Chapter 257 Study hard, and you will succeed in the future.
Dinner was a simple meal at the shop.
A pot of steaming noodles, several steamed buns that had been heated up earlier, and a plate of braised pork with preserved mustard greens.
The charcoal brazier was burning brightly, making the room warm and cozy, but the atmosphere was somewhat somber.
Xiao Ran kept her head down, mechanically picking at the noodles in her bowl. Her usually bright eyes were now dull and lifeless, clearly still immersed in the shock of the afternoon's turmoil.
Xiao Yi seemed to sense that her brother was in a bad mood, so she stopped chattering as usual and quietly ate her meal, occasionally stealing a glance at Xiao Ran.
Jiang Ling took in Xiao Ran's expression, put down her chopsticks, and broke the silence with a gentle voice:
"Xiao Ran, are you still thinking about what happened this afternoon?"
Xiao Ran suddenly snapped out of his daze, looked up in a fluster, put down his chopsticks, moved his lips but made no sound, and then lowered his head again.
When he went home this afternoon, his parents didn't scold him, but they had a lot of heartfelt words with him.
Although Dad's leg injury has healed, he has been left with a chronic condition. He can't do heavy work, and the pain recurs when it's windy or rainy.
He sat on the edge of the kang (a heated brick bed), holding a pipe in his hand, but did not light it; he simply sighed deeply.
"Xiao Ran, Dad really doesn't want to say this to you, but from now on, let's focus on ourselves first. Let's mind our own business and not interfere in other people's affairs..."
As a father, he really didn't want to raise his son this way.
But reality is what it is, and what happened today is enough to make them shudder.
Fifty taels of silver—how long would it take a family of four to save that much without eating or drinking?
If Xiao Ran were to lose her job at the grocery store because of this, then the sky would truly fall.
Today I'm so lucky to have met such a wonderful employer as Miss Jiang. Not only did she pay me, but she also didn't blame me.
If it were any other employer, they would probably have fired Xiao Ran long ago and let them deal with it themselves.
Xiao Ran suddenly looked up, her eyes filled with grievance: "Dad, do you also think I did something wrong...?"
"Helping others is not wrong! Your mother and I have taught you to be kind to others since you were little, but..."
He pointed out the window: "Look at our village, and then look at yourself. You can work as a shop assistant in Miss Jiang's shop, earning one tael of silver a month, and you can also study with Mr. Fu and learn martial arts from Master Zhao. What a blessing that is! How many boys in the village are about your age? Which one of them doesn't envy you? Which one of them doesn't look at you with longing?"
He sighed, his voice softening but still serious: "Son, it's not that I blame you for being kind. It's just that in this world, you can't see into people's hearts. It's good that you want to help others, but you have to think first about whether you have the ability to help them to the end, and whether it will cause trouble for those who are genuinely good to you."
Zhao Yin's wife sat down next to her son, took his hand, and said, word by word:
“If it weren’t for Miss Jiang today, how would our family have filled that fifty-tael hole? We couldn’t have scraped together the money even if we sold everything we owned! Miss Jiang treats you like her own brother, trusts you, and mentors you. Now, when you speak and act outside, you are doing what’s right for the general store. We can’t let our good intentions give others something to hold against us and make us a burden to her.”
Zhao Yin picked up the conversation, his tone calm and measured: "A fall into a pit, a gain in your wit. You're all grown up now, and you've read a lot of books, so I don't need to teach you big principles. I just hope that you'll be more careful in your words and actions in the future. Kindness is important, but it can also be easily taken advantage of."
Her parents' words struck Xiao Ran's heart like a hammer.
He couldn't understand it; it wasn't the same principle he had learned from books.
He wanted to ask Sister Jiang for the answer, but as soon as he reached the shop entrance, he overheard her conversation with Xiao Tao.
His voice was a little hoarse, "Sister Jiang, I...I'm fine. I just feel so stupid, I almost...almost dragged you into this."
Jiang Ling placed a piece of braised pork on his plate and said calmly, "What's done is done, there's no point in thinking about it anymore. Life is a process of continuous experience, let bygones be bygones. Pick yourself up and get ready to face new challenges."
She knew Xiaoran was a smart person, and she didn't need to say anything more about self-reflection.
Xiao Ran nodded at the bowl: "I understand, Sister Jiang."
Jiang Ling hesitated for a moment before speaking, "Now, I have a question for you. About Xiao Tao... do you want her to stay?"
After all, when Xiao Tao was redeemed, Xiao Ran was the first person they considered.
If Xiao Ran really likes her, Jiang Ling is unwilling to play the role of breaking up a couple.
This question was like a stone thrown into stagnant water, instantly stirring up waves in Xiao Ran's heart.
After a moment of silence, he raised his head, his eyes filled with sadness and regret.
"Sister Jiang, you don't need to worry about me. My relationship with her is just a thing of the past, and I've paid back everything I owed her. I won't have anything to do with her anymore. Now I just want to study hard and practice martial arts so I can protect my parents, Sister Jiang, Xiao Qi, and Xiao Yi in the future."
The words he overheard outside the door that afternoon felt like needles piercing his heart.
Looking back on everything that happened, it turns out that it was all scheming from the very beginning.
He foolishly believed he was doing a good deed, when in fact he had already fallen into someone else's trap.
Knowing that he was truly injured, Jiang Ling slowly spoke:
“Alright, I’ll make the arrangements. She might stay in Jishui Village for a while. I told her not to go into the shop or the courtyard. If you don’t want to see her, just hide. Once this is over, I’ll find her another way out.”
Xiao Ran paused, her hand holding the chopsticks still. "Okay, I'll follow Sister Jiang's arrangements."
Xiao Yi looked up in confusion, her blinking eyes full of bewilderment. "Huh? Can't Sister Xiao Tao stay? Did Brother Xiao Ran and Sister Xiao Tao have a fight?"
He was still young and didn't understand any schemes or plots. In his eyes today, there was only one bad person: that fierce-looking, heavily made-up old woman.
He naively thought that once his sister bought Xiaotao, the four of them would eat together from now on.
Xiao Ran lowered her head and remained silent.
Jiang Ling put a piece of braised pork in his bowl: "Sister Xiao Tao has other places to go. Don't ask so many questions, just eat."
Xiao Yi blinked and continued slurping her noodles.
Jiang Ling suddenly remembered something: "Oh right, speaking of studying, Mr. Fu specifically mentioned it to me a couple of days ago. He said that it's still early before the autumn examinations, and he's willing to stay in the village to continue teaching you."
Jiang Ling made a deal with Fu Chengze using a pair of glasses, asking him to teach Xiao Ran to read for three months. In fact, the three-month period had already ended.
However, Fu Chengze didn't want to take advantage of Jiang Ling, so he taught her one day at a time.
Xiao Ran went to the capital with Jiang Ling a while ago, but was delayed for some time due to other matters. Fu Chengze remembered all of this and did not count it as part of the agreed three months.
Now that the money for the glasses has been paid off, it's natural that Mr. Fu can no longer teach for free. Jiang Ling then discussed with him that he would pay tuition fees monthly, with the same wages as Zhao Shiying, one tael of silver per month.
"Don't worry, Sister Jiang, I will definitely study hard and make something of myself in the future!"
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