Chapter 112 Is she her belated golden finger?
"Didn't you say we were only registering today and not attending classes? Why are you back so late? I think you just wanted to slack off, didn't you? Just like that shameless mother of yours." Ji Mingyue was greeted by Chen Guilan's barrage of abuse upon returning to the ironworks. By this point, Ji Mingyue no longer had the energy to consider whether she was the heroine. She could threaten Ye Qiuju because she had leverage over her, but this tactic was useless against Chen Guilan. She ignored her and carried Ji Xingyue back to her room. In just a few days, Ji Xingyue's once chubby cheeks had become considerably thinner. She reached out and pinched her cheeks, "Eat the formula while you can, or you won't be able to have it later."
Chen Guilan kept nagging Ji Xingyue about her formula intake, saying she was going to stop giving her formula and feed her porridge instead. Thinking of this, Ji Mingyue couldn't help but sigh, "You're such a bummer to be born into a family like this."
The baby, over a month old, didn't respond to her, but slowly closed her eyes at the familiar sound. Ji Mingyue patted her a few times to hasten her sleep. After a while, making sure she was asleep, she tiptoed to put her on the bed. But as soon as she put her down, the previously soundly sleeping Ji Xingyue started howling at the top of her lungs again. Ji Mingyue could only pick her up again, cursing softly, "You really don't have the life of a princess, but you have princess syndrome."
Hearing the crying in the room being quickly stopped, Chen Guilan curled her lips. Although she agreed to let Ji Yushu and his daughter move in, she had always had other ideas in her mind. She wanted to send Ji Xingyue away. This was a common thing in their time. She mentioned it that day, but Ji Mingyue said it was a crime. Chen Guilan thought that Ji Mingyue was trying to scare her, so she hasn't given up this idea until now. Unfortunately, after asking several families, no one wanted her.
"Grandma, I'm starving. When are we having dinner?" Ji Wenwu came out of the room and asked.
"Wenwu, your grandpa just went to the school to register for you and brought back your new books. You can go to school tomorrow." After Chen Guilan finished speaking, she looked at Ji Wenwu carefully. Because of his previous fracture and the subsequent events, he had missed the second semester of the third year of junior high school, so this time he was repeating the third year of junior high school.
"I've already said I don't want to go to school." Ji Wenwu was a little annoyed. He hated going to school. In the past, Ji Lanlan helped him with school things, so he could barely go. Now that no one helps him with these things, he doesn't want to go to school at all.
"How can you not go to school? If you go to school obediently, I will give you pocket money every day." Chen Guilan tempted him with money.
Ji Wenwu didn't say anything. He was thinking about this matter. Ji Mingyue in the room couldn't help but snort. It's not that the old woman didn't understand the principle of going to school, she just didn't want her and Ji Lanlan to go. Now that Ji Lanlan and her mother have moved out, she has no one to talk to, so she puts her mind on herself. She just can't bear to see her well, and she has to make them suffer the same hardships she has suffered. She lowered her head to glance at the sleeping Ji Xingyue, and remembered Chen Guilan's suggestion before. She felt that she should find something for the old couple to do. Thinking of Ji Wenwu outside, she quickly came up with an idea.
Ji Mingyue couldn't help but think that she was not a good person, but she always couldn't help but give in when facing Ji Xingyue's problems. She didn't know whether she would regret it in the future, but at least she didn't regret it now.
"Ji Mingyue, it's time for dinner." Ji Wenwu's voice came from outside.
"I'll be right there." Ji Mingyue was also wary of Ji Wenwu, but since he knew that Ye Qiuju had run away, his hostility towards him had decreased a lot. Ji Mingyue felt that this was a good place to start.
After dinner, Chen Guilan urged Ji Mingyue to wash the dishes. She silently put the dishes into the kitchen. After she finished, she took the initiative to knock on Ji Wenwu's door.
Glancing at the person standing at the door, Ji Wenwu asked unhappily, "What are you doing?"
"Wenwu, you see, we live under the same roof now, so let's put the previous misunderstandings behind us." Ji Mingyue said to her with a smile.
"Okay, but you have to help me with my homework in the future." Ji Lanlan used to help him with these things.
"I don't think this will work. Did you ask your sister to help you write it before?" Ji Mingyue guessed quickly.
"Is this your sincerity?" Ji Wenwu snorted coldly.
"Don't worry, it's not that I don't want to, it's that I don't have time, but I can help you find a solution." Seeing that he was unwilling to mention Ji Lanlan, Ji Mingyue took the opportunity to mention the method she had just thought of.
"What method?" Ji Wenwu asked.
"Am I not helping my dad set up a stall? I can help you get the discs." Ji Mingyue stopped there.
Ji Wenwu was indeed moved: "Then Second Uncle won't know, right?"
"We must return it on time. My dad rents out so many discs every day that he can't even keep track of them all." Ji Mingyue patiently guided him and slowly nurtured his desire. She snorted in her heart and waited until the time came to see whether that old woman Chen Guilan would choose her son or grandson. She also waited until the time came to see if she would still have the heart to cause trouble for herself.
"Okay, you said it, I reluctantly forgive you." Ji Wenwu already had a plan in his mind.
"Don't worry, I'll tell you everything I say. My dad has discs of all kinds of TV series here." Ji Mingyue said casually, but her eyes were always fixed on Ji Wenwu's expression.
"We'll talk about the details when the time comes." Ji Wenwu frowned. What he said was different from what she said. Forget it, let's wait until school starts.
Seeing that he really had other thoughts, Ji Mingyue couldn't help but curl the corners of her lips.
*
Today was just registration, so students didn't have to attend classes. However, teachers had to be at school to prepare for the official start of school tomorrow, so Jiang Qitong was left at home. Seeing Jiang Lili come back, she was very happy: "Sister Lili, you're finally back. Grandpa has prepared dinner and is waiting for you."
"Are you going to school this afternoon?" Jiang Lili asked.
"No need, I'm going to class tomorrow. What about you?" Jiang Qitong looked up and asked her.
"I don't need it either. My classmates and I have an appointment to go to Xinhua Bookstore. Do you want to go with me?" Jiang Lili asked.
"Go, I want to go." Jiang Qitong nodded hurriedly.
"Okay, I'll take you there later." Jiang Lili nodded.
"Then are we going to leave grandpa alone at home?" Jiang Qitong asked.
"Then ask him if he is willing to go with us?" A smile flashed in Jiang Lili's eyes.
Upon hearing this, Jiang Qitong ran into the kitchen and said, "Grandpa, Sister Lili will take me to the Xinhua Bookstore later. You should come with us!"
"You guys go ahead. Your Grandpa Lu and I have an appointment to play chess this afternoon." Jiang Jianyi refused directly.
"Okay then." Jiang Qitong said and started to help serve the dishes.
There were only three of them at lunch. When the two sisters left, Jiang Jianyi gave each of them fifty yuan and told them, "You can only buy books, understand?"
"I understand, Grandpa." Jiang Qitong was very happy after getting the money. She didn't have to spend sister Lili's money to buy books today.
"Sister Lili, I can choose by myself later." Jiang Qitong asked expectantly as soon as they went out.
"Of course." The two sisters chatted and quickly walked downstairs. Jiang Qitong was the first to notice Zheng Gaoyang in front of her. She lowered her voice and said, "Sister Lili, that's Brother Gao Yang in front. I saw Ji Mingyue coming to see him last time."
Jiang Lili couldn't help but laugh: "Why do you always see Ji Mingyue when she comes here?"
"Who made me have sharp eyes? Sister Lili, does Brother Gao Yang like Ji Mingyue?" Jiang Qitong asked.
"Do you still know what love means?" Jiang Lili raised her eyebrows and looked at her. Is this little girl so precocious now?
"Of course I know. He has really no taste." Jiang Qitong snorted after saying this.
Jiang Yulan pinched her cheek and said, "It's not polite to talk about others behind their backs."
"I'm just telling you, I saw it all that day. Brother Gao Yang handed her something and she happily accepted it in person. But after the people left, she looked disgusted." Jiang Qitong explained quickly.
That's her fault, but that's not a reason to talk about others behind their backs. Tongtong, for people we don't like, ignoring them is the best thing to do," Jiang Lili reminded.
"Does that mean we should treat them as air?" Jiang Qitong was a little puzzled.
"Yes, just treat them as air. It's so hot today, let's go buy a bottle of soda first." Jiang Lili regretted making the appointment at two o'clock, the hottest time of the day.
"Okay, I want orange flavor, Sister Lili, I'll treat you, I have money." As she said that, she showed her the money Jiang Jianyi had just given her.
"Okay, you treat me." Jiang Lili smiled and went to the convenience store with her, and then they waited for the bus together with soda.
When the two sisters arrived, Ke Sisi and Huang Xiaoxia were already there. She explained to them, "My cousin also wants to buy books, so I brought her along. Do you mind?"
"Of course I don't mind. Let's go buy the books my sister needs first." Most of the children at this time were only children, and they were very friendly to the children.
"That's fine." Jiang Lili said, then looked at Jiang Qitong. She asked him what books he needed. They spent most of the rest of the afternoon in the bookstore. It was almost 5:30 when they checked out, and everyone had picked out the books they wanted.
Ke Sisi also picked out two magazines. She whispered to Jiang Lili, "We can exchange them after I finish reading them."
"Okay, then tell me which one you want to read. Are you planning to continue submitting articles?" Jiang Lili asked casually.
"Not really. Sometimes it's quite stress-relieving to just write something casually. Submitting an article is just a side job." Ke Sisi explained.
"That's fine." It's good to be able to relieve stress on my own.
When the two sisters returned, Zhou Qingfen was already busy in the kitchen, but Jiang Jianyi reminded Jiang Lili: "Xiao Cheng called you just now, remember to call back."
"Okay, I understand." Jiang Lili glanced at the time. It was two minutes to six. If she was lucky, Cheng Yuntian should still be in the office.
The phone rang for a long time, and just when Jiang Lili was about to give up, someone answered the phone: "Lili?"
"It's me, Sister Cheng. Is there something you want to talk to me about?" Jiang Lili said as she thought about what might have happened to her today.
"Yes, do you remember what you told me before? There was indeed a person named Ye Qiuju who came to the factory today. I asked her to go back and wait for news." Cheng Yuntian remembered her previous reminder to him.
"If nothing unexpected happens, it's her. There's no such thing as having the same name. She and Song Zhenzhen are cousins." Jiang Lili said.
"Then I'll find a reason for her not to come tomorrow." Cheng Yuntian quickly understood what she meant.
"Sister Cheng, she is my father's remarried wife. They all know that my mother is a shareholder of Tongqu Players. I do this just in case." Jiang Lili explained why she did this.
"You did the right thing. What about Song Zhenzhen?" Cheng Yuntian's expression became serious.
"Song Zhenzhen is a smart person. Once she gets familiar with Beijing, she will probably resign." Jiang Lili guessed accurately about Song Zhenzhen's motive for going to Beijing.
"Okay, then let's keep the status quo for now. I'll just reject Ye Qiuju's request tomorrow." Cheng Yuntian couldn't possibly place a time bomb in the factory. People's minds were unpredictable, so she didn't dare to take the gamble.
"Okay, Sister Cheng, just reject her directly." Ye Qiuju probably doesn't have the energy to retaliate now. Her first priority is to find a job.
"Is Ye Qiuju really going to look for a job?" Jiang Yulan, who had just returned, found it outrageous to hear this.
"Well, I guess she thinks this way she can take care of Song Zhenzhen." Jiang Lili guessed what Ye Qiuju was thinking.
"She has the nerve to do that." Jiang Yulan snorted coldly.
"What is she embarrassed about? No one in Jing City knows her anyway. Oh, no, Yao Yan is in the factory. What is she thinking? Isn't she afraid that Yao Yan will see her?" For a moment, Jiang Lili didn't understand Ye Qiuju's thoughts. Was she so sure that Yao Yan would not tell the Ji family, or was she so sure that Ji Yushu would not go to Jing City to find her?
"Given Song Zhenzhen's smooth personality, she might not even know that she's applying for the job, so she naturally doesn't know that Yao Yan is also working in the factory," Jiang Yulan guessed.
"Maybe." Jiang Lili was not too sure.
*
The facts were pretty much as Jiang Yulan had guessed. Song Zhenzhen hadn't expected Ye Qiuju to come to the factory to apply for a job without telling her. She was a little displeased: "Sister, why didn't you tell me in advance?"
"Ah, I thought you would be happy to know? Zhenzhen, don't you want to work with me?" When Ye Qiuju came to Beijing, she noticed Song Zhenzhen's subtle feelings towards her, so she was in a hurry to find a job. Once she settled down, she could get rid of Song Zhenzhen.
Although this was what Song Zhenzhen was thinking, how could she possibly admit it? "Of course I didn't mean that. I just thought you should tell me. Luckily you didn't run into Yao Yan at the factory. Otherwise, she'd tell the Ji family about this, and they'd know you were in Jing City, and they'd also know my address."
"You mean Yao Yan is also in the factory?" Ye Qiuju was really surprised this time. If she knew about this, she would never go to the Tongqu Players.
"Yes, the requirements for coming to Beijing this time are relatively relaxed. As long as you can stay in the factory for a year, it will be fine, so many people from Yuncheng have come." Song Zhenzhen explained.
"Then why didn't you tell me earlier." Ye Qiuju looked at her suspiciously. Was she lying to her?
"Why should I tell you in advance? I also found out when I got on the train to Beijing. Later, we charged by the word for sending telegrams. I couldn't possibly spend the money on this. Who knew you would come to the factory directly without even discussing it with me?" This time, Song Zhenzhen gave her a complaining look.
"Don't I want to find a job as soon as possible? Who knew she was also in the factory? Director Cheng asked me to go there again tomorrow, but I decided not to go." Ye Qiuju made a decision quickly.
"Well, this is the best. The Ji family are all crazy, and I don't want to provoke them again." Song Zhenzhen said while touching her neck. She felt a little regretful. She shouldn't have agreed to meet Ye Qiuju. No, she had to let her move out earlier.
"Then I can only find another job." Ye Qiuju was a little annoyed. After hearing Song Zhenzhen talk about the treatment of Tongqu players, she thought it was very good, so she thought about giving it a try. She didn't expect that woman Yao Yan was in it.
"Beijing is such a big city, there are so many jobs. I heard last time that being a nanny for rich families can make a lot of money." Song Zhenzhen provided her with other employment ideas.
"Be a nanny? Isn't that a job of serving others?" Ye Qiuju frowned. She couldn't do this.
"It's not as serious as you say. If you think about it, serving food at the Qingyuan Restaurant was also considered a waiter's job?" Song Zhenzhen glanced at her sideways. She was already working outside, but she still couldn't lower herself?
"Let me think about it. Go to sleep. It won't delay your work tomorrow." Ye Qiuju didn't want to continue this topic.
"This house was originally rented for you. I will move back to the dormitory tomorrow and keep an eye on Yao Yan." Song Zhenzhen just had a legitimate reason to move back to the dormitory.
Ye Qiuju was stunned for a moment, then nodded: "Okay then." It seemed that she had to find a job quickly, preferably in a different place to avoid meeting Yao Yan.
The next day, Cheng Yuntian waited for Ye Qiuju to come, but she didn't show up after waiting for a long time. She could only continue to tell Zhao Dong about this matter, and she needed to go to Mei Huixiu.
"Okay, I'll make a note of that." Zhao Dong had one advantage: she wouldn't ask questions without reason. Cheng Yuntian was very pleased with her for this. Before leaving the workshop, she gave him one more reminder: "Keep an eye on Song Zhenzhen these few days. Tell me if anything unusual happens."
"Okay." Although he didn't understand the meaning of her doing this, Zhao Dong understood respect.
*
September 2nd was the official class time, and the seats would be rearranged soon, so Jiang Lili did not take the books out of her schoolbag. This time, Jiang Aiguo wrapped her textbooks for her with brown paper.
Jian Hongmei still arranged seats for people of the same sex to sit together, and would arrange seats according to the results after the first monthly exam came out. Everyone's cheers only lasted two seconds. This time, Jiang Lili's deskmate was a girl from Class 5 named Song He. They were about the same height, so they sat together.
Seeing that Song He seemed to be looking at her, Jiang Lili couldn't help but touch her cheek and asked her: "Is there something on my face?"
"No, I'm just a little curious. I live near the iron factory." Song He explained quickly.
Hearing her mention the ironworks, Jiang Lili immediately understood. She thought the Ji family must have said a lot of bad things about her and her mother, so she asked, "I heard my dad's new wife ran away. Is their family in turmoil now?"
Song He was amused by her words, and then whispered: "That's about right. I heard that your grandma wanted to give the little one away."
Now it was Jiang Lili's turn to be surprised. She was born with a gynecological dislocation, and had been interesting since birth. When Ji Yushu held her up to show her to Chen Guilan, she heard her say, "Having this little girl like her will affect your chances of having a son. Why don't you give her to someone else to raise?"
"No." Ji Yushu refused quickly at that time, and she thought he performed well. Now thinking about it, he must have known that Jiang Yulan would never agree, so he directly dissuaded Chen Guilan from this idea, so as to prevent her from mentioning this matter to Jiang Yulan and making Jiang Yulan dissatisfied with him. Unexpectedly, Chen Guilan still had such thoughts now.
"You must be surprised too. Logically speaking, they can afford to support the child, but they have to do this." Song He's tone was full of contempt.
"I think it's a burden," Jiang Lili guessed. She was also curious if Ji Yushu and Ji Mingyue knew about this. Even the other people living in the ironworks knew about it, so they probably agreed with her approach.
"I heard that it was Ji Mingyue who told her that this was illegal, so she temporarily gave up the idea." Song He looked at her cautiously after she finished speaking. After all, everyone tacitly agreed that she and Ji Mingyue were not on good terms. However, because of this incident, she had a little more favorable impression of Ji Mingyue. Her mother abandoned her and her sisters and ran away, and she was the only one who could protect the child.
"It is indeed illegal, and she was right to stop it." Jiang Lili's surprise only lasted for a second, and then she remembered that Ji Mingyue was a person who traveled through a book, and the education she received since childhood should not allow people around her to do such a thing.
"I don't know if Grandma Chen will secretly give him away, but now that Ji Wenwu is in school, they should focus on him, so it should be better." Song He realized that she had said too much after she finished speaking: "I'm sorry, I always like to nag, I will try to say less next time."
"It's okay, I'm interested in these things too. Don't worry, I won't be angry if you say this." Jiang Lili said sincerely, jokingly. She was the ready-made intelligence chief, and if she didn't say anything, she could only get second-hand information.
"I'm glad you don't mind. Ever since the third eldest brother got divorced last year, everyone has been watching the Ji family's fun." Noticing Jiang Lili's attitude, Song He quickly changed her address.
Jiang Lili glanced at her new deskmate out of the corner of her eye. It was indeed a pleasure to deal with smart people.
"There are also many people watching the fun at the cotton mill." Jiang Lili added with a smile.
Song He was about to continue speaking when Jiang Lili beside her reminded her, "The teacher is here."
The second year of high school has officially begun, and the atmosphere is much more tense than the first year. Jiang Lili has adapted well to this atmosphere, but Ke Sisi and others feel that they still need time to adapt.
Soon it was time to go home for lunch after school. She was a little surprised to see Lu Jiaze at the school gate: "Are you waiting for me?"
"Well, let's go." Lu Jiaze nodded.
"Lu Jiaze, you don't have to wait for me next time. Many teachers in our class like to keep the class late." Jiang Lili tried to talk to him about this in a relaxed tone.
"Okay." Lu Jiaze just glanced at her and quickly nodded in agreement.
Jiang Lili felt a little guilty; after all, she had lied. On the way back, they were both very quiet. It was not until they reached the gate of the cotton mill that Lu Jiaze slowly spoke, "Then I'll ride my bike directly to school."
"Okay." Jiang Lili nodded. She felt that after the summer vacation, Lu Jiaze seemed to have become more silent.
"What are you thinking about? Why are you standing here?" Zhou Qingfen held Jiang Qitong's hand with one hand and patted her shoulder with the other.
"Hey, aunt, why are you back so late today?" Jiang Lili asked. The elementary school is right next door.
"We stayed in the office for a while after school. Let's go upstairs to eat." Zhou Qingfen reminded.
"Let's go and have dinner." She reached out and took Jiang Qitong's other hand.
Jiang Lili thought, it was not that she wanted to distance the two of them on purpose, but she felt that now that they were not in the same class, there was no need to go to and from school together. Besides, there would be more courses in the second year of high school than in the first year, and she had other things to do. She didn't want to waste the rest of her time on social interactions, especially since he was Ji Mingyue's target. She knew that thinking this way might be unfair to Lu Jiaze, but there was nothing she could do. She was just that kind of person, and her own interests always came first.
She actually didn't quite understand the mechanics of Ji Mingyue's strategy system. Neither Wu Juyue nor Ji Yushu were the most important people to her, including Lu Jiaze. Although they had a verbal engagement arranged by the older generation, it didn't count for her. Besides, she had never had such feelings for Lu Jiaze. They grew up together, so he was essentially her younger brother who she had watched grow up? How could she possibly have such feelings for him? Before he left Yuncheng, she had only considered him a close playmate. He transferred here last year, and a gap had formed between them. After years of separation, the gap created by time could not be eliminated, so she didn't understand why this strategy system felt that she was upset because Lu Jiaze was taken away?
"Sister Lili, what are you thinking about? You didn't even hear me calling you?" Jiang Qitong's voice was filled with a hint of grievance.
"Sorry, I was just thinking about my homework. What happened?" Jiang Lili said apologetically and rubbed Jiang Qitong's head.
"I saw him this morning when I went to school." Jiang Qitong was a little embarrassed when she said this. She was confused about what to call him. After struggling for a while, she suddenly moved closer to her side, pulled her clothes, and motioned her to squat. Then she leaned close to her ear and whispered, "I saw that Ji guy. He was talking to Uncle Liao."
"Section Chief Liao?" Jiang Lili murmured.
"Yes, he seemed to have stuffed something into Uncle Liao's pocket." Jiang Qitong continued.
"Okay, I understand." For a moment, Jiang Lili's eyes were a little complicated. Did the little girl open her third eye recently, or was she her belated golden finger?
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