On the first day of school, Jiang's mother held Xiaobao and waited at the school gate early. When she saw Er Ya from afar, she started waving: "Er Ya, Mom and your little brother are here."
Er Ya ran up to Jiang's mother, first looking at the little baby in her arms. He was sleeping soundly with a rosy face, looking extremely cute. "Mom, you don't need to pick me up next time. I can go back by myself. It's not too far."
"Today is your first day of school, so your mother has to come and pick you up, so you won't say I don't like you."
Er Ya held Jiang's mother's hand and said, "I would never think that way. I know that you work very hard every day and have to take care of your little brother. I can do things by myself."
"What a good child! Let's go home quickly. Mom has prepared dinner and is waiting for you. Today we have your favorite braised pork ribs."
Er Ya cheered excitedly: "Wow, I love braised pork ribs the most! Mom, let's hurry up, I can't wait!"
The restaurant was packed with people, and the waiters were too busy to keep up. After they moved here, Lin Jianguo opened a door in the backyard so that they wouldn't have to go through the front hall to come and go.
Er Ya ran to the dining table, and sure enough, Jiang's mother had made all her favorite dishes. Just as she was about to reach for a rib and put it in her mouth, Jiang's mother, who had returned, saw her and gently patted her: "Wash your hands before you eat. Don't you always say that your hands are full of bacteria and that eating them will easily cause a stomachache?"
Er Ya stuck out her tongue, quickly washed her hands, sat steadily on the stool, and began to eat heartily.
She even gave a thumbs up: "Mom, your cooking is the best, it smells so good."
Jiang's mother put another piece of beef on her plate: "You must be starving. Eat more, you have to go to class this afternoon."
Seeing her daughter eating so heartily, Jiang's mother felt a warmth in her heart. She hoped that her daughter and son would always grow up happily, healthily, and peacefully.
"Slow down, look at your mouth, it's all sauce on you, no one's going to take it from you."
"Mom, you should eat quickly while your brother is asleep, otherwise you won't be able to eat in peace when he wakes up."
After Er Ya patted her round belly and said she was full, Jiang's mother finally asked, "How was school today? Do the other kids in your class like you? And how was the teacher?"
"Mom, you've said so much, so I'll answer your first question first. In just one morning, I won over all thirty-four kids in the class. They all like me, especially the little girls. They all say the little dress you made for me is beautiful."
Jiang's mother nodded and asked, "What about the teacher? Was he very strict?"
Er Ya shook her head and said, "No, our teacher Fangzi is very gentle. She speaks softly and gently. I like her."
She was relieved. She had been worried all morning that her daughter would cry on her first day of school, and she even regretted sending her to school so early.
Er Ya suddenly remembered something else: "Oh, and everyone in our class has their own name, but mine doesn't sound good. From now on, you can just call me Lin Xi, okay?"
"Lin Xi? Oh right, I forgot to ask you last time, why do you tell other people your name is Lin Xi?"
Er Ya said disdainfully, "Mom, don't you think the name Er Ya sounds rustic? How can it be worthy of someone as pretty and smart as me? So I gave myself a new name. You have to remember it well. From now on, I will be called Lin Xi. Otherwise, the kids in my class will definitely laugh at me if they find out that my name is Er Ya."
"Alright, alright, I'll listen to you. You know what, Lin Xi does sound better than Er Ya. Neither of our parents were well-educated, so we just called her by her name back then. Now that we're in town, we really can't call her that anymore. I'll talk to your dad and tell him that from now on you'll be called Lin Xi."
Er Ya (who will be called Lin Xi from now on) nodded in satisfaction. To be honest, she had wanted to change her name back to her own a long time ago, but when she first came here, she was afraid that her parents would be suspicious if she changed her name all at once. Later, she got used to it.
Anyway, most of the children in the village have names like Daya, Gou Dan, and Gou Sheng, but it's different when you go to town. If you still have such a rustic name, your classmates will definitely laugh at you, saying that you're a country bumpkin.
"Second... Lin Xi, it feels a little strange to suddenly change your name. Did you say when you were going to school this afternoon?"
"No need to rush, Mother. There's still plenty of time. I can help you out."
“You’re just a kid, there’s nothing for you to help with. If you have nothing to do, go ahead and call your dad back. He’s been busy non-stop and hasn’t even had time to eat.”
"Okay, I'll go right now."
The backyard wasn't far from the front hall, about fifty meters away. Lin Xi ran to the front hall, tiptoed up to Lin Jianguo, and playfully covered his eyes: "Guess who I am?"
"Who else could it be? It must be my daughter."
"Dad, how did you guess it so quickly? It's not fun at all."
"In our family, you're the only one who's as mischievous as me, so what's so hard to guess?"
"This is boring. Go eat your food. My mother is getting impatient. It'll get cold soon."
Lin Jianguo glanced at the clock on the wall. It was indeed almost lunchtime. His stomach had been growling with hunger. He instructed Er Ya, "There are still a few tables of food that haven't been served yet. Keep an eye on them. I'll be right there after I finish eating. Remember, don't carry the food yourself. Be careful not to burn yourself."
Er Ya nodded and said, "Don't worry, I know."
Lin Jianguo would take a few steps and then look back, taking a few more steps and then looking back again, afraid that something might go wrong in the next moment.
Er Ya skipped over to Xiao Wang and asked with a smile, "Brother Wang, how's business today?"
"Absolutely! It's great, really great! With you all here, and your mother checking on things in the kitchen from time to time, the customer traffic has been much better these past two days."
Then he lowered his head mysteriously and whispered, "It's just that our store's employees are a bit overwhelmed. They're exhausted every day and have no free time at all."
"That's easy. Everyone's salary will increase by 20% this month. With money, they should be motivated, right?"
Xiao Wang was overjoyed: "Really? What about me? I guess I'm included too."
Er Ya rolled her eyes at him: "Aren't you an employee of this store?"
Upon hearing this, Xiao Wang excitedly said, "Brothers and sisters, let's all work hard! The boss said that everyone will get a raise this month."
"Really? Thank you, young boss."
To be continued!
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