The girls were all incredibly jealous of Xiao Jin. How could such an unremarkable girl, who was both unsophisticated and ugly, have caught Wang Jian's eye?
They spared no effort in slandering her. Xiao Jin, being naturally stubborn, never explained herself and never admitted defeat.
The teachers got involved too, and Wang Jian's parents couldn't be found. A single visit to their home was enough to scare them; that stepmother was no kind person.
Sister-in-law Deng also learned to be a coward; no matter how much she was called, she wouldn't go to school. She would scold Xiao Jin a few times at home, and that was it.
When the teacher went to visit the home, she couldn't even get into the military compound. When she found the military hospital, the nurses rushed her to register, leaving her helpless.
"Fish go to fish, shrimp go to shrimp, and turtles and green beans are eyeing each other—let them go!" The teacher sighed and gave up.
First love is so beautiful it makes your heart flutter. Every Sunday, Xiao Jin hates the Zhou family's dinner party the most. It's endless and a waste of her time.
She would always make plans with Wang Jian well in advance, and the two of them would go to the river to play for half a day before coming back.
They had made an appointment that day, but she had to wait all morning for nothing.
The young couple had never argued before, but this might be the first time. Xiao Jin's resentment was growing and about to explode when she saw someone running towards her from afar.
The man was completely white—his hair, face, and even his eyelashes were all white. It was Wang Jian.
Before Xiao Jin could ask, he plunged into the water.
"Wang Jian!" Xiao Jin was startled and cried out in alarm.
With a gurgling sound, Wang Jian floated to the surface, his face clean, grinning and revealing two small tiger teeth.
He swam ashore with a splash, wiped the water off his face, and took out something to hand over.
It was a sparkly hair clip; all the girls in the class had one, except for Xiaojin.
"Where did this come from? It's very expensive!" Xiao Jin's girlish nature resurfaced, and the anger she had just been holding onto was nowhere to be found.
"I went to the train station to carry cement." Wang Jian took out another roll of small bills from his pocket. They were already wet. He spread them out one by one, and there were three yuan in total.
"I'll treat you to dumplings at noon," Wang Jian said proudly.
He used to work as a porter on the train, always sharing a group with others because he was always hungry and didn't have much strength. The men would take pity on him and let him slowly carry a few bags, giving him a penny or two to buy some dry food.
He's different now; Xiao Jin feeds him well, and he can unload a whole truckload in one go.
The two of them went to Yang Xuan's pie shop and had a hearty meal. No matter how many years have passed, that noon when their mouths were full of grease was the happiest moment of their lives.
Happy times always end quickly. Wang Jian's family no longer wanted him to go to school; it would be a waste for such a good laborer not to go out and earn money.
Xiao Jin's mother also suddenly died in a car accident.
After discussing it over and over, the two children decided to go south to work together. This was all the information Wang Jian's sister could provide.
“They can’t go far. The train tickets to Guangzhou are quite expensive, and they can’t afford them.” Qin Xiaoyu immediately saw the key point.
“Xiao Jin is rich,” Zhou Yue said timidly.
"You gave it to me?" Deng Jianyan asked in surprise.
"Yes."
"How many?"
"One hundred yuan." Zhou Yue's voice was almost inaudible.
"Why did you give her so much money!" Deng asked angrily.
"I was thinking that since you're not home and the child is staying at my house, she wouldn't be able to tell me if something happens. I wanted to leave her some money," Zhou Yue explained softly, tears already streaming down her face.
"That's right! You can't give that much money! That's a child!" Deng Jianyan roared, then shut his mouth tightly. Qin Xiaoyu was about to kill him with her gaze.
"I'm sorry, I acted impulsively. I'm going to the train station. Xiaoyu, can you take me?"
Deng Jianyan walked towards the car, while Zhou Yue was already sobbing uncontrollably on Qin Xiaoyu's shoulder.
When I arrived at the station, it was too late; the train to Guangzhou had already left.
"Wait a moment, I'm going to find Ding Xiaojie." Qin Xiaoyu left them there and went to Ding Xiaojie's office.
“There’s no way to check. This is the starting station. People coming from the north to Guangzhou will transfer here. Hundreds of tickets are sold per train. How can we find it?” Ding Xiaojie was also helpless. There were no surveillance cameras in those days.
Qin Xiaoyu felt a wave of despair. Buying tickets with her ID card was really important!
There's nothing we can do now; we can only go home and wait for a miracle.
After taking Zhou Yue home, she ran all the way up to the second floor. Zhou Xing's mother watched her retreating figure with worry.
"Mom, I'm going to talk to Brother Deng."
Deng Jianyan locked himself in his room. When Qin Xiaoyu knocked on the door, it was already filled with smoke, and people could hardly see anything inside.
"Come out here!" Qin Xiaoyu was seething with anger.
Deng Jianyan had no choice but to come out.
“I know you’re anxious because you lost your daughter, but what do you mean by taking your anger out on Sister Xiaoyue?”
"Was it wrong of me to get angry? She was the one who was irrational, giving the child so much money; otherwise, how could this have happened?"
"Brother Deng, I've always thought you were a rational person, but now I realize I overestimated you. The incident wasn't because Sister Xiaoyue gave you money; it's because you haven't cared enough for the child all along. Sister Xiaoyue only cares about Xiaojin; she's been pampered since childhood, and 100 yuan is nothing to her. She only wants to give your child the best. Don't you have any conscience at all!" Qin Xiaoyu was also furious, and her excellent speaking skills silenced Deng Jianyan completely.
"Heh, I've been thinking too simply about some things," Deng Jianyan said with a wry smile.
Qin Xiaoyu understood what he meant; he and Zhou Yue were, after all, from two different worlds.
Perhaps she should have a serious talk with Zhou Yue and re-evaluate this relationship.
Zhou Yue kept her door tightly closed and didn't communicate with anyone. Qin Xiaoyu was worried about the garment factory. Zhou Yue was the backbone of the technical department. Since she couldn't go to work, they needed to find someone to fill in.
Fortunately, the summer collection is now complete, and we're focusing on autumn and winter wear. Some spring items are still bestsellers, so the demand for new products isn't very high.
"Director Qin, you've given me a fine apprentice." Master Zheng was very satisfied with Xu Xiaoqing. This child was too clever; she could tell a lot from a single glance.
"I'll take in some of your best students, so you can save some effort," Qin Xiaoyu said with a smile.
She went to the workshop again, and because of the Xu Xiaoqing incident, the workshop was in a much better condition than yesterday.
"Xiaoyu, your brain is truly something else. You've given them a slap followed by a sweet treat. Anyone else doing side jobs will have to think twice; three months' salary as a fine, they'll starve. But those who are truly talented aren't afraid, there's always a path to advancement. The technical department's monthly bonus is higher than their salaries. This way, we're gradually putting talent to good use." Xie Lanhua was utterly impressed with Qin Xiaoyu.
"Little Fish, I've come to see you."
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