Ch. 1351..1360
Chapter 1351: Temptation to Eat
“I thought I heard you talking about Zhuang Liu, where is he?” Tan Rou asked.
Mei Mei pointed toward the courtyard with her finger, “Mr. Zhuang is running on the path.”
Tan Rou said indifferently, “Hmm, then let him keep running. Go back to whatever you were doing, and stop arguing here.”
Na Na was terrified, she immediately ran to the storeroom to grab cleaning supplies, then, without saying a word, quickly wiped down the stairs.
Tan Rou sat on the sofa, silent and still, like a beautiful statue.
Na Na and Mei Mei dared not get too close to her, and when cleaning, they stayed far away, as if she were a flood or a savage beast.
Tan Rou glanced at the maid named Na Na and felt that her way of doing things was somewhat familiar, then she remembered a high school classmate and her mother.
Jia Jia’s mother, Li Wen, had once been brought to the Tan family’s home by Tan Jing to work as a nanny. Originally, Tan Jing intended to keep an eye on Li Wen to threaten Jia Jia, but in the end, Li Wen got involved with Tan Jing’s father, which not only led to her parents’ divorce but also to the bankruptcy of the Tan family.
Although Li Wen was not responsible for the bankruptcy of the Tan family, she had made a significant contribution to the destruction of their family harmony.
Tan Rou noticed the snacks on the coffee table, and being an expert in cooking, she immediately recognized what Na Na had eaten for breakfast.
She was very familiar with these snacks because the recipe was one she had given to the family’s pastry chef. The snacks were low in sugar and would not cause weight gain after eating. They had a very good texture, soft and delicate, and were very fragrant, much loved by the family.
However, the ingredients for the snacks were quite expensive, and the process of making them was somewhat troublesome. Under normal circumstances, they were only made for Grandma Tao and a few ladies, and were definitely not given to the servants to eat.
Tan Rou called Na Na over and asked, “Are you very hungry?”
Na Na put on a weak expression, but said, “No, I just had some snacks, and I feel much better now. I suffer from hypoglycemia, and if I don’t eat something in the morning, I will surely faint.”
Tan Rou glanced at her rosy cheeks and smiled with a curve of her lips, “Then you should buy more glucose to have on hand. Glucose is quite cheap, and it works very well.”
Na Na nodded and said, “Thank you for your concern, Miss. I will definitely remember to buy some glucose.”
Tan Rou pointed to the snacks on the table and asked, “Are these good?”
Of course, they were delicious, but Na Na did not dare say they were very good, “The taste is okay.”
“Who gave you these snacks?” Tan Rou asked.
Na Na hesitated for a long time before saying, “I went to the kitchen this morning to get something, and the chef there gave them to me. He said there were too many leftovers and asked me to help eat some.”
Tan Rou tapped her fingers on her arm, her smile making her look very approachable.
Seeing her demeanor, Na Na thought she wanted to eat some too, and said, “If you would like some, Miss, I can go and get you a plate right now. There’s still a lot left in the kitchen.”
“Humph,” Tan Rou snorted softly, “So you mean to say that the kitchen often makes such snacks?”
Na Na did not understand her meaning, “Do you think the kitchen shouldn’t make these snacks, Miss?”
“No,” Tan Rou stood up, “I just feel that the rules of this house seem to need some changing. What can be touched and what cannot should be made clearer, shouldn’t it?”
Na Na felt a bad situation was about to occur, “Miss…”
Tan Rou pointed at the snacks on the table, “These snacks contain a type of bean picked from a high mountain five thousand miles away and air-shipped here, very fresh, making the snacks delicious. So do you want to guess how much that bean is worth?”
Na Na’s face turned pale, “Miss, I really didn’t know the snacks were so expensive; someone gave them to me, and I ate them.”
“Who gave them to you? Take me to him,” Tan Rou insisted firmly, “And don’t do anything unnecessary, like sending a message to warn the person who gave you the snacks before I get there.”
Na Na bit her lip hard, “Miss, I really didn’t mean to eat the snacks on purpose, this is my first time, please forgive me!”
Chapter 1352: 1351 continues to speak
“Miss, I’ll return the pastry right now and will never dare to take it again. Please spare me this time!” Na Na said sadly. As she spoke, she rubbed her eyes as if trying to squeeze out a few tears.
Tan Rou coldly watched Na Na without saying a word.
Feeling somewhat panicked inside, Na Na thought that her mistake wasn’t that serious. Was it such a big deal to eat some of the employer’s pastry? Besides, the Tao family was so wealthy that even if she had eaten all the pastries, it wouldn’t have impacted them.
At that moment, Mei Mei, who had been cleaning upstairs, came down. She saw Tan Rou and Na Na confronting each other in the living room and quickly asked, “Miss, what happened? Did Na Na make you angry?”
Tan Rou replied, “No. But it is cleaning time, and she isn’t cleaning; instead, she’s sitting here eating a plate of pastries. If I hadn’t come down, would she have turned on the TV to watch?”
Mei Mei detected the sarcastic tone in Tan Rou’s words and hurriedly apologized, “I’m sorry, Miss. It’s Na Na’s fault today. She shouldn’t have eaten while cleaning. Please forgive her this time.”
Tan Rou sneered, “Do you know what she was eating?”
Mei Mei saw the pastries on the table but had not tasted them and did not know what they were, “Was it these? Miss, can I pay you for them? Please don’t be angry with Na Na.”
“Okay,” Tan Rou said. She mentally calculated the cost and then said, “The ingredients of these pastries are very precious, including glutinous rice from the northeast and beans from high mountains five thousand miles away. The beans are airshipped immediately after harvest, and each shipment costs around 20,000 yuan. I won’t charge you too much; how about 5,000 yuan for this plate?”
Na Na’s eyes widened, and she exclaimed loudly, “You might as well rob me. How could this little bit be worth 5,000 yuan?”
Tan Rou glanced at her and remained silent.
Holding back the furious Na Na, Mei Mei said, “Okay, I’ll pay you the money. I hope you’re not angry.”
Na Na disagreed, pushed Mei Mei away, and argued with Tan Rou, “Just because you are rich, does that make you great? What kind of rubbish pastries are these? Demanding 5,000 yuan just like that, aren’t you afraid of getting crushed by money!”
Calmly, Tan Rou said, “I know the value of these pastries very well. Their ingredients are extremely precious, and the pastry chef is a high-priced hire. One plate of pastry might take two days to make, and if the weather isn’t right, it might take four or five days to make a plate of high-quality pastries. If I say it costs 5,000 yuan, it costs 5,000 yuan.”
Na Na, unwilling to pay, yelled at Tan Rou, “I definitely won’t pay this money; neither will Mei Mei. You wicked woman, don’t think about scamming our money.”
For some reason, Tan Rou saw a reflection of Tan Jing in this woman called Na Na, perhaps because Tan Jing also liked to call her “wicked woman.”
The commotion attracted Zhuang Liu, who had been running in the yard. He quickly ran inside and asked, “What happened?”
Upon seeing Zhuang Liu, Na Na immediately changed her attitude. Sniffling and weeping, she said, “Miss, I didn’t mean to eat the pastries. The chef gave them to me.” As she spoke, she moved closer to Zhuang Liu as though seeking his protection.
“What pastries?” Zhuang Liu thought of the cookies he had just eaten, “Is it the cookies?”
Tan Rou asked, “What cookies?”
Zhuang Liu replied, “When I was running, this lady gave me some cookies and water. I was hungry from running, so I ate a few cookies.”
“Where did you take these cookies from?” Tan Rou pressed, “Were these cookies also given to you by someone?”
Na Na stiffly answered, “Yes, someone also gifted me these cookies.”
Tan Rou chuckled softly, “Go on, keep fabricating; I’d like to hear what else you can concoct.”
Na Na said firmly, “Miss, I’m not lying to you, the kitchen staff really gave me these cookies.”
“Oh?” Tan Rou was completely unconvinced by her fib, “Who is so good to you that they give you so many things?”
Chapter 1353: Miss 1352 will help you.
Na Na’s gaze was elusive, and she stammered, “The pastry was from Xiao Chang in the kitchen, he… he probably likes me, which is why he gave it to me.”
It was as if she had found a breakthrough and she began to explain, “Miss, I really don’t like Xiao Chang. I just want to work well at the Tao family’s place, but Xiao Chang harasses me daily and often sends me gifts, which I usually refuse. But today, he gave me pastries, so I accepted them.”
After she finished speaking, she mentally gave herself a “like,” because she thought she had spoken perfectly and that Miss would definitely believe her.
Moreover, Xiao Chang was indeed sending her gifts. She had already made it clear to him that it was impossible between them, but Xiao Chang wouldn’t believe it; he thought it completely reasonable for a maid and a cook to be together. Na Na aimed to marry a wealthy man, so there was no way she could end up with a mere cook.
“Is that so?” Tan Rou said, “If that’s the case, then let’s go and confront Xiao Chang.”
Naturally, Na Na dare not face him. She leaned toward Zhuang Liu and then said, “Miss, it’s just a plate of pastries, is it really worth the time to confront him? If you go now, he will surely say you’re being petty, squabbling over just a dish of sweets.”
“Heh,” Tan Rou chuckled lightly, “You’re wrong. I’m not just going to settle accounts with him, I’m going to settle them with you too because you ate those pastries.”
Na Na looked down, very distressed, and said, “Miss, those pastries are too expensive, costing five thousand yuan a plate. I don’t have that much money to compensate you.” She turned to Mr. Zhuang and asked, “Mr. Zhuang, could you plead with Miss for me? I will definitely pay her back, but I don’t have that much money right now. Can I pay her back once I’ve gathered enough?”
Zhuang Liu did not respond to her, but instead found a place to sit down, “You continue, I’m tired from running, I need to rest a bit. Tan Rou, don’t you want to sit down? I find it quite tiring.”
Upon hearing Zhuang Liu’s words, Tan Rou realized she had been standing without knowing it and immediately sat down, “Na Na, right? If you sincerely admit your mistake today, I won’t trouble you nor ask you to compensate for it. But you’ve lied over and over again, and your actions have exhausted my patience. I can skip work today, let’s take the time to settle this matter properly.”
Mei Mei pleaded, “Miss, we both will compensate you for the money, but we don’t have that much on hand right now. Can we wait a while? We’re about to get paid, and once we have the money, we will transfer it to you immediately.”
“I don’t want your money,” Tan Rou refused Mei Mei’s suggestion, “The lazy person isn’t you, nor is it you who ate the pastries. I always stick to my principles. If it’s not your doing, I won’t trouble you.”
Mei Mei wanted to say something but was shut down by Zhuang Liu, who said, “Enough talk. If Miss hasn’t addressed you, don’t interrupt, or get out.”
Mei Mei didn’t dare speak further, she stealthily glanced at Tan Rou and then Na Na, and even though she was very anxious, she did not dare say another word.
Na Na was nearly on her knees for Tan Rou, “Miss, I really don’t have that much money. If you ask me to compensate now, I might as well die.”
Having said that, she was about to smash her head against the wall.
Tan Rou and Zhuang Liu remained unmoved, only Mei Mei ran over to stop her.
“Na Na, don’t do something foolish!” Mei Mei said, “It’s just five thousand yuan, I’ll help you pay it!”
Na Na sobbed, “Mei Mei, I really didn’t mean to eat the pastries on purpose. If that guy hadn’t sent them to me, how could I dare to eat them?”
Mei Mei said, “Na Na, I believe you. But Miss is right, let’s go confront Xiao Chang and ask him why he keeps sending you things. If Miss goes, she will surely intimidate him, and he won’t dare to harass you again.”
Na Na was left speechless. How could Mei Mei, her good friend for so many years, remain so clueless? Could she afford to confront Xiao Chang now? If she did, everything would be exposed.
Chapter 1354: 1353 heard it wrong
“Forget it, Mei Mei, it’s just a minor matter; let’s not trouble the young lady over this.” Na Na said, “Young lady, the room isn’t clean yet. Could this issue wait until after I finish cleaning?”
“No,” Tan Rou once again rejected Na Na’s suggestion. “Come with me. If your statement doesn’t match Little Chang’s, you don’t need to stay in the Tao family anymore. You can just pack your bedding and leave.”
Mei Mei also urged Na Na, “This is a good opportunity. Didn’t you say Little Chang was harassing you? Today we have the young lady to accompany us, so we can speak directly to her, and she will help us resolve it.”
Na Na looked at Mei Mei with aversion, wondering how she could have such a foolish friend. If it weren’t for Mei Mei’s interference, Tan Rou might have already dropped the matter.
“Let’s go, don’t waste time here,” Tan Rou said. “Since you claim that these were given to you by someone else, then let’s go and ask him. If it’s true that he gave you some pastries, then I won’t trouble you further.”
Although Na Na disagreed with confronting Little Chang, she still followed Tan Rou and the others. Before leaving, Na Na wanted to send a message to Little Chang, so she excused herself to use the restroom, to which Tan Rou agreed.
Na Na took the opportunity to send a message to Little Chang, asking him not to talk nonsense. But suddenly, the signal became very poor, and she couldn’t send any messages. Additionally, using phones during work was not allowed, and it would be very difficult for Na Na to notify Little Chang afterward.
“What are you dawdling for?” Tan Rou asked with a smile. “Are you feeling guilty?”
Na Na pursed her lips and said, “I…I’m not feeling guilty at all. Just now, I was just thinking about the cleaning. If we all leave, who will come to clean?”
“You don’t need to worry about that; I’ll arrange for someone,” Tan Rou said, not wanting to waste more time. “Come on, follow me. After we’ve talked, I still need to have breakfast and go to work. Don’t delay my time.”
Na Na had no choice but to stop dawdling and follow behind Tan Rou and Zhuang Liu. She took out her phone, secretly sending a message to Little Chang, and even tried to make a voice call, but he didn’t reply.
By the time Na Na reached the kitchen door, she remembered that Little Chang also didn’t bring his phone to work and that he was too busy with his job to notice any messages from her.
Very coincidentally, just as Tan Rou and the others were about to enter, Little Chang came out holding fresh beans.
“Young lady, what brings you here?” Little Chang greeted them with a smile. “Hey, Na Na, why are you here too? Could it be that you missed me?”
“You’re quite narcissistic,” Tan Rou said. “I’m asking you, did you bring Na Na a plate of pastries this morning?”
Little Chang admitted, “Yes, I brought them to Na Na. She said that you, young lady, wanted to eat them, so I picked a few of the best-looking ones and put them on the plate. Young lady, how did you find the taste of the pastries? Are they comparable to the ones you make?”
“Unfortunately,” Tan Rou said, “I didn’t taste any of the pastries because they were almost all eaten by someone before I woke up.”
Little Chang regretfully said, “The remaining pastries have already been sent to the lady and others; I can’t get you a few to try anymore. Why don’t you wait a day? Once the beans dry tomorrow, I and the Grand Master can make some especially for you. However, since you didn’t eat any pastries, who did eat them?”
“You should ask Na Na about that,” Tan Rou glanced at Na Na. “Na Na, explain what happened with the pastries and cookies this morning?”
“Cookies?” Like he had just remembered something, Little Chang said, “Young lady, those were for Na Na. This morning, I was trying to make new cookies, but I failed. The odd batch couldn’t be served to the ladies, so I gave them to Na Na to share with everyone.”
Na Na immediately retorted, “So those cookies were meant for me; I misunderstood, thinking the pastries were for me as well.”
Chapter 1355: 1354 admits mistake
Xiao Chang didn’t understand what they were discussing, but when he heard Na Na talk about the pastries and cookies, he said, “That’s right, I asked you to share the cookies with everyone. Did you share them with everyone?”
“I… I did share them,” Na Na chose to lie once more. “I handed out the cookies as soon as I left the house, you can ask the other servants if you don’t believe me.”
Zhuang Liu interjected, “How many cookies were there on that plate?”
Xiao Chang replied, “There were ten in total because a tray can fit twelve, and after messing up two, I kept them to figure out what went wrong, and gave the rest to Na Na.”
“Interestingly, there were also ten cookies on that plate.” Zhuang Liu had a very good memory. “The bottom layer had six, and the top layer four, making exactly ten cookies. I haven’t finished them yet; they are still out in the yard. You can go check if those are the cookies you provided.”
Xiao Chang frowned and asked, “Na Na, what exactly happened? Didn’t I ask you to distribute the cookies to everyone? Why did you take them to Mr. Zhuang instead?”
“You are quite clever,” Tan Rou sneered. “You keep the tasty stuff for yourself and bring the less tasty ones to Zhuang Liu to curry favor. Once you guys finish them, there would be no evidence left. Moreover, Zhuang Liu wouldn’t voluntarily say what kind of cookies he had, which reduces the chance of your deception being exposed.”
Na Na still was unwilling to admit her mistake, making excuses, “Miss, listen to me, I really remembered it wrong.”
“Since you said you remembered wrong, why did you bring the cookies to Zhuang Liu then?” Tan Rou questioned. “Just now, chef Xiao Chang also said those pastries were for me to eat. You might confuse the cookies and pastries, but surely you couldn’t have mistaken who they were for?”
Na Na answered, “You and Mr. Zhuang are family, it doesn’t matter who receives the cookies. You were asleep at that time, and Mr. Zhuang was running in the yard; I was afraid he might get hungry,so I just brought the cookies to him.”
“I didn’t ask you to bring me cookies, just a sports towel,” Zhuang Liu stated. “And I didn’t ask you, but this young girl here.”
Mei Mei said, “Yes, Mr. Zhuang asked me to bring the towel, but as I turned around, I saw Na Na taking the towel and following him out.”
Na Na glared at Mei Mei fiercely and warned, “Are we still friends? If you still consider me a friend, then don’t talk nonsense.”
“It seems you were prepared, even if Zhuang Liu hadn’t asked Mei Mei to bring a towel, you still would have taken it upon yourself to bring him one, right?” Tan Rou asked.
She quite admired Na Na, a mere maid daring to stir things up right under her nose. Did she not consider her a threat at all?
“I didn’t,” Na Na could only say this, as if saying these words would make everyone believe her.
“Shut up!” Tan Rou’s expression turned very serious. “Keep quiet until I allow you to speak!”
Mei Mei gently tugged at Na Na’s clothing and shook her head at her, “Stop talking, just apologize to the mistress quickly!”
All the evidence was against Na Na, and now she could only lower her head and apologize. But if she admitted her fault, would they send her away?
Xiao Chang also urged her, “Na Na, hurry up and apologize to the mistress. The mistress is very kind, and as long as you sincerely acknowledge your mistake, she will surely forgive you.”
Na Na was half convinced, she looked towards Tan Rou, but Tan Rou still had that calm expression, showing no signs of anger.
With no other choice, Na Na could only admit her fault. She walked up to Tan Rou, lowered her head, and said, “Miss, I’m sorry, the pastry incident was my fault. I shouldn’t have taken things to Mr. Zhuang without your permission. I will be careful from now on; unless you order, I won’t take things to anyone.”
“Are you actually admitting a mistake, or are you trying to sow discord between Zhuang Liu and me?” Tan Rou heard Na Na’s words and felt her anger rise. “The pastry incident is just the tip of the iceberg. The real mistake you made was slacking off during working hours and lying to your employer.”
Chapter 1356: 1355 resignation
“I did not lie…” Na Na instinctively contradicted Tan Rou’s words.
Zhuang Liu did not give her a chance to speak. He said to Tan Rou, “Why keep a maid who likes to be lazy and never tells the truth? We pay them to work, not to boss us around. Do we have to bear the consequences of their mistakes?”
Zhuang Liu was a man of principles. He could be gentle with his subordinates, but if they made principled errors, Zhuang Liu would never keep them.
Tan Rou didn’t want things to escalate to this extent. The reason she gave Na Na a chance to explain was to leave some leeway. As long as Na Na was willing to admit her mistakes, Tan Rou wouldn’t report the matter. But Na Na did not cherish the opportunity; she kept claiming her innocence and, even in admitting guilt, would shift the blame to others, showing a very poor attitude towards acknowledging her faults.
“Hmm, you make sense. We pay to hire them for work, not for them to enjoy life,” Tan Rou said, “Since you want to enjoy life, then go enjoy it somewhere else. We won’t keep you here to enjoy happy days.”
Na Na panicked, never expecting a simple snack to lead to such severe consequences.
“Miss, I really realize my mistake. Please give me another chance. I won’t make a mistake again,” Na Na pleaded tearfully, “Didn’t you ask for five thousand yuan? I’ll give it to you now. Please don’t drive me away!”
The Tao family paid high wages, and the area Na Na was assigned to was usually unoccupied. As long as she did some cleaning, there was nothing else to do. Na Na did not want to lose the job. After all, jobs were hard to find these days, and it would be a pity to lose such a high-paying job with few responsibilities.
Mei Mei also didn’t want her good friend to lose her job. She said, “Miss, we can pay double the money. Please be merciful and don’t dismiss Na Na.”
“You can leave as well,” Tan Rou said ruthlessly, “From the beginning, you have been pleading for this person. Since you two are so close, you might as well leave together.”
Now it was Mei Mei’s turn to be stunned; she too did not want to lose this great job. It would be a real pity to lose it. She had been pleading for Na Na in hopes of helping her keep the job, as good jobs are really hard to find. Also, the maid profession places great emphasis on past experience, and if they frequently changed employers, the next employer would surely not choose them.
“Miss, what did I do wrong?” Mei Mei asked reluctantly.
Tan Rou said, “As long as you work here, you need to follow the rules. If you can’t abide by them, then leave.”
Mei Mei insisted, “But I haven’t made any mistakes!”
“Do you think what your good friend did was right?” Tan Rou asked.
Mei Mei was stunned and after a while, she shook her head and said, “What Na Na did was wrong.” She and Na Na had been good friends for many years, and Mei Mei knew her well. What happened today was definitely Na Na’s fault, which is why she had been urging Na Na to apologize quickly.
“If you know that what she did was wrong, why are you still pleading for her?” Tan Rou asked again, “Do you think in your heart that the mistake she made was not serious?”
Mei Mei did indeed think that Na Na’s mistake was not serious—it was just eating a little something and being lazy during cleaning time. What harm could it do? As long as Na Na admitted her mistake and corrected it, wouldn’t that be enough?
Seeing Mei Mei’s expression, Tan Rou knew she too did not realize the mistake. In that case, they might as well leave together.
It’s really ridiculous. The Tao family hired them to work, yet they failed to do their job well and kept making excuses after making mistakes. Who would dare continue employing them?
“You two go to my mother later to settle this month’s salary,” Tan Rou said, “Although the month is not yet halfway through, since we are dismissing you proactively, we will still pay you for a full month as stipulated by the contract. Moreover, we’ll have to pay you an additional month’s salary as well. Once you receive your pay, just leave.”
Chapter 1357: 1356 does not want to leave
“Miss, I can’t lose this job,” Mei Mei began to cry, “This is already the third job we’ve found. If we get fired again, for sure no one will want to hire us.”
Tan Rou asked curiously, “Then why were you dismissed the previous two times?”
Mei Mei explained, “The first time we weren’t really dismissed, we left voluntarily because the people there had terrible tempers and treated us like slaves, with no respect at all. The second time wasn’t our fault either; the male head of that household was constantly harassing us, and when his wife found out, she fired us.”
Tan Rou was no saint; she didn’t want her sympathy to overflow, and for maids who had made serious mistakes, she wouldn’t be lenient. However, since the maids weren’t hired by her, she would have to make a trip to Mother Tao to have them dismissed.
“This isn’t my issue,” Tan Rou said, “Being fired twice already shows that you aren’t suited for this job. You’d better hurry up and find another job.”
Mei Mei and Na Na were orphans who hadn’t continued their education after junior high school. With no qualifications or relatives, it was really difficult for them to survive in the bustling Capital.
Ask them why they chose to be maids, and they would answer, “Because live-in maids have a place to live and food to eat, so we don’t have to spend money renting a place.”
Real estate in the Capital was worth its weight in gold. Buying a house here was very expensive, and renting a place wasn’t cheap either. To save money, Mei Mei and Na Na chose to work as maids in other people’s homes, but they were constantly unlucky, never managing to keep a maid’s job for more than three months.
Just as they were about to surpass three months in their current job, this incident occurred. They didn’t want to leave, nor could they afford to leave, so they had to find a way to stay with the Tao family.
“Miss, please, we really can’t leave,” Mei Mei pleaded through tears, “This summer is particularly hot, and if I leave the Tao family now, where would I find a place to live?”
“That’s your problem,” Tan Rou turned away, “Hurry up and take your money, don’t keep us from making breakfast here.”
Xiao Chang looked at Tan Rou, then at Mei Mei and Na Na, but ultimately he remained silent. Today’s incident involved him as well, but Tan Rou hadn’t pursued the matter. Since she hadn’t pursued his involvement, he decided not to interrupt lest he be considered an accomplice and be driven out alongside them.
He quietly moved to the back, hoping that no one would notice him.
But Na Na dragged him into the fray, “It’s all because you brought me that pastry. If you hadn’t given me those cookies, would this have happened?”
Xiao Chang was truly innocent; he had recently been learning to make new cookies from the master chef, but he was not skilled enough and accidentally overcooked them. Though his cookies were still better than many sold in stores, they were far from the master chef’s quality, so he considered them all failures.
Yet those cookies were quite tasty. It would have been a pity to throw them away, so he asked the steward for permission to distribute any unsuccessful cookies from his practice sessions to others. The steward had agreed to his request.
“I kindly gave you cookies to eat, and now when there is trouble you blame me?” Xiao Chang said, genuinely confused, “You gave in to your craving and ate the snacks intended for the Miss; you should be punished for that.”
Na Na retorted angrily, “Didn’t you say you liked me? Why won’t you help me out now?”
Xiao Chang did have a bit of a crush on Na Na, but he was sensible enough not to ruin his job over a fleeting affection; therefore, he chose to protect himself first.
“If you don’t want to leave, then go talk to the lady of the house. Don’t push your mistakes onto me,” Xiao Chang said, tired of arguing, “I still have to get breakfast ready, so I won’t stay here any longer.” He looked at Tan Rou with a smile, “Miss, I’ll be on my way.”
Tan Rou nodded, “Yes, go tend to your own matters.”
Xiao Chang carried the beans out the door.
“I’ve already made myself very clear regarding your two’s disposal, hurry up and pack your things and leave, don’t waste my time,” Tan Rou said.
Chapter 1358: No room for negotiation in 1357
The kitchen door is not a place for conversation, and Tan Rou led Na Na and Mei Mei inside the main house. Father Tao was sitting on the sofa reading the newspaper while Mother Tao was setting up the tableware needed for breakfast.
Upon seeing Tan Rou enter, Mother Tao immediately waved and said, “Tan Rou, come over and look at the new tableware I bought. Isn’t it pretty?”
Tan Rou walked over, scanned the tableware on the table, and responded, “Yes, the orchid pattern is very beautiful, and the design of the bowls and plates is also very pretty. It’s perfect for breakfast.”
Mother Tao, pleased with the compliment, smiled until her eyes were nearly invisible, “I knew you would like them.”
Only after praising the tableware did Tan Rou bring up the matter concerning Na Na and Mei Mei. She briefly described what had just happened before saying, “Mom, I’ll leave the rest up to your judgment. Do you think they should stay, or should they leave?”
Mother Tao, who undoubtedly trusted her daughter unconditionally, valued her daughter above the maids and thus stated, “OK, I will transfer the money into their accounts later.”
After Mother Tao made her decision, Na Na spoke up, “Madam, I really didn’t do it on purpose today. Please don’t dismiss us. If you fire us now, I don’t know where else to find work.”
Mother Tao said with a hint of a headache, “Our family has a rule about hiring maids; we do not hire those who have been dismissed many times. The person who recommended you didn’t tell me this. If she had informed me earlier, I never would have employed you.”
The Tao family could hire inexperienced newcomers as long as they were willing to learn and could work at the Tao estate. However, the Tao family did not hire those who had been domestic workers elsewhere since their departure from the previous home must have had a reason, whether it was others’ faults or their own, which was unacceptable.
“Madam, are you truly going to send us away?” Mei Mei spoke sadly as she enjoyed working here and liked the people of the Tao family. If she weren’t dismissed, she would be happy to work here for a lifetime.
“The Tao family lacks not for maids seeking work; I have no need to keep a maid who lazes around during work hours and steals our possessions.” Mother Tao’s expression was very serious. “These words are not only for them but for everyone. If you need anything, you can ask me, but you must not lie, nor must you steal.”
Mother Tao gave an example, saying, “Take the leftover cookies in the kitchen for instance. The quality of those cookies might not be the best, but they are edible, so I agreed to distribute them to everyone. You can eat them, but you absolutely cannot swap bad items for good ones. If you can swap poor cookies for pastries this time, next time you might dare to swap glass beads for my diamond ring. Therefore, I absolutely will not permit such activities on this estate!”
All the servants were intimidated by Mother Tao, standing with their heads bowed, not daring to utter a sound.
Mother Tao raised her voice and asked, “Did all of you hear clearly?”
The servants nodded and said, “We heard clearly.”
Father Tao set down his newspaper and walked to Mother Tao’s side, saying, “Calm down, there’s no need to get angry over such a small matter; just do what needs to be done.”
Pressing her temples, Mother Tao sighed, “I know everyone works hard, but that’s no excuse for laziness. Since you’re taking our money, you should be working diligently. Those who only take money without working might as well leave our house sooner.”
In the end, Na Na and Mei Mei were forcefully dismissed by Mother Tao. Although she typically appeared gentle, she was also capable; otherwise, she couldn’t manage all the affairs of the estate.
Grandma Tao had long since stopped managing affairs, and as the eldest daughter-in-law, it naturally fell upon Mother Tao to manage domestic matters. A person in charge must command authority; without it, one cannot control others.
Zhuang Liu, witnessing the way Mother Tao spoke, quietly said to Tan Rou, “Tan Rou, your mother is really impressive. She convinced those two in just a few words.”
Tan Rou admired her mother as well, remarking, “This is the first time I’ve realized my mom’s capabilities. Undoubtedly, she’s a natural leader. If she were to start a company, she would definitely manage it very well.”
Chapter 1359: 1358 new plan
After sorting out the matters with Na Na and Mei Mei, breakfast was served. Tan Rou and Zhuang Liu quickly finished their meal and then drove to work. Since Tan Rou had brought Zhuang Liu back last night, it was she who dropped him off at the company this morning.
Quite coincidentally, when they returned to the company, they ran into Xiao Mo. However, Xiao Mo wasn’t coming to work, he was about to drive out.
Seeing Zhuang Liu and Tan Rou laughing and chatting as they got out of the car, Xiao Mo finally felt relieved. He stopped his car and rolled down the window to greet Zhuang Liu, “Head of the Zhuang family, Miss Rou, good morning!”
Zhuang Liu nodded at him with a smile, “Mm.”
Xiao Mo had affairs to take care of, so after exchanging a few words, he drove away.
Tan Rou did not accompany Zhuang Liu upstairs. After watching him enter the building, she drove away.
Inside TR Company, Hang Wei was busily engaged with the day’s work. Tan Rou had stated in yesterday’s meeting that they needed to accelerate the pace of R&D to aim for completing the preliminary stage of the project before the end of summer break.
After arriving at the company, Tan Rou sought out Hang Wei immediately. Seeing Hang Wei working frantically at his computer desk, she couldn’t help but laugh, “Why are you working so hard? I’m not going to give you a raise.”
Thinking about his salary, Hang Wei felt even more motivated, “Given the salary you pay me, I could stay at the company 24 hours a day.”
Moving a little closer, Tan Rou asked, “Is there any technical issue in the development department?”
Hang Wei responded, “So far, no problems have been detected.”
Tan Rou stated, “If there are any issues, be sure to tell me. We should strive to resolve them quickly and then make a trip to J Country.”
Hang Wei, however, brought up another important point, “Boss, if you’re going to J Country, will you need to bring additional translators? J Country does not use the global common language, and only a minority of people there speak it. If we need to communicate with them, we’d either rely on mobile translations or use J Country’s language, both of which are troublesome.”
Tan Rou had also considered this issue. If they were going to J Country for leisure, mobile translation might suffice. But they were going to work, and constantly typing on phones would be a huge waste of time! However, expecting her staff to learn J Country’s language now seemed impossible. After all, J Country’s language was too complex for them to learn in a short time.
That left them with only one last resort, to hire a few proficient translators, like someone of Lin Yu’s caliber. But high-level translators were expensive, and there was no guarantee they would be able to accurately translate technical jargon.
After pondering, Tan Rou said, “There’s still some time before we depart. I’ll try my best to resolve the translation issue. If it really can’t be solved, then we’ll have to hire a few translators. For now, scout some translators but don’t contact them yet. We’ll reach out to them when I decide we need their services.”
“Mm, alright,” said Hang Wei.
After leaving Hang Wei’s office, Tan Rou didn’t head back to her office; instead, she made a round in the R&D department to check on any progress.
The project was once again entrusted to Shang Jin and Lang Yue because it was too large for one person to handle, and having worked together for many years, they made a suitable team to complete it.
“Any issues with the voltage?” Tan Rou walked into the lab, looked around, and then asked.
When Shang Jin saw that it was Tan Rou, he immediately stopped his work, “No issues so far. We’ve enlisted some local machinery from J Country for the development, and the results have been quite good.”
Tan Rou glanced over their workbench and encouraged, “Keep it up. Once the robot is improved, we can set off for J Country first, and let someone else handle the rest of the mechanical enhancements.”
Shang Jin asked one more question, “Are we the vanguard team?”
Tan Rou smiled, “That’s one way to put it. We’ll take our products over for a preliminary assessment of J Country’s environment. If a collaboration is feasible, we’ll complete the remaining project. If not, we’ll explore other options.”
Shang Jin was a bit excited, “I’ve never been to J Country before, and I’ve been looking forward to it.”
Tan Rou replied, “That makes two of us.”
Chapter 1360: 1359 translator
TR Mall had concluded the visitation period, during which Tan Rou received numerous calls for potential collaborations, but she politely declined all the business partners.
Currently, their company was not short on collaborative projects, even without Prince Laka’s initiatives, Tan Rou had many projects to complete, and she did not have the energy to take on additional projects.
The R&D department was also working hard to research and improve the machines, and Tan Rou was not idle either; she was pondering over the matter of translation, wondering whether or not to hire a translator. After several days of indecision, she came up with a solution.
That day, Hang Wei was in front of the computer desk reading news from Country J because their company was going to collaborate with Country J. Although he wouldn’t be going there, he still needed to pay attention to the local news and get an idea about the domestic situation in Country J.
“I have something for you to help experiment with.” Tan Rou came in holding a black box, “Could you help me see if there are any issues so that I can rush to make improvements?”
Hang Wei looked up from the computer desk and, seeing the black box in Tan Rou’s hands, asked, “What new gadget have you developed this time?”
Tan Rou answered, “A simple language translator.”
Hang Wei immediately understood what kind of translator it was. “No wonder you only let me look at the translations and not contact them. So, it was because you were secretly researching translators.”
Tan Rou said, “The language of Country J is quite difficult to learn, and as it is a lesser-known language, not many people study it. If we were to hire a translator for interpretation, the cost would double.”
Hang Wei had also considered this issue, “That’s true. We would not only have to pay for the translation services but also ensure the translator’s accommodations, which would be a significant expense.”
“So I opted for a simpler method.” Tan Rou shook the black box in her hand, “This is a basic translator that can only translate between our country’s language and that of Country J. However, it’s enough for our needs. After all, it’s for one-time use, and once we return from Country J, we won’t need this translator anymore.”
Hang Wei was excited, “Let me try it out.”
Tan Rou instructed, “Just hold it in your hand and turn on the switch at the top.”
Hang Wei followed the instructions to turn on the translator and, after hearing a “beep” sound, began to speak, “I am Hang Wei, the handsomest man in the world.”
A second after the machine spoke, it emitted another string of words. Although Hang Wei could not understand what it was saying, he could indeed recognize it as a language.
Tan Rou rolled her eyes in exasperation and said, “Can’t you be a bit more serious?”
Hang Wei chuckled, “I’m just testing how well it works. If it can’t translate everyday sentences, then what good is it?”
Tan Rou nodded, “Alright, then ask it some more everyday sentences. I’ll have someone else test the specific terms later.”
Hang Wei was pleased; he began to speak faster and uttered a long sentence, curious to see if the little translator could translate his words.
It turned out that the translator still had flaws; if a sentence exceeded fifteen words, it could not translate accurately.
Hang Wei tapped the black machine and complained, “I just said such a long speech, why did it only translate a sentence?”
Tan Rou took the small machine back and explained, “The sentence you spoke was too long, and you spoke too quickly; it couldn’t translate immediately.”
Hang Wei grumbled, “Then what is the use of it?”
Tan Rou gave him a look and replied, “The purpose of you helping with the test was to identify its flaws. If it was perfect, I would have used it directly without wasting time on testing.”
Hang Wei quickly changed his attitude. “Heh, boss, take it back and improve it. When it’s ready to translate, come find me for a test again. I will definitely find longer sentences for it to translate.”
Tan Rou said, “I will take it back for improvements shortly, but there’s still one experiment we haven’t done. We were so focused on translating your words that we haven’t tried translating the language of Country J yet.”
Hang Wei almost forgot about that, “Then you speak, and I’ll listen to see if the translation has any issues.”
Here, only Tan Rou knew the language of Country J, so the testing task had to be left to her.