Chapter 14: The True and False Heir

  Suluo has been having a tough time lately. She is facing the most severe and realistic problem, which is survival.

  Although they were just a family of scholars, not a wealthy one, she didn't spend money lavishly, but from a young age, everything she ate and used was carefully prepared by her family, all exquisite. Even when she traveled back in time, it was still a small well-off family with enough pocket money. But now, after swiping her card, someone would pay it back, and the savings account containing all her birthday money had already been left behind in another distant time and space, and everything from food to clothing to shelter had to be earned by her own two hands.

  She calculated an account, the original owner's monthly fixed salary is 2500, the commission for selling a bunch of flowers is 1 yuan, and the high-end varieties will be higher, at most 10 yuan per pot. Calculating that one month can earn 3000 to 3500, encountering Valentine's Day, Christmas and other months, it is possible to earn around 4000. However, every month's rent, water and electricity fees are 1000 yuan, two mobile phone bills are around 100 yuan, her bus pass is 50 yuan, living expenses for Su Xiaopeng are 500 yuan, buying toothpaste, toothbrushes, toilet paper, shampoo and other daily necessities cost around 100 yuan. Fixed deposits in another account for Su Xiaopeng's education expenses are 1000 yuan. After deducting these, only a few hundred yuan are left, which is her total living expenses. Occasionally, when the commission is higher, she can buy a few discounted clothes to change and wear.

  I've never been so poor!

  She had just arrived when the original owner had just received last month's salary of 3,300 yuan, paid the necessary fees, set aside living expenses and book fees for Su Xiaopeng, leaving only 600 yuan. In a situation where she didn't buy anything, wasn't sick or had any accidents, and had no unexpected expenses, she had to rely on this money to survive until next month, averaging 20 yuan per day.

  At first, I didn't think much of it because when I was in school, the monthly meal card would also be swiped for about this amount. But after just a few days, I realized that the situation wasn't optimistic.

  The cost of eating a meal outside is completely different from the price in the school cafeteria.

  In the school canteen, you can still buy a serving of white vegetable tofu for 60 cents, and rice is 1-3 yuan. Five yuan is enough to eat until she's full. Even if she eats something more luxurious like sand pot noodles or covered rice, it's only 7 or 8 yuan. However, outside, the cheapest bowl of green vegetable noodle soup costs at least 10 yuan. Especially in the area where their flower shop is located, the surrounding area is filled with high-end white-collar workers, and even a Lanzhou hand-pulled noodle shop is hard to find, let alone Sha County. So, she had no choice but to order takeout from the cheapest places for a week, which severely drained her wallet. With no other option, starting from the second week, she could only buy ingredients herself and make some relatively cheap and nutritious bento boxes.

  That night, at almost ten o'clock, Suoluo moved the flowers and grass placed outside into the store to prepare for closing. A black Mercedes-Benz stopped in front of the store door, and a man in a suit got out, who was Liu Zheng.

  Liu Xiangya has been frowning lately, saying that Qin Hui is hesitant about his girlfriend and doesn't want to break up, causing the two to progress slowly. Liu Zheng couldn't bear to see his beloved withering away day by day, so he decided to step in and help her clear the obstacles.

  "Excuse me, is anyone there?"

  "Hello, welcome, take a look around and see if you need anything?" Su Luo was squatting among a pile of flowers and grasses, so Liu Zheng didn't see her.

  "Miss Su, hello! I'm Xiaoya's father. If you don't mind, you can call me Uncle Liu. I heard from Xiaoya that you work here, and since I was passing by, I thought I'd drop in to say hi. Also, I'd like to buy a couple of plants to take back with me, could you introduce some to me?"

  Liu Zheng had a very polite appearance, but it was enough to scare Su Luo silly.

  My god! It's actually a rubbish father! However, he's really handsome, at least more charming than Qin Hui. But the timing of his appearance is wrong, originally there was no such scene in the book, who can tell her how the plot will unfold next?

  Forget it, never mind, for now just treat him as an ordinary guest.

  "Hello Mr. Liu, I am Suoluo. Nice to meet you. Can you specifically tell me where this plant should be placed or if there are any special requirements for its efficacy or variety?"

  "I really don't understand about this, just pick two simple and elegant ones that are suitable for placing in the study room."

  "If you don't have any special requirements for the variety, I think African Jasmine, Lucky Bamboo or Orchid are all good choices. African Jasmine, also known as Gray Wood, has elegant flowers and releases a light fragrance in the morning and evening, which can help people relax, improve sleep quality and increase work efficiency. Take a look, isn't it beautiful? As for Lucky Bamboo, it contains plant fragrances and antibacterial ingredients, not only can it remove bacteria and viruses from the air, but also has a certain protective effect on preventing books from getting damp and moldy in humid weather. In terms of appearance, it's like this, and it's one of our best-selling varieties. As for Orchids, as everyone knows, they are known as the 'gentlemen' of flowers, with strong ornamental value and investment potential. However, we currently don't have any particularly good ones in stock, so I personally recommend you to choose from the first two or something more common like Aloe Vera, which can also prevent radiation."

  "Then get a pot of African jasmine and a pot of Wenzhu." He bought plants just as an excuse, so it didn't matter what kind.

  "Alright, the total comes out to be 288 yuan for everything, would you like to pay by card or cash?"

  "Swipe card."

  Su Luo quickly settled the bill with Liu Zheng, but he seemed to have no intention of leaving.

  "Mr. Liu, anything else? I'm closing up."

  "It's too late, I'll see you home, it's not safe for a girl like you to be walking alone at night."

  "Thank you, I'll just take the bus back, no need to trouble you! Why do I feel a bit anxious? No fuss, no muss!"

  "Don't be polite, I'm also a father of a daughter. If Xiaoya is going to return so late, I wouldn't feel at ease either. Moreover, you've already been delayed for a bit, and by now the last bus might have left."

  Since you've said so, Sulolo couldn't refuse: "Then I'll trouble you."

  All the way, Liu Zheng didn't say much, occasionally chatting about Xiao Ya's affairs or asking about Su Luo Luo's study and life situation, just like a normal father's attitude towards his daughter's friend. This also made Su Luo Luo gradually put down her guard, thinking that she had thought too much before, and maybe the "trash dad" really just loved the house and the crow, so he took care of himself. After all, nothing has happened yet, Xiao Ya is still fine, and she hasn't been labeled as a "murderer" or an "evil poisonous woman".

  After that day, Liu Zheng would come to Su Luo's shop every now and then. Sometimes he would buy some flowers or plants and ask her for advice on how to care for them, sometimes he would just drop by to chat with her for a bit. Occasionally, he would even bring back small snacks or trinkets from his business trips as gifts for her. They were nothing expensive or extravagant, so it didn't feel out of place.

  Liu Zheng had an harmless look of a senior taking care of a junior, which made Su Luo thoroughly put down her suspicions and accept his kindness with an open mind, treating it as a substitute for the late-coming father-daughter affection from her original master.

  On the other hand, Liu Xiaoya and Qin Hui were fighting fiercely.

  One day, Xiaoya was taking a bath in Qin Hui's bathroom. She "accidentally" forgot to lock the door and then "accidentally" slipped, letting out a loud shriek that attracted Qin Hui, who saw her completely naked.

  If it were a female supporting character, this kind of low-level seduction would definitely be exposed in no time, and then she would be disgraced. But who let her be the heroine!

  Tan Hui not only didn't feel disgusted, but instead felt guilty for taking advantage of the girl because of his own carelessness. Moreover, after seeing the restricted scenes, he became even more infatuated with Xiao Ya, and even had dreams about the bathroom scene.

  Another day, Suoluo was on the morning shift. At 5:30, after handing over to his colleagues, he prepared to go to the market to buy some vegetables and then head home to cook dinner.

  Just as she walked to the bus stop, Liu Zheng's car drove towards her.

  Liu Zheng rolled down the car window and beckoned her to get in.

  "Uncle Liu, is there something?" Under Liu Zheng's persistence, she had changed her way of addressing him.

  "We'll talk about it in the car, we can't park here."

  Suoluo saw that they had already obstructed traffic, so he reluctantly opened the car door and sat in the passenger seat. Liu Zheng immediately drove the car out of the bus lane.

  Liu Zheng drove while explaining to Su Luo why he had come to pick her up.

  "Xiao Ya has been feeling down lately and was hurt a little while ago. I told her to rest at home but she wouldn't listen, insisting on going to the company every day. So I'm troubling you to persuade her for me, as people of your age communicate better. Tonight she'll be coming back home for dinner, it's a good opportunity for you to get familiar with our place, and in the future you can come over more often."

  This statement is reasonable, Suoluo didn't think much about it, after all, outsiders all thought they were good sisters, and it's normal to be a matchmaker. She just muttered in her heart that the scumbag father was really speechless towards the heroine, even she was moved.

  "Is Xiaoya injured? What happened, is it serious?"

  "It's just a sprain, not too serious. However, for injuries that affect the tendons and bones, it's still necessary to rest well to avoid leaving behind any underlying problems."

  "Uncle, don't worry, I'll help you persuade her properly. But you shouldn't be too worried either, Xiaoya should know what's at stake, she told me that this opportunity is very important to her and she wants to learn as much as possible."

  "Then thank you first, what do you want to eat, Uncle will ask the nanny to make it for you."

  "I'm not picky about food, thank you uncle." She had already said goodbye to delicious food for a while, and didn't know what good food there was tonight, thinking about it made her a little hungry.

  Liu Zheng didn't ask her anymore and directly called the nanny, instructing her to cook a few more dishes as there were guests coming.

  Liu's villa was a distance from Suoluo's workplace, and it coincided with the evening rush hour, so when they arrived, the sky had already completely darkened. Suoluo took out his Nokia straight-board phone to take a look, and it was already 7 o'clock.

  "Don't be polite, just sit down, Xiaoya will be back soon too, and we can have dinner in a bit."

  Suoluo sat down on the sofa. Looking at Liu's large mansion, he found it strange that there wasn't even a servant coming or going, but he didn't pay much attention to it.

  "You must be hungry, have some snacks first. Xiaoya usually comes back around this time." Liu Zheng personally poured her a glass of water and put Xiaoya's snack box on the coffee table.

  "Thank you, Uncle, I'm not hungry yet, otherwise, I'll give Xiaoya a call?"

  "Don't hit anymore, it's almost time. Come on, try this, the taste is not bad." Liu Zheng saw Su Luo Luo was about to call Xiaoya and quickly stopped her, then peeled open a bag of snacks for her.

  Su Luo vaguely felt that something was off, but couldn't quite put her finger on it. Seeing Liu Zheng's resolute attitude, she hesitated for a moment before putting down her phone after all, she was in someone else's home and had to be polite.

  The atmosphere in the living room was slightly awkward, Su Luo glanced at the time and it was already 7:10. She thought to herself that if Liu Xiaya didn't return after a while, she would get up and bid farewell, Liu Zheng wouldn't keep her against her will.