Arrive at the hotel

Upon hearing this, Sun Dong subconsciously frowned, but quickly became nonchalant.

Liu Xiangqiu, however, glanced nervously at Sun Dong. Seeing that Sun Dong didn't react, she said, "Sister, what you said is too harsh. Dongzi and I are still young. If we work hard, we might be able to have another little one."

After saying that, she glanced at Sun Dong again, and only after receiving a reassuring look from him did she manage a forced smile.

Liu Xiangmei rolled her eyes as she watched the two exchanging glances. Was this a discussion about having children? No, it was about Sun Min's schooling! That was the most important and urgent issue right now!

However, it seems that only Liu Xiangmei thinks this issue is important; for Sun Dong, it seems to be a completely unimportant matter.

With the start of the new school year in September fast approaching, Liu Xiangmei felt extremely anxious. However, Sun Dong said to Wang Yao, "Yao Yao, come on, let's go home with your second aunt's husband. It's so hot today. I'll get you some soda when we get home. Your second aunt's husband just got a new kind of soda, it's really strong."

Wang Yao looked at her mother's eyebrows, which were so thick they could trap a fly, and found it amusing. The emperor wasn't worried, but the eunuch was. It was someone else's business, and they didn't care. Why was she, an outsider, so anxious?

Not wanting her mother to worry or get upset about this family matter any longer, Wang Yao quickly refused, "Second Uncle, I'm not going. My mom and I have things to do, so we have to leave now." As she spoke, she pulled Liu Xiangmei, "Come on, Mom, we still have things to do today, and it's almost noon!"

Liu Xiangmei wanted to persuade Liu Xiangqiu and his wife again, as their child's schooling was of utmost importance and could not be taken lightly, but Wang Yao pulled her forward.

Liu Xiangqiu called out from behind, "Is there anything else you two need to do? Do you need my help?"

Wang Yao waved her hand, "No need, Second Aunt, you should go back now!"

As he spoke, he quickened his pace, pulling Liu Xiangmei along, as if afraid that Liu Xiangqiu would actually catch up and offer help.

Liu Xiangqiu really wanted to ask her in detail. Her younger sister was in the county with Yaoyao, and they were unfamiliar with the place. As her older sister and elder, she wanted to help her if she could.

But Sun Dong put his arm around her shoulder and led her home, saying, "Alright, they're both grown up. They'll definitely ask if they need help. Let's not meddle and go home. I'm starving."

Sun Dong's words made sense, so Liu Xiangqiu gave up chasing after him. When Sun Dong said he was hungry, he quickly asked if there was anything he wanted to eat and what dishes were left at home.

Liu Xiangmei was pulled along by Wang Yao for quite a distance before she finally shook off Wang Yao's hand and said breathlessly, "Alright, slow down. You child, I haven't even finished talking yet, why are you pulling me so fast?"

Wang Yao pursed her lips, crossed her arms, and raised an eyebrow, asking, "Is there anything else you haven't said? No matter how much you say, it's useless if the other person doesn't want to. Put aside your desire to help others, respect their fate, and forcibly intervening may not yield good results, you know?"

Liu Xiangmei slapped Wang Yao on the shoulder, causing Wang Yao to stumble.

She retorted irritably, "What nonsense are you spouting? Who's 'other people'? Is your second aunt 'other people' or Sun Min 'other people'? We're all family. What's wrong with family members helping each other? Sun Min is such a good child. How can I just stand by and watch her go astray?"

Wang Yao immediately retorted, "Ms. Liu, you're wrong about that. How can vocational school be considered a wrong path? Learning a skill is the right way!"

Liu Xiangmei: "That path is for those who have learning difficulties. Xiaomin's grades are so good, since she has the ability to go to high school, why doesn't she go? Did you hear that? She was only two points short. This time it was just a bad performance, bad luck. If she studies for a year, she can definitely get in. No, I really..."

Seeing her mother about to turn back to her aunt's house, Wang Yao quickly stopped her, "Mom, Mom, don't rush this. This can't be rushed. Our priority right now is to find a place to stay, and then we can discuss things further. What do you think? Besides, it's already noon. Shouldn't we find a place to eat?"

Liu Xiangmei sighed, "Alright then, I remember there's a hotel not far from the county's No. 1 High School. Let's stay there first. It's definitely safer near the school, and it'll be convenient to check out your future school."

The county's No. 1 Middle School is not far from the bus station; it's only a half-hour walk.

When the mother and daughter arrived at the hotel entrance under the blazing sun, they were drenched in sweat, looking like two fish out of water, as if they needed to open their mouths wide to breathe.

The main reason is that although Zhou County is located next to a tributary of a river, it is a mountainous area. Not only are all the towns in the county seat mountainous, but the county seat itself is also built on a mountainside.

Bus stations and train stations are all built at the foot of the mountain, while the county's No. 1 Middle School is located halfway up the mountain.

After checking in, Wang Yao took the key and opened the hotel room, then quickly gulped down a whole bottle of mineral water that was placed in the room.

Liu Xiangmei immediately turned on the fan in the room, and as the fan blades began to whir, Wang Yao finally felt as if she had been revived.

Wang Yao lay comfortably on the bed, feeling that the electric fan was the greatest invention in the world. Liu Xiangmei, however, sat next to her, drinking mineral water while feeling sorry for the room fee.

That's so expensive! They only booked a room for one night and it cost them twenty yuan. That's highway robbery!

Although they have several thousand yuan in savings, they can't withstand such extravagance!

She couldn't care less about Liu Xiangqiu's family matters now. She looked down at the bottled water in her hand. Even drinking cold water in the county town cost money. She had to settle down as soon as possible and find a way to make money. That was her top priority.

After resting for a while, Wang Yao, who was sprawled on the bed, started to cry out, "Mom, I'm hungry."

Even if it hurts to spend money, you can't let your child go hungry. "Hurry up and get ready, wash your face, and let's go eat."

The mother and daughter washed their faces with cold water to cool them down before taking their room keys and leaving again.

It was noon, the hottest time of day. As soon as they stepped out of the hotel, a wave of heat hit them. The mother and daughter didn't want to go far, so they sat down at a small noodle shop next to the hotel.

One bowl of beef noodles for each person, Wang Yao even asked the owner to add extra spice. Although she lived in the south for many years in her previous life, her love for spicy food has not changed.

On such a hot day, when Liu Xiangmei heard Wang Yao ask for extra spice, she frowned deeply. Just as she was about to say something to her, she saw Wang Yao get up and walk to the kitchen window.

This is a noodle shop run by Hui people. The kitchen is semi-open, and you can see the owner making noodles from the outside. The noodles make a "bang bang bang" sound as they hit the cutting board, and the water in the big pot next to him is boiling, billowing white steam.

The proprietress, wearing a headscarf, sat at an outdoor table arranging chives. Wang Yao sat down next to her and said, "It smells so good, proprietress. Your noodles smell so good, and since it's located near a school, your business must be booming."

Hearing this, the proprietress glanced at Wang Yao, and seeing that Wang Yao was still a child, she relaxed her guard. "What's so good about it? Look, it's lunchtime now, and there are only a few people in this shop?"

Indeed, it was lunchtime, and there were only five customers eating in the restaurant, including the mother and daughter.

Located near the school, even though it's only a few hundred meters away, the customer traffic is quite unusual.

After thinking it over carefully, Wang Yao smiled and said, "What's there to be afraid of now that there are few customers? This is the time of year when we're on holiday. When school starts, there will naturally be more people. I'll give you a shout-out in my class then."

Upon hearing this, the proprietress smiled and nodded. "You're also a student at the county's No. 1 High School? That's great! We've only been renting this shop for a week, and we're looking forward to the start of the new semester for you students. I'll give you a few extra slices of meat then."

Oh, so it's not just because the students are on holiday, but also because it's a new store. No wonder it looks so clean!

Wang Yao patted her chest confidently, as if to say, "No problem. But since the boss lady is so wealthy and has the capital to rent a place to do business, why not rent one closer to the school? It would be more convenient for us to get to the shop after class, and your business would definitely be better."

The proprietress waved her hand, "Where would we get the money? The rent for this shop is ridiculously expensive right now. The closer you get to the school, the more expensive the rent becomes. You kids these days don't know how to manage a household. You don't know the cost of firewood and rice, or how hard it is to make a living."

As he said this, the owner in the kitchen started sprinkling scallions on the noodles and called out, "The noodles are ready."

Wang Yao chuckled, then ended the conversation and got up to serve the noodles.

Two bowls of noodles were placed on the table. I have to say, although they did smell quite delicious, eating steaming hot noodles in the middle of summer was really unpleasant. Fortunately, the owner had installed ceiling fans in the shop, which helped to alleviate the discomfort a little.