Ruling the Historical Romance Novel as the Female Supporting Character-Chapter 131: Qin’s mother’s Night Away

"Except for Lin Cuifen and Su Jianshe, who have been first-level workers for twenty years, there are 4 second-level, 4 third-level, and 1 fourth-level workers left, in addition to Lin Jiayao, there are two fourth-level workers in total," Su Yijia listed the information on her hand and handed it to Zhu Zirui for him to review and see what specific jobs were involved.

Upon closer examination, it was clear that Su Jianshe and Lin Cuifen had no foresight at all. They should have been the ones to profit the most, yet they ended up in the worst financial situations among both families, aside from Lin Jiayao’s family.

"A first-level worker can be sold for 350 yuan, a second-level worker for 450 yuan, a third-level worker for 700 yuan, and a fourth-level worker for 850 yuan. Selling all of them will give us a total of 7,000 yuan. I’ll make the phone calls later, and we should have responses by tomorrow morning at the latest. They will be in town by the day after tomorrow, since all of them are from nearby cities," Zhu Zirui reported the total price and then looked at Su Yijia for approval.

"Okay, I’ll leave all these work-related matters to you," Su Yijia said with a relieved smile. This was indeed a relief. At the latest she should have the 7,000 yuan by Wednesday, along with the money from selling the Whitening Lotion and oil this week and the clothing design blueprints. By the following Saturday, she should have around 15,000 yuan in her hands. With that money, she should be able to buy back the herbs that the traditional Chinese medicine shop master had taken.

"Zhu, I need to trouble you again to buy 300 more bottles for me," Su Yijia handed the money to Zhu Zirui, afraid she might forget to do so.

"Dear sister-in-law, if someone bullies you in the black market, remember to come back and tell us. Maybe we don’t have the strength of those people in the market, but we will definitely make sure you don’t suffer," Zhu Zirui reminded her with concern. Lately, in the three black markets, there had been a competition for customers, and he, even as someone not involved in the black market, had heard of the situation. When it came to the whitening liquid, something like this, with such a large volume, would certainly attract unwanted attention sooner or later.

He had no right to stop his sister-in-law from doing what she wanted to do, but he wanted to ensure that she was protected.

"Rest assured, I’ll discuss everything with Kaize, right?" Su Yijia turned and smiled at the man who had been listening to their conversation.

The man’s long eyelashes quivered lightly, like a butterfly fluttering its wings. Sunlight fell upon them, creating a shimmering effect that softened his otherwise stern countenance.

Su Yijia had always had an eye for good looks and couldn’t help but get lost in admiration. A small smile tugged at the corner of her mouth. But after a moment, she withdrew her gaze.

She started to ponder seriously and attentively about where to find someone to make a simple oil press machine for her. Even if it wasn’t a professional one, she needed something workable. After all, with so many businesses, she needed to give a reasonable explanation of where the goods came from.

A few days ago, she had drawn two blueprints for a manual oil press machine, breaking down the components and carefully considering the materials. For parts that could be replaced with wood, she would consult a carpenter, and for those requiring metal, she would need assistance from a machine shop.

The next morning, Zhu Zirui brought her the soy sauce bottles, and he also delivered the good news that all the workers had been assigned work. They just had to wait for the people to arrive over the next couple of days to complete the process.

To ensure everything went smoothly, Ke Zeming had informed the local police station. They had been interrogating the members of Su Lin’s and Lin’s families using various methods, trying to determine how many of them had been involved in the murder of Su Yijia’s mother twenty years ago. They aimed to delay their release to prevent any trouble and, at the same time, to leave no stone unturned in their search for the culprits.

These past two days, Su Yijia, apart from dropping by her house with Qin Kaize every night to burn incenses to her mother, spent most of her time at home distilling her Whitening Lotion. The distillation process produced a strong and unpleasant odor, and Qin Kaize’s mother immediately covered her nose when she opened the door to the courtyard.

"What are you doing day in and day out? This is the Qin family, not your Su family. Making these pungent concoctions every day makes it impossible for anyone to live a normal life!" she said, her face wrinkled in disgust, as she looked at the girl squatting in the courtyard.

"Well, I’m just helping you adapt to it in advance! After all, we’re nearly done with the third week now, and Qin Mingcheng still refuses to go to the hospital for a follow-up. I figure he’s probably truly crippled. In the future, you guys will have to resort to various folk remedies to feed him, or else the Qin family will become barren," Su Yijia said with a smirk.

"Don’t talk nonsense here! My Mingcheng is perfectly fine! He just thinks there’s nothing wrong, so he’s not going to the hospital. And don’t forget who’s responsible for Mingcheng’s injury," Qin Kaize’s mother threatened, her teeth clenched.

But Su Yijia was all smiles and replied, "Of course, it’s your own doing! Do you need me to remind you why he was kicked in the first place?"

Qin Kaize’s mother, who had just been fierce, suddenly froze. Her face turned pale as a sheet.

Feeling the suspicious gaze from Ke Zeming, she hastily said, "How can you be such a judgmental daughter-in-law? I make one comment, and you have a dozen waiting for me."

She didn’t give Su Yijia a chance to respond and hurriedly tried to enter the building. But Su Yijia’s face took on an even more mischievous expression.

"Oh, by the way, you didn’t come home all night yesterday. Where were you gallivanting off to? You’re about to become a grandmother; how can you stay out all night and engage in such recklessness?" She accused without reservation.

Her voice wasn’t particularly loud, but it was clear enough for the neighbors on both sides to hear. In recent days, she had gotten to know the neighbors in this alley quite well. She learned that people on both sides were usually at home, and some of them loved to gossip.

It was evident that Qin Kaize’s mother realized this as well, and she nearly stumbled when she heard the comment, almost falling to the ground.

"You... I just visited my parents’ home to help my brother with some things. You, as my daughter-in-law, have no business prying into my affairs!" She rebuked angrily.

"Give it up. You definitely went to do something nefarious. I know you too well. You can’t go a day without scheming something crooked; otherwise, you won’t be able to live properly," Su Yijia sneered with disdain.

What did she know? Qin Kaize’s mother’s eyes revealed panic. She didn’t dare contemplate the situation further, rushing into the building in confusion.

This turn of events left Su Yijia, who had intended to merely cause Qin Kaize’s mother some distress, squinting slightly.

"Tsk, it seems I hit the nail on the head."

"Should I have someone investigate her?" Ke Zeming also discerned Qin Kaize’s mother’s guilty conscience, his expression growing increasingly gloomy.

Su Yijia, halfway nodding her head, suddenly stopped. She stared directly at him, her tone solemn.

"Ke, even though you’re a leader, you can’t misuse your authority for personal matters. Those under your command are here to serve the nation, and they can’t be used for our private affairs. This would be a mistake, do you understand?"