The three of them quickly adapted to life in their new home, and Lin Qingyu was also quite adept at cooking using the family's coal stove.
Gu Shi is handling Zhao Xiaobao's school enrollment, which is basically just a matter of finding the right person and giving them some money.
Lin Qingyu was knitting a sweater at home; she hadn't yet decided what kind of business she wanted to start.
The weather is getting colder, and it's quite warm at home with the stove burning.
The day after I moved here, a neighbor came knocking on the door.
Knock knock knock.
Lin Qingyu went out, opened a door, and looked at the woman outside through the heavy iron gate.
The woman had a small face and wasn't very tall. She had short, bob hair that reached her neck, making her look like a college student.
"Hello new neighbor, I'm from apartment 202 next door. I didn't come over yesterday because I was worried you'd be too tired from packing!"
This person seemed a bit too friendly, but Lin Qingyu still greeted him politely.
Hello! How can I help you?
The woman took a small basket from her hands and said, "These are pancakes I made myself. Here, have a taste!"
Lin Qingyu opened the door and let her in. "Thank you. My name is Lin Qingyu. Please come in and have a seat!"
The woman walked in confidently, always with a smile on her face.
"Haha! I forgot to introduce myself. My name is Jiang Lili. I work at a nearby steel factory. I happened to be off today, so I made some pancakes and brought them over for you to try."
Jiang Lili was very enthusiastic, which made Lin Qingyu feel somewhat uncomfortable.
"Thanks."
She thanked him politely, but her expression was distant.
Jiang Lili seemed oblivious to what was going on, and continued, "Where are you from? Why did you suddenly move here? It's quite cold here in winter!"
“My family is from Changnan Commune, not far from here. We have children who go to school.”
Lin Qingyu answered with a smile, without saying anything more.
Jiang Lili sat on the sofa in the living room, holding Lin Qingyu's hand as they continued talking.
Lin Qingyu was surprised by how familiar this person was and felt a little resistant, but she still politely sat down to chat.
Before long, Lin Qingyu learned about the general situation of the community.
The residents in the community are scattered, unlike other places where most of the houses are employee dormitories of factories.
The houses here aren't cheap, but because they're close to schools, families who value their children's education tend to live here.
Moreover, now that the college entrance examination has been reinstated, all the houses in this neighborhood were sold out not long ago.
Jiang Lili's husband also works at the steel factory. He is an accountant, which is a relatively easy job, but he has very little time to rest.
Jiang Lili subtly inquired about Lin Qingyu's family situation, but only learned that there were three people in the family.
She wasn't entirely sure what Gu Shi did, so it couldn't be considered a lie.
Jiang Lili finally left, but before leaving, she didn't forget to invite Lin Qingyu to her home.
After closing the door, Lin Qingyu shook her head. She wondered if she was feeling unwell lately, but she just couldn't shake the feeling of being unhappy when she saw Jiang Lili today.
That evening, Gu Shi took Zhao Xiaobao home, carrying a fish and a bag of ribs.
After saying hello, Zhao Xiaobao took a pile of books and went back to his room.
"Let's have stewed fish for dinner! We'll have ribs tomorrow, or do you want to eat both today?"
Lin Qingyu took the fish from Gu Shi's hand to the kitchen and turned to ask Gu Shi for his opinion.
Gu Shi took off his coat and said, "Let's arrange it like this, otherwise there won't be time to make the ribs."
Lin Qingyu started cleaning the fish, and Gu Shi went over to help her boil water.
As she recounted what had happened that day, she noticed that Gu Shi's expression was rather unpleasant.
"If you don't like these neighbors, you don't need to try to get along with them. Just be happy."
Lin Qingyu smiled and said, "Maybe I've just not been feeling well these past few days. It's nothing, as the saying goes, a close neighbor is worse than a distant relative!"
That was the end of the conversation, and then the topic turned to Zhao Xiaobao's schooling.
Gu Shi said that it went very smoothly; at that time, almost anyone with money could go to school.
That night, the two lay in bed together, and Lin Qingyu told Gu Shi about her idea of starting a business.
"I really want to try running a business, so please let me do it!"
Lin Qingyu took Gu Shi's hand and shook it coquettishly. Gu Shi had no way to resist her and could only agree repeatedly.
"Okay, okay, then tell me what kind of business you want to start?"
"I think opening a restaurant would be a great idea, and I think I'm a pretty good cook!"
"What kind of boss's wife is also the chef? Besides, running a restaurant is too tiring. Let's find someone else!"
Lin Qingyu looked at the lines on Gu Shigang's chin and said with dissatisfaction, "You disagreed before, so tell me, what kind of business is easy to do?"
Gu Shi thought for a moment and said directly, "I'll open a small shop for you, and you can just collect the money every day."
"What's the point of that? Forget it, I'm not listening. I'm going to open a restaurant. I'll hire a chef, okay?"
Gu Shi still didn't quite agree, "Where are you going to find a chef?"
Seeing that Lin Qingyu's expression was not good, he changed his words and said, "I'll take a look at you in a few days, don't be angry."
Lin Qingyu finally smiled. In her previous life, she had been a teacher for so many years, but it wasn't a job she liked.
Many people are doing jobs they don't like, but in this life, she'll be willful this once and for all.
These past few days, Lin Qingyu has been studying her own recipes. She's also been wandering around the neighborhood, getting to know quite a few neighbors.
The other family on their floor is currently unoccupied; the rest of the floors are full.
What impressed her most was a female resident on the fourth floor.
She looked to be in her forties and lived here alone with her child. She ran a breakfast shop right next to the school.
I get up before dawn every day to open the shop, and my daughter goes to school by herself.
Her daughter would help her after school because her breakfast shop turned into a barbecue stall in the afternoon.
Two weeks later, Zhao Xiaobao had gotten used to school, and Gu Shi had finished his work. He took Lin Qingyu to a store.
It's on the same street as the school, less than a kilometer away.
The store isn't very big; it's much smaller than the first store that Gu Shi bought.
Lin Qingyu remained silent throughout the process of looking after the shop with Gu Shi, which told Gu Shi that she was dissatisfied.
Back home, Lin Qingyu took Gu Shi's hand and said, "Why don't you give me the first store we bought?"
"No, that place is too far from home. Isn't this one fine enough?"
Gu Shi didn't agree. He didn't intend for Lin Qingyu to do any big business; he just wanted her to have some fun.
"Never mind then, I'll handle it myself! You don't need to worry about me."
Lin Qingyu got angry, went back to her room, locked the door, and left Gu Shi standing outside.
Gu Shi was dumbfounded; this was the first time Lin Qingyu had ever been so angry. But then he laughed.
This is how Lin Qingyu came to seem to have human nature, with joys and sorrows.
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