Chapter 183
Wang Yunyun's exam week was later than Jian Li's, and Cheng Yu stayed in Beijing for the New Year.
Jian Li got out of the car alone and took a breath of the biting cold wind from her hometown, feeling as if she were in another world.
What she hated most in her previous life was going back to Taocheng, where she had her weak and inferior adolescence, the sticky interpersonal relationships that she tried to avoid, and her parents with gray hair who loved her deeply but were stubbornly immersed in their old lives.
People were coming and going at the station entrance, and a vendor was shouting that tea leaf eggs were only 50 cents each. The small stall filled with white mist brought Jian Li back to her senses.
She hurried out of the Taocheng Railway Station, which still looked dilapidated, and like any other traveler returning home, she stood on tiptoe and looked around for her parents.
Jian Feng was wearing a thick coat and black leather shoes. He stretched his neck to look around and was holding two bags of unknown things. Jian Feng was tall, so Jian Li could see his father from a distance.
Her nose felt sore: "Dad!"
Jian Feng smiled instantly, and the wrinkles at the corners of his eyes deepened: "We are finally here."
After more than ten hours on the green train, neither Jian Feng nor Wang Mengmei slept well.
The two got up early in the morning. Wang Mengmei went to buy food and cook. Jian Feng was worried that his daughter would be hungry on the way, so he brought soy milk and buns from home, all in a thermos bucket.
Holding his daughter tightly in his arms, Jian Feng took her luggage very naturally: "Did you get a sleeper ticket last night?"
Jian Li: "No, it's Spring Festival travel season, it's not that easy to buy a new ticket."
Even for a hard seat ticket, she spent thirty yuan to buy it from a scalper waiting in line outside the train station.
Jian Feng felt distressed: "Then how did you sleep all night?"
Jian Li held a steamed bun stuffed with shredded pork in fish flavor in her mouth, her eyes narrowed into a line: "It's next to the window. I'm lucky enough to have bought a ticket next to the window!"
After she said this, Jian Feng felt even more distressed.
Jian Li was fine, she was now 18 or 19 years old, and in good health. In her last life, when she was in college, her friends would come to visit her, and she would take them around various tourist spots in two days.
Later, when "Special Forces Travel" became popular, Jian Li looked at the youthful boys and girls on the short videos and felt that time was unforgiving.
When you are young, you have endless energy!
Now she felt the physical advantage again. After sleeping by the window all night, except for a little discomfort in her neck, she still had enough energy to go shopping with Wang Mengmei after returning home.
Because her daughter came home, Wang Mengmei put down her work and went to the vegetable market three times early in the morning.
There was no other way, the house was too empty. After Jian Li left, the couple often ate out together. After Wang Mengmei cleaned up, the house was filled with gifts from others and other miscellaneous things.
Just buy it from beginning to end.
After eating the buns, Jian Li wanted to accompany Wang Mengmei for a walk like a little tail.
"I want to order food!"
After eating school meals for so long, she missed Wang Mengmei's cooking skills so much.
There was no choice but Wang Mengmei to take her out.
The vegetable market is still the same vegetable market, the largest vegetable market within several kilometers, the old vegetable market of the cotton spinning factory.
As soon as Wang Mengmei appeared with her daughter, people they knew greeted them. When they saw Jian Li, they called her "Jane Li" so enthusiastically that they felt a little shy.
"You want some green onions? Sure! Boss, bring me the ones at the back of the bundle!"
"Xiao Li is back? Wow, she's grown into a big girl now. Here, give her a popcorn ball."
"It's free and it's not expensive. Just take it and eat it."
…
Jian Li was stuffed with various snacks as she walked along. Wang Mengmei also had several bags of vegetables in her hands, including cilantro from one store and chili peppers from another.
Jian Li was confused: "I didn't even call anyone just now."
It had been so long that she had forgotten many people's names and only knew that the faces she saw were familiar.
Wang Mengmei recounted the details: "It was your uncle Zhang who gave you the rice krispie balls. Have you forgotten? Before, you were selling salted duck eggs and people bought three or four. Later, when they saw me, they said you were smart and that you would have a great future."
"The one who sent the coriander, you were on a diet before, and you were skipping rope at the door of someone else's house. The little girl in that house played well with you during that time."
"The one selling green onions is Auntie Ma's daughter-in-law..."
Jian Li: “I remember!”
Of course Auntie Ma remembers it.
"...Didn't her family fail to sell the house in the end?"
When the cotton textile factory bought back the house, Auntie was very noisy and insisted that the factory give her a four-bedroom, two-living room house, otherwise she would not move. The result is predictable, and she ended up with nothing.
Wang Mengmei smiled, "Auntie Ma is enjoying a good life now. Her two sons saw that the family was so poor that they had no future, so they insisted on splitting up the family. They split up a few years ago, and each side has gone their own way. Auntie Ma's eldest son collects swill, and the eldest daughter-in-law sells vegetables here. Don't be fooled by the swill, which is dirty and smelly, but there are actually a lot of people who make money from it. The youngest son is now following his brother in this business, and the two of them, one guards the west side of the city, and the other occupies the east side. After collecting the swill, they send it to the countryside."
The cotton spinning factory went bankrupt, but life had to go on.
In just a few years, both of Aunt Ma's sons bought houses on their own.
Once the family was separated, both Auntie and her husband lost the right to manage their sons' small family finances. She felt lost for a long time until her two sons had children.
As soon as the child was born, Auntie's spirits were lifted.
"If you saw her now, you probably wouldn't recognize her."
People can also grow backwards.
Auntie Ma's hair turned white almost overnight because of the house, and she aged more than ten years.
Now I have new hopes. I rush to pick up my children, drop them off, and cook for them every day. My hair has even become darker.
Not only Auntie, Jian Li met many familiar faces in the vegetable market.
Wang Mengmei has always been familiar with this place.
Once the business started to take off, many of our former relationships came knocking on the door.
Just like Auntie Ma’s eldest son, he came to apologize with a lot of things.
The apology came years late, and it was for no other reason than the swill in Wang Mengmei's store.
"Sister Mei, my mother was also very anxious at that time. You and Brother Feng had good intentions, but we were too stupid and greedy. Now think about it, what Brother Feng said at that time were all good words..."
Wang Mengmei just listened to these words and walked away.
Didn’t Auntie know that Jian Feng was right back then?
I knew it a long time ago, but I can't admit my mistakes, so I can only blame Jian Feng.
Then why are you willing to admit your mistakes now?
Because admitting mistakes now is more valuable.
Jian Feng and Wang Mengmei are no longer neighbors of the cotton textile factory yesterday, but now they are business owners.
People are often not grateful for the "unpleasant advice" from those around them, but complain and blame them instead. However, when they receive the "unpleasant advice" from people who are higher up, they will reflect on their mistakes.
Wang Mengmei discussed it with Jian Feng in private, and finally gave the swill to Auntie Ma's eldest son at the market price.
Originally, the collection of swill was outsourced to a local household in Changqing Street. However, there was one thing that Wang Mengmei didn't like about that family: every time they collected the swill, they would take the initiative to throw away the things on the table that had not been collected yet.
Wang Mengmei has said this several times, as there are many customers from the nearby hospital, and sometimes people haven't finished their meals but have urgent matters, so they might have told the waiters not to dump them out.
Just collect the swill, why are you moving the table?
Ni Hao said it several times, but the opponent never fell, and every time he did it, the back was left dirty and messy.
Jian Feng: "Although Auntie's eldest son is cunning, he is still efficient in doing things."
Wang Mengmei asked Auntie Ma's eldest son to calculate the price according to the market price. The other party gave a price without saying a word, which was several yuan higher than that of the local household.
Wang Mengmei thought about it later and figured it out.
Aunt Ma's eldest son not only focuses on her one store on Changqing Street, but she has opened six branches this year.
The purpose of making concessions is to facilitate further cooperation in the future.
Jian Li felt a little emotional.
When the cotton textile factory went bankrupt, people of Aunt Ma's age were almost in despair.
But things took a turn for the better, and economic development allowed more people to find happiness outside the system.
Wang Mengmei cooked a large table of food at noon. Seeing Jian Li eating like a little pig, her satisfaction was beyond words.
"Studying in school is hard, you should take a good rest when you come back."
rest?
Jian Li wiped her mouth and said, "No more rest. I plan to be a tour guide at the museum."
Jian Li studied for one semester, and what she learned had to be put to use.
This year, Taocheng built a new provincial museum, and Jian Li felt that she could apply for the position of a temporary tour guide.
When this was said, Wang Mengmei and Jian Feng both agreed.
The museum is great, it is protected from wind and rain.
"Do you need mom and dad to find someone for you?"
I don’t know whether they want it or not.
Jian Li: "No, I should be able to do it myself."
The brand from Beijing University is still good.
If they are recruiting, she should be able to get in easily since she has the right major and graduated from a prestigious university.
If the other party is not hiring...
Jian Li prepared a plan B.
At worst, I can just be a temporary tour guide.
The final result is a combination of Plan A and Plan B.
The museum only needs temporary tour guides once a week, and Jian Li successfully negotiated cooperation with a local travel agency.
Jian Li works from nine to five every day, living like a real office worker.
Wang Mengmei and Jian Feng returned to the comfortable days when their daughter was in high school. Every day when they returned home, they would see their daughter in pajamas, eating snacks, watching TV, and playing with the dog.
That day, Jian Li was watching TV, and Jian Feng came home with three boxes.
"Xiao Li, come and take a look!"
Jian Li responded lazily and walked over in her slippers.
Jian Feng opened the box mysteriously.
"Look what Dad bought?"
Jian Li: ...
Jian Feng thought his daughter didn't know what it was, so he picked up the palm-sized object in the box and explained it to her.
“This is called Xiaolingtong.”
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