Liang Wenhua!

Liang Wenhua, Ji Yanjun's mother, and her mother-in-law in her past life. A woman who hated her the moment she saw her, wishing she could kick her aside and turn around to marry Zhang Fangfang.

Wen Qing was lost in thought again.

"Ji Ningzhi!" Sister Liu called out without fail.

"Coming," Liang Wenhua replied. Then, with a loud clang, the large iron gate was pulled open. Liang Wenhua stood in the doorway, looking at the group of people standing outside with a surprised expression: "What's going on here?"

Liang Wenhua is a meticulous person. Her clothes and hairstyle are very fashionable in this era. She also looks like a cold beauty. Ji Ningzhi looks eight parts like her, while Ji Yanjun only looks one part like her.

When Sister Liu first saw Liang Wenhua, she was stunned by Liang Wenhua's arrogant demeanor. Then, remembering that Wen Qing was going to take her to the police station, she disregarded everything else and asked loudly, "Where is Ji Ningzhi?"

Liang Wenhua asked expressionlessly, "What do you want with her?" Yu Guangzhong caught sight of Wen Qing, his brow furrowing immediately, and he became wary: "What are you doing here?"

Wen Qing is no longer the Wen Qing of her previous life. Facing Liang Wenhua, she will no longer compromise, flatter, or be wary for fear of losing Ji Yanjun. She calmly says, "I've come to find Ji Ningzhi."

Wen Qing's attitude surprised Liang Wenhua slightly. He wondered what was wrong with the girl, as she was so cold. Liang Wenhua said unhappily, "Ji Ningzhi is not at home."

"I clearly saw her run back, how can you say she's not home?"

"I saw it too."

"I saw it too."

"..."

Several voices emerged from the crowd, indicating that Ji Ningzhi had returned home and was currently in the courtyard.

Liang Wenhua's face hardened, and she glared fiercely at Wen Qing: "Wen Qing, what are you up to now! Let me tell you, Yan Jun isn't home today, no matter what you do, you won't see him! Don't be ashamed in front of so many people!"

Wen Qing remained calm and composed: "I told you I came to see Ji Ningzhi."

"What do you want with Ning Zhi?" Liang Wenhua asked impatiently.

Wen Qing didn't answer, but looked at Sister Liu. Sister Liu quickly expressed her attitude to Wen Qing and said to Liang Wenhua, "Go to the police station to file a report with Ji Ningzhi."

"Filing? What kind of filing?"

Sister Liu said loudly, "Prepare for a case where she paid someone to smear and frame others."

"Nonsense!" Liang Wenhua interrupted sharply.

Sister Liu was startled by Liang Wenhua's sudden stern demeanor. Turning her head, she saw Wen Qing's calm expression and secretly admired her. At the same time, she felt more confident: "Whether I'm talking nonsense or not, you find Ji Zhining and I'll confront her and we'll find out."

"Who has time to confront you? Go, go, go!" Liang Wenhua waved his hand, completely disbelieving, and even showing utter disgust towards Wen Qing and the group of people in front of him, shooing them away.

Just then, someone shouted from the courtyard, "Yanjun's mother, are you still playing mahjong or not?"

Liang Wenhua responded, "Hit, hit." As he spoke, Liang Wenhua was about to close the door.

"Hey, hey, why are you closing the door?" Sister Liu was the first to object: "Ji Ningzhi paid someone to do something bad, why don't you let her come out and talk about it! Is there no law anymore?"

"That's right."

"Why hasn't Ji Ningzhi even shown her face?"

"Don't worry about her or her standing out. Wen Qing will go to the police station soon, and police officers will come to question Ji Ningzhi. Everyone, don't panic."

"..."

If it were just one or two people talking about Ji Ningzhi, Liang Wenhua wouldn't care at all. But when rows of onlookers outside the door said that Ji Ningzhi was spending money to smear others, Liang Wenhua hesitated. She looked up at Wen Qing.

Wen Qing was looking at her when she suddenly raised an eyebrow and smiled.

Liang Wenhua's heart skipped a beat. Wen Qing was always known for her fiery temper and outspokenness; she had never before looked so calm, enigmatic, and even provocative.

Liang Wenhua's hands, gripping the doorframe, couldn't close the door no matter what she did. Could it be that Ning Zhi had really done something she shouldn't have?

"Wenhua, what's wrong?" A fellow card player came over and asked, noticing a group of people standing by the door. He was startled: "Why are there so many people? What's going on here?"

"Looking for Ji Ningzhi!" Sister Liu shouted.

The card players looked at Liang Wenhua.

Liang Wenhua has always been concerned about her reputation. Being Wen Qing's "future daughter-in-law" from the countryside already makes her feel inferior enough. She can't let her daughter get involved in the scandal. Her face was pale, but she still smiled and said, "It's okay. You go inside and wait for me for a while. I'll be there soon."

The card player nodded awkwardly, then went into the courtyard and into a small room.

As soon as he entered the small room, he started talking to the other two card players.

Do you know?

"What's wrong? What happened?"

"Wen Qing has brought people here and is causing trouble!"

"What's all the commotion about?"

"I overheard some news from the crowd. It's said that Ning Zhi paid someone to cause trouble for Aunt Xiao's tailor shop in an attempt to drive Wen Qing out of the county. But the person she hired has now turned around and bit Ning Zhi. Wen Qing is always vengeful, so he brought his men over, saying he's going to take Ning Zhi to the police station so the police can handle it properly."

"Oh my, that's terrible! Ningzhi is a perfectly good girl. After going to the police station, she'll not only lose face in the county, but she'll also be laughed at by her classmates at school."

A loud bang came from the next room.

The three card players were startled and immediately fell silent.

Little did they know that Ji Ningzhi had overheard their conversation and was smashing things in her room.

"Wen Qing, Wen Qing, that shameless country bumpkin!" Ji Ningzhi was both angry and annoyed, cursing as she spoke, but she was extremely scared inside. Standing in the room at a loss, she finally threw herself onto her bed and sobbed, refusing to leave the room.

At the same time, Wen Qing and Liang Wenhua clashed.

Liang Wenhua had always thought that she was intimidating in front of Wen Qing. At least as the "future mother-in-law," she had the trump card of "Ji Yanjun" and could always keep Wen Qing in check. But at this moment, Wen Qing didn't take her seriously at all.

"Wen Qing, what exactly do you want?" Liang Wenhua asked, barely suppressing his anger.

Wen Qing said calmly, "Let Ji Ningzhi come with me to the police station to clear my name." Sister Liu had just handed over the ten yuan that Ji Ningzhi had given her. To her delight, there was a little red nail polish on the brand-new ten yuan note. Red nail polish had always been Ji Ningzhi's favorite. Back then, nail polish cost six cents a bottle, and besides the limited color options, it wouldn't dry for a long time after application, which was why Ji Ningzhi had gotten it on the ten yuan note.

With witnesses and physical evidence present, Liang Wenhua naturally lacked confidence.

Liang Wenhua suppressed her temper and said in a low voice, "Wen Qing, aren't you ashamed enough? You've disgraced the Wen family, and now you're coming to disgrace the Ji family? What are you up to?"

Instead of getting angry, Wen Qing laughed: "Auntie, I neither harm others nor myself. I live an upright life, seeking justice for myself and my employer. What's shameful about that? On the contrary, Ji Ningzhi hides in the shadows, using money to smear others. Tell me, who is more malicious?"

Liang Wenhua's expression immediately changed. "Wen Qing, are you really going to make a scene?" she said.

Wen Qing countered, "Why not?"

One sentence left Liang Wenhua speechless. She gritted her teeth inwardly. The neighbors had already gathered for the spectacle. Liang Wenhua wanted nothing more than to sit on the ground and wail, scaring them all away. But if she actually did that, the scene would probably become even more chaotic. She had never been so humiliated. At that moment, she felt a wave of dizziness. Yan Jun… Yan Jun had been away on a business trip to Dongzhou for a few days; otherwise, things wouldn't have escalated to this point.

How are we going to handle this? Wen Qing, that shameless guy, has no shame of his own and wants to drag other people's whole families down with him.

Liang Wenhua remained calm for a while, but still had no choice. He then said, "I'll go see if Ji Ningzhi is home. You wait here."

"Okay," Wen Qing agreed.

Sister Liu urged, "Hurry up."

Liang Wenhua cursed the two men in his mind, closed the door, and went into the courtyard.

A group of people outside the courtyard chatted or ate sunflower seeds, secretly enjoying watching Liang Wenhua's momentum weaken and eventually lead to his defeat. In short, they were determined to see the excitement through to the end.

After entering the courtyard, Liang Wenhua went straight to Ji Ningzhi's room.

Ji Ningzhi was still lying on the bed crying.

“What’s the use of crying?” Liang Wenhua scolded as soon as he entered the room.

Ji Ningzhi finally looked up: "Mom, I'm not going to the police station, I'm not going."

Liang Wenhua felt a chill in her heart. She had originally planned to go in and question Ji Ningzhi to see if there was any chance of a turnaround, and to refute Wen Qing based on Ji Ningzhi's behavior. Unexpectedly, Ji Ningzhi herself admitted that what those people outside the courtyard said was true.

“You, you…” Liang Wenhua couldn’t say a word.

Ji Ningzhi cried and said, "I just don't want her to marry into our family. She said the marriage is off, but my brother won't admit it and insists it never happened. That day, my brother was clearly in a hurry to go to Dongzhou, but he deliberately drove his truck and went to Aunt Xiao's tailor shop to take one last look at Wen Qing before leaving. Mom, do you think my brother likes her? What about Sister Fangfang? I don't want Wen Qing to marry into our family!"

"Your brother went to see her specifically?" Liang Wenhua was surprised. Wasn't Yanjun always indifferent to Wen Qing?

"Yeah, she can't do anything, she's ignorant and has no manners. All she does is dress up and flaunt herself in front of my brother every day. I hate her, I hate her!" Ji Ningzhi shouted.

"You can't just pay someone to smear you, giving them leverage against you, and then have so many people testify against you. They're waiting outside the courtyard now, waiting to take you to the police station."

"I won't go! I won't go!" Ji Ningzhi cried again.

Liang Wenhua sighed.

Ji Ningzhi cried even louder.

Liang Wenhua was truly at her wit's end. Wen Qing seemed to have become a completely different person, making it impossible for her to find her weakness. So at this moment, she had no clue what to do and could only feel anxious.

"Mom, what should I do? If my classmates find out I went to the police station, I'll be too ashamed to live..." Ji Ningzhi cried. You know, in this day and age, if teenage boys and girls play together and a piece of toilet paper accidentally falls out of their pocket, the girl can be so ashamed that she cries, let alone going to the police station.

Liang Wenhua was irritated: "Your brother isn't home either, and Wen Qing is so stubborn, this..."

Just then, a voice came from outside the door: "What are you crying about?"

Ji Ningzhi was taken aback: "Dad?"

Just as Ji Ningzhi finished speaking, Ji Yousheng entered from outside the room.

Liang Wenhua hurriedly asked, "Did you come back through the back door?"

"Hmm, what's wrong with Ningzhi?" Ji Yousheng asked.

Liang Wenhua recounted the events of the day, downplaying the important points, and then said angrily, "Yousheng, look how ignorant Wenqing is! She made this a public spectacle and even wanted to send Ningzhi to the police station. How could she be so wicked!"

"Who's being unreasonable?" Ji Yousheng slammed his fist on the table and shouted, "Your daughter has money, so she spends money to hire people to smear you. Who's being unreasonable? Who's being malicious? If Ningzhi were in the old society, she would have been criticized and denounced. This is taking the crooked path!"

Liang Wenhua was startled.

Ji Ningzhi was so frightened that she immediately stopped crying.

"In my opinion, Ning Zhi, you should be sent to the police station for some reformation with your kind of behavior."

"dad!"

"Yousheng."

Ji Ningzhi and Liang Wenhua shouted at the same time.

Ji Yousheng pointed at the two men and asked, "What do you expect me to do? There's physical evidence, and dozens of eyes are watching. Can you deny it? The more you deny it, the worse things will get!"

Ji Ningzhi and Liang Wenhua remained silent.

A moment later, Ji Ningzhi began to sob softly again.

"Cry, cry! Now you know how to cry? Where were you before!"

"Alright, alright," Liang Wenhua advised. "Ningzhi is just a child, she doesn't know any better. This was just like children playing house, but who knew Wen Qing would make such a big deal out of it? Look how much Ningzhi is crying."

Ji Yousheng snorted.

Liang Wenhua continued, "What do we do now? We can't really let Ningzhi go to the police station, can we? Ningzhi still needs to take the college entrance exam, this will affect her, won't it? If she goes to school, what will her classmates think of her?"

Despite his words, Ji Yousheng still had to consider Ji Ningzhi's feelings. Since the evidence was irrefutable, denying it was impossible, so he had to admit it. At least he wouldn't have to go to the police station. After thinking for a moment, Ji Yousheng said, "I'll go see Wen Qing."

Meanwhile, Wen Qing and Sister Liu were waiting outside.

Sister Liu seized the opportunity to beg Wen Qing for forgiveness, but Wen Qing had no intention of making things difficult for Sister Liu; her focus was on the Ji family.

"Why haven't they come out yet after being inside for so long?"

"Yeah, they're not going to keep the door closed forever, are they?"

"..."

The onlookers lost their patience.

Wen Qing was very patient. Ji Ningzhi had gone further and further this time, and she was determined to use this opportunity to make her stop being so arrogant. She knew that the Ji family was definitely discussing countermeasures and would come out once they finished.

Sure enough, the large iron gate opened the next second.

Wen Qing thought Liang Wenhua would change her strategy to defeat her, but she didn't expect that she would change the person directly. The person who came out of the door was Ji Yanjun's father, Ji Yousheng.

Wen Qing was stunned. Memories from her past life flooded back. If there was one person in the Ji family she couldn't resent or hate, it was Ji Yousheng. His attitude towards her was completely different from that of Liang Wenhua and Ji Ningzhi.

In his mind, his son Ji Yanjun's life was saved by Wen Qing's second uncle at the cost of his own life; therefore, his son's life belonged to Wen Qing's second uncle. Since his son had promised to treat the girl well, he had to fulfill that promise. Furthermore, Ji Yousheng had always treated Wen Qing with gratitude, and even though she had clashed with Liang Wenhua and Ji Ningzhi in his previous life, Ji Yousheng had never taken an opposing side.

Before Wen Qing could even utter the word "Dad," she quickly replaced it with "Uncle."

Ji Yousheng came over with a smile: "Wen Qing is here, come in quickly, come in and have a seat." Ji Yousheng sincerely invited her.

Wen Qing shook her head and said bluntly, "Uncle, you should know why I'm here, so I won't go in."

Ji Yousheng's smile froze for a moment, then he said in a low voice, "I just came back from outside and heard about it."

Wen Qing lowered her head and said, "Mm."

Ji Yousheng didn't mince words: "Wen Qing, today's incident is definitely Ning Zhi's fault. As Ning Zhi's father, I naturally want the best for her. However, you are our family's benefactor, and I don't want you to suffer any losses."

Wen Qing was not at all surprised that Ji Yousheng would say that.

“Going to the police station is a bit of a big deal, don’t you think?” Ji Yousheng smiled awkwardly.

Sister Liu is most afraid of going to the police station. In this era, the concept of going to the police station has not changed, whether it is a rural or urban person. They always think that if you go to the police station, apart from the necessary procedures, you must have done something illegal or criminal, and your reputation will be bad: "Yes, yes, no need to go to the police station."

Wen Qing kept her head down the whole way.

Ji Yousheng rubbed his hands together and asked, "Wen Qing, look, why don't we avoid taking this to the police station? You're young, and all this trouble will damage your reputation and Ning Zhi's. After all, we're all family now, don't you think? How about we find another way to resolve this?"

"Yes, let's try a different approach." Sister Liu was eager for a reconciliation, hoping she would never do anything bad again.

By this time, the neighbors had also roughly understood the situation. Ji Yousheng's appearance and words undoubtedly reaffirmed Wen Qing's innocence and the innocence of Aunt Xiao's tailor shop.

However, no one knew whether Wen Qing agreed to let the matter end like that. Wen Qing didn't seem like the type to give up halfway.

All eyes turned to Wen Qing.

Liang Wenhua and Ji Ningzhi, who were hiding behind the iron gate, couldn't help but hold their breath. If Wen Qing disagreed, Ji Ningzhi would definitely have to go to the police station. Whether she wanted to or not, the police officers had the right to make her go, and then she would be too ashamed to go out.

She was extremely nervous at that moment.

Liang Wenhua stared intently at Wen Qing through the crack in the door.

A moment later, Wen Qing raised her head, smiled suddenly, and said calmly, "Okay, let Ji Ningzhi apologize to me right here, and I won't go to the police station."

Liang Wenhua was taken aback. Apologize here?

Ji Ningzhi quickly objected: "Mom!"

When Sister Liu heard that she wouldn't be going to the police station, she felt completely relieved.

"Okay! I'll have her come over and apologize to you right now." Ji Yousheng felt a huge weight lifted off his shoulders. He was worried that Wen Qing would insist on going to the police station. He quickly went into the yard, and at the big iron gate, he pulled Ji Ningzhi to a corner of the yard and said with a stern face, "Did you hear that? You go and apologize to Wen Qing right now."

“I’m not going!” Ji Ningzhi insisted.

Ji Yousheng immediately raised his hand to slap her, but Liang Wenhua quickly pulled him back, saying, "Don't hit her." Then he looked at Ji Ningzhi and advised, "Ningzhi, it's better to apologize than to go to the police station."

“But there are so many people here.” Ji Ningzhi’s eyes reddened again. She felt she had never been so wronged in her life. This grievance was all caused by Wen Qing. She hated Wen Qing to death.

"So you know there are so many people here now? When you framed Wen Qing, why didn't you think about how many people were there for her?" Ji Yousheng questioned.

Ji Ningzhi only cared about her own grievances and didn't care about the lives of others.

Liang Wenhua didn't want her daughter to apologize to Wen Qing, but given the current situation, she had no choice.

"Two options: one, go apologize to Wen Qing now, sincerely; two, I'll go to the police station with you, and you'll have to apologize to Wen Qing then!" Ji Yousheng said sternly.

Left with no other option, Ji Ningzhi left the Ji family compound accompanied by Ji Yousheng and Liang Wenhua.

As soon as Ji Ningzhi appeared, she immediately attracted the interest of the onlookers.

"Ji Ningzhi has arrived."

"See? I told you she was home. She was lying and saying she wasn't. She's so stubborn."

"It's disgusting. They think they're so great just because they have money. They spend ten dollars to hire someone to frame others. Their methods are really despicable."

"If I were Wen Qing, I wouldn't accept the apology. I would definitely send her to the police station for reform!"

"that is……"

The repeated accusations made Ji Ningzhi's face turn red, and her eyes reddened again.

Liang Wenhua's face was ashen; she could only suppress her anger, unable to vent it. "Wen Qing, you just wait!" she thought bitterly.

Ji Ningzhi walked up to Wen Qing reluctantly, hesitated for a long time, and then whispered, "I'm sorry, it was all my fault today."

"What are you saying? We can't hear you." At this point, someone in the crowd started to jeer.

Ji Ningzhi was secretly furious, but she still raised her voice: "I'm sorry, what happened today was my fault, please forgive me."

"So, I didn't steal any fabric, and Aunt Xiao didn't shortchange the customers on fabric either?" Wen Qing asked.

Ji Ningzhi bit her lip and then said, "No, I made it all up."

"They admitted it."

"They really admitted it!"

"Hahaha, now you're not hiding anymore, and you're not being stubborn anymore, are you?"

"How can someone so young be so vicious?"

"That's terrible!"

"..."

All the accusations, ridicule, and sarcasm reached Ji Ningzhi's ears. She couldn't hold back any longer, tears welled up in her eyes, and she turned and ran away.

At this moment, Sister Liu grabbed her and stuffed the ten-yuan bill that Wen Qing had just returned to her into Ji Ningzhi's hand: "This is your money. I'm returning it to you. We have nothing to do with each other anymore. I will never do bad things again. Look, there's still nail polish on this money. I didn't spend your money."

However, in the blink of an eye, many people noticed that the red nail polish on Ji Ningzhi's nails was exactly the same color as the ten-yuan banknote.

Ji Ningzhi could no longer control herself. She flung away Sister Liu's hand, burst into tears, and ran into the Ji family's courtyard without looking back.

Liang Wenhua looked extremely unhappy; he was practically fuming with anger.

Ji Yousheng then politely asked, "Wen Qing, would you like to come in and sit for a while?"

Wen Qing smiled and said, "Uncle, no need, you should go back. I've bothered you all for so long, I should go back too." With that, Wen Qing turned around and sincerely said to the crowd, "Thank you all for following me here and helping me get justice and clear Aunt Xiao's tailor shop's name. Thank you, thank you. To show my gratitude, all clothing labor fees will be halved this month."

Those who regularly make clothes immediately cheered and applauded for Wen Qing's exoneration.

Liang Wenhua sneered inwardly. How much money could a tiny tailor shop make? And they're offering a 50% discount on labor costs? They're just ignorant.

Ji Yousheng praised Wen Qing, noting that Ji Ningzhi's incident had already negatively impacted Aunt Xiao's tailor shop. Wen Qing not only clarified the situation but also apologized to the customers. Furthermore, the 50% discount on labor costs immediately won over many customers.

Wen Qing turned to Sister Liu and said, "Sister Liu, everyone loves money and everyone wants to make money. Only when you earn it penny by penny with your own hands can you spend it with peace of mind. You know you were wrong today, so let's just let it go."

Sister Liu was filled with gratitude. Her initial dislike for Wen Qing had turned into utmost admiration. She immediately said, "Thank you, thank you Wen Qing. I will never do bad things again."

Everyone immediately praised Wen Qing, and this continued until Wen Qing left the county town and headed towards the main dirt road.

The incident at Aunt Xiao's tailor shop is still being talked about in the county town. Originally, everyone thought that after this mudslinging incident, Aunt Xiao's tailor shop would definitely be affected, and everyone would think that Aunt Xiao's tailor shop was not very good.

The result was not like that; almost everyone praised Wen Qing.

"Wen Qing's shoes are very comfortable. My husband says they are much better than mine."

"The labor fee is halved."

"You don't know, when they framed Wen Qing, Aunt Xiao's tailor shop was packed with people, all cursing Wen Qing. But Wen Qing wasn't afraid at all, and eventually she managed to expose the mastermind. It's just a pity that Ji Ningzhi wasn't punished in the end."

"Don't you know? Wen Qing is Ji Ningzhi's future sister-in-law!"

"Even his sister-in-law was sent to the police station, which shows that Wen Qing is upright!"

"..."

Wen Qing never expected that, after Ji Ningzhi's incident, not only would it not damage Aunt Xiao's tailor shop's reputation, but it would also promote her shoemaking and clothing-making skills.

As she walked along the dirt road back to Shuiwan Village, she wasn't thinking about the tailor, but rather, because of Ji Yousheng's appearance, she suddenly thought of her second uncle.

Remembering how good her second uncle was to her, and remembering the words he said before he passed away:

"My Wen Qing is so beautiful and smart, she would be at a disadvantage if she married anyone."

“It’s okay to have a good temper. Who says women have to be good to men? If you don’t change, we’ll just stay like this and see which stinky man dares to bully Wen Qing. We’ll slap him away.”

"Wen Qing, study hard and become a college student in the future."

"Do you have a crush on Ji Yanjun?"

"..."

As she thought about it, Wen Qing's eyes reddened. It was because she had said that she liked Ji Yanjun that her second uncle asked Ji Yanjun to take care of her before he died.

As Wen Qing walked, she arrived at the entrance of the village.

Now, when she returns to Shuiwan Village, she always goes home through the shoemaker's shop at the east end of the village to avoid running into her neighbors who are enjoying the cool evening air and gossiping about her every day.

She had just passed the shoemaker's house, carrying her cloth bag, when she heard someone call out, "Big sister! Big sister!"

Wen Qing turned around and saw Wen Peng dragging a large bamboo basket full of grass. Wen Peng was covered in sweat but had a big smile on his face.

"Big sister!"

Wen Qing stepped forward, helped lift the bamboo basket, and asked, "Pengpeng, did you cut the grass for the cow?"

"Yes." Wen Peng said excitedly, "Mom said we don't need to sell the cow, we can raise it ourselves."

Wen Qing knew that Wen Peng was the family's most affectionate friend to cattle. Ever since he was old enough to work, his favorite things to do were cutting grass to feed the cattle, herding them, and leading them to the fields to plow. Wen Qing affectionately reached out and touched Wen Peng's little head, asking, "Are you happy?"

"I'm so happy!" Wen Peng said. "When I woke up today and saw that the cow was gone, I cried for a long time. Now that I see the cow, I'm happy again."

Wen Qing's earlier frustration vanished instantly, and she asked, "Why didn't you have class today?"

"This morning was the last exam of the semester. After that, we'll have a holiday. My second brother won't get his holiday until tomorrow. When school starts again, I'll be in fourth grade," Wen Peng said.

Wen Qing then remembered, "Oh yeah, the elementary school students are on holiday, and there are less than two months until school starts again, less than two months."

With that thought in mind, Wen Qing arrived home.

When Wen Qing, Yao Shiling, and Wen Peng were giving the cow yam, Wen Qing said something that surprised the two of them.

Wen Qing said, "Mom, I want to go to school this time too." She had been accepted into the city's high school, but after her second uncle passed away, there was no money left to pay the tuition. Ji Yanjun offered to pay for her to continue her studies, but she didn't want to spend his money, so she stopped attending. Ji Ningzhi often said Wen Qing was uneducated because the lowest level of education in the Ji family was vocational school, Ji Ningzhi was about to take the university entrance exam, while Wen Qing only had a junior high school education. Furthermore, Zhang Fangfang was now a university student; these days, university graduates were guaranteed job placement, and Zhang Fangfang had already received numerous job offers even before graduation.

"Go to school?" Wen Peng said, "High school tuition is so expensive. Our family is so poor. Big sister, you shouldn't go. I'm even planning to stop after I finish fifth grade and go earn money."

“Nonsense,” Yao Shiling said to Wen Peng.

Wen Qing was amused by Wen Peng's words and patted Wen Peng's head, saying, "You can't drop out of school. Study hard. I have money to send you to junior high, high school, and university. Do you hear me? You can't just finish fifth grade and then stop."

"Okay," Wen Peng agreed.

Yao Shiling looked at Wen Qing and asked, "Have you made up your mind?"

“Yes,” Wen Qing said, “When I go to school, I can also make some clothes and shoes to sell in my spare time. Besides, Aunt Xiao said that Aunt Xiao’s tailor shop will be mine in the future, so the tuition for high school is not a problem. I can also afford Liangliang and Pengpeng’s tuition.”

"Just focus on your studies, Mom is still young and can earn money..."

“Mom,” Wen Qing interrupted Yao Shiling with a smile, “You can trust me. I can do it. These things are not difficult or tiring for me. Just help me when I need it. For example, making shoe soles, pasting shoe uppers, or tailoring clothes.”

"Okay," Yao Shiling agreed with a smile.

Wen Qing ultimately did not tell Yao Shiling what had happened in the county town.

Before it got dark, Yao Shiling and Wen Qing were sewing shoe soles and sitting on shoes in the yard. Yao Shiling was doing it while Wen Qing was giving her instructions. Two people can do more work than one person can.

At night, Shuiwan Village is quiet and peaceful, with only the occasional chirping of insects and croaking of frogs, which is quite pleasant.

Wen Qing moved a small stool and sat on the edge of the bed. On the bed were a kerosene lamp, white paper, a wooden ruler, and a tape measure. She held a pencil stub and calculated while measuring herself. Then she drew on the paper and added words. This was the plan she was going to give to Tang Quan.

It wasn't until midnight, when sleepiness overcame her, that she blew out the light and climbed into bed to sleep.

The next morning, Yao Shiling thought that Aunt Xiao wasn't in the shop. Since Wen Liang and Wen Peng were both off work that day, Yao Shiling decided to go to the shop with Wen Qing. She could help Wen Qing make shoes and also keep an eye on the shop. She was worried about leaving Wen Qing alone in the shop.

"Mom, eldest sister, I'm going too. I haven't been to the county town in a long time." Wen Peng rarely gets to go on summer vacation.

Wen Qing looked at Wen Liang, who said, "I'm at home watching the cows and doing my summer homework."

“Okay,” Yao Shiling agreed.

After breakfast, Wen Qing, Yao Shiling, and Wen Peng set off on the dirt road toward the county town.

People kept greeting us along the way.

"Wen family, are you going to the county town?"

"Yes, that's right."

"What are you going there for? Is the whole family going?"

"Let's go take a look and buy some small things. Pengpeng is on holiday too, so let's take him out for a walk."

Yao Shiling responded to each one with a smile.

"Hey, Pengpeng, are you wearing new pants?" someone asked Wenpeng.

Wen Peng said happily, "Yes, my older sister made it for me."

"Look how beautiful you are."

Wen Peng chuckled.

After the mother and her two children left, the villagers all sighed with admiration.

"Wen Qing has really changed. Although she still goes to the county town every day, she has suddenly stopped being so impulsive and has become more considerate."

“Look at Wen Peng’s pants and Yao Shiling’s shoes, they were both made by Wen Qing.”

"I never thought Wen Qing would become so obedient one day."

"..." Everyone found it unbelievable; they had once thought Wen Qinggou couldn't possibly be eaten. Damn it, their faces were burning with embarrassment.

Wen Qing, Yao Shiling, and Wen Peng arrived in the county town more than half an hour later.

As soon as Wen Peng arrived in the county town, he stared at the meat buns. Wen Qing went up and bought six meat buns for three cents. Wen Peng ate three of them without any effort and exclaimed that they were delicious and he was so hungry for them.

Yao Shiling complained that there was too little meat, mostly vegetables, and the dough was too thick, saying that three cents was not worth it.

Wen Qing smiled and said, "Then we'll make our own meat buns tomorrow and put in lots of meat."

Yao Shiling immediately stopped her: "Don't waste money. Save some money for your three schooling. You can eat whatever you want, as long as you're full."

Upon hearing this, Wen Qing fell silent.

As the three walked and talked, they approached Aunt Xiao's tailor shop. When they looked up, they saw that Aunt Xiao's tailor shop was surrounded by a large crowd.

Wen Qing was startled. Was this another troublemaker? She immediately regretted bringing her mother and younger brother along.

"Wen Qing".

"Wen Qing is here."

Someone outside the door immediately shouted.