"Okay, Mom, you rest for a while. I still need to get my blankets and then go to the dorm to make my bed. I have to go to evening self-study tonight."
Jiang Qiaoyun picked up her handbag.
"Let's go, I don't have anything to do anyway, I'll help you pack."
"No need, Mom. I'll pack myself. My roommates should be here by now. I'm afraid you'll let something slip. You almost called my name to Teacher Wang today. It scared me to death."
"Okay, then I won't go. Can you come over after your evening self-study session?"
Jiang Qiaoyun thought for a moment and said, "I won't come over tonight. I have military training tomorrow. I'll come find you after the training is over. You can eat something by yourself tonight."
Although Yang Shuying felt a little disappointed, she thought her daughter's words made sense.
Right now, nothing is more important than my daughter's future.
She smiled and said, "Then you should go to school quickly. Don't worry about me here."
"Okay, Mom, then take care of yourself."
That evening, just as she herself had said, Jiang Qiaoyun did not come over.
The next day, Yang Shuying waited all day, even looking around the school gate several times, but Jiang Qiaoyun still didn't appear.
She herself was illiterate and dared not wander off, fearing she would not be able to find her way back, so she could only stay around the school gate.
After a sleepless night, on the third day, Yang Shuying was extremely nervous. She finally made it to noon and was about to go to the school to find her daughter when Jiang Qiaoyun arrived.
She was wearing a military training camouflage uniform, a hat, and carrying a lunchbox.
"Oh, Qiaoyun, you scared me to death! Why didn't you come over last night?"
“We’ve been doing military training these past few days. Last night we had a welcome party, and it didn’t end until 10 p.m. Mom, you haven’t eaten yet, have you? I got you some food from the cafeteria.”
Jiang Qiaoyun cooked potatoes and cabbage, and also eggplant with minced meat.
"Mom, hurry up and eat."
Yang Shuying hasn't eaten for two days.
She wolfed down her lunchbox.
Jiang Qiaoyun tucked her hair behind her ear and said, "Mom, you see I don't have time to take you shopping. It's not very interesting for you to just stay here like this. Why don't you go back home and come back during the holidays? I'll show you around properly then."
If we go back, how will we ever have a chance to come back up?
"Go ahead and do your thing." Yang Shuying shoveled rice into her mouth, her words muffled. "I'm going to find Jiang Xuan. She's so free, maybe she can show me around."
"That's fine, Mom. You eat first, I'll go out and check the route to the military region for you."
"No rush, I'll stay with you a little longer and go later."
After dinner, Yang Shuying talked on and on for a long time, telling her daughter all the experiences she had accumulated in her life.
"In the dormitory, you must get along well with your classmates."
"Make more friends from well-off families or from the city; you never know when they might come in handy."
"Don't bear anything alone. Write home or talk to your uncle."
Yang Shuying wanted to say more, but Jiang Qiaoyun interrupted her, "I know, Mom, don't worry about these things anymore. I have military training this afternoon, and I want to rest for a while at noon. Let me take you to catch the bus."
They arrived at the bus stop, and Jiang Qiaoyun said, "Look, Mom, take bus number 38 first, get off at People's Hospital, then transfer to bus number 115, get off at the Machinery Factory stop, and walk from there."
"First take bus 38 to the hospital, then bus 115 to the machinery factory?"
"Yes, Mom, since you can't read, sit in the front. You can ask the ticket seller later."
"Okay, I understand. You go back to school now. Eat well at school and buy what you need. Don't be stingy."
Jiang Qiaoyun repeated the bus information and then went back to school.
Following her daughter's instructions, Yang Shuying took bus number 38 and arrived at the People's Hospital without incident. However, she waited for almost half an hour but the 115 bus still hadn't arrived. A kind-hearted woman passing by reminded her that she could also take bus number 23, which would take her directly to the military region.
But the aunt forgot to tell her to sit across from her.
Yang Shuying sat in the wrong direction.
By the time she arrived safely at the courtyard, it was already six o'clock in the evening.
Lu Shengye and Jiang Xuan were not at home.
After obtaining their business license, they took Dian Dian and Fan Xing to the family compound, where they were having dinner at the Lu family's house.
When Ma Xiaolan went out carrying her cloth bag, she saw Yang Shuying standing at the gate of the courtyard, looking inside.
"Auntie, you're here?"
"Hey Xiaolan, I didn't even recognize you after you got all dressed up. Are you going to get out of here?"
"I was just about to go out to buy some cheap vegetables. Jiang Xuan and the others went to the family compound. Let me get you some water."
Ma Xiaolan walked quickly to the kitchen and poured a glass of water into an enamel mug.
"Auntie, why don't you come to our house for a while? My daughter is home."
Yang Shuying took the jar, "No need, you go ahead and do your thing, I'll just wait for them here."
"How about I keep you company for a while? You must be bored by yourself. Has Qiaoyun arrived yet?"
"She's registered now. She ranked first in the entrance exam, and the school even gave her a bonus."
Speaking of her daughter, Yang Shuying was full of pride. "The dean there values my daughter very much. He even personally received us and said that he would give my daughter scholarships and grants in the future. My accommodation for the past few days was also arranged by the school."
"That's wonderful! Qiaoyun is such an outstanding girl."
"Isn't that right? She was the top scorer in our county's college entrance exam back then, and the banner at the provincial education bureau's entrance was up for half a month."
Ma Xiaolan looked on with envy, "Auntie, you are so lucky. I hope my daughter can get into university like Qiaoyun in the future."
Yang Shuying smiled and said, "You definitely can. You have a good face; you look like a lucky person. By the way, Xiaolan, what's the story with Lu Shengye before?"
"Auntie, what do you mean?"
Yang Shuying lowered her voice, "Oh dear, doesn't he have two children? Xuanxuan didn't tell us any of this before, so I don't know what's going on. You're our neighbors, you should know, right?"
“They moved here not long ago, and I don’t know much about Platoon Leader Lu’s past.”
"Oh dear, what should we do? Being a stepmother is no easy task!" Yang Shuying frowned, looking very distressed.
Ma Xiaolan said with a smile, "Auntie, don't worry. Platoon Leader Lu is a very good person. He's also good to Jiang Xuan. Jiang Xuan is selling breakfast, and he made this stand for her despite his injuries."
As she spoke, Ma Xiaolan pointed to the poster rack placed in the yard.
Yang Shuying looked on incredulously, "Xuanxuan is selling breakfast?"
"Yes, she sells egg pancakes at the entrance of the compound every morning."
"I don't know that. How's business?"
"It should be pretty good. The main thing is that she's very skilled. She makes so many that she sells out every day. People in our neighborhood even place orders with her."
"How much money can you earn in a day?"
"I'm not really sure about that, but since it's just the beginning, I guess it won't earn much."
Yang Shuying nodded, thinking to herself, "If this is the case, then I can at least give Qiaoyun some living expenses in the future, right?"
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