Chapter 45 045 Yao Qingqin & Transitional Chapter [First Update] (Revised)...

It's noon again.

Just a few days after the rain, the lingering summer heat arrived unsurprisingly. The first-year high school students, who had been hoping for lower temperatures to make military training less painful, were all sighing in despair.

"Why is it still so hot?!"

"Can it rain, God?"

"May the rain god come and hold a concert!"

...

No matter how much they shouted, even if they gathered together during their break to dance the "rain-seeking dance," the sky remained clear, with hardly a cloud in sight.

Bai Ze and Li Siqi, who had been basking in the sun all morning, exchanged glances discreetly in the queue; the meaning was obvious.

As soon as the instructor shouted "Dismissed," the three of them ran away.

Li Siqi mechanically listened to the instructor's instructions, but her mind was still on the sesame seed cake with vegetables she had eaten for lunch yesterday.

Sigh, last night I was only slightly delayed, and the line in front of me was already so long!

In the end, he didn't get to eat any.

We can't let things continue like this today!

Standing to Li Siqi's left, Qian Hang was equally impressive; he secretly glanced at his own shoes.

To run faster, he even put on his beloved sneakers today.

"bell--"

The instructor blew his whistle: "This concludes today's training. Everyone, dismissed!"

Before the word "scatter" could be finished, three arrows flew out from the ranks.

Instructor: ...

He complains of being tired as soon as he starts training, and he runs so fast as soon as he eats. It seems like he really needs to do extra training this afternoon.

Completely unaware that they were about to be in trouble that afternoon, the three of them ran off in different directions, not even having time to exchange words. It wasn't until they ran out of the school gate and realized that they were among the first to arrive that they slowed down a little.

"I want to eat two sesame seed cakes today!"

"I want one too!"

"We're just eating sesame cakes, there's no drink. If it gets crowded later, we'll have two people line up and one person go buy lemonade."

"good!"

Upon seeing Wenji's shop in the distance, the three of them unconsciously quickened their pace.

Just as I was about to rush into the store, I saw the owner's wife greeting me at the door.

"Student, please line up here."

Bai Ze suddenly stopped, and the two people behind him almost bumped into him. The three of them squeezed together and only then could they see Wen Ji's change clearly.

A large parasol had appeared out of nowhere in the open space in front of the pharmacy. It was right next to the left side of Wenji's main entrance and even occupied part of the pharmacy's space.

Under the umbrella was a very common street vendor cart.

The pot of braised skewers that used to be in the shop is now on the car, next to a large basket covered with a white insulating blanket. In the middle are a cutting board, a cleaver, and some seasonings.

The menu is posted on the food cart.

This menu is longer than yesterday's.

With a smile, Wen's mother pointed to the menu: "Take a look at the new products."

Compared to yesterday's hasty launch, Wen's mother, whose execution capabilities are becoming increasingly strong, has perfected everything in a short period of time.

The shop is divided into two parts: the inside and the outside. The shop mainly serves the same items as before, while the outside is a sesame seed cake stall.

The secondhand food cart, which Wen's mother rushed to buy last night, is now spotless after being washed this morning, and all the "takoyaki" stickers that were previously stuck on have been peeled off.

However, Mrs. Wen did not think about ordering new decorations. Her daughter was right. The business in the store was getting better and better. Why be limited to doing only one thing?

When it's cold, you can sell sesame cakes; when it's hot, you can make cold drinks. And there are all sorts of festivals coming up soon...

There is great potential.

The items in the store can be ordered individually, and the main customers outside are students.

Wen's mother had discussed it with Qu Qingqing in advance, and obtained the right to use the entrance of Qu's pharmacy by offering a 20% discount on every visit.

The food cart was placed between the two houses, next to the Qu family's pharmacy, where there were several large trees, so the students could stand in line without getting sunburned.

Bai Ze and his two companions ordered the sesame cakes they wanted. Wen's mother took the money, said "Wait a moment," and then went into the shop.

A little while later, a young woman ran out of the store.

She looked to be between thirty and thirty years old. Wearing an apron, she ran out and quickly began serving sesame seed cakes to the three students.

Wen's mother was busy attending to customers in the shop, but she would also occasionally glance outside.

Occasionally, when she saw that Wen's mother was a little overwhelmed, she would come out and lend a hand.

Today, Mother Wen brought in sixty sesame cakes, and they were all sold out in just half an hour.

The young woman wiped her sweat, tidied up the table, and once everything was almost done, she went into the shop to tell Wen's mother what was going on before busying herself with clearing tables and washing dishes.

After the midday rush hour, Wen's mother called out to her, "Xiao Yao, come, sit down and rest for a while."

Yao Qingqin was a little awkward, still holding a rag in her hand when she sat down.

Wen's mother smiled, noticing Yao Qingqin's unease, and poured her a glass of water.

"I was too busy this morning and didn't have time to say much to you... Is the work at the shop tiring?"

Wen's mother was too busy. She rushed through everything this morning, from buying food trucks to packing things up, and even had to squeeze in time for a meal. By the time she finally finished, the lunch rush had already begun.

Yao Qingqin had been a great help to her during the morning's work, but Wen's mother was afraid that being too busy would scare people away.

Yao Qingqin shook her head vigorously: "I'm not busy!"

Wen's mother: "That's good. The lunch rush is over now. You can go home and rest, and come back around three or four o'clock in the afternoon."

After saying that, Wen's mother added, "It's okay if you go back and check on the children. The hours at our shop are relatively flexible, but we're busy during mealtimes."

When the topic of children came up, Yao Qingqin hesitated. After a long pause, she thanked Wen's mother, took off her apron, and hurried out the door.

Watching Yao Qingqin's retreating figure, Wen's mother sighed.

Wen's father poked his head out from behind the curtain: "It's her?"

Wen's mother nodded: "Let's go with Xiao Yao. I'll talk to Sister Hui about it later."

Last night, Wen's mother asked Song Hui to introduce her to a long-term job. As soon as Song Hui heard this, she slapped her thigh and said that she had a suitable candidate.

“I know her mother. She used to have a stall on this street, but she stopped doing it later.”

"I live nearby, in the neighborhood near the back gate of Qunying Middle School. It's very close; I can walk there."

“I used to work on an assembly line, but I quit after I got married. Now my child is over three years old, and I want to find work again.”

Mother Wen frowned: "The child is still young..."

Song Hui quickly waved her hand and lowered her voice: "It's precisely because the child is young that I need to come out to work as soon as possible."

"...What do you mean?"

Song Hui sighed, "She wants a divorce now, but the man is dragging his feet."

Song Hui recounted Yao Qingqin's story in its entirety.

In short, it means that after getting married, she became a full-time housewife, and life was tough because she had to rely on others.

"If you don't go out and find a job, you won't even get custody in a divorce."

Song Hui: "She was still undecided before, saying that the child was too young and she was not at ease leaving the child with her in-laws. I told her she was silly. If she didn't leave the child with the elderly now, and waited a few more years, she would really never be able to get out!"

Wen's mother nodded repeatedly, but she was also worried that Yao Qingqin wouldn't last long.

It's common for children this age to have headaches and fevers. Yao Qingqin is clearly a soft-hearted person. She said it was easy to leave it to her in-laws, but she was afraid that if the child had any problems, they would still come to her. If they came to her too many times, how could she continue to do this job?

Song Hui waved her hand: "Don't worry, I think Xiao Yao's mother is a sensible person. When she asked me to find her a job, she said she would definitely stop that family from bothering Xiao Yao. To put it another way, if Xiao Yao really can't figure things out herself, then we'll just let it go and I'll find you a better one later."

"But I think Xiao Yao is good. He's quick and efficient, and he's not a bad person. These days, you know, the worst kind of people are those with bad intentions."

The Wen family's business was getting better and better, but if they encountered a really bad employee, their business would face setbacks.

Wen's mother thought about it and agreed. In addition, Yao Qingqin had come to work for half a day today, so Wen's mother was even more satisfied.

They found Song Hui and told her not to worry about it anymore, just use Yao Qingqin.

****

On the other side, Yao Qingqin was walking home, her heart still pounding with the joy of her work.

After bypassing two intersections, Yao Qingqin entered the residential area and pushed open her own door. Inside, the stove and pots were cold, and the dirty dishes from last night were still piled up there, instantly making Yao Qingqin's mood, which had just been sunny, sink.

To outsiders, her life wasn't difficult. After all, she had a house to live in; her in-laws lived in another building in the same complex; and her husband worked in a factory, earning a few thousand yuan a month. They weren't extremely wealthy, but they were comfortably middle-class.

But seeing this pile of dirty dishes, Yao Qingqin realized just how terrible her life had become.

She has had no income since she quit her job at the factory to have a baby.

She had no income and had to ask her husband for every penny. At first, he would just complain a few times and then give her the money. But later, her husband would interrogate her like a criminal. Gradually, she had to keep track of every penny. When her husband checked the accounts, he would complain that she shouldn't have spent this or that.

Time and again, it became increasingly difficult for Yao Qingqin to get money. On several occasions, she even ran out of diapers and stood at the supermarket entrance asking her husband for money, only to be met with his furious outbursts on the phone. It took him two hours to finally transfer the money to her.

Thinking of this, Yao Qingqin's tears fell.

She never imagined that being a housewife would be like this.

Her parents occasionally noticed her predicament and would help her out, but her husband took it all for granted.

Two months ago, Yao Qingqin finally couldn't take it anymore. She filed for divorce and demanded that she go out and find a job since her child was about to start kindergarten.

But her husband neither agreed to a divorce nor allowed her to work.

The couple got into a heated argument, and the husband even stopped paying for the children's tuition.

Yao Qingqin was stubborn this time. She took her child to her in-laws' house and went out to look for work every day.

She felt too miserable living with her palms up; she never wanted to live like that again.

Yao Qingqin returned home, changed her clothes briefly, and then went to the other side of the community to visit her daughter who was staying at her in-laws' house.

Her in-laws were not surprised by her arrival. Yao Qingqin held her daughter and played with her, while the two elders kept exchanging glances behind her.

Finally, the mother-in-law couldn't hold back any longer and asked the question first.

"Xiao Yao, how's your work going? Is your boss treating you well?"

Yao Qingqin had long since lost interest in her in-laws, and casually replied that they were alright.

"Yao, how about we quit? Earning money outside is so tiring, and the kids are always nagging you."

“Xiao Lei did something wrong, so we talked to him about it.”

“Look at the child, what can’t be overcome?”

Over the past few years, Yao Qingqin had heard enough of these kinds of words.

"I think my job is great, and my boss is great too."

The mother-in-law narrowed her eyes and then pretended to be sad.

“What should we do if the child keeps crying? Your father and I are getting old, and sometimes when we have headaches or fevers, we can't even go to the hospital. This morning I touched the child and he had a slight fever…”

Upon hearing that her child had a fever, Yao Qingqin became alert. She pressed her forehead against her daughter's, sometimes feeling that she did indeed have a fever, and sometimes wondering if she was mistaken.

I don't know if my grandparents taught me or what, but my daughter keeps saying "Mommy, stay with me."

Each sound made Yao Qingqin's heart clench.

A hint of a smile flashed in her mother-in-law's eyes. She said, "What mother doesn't care about her child? If Yao Qingqin can make this job work, she might even take her own surname!"

"Xiaoqin!"

Yao Qingqin was frantically planning to take her daughter out to see a doctor when she heard her mother's voice.

Yao Qingqin walked to the window and looked down; sure enough, it was her mother.

She hurriedly picked up the child and went downstairs: "Mom, you've come just in time! I feel the baby has a slight fever, can you feel him?"

Yao's mother quickly reached out her hand: "It's not a fever, it's just that you're wearing too many layers."

Then, rolling up the sleeves, it was true; the tiny little person was wearing three or four layers.

In this hot weather, I don't know why people wear so many layers; it's just to get heat rash.

Is there anything Yao Qingqin doesn't understand? Her face immediately turned red with anger.

"Is she crazy?!"

Just to prevent her from going out to work, they dressed the child in several layers of clothing.

Yao's mother picked up her granddaughter and said calmly, "Is this the first day you've heard? Your mother-in-law's family is hoping you fail."

Yao Qingqin's eyes were red with grievance.

Yao's mother: "Alright, from now on, when you go to work, you can send the child to my place, and I'll take care of the kindergarten pick-up and drop-off. You can take care of the child yourself after work."

When Yao's mother looked up, she saw the awkward expression on Yao Qingqin's mother-in-law's face behind the swaying curtains. She was obviously hiding there listening to their arrangements.

Yao's mother remained expressionless, reflecting on how she had been so blind to have chosen this family for her daughter. All her cunning was directed at this one family.

"Pooh."

With her daughter and granddaughter by her side, Yao's mother turned her back on the family with a resolute departure.

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Author's Note: This chapter has been revised. The next update will be a little later; you can check back tomorrow morning.