Chapter 288 I Won't Cause You Trouble

In the evening, when everyone else had long gone home, she stayed behind to check the children's beds and tidy the classroom, leaving only one of the last children to leave.

She polished every floor tile in the classroom until it shone so brightly that even the reflections were clearly visible, making it practically a mirror.

She paid special attention to children who were weak and sickly.

While others were sound asleep in the middle of the night, she quietly got up and gently fed the child medicine, brought water, and tucked him in. Her meticulous care was even more devoted than that of a biological mother.

"Second sister-in-law, this child has a weak spleen and stomach, so we have to be extra careful about what he eats."

One day, Qiao Wanyin handed over a handwritten list, her tone gentle yet firm, "This is a health regimen I got from an old Chinese medicine doctor. Please follow it; it will be good for your health."

Li Hongmei took the order, didn't even glance at it, patted her chest, and replied with great confidence, "Little sister, you can rest assured! I will definitely raise this child to be plump and healthy, as strong as a calf, without any hesitation! Just relax, I've got it covered!"

She's not someone who just talks the talk but doesn't walk the walk.

From that day on, she would carefully cook porridge and vegetables according to the recipe every morning, and she did every step of the process meticulously.

The rice must be rinsed three times, the vegetables must be the tenderest ones, and the cooking time must be just right.

She even secretly broke the few eggs she had saved up by being frugal and put them into the children's bowls, afraid that no one would see them.

Although Qiao Wanyin didn't say it, she saw and remembered all these details.

Her originally cold and distant attitude has gradually begun to soften.

Although the scales in his heart hadn't tilted too obviously, they had already subtly leaned a little towards Li Hongmei.

But she never once said: "Stay, don't leave."

Li Hongmei was as anxious as an ant on a hot pan, unable to sit still day and night.

Finally, one night, she couldn't hold back any longer. She turned over, leaned close to Qiao Xuezhi, and whispered something in her ear.

"Tell me, what exactly does 'little sister' mean?"

Her voice was full of anxiety, "I've been working so hard for so many days, and she hasn't even said 'You've done a good job,' let alone asked me to stay!"

Qiao Xuezhi groggily touched his head, rolled over, and asked in a muffled voice, "What's wrong? What happened?"

What else could it be?

Li Hongmei rolled her eyes in anger, suppressing her rage as she muttered, "So many days have passed! I've been working from dawn till dusk, running around doing everything, cleaning the floor, brewing medicine, even using up my eggs! And she, on the other hand, hasn't uttered a single word, acting like nothing happened! Not even a thank you!"

She's been really going crazy lately.

My heart felt like it was being scratched by a cat's claws, both itchy and painful, fearing that one wrong move would ruin everything.

The kindergarten has absurdly many rules: you must wash your hands before eating, you are not allowed to eat snacks, you must rinse your mouth carefully after eating, and you will be nagged for a long time if your clothes get dirty.

Each rule was like a thick rope, binding her impatient nature round and round, making it hard for her to breathe.

But in order to stay in this job, to have a stable livelihood, and to give her child a place to live, she gritted her teeth and endured it all.

As the days went by, Qiao Wanyin, the sister-in-law, always kept a stern face, never uttering a word to persuade him to stay, and rarely even giving him a kind look.

How could she not panic?

Every day, from the moment I open my eyes to the moment I close them, I think about what I could have done better.

The more she thought about it, the angrier she became, and the more wronged she felt. She wrung the rag in her hand again and again, until it was twisted into a rope, and wet water dripped down between her fingers.

"Qiao Xuezhi, what exactly is your sister planning?"

She lowered her voice and said each word, almost through gritted teeth, "I've already done so much, what more does she want from me before she'll agree to let me stay?"

Qiao Xuezhi frowned, looking at her with some helplessness: "Why are you getting so angry again? Didn't we agree to keep your temper in check?"

"I just want to know!"

Li Hongmei abruptly waved her hand, throwing the rag onto the edge of the sink. "When will she finally accept us? Are we here to beg for food? We're here to work! Open your eyes and see how desperately we need people in the orchard!"

Qiao Xuezhi sighed and softened his tone: "Hongmei, didn't we agree? If she really wants us to stay, she will naturally say so. There's no use in rushing things that can't be forced."

"Naturally my ass!"

Li Hongmei suddenly raised her voice, her chest heaving violently, "I think she's just pretending to be stupid! The park is short-staffed right now, we're short-handed everywhere. I can do everything—mop the floor, cook, take care of the children, repair tables and chairs, I can handle everything, I'm capable and hardworking, so why don't they want me? Just because I'm your sister-in-law? Just because I'm uneducated?"

She became more and more agitated as she spoke, and her eyes even turned a little red.

"No, we can't just sit here and wait. We can't rely on her to feed us. We have to take the initiative and let her know how sincere I am!"

What do you want to do?

Qiao Xuezhi wrung his hands nervously, beads of sweat forming on his forehead. "Don't let anything happen..."

"Look at how pathetic you are!"

Li Hongmei glanced at him sideways, her tone full of disdain, "Don't worry about this. I know what I'm doing and won't cause you any trouble."

The next morning, just as dawn was breaking, the roller shutter of the supply and marketing cooperative was pulled open with a "whoosh," and Li Hongmei plunged into the queue and squeezed to the very front.

She tiptoed, carefully selecting apples from the fruit stand—choosing only the large, juicy, and smooth-skinned ones, placing them one by one into her net bag.

I picked out another bunch of bright yellow, heavy bananas, their peels still glossy, looking very fresh.

The money she spent was almost half a month's worth of groceries. She winced in pain, but still didn't pull her hand back.

"Comrade, could you please wrap this up with a piece of red paper?"

She took out a faded, wrinkled handkerchief from her pocket, unfolded it layer by layer, and carefully counted the change inside—five cents, one mao, two mao—spreading them out in her palm.

The sales clerk glanced up at her and casually asked, "Are you giving this as a gift?"

"Um."

Li Hongmei nodded, straightened her back, and tried her best to speak without her local accent, "I'm sending someone who is educated, my sister-in-law, who works in a performing arts troupe."

Carrying the bag of fruit wrapped in red paper and putting it into the net bag, a smile unconsciously appeared on her lips, and her steps became lighter, as if she were carrying not fruit, but her hope.

As she walked down to the dormitory building of the cultural troupe, a gentle morning breeze was blowing. She stood on the steps, gripping the rope of the net bag, and walked back and forth several times, her heart pounding like a drum.

After hesitating for most of the day, I finally mustered up my courage and shouted towards the guardhouse. My voice wasn't loud, and it trembled slightly:

"Excuse me... could you please pass on the message that I'm looking for Qiao Wanyin?"

Just then, a clear voice drifted over from the stairwell: "Sister Li!"

As soon as Li Hongmei looked up, she saw Liu Piaopiao running out of the small building. She was wearing a crisp military uniform with her collar buttoned up perfectly, and her two long, shiny braids were swinging back and forth in front of her chest.