Chapter 2
As soon as she returned to the classroom, Lin Yue looked like she wanted to say something but hesitated. However, she didn't know whether it was because of the teacher on the podium or Jiang Rong's cold expression, but she didn't dare to ask Jiang Rong anything. Jiang Rong noticed it, but she didn't know how to explain it. She also didn't know whether what Lin Yue wanted to ask was the same as what she thought, so the two of them remained silent until school the next day.
After all, as soon as school was over, Jiang Rong packed her bag and left the classroom. As the only one in the class who did not attend evening self-study, although some people looked at her with doubts and whispered about her figure, most of them were envious.
Who likes being forced to study in school?
I don’t know how open-minded a parent must be to agree that their child should not attend evening self-study classes in school during her senior year of high school, or whether she has also enrolled in a cram school outside.
But it was completely different from what they thought. Jiang Rong wanted to learn, but the problem was that she had no extra time for evening self-study.
If I devote all my energy to studying, I'm afraid I'll starve to death.
She quickly got on the bus, rode three stops in the opposite direction of her home, and walked into the back door of a noodle shop. She pursed her lips and smiled slightly at the aunt who was busy in the kitchen, as a greeting, and then changed her clothes as if she was familiar with the place.
Although the aunt would help her wash these work clothes, the clothes were still forced to be stuck with the indelible smell of oil smoke over time. Jiang Rong didn't hate this smell, as her home hadn't had this smell for a long time.
She even felt a little nostalgic.
I just smelled the food, touched my rumbling stomach, and couldn't help pursing my lips.
Then she touched the piece of bread in her pocket that she had protected tightly. After making sure it was intact, Jiang Rong breathed a sigh of relief.
Although she was hungry, she had no intention of eating it yet.
She folded her clothes and adjusted her appearance in front of the mirror. Thinking of the bright and beautiful work clothes in the coffee shop and the smile on the man's face, Jiang Rong tugged at the corner of her clothes, put on a hat to cover the blush on the tips of her ears, walked out as usual, and started working at the door.
In fact, the customer flow in this area is not large, so in this small noodle shop, there is only Jiang Rong, a waiter, and a store manager aunt, who also takes care of the work in the kitchen.
However, since it was not yet dinner time, there were not many people eating, so the two of them sat on small chairs and ate their dinner first. Auntie said with concern: "If you get tired of eating noodles every day, tell me."
"Don't be polite to Auntie."
Jiang Rong raised the corner of her mouth slightly and shook her head: "It's delicious."
The aunt was a little skeptical at first. After all, who could stand eating noodles every day? And this girl was a simple-minded person. Every time she asked what she wanted to eat, she would say just noodles and no need to worry about anything else.
Then she looked at the girl in front of her, who started sucking the noodles at a very fast speed. She was so scared that she quickly scooped out another bowl and put it aside to cool. She said helplessly, "Slow down, slow down. I was a little unsure at first, but now I am sure that the taste is fine."
Jiang Rong was amused. Her aunt looked at the dimples on her face and sighed, "Xiao Jiang, you look so pretty when you smile. Young people should smile more often."
"But why are you so hungry today?"
Jiang Rong thought of the little money left in her jar, and then looked at the woman in front of her who was about her mother's age. She lowered her head and said, "I was too busy studying and didn't have time to eat lunch."
The aunt sighed softly: "You young people are like this, but you still have to eat well. Don't take advantage of your youth to squander your body. My daughter is the same, she insisted on losing weight. Now she is better, studying in a university in another city, and when she got gastroenteritis, she had to ask her roommate to accompany her to the hospital."
Jiang Rong had actually half-truthed about her family situation, but just like everyone who first got to know her, she would always tell herself that there was no father or mother who didn't love their children. She didn't dare to continue talking to them. After all, once they got to know those things in depth, these people would, without exception, become different.
It's not that she has no experience, so she doesn't dare to gamble.
This is also the reason why I came here to work in a place opposite to my home.
Jiang Rong held her knuckles tightly, and the crescent-shaped marks of her nails were extremely obvious on her fair skin, which was painful just to look at. But this was the only way she could suppress the random thoughts in her mind.
So now, she just creates an identity in front of her aunt that is a high school student who is not loved by her parents and has no money. It is actually not an exaggeration to say so.
It’s just that the aunt probably thought that the money she earned from working was enough to eat, but she never expected that the money she earned would not only be used for food.
Jiang Rong didn't explain too much, she just pursed her lips and said "hmm". She didn't hate other people's concern, she even wanted it a little.
The bowl of noodles was quickly finished, and the aunt handed another bowl, her eyes squinting as she continued to chatter, words that others might think were nagging: "Oh, it's delicious, isn't it? My daughter's father passed away early, and I was thinking of making her a bowl of noodles that day so she could take the pension back to her parents' home. But she actually said that her mother's cooking skills are really good, and it's better than the noodle shop in front of our school."
"I thought, if others can do this business, why can't I?"
She curled her lips and continued, "It's a coincidence. My daughter used to help me with the cashier, but then she went to college. I was thinking of closing the shop, but then you came to my door and asked if you could work. It's fate, after all. But you've always done a great job."
I don’t know what happened, but my aunt suddenly said something strange. Jiang Rong couldn’t help but look up and looked at her with some confusion.
The aunt just pursed her lips and smiled again: "Sorry, Xiao Jiang, auntie is starting to brag again."
Jiang Rong listened to these stories, which had been told many times before, without any impatience on her face. She even nodded and praised, "I'm not being narcissistic, it's really delicious."
This street doesn't have much traffic, so it's not easy for my aunt's store to be open for so long.
It's just that the aunt was inexplicably strange today. Jiang Rong frowned slightly, looking at the aunt who seemed to want to say something but hesitated. She wanted to ask something, but the words were stuck in her throat and she didn't know how to express them.
She was a little afraid that she might say something wrong.
Just as she was struggling with this, her auntie started coughing violently. It was heartbreaking to hear, and she felt like her internal organs were about to be coughed out. Jiang Rong quickly stepped forward and patted her on the back, saying with concern, "Auntie, your cough seems to be getting worse. Are you really not going to the hospital?"
The auntie waved her hand in relief, took a deep breath, and drank some hot water. After the itchiness completely disappeared, she replied kindly, "It's an old problem. There's nothing to see."
"I went to see the doctor not long ago, and he didn't say anything. He just prescribed some common medicine for me and told me to rest more."
As she spoke, she glanced at Jiang Rong vaguely, then lowered her head and sighed softly.
Jiang Rong frowned and pursed her lips. She didn't know if it was her illusion, but she felt that her aunt seemed to be hesitant to speak today.
However, Jiang Rong did not have much time to wonder. As the clock struck six, more and more people came to eat after work, and both of them became busy.
Although Jiang Rong is not very good at speaking, she has worked here for a while and is not as awkward with some words as before. What's more, her aunt's daughter is fashionable enough to arrange a QR code scan ordering system for each table. She only needs to look at the order at the cashier and bring the noodles to the corresponding place.
The night passed in a flash. The only minor incident was when a city management officer came to eat. He saw Jiang Rong, frowned, walked over to the bar, and asked, "Where's your boss?"
The girl quickly went to the kitchen and called the aunt over. The aunt wiped the water droplets from her hands on her apron, looked at the man in the urban management uniform, and asked doubtfully, "What's wrong? We have all the necessary documents. Do you want to see our ID?"
He pointed at Jiang Rong and said, "No need. I saw the certificate on the wall. The inspections have been strict recently. We can't use child labor, you know. She looks underage."
Judging from her appearance, she is already an adult, but the problem is that she is a little thin and does not look like an adult.
Jiang Rong pursed her lips nervously for a moment. It was obvious that if she said she was an adult, she would definitely ask to see her ID. But when she came to work before, the aunt had never asked about her age. She just said "Oh" when she knew she was in her third year of high school.
The auntie who was questioned showed no sign of confusion. She quickly smiled awkwardly and explained, "This is my own daughter. How can she be considered child labor? It's just that I was too busy, so she came to help me after school."
The urban management officer looked suspiciously at the two people. An old customer sitting near the cashier chimed in, "She has a daughter. It's not easy for a widow and an orphan. The daughter is filial and came to help after school."
The urban management officer didn't ask for her ID, but simply said, "Then why hasn't she called me 'Mom' since I came in?"
The aunt paused and turned to look at Jiang Rong. Jiang Rong bit her lower lip and hesitated to speak. The aunt didn't say anything either. She just turned her head and smiled at the urban management officer: "We don't call you mom and dad in my family. Besides, it's not like children from poor families have to take on the responsibility of managing the family early..."
As she spoke, she put a large pork chop into the bowl of noodles for the urban management staff.
The old customer also laughed and continued to assist: "Oh my, the urban management even wants to take care of this?"
"My disappointing kid doesn't like to call me dad either. All kids are like that nowadays."
The aunt's originally stiff body probably realized that the person in front of her was not here to cause trouble, and did not insist on harping on this matter. She gradually relaxed and put the noodles on the table: "My child is about to take the college entrance examination, so I won't let him come here often."
The urban management officer's expression also eased a lot, and he was obviously persuaded. He took out his mobile phone to pay for the noodles. Listening to the price broadcast, he found that it was the price of noodles plus pork chops. The aunt hurriedly brought it to his seat. She smiled and no one knew what she was saying to him. Anyway, the urban management officer did not pursue the matter further.
Jiang Rong licked her lips nervously, feeling that there was something strange about what her aunt said, but she still thanked the old customer. However, he waved his hand and lowered his head to continue eating noodles.
After the urban management calmed her down, the aunt went back to the kitchen to continue working. Jiang Rong did not continue to think about it, but calmed down and continued to work.
It wasn't until the peak passed and closing time that the two of them began to have a chance to breathe. Jiang Rong just recalled the embarrassment at that time, so she pursed her lips and apologized very seriously: "I'm sorry, Auntie, I didn't say Mom."
Auntie waved her hand, her expression looking a little conflicted. She stood by the bar for a while before she said what she hadn't said all along: "Xiao Jiang, I'm sorry. I lied to you about something."
She opened the cashier drawer and said, "Auntie is not feeling well. My daughter wants me to stop working here and told me to take care of myself first. Then a few days ago I put my shop online, and yesterday Mr. Shen contacted me to buy from me."
As she spoke, she started coughing again. Jiang Rong quickly patted her back to help her breathe. The girl pursed her lips and said seriously, "It's okay, Auntie. I also think you should go see your health first."
The auntie took a breath and took out an old mobile phone and an envelope from the drawer and stuffed them into Jiang Rong's pocket. Jiang Rong quickly declined: "Auntie, I just want my salary!"
The auntie waved her hand, her tone firm and unyielding: "What are you talking about, kid? This phone was originally discarded by my daughter. It's not a good thing for you to keep using that old phone. Not to mention, it's my fault that you lost your job."
Jiang Rong was about to refuse, but her aunt offered some advice: "By the way, I know all the shops around here. Can I help you find another job?"
Jiang Rong's attention was obviously diverted, and she shook her head subconsciously: "The urban management knows that you are my mother, so it is not appropriate to go to someone else's house."
The aunt smiled, then sighed with some regret: "Child, don't get angry with adults. You are already in your third year of high school. I wish you success in the college entrance examination!"
…
Jiang Rong was walking on the way home. She looked up at the moon and then at the bright street lights. She felt inexplicably confused about the road ahead. She didn't expect that today would be her last full meal.
As I walked, the coffee shop downstairs gradually appeared in front of me. In the upscale shop, only a pale yellow ceiling light was on. A young and handsome man was wiping tools there, like an artistic photo.
Not sure if her gaze was too obvious, but he looked up and subconsciously looked in her direction. Jiang Rong quickly hid in a dark alley.
He looked at it longingly for a while before he continued walking towards the dark but familiar road home.
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