There was a follow-up to Zhou Yingying's story soon after she approached Lin Jingyue herself.
The man introduced by the matchmaker was quite well-off. Both his parents worked, and he himself had a job. He was the eldest child in his family, with a younger brother and a younger sister who had gone to the countryside.
However, she still refused. The reason was simple: what kind of good family would send a girl who was still a minor to the countryside? Although they explained that they would send money and things over every month, the fact that the girl was a minor suggested that their family was definitely up to something.
Zhou Yingying's family didn't discriminate against girls, but her neighbors were very patriarchal. She had witnessed the girl's life there; it was very difficult. The neighbors seemed well-behaved in public, but at home they would beat and verbally abuse their daughter.
She told her mother about the situation, and her mother understood, saying it was better to leave the family like that. What if her daughter had a daughter in the future? Wouldn't she be bullied to death by the whole family?
"I thought that guy was pretty funny. I said your family favors boys over girls, and he said no, he just wanted his sister to go out and get some experience. I said, bring his sister back to the city, and he said he didn't have any connections. I said, why don't you buy her a job and she can come back? He said he didn't have the money. I just laughed." Zhou Yingying recalled the scene and found it amusing.
To put it bluntly, he just doesn't want the girl to come back. There's no other reason.
Lin Jingyue smiled, pursing her lips, but offered no opinion. Going to the countryside for training? That's a bizarre reason. Why do rural people desperately want to move to the city? Isn't it because life in the countryside is hard?
"It's almost time, I'm off work. See you the day after tomorrow." She glanced at the time; it was already time to leave. She started packing her things.
She has a day off tomorrow, which also happens to be the little one's weekend, so she plans to take him to the movies.
"Sister Yue, here, this is for you. Thank you for comforting me the other day. Please don't refuse me, or I'll feel embarrassed. Besides, your child should like to eat these, right?" Zhou Yingying took out a few White Rabbit milk candies from the drawer and placed them directly on the table.
Lin Jingyue raised an eyebrow. "Since you've put it that way, then I guess I'll just have to accept it. But I haven't done anything special; you just need to be careful yourself."
"Yes, you're right, but thank you anyway."
As I walked to the school, I saw many parents waiting to pick up their children outside. They were all eagerly anticipating seeing their kids.
Not long after, Xiaomingyue skipped out with another girl. Upon seeing the graceful figure at the school gate, she happily rushed over.
"Mom, you've come to pick me up again!"
"Yes, are you happy, baby?"
"happy!"
She didn't pick him up every day, but only whenever she had time. Firstly, because their home wasn't far from the school, and secondly, she wanted to help her child build confidence. Of course, she didn't completely let him run wild; she would still come over from time to time to check on him.
Noticing a timid figure beside the child, she blinked and said, "Hello, little friend. Are you Mingyue's friend?"
"Ah, Auntie, hello! My name is Wang Laidi, I'm Mingyue's friend." She introduced herself haltingly, her eyes cautious and revealing a timid and cautious demeanor.
Those drooping eyebrows and hunched back were signs of someone accustomed to being oppressed. His clothes were faded and patched many times. Just from his name, you could tell what kind of family this was.
Lin Jingyue thought about taking out the White Rabbit milk candy from her pocket, but then decided against it and took out a few Water Ghost hard candies instead. "Here, Auntie will treat you to some candy."
It wasn't that she was stingy, but the huge disparity in wealth could easily make a young girl feel inferior. Besides, she didn't know the child's character yet; what if being too generous caused resentment?
"For me?" Wang Laidi looked at her in surprise, her eyes clearly showing a hint of longing, but she still restrained herself from reaching out her hands.
That's candy! What child could refuse it?
"Here, have some. It's just a few candies."
Xiao Mingyue snatched the candy away and shoved it into her hand, saying, "Just take it. My mom doesn't usually let me eat so much candy." She said it was for her teeth, in case she got cavities and had to have her teeth pulled.
Wang Laidi looked at the candy in her palm, took out two, and handed them to Xiaomingyue, saying, "Then we'll each have half."
"ah?"
Aren't we friends?
Upon hearing this, Xiaomingyue pouted but still took the candy. "Okay, okay, good friends should share it equally."
"Thank you, Mingyue, thank you, Auntie." She held the two candies tightly in her hand, expressing her gratitude sincerely.
Lin Jingyue waved her hand, "You're welcome."
"Little girl, my mom's here to pick me up. I'm going home now. See you on Monday!"
Okay, see you Monday!
Xiaomingyue waved vigorously, took her mother's hand, and turned to leave.
Wang Laidi looked at the two figures, one tall and one short, with envy in her eyes. She never had parents pick her up, and she rarely ate sweets. Her mother said girls didn't deserve to eat so well, but Chen Mingyue was also a girl, and someone many girls envied.
She has new dresses, new hair clips, and a different hairstyle every day. She gets good grades, is well-liked by her teachers, and has a very lively personality. The only reason I became friends with her was because we were deskmates.
Clutching the two candies in her hand, she turned and headed home.
On the way home, Lin Jingyue couldn't help but ask, "Honey, how are things going with this friend?"
"Mom, are you talking about Wang Laidi? Her name is very similar to mine. Do her family members not like her either?" Xiaomingyue remembered her old name, Chen Zhaodi, which also had the nickname "money-losing girl".
The Chen family didn't like her, so they gave her this name. Wang Laidi's name is very similar, with a similar meaning.
"Xiaoya is a bit slow and her grades aren't very good, but she's a very nice person. When I first came to the class, no one played with me, but she was the only one who was willing to talk to me. She told me where the toilet was and where the cafeteria was. Then I taught her how to study, and she worked very hard and studied very hard, and then she passed the exam."
“I help her with her studies, and she helps me with cleaning. Sometimes she helps me a lot.”
Just from this description, Wang Laidi seems like a pretty good kid.
Making friends is a child's business; what she fears is that her child might be taken advantage of without realizing it, or even be betrayed and help the victim count the money. But upon closer reflection, she realized she was overthinking it.
"How about I take you to the movies tomorrow? What do you want to eat for lunch tomorrow? Mom will make it for you."
"Yay! Let's watch a movie! Mom, I want to eat the taro and pork ribs you made last time, they were so delicious!"
"Okay, Mom will make it for you tomorrow!"
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