Slowly, he pulled out a thick wad of cash from his pocket, counted out the amount for food and lodging, then handed it to Tian Sangsang. "Here, take this. I’ve retrieved the money. This is for you."

As any good landlord would do, Tian Sangsang gladly accepted the money. Still, her eyes couldn’t help but sparkle when she noticed the rest of the bundle he still had—a fat stack. Truly, the air-headed rich kid of a landlord’s family, carrying around all that cash like it was nothing.

Zhao Chun said hesitantly, "I still owe Chen Biao about two hundred yuan. I’ll pay him back tomorrow."

"That thug broke your bones, and you still plan to pay him back?" Tian Sangsang stared at him, dumbfounded. "Are you for real?"

Zhao Chun took a deep breath and muttered, "...Yeah, for real."

"Let me ask you this—how on earth did you lose that money? You almost gambled yourself into debt slavery. If you can’t handle it, don’t gamble! Gambling is playing with your life. And even when you gamble, you should at least keep enough money for a ticket home. But no, you’ve gone and racked up debts. And Chen Biao—is he the kind of guy you can trust? Seriously?"

"If they weren’t cheating, I wouldn’t have lost that badly," Zhao Chun pouted, looking aggrieved.

Jesus. As if he had a choice in losing. Why was she scolding him like this? His poor, deceived soul needed comfort, not this tirade...

"That’s all the more reason not to pay him back," she retorted.

"It’s just two hundred. Relax, I’ve got plenty of money. There’s nothing in this world money can’t solve."

Sangsang gave him a pointed look. "What about your dignity? Is it worth throwing away your self-respect just to pay him back? Chen Biao’s stomped all over you a thousand times, and you’re still loyal to him like he’s your first love? You’re hopeless, kid. Absolutely hopeless."

Zhao Chun’s eyes glistened with tears, his voice cracking as he spoke, "But... I live here now. If I don’t pay him back, I’m afraid they’ll come trouble you all."

Tian Sangsang froze for a moment, surprised. She replied mildly, "Too late for that, trouble’s already come knocking." Could it be... he was insisting on paying back the money just to protect her and her child?

"What?"

"Today, while I was setting up my stall at the market, a few guys came to collect ’management fees.’ They claimed it was on Chen Biao’s orders. Five yuan, right then and there, they demanded. Apparently, one of them is the town’s public security captain—someone who’s as untouchable as they come."

"And you paid it?" Zhao Chun asked in shock.

"Of course... not." Tian Sangsang shot him a sidelong glance. "Now, do you still want to pay him back?"

"Of course... I still do." Zhao Chun mimicked her tone and fixed his hopeful gaze on her. "If you don’t pay, how will you keep working in the market? Your family’s so poor; how will you support Shuyan? Fine, don’t pay if you don’t want to. Or, hey, why don’t you and Shuyan come with me this time?"

"To where? I’m not running off with you for some romantic escapade." Tian Sangsang deliberately responded in a mocking tone.

Zhao Chun blushed deeply, lowering his head, mumbling, "What are you talking about? I was thinking... you’re so good at cooking, you could come to my house as a chef. It’s an easier life—just cooking every day. And in the city, Shuyan could get a better education."

Tian Sangsang was speechless. First one person, then another—they all just saw her as the neighborhood chef, didn’t they?

"Look, even if you pay him back, so what? Does that mean Chen Biao won’t trouble me anymore? If I continue setting up my stall, I’ll still have to pay that five-yuan fee. I’ll keep facing this injustice. Unless I take a firm stance, they’ll keep walking all over me. Right now, I’d rather betray the world than have the world betray me. If you don’t eliminate the weeds at their roots, they’ll grow back when the spring winds blow. Chen Biao is nothing but a tumor. Unless that tumor’s removed, who knows how many more Zhao Chuns there will be in the future? And when that happens, will someone else step in like I did?"

Zhao Chun thought for a while. If Tian Sangsang hadn’t stepped in to save him, he could have ended up crippled for life. His heart quivered, and so did his voice. "Then... what are you planning to do?" Indeed, the saying was true: the most ruthless thing was a woman’s heart. Looking at how resolute she was, spouting words like ’weeds must be eradicated,’ ’better I betray the world than let it betray me’—was this her life credo?