Although Cheng Xiaoxia was working the night shift last night, she basically did nothing and slept in the workshop all night, taking advantage of her supervisor's lust for her beauty.

I even received a night shift allowance for nothing.

As soon as she got off work this morning, she came to Xiguan Road to buy fabric, looking refreshed.

She plans to make herself another dress.

She entered the Sichuan restaurant not because she wanted to eat, but because she saw Ma Xiaolan by the window.

To be precise, she wasn't sure if this fashionable woman was the unsophisticated Ma Xiaolan, so she came in to confirm.

Cheng Xiaoxia sat down on the bench next to her and said, "Ma Xiaolan, you see, I covered your night shift last night. Shouldn't you thank me?"

Ma Xiaolan naturally understood what she meant, and she looked at Jiang Xuan with a troubled expression.

Jiang Xuan smiled and said, "Comrade, you can eat with us if you want, we'll split the bill later."

"What AA?"

"You'll pay one-third of the meal cost later."

Cheng Xiaoxia's buttocks bounced up and down as if they had springs in them. "I'm paying, can't I order it myself?"

"Yeah, why don't you order it yourself?"

Cheng Xiaoxia, her face flushed, said angrily, "Ma Xiaolan, tell me, shouldn't you treat me to a meal after I cover your night shift?"

Before Ma Xiaolan could speak, Jiang Xuan interjected, "Comrade, I think you may have misunderstood a concept."

Jiang Xuan said slowly, "It was your supervisor, not Ma Xiaolan, who arranged for you to work the night shift. If Ma Xiaolan privately asked you to cover her night shift last time, then she should indeed thank you, but this was arranged by your supervisor. So what does it have to do with Ma Xiaolan?"

"But she was supposed to be on last night."

"You still don't understand?" Jiang Xuan said impatiently. "If you have a question, go find your supervisor. Don't disturb our meal."

Cheng Xiaoxia snorted and left quickly, her face flushed.

Ma Xiaolan said with some worry, "Jiang Xuan, do you think she might be angry?"

"Sister Lan, what are you worried about?"

Ma Xiaolan glanced at her daughter, leaned over and whispered in Jiang Xuan's ear, "She's always been defiant of me. Besides, she has that kind of relationship with our supervisor. I'm afraid she'll talk badly about me to the supervisor."

Jiang Xuan laughed, "Then what are you afraid of? If they dare to make things difficult for you, just go to the factory and report them."

"I dare not."

"Don't be angry if I say something, Sister Lan. You're too indecisive. Whether at work or in life, don't be afraid of offending people. People are all bullies who prey on the weak and fear the strong. As long as you stand up for yourself, they will be afraid of you."

“Aside from some issues with his lifestyle, our supervisor is generally fair and used to give me some side jobs.”

"You don't need to worry about these things. Just focus on doing your job well. As for people like Cheng Xiaoxia, you don't have to answer every question they ask. If you don't want to answer, you don't have to."

"In fact, in a person's life, there are only one or two true friends. Just cherish those one or two people, and the others are just fleeting clouds."

As she spoke, Jiang Xuan laughed, "I feel like I'm talking about myself."

"What?"

"I am one of the friends who truly care about you."

Ma Xiaolan smiled and said, "Having you is enough."

"Okay, okay, that's enough, it's too cheesy. Let's eat quickly. After we finish, I want to go to the market to buy some paper to make packaging bags for the pancakes. The white paper we used before felt a bit monotonous. Let me see if there's any with patterns, and also see if there are any poster stands."

"Okay, by the way, Jiang Xuan, have you ever thought about setting up a stall?"

"I've thought about it, but Dian Dian and Fan Xing have to go to school in the morning, and I feel like I don't have enough time. I'll go back and discuss it with Sheng Ye."

"If Xiuxiu doesn't go to tutoring classes anymore, she can help deliver Dian Dian and Fan Xing."

Xiuxiu swallowed the noodles in her mouth and nodded: "Yes, Auntie, I can do it."

"Thank you, Xiuxiu. Fanxing is alright, but Diandian is too naughty and hard to handle. It's okay, Sister Lan. Starting next week, the kindergarten will also be closed for a month. I'll think of something after the holiday."

Ma Xiaolan nodded: "Anyway, if you need any help, just let me know."

"Don't worry, Sister Lan, I won't hold back."

The two of them laughed.

*

A large courtyard.

Lu Shengye had just finished washing the dishes and came out of the kitchen when Lu Xiaomei rushed in.

"Brother, you're back!"

Lu Shengye nodded. "Mm."

Are you alright?

"No."

"That's great! I was so scared these past few days. Where's HyunHyun unnie?"

"It's Xiuxiu's birthday today. She went out with Sister Lan."

Lu Shengye walked towards the house.

Lu Xiaomei followed.

“She was also quite frightened this time. She suddenly came to our house that day and said she dreamed that you were in danger and begged Grandpa and Dad to find a way to save you.”

"She begged him?"

Lu Xiaomei naturally knew who "he" referred to.

"Yes, Dad went out that night, and later Uncle came to our house, so I think even though Dad didn't say it, he actually cared about you."

Lu Shengye didn't say anything and sat down in the chair.

"Brother, Grandpa is still waiting for you. When are you going to go?"

"I have some things to do, I'll be there later. I have some leftover planks from when I made desks for Dian Dian and Fan Xing, could you bring them over for me? Also, could you find some wooden sticks and bring them over along with the woodworking box from home?"

"Brother, what do you need the wood for?"

"Make something, go quickly."

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