"Then it’s settled. You tell the people in the shop that they can stay and keep working there just like before," Lin Jiayi said with a smile. 𝒻𝑟𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝑛𝘰𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝘤𝘰𝘮

Those people can’t leave. If they do, what’s the point of her buying two shops?

Just like before, she won’t have to worry about anything, just like Lin Chuxia, and just collect the money.

Lin Chuxia smiled slightly, "I can’t control that. They just work at the bun shop; it doesn’t mean they are for sale to the shop. Didn’t Mom just say that? They’re outsiders, and if they have any ideas..."

Lin Jiayi was momentarily stunned.

She wanted Lin Chuxia’s shop to show off to that Zhuang guy, not let him see a well-managed shop go downhill the moment she got her hands on it.

Especially not to throw money into the bun shop and see it go down the drain.

If that happened, how could that Zhuang guy ever trust her with anything?

"Isn’t Sun Lanlan your best friend? And Zhang Guilan, she’s your sister-in-law. Talk to them and have them work well for me, I’ll definitely not treat them poorly."

Lin Chuxia’s smile didn’t fade, "Yes, big sister, Sun Lanlan is my best friend, Zhang Guilan is my sister-in-law. If you think they’d screw me over, who knows what they’ll do with a new boss?"

"What do you mean by that? Didn’t your big sister say you should talk to them? Do you think they’d do something so dishonorable? Or are you harboring such thoughts, wanting to make your big sister miserable? Let me tell you, if you dare have such thoughts, don’t blame me for not recognizing you as my daughter," Mother Lin said.

As Mother Lin’s words fell, Lin Chuxia’s smile vanished as she looked at her coldly.

"Mom, there’s something I never understood. Ever since I was a child, you’ve always favored my big sister. Recently, I found out that she’s not even a Lin Family’s biological daughter and tried to comfort myself that you favored her out of obligation. But now that her real mother has come looking for her, you still say such things. I want to ask, am I your real daughter or is she? You couldn’t possibly make such a mistake because what kind of biological mother wouldn’t acknowledge her own child for someone else’s? I don’t think you’re so selfless."

As Lin Chuxia’s words landed, both Mother Lin and Lin Jiayi were shocked.

Lin Jiayi gave a glare to Mother Lin, wondering how she lost her cool and raised suspicions in this little brat.

Mother Lin, realizing she had misspoken, resorted to throwing a fit, "Oh my heavens, look at what kind of daughter I’ve raised, saying such heartless things to her mother. Could I possibly confuse my own child? You’re just an ungrateful wretch. You see your big sister’s rich biological mom and look down on your own. If you have such luck, go recognize a rich mom. It’s like I’m raising an ingrate..."

Lin Jiayi looked equally hurt, "Chuxia, how could you say that to Mom? I know you’re upset that Mom treated me well all these years. I’ve already decided that even if I find my biological mom, I’ll still be filial to Mom. My biological mom has money. I’ll support you and Jiadong. I’ve already told Mom that I’ll cover Jiadong’s school fees, so you won’t have to pay for your brother and cause issues with your in-laws. Mom only spoke for me because of this. If you’re upset by those words, blame me. Don’t say things to upset Mom."

"If big sister is so considerate of me, why insist on buying my shop? Supporting me by stabbing me in the back first? I heard that An City Vegetable Station got the attention of a foreign company recently. Is that your doing? If it is, congratulations on having such an impressive mom."

Lin Jiayi’s expression could no longer be maintained, and she stood up abruptly, pulling Mother Lin and saying, "Mom, if sister doesn’t want to sell her shop, forget it. I don’t want to trouble you."

Mother Lin, still confused, was pulled out by Lin Jiayi.

Even the backs of their figures looked a bit disheveled.

When they reached the front yard, they saw Mrs. Qin coaxing a child. Lin Jiayi barely gave Mrs. Qin a glance and led Mother Lin out of the Qin Family.

Mother Lin wanted to greet Mrs. Qin, thinking that this in-law was far better than the Li Family one they just met.

But seeing her elder daughter’s demeanor, she didn’t bother with anything else.

Once outside the gate, she hurriedly spoke, "Why leave all of a sudden? Weren’t you going to have her sell you the shop? Why change your mind? Even if we can’t trust the people inside, at least keep an eye on them. If not, your dad and I can help watch them; we won’t let them take advantage."

Lin Jiayi looked around. Still in Qin Family Village, it was inconvenient to speak about certain things.

Her pace quickened until Mother Lin nearly had to jog to keep up.

Once they left the village, Lin Jiayi spoke with a dark expression, "Did you notice she knows much more than we imagined?"

This matter isn’t a secret in Daqing Mountain Village. Everyone knows Lin Jiayi isn’t a biological daughter of the Lin Family and that recently a rich biological mother came to recognize her.

But Qin Family Village is so far from Daqing Mountain Village, and Lin Chuxia has been in Yan City. How did she know?

Even if Sun Lanlan or Lin Jiadong mentioned it to her, how could she know her mom returned from abroad? Neither the villagers nor Lin Jiadong knew about that.

When she conspired with her mom about this earlier, they kept a lot of information close to their chest.

Yes, she knew Wang Cheng wanted to buy the vegetable station, so she deliberately opposed Lin Chuxia to acquire it.

She heard these things from people she used to sell vegetables with, knowing of Wang Cheng and Lin Chuxia’s relationship, and planned to take a small revenge.

Even though she lived a lifetime knowing everything, she was still no match for her.

In the previous life, she couldn’t compete with her; now in this life, it was still the same.

Finally, the opportunity for a reversal came, and she wanted to take a minor revenge. What’s wrong with that?

Moreover, Zhuang Yang handled the matters afterward.

But how did Lin Chuxia know about Zhuang Yang’s relationship with her, or even associate the vegetable station issue to her?

There’s only one possibility: Lin Chuxia is investigating her.

Mother Lin also considered this angle but remained unflustered, even letting out a cold snort, "Let her snoop. Such an ungrateful wretch. Spotting a wealthy woman and wanting to recognize a mom—does she have that destiny? As long as your dad and I remain tight-lipped, what waves can she stir up?"

"Mom, did anyone really know about the past?" Lin Jiayi was still worried.

Mother Lin patted her hand reassuringly, "Don’t worry. Back then, people barely had food; who would care about others’ affairs? So many years have passed, and those people scattered everywhere. Even if the little wretch wanted to ask anyone, she’d find no one. If not, why do you think the Zhuang believed everything I said? Except for me, no one knows about this matter. They have no choice but to believe me."