Time Travel: A Fisherwoman Goes to the Sea to Raise a Baby

Chapter 495 A Rare Guest Arrives

Old Lu sensed something was wrong. When he followed Xu Yiyi's gaze and saw those people, his previous playful demeanor vanished, replaced by a stern face.

He frowned and said, "They don't seem to have good intentions."

Xu Yiyi snorted lightly and said nonchalantly, "The good guys aren't here yet."

As soon as they finished speaking, the three of them arrived at the restaurant entrance.

"What's up? What are you here for?" Old Lu leaned casually against the sign, his tone extremely impatient.

Grandma Xu gave him a disdainful look: "Who are you? What kind of status do you have to talk to me like that?"

Old Lu chuckled and turned to look at Xu Yiyi.

"I'm going back to work now. You stay here and deal with these idiots!"

These words were like a firecracker being set off; Grandma Xu and Su Rulan were furious.

"What do you mean?"

……

"Who are you calling stupid? You're the stupid one! You're the big idiot!" Su Rulan stood at the door with her hands on her hips and yelled.

Old Lu was about to retort when Xu Yiyi pushed him into the hall.

Noticing the gazes of the guests inside, Xu Yiyi impatiently dragged the two of them toward the backyard.

"What? Let me go! I'm your aunt... I'm telling you..."

Su Rulan struggled, afraid that Xu Yiyi, with her bad temper, would suddenly go berserk and hit her.

"This is outrageous..." Grandma Xu cursed.

Xu Yizhi was stunned for a moment when he saw his grandmother and mother being dragged away at the same time, and then he quickly followed.

Noticing that Grandma Xu was trying to bite her hand, Xu Yi slapped her and threw her against the wall.

The two immediately screamed.

What's that noise?

Aunt Zhao suddenly stood up and listened carefully: "I think I hear her grandmother's voice."

Aunt Zhang laughed and said, "Have you gone crazy from working so hard? That old woman hardly ever comes to town."

Her mother-in-law and Grandma Xu had never gotten along, so she didn't respect Grandma Xu much.

"Wait a minute! It really does sound like her voice."

Aunt Zhang's laughter stopped abruptly, and she stood up as well. "Tsk tsk tsk... It really is! Why is she screaming so pitifully? The sound seems to be coming from outside."

She pointed to the back door.

Several aunties instantly turned into gossipy types and ran out the back door in unison.

When they saw the scene before them, they were all dumbfounded.

"One by one... what... what's wrong with them?" Aunt Zhao suddenly covered her mouth, her tongue starting to slur.

Aunt Zhang watched as Grandma Xu lay on the ground clutching her waist and howling, wishing she could sprout wings and fly back to the island to bring her mother-in-law over to watch the show together.

However, she didn't have wings, and because Xu Yiyi was present, she smiled very reservedly at this moment.

Xu Yiyi glanced at them and said in a very calm tone, "If you're really bored, find something to do. Don't bother me. I'm very busy."

Su Rulan was so angry that her lips trembled, and she jumped up from the ground.

[Looks like a zombie.]

Xu Yiyi thought to herself.

"You heartless wretch! How could you say that? I'm your aunt, and she's your grandmother." Su Rulan pointed at Grandma Xu, who was screaming on the ground.

They quickly helped her up.

"We'll let your rudeness slide this time, but..."

Su Rulan's merciful demeanor amused Xu Yiyi.

So before she could finish speaking, Xu Yiyi interrupted her.

"Show mercy? What can you do to me? Hit me? You think you can beat me? Or are you going to use filial piety to pressure me again? Do you think I care?"

Xu Yiyi said dismissively.

"Go back to where you came from, and don't bother me, or I'll beat you up..." she said playfully.

That's infuriating!

Several older women, who were huddled at the doorway, exchanged glances upon hearing this and then chuckled to themselves.

"Ah..." Su Rulan opened her mouth to curse, but Grandma Xu grabbed her arm.

The old lady gave Xu Yiyi a deep look, got up from the ground, and pulled Xu Yizhi to her side.

"You know about your brother too..."

Xu Yiyi's mouth twisted into a smirk as she stretched out her arm: "Stop! I have younger brothers, my own brothers, three of them. This... who is it? I don't know them."

Sensing Xu Yiyi's disdain, Xu Yizhi felt resentful and unconsciously took a step back.

Grandma Xu took a deep breath. “Cousin! Your cousin is going to school now. Your second uncle and aunt are busy and can’t bring him lunch. From today onwards, he can eat lunch here with you.”

This was said with such confidence, as if Xu Yiyi's place was just a daycare center, without considering whether Xu Yiyi was willing or not.

Su Rulan, standing nearby, immediately chimed in, her tone softening, "Yes, Yi-yi, we're all family. Yi-zhi is your cousin; how could we let him go hungry while he eats here? It saves us the trouble of running back and forth. It's just a matter of adding an extra pair of chopsticks!"

Xu Yi listened without even bothering to lift her eyelids.

But his words were even more cutting: "Busy? Then go hungry. You won't starve if you skip a meal."

She crossed her arms and said, "This is a restaurant that's open for business, not a charity, and certainly not your kitchen. Why should I take care of his lunch?"

She paused, a sarcastic smile playing on her lips: "If your family is really so busy that you don't even have time to bring your only son a meal, then let him bring his own. Or... aren't there any food stalls near the school? He can just pay for it. What kind of nonsense is it to come here and eat and drink for free?"

Upon hearing this, Grandma Xu's face turned a deep shade of liver, her fingers trembling with anger as she pointed at Xu Yiyi: "You...you unfilial son..."

"I'm unfilial?" Xu Yi interrupted her. "Grandma, put your hands on your heart. After my father died, did you, as his grandmother, ever show any kindness? Did you ever give my siblings and me a bite to eat? Did you ever help us out with a single penny? Not only did you not, you even couldn't wait to contact Madam Wu to come to the island to sell Wu Yuan for money..."

Xu Yiyi paused suddenly, looked at Grandma Xu's confused eyes, and revealed a mocking smile.

Several elderly women who were watching the commotion covered their mouths when they heard these words.

They never expected Grandma Xu to be so ruthless, even selling her own grandson.

"What? You don't remember? Well, you're full of money and that good-for-nothing Xu Yizhi, how could you remember such trivial things..." Xu Yiyi's voice suddenly rose.

Grandma Xu was so frightened that she took a step back.

"Now that you see things are starting to look up here, you want to push people over here to take advantage of me? There's no such logic in the world!" She finally rolled her eyes impatiently.

"If you hadn't been so ruthless, our relationship wouldn't have deteriorated to this extent," Xu Yiyi said casually.

The aunties at the door all nodded affirmatively.

"In the end, it's because they went too far. Wasn't Xu Laosan born from her womb? To do this to one's own child is simply heartless."

Aunt Zhang chimed in, "That's right, it's okay to be biased, after all, even five fingers are of different lengths. But it's too biased. When Xu Laosan first left, Yi Yi and her siblings were all skinny and thin. Wu Yuan even went so far as to mooch milk from other members of the clan. From setting up a stall to now opening a restaurant, it was only with great difficulty that they finally got better, and they immediately wanted to get a share of the profits. They're quite shameless."

Aunt Zhang's eyes were filled with disdain. She and the others, including Ah Rong who had been fired, were among the first people the restaurant hired.

You could say I watched this restaurant grow step by step.

No matter how difficult the period was, with constant suppression from peers, Xu Yiyi shouldered it all.

They saw it all too.

Aunt Li joked, "Hey! Haven't you heard this saying? Ordinary people's faces are made of flesh, but the faces of mothers-in-law and daughters-in-law are made of bronze and iron. They can't be cut by a knife or splashed with water."

As soon as he finished speaking, the group exchanged smiles.

Grandma Xu and Su Rulan felt deeply wronged after being ridiculed.

Xu Yizhi, standing to the side, wished he could dig a hole and bury himself so he wouldn't be laughed at.

Upon hearing this, Xu Yiyi smiled.

She looked at the three people in front of her with a mocking gaze: "Aunt Li is absolutely right. Some people have such thick skin that even a knife can't cut them."

Su Rulan's eyes gleamed: "You run such a big restaurant, you can't be so stingy with a meal, can you? If word gets out, aren't you afraid people will gossip about you behind your back, saying you're rich but heartless and cruel to your family?"

"I run a restaurant, and I earn my money through hard work. Every penny is earned by me, Anyang, and my siblings from dawn till dusk, working tirelessly in the smoke and fire. So who I feed and who I don't feed is my freedom, and it's none of anyone else's business to tell me what to do," Xu Yiyi said calmly. "As for being heartless and cruel to one's family..."

A faint, yet utterly cold, smile slowly curved her lips: "Say what you will."

Su Rulan was stunned: "You don't even want your reputation anymore?"

Xu Yiyi scoffed, "What kind of junk is this? Can you eat it?"

Just as she was about to return to the restaurant, Xu Yizhi, who had been silent all along, anxiously tugged at Grandma Xu's sleeve.

"Grandma!" he murmured softly.

Hearing the noise, Xu Yiyi turned her gaze to him. It turned out that the boy had been loitering at the door all day because he was craving something.

"You're a good-for-nothing." Her tone was sarcastic.

If only he had the courage to walk in himself and ask for food.

How could she not give it to her?

What a coward! He has to drag his mother into it to make his point and exert pressure over such a trivial matter.

"You're not allowed to leave. I'm making this clear today: Yizhi will be eating lunch here from now on." Grandma Xu's attitude was firm, giving no chance for negotiation.

Of course, Xu Yiyi didn't care about this opportunity.

"Then come in!" she said casually.

Su Rulan and Aunt Xu exchanged a glance, their faces showing surprise and a hint of secret joy.

Then Xu Yiyi continued slowly, "However, let me make this clear from the start. If you're not worried about me putting something in the food, then feel free to come in and eat."

The smiles that had just appeared on the faces of the three vanished instantly.

"You... what did you say? Are you crazy?" Su Rulan screamed, her voice cracking. "You dare to poison me? This is murdering a family member! I'm going to report this to the authorities and have the magistrate arrest you and throw you in jail."

Grandma Xu was trembling with anger: "This is outrageous! This is outrageous! You..."

Seeing their exasperated expressions, Xu Yiyi actually felt happy.

"Who told you I was going to poison someone? Don't slander me! Otherwise, I'll report you to the authorities..."

She tilted her head slightly, her eyes filled with innocence: "I just... added a little extra seasoning to the dish. For example, didn't you say he has a delicate stomach and can't eat anything unclean? So I accidentally added a little extra oil, or maybe I was too busy and didn't wash the vegetables properly, or... used some less common spices. Whether he gets diarrhea or vomits after eating it, those are all normal reactions. Who can prove that I did it on purpose?"

She glanced at Su Rulan, whose face had turned deathly pale, and at Grandma Xu, who was staring in disbelief, and shrugged gently.

"So, whether you come in to eat or not is up to you. If you dare to come in, you'd better be mentally prepared."

After saying that, Xu Yiyi went into the restaurant without looking back.

With a bang, the women quickly slammed the door shut.

"Now that we've said all that, they won't shamelessly come in, will they?" Aunt Zhao said, then quickly peeked out through the crack in the door.

The three of them left without looking back, as if avoiding a plague.

Aunt Zhao laughed and said, "Oh! It ran away! What a coward!"

"let me see."

As she spoke, Aunt Zhang opened the back door and saw the three of them coming out of the alley.

“Even if they get in, it doesn’t necessarily mean they’ll do anything!” Aunt Li said confidently.

With their departure, the backyard returned to its bustling state.

Several middle-aged women chatted as they prepared the ingredients.

"If you ask me, they're just insecure and too ruthless. Now that Yi Yi has become successful, they want to take advantage of her and are afraid that she'll be just as ruthless as them and tamper with her food to get revenge... They're really judging others by their own petty standards." Aunt Zhang's tone was full of seriousness.

Aunt Zhao chuckled and said, "Oh my! You're quite cultured, aren't you? You can even say something so profound."

"Go away, I've only heard Sanchuan talk about it all the time, so I've heard it a little bit."

Hearing Aunt Zhao's teasing, Aunt Zhang splashed some water on her, and the group immediately started making a ruckus.

After the laughter subsided, Aunt Li finally spoke up: "Yi-yi may seem a bit cold and speak harshly, but look at how she treats us helpers, her great-grandparents, and her younger siblings. She's genuinely good to us in every way. She makes new winter clothes on demand, never delays payment, and even often gives bonuses. Not only are the meals plentiful, but we can even take some home. She even buys grain for the clan every month—not much, but a few pounds of rice for each household. This girl may be sharp-tongued, but her heart is incredibly soft. She would never actually do such lowly things! She's just trying to scare them!"

Everyone sighed with emotion.

Just then, Lao Lu came over from the kitchen's food delivery area carrying a large tray, ready to take it to the front of the house.

He had obviously overheard what the older women were saying.

As he passed by Xu Yiyi, he paused, turned his head, and revealed his usual slightly roguish smile.