Jiang Xiaoli shared her gossip with her mother, "Yeah, Brother Gua's girlfriend is also a manager at our steamed bun shop!"

Li Guizhi laughed and said, "That really is a great advantage of being close to the source."

She then spoke to Zong Jia and her daughter, saying, "You two are still in school, so don't start dating so early, because it will affect your studies."

Zong Jia glanced at the little girl beside her, smiled and nodded in agreement, "Okay, godmother, I understand."

Jiang Xiaoli also stated, "Mom, don't worry, all I care about right now is making money!"

Li Guizhi chuckled, "You little money-grubber!"

Jiang Xiaoli replied matter-of-factly, "That's right, a fool wouldn't make money if he could!"

After Zong Jiayu left, Jiang Xiaoli reported to Li Guizhi, "Mom, the day after tomorrow is Zong Jiayu's 18th birthday. I originally wanted to find a restaurant outside and have Brother Gua invite him out so we could celebrate his birthday together and give him a surprise."

Since you two were just talking about this, I thought I'd suggest we get together at home the day after tomorrow. Mom, if there are a lot of people, maybe you should cook fewer dishes and I'll order the rest from a restaurant.

Li Guizhi waved her hand, "It would be fine at other times, but since it's Xiao Zong's 18th birthday, I definitely have to cook a nice meal to celebrate for him."

This kid has it tough. Look at him lately, with the steamed bun shop and the factory, Xiao Zong's been so busy! I almost forgot he's not even 18 yet. I wonder if this will affect his studies?

Jiang Xiaoli comforted her, "Mom, don't worry. I asked him, and he said it won't be a problem. If you're still worried, I can have a problem-solving competition with him next time. What do you think?"

"A competition? You've only just started high school, how can you compare to Xiao Zong?" Li Guizhi was a little skeptical.

She was indignant. "Mom, are you underestimating me? I've already taken the tests for senior high school students, and I got very high scores!"

Li Guizhi was somewhat surprised to hear that she hadn't heard anything about her studies from her daughter in a long time. "You've already taken the senior year exams?"

Jiang Xiaoli nodded affirmatively, "Yes, it was the test yesterday. I got full marks in all the science subjects, and I took the humanities test in the afternoon. The scores haven't come out yet, but I'm confident that I'll get high scores in all of them as well."

Li Guizhi's smile grew even brighter as she pulled her daughter into her arms. "Oh my, my little pear is such a precious baby!"

Jiang Xiaoli buried her head in her mother's chest, struggling to breathe.

Her mother had never been this happy and excited even after she had earned so much money before. It seems like she has another great way to make her mother happy in the future!

Li Guizhi hugged her daughter tightly for a while before letting go. "Little Pear, keep it up!"

Jiang Xiaoli nodded and promised, "Okay! Don't worry, Mom, I will definitely get into a good university. The midterm exams are at the end of this month. How about I bring back first place in the grade for you?"

Li Guizhi tapped her little nose, "Then Mom will wait for you to get first place."

That evening, just as Jiang Xiaoli finished washing up and was drying her hair, there was a knock on the courtyard gate.

She opened the door, and Tian Yuzhen stood there with Tian Xiaomeng. She grinned broadly, pulled Tian Xiaomeng into the yard, and asked, "Xiaoli, is your mother home?"

Jiang Xiaoli nodded and called out into the main room, "Mom, Aunt Tian is here to see you!"

When Li Guizhi came out and saw the mother and daughter, she roughly knew what was going on. She politely asked, "Sister Tian, ​​it's so late, is there something you need?"

Tian Yuzhen smiled and said, "Yes, there is something. I heard that your spicy snack business will be shut down soon, but you can recommend people to work in the factory, right?"

"Guizhi, since our two families are so close, could you arrange for my Xiaomeng to get in too? Her grades aren't good; she'd be better off starting a factory job early and earning more money."

Li Guizhi frowned and refused outright, "This won't do."

Tian Yuzhen became anxious, "What's wrong with that? Xiaomeng herself is willing to go, isn't she?"

She pinched her daughter, signaling her to hurry up and give her an answer.

Tian Xiaomeng gave a meek "Mmm".

Li Guizhi's expression was a little unpleasant. "Sister Tian, ​​the factory has very strict management. The minimum standard for hiring is that you must be an adult. Xiaomeng is only 17 years old. Why are you in such a hurry? Let her finish high school first. It will be easier for her to find a job after she has a high school diploma."

Tian Yuzhen repeatedly emphasized, "She's just not cut out for studying. She'd be better off earning money early to ease the burden on her family!"

Jiang Xiaoli couldn't bear to listen any longer and turned to go into her room.

Li Guizhi emphasized to Tian Yuzhen several times, "Xiao Meng is not an adult, the factory will not hire her."

Tian Yuzhen's eyes darted around. "Guizhi, tell me, can I find someone to change Xiaomeng's age? Please help me out."

Li Guizhi resolutely refused, "Sister Tian, ​​this really won't do. Let's wait until Xiaomeng is an adult before we talk about it."

After saying that, she politely asked the mother and daughter to leave.

Back inside, she saw her daughter angrily drying her hair. When she saw her come in, Jiang Xiaoli hugged Li Guizhi softly and sweetly, saying, "Mom, you're so good. You're the best mom in the world."

As she spoke, she hummed a song, "There's only one mother in the world who's good, a child without a mother is like a blade of grass~"

Li Guizhi patted her daughter's back, "Xiaoli, don't worry, Mom will always be by your side."

On Monday morning, when Jiang Xiaoli went out for her morning run, she ran into Tian Xiaomeng, who was waiting for her at the street corner.

Tian Xiaomeng ran alongside her, saying, "Xiaoli, thank you so much for yesterday. If it weren't for your help, my mom would have really made me work in a factory."

Jiang Xiaoli said calmly, "It's nothing. The rules and regulations are just there. Even if you want to work in a factory, the factory won't hire you."

Tian Xiaomeng didn't mind her cold tone; she had gotten used to it by now. "Xiaoli, do you still remember Wang Xu who bumped into me on the first day of school?"

Jiang Xiaoli stopped and looked at her. "I vaguely remember her. What's wrong?"

Tian Xiaomeng said shyly, "Wang Xu said he likes me, and I want to marry him after I finish high school."

Jiang Xiaoli was speechless. "Haven't you heard of the Marriage Law? Women can only get a marriage certificate if they are over 20 years old."

“It’s okay,” Wang Xu said. “We can have the wedding banquet first, and then get the marriage certificate when we’re old enough. He’s very considerate.”

Jiang Xiaoli couldn't help but chuckle softly. Wang Xu was being considerate; she was probably joking with her.

She gave Tian Xiaomeng a meaningful look and offered her her blessings, "Well, congratulations in advance."

After saying that, she ran towards the park in the distance.