Beauty and the Bodyguard

“Yin! School’s over?” Mrs. Tang greeted as she added some coal for fuel. The twelfth graders were let out around this time, and it wasn’t long before business would come flooding in. “Heh, here, put your bag down and help mom out.”

School ended pretty late for the twelfth graders, and they’d always get something light to eat before going back home for dinner.

“Mm hm. You seem happy today, mom- is business good?” Tang Yin asked curiously.

“Heh heh, that’s because Lin Yi said he has a New Orleans barbeque sauce recipe- he said he’ll bring it to me tomorrow for our stand to get better business.” Tang Yin said, unable to contain her joy. “Apparently kids like you like this Orleans flavor thing, so business will probably start getting really good when the recipe comes in!”

“Lin Yi?” Tang Yin’s face changed at the name. “He was here again?”

“With his friend earlier this afternoon.” Mrs. Tang said, failing to notice her daughter’s reaction. “What a nice boy, so friendly and polite to people! He’s nothing like the other young masters at all......”

“Him?” Tang Yin curled her lips, her face indifferent as she spoke. “He’s got bad intentions, mom.”

“Yin-! What are you saying? Bad intentions? He’s trying to help our business get better, why’re you saying stuff like that?” Mrs. Tang scolded, evidently a little angry at her daughter. “Bad intentions? What bad intentions? What could a rich kid even be plotting for a small stand like ours? What’s in it for him?!”

“He...... He......” Tang Yin bit her lip, very conflicted and unwilling as to what to say. “Mom, can you really not tell?! He...... H-he wants to be... friends with me......”

Tang Yin decided to just lay it out, so that her mother may see Lin Yi for the ugly man he really was...... It was a bit embarrassing, but she didn’t want her mom falling for the asshole’s tricks.

“Friends with you? That’s a good thing, Lin Yi’s a good kid! You should hang out with him more, it’ll be good for you as well.” Mrs. Tang said with a glare. “His family might even have connections that could help force the factory to compensate your father! Don’t you know how cruel society is, Yin? That Wang Jiaming, didn’t a piece of his flesh get cut off his finger when he was working at the factory? What kind of injury was that? But his grandpa’s big uncle was a leader figure on the streets, and that factory manager jerk Sun Laifu goes paying them ten thousand kuai for medical fees! He even visited Wang Jiaming! See how important connections are?!”

“Mom......” Tang Yin felt upset and wronged- she didn’t expect her words to bring that lecture out from her mom! But all that was true, and Tang Yin understood that fact...... But it was only natural that her mother wouldn’t understand the way these young princes lived their lives! They changed girlfriends like they changed clothes; they’d never bother with helping her dad out, it was well out of their interest range! Even if she were to go... beyond just friendship with Lin Yi, what use was that? It’d be the same!

“Mom, you haven’t forgotten about Fen, have you? That guy said that he’d help her, too, but look where that got her!” Tang Yin said, throwing a fact on the table for her mom to see.

“How can you compare that man with Lin Yi? He’s nowhere near Lin Yi’s level!” Mrs. Tang hmphed. “That sneaky little man, with his sneaky eyes- he was just a gangster with a slightly rich family! He even told you not to get close to him! Your mom’s lived a long time, Yin, I can tell the difference between a good person and a bad one!”

“......” Tang Yin was speechless- her mother had completely fallen for Lin Yi’s facade! She was taking his side over hers!

“Yin, your problem is how stubborn you are! I was like you once, ignorant of the world- I was a beauty in the factory too! This workshop owner wanted me to get with his son, but I didn’t like him, I fell in love with your dad! And how did that turn out?” Mrs. Tang didn’t wait for a response from Tang Yin before continuing her lecture. “The workshop’s owner’s son opened up a traveling agency, and he’s earning a couple million a year now! Look at your dad, who’s lying in bed all day because of his injury while I work all day just to support the house! Can’t you understand that, Yin? If I could start over again, I’d choose that workshop owner’s kid! I’d be a rich Missus too, and I wouldn’t be working all the time!!”

Her mother’s words silenced Tang Yin- it was true, what her mother said. Tang Yin didn’t blame her... After all, any woman who had to do everything with a bedridden husband who couldn’t even poop or pee himself would be frustrated... Working the day only to go home to take care of a grown man, and then start preparing the materials for the stand after getting her dad asleep? It was only natural that her mother would develop a mentality like that.

Yet Tang Yin didn’t agree with her mother’s views- a woman shouldn’t be completely reliant on a man, now should she? She was sure that her own hard work would get her places one day, and then her family would be able to finally live a good life......

“Alright mom, I’ll stop. You take his recipe if you want, I won’t say anything anymore.” Tang Yin said, lowering her head as she helped her out. She didn’t want to make her mom even angrier.

“Then go to his class tomorrow for the recipe. Don’t forget to thank him!” Mrs. Tang sighed as she looked at how unwilling her daughter seemed. “Yin, saying a few nice things to the guy here and there isn’t gonna kill you, you know?”

“Hah?” Tang YIn was busying setting some skewers up when her mother’s words hit her- one of the skewers plopped onto the floor as a result.

“Yinnn! What’re you doing?!” Mrs. Tang couldn’t believe it- that was one kuai! She picked it up quickly and put it away. “I’ll wash it and give that to your dad later.”

Those skewers were meant to be sold, after all, and even the family refrained from eating any, only taking home the unsold and unfresh ones. Even those were given to Mr. Tang- Mrs. Tang and Tang Yin barely had any themselves.

“I don’t wanna, mom. Can’t you just tell him to give it to you himself?” Going to Lin Yi was the last thing she’d wanted to do- she couldn’t!

Mrs. Tang couldn’t believe what her daughter had decided to throw at her! “Are you saying Lin Yi should come and deliver the recipe when he’s giving it to us? Yin, you can’t be serious- the kid doesn’t owe us anything, alright?”

“But......” Tang Yin lowered her head and curled her lips, unhappy.

“Fine, I’ll go!” Mrs. Tang said helplessly.

“Alright...... I... I’ll go......” Tang Yin said- there wasn’t much of a choice at this point.