"Besides, do you dare say our dismissal from the factory had absolutely nothing to do with that child?" Even though Mr. Ning was an honest and simple man, his voice carried obvious anger.
Ning's mother felt deeply saddened. She had heard from two close friends in the workshop that shortly after she and her husband were fired, the factory received a sum of investment from the Yan family. Obviously, it was the Yan family who had ordered the factory to fire them.
What a Yan Family member did didn't necessarily represent Qingqing, but if Qingqing hadn't said something, would the Yan family have been bored out of their minds to torment a couple like them?
The most crucial point was that their daughter was scolded the night before, and by the third day, the couple had lost their jobs.
"I understand what you mean. I—I'm just not used to it yet. Don't worry, I'm not a fool."
Ning Yue didn't say a word about the couple's conversation. No matter how they got along with Yan Qingqing in the future, she wouldn't care. This couple had done right by her as their daughter. Moreover, the original owner's wish was to take good care of her biological parents, so naturally, she would ensure they were well provided for.
"As long as you understand. Hurry up and eat. Yuanyuan made this herself, and it's even more delicious than your cooking."
It really was delicious; Mr. Ning wasn't exaggerating. Comparing the meals cooked by his wife and his daughter, one was true home-style cooking, while the other was the craftsmanship of a hotel head chef. The simpler the dish, the more it showcased the cook's skill. If a coarse man like him could taste the difference, one could only imagine how good Ning Yue's cooking was.
After tasting the food, Ning's mother nodded repeatedly. "I'm getting to enjoy my daughter's filial piety ahead of time..."
As she spoke, a hint of tears flashed in her eyes. Aside from having a natural talent for cooking, one also needed to cook frequently to get this good.
Her daughter was obviously the eldest miss of the Yan family. Why would she possess such excellent culinary skills?
Could it be that her life in the Yan family hadn't been that comfortable?
She was truly overthinking things. Before the original owner's true identity was discovered, she had indeed never suffered any hardships in the Yan family. It was just that her relationship with the family was rather average. After all, the Yan family strictly followed traditional roles—the man worked outside while the woman managed the household. President Yan was busy making money, while Mrs. Yan was busy with high-society socializing. They didn't have much Kung Fu to look after the children. As for Yan Haotian, they were seven years apart in age, so they communicated even less.
The original owner actually spent more time interacting with the servants, such as the butler and the chauffeur.
Her culinary skills, however, had nothing to do with the original owner.
The meal left the Ning Family couple with a myriad of thoughts. After eating, Ning's mother absolutely refused to let her daughter wash the dishes. "Go rest. Mom will do these chores. From now on, spend less time in the kitchen. The cooking fumes will ruin your nice skin and turn it yellow."
Believing her daughter had suffered in the Yan family, she resolved never to let her be wronged again now that she had returned to her side.
Ning Yue didn't argue and returned to her room.
Even though she was on holiday, she couldn't neglect her studies. Without effort, there would be no reward.
Mr. Ning and Ning's mother weren't idle in the evening either; they had to reply to customer messages for their online store. At past nine o'clock, Ning's mother brought in a plate of sliced fruit. Seeing that she was indeed studying, she left without saying much.
As usual, Ning Yue studied until eleven o'clock before washing up and going to bed.
The next day, she ran a large lap around the outside of the residential community in the morning. She bought some fried dough sticks and soy milk to bring home. After eating, she studied for two hours, then changed her clothes and headed to a car dealership.
The online store's business was doing well, and sometimes they had to hire vehicles to transport goods. It wasn't as convenient as having their own car. If she discussed this with her family first, they definitely wouldn't agree to buy one, so she simply decided to act first and report later.
Wandering around the dealership, she took a fancy to a small dual-purpose box truck. With all the paperwork completed, it cost just over seventy thousand, but less than eighty thousand yuan.
She had the dealership deliver the car directly to her house. Then, she went to the shopping mall, picked out two sets of high-end foreign cosmetics, bought several pieces of clothing, and had everything delivered home as well.
Soon, Ning Yue received a call from Ning's mother.
"Yuanyuan, you child! Where did you get the money to buy a car and gifts for Mom? Can this car be returned? We can do without a car; taking taxis is quite convenient too!"
"Mom, when I left the Yan family, I bought a lottery ticket and won. A few days ago, I used that money to make an investment and earned a massive profit. I have plenty of money on hand, so feel free to use it however you like.
"By the way, I have some things to handle today, so I won't be coming back at noon. Don't forget to have lunch with Dad."
After hanging up, Ning's mother experienced an indescribable mix of emotions. They had clearly wanted to provide their daughter with a good life, but now they were the ones being taken care of by her. This feeling was truly heartwarming yet overwhelming.
As noon approached, Ning Yue had planned to grab a quick bite outside. However, just as she exited the mall, she received a call from Li Mingrui.
"Sister Ning Yue, do you want to have lunch together?"
"What made you think of eating with me?" Ever since Li Mingrui visited the Ning Family once, he would call her occasionally whether he had something to say or not. The kid had a good sense of boundaries, mostly choosing to contact her on weekends. As a result, the two of them gradually became familiar with each other.
Of course, this was just what Li Mingrui thought.
Ning Yue didn't seem particularly enthusiastic toward anyone. If asked a question, she would answer, but she would never go out of her way to befriend someone.
"Because I saw you! Turn around, I'm right behind you."
Ning Yue turned around and indeed saw Li Mingrui standing at the entrance of the pedestrian street. Not too far behind him were two people trailing him—bodyguards arranged by Father Li to protect him.
Hanging up his phone, Li Mingrui excitedly ran over to Ning Yue's side. "I thought it looked like you from far away. I saw that you were about to leave, so I called.
"Sister, what do you want to eat for lunch? It's my treat."
Ning Yue said, "Let's go eat hot pot. It's warming."
Li Mingrui had no objections. The two quickly found a famous seafood buffet hot pot restaurant nearby. Each holding a plate, they chatted while picking out food. "Did you get your final exam results?"
Li Mingrui sighed. "Sister, if we don't bring up grades, we can still be good siblings."
"Is the ninth grade really that hard?"
Li Mingrui said, "If I hadn't seen your report card from my dad, listening to your tone, I would have thought you were a straight-A student!"
Ning Yue thought to herself, "I already am a straight-A student!"
"Your dad only has one son—you. In the future, the Li Family will definitely be handed over to you. If you don't have a good diploma, how will you work in the company? Even if your family holds the majority stake and Mr. Li lets you join the company, you'd still have to start from the bottom as a low-level clerk. Are you willing to do that? Or do you want your dad to have another child, and you just rely on your younger brother to support you in the future?"
Li Mingrui was speechless.
In the past, he had poor grades because his mother kept claiming that it didn't matter if his grades were bad. Their family was rich anyway, so in the future, even graduates from top-tier universities would have to work for him.
His dad had said he didn't plan on ever getting married again in this lifetime.
Therefore, the Li Family would definitely be handed over to him in the future. He couldn't just be completely incompetent, right?
"Sister, I understand. When I go back, I'll ask my dad to hire a tutor for me. Unfortunately, my grades aren't very good, and there's only half a year left until the high school entrance exams. I don't know if it's too late to start working hard now."
"It's never too late to start working hard, as long as you can persevere. Hard work is meant to be done, not just talked about."