Chapter 40 Would you be willing to come and help me? ...
The kindergarten bell rang, signaling the end of the school term.
Teacher An organized the children in Class 1 to pack their schoolbags and line up to leave the classroom.
But Wu Yaoxuan was distracted, his eyes fixed on Song Yu. He watched as Song Yu slowly packed his schoolbag, neatly putting his things inside, slung the bag over his shoulder, and put the stool back...
"Wu Yaoxuan!" Teacher An frowned and reminded him, "Why haven't you packed your schoolbag yet? Don't you want to go home?"
Wu Yaoxuan really wanted to tell Teacher An that he had a very important duel to attend to after school, but he knew Teacher An would be scared if she heard it and would stop him. So he decided to keep quiet and started packing his schoolbag, but he kept glancing at Song Yu out of the corner of his eye while packing, making sure he didn't let him get away.
Teacher An rubbed her throbbing temples, thinking that Wu Yaoxuan had probably reverted to his old ways.
Since Wu Yaoxuan's father came to the kindergarten and disciplined the child on the spot, Wu Yaoxuan has become much more obedient. Teacher An also knows that Wu Yaoxuan's father is not the kind of person who would spoil his child without restraint, so he has paid more attention to Wu Yaoxuan.
But does this effect only last for less than ten days?
Teacher An stared at Wu Yaoxuan and noticed that he could get distracted even while packing his schoolbag. His hands were still on his schoolbag when his head started looking around.
"Wu Yaoxuan, what are you doing?!" Teacher An was angry.
Wu Yaoxuan looked a little flustered: "Where's Song Yu?"
As he stared at the screen, he realized Song Yu was gone, and his heart immediately began to race.
Teacher An: "Why are you bothering with Song Yu? Song Yu already packed his bag and went to get the class sign!"
Oh, so he got the class badge. He'll be back. Wu Yaoxuan was relieved. He thought Song Yu had run away out of fear.
He vowed to fight Song Yu to the death today.
Once he wins, he'll let Song Yu... um, let Song Yu do what?
I've got it! I'll make Song Yu his underling! That's how it's always portrayed on TV anyway.
Wu Yaoxuan happily imagined the future scenes, and was so happy that he almost laughed out loud.
Teacher An looked on in bewilderment. What was wrong with Wu Yaoxuan today? Why was he smiling even after being criticized by the teacher? What was there to be happy about?
Teacher An felt a lump in her throat, but seeing that the students had packed their bags and put away their stools, she clapped her hands and led the students out.
Song Yu walked at the front with the class sign in hand. Wu Yaoxuan was originally at the back, but he deliberately pushed forward to keep an eye on people. The students whose seats were taken were very unhappy and complained on the spot: "Teacher An, Wu Yaoxuan pushed me!"
Teacher An was already suffering from a heart attack, and hearing the name of the student who had caused it made her even angrier. She turned around and angrily shouted, "Wu Yaoxuan, go back to your seat!"
Song Yu also turned to look at Wu Yaoxuan, who took the opportunity to give him a provocative look.
Song Yu, not understanding why, smiled politely.
He planned to go out and say goodbye to Teacher An before going to find his mother. Song Yu was very familiar with the route from the kindergarten to the entrance of the Third Middle School. His mother would also give him some delicious eggs today.
As Song Yu thought about it, he couldn't help but feel a craving and wiped his mouth.
But... why is Wu Yaoxuan still looking at him?
Never mind, let's smile again.
Wu Yaoxuan stared at Song Yu in disbelief, clenching his fists. Was Song Yu being disrespectful? How dare he look down on him! He was going to teach Song Yu a lesson later!
It was quite lively as soon as we arrived at the school gate. Class 1 came out relatively late today, and many students were already standing at the gate. Although each class has its own territory, the children like to play and fight, and some even ran into other classes.
Wu Yaoxuan was squeezed at the back and couldn't see Song Yu for a moment, but it didn't matter. He kept his eyes fixed on the class sign.
Many parents gathered at the door to pick up their children, and the children would run up to Teacher An to say goodbye before leaving.
"Xuanxuan!"
Wu Yaoxuan heard his grandmother's voice and quickly turned around to wave, "Grandma, I'm here!"
He ran towards his grandmother, who took his hand to leave, but Wu Yaoxuan shook his head: "Grandma, I have other things to do, wait for me."
Grandma usually spoils him the most, and without asking what's wrong, she just says, "Okay, Grandma will wait for you here."
Wu Yaoxuan turned around to look for Song Yu, his gaze landing smoothly on the class sign, but when he looked down, he saw that it was Yuanyuan holding the class sign!
Wu Yaoxuan's eyes widened, and he quickly ran over to ask, "Where did Song Yu go?"
Yuanyuan had absolutely no liking for him. She rolled her eyes and turned her head to the side, saying, "I'm not telling you!"
A storm raged through Wu Yaoxuan's mind in an instant. He was scared, wasn't he? Song Yu must be scared!
He wanted to laugh out loud, but he was determined not to let Song Yu go. So he waited at the school gate for Song Yu to come out.
Seeing that most of her classmates had left, Yuanyuan was about to take the class sign back to the kindergarten to find her mother and go home with her. But as soon as she turned around, Wu Yaoxuan stared at her.
Wu Yaoxuan started making threats: "Xu Shuyuan, tell Song Yu not to think he can get away with hiding. I said I'd see him at the school gate!"
Yuanyuan: ?
Is Wu Yaoxuan mentally ill?
Song Yuming has already gone home, so why is Wu Yaoxuan still waiting for him? He even said he'd see him no matter what.
Yuan Yuan suddenly became alert. Did Wu Yaoxuan also want to be good friends with Song Yu?
This won't do, this absolutely won't do. Wu Yaoxuan always hits people, Song Yu definitely can't beat him.
Yuanyuan ran into the kindergarten, leaving behind the words, "You can wait if you want."
Anyway, we won't get to that point.
Wu Yaoxuan snorted and stood casually at the school gate.
Teacher An was about to leave work when she suddenly saw Wu Yaoxuan cosplaying as a door god. Thinking that the child hadn't seen his parents, Teacher An kindly reminded him, "Wu Yaoxuan, your grandma is over there. Hurry up and go home with her."
Wu Yaoxuan shook his head: "Teacher An, don't worry about it."
Ms. An was baffled, but Wu Yaoxuan had done many strange things before, such as inexplicably snatching classmates' things or fighting with them. Now that his parents were here, it wasn't her place to interfere.
Teacher An has passed away.
Meanwhile, Song Yu also ran to the gate of No. 3 Middle School. Kindergarten students let out earlier than students at No. 3 Middle School. When he arrived, Song Xinran had already set up her stall, but there was no one there yet.
"Mom, I'm here!" He was a little sweaty from running, his face was flushed, and he smiled as soon as he saw her, showing his white teeth.
Song Xinran took out her little towel and wiped the sweat from the little boy's forehead. Song Yu sat obediently on the little stool, tilted his head back and closed his eyes, but his mouth didn't stop: "Mom, I watered the Ophiopogon japonicus today. It's growing very well and hasn't lost a single leaf."
"Today, Teacher An taught us new pinyin, Teacher Lin led us in a counting game, and Yuanyuan invented a new game..."
Since starting kindergarten, he has become much more talkative. Every day when he sees Song Xinran, the first thing he does is tell her what happened at kindergarten that day. The child has become much more cheerful.
This was a stark contrast to the introverted and reserved person Song Xinran had met when she first returned to the village, who would avoid her whenever she looked at her.
Song Xinran is a very good listener. Even when Song Yu doesn't speak clearly, she won't interrupt, but will listen patiently and then offer her own opinions.
After Song Yu finished speaking, Song Xinran unscrewed the thermos, poured him a glass of water, and then opened the pot lid, scooping out an egg for him amidst the rising white steam.
Song Yu held the small bowl containing the eggs, took a few deep breaths, and a dreamy, blissful expression appeared on her face. Oden smells so good.
But he didn't eat it right away. He pursed his lips and blew on it slowly until it cooled down a bit before taking a big bite. The egg white was tender and had absorbed the soup after soaking for a long time, making it extremely delicious. Song Yu regarded it as the best egg.
After taking two bites, the golden yolk was visible. Song Yu carefully flipped the egg over in the bowl with his chopsticks so that the yolk could soak in the broth. He held the small bowl with both hands and spun it around to make sure it was evenly distributed before poking it with his chopsticks and taking bites.
After eating an egg, Song Yu not only felt full, but also felt warm all over.
“Mom,” Song Yu said, “I think Wu Yaoxuan was quite good today.”
From Xiao Zai's words, Song Xinran already knew most of the kids in their class, and naturally she also knew this little tyrant.
"What happened?"
Song Yu began listing: "Wu Yaoxuan raised his hand in class today. Although Teacher An called on him, he couldn't answer, but Teacher An was very happy. Children who raise their hands in class are good children. During PE class, Wu Yaoxuan didn't fight with other classmates. He fell down but was very brave and didn't cry. After school today, he kept looking at me and smiling at me. I think..."
The little one tilted his head, deep in thought.
Song Xinran: "Hmm... what do you think?"
Song Yu: "Does he want to play with me?"
Song Xinran didn't know anything about what was going on at their kindergarten, and only said, "Then tomorrow, Xiao Yu should go to the kindergarten and see if Wu Yaoxuan will want to play games with you."
Song Yu nodded.
She whispered, "Mommy, the eggs are so delicious! Can I have two more pieces of carrot?"
Song Xinran scooped out several pieces of radish and a few quail eggs for him.
Song Yu held the small bowl, his palms warm, the steam rising to his face. His face, which had been chilled by the wind when he ran over, was now warm. He felt truly happy today.
On the other side, at the entrance of Xingmiao Kindergarten, Wu Yaoxuan stood stubbornly in the cold wind, sniffing. He felt that today was really terrible.
Grandma Wu said with heartache, "Xuanxuan, it's time to go home."
Wu Yaoxuan shook his head: "I'm waiting for Song Yu."
Grandma Wu thought it was her grandson's good friend and advised, "Xuanxuan wants to play with Song Yu so much, why don't you invite him over to play? It's so cold outside now."
Wu Yaoxuan's eyes widened, and he quickly shook his head: "I don't want to play with him! I want to duel with him!"
Grandma Wu found herself a little out of sync with her grandson's train of thought, but kindly reminded him, "All your classmates have left, there's no one left."
Wu Yaoxuan said confidently, "I said I'd be there no matter what. The heroes in TV dramas always wait for me. It's a promise."
After waiting for a minute or two without anyone showing up, a cold wind blew in, and Wu Yaoxuan sneezed. He pulled his hand out from his sleeve and touched his cold face.
It bit its tongue, then stood on tiptoe and looked up at the kindergarten, but didn't see a single person.
This time, Wu Yaoxuan was genuinely heartbroken: "He can't do this to me..."
Grandma Wu quickly pulled her beloved grandson back.
*
The next day, when Song Yu arrived at class, he found someone standing in front of his seat—it was Wu Yaoxuan.
Yuanyuan always came to school with Song Yu, so she naturally saw it too. The little girl ran up to Wu Yaoxuan and asked fiercely, "What are you doing standing here? This isn't your seat!"
Wu Yaoxuan turned his head and saw Song Yu. Ignoring Yuanyuan's question, he walked a few steps toward Song Yu, glaring angrily at him: "Why didn't you wait for me after school yesterday?!"
Song Yu blinked, not quite understanding Wu Yaoxuan's words, but he still said, "I went home after school yesterday, and my mom is waiting for me."
"you……!"
Song Yu smiled, her eyes crinkling, and her childish voice carried a hint of coaxing: "Wu Yaoxuan, you came so early today, you weren't late at all, you're such a good boy."
He imitated Teacher An's tone and said the second half of the sentence.
Wu Yaoxuan's eyes widened immediately: ...Wh-what!
His face felt a little hot for some reason, and he said with a stern expression, "So it's your turn to praise me? Don't think I'll let you off the hook like this. I'll definitely..." after school this afternoon.
"What do you mean?" Teacher An came to the classroom and saw Wu Yaoxuan standing with Song Yu. She was very curious because the two of them had never played together before.
Song Yu ran up to Teacher An and said, "Good morning, Teacher An!"
Teacher An responded with a smile, "Good morning, Song Yu."
"Teacher An, Wu Yaoxuan arrived very early today!"
Teacher An continued with the praise: "Wu Yaoxuan has changed a lot recently. He not only raises his hand in class, but he's also not late anymore. Keep it up!"
Wu Yaoxuan hummed and hawed, feeling a little uncomfortable. He didn't remember Teacher An ever praising him like this before. Was it because of Song Yu today?
He suddenly felt as if bugs were crawling all over him. He felt as if he owed Song Yu a favor, but it was unlikely that he would return the praise.
He walked past Song Yu, snorted heavily, and decided to let Song Yu go for the time being.
"Song Yu," Yuanyuan said, puffing out her cheeks, "Are you and Wu Yaoxuan very close?"
Song Yu thought for a moment. Although Wu Yaoxuan kept looking at him yesterday, they weren't really close yet, so he shook his head and said, "Being with Yuanyuan is the best option."
Her round, chubby cheeks deflated instantly, and a bright smile curved her lips: "You're my best friend too!"
Zhang Xiaoda quietly chimed in: "You two are playing secretly without us."
Zhou Xue said, "That's right. Ever since Yuanyuan and Song Yu became deskmates, they've been going to the bathroom together."
Song Yu was extremely shocked and quickly shook his head: "No, Yuanyuan is going to the girls' restroom, and I'm going to the boys' restroom. We can't go together!"
Zhang Xiaoda patted his chest: "That's easy, I'll take you to the toilet from now on!"
Song Yu was already very familiar with the kindergarten and didn't need anyone to take him to the toilet, but Zhang Xiaoda seemed very enthusiastic, so he couldn't refuse and could only say, "Okay, but don't share a toilet with me."
Many children in the class share the same toilet stall, which Song Yu dislikes because her mother says children should protect their privacy.
Yuanyuan felt that the five of them were just right; they could play any game. If Wu Yaoxuan wanted to join, he would definitely fight with him.
After class, she went to find Wu Yaoxuan and told him directly, "Wu Yaoxuan, you shouldn't be Song Yu's best friend, because he already has many best friends."
Wu Yaoxuan was showing off the toy cards he brought from home to his deskmate when he heard this and was stunned. When did he want to be friends with Song Yu?
It was clearly a fight to the death!
Seeing that he didn't speak, Yuanyuan gave him another critical look and backed down a little: "Okay, well, we're classmates after all."
She said, "You can play with us if you want, but you can't hit people or steal our things, otherwise..."
Yuanyuan waved her little fist: "I'll hit you!"
"Yuanyuan, we're going to the restroom!" Zhou Xue called to her from the classroom door.
Yuanyuan immediately ran over, leaving Wu Yaoxuan all bewildered.
His deskmate asked, "Wu Yaoxuan, do you want to play with Song Yu and the others?"
"No way," my deskmate said. "They've known each other before, and they're such good students, they definitely don't want to be with us. Lend me your cards, and I'll bring you some spicy snacks tomorrow."
Wu Yaoxuan wanted to say that he had never thought that way, but his deskmate's next words really hurt him. What did he mean by saying that Song Yu and the others were good at studying and didn't want to be with him?
He had lots of good friends in kindergarten in the city, okay?!
As a result of being treated like this after transferring here, Wu Yaoxuan felt wronged and his eyes turned red, but he was strong and did not cry. He vowed to beat Song Yu to tears!
At lunchtime, Teacher An served the children food. Today's lunch consisted of fried rice and pickled cabbage and vermicelli soup.
This is a favorite among kindergarten students, and they immediately cheered, "Great! Fried rice for today!"
Song Yu was also very happy. The fried rice at the kindergarten was special. It contained chopped eggs, diced ham, corn, greens, peas and other vegetables. It was very plentiful.
The pickled cabbage and vermicelli soup is also delicious, with only a slight sour taste. The vermicelli is slurped up in your mouth, and it's best with rice porridge; you can eat a lot of it in one bite.
Teacher An gave him a big spoonful, and Song Yu happily ate it while holding his own bowl.
But just then, a dark shadow suddenly appeared in front of him, blocking out some of the light. Song Yu looked up and saw that it was Wu Yaoxuan. He swallowed the rice in his mouth and said, "What's wrong? Teacher An said we can't run around while eating."
"I've finished eating," Wu Yaoxuan answered honestly. "Teacher An isn't here."
Song Yu said "Oh," and then asked, "Do you want to eat my sausage?"
Many students love the ham sausage in fried rice.
Wu Yaoxuan bit his cheek: "I won't eat!"
Song Yu chewed and asked, "What do you want to eat?"
"I won't eat anything!" Wu Yaoxuan said through gritted teeth. "I challenge you to a duel!"
Song Yu chewed again: "Digging beans? What does 'digging beans' mean? Do you want to eat peas?"
"I don't want to eat!" Wu Yaoxuan felt like he was about to explode with anger. "It's a duel! A duel! Let's have a fight and settle the score!"
Song Yu frowned: "We can't fight. Teacher An said we can't fight."
Wu Yaoxuan gave him a disdainful look: "If you don't tell Teacher An, she won't know."
Song Yu said, "Teacher An knows everything."
"Are you trying to admit defeat?" Wu Yaoxuan provocatively said. "You only accepted my challenge yesterday, and now you're too scared to fight? Coward!"
Yuanyuan had just taken the bowl to ladle soup when she came back and heard Wu Yaoxuan's words. She immediately slammed the bowl on the table in anger: "You bullied Song Yu! I'm going to tell Teacher An!"
Song Yu stopped Yuan Yuan: "He didn't bully me."
Wu Yaoxuan snorted, thinking that Song Yu did have some redeeming qualities; he wasn't a petty tattletale.
Song Yu didn't want to fight because it was wrong, but seeing how determined Wu Yaoxuan was to dig beans with him, he simply said, "Then I'll lose."
Wu Yaoxuan: ?
"What did you say?" He frowned, seemingly unable to believe it.
Song Yu said, "I admit defeat."
Wu Yaoxuan suddenly felt like something was stuck in his throat, he couldn't swallow it down, and he couldn't spit it out. Making Song Yu lose the duel was something he had always wanted to do, but now that Song Yu had given up so easily, he felt unhappy.
"No, you must duel me."
Song Yu shook his head: "Didn't you say that a duel is just about deciding who wins and who loses? If I lost, then we don't need to duel."
Wu Yaoxuan got stuck again.
Yes, he did say those words, but he didn't want to.
He threatened, "Do you know what you'll do if you lose?"
"What?"
"Be my underling!"
Song Yu asked, "How old are you this year?"
Wu Yaoxuan: "Four and a half years old."
Song Yu: "Alright, then I'll be your little brother."
In Song Yu's mind, "xiaodi" means younger brother. When he came to kindergarten, his mother told him that many of the children in his class were older than him, and that he should just get along well with them.
Song Yu accepted this matter well.
Wu Yaoxuan froze again.
No, this is really wrong, it shouldn't be developing like this.
How could Song Yu admit defeat so easily and remain so calm?
Yuanyuan glanced at Wu Yaoxuan with disdain, wondering what he was doing standing there. She finished her soup and pulled Song Yu, saying, "Let's go out and play."
Song Yu and his wife finished their meal, drank some soup, and packed up their lunchboxes: "Okay."
Wu Yaoxuan's confused mind finally cleared up for a moment: "You're not allowed to go!"
Song Yu asked, "Why?"
"Because you've already agreed to be my underling, you have to listen to me."
Song Yu gave him a strange look.
Yuanyuan said, "Ignore him, he's crazy."
The two kids ran out of the classroom to play, leaving Wu Yaoxuan alone, his head about to explode.
What's wrong? He got the result he wanted, but he's not happy at all!
*
After school, Song Yu told Song Xinran about it: "Mom, Wu Yaoxuan wants me to be his younger brother."
Song Xinran asked, "What does Xiao Yu think?"
Song Yu: "Teacher An said that our Class 1 is a big family. Wu Yaoxuan is older than me, so I'll reluctantly let him be the older brother. But I don't really like older brothers who like to fight. If Wu Yaoxuan stops fighting, I'll like him a little more."
Song Xinran couldn't help but ask, "Then why does Xiao Yu like Cai Yang?"
Song Yu said, "Because he's my younger brother, I want to teach him to be polite and sensible. Mom, I've finished my painting. I'll give it to Xiao Yang when he comes to town. I hope he studies hard and makes progress every day."
Song Xinran smiled and said, "Okay, I hope he can really do it."
"Boss, I'd like ten yuan's worth of oden." A familiar voice interrupted the two.
Song Xinran recognized her just by her voice: "Xiao Sha, why are you here so early today?"
They usually arrive around 6:30, but Song Yu just got out of school today, it's 5:10 now.
Xu Sha said, "I don't work at the factory anymore, so I don't need to wait until I get off work to come over."
She glanced down and saw Song Yu. The child was carrying a small schoolbag, wearing a blue cotton coat and a pale yellow scarf, which made his face look fair and his eyes dark. Because it was the first time he had seen her, he was a little shy and looked at her timidly. He quietly took a small step toward Song Xinran, trying to hide behind his mother.
This was the first time Xu Sha had seen Song Yu. She already knew that Song Xinran had a child, and that the child was born early, probably only three or four years old this year.
There are many children in the countryside, and it's considered rare for a family to have only one. Xu Sha doesn't like those children. Not only are they ignorant, but they also love to make noise and cry. It hurts people's ears and makes them feel irritable.
That's not all. They run around everywhere every day, all dirty, with dirt under their fingernails when they raise their hands, and some even have snot running down their noses. It's an eyesore to look at them.
She originally thought Song Yu was the same, since all the children in the countryside looked pretty much the same.
But now, upon seeing him, Xu Sha felt as if her eyes had been cleansed. Seeing the little boy looking at her with a mixture of shyness and curiosity, Xu Sha couldn't help but bend down slightly, her voice softening considerably: "Xinran, is this your child?"
She's strangely cute.
Song Xinran introduced, "Yes, Xiao Yu, call her... Sister Xu."
Xu Sha is only twenty years old and not married yet. Young girls probably prefer to be called "older sister".
Xu Sha quickly said, "Just call me Auntie, I'm not two years younger than you."
The two women gave conflicting accounts, leaving Song Yu a little confused. She looked at her mother again.
Song Xinran said, "Then let's call her Aunt Xu."
Song Yu then spoke, her childish voice tender yet clear: "Hello, Aunt Xu."
Xu Sha suddenly felt as if a needle had struck her heart, and a smile involuntarily appeared on her face. Her voice involuntarily became more assertive: "Hello, Xiao Yu, are you in kindergarten?"
Song Yu nodded: "I just got out of school."
He also imitated the adults in exchanging pleasantries: "Is Aunt Xu a good friend of Mom's?"
Xu Sha wanted to laugh. When she interacted with her relatives' children at home, she would usually just greet them and then ignore them.
Anyway, the elders in the family would act like they really liked it, praising it nonstop, making the children and family members beam with joy, and there would never be an awkward silence. Sometimes Xu Sha would laugh when she heard the words of praise they used, as if the word "cute" was being used wholesale without any cost.
It's rare for a child to speak like a little adult, especially since his appearance truly embodies the word "cute." Xu Sha said, "Yes, this is the first time Auntie has seen Xiao Yu. Did Xiao Yu always study at home before?"
Song Yu shook his head: "I often go to Yuanyuan's house to play after school, but I'm here to keep my mom company today. Is Aunt Xu here to keep her mom company too?"
Xu Sha then remembered her business and took out a bag: "These are clothes I bought for Xiao Yu. See if she can wear them."
Turning to Song Xinran, he said, "Xinran, I was able to get my wages thanks to you. I never even dared to dream of this before. You know, when Jingfang and I went to the factory, we ran into the boss's wife. A lot of people were asking her for their wages, but she was so rude and didn't give a single one to us."
"If I hadn't come to see you, I would definitely be one of those people..." Xu Sha's voice lowered as she spoke, and her ears turned a little red. "Before, before, I was wrong..."
Song Xinran interrupted, "Let's not talk about the past. I know you didn't mean any harm."
She looked at Song Yu and took off the child's schoolbag: "Xiao Yu, try on the clothes Aunt Xu bought."
Song Yu nodded obediently.
The clothes Xu Sha bought were a little too big. Song Yu had to use some effort to get his hands out of the sleeves. The brownish-yellow clothes felt very solid to the touch, and there was a cartoon deer pattern on the back. The hat was surrounded by a circle of yellow fur, which was soft and fluttered in the wind. There were also two things that looked like deer antlers on the top of the hat, which looked very cute.
Song Yu twirled around, a slightly embarrassed smile on her face: "Thank you, Aunt Xu."
Xu Sha specially selected this dress from the best clothing store in her town. The salesperson said that this was the last piece of this kind of dress with a unique design on the hat.
Xu Sha touched it and thought the quality was good.
Although the price was relatively high, she knew that if it weren't for Xinran, she definitely wouldn't have been able to earn her salary so easily. Thinking back on the past, she felt very guilty. In the end, she bargained and bought the dress for 80 yuan.
Xu Sha's most expensive clothes don't even cost more than 80 yuan, but seeing this dress on Song Yu, Xu Sha felt that the 80 yuan was well spent.
If you were to give these clothes to the children in their village or to the children of her relatives, it would be like sending good things into a fire.
Xu Sha hadn't spent much time alone with Song Xinran. In the past, when Chen Jingfang was around, it was mostly Chen Jingfang who did the talking.
She wasn't very good at handling interpersonal relationships and felt a little awkward, so she could only talk about things at the factory: "The day Jingfang and I went back to get our wages, we ran into the boss's wife. Lots of people were surrounding her demanding their wages, but she wouldn't give a penny. She and the factory manager are a perfect match..."
Song Xinran wasn't too concerned about things at the factory; getting her wages back meant saying goodbye to the past completely: "Xiao Sha, what do you want to do next?"
Xu Sha said, "My sister's factory is hiring. It's a bit far from my home, but the pay is pretty good. I'm planning to go check it out."
Song Xinran said, "Now that you have a salary and savings, there's no rush. You should choose a good one."
"I know."
Xu Sha didn't stay there for long. After school let out at No. 3 Middle School, a lot of people flocked to Song Xinran's stall. Seeing that she was too busy, Xu Sha helped her pack some food for a while. However, it was her first time doing something like this, so she was not very skilled and almost burned her hand.
After one group of customers left, and the oden was almost sold out, Xu Sha said she had to go home, feeling embarrassed as if she had actually made things worse.
Song Xinran also felt embarrassed and invited her to stay for dinner, but she refused and left quickly.
Song Xinran had never injured her hands while running a stall before; she was very careful.
Unexpectedly, after seeing Xu Sha almost get burned today, I accidentally cut my finger with a knife while tidying up my things.
She hissed, and Song Yu heard it and rushed in. When she saw the blood on her fingers, tears welled up in her eyes, and she cried out, "Mom, it hurts so much."
"I'm going to buy some band-aids for Mom." He took a dollar from the bedside table drawer and ran outside. Song Xinran couldn't stop him in time.
Song Yu quickly ran back, holding a band-aid and nine cents for repairs. She ran to Song Xinran's side and said in a hoarse voice, "Mom, I'll put this on you so it won't bleed anymore."
Song Xinran pressed down with a tissue: "Look, the bleeding has stopped."
It was just a small opening, but Song Yu looked so nervous that it seemed like something terrible had happened to her, and her clothes were still damp with cold air.
He shook his head: "Even if there's no bleeding, you still need to apply it."
He tore off a band-aid, gently blew on her finger, and then carefully and lightly applied it. His little face was tense and serious. Only after he finished applying it did he look up at her, his eyes still red: "Mommy, it doesn't hurt."
Song Xinran's heart softened terribly, but she also wanted to laugh. This little cut could heal overnight in the summer; it couldn't be that serious. Song Yu was exaggerating.
She said gently, "Mommy doesn't feel any pain. Look, there's no more bleeding."
Song Yu held her finger and said, "When I grow up, I'll give Mom lots of money, and then Mom won't have to work anymore."
Song Xinran stroked his little head: "Mommy likes doing these things."
She felt hopeless when she was lying in the hospital in her previous life. God gave her a second chance. She can still stand up, cook, and work, so she feels very happy.
Song Xinran felt that this minor injury was nothing to worry about, but Song Yu was very nervous. Even when washing her face at night, the little boy wrung out the washcloth and handed it to her, saying in a childish voice, "Mommy's hand is injured and can't touch water, so I'll help Mommy wash her face."
The next morning, when he went to kindergarten, he told her to rest well at home, and he would go home to see her as soon as he got out of school.
Song Xinran was both amused and exasperated. Her injury wasn't that serious; it was the kind of minor injury that would have healed if left untreated.
That day, Chen Jingfang also came to thank Song Xinran and say that she had successfully received her salary. However, when she saw the band-aid on Song Xinran's hand, Chen Jingfang was very worried: "Why didn't you rest when you were injured? You can earn money all you want, but your health is the most important thing."
Song Xinran was both amused and exasperated. She peeled off the patch and showed it to her: "It's just a small cut, it's nothing."
Upon seeing this, Chen Jingfang disagreed, saying, "Even small wounds should be treated with care. You need to use your hands everywhere when you're running a stall."
"When the students come out, I'll help you out. You can't refuse. I don't know how you set the prices for these foods."
Song Xinran told her everything one by one.
Chen Jingfang was astonished: "There are so many things! I've never even heard of these fish balls, beef balls, and konjac noodles before."
Song Xinran: "I went to the city specifically to buy these goods."
"Didn't you say these are all frozen products, so they should be kept in the refrigerator?"
Chen Jingfang visited Song Xinran's home, but only sat in the living room for a while, and the freezer hadn't been bought yet at that time.
Song Xinran: "Yes, I bought a freezer."
Chen Jingfang was secretly amazed. Her wealthy relative also had a refrigerator, and she heard that vegetables could be kept in it for several days without spoiling, but the price was very expensive.
She had long guessed that Song Xinran's oden business was doing so well and that she must be making a lot of money, but to be able to afford a freezer, she must be making more than she imagined.
When Song Xinran resigned, she thought there was no future in setting up a street stall, but now she has a better future than anyone else.
As soon as the school bell rang, students from No. 3 Middle School rushed out, and the oden stall was soon surrounded by people.
"Auntie, I want a dollar's worth of oden!"
Chen Jingfang quickly replied, "Hey, what do you need, classmate?"
A student asked curiously, "Auntie, are you a new auntie?"
Song Xinran suggested, "If you want one yuan, just get a little bit of everything and make it one yuan."
As Chen Jingfang pretended, she said, "I'm here to help."
"That's great!" one student said. "A long time ago when Bo Bo Chicken was popular, there were two aunties selling it. Now there are still two, so I don't have to worry about them quitting anymore."
Song Xinran was surprised that they had such concerns at such a young age, and laughed, "If you like it, I'll make it. The day I stop is still a long way off."
One student said, "Other stalls are run by two people, but you're the only one here, Auntie. I'm worried you might be too busy and not want to work anymore, because I'm the same way. When I have too much homework, I don't want to do it anymore and just give up."
Song Xinran said, "With you lovely kids around, how could I not want to do it?"
"Auntie, you're so cheesy!" a student said with a laugh.
"Auntie, 'cute' is a compliment for little kids, we're thirteen years old!"
Song Xinran thought to herself, "You guys are even more cheesy when you praise oden. You can talk so much yourself, but you laugh when others say something. You're such a bunch of kids."
Chen Jingfang was also secretly surprised. She had never set up a stall or run a business before, but when she visited relatives and friends during the Spring Festival, she heard others say that the most difficult thing to deal with in business is customers. They say that customers are God, and these Gods only want to buy good things at low prices. Some of them are very difficult to deal with.
But Song Xinran's business seemed to be different. These students were incredibly generous, paying more readily than adults, never haggling, and most of them didn't order anything separately, just asking for whatever amount they wanted.
Chen Jingfang didn't take the easy way out by only providing one type of ingredient. For a dish that costs a few yuan, she put a little of each type of ingredient into the bowl to try to make it more even.
Song Xinran collected the money and made up the difference; the two of them working together indeed made the process much faster.
An hour passed in a flurry of activity, and the students returned to school. Chen Jingfang wiped the sweat from her forehead.
Song Xinran handed her a bottle of water: "Thank you for your hard work."
Chen Jingfang smiled and said, "What's so hard about this? It's much easier than working in the glass factory. These customers are also very easy to deal with and not picky at all."
"Do you have anything else?" Just then, a woman in her fifties appeared at the stall, holding a child's hand.
Chen Jingfang immediately stood up and greeted her with a smile: "Yes, ma'am, what would you like to buy?"
"I'm buying this for my granddaughter." The old woman squinted and looked at it critically. "What is this? Is it even clean?"
“It’s clean, we’re eating it ourselves.” Chen Jingfang picked up a small bowl and put a piece of wood ear fungus on her plate. “We bought it at the market early this morning, it’s super fresh.”
"Grandma, I want to eat." The little girl was tempted by the smell.
The older woman patted the little girl's hand and asked, "How much is it?"
Chen Jingfang said, "The vegetables in this bucket are two cents a skewer, the meat skewers are four cents a skewer, and the meatballs in this bucket are one cent each..."
"So expensive!" the old lady exclaimed. "Is this stuff made of gold? You dare to sell a few radishes for two cents? At the market, a pound only costs three cents, enough to buy two or three of them!"
Despite her dissatisfaction, Chen Jingfang's smile remained unchanged: "Auntie, this soup base is chicken soup that we specially made, and we also added ginseng and pine mushrooms. It costs one or two hundred yuan a catty in the city. We wouldn't even make a profit selling it to you at this price. We were just thinking of giving the children some nourishing food near the school."
"Grandma, please buy it for me." The granddaughter kept swallowing as she smelled the aroma, and begged again.
The old lady pursed her lips and glanced at the soup pot several times.
Chen Jingfang said, "We come here to set up a stall every day, and look, we're almost sold out."
The old lady finally said, "Alright, give me a dollar."
"Okay." Chen Jingfang quickly packed it up and handed it to the old lady, "Take care, Auntie."
The old woman led the little girl away, and the little girl eagerly began to eat, her voice still echoing back: "Grandma's food is so delicious!"
"You can have it, it costs a dollar, this stuff is really expensive."
Chen Jingfang breathed a sigh of relief.
Song Xinran joked, "Jingfang, you're quite the businesswoman. You even managed to persuade the old lady. You're really a silver tongue."
“What lotus flower?” Chen Jingfang said. “I just heard the vendors say that when I was buying things.”
Song Xinran asked, "Jingfang, have you found a suitable job?"
Chen Jingfang said, "Not yet."
"Would you be willing to come and help me here?" Song Xinran asked. "The salary is 600 yuan a month, the same as at the glass factory."
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