Chapter 132 — Then Go Out with Him, and Take Xiao Tang and Xiao Yi's Relationship a Step Further, Please Vote for Me!!!!, "Mom," Tang Zhi patted her small chest, glancing behind her with some alarm—thankfully that wicked man had not followed to pester her, otherwise she truly would not have known what to do.

"Yun'er, school's out!" Mother Tang was lighting the charcoal in the grill; at this hour every day the twelfth graders were dismissed, and there was still a fair bit of business to be had. "Heh, quick, put down your schoolbag and give your mom a hand."

The twelfth graders got out late, well past the dinner hour. After school, many of them would casually buy a bite to eat near the school to stave off hunger before heading home for their meal.

"Mm, Mom, why are you so happy today? Business good?" Tang Zhi was rather surprised to see her mother in such high spirits.

"Heh, Wei Zhao says he has a recipe for Orleans-style barbecue seasoning, and he'll bring it to me tomorrow to improve our grill—then business will surely pick up." Talking about it, Mother Tang could not contain her delight. "I hear you kids all love this Orleans flavor. Our business is bound to get a good deal better!"

"Wei Zhao?" Tang Zhi's expression shifted slightly at the name. "He came again?"

"Around noon, he came with his classmate to eat." Mother Tang did not notice her daughter's odd look. "Such a nice boy—none of the bad habits of those rich young masters, and so courteous to everyone..."

"Him?" Tang Zhi curled her lip in disdain. "Mom, he's up to no good."

"What kind of talk is that from a child like you? What do you mean, up to no good? He's kindly helping us—how can you say such a thing?" Mother Tang was instantly annoyed. "He's up to no good? How is he up to no good? Look at our situation—what could a rich young master like him possibly want from us?"

"He... he..." Tang Zhi felt wronged, biting her lip until she nearly drew blood, her delicate face full of reluctance. "Mom, can't you see? He... he wants to be friends with me..."

Tang Zhi decided to just lay it all out, to let her mother see Wei Zhao's true, loathsome colors—shameful as it was, it was better than letting her mother be deceived by that wicked man.

"Making friends, that's a good thing! That boy Wei Zhao—I think he's quite nice. Spend more time with him, it'll do you good too." Mother Tang glared at her daughter. "Who knows, his family knows people—they could help your father find someone, and the factory would pay out the compensation! Silly girl, you don't understand a thing. Don't you see how the world works? Wang Jiaming at the factory—didn't he just slice a chunk of flesh off his finger on the lathe? Is that even a real injury? But his brother-in-law's uncle on his wife's side is some minor official at the neighborhood office, and that bastard factory director Sun Laifu paid him ten thousand yuan in medical fees and even came to visit! See how easy things are for people with connections!"

"Mom..." Tang Zhi felt even more wronged; she hadn't expected her words to draw out such a flood of grievances from her mother. Yet what her mother said was also true—how could Tang Zhi not understand? Only, how could her mother know anything about the lives of these rich young masters? To them, playing with women was as commonplace as changing clothes—why would they ever help with her family's petty troubles? Never mind just making friends—even if she... did that, it would be of no use at all.

"Mom, you haven't forgotten about Xiao Fen, have you? Back then that man also said he'd help Xiao Fen's family—and now?" Tang Zhi did not argue with her mother; she simply laid out the facts and reasoned with her.

"How can that man compare with Wei Zhao? Not even close!" Mother Tang snorted. "I said it back then—that man had shifty eyes, a little thug. Just because he had a bit of money at home he thought he was something, and I told you to stay away from him! Your mother has lived this long—she can still tell a good person from a bad one!"

"..." Tang Zhi was speechless. It seemed her mother really had been taken in by Wei Zhao's disguise, actually speaking up for him.

"You silly girl, you're just stubborn, same as I was, unable to see through the ways of the world. Back when I was at the factory, your mother was a flower of the workshop. The workshop director introduced his son to me, and I looked down on the boy—I took a fancy to your father, that skilled worker. And what came of it?" Without waiting for Tang Zhi to speak, Mother Tang chattered on with her lecture. "The workshop director's son now runs a travel agency and makes millions a year. Look at your father—injured and no one cares, and I have to work myself to death every day running a stall to make ends meet. Why can't you get it through your head? If I could choose again, I'd certainly pick the workshop director's son. I'd be a wealthy lady by now—how could I be slaving away like this every day?"

Her mother's words silenced Tang Zhi. True, her mother's words were very worldly, but at this moment Tang Zhi no longer blamed her. What woman bore the household alone, going out by day to run a stall and earn money for her husband's medical treatment and her daughter's schooling, then coming home at night to tend her paralyzed husband—food, drink, and everything else—until midnight? And after he fell asleep, she still could not rest; she had to prepare the ingredients for the next day's barbecue stall. A life like that—no wonder her mother had such mercenary thoughts.

Yet Tang Zhi could not agree with her mother's thinking either. Shouldn't a woman be able to stand on her own rather than lean entirely on a man? Through her own efforts, a woman could make a name for herself and give her whole family a good life just the same.

"All right, Mom, I'll say no more. If you want his recipe, take it—I won't interfere." Tang Zhi did not want to make her mother angry; she lowered her head and helped her mother with the work.

"Then tomorrow, go to his class and get the recipe from him—and don't forget to thank him!" Seeing Tang Zhi's reluctant look, Mother Tang sighed. "Silly girl, saying a few nice words to someone won't kill you."

"Huh?" Tang Zhi was busy arranging the meat skewers and, hearing her mother's words, her hand shook and a skewer dropped to the ground.

"What are you doing, you foolish girl? How can you be so clumsy?" Mother Tang felt the sting of it—that was a whole yuan! She hurried to pick it up and set it aside. "We'll wash it when we get home and grill it for your father tonight."

Usually the family could not bear to eat these skewers themselves; only the ones left unsold or no longer fresh were given to Father Tang as a rare treat—Tang Zhi and her mother would never dream of eating them.

"Mom, I don't want to go get it. Can't you just have him bring it over himself?" Tang Zhi did not want to go looking for Wei Zhao. For her to seek him out on her own initiative—what would that even be?

Hearing her daughter's words, Mother Tang nearly died of anger. "He's giving us the recipe, and you want him to deliver it himself? What are you thinking? Does he owe you?"

"But..." Tang Zhi lowered her head and pursed her lips, looking a little displeased.

"You stubborn girl—fine, if you won't go, then I'll go tomorrow!" Seeing her daughter say nothing, Tang's mother felt rather helpless.

"Then... I'd better go after all," Tang Zhi said, and since her mother had put it that way, she had no choice but to agree.