Chapter 16 - You Are Back Sister ?
” Another one ? another one you stupid boy ?” the second Yu Dong entered the old diner,she saw the manager and boss of the store growling at Yu Mai who was hiding behind the boss ‘s husband .
The mer was covering Yu Mai behind him and at the same time he was trying to calm his wife down ” calm down , you knew he is a bit special when you brought him didn’t you ? if you hurt him , it will be twice as much trouble for us ”
The boss wife liked children as he only had a daughter who didn’t care about her father at all , every day she would just leave home early in the morning and return back home late , The boss’s husband wanted to spend some time with his daughter but the latter was to busy enjoying herself that she had no time to spend with her poor old father .
In the end , the boss wife took solitude in the company of the children that were sold to their diner , and among these children , the one he liked the most was Yu Mai who was special but cheerful . So , every time Yu Mai made a mistake , the boss ‘s husband tried his best to protect him .
” and a lot of good it did to me !” Snarled the boss lady still glaring at Yu Mai who cowered behind the boss lady ‘s husband ” your sister said that she would come back and take you away , selling a pitiful story about how your parents were dead and she didn’t want to worry about you getting starved , a fat load of bullshit if you ask me , she just never wanted to take care of you , that’s what it is ! . I have waited for six months and I can’t wait any more , no I’m selling you ! You might as well fetch me a good price as some old man’s concubine rather than breaking my crockery every day !”
The boss lady didn’t care what kind of impact her words might leave on Yu Mai , but Yu Dong who was standing on the entrance cared so she stepped forward and said with a polite yet cold smile “Boss lady , I did send my brother to you but I did tell you that I will return to get him back didn’t I ? How can you renege on your promise like that ?”
The boss lady who was scolding Yu Mai choked on her words and turned around where she caught , Yu Dong’s chilling gaze . Even though the boss lady was a well known shrew , she didn’t know why she was momentarily left speechless when Yu Dong appeared , the truth was The boss lady never wanted to sell Yu Mai , she was just teaching a lesson to him for breaking a bowl while washing dishes . Yu Mai was a hard working child and he never complained about being given more work than he could take on , The boss lady even made Yu Mai run household errands for her , she even made him serve her daughter and used him as a family servant , selling Yu Mai was equivalent to losing a hard working slave and The boss lady was not willing – but she never thought that Yu Dong who abandoned her brother would really return to bring him back .
The boss lady was shocked but her husband was ecstatic , he smiled at Yu Dong ” you are back to bring Mai ?”
Yu Dong naturally had a good impression of This old mer who was protecting Yu Mai behind him , she nodded and politely responded ” En , I m finally settled down and can bring Mai with me ”
‘ bring Mai with me ‘ these words acted like a shock repellent and the boss lady immediately woke from reverie , she sneered at Yu Dong and immediately pulled a long face ” what do you mean bring him back ? Do you think that you can just bring him back because you want to ? I brought him for four taels , four silver taels from you , who is going to pay me back-”
” Obviously I will ” said Yu Dong interrupting The boss lady ‘s diatribe ” I will return back the four taels that I borrowed from you , will that be alright ?”
Yu Dong didn’t want to show a good face to the boss lady who scolded Yu Mai so fiercely but she knew that if she made things difficult for the boss lady , the latter might refuse to sell Yu Mai back to her , the power wasn’t in her hands so she was feeling a bit helpless about the situation from the looks of the boss lady of the diner wasn’t an easy person .
Yu Dong ‘s suspicions were right , the second the Boss lady heard that Yu Dong was willing to pay four taels for Yu Mai , the stupid mer , the cogs of her brain turned ” what about the crockery he broke eh ? In this past six months , he had naturally caused a havoc in my diner , breaking pots and plates as he wished – who is going to pay back for my loss ? I’m telling you I won’t sell this boy to you for less than six taels ! Either you take six taels out or get out from here !”
Yu Dong immediately understood what the boss lady was trying to do , she was afraid that if she immediately agreed the boss lady might try to increase the price , so she put on a hesitant expression and looked at Yu Mai . The boss lady’s husband too understood what his wife was doing , and seeing Yu Dong’s hesitant expression his heart clenched , Yu Dong clearly didn’t look like she was well off , four taels were already like a chunk of meat being cut from her body , and now asking for six taels ” Wife why don’t you-”
” Shut up !” Hissed the boss lady , she knew thar her husband pitied the stupid mer but she didn’t have the time to pity him , her daughter was already at marriageable age , if she could get these six taels , maybe she will be able to buy a mer for her daughter ” its not your place to speak ! Be a proper mer and go back inside , shamelessly standing here out in open when an unknown woman is standing right in front of you ! Go back inside ” the boss lady’s husband could only bow his head and pat Yu Mai ‘s little head , he was apologetic towards Yu Dong and Yu Mai but he can’t do anything against his own wife , once her husband was gone , the woman looked back at Yu Dong ” so ? Are you going to pay ? If you don’t have the money just walk out – you are ruining my business ”
There was not even a single customer in the run down diner but the boss lady still acted as if Yu Dong was disturbing her .
Yu Dong looked at the boss lady and glared at her , with teeth clenched , she finally agreed looking aggrieved ” fine but you better write me a document and give me an evidence in case you come asking to bring Mai back ”
The boss lady rolled her eyes and muttered ” like I would go through that much song and dance for a stupid mer ” but all the same she called her daughter and had her write two documents , Yu Dong and The boss lady pressed their ink smudged thumb on the paper and Yu Dong finally paid six taels to the boss lady .
Yu Dong looked at her again scrunched up purse and sighed , why was it that the wrongs the previous owner did were being paid by her ? She earned Nine taels and six were already used up but when she thought about how she could always earn back the money but there was only one Yu Mai, she finally eased the knot in her heart .
” Mai , lets go ” holding out her hand in front of Yu Mai , Yu Dong asked him to come with her but instead of taking her hand , Yu Mai bit on his fore finger and licked his lips .
” you are back sister ?” He asked tentatively ” you are back to bring me back ?”
Yu Mai was a simple boy , he was smart when he was young but then he suffered through a deadly fever while his mother was out hunting , their father tried to beg for money from the Yu family so that he could bring Mai to a physician but the Yu family was reluctant to waste money on a mer – if it was Yu Dong they might have taken the money out but for a mer .. in the end , Yu Mai survived but his brain was affected because of the fever .
And he became a child with special needs – his vocabulary was limited and he was really slow in understanding things .
” yes , I’m back to bring you away with me” Yu Dong felt like a horrible liar , the previous Yu Dong clearly sold Yu Mai for good but here she was trying to fool a simple child with her lies , making him believe that his sister was a good person from the start .
Yu Mai blinked his clear , grape like eyes and immediately puffed his chest then rushed towards the back kitchen door where many curious children who were envious of Yu Mai was skulking behind the door , pointing his finger at them he childishly spoke ” you see I was right , my sister didn’t sell me ! See she is back , I’m not an abandoned child !” He announced proudly , Yu Mai was proud but Yu Dong wished to bury herself in the ground , this child what else has he suffered through ?