After seeing the woman off, she continued her search for a second client.

With her silver tongue, she sold quite a lot by the end of the morning.

The afternoon was even hotter, and there were fewer people on the streets.

Shen Mingzhi moved her stall under a tree, holding a fan, her eyes scanning the surroundings.

When she saw a woman carrying a child get out of a car on the opposite side of the road, she quickly chased after her, carrying her bamboo basket.

"Sister... Sister, wait for me!" Shen Mingzhi chased after the woman.

In the clothing store next to her, Song Wanyin was picking out a dress when she heard a familiar voice outside. She looked through the shop window.

Shen Mingzhi was seen fanning a young mother with a palm-leaf fan in one hand and holding a bottle in the other, talking to the woman.

Shen Mingzhi didn't notice Song Wanyin in the clothing store. After finishing promoting her medicine to a young mother, she smiled and said, "Sister, your skin is so good. I'm so envious. Is it natural?"

"Really?" The young mother was shy and felt embarrassed by the compliment.

"Really, it's as white and tender as a boiled and peeled egg. But you should really be careful with your child. Buy a bottle and try it. If it doesn't work, you don't have to pay!" Shen Mingzhi said.

The mother took her child to the health center to see a doctor about the rash on the child's body.

After hearing what she said, I'm a little undecided.

But thinking that he wasn't short of money, he took out a dime and handed it to Shen Mingzhi, saying, "Let's give it a try."

Shen Mingzhi quickly gave her a new bottle and a bag of fever-reducing patches. "If it works well, please help me spread the word. Thank you, sister. You are beautiful and kind-hearted."

The mother blushed and left with her child in her arms.

As it was getting dark, Shen Mingzhi packed up her stall and returned home. Wang Sao was still there, and there was a strange young man in the house.

The young man was tall, but as thin as a bamboo pole. His skin had a pale, malnourished look, and his eyes were dark and deep, like bottomless pools. He wore a white short-sleeved shirt with frayed edges, army green trousers, and a pair of very worn-out canvas shoes.

He also had a black cloth bag slung across his body.

"Sister, have some water." As soon as the young man saw her, he immediately handed her a cup of water that was at a moderate temperature.

Shen Mingzhi took the water and asked with a smile, "What's your relationship to Sister Wang?"

The young man quickly replied, "She's my stepmother. There's no work at the factory today, so she asked me to come and help you look after your child."

Shen Mingzhi said "Oh," and asked, "Which factory do you work at?"

"I work on an assembly line in a daily chemical factory," the young man replied, then walked to the steps to sit down and took out a math book from his bag to read.

He's quiet and reserved; he doesn't seem like the type to talk much.

After drinking hot water, she took out the money that Wang Sao and she had earned yesterday and today from her pocket and started calculating their profit sharing.

Wang Sao sat next to her.

As Shen Mingzhi counted, she asked her softly, "Hasn't he finished his studies yet?"

"Don't you also think he's a dull and difficult person to approach?" Aunt Wang asked with concern. "This child was born to my sister. He's the fifth child in the family. They originally didn't want him and were going to throw him away, but my sister begged me to help her register him in my household. He was already several years old and sensible when his family didn't want him."

In those days, too many children born outside the one-child policy in the village couldn't be registered, and many were unwanted.

“After he came to my house, he became less talkative. My husband couldn’t stand him like that. Later, when the kids needed money for school, he would always complain and grumble, so he became even more silent. He begged me to finish elementary school, but my husband refused to support him. So it was intermittent. I worked as a nanny and got paid, and I secretly gave him some of the money to save. He managed to finish junior high school and is still in high school. He’s 21 this year, but he’s not willing to give up. He’ll be taking the college entrance exam soon, and I don’t know if he’ll pass.”

Upon hearing this, Shen Mingzhi took four extra yuan from the ten yuan she had earned in the past two days and gave it to Wang Sao, saying, "Tell him to finish his studies and get his high school diploma first."

"You still have two children to raise..." Wang Sao declined.

Shen Mingzhi's expression turned serious. "Of course I'll keep the responsibility of raising the child. Don't let him go to work during this time. Let him stay home and study for the exam."

She finally understood: his reticence stemmed from carrying too many burdens in his heart.

“He usually lives at the factory, he doesn’t have a room at home, and my husband also needs him to bring money home…” Wang’s wife said in a low voice.

Shen Mingzhi guessed that Wang's wife was also having a hard time at home because of him, and if he quit his job at the factory, he would have nowhere to live.

Her room is too small, and besides, it's not safe for a woman to live with an adult man.

"I'll go ask Wang Wu and share some of his money with him, see if he can squeeze in with Wang Wu. But he has to be willing to do it himself." Shen Mingzhi also cherishes talent. He has struggled to get to where he is now, and he's almost at the college entrance exam. It would be a pity to give up now.

In this era, it's not easy to produce a college graduate.

Shen Mingzhi's words brought tears to Wang Sao's eyes, and she quickly called out to the door, "Wang Xinian!"

The young man hurried in, putting the book he was carrying into his bag. "Stepmother, are you going home?"

"You're really lucky. She's letting you quit your job at the factory so you can prepare for the college entrance exam," said Wang's wife, walking up to him, grasping his hand, her eyes filled with tears.

Shen Mingzhi couldn't help but say, "So your name is Wang Xinian. That's a very nice name, the name of a cultured person."

He wasn't as happy as I'd imagined. Instead, he lowered his head and said, "I've saved up some money myself. I can pass the exam even if I don't quit."

“I will still support you through university. Just study hard and try to get into a better university, okay? Tsinghua or Peking University, is that possible?” Shen Mingzhi looked up and said gently.

Wang Xinian's university tuition was far from enough, which worried him greatly. He even considered borrowing money from someone. Unexpectedly, someone is now sponsoring his university education for free.

Shen Mingzhi's words deeply moved Wang Sao, but she could only look at Wang Xinian anxiously.

Wang Xinian gripped his trouser leg tightly. "I'll follow my sister's arrangements."

"I'll go ask where you live. There are still about two months until the college entrance exam. Study hard." Shen Mingzhi stood up, her tone kind.

After she left, Aunt Wang held Wang Xinian's hand, choking back tears, and said, "I'm useless, I've let you waste so much of your time. Fortunately, Zhizhi is willing to help you... You should study hard, finish university and repay her properly, and treat her two children as your own younger brothers and sisters, do you hear me?"

Wang Xinian looked at her for a long while before asking, "Are you going to abandon me too? Is it because my insistence on going to school has put you in a difficult position?"

Aunt Wang was stunned for a moment, then slapped him. "What nonsense are you talking about? I know you're not having a good time in my house... Zhizhi is having a hard time too, but she's definitely much better off than me. Even with two children, she's willing to support you. It's just that your stepmother is not capable enough."