It didn't take the five madams and their family to decide about the roaming food cart business and just a coiple days after Nanay Onang and Veira's proposition, they visited the Tan's house together with their other families and discussed with them their decisions.
Aling Carmen, as Veira suggested, would invest money and agreed to get ten percent share. The others offered to give her more pero siya na rin ang nagdesisyon sa ganoong porsyento dahil tanging pera lamang ang maiaambag niya dahil na rin sa sitwasyon ng pamilya. Wala siyang magagawa dahil wala naman silang padre de pamilya at tanging siya at si Kaloy lang talaga ang nangangalaga sa taniman nila.
The rest would receive twenty percent each dahil hindi lang pera ang iinvest nila kundi pati na rin physical work. Originally, the remaining twenty percent, they planned to give it to Veira. But she adamantly refused it.
Unfortunately, the other side was also persistent about it too.
"How can we just take over your roaming food cart business for free? Of course, we will give you this share."
Aling Freida was the one who said but everyone nodded their head at once to agree with her words.
Veira truly felt lucky meeting people like them. She finally had more trust in humanity because of their kindness towards their family.
"Fine. But I cannot take the whole 20 percent. Wag ninyong kalimutan na kailangan niyo ding maglaan ng pondo para sa mga ingredients na gagamitin niya. There should also be a little bit, in case of emergency.
"Just give my family four percent. You can draft a contract and named two each for Lili and Lulu."
When the two ladies heard about them receiving shares to the food cart business on behalf of Veira, they couldn't help but to feel moved.
"Ate Veira, you still like me the most!" Lulu said as she hugged Veira na agad naman pinitik ang noo niya.
"Silly girl, what do you mean by that, eh?"
"Naturally, she's jealous with your new children, Ate Veira." Lili frankly said.
Lulu glared at her at once. Her cheeks were even puffing.
"You say that as if you don't feel the same."
Lili just glared back at her.
Veira, on the other hand, was speechless. What jealousy? Were these two being childish now?
But seeing that even Lili wasn't denying it then it meant they were really feeling insecure about her six foster children.
"My little ancestors, why are you comparing yourselves to the children, eh?" Then she stood up, walked towards the vanity cabiney, opened of the drawers and took out the family registry.
"Here, look at our family register. Read your names and relationship to me."
Lulu got the blue book and did what Veira instructed.
"Lulu Tan - Third Sister." Lulu read.
"Lili Tan - Second Sister." Lili read as well.
After doing so, they looked up at Veira with their eyes moist.
"You are my sisters. Nanay Onang is our grandmother. Those six children? If after half a year and they still remained unclaimed, I will officially put them under my name and they will be your nieces and nephews. You have no reason to be jealous of them. We are all family."
"En, we understand, Ate Veira." The two finally said as they both hugged her. Actually, they'd been having a sense of crisis ever since she brought the six children home.
But they felt like wala naman silang karapatan na magreklamo because in the first, they were originally just maidservants of Veira. She freed them and took her under her wing. Just those facts alone were enough to let them realize how much kindness Veira had given them.
And when she brought home children, they knew they should just support her and help taking care of them. Although they did so but... it was still a fact they were still young ones too. They weren't even reaching their coming-of-age yet. So it was inevitable for them to feel a sense of crisis and jealousy towards the foster children of Veira.
Veira also realized this too. Unfortunately, kung hindi pa umakto ng ganoon ang dalawa ay hindi niya pa ito maiisip. She also felt she lacked consideration towards them regarding this situation. Mabuti na lamang meron siyang blue book and what was in there was enough to coax the two little ancestors.
She somehow felt like she dodged a huge trouble then.
***
Soon, the food cart business was booming again. Dahil mas marami ng tao ngayon ang namamahala dito at naghahati hati sa trabaho, they even expanded the business to the nearby towns.
Nanay Onang and Veira taught Freida, Maria, Rosa and Beth preparing the animal's offals and cooking them into several recipes. Sila ang magsasalitan sa pagluluto ng mga paninda nila kada umaga.
Then one cart would be driven and managed by Fernan, his third brother, second and third sisters-in-law. While the other by Igno (Aling Maria's husband), their eldest son, eldest and second daughter-in-law.
Minaigi na nila na may dalawang lalaki ang kasama kada kariton para na rin sa seguridad nila. After all, Veira, Lili and Lulu had experienced being blocked in the middle of the road before so they might as well make sure na maiiwasan nila ang ganoong sitwasyon.
On the other hand, bookkeeping would be taken care of Isadora and Donna. Then cleaning up at the end of the day and buying ingredients fell on the shoulder of Aling Freida's eldest daughter-in-law and Aling Maria's third daughter-in-law.
Everyone was motivated to help and work for their food cart business at mas lalo pa silang naging masigla ng makita nila ang kanilang kinita sa isang buwan. Although they needed to divide it into six shares, the amount was still more than their harvest time income. No wonder Veira could save quickly to build her own restaurant. She really had a great business brain.
Of course, there were some of them who felt regretful, gaya na lang ni Juana na daughter-in-law ni Aling Carmen. She was thinking na dapat ay pinaglaban ng mother-in-law niya na makakuha ng share na kapantay ng kanila Aling Frieda, Aling Maria, Aling Rosa at Aling Beth. After all, Veira offered the business to the five of them.
Ngayon na nagkakabahagian na ng pera, she felt pain seeing how much that ten percent was lacking compared to the twenty percent of other families.
When she voiced this out to her husband though, pinagalitan pa siya nito.
"Kung tumutulong ka dito sa bahay at sa taniman, edi sana doon na lang nakapokus si mama gaya nila Aling Freida. Lakas mong magreklamo e wala ka namang ambag."
That night, the couple exchanged stabbing words to each other at kung hindi pa sila pinasok ni Aling Carmen ay baka di pa sila tumigil sa pag-aaway.
***
