12
Although Jian Yu was young, he knew from the group's reaction that this behavior was called stealing and was wrong.
He couldn't escape, and when others criticized him, Jian Yu's mouth was as tight as a clam's, and he didn't say a word.
By the time Cao Xiaomei came to pick him up, Jian Yu had already escaped.
Cao Xiaomei didn't know how Jian Yu ran away, and the people at the supermarket wouldn't say either. After returning home, Cao Xiaomei still scolded Jian Yu.
Hou Xiaobao asked for a long time, but still couldn't get a result.
Jian Yu realized that he was wary of Hou Xiaobao and would probably not be easily fooled again.
Cao Xiaomei gave Hou Xiaobao a thorough dressing-down, "You can't even handle this little thing, get out!"
Besides the children, even the staff, influenced by Cao Xiaomei, were not so attentive to Jian Yu.
Sometimes, the staff couldn't stand it and would say a few nice words for Jian Yu.
At this time, Cao Xiaomei would give the other party some face and restrain herself a bit, but when she was in a bad mood, no one's words would be effective.
The worst time was when Jian Yu was sick with a fever, and Cao Xiaomei still made her do chores with cold water.
It was so cold that Jian Yu was shivering. He spilled a basin of water on the ground, and Cao Xiaomei beat him with a broom.
Jian Yu's illness was compounded by injury, and he almost died.
Despite being the child who brought the most benefits to the orphanage, Jian Yu was also the child who had the worst life in the entire orphanage.
When Jianyu was seven years old, the old steward was ordered to come and see her.
Cao Xiaomei had a deep impression of the old housekeeper. When she saw him, she started to complain about how bad Jian Yu was.
For example, someone goes to a supermarket to steal something and gets caught red-handed by the staff.
"You wouldn't believe it, after I heard the news, I rushed to the supermarket to pick her up. If it weren't for her young age, they wouldn't have let her go. Sigh..."
She rattled off a long string of words, her entire message a testament to how she had tried so hard to correct Jian Yu's bad habits.
To gain the other party's trust, they even called over staff members and children to testify.
The old housekeeper sent someone to the supermarket to inquire, and after confirming that the incident was indeed true, he told Grandma Jian about Jian Yu's behavior.
Grandma Jian had the old housekeeper give Jian Yu a stern reprimand, warning her that she must be a good person and not learn bad habits.
Jian Yu had never met the old butler before, and his legs went weak from fear at their first meeting because of his serious face.
Although she was quite frightened, Jian Yu still remembered his words.
Grandma Jian thought that Jian Yu was influenced by Hou Xiaobao, so she asked Cao Xiaomei to separate the two.
Cao Xiaomei was also instructed to tell the school teachers to pay more attention to Jianyu's ideological education on a regular basis.
Cao Xiaomei agreed very readily.
With Cao Xiaomei's assurance, Grandma Jian thought Jian Yu would soon change for the better, unaware of Cao Xiaomei's true intentions.
The housekeeper will come over once a year from now on.
Cao Xiaomei always accompanied her personally.
Every time, he would earnestly advise Jianyu to be a good child.
After the old housekeeper returns, he will compile these documents into a report and present them to Yu Zhentian and Grandma Jian.
Jian Yu couldn't understand why the old housekeeper looked at her with such complicated eyes. Once, Jian Yu mustered up her courage and secretly inquired about her family, "Do you know me? Do you know where my family is?"
The old butler simply shook his head and remained silent.
Jian Yu nodded and walked away silently.
Jian Yu gradually learned how to deal with Cao Xiaomei by observing Cao Xiaomei's attitude towards her in front of others and in private.
As Jian Yu grew older, he seemed to become increasingly clumsy, with bad habits all over his body. Cao Xiaomei was satisfied, and with the older children leaving the orphanage, she began to make things less difficult for Jian Yu.
But they'll still occasionally hurl a few curses.
Jian Yu usually gets good grades, and he got a perfect score on his first exam.
After learning her score, Cao Xiaomei grabbed a broom and beat Jian Yu. "I told you not to cheat! With your brains, you'd be lucky not to get a zero, how could you possibly get a hundred? You deserve a beating."
Smack! Smack!
The broom's sweeping motion created afterimages...
Finally, a staff member noticed that Jian Yu was not moving much on the ground and, fearing that something might happen, pulled Cao Xiaomei away.
Jian Yu was punished by not being allowed to eat dinner that day.
Hungry, little Jian Yu clutched a fragment of a large red flower in his hand, pondering his teacher's words in the darkness...
"Students who get full marks will receive a big red flower."
"Jian Yu is awarded a big red flower! Everyone applauds. We should all learn from Jian Yu in the future."
A round of applause rang out in the classroom; it was the first time Jian Yu had felt affirmed.
Before falling asleep, Jian Yu figured out why she had been beaten again.
Because Cao Xiaomei wanted her to get a zero.
During the second exam, Jian Yu fulfilled Cao Xiaomei's wish.
In every exam that followed, Jian Yu was among the last few in the rankings.
Every time Cao Xiaomei saw her test paper, she would pretend to sigh.
Aside from a sigh, there wasn't a trace of regret on his face; on the contrary, he couldn't stop smiling.
On the eve of the high school entrance exam, Cao Xiaomei contacted a shady factory, intending to introduce Jian Yu into it.
Cao Xiaomei didn't hide anything from Jian Yu. She called Jian Yu over and said earnestly, "Anyway, you won't get into high school. After the exam, go to work in the factory. Remember to give me your wages from now on."
She went to work in a factory where food and lodging were provided. Jian Yu had already graduated from junior high school, so having a job meant she wouldn't have to live in the orphanage anymore.
Cao Xiaomei believed she was acting in Jianyu's best interest, saying, "Look how much better it would be to go to the factory."
Jian Yu didn't believe her at all; the factory she introduced might be just as shady as she was.
Many children, after failing their high school entrance exams, begin preparing for their future jobs.
If he doesn't go to school, Jian Yu should definitely consider this issue.
Jian Yu wants to continue her studies, but is worried about the tuition fees.
I heard that the old man who comes every year is a philanthropist who often donates money, so I decided to ask him for help.
Unfortunately, he never appeared again.
Jian Yu only learned after returning to the Yu family that the old man was his grandmother's old housekeeper, who had already passed away.
After finishing the exam, Jian Yu found a job at a restaurant.
Jian Yu returned to the orphanage and, citing the high wages at the restaurant, refused the factory job recommended by Cao Xiaomei.
Upon hearing that the salary was high, Cao Xiaomei immediately agreed to let Jian Yu work there and also agreed to let Jian Yu continue to live in the orphanage, on the condition that he must hand over his salary on time.
Jian Yu nodded in agreement with a meek and submissive expression.
Cao Xiaomei was secretly pleased with herself.
When payday arrived, Jian Yu used the excuse that the restaurant was withholding three months' wages to avoid Cao Xiaomei's clutches.
It's common for wages to be withheld, and given her absolute control over Jianyu over the years, Cao Xiaomei never gave it a second thought, nor did she ever doubt Jianyu.
I heard that Jianyu High School was about to start, so the boss paid Jianyu his wages in advance. After thanking him, Jianyu took two months' wages and went to live at school.
After the start of the school year, Cao Xiaomei couldn't contact Jian Yu. When she went to the restaurant to ask, she found out that Jian Yu had already taken the money and gone to school.
Cao Xiaomei didn't believe him. "Nonsense. Jian Yu has always had poor grades. If it weren't for the nine years of compulsory education, she would have been expelled from school long ago."
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