Fang Huahua said with a hint of helplessness, "Forget it. I can't sit still in school, and now that I'm out working, I have even less interest in studying. Besides, how much money would that cost?"
She pulled her coat tighter. "I don't want to think about it anymore. I'll just tough it out for now and wait until next year. Maybe I can go and try a bigger restaurant. I heard that in big restaurants, the waiters and the kitchen staff are separate, so you don't have to do all the work."
"Okay, it doesn't matter where you work hard, you can still make a good life."
The small hill was right next to the park. It wasn't high, and it was very clean. There was a small shop at the foot of the hill selling bread, drinks, and various snacks. Fang Yu stopped and said, "Shall we buy some snacks and go upstairs to play a little longer?"
"Great!" Fang Huahua's eyes lit up. "This is just like a spring outing!"
"Then consider it an early spring outing," Fang Yu said with a smile as she walked into the store.
Fang Huahua reached for her money, but Fang Yu grabbed her hand and said, "I'll pay."
The two women laughed and argued for a few moments, but in the end, Fang Yu paid the bill. They carried their bags and walked up the stone steps, which were lined with lush trees on both sides.
"Fang Yu, I love being with you." Fang Huahua shook her arm, smiling brightly. "It really feels like going on a spring outing. I haven't had fun like this in so long."
"Yes, I'm out now, and I'm in a great mood, absorbing the spiritual energy of heaven and earth! My mom stays in the shop all day, I should take her out for a walk sometime."
Before long, they reached the mountaintop. A small temple sat on the platform, with red walls and black tiles, and incense smoke curling upwards. Fang Yu looked at the temple and suddenly remembered what had happened last summer when Fang Dongqiang was preparing for his college entrance exams and she went to the temple to pray.
Feeling silly, she couldn't help but laugh out loud.
"Fang Yu, what are you laughing at?" Fang Huahua asked curiously.
"Smiling at Buddha is a sign of respect. We hope he will bless us with peace and happiness."
Fang Huahua nodded as if she understood, and pulled Fang Yu to sit down on a stone bench next to the temple.
Fang Yu opened the bag, and sunlight filtered through the leaves, warming the two of them.
Fang Huahua took a bite of the biscuit, then a sip of her drink, and sighed contentedly, "I wish every day could be like this."
Looking at Fang Huahua's satisfied expression, Fang Yu felt a warmth in her heart. Such a tender moment brought her a sense of happiness.
They played until almost evening before returning to the shop. Upon entering, they saw an old customer and a middle-aged man she had never seen before sitting inside.
"Auntie," Fang Yu greeted with a smile.
The customer immediately stood up and pulled the man next to her to introduce her, "This is the daughter of Jihong that I told you about, Fang Yu. She is a kindergarten teacher, and she is both beautiful and sensible."
Fang Yu nodded and smiled, her gaze inadvertently sweeping over the man. He looked to be nearly fifty years old, wearing a gray coat, with his hands on his knees and a slightly reserved smile on his face.
The man also stood up and nodded to Fang Yu.
For some reason, Fang Yu suddenly felt a tightness in her chest, as if the scene was somewhat subtle.
Fang Huahua took the bag containing her mother's clothes from the store and said she was leaving.
"Huahua, play a little longer, you don't have to go to work today," Yu Jihong said to her.
"No, Fang Yu's mom," Fang Huahua waved her hand, "I left in a hurry this morning and haven't washed my clothes yet. I'll hurry back and get ready while it's still light."
Fang Yu escorted her to the shop entrance, and Fang Huahua skipped and hopped away.
The regular customer and the man didn't stay long. They chatted with Yu Jihong for a few more minutes before getting up to say goodbye.
The shop finally quieted down. Yu Jihong looked at Fang Yu, hesitated for a moment, and then spoke, "That person just now..."
"Is he the blind date I introduced you to?" Fang Yu said with a smile, revealing her guess.
“Yes,” Yu Jihong said immediately. “She has said it several times: Mom doesn’t want to talk about it now, but she still insisted on bringing her here today.”
“Mom,” Fang Yu walked over and took her arm, “you must be lonely by yourself. It would be good to find someone to keep you company.”
"I'm not looking right now," Yu Jihong said with a smile, shaking her head in front of Fang Yu.
"Why?"
"There's no reason why, I just don't want to."
Back home that night, Yu Jihong lay in bed, tossing and turning, unable to fall asleep. Looking at the ceiling, she thought of Fang Yu, who was only 19 and not yet married. She wanted to stay with Fang Yu until Fang Yu was settled and had someone to rely on, before considering anything else.
Fang Yu was also lying in bed, not asleep. Her mother was alone and should find a companion, but her mother said she wasn't looking now. Was it because of her? Was she affecting her mother's life?
If I get married in the future and my mother is still alone, then I'll take her with me.
If I were to get married, who would I marry?
In the last few days before the New Year, Yu Jihong's shop was even busier. Fortunately, Fang Yu was there to help. "Mom, I wish we had business like this every day." As they prepared to close for the night, Fang Yu was sweeping the floor with a broom.
"Dream on! If we had business like this every day, we'd be rich!" Yu Jihong said as she rearranged the clothes and hung them back up.
"If there's a business like this, I might as well open a shop instead of working at a kindergarten."
"Just relax and go to work. You'll get some rest. When are you going to enroll in that correspondence college program we talked about last time? Mom will pay your tuition."
"No, I'll pay it myself since I'm working."
"Of course, Mom has to pay for my daughter's tuition."
"How long are you going to support me?" Fang Yu asked, leaning on a broom as she approached Yu Jihong.
"As long as Mom can still work, she will take care of you."
Fang Yu winked playfully, picked up the broom, and continued sweeping while swaying her head and singing, "My dear mother, you come home from get off work, how hard you've worked all day!"
After singing only a few lines, Fang Yu said, "Oh, I'm not singing anymore, I've sung enough of these nursery rhymes at kindergarten."
“That’s beautiful. My daughter sings so well. It’s been a long time since I’ve heard you sing nursery rhymes. I also learned quite a few nursery rhymes at kindergarten last year.”
“Sing it for us,” Fang Yu said.
"Mud doll, mud doll, a mud doll, it has eyebrows, it has eyes, but its eyes don't blink..." Yu Jihong swayed her head to the rhythm and sang loudly.
Passersby glanced inside a few times, thinking, "They probably thought I was..."
Yu Jihong wanted to say the word "crazy," but suddenly remembered that she used to be called crazy. Because of this, she left kindergarten and opened this shop, which is doing quite well and earns her more than she did working at the kindergarten. "Everything is the best arrangement!" Yu Jihong breathed a sigh of relief.
Fang Yu sensed her thoughts and changed the subject, "Mom, tomorrow is Lunar New Year's Eve, how long will our shop stay open?"
“I asked the shops next door, and they all said they’re open until after lunch. I’ll go buy groceries early tomorrow morning, come over to sell them for a while in the morning, and then go home to cook New Year’s Eve dinner. We’re spending the New Year in our new home this year.”
"Okay, let's go to the market together tomorrow morning."
“Okay, you pick out some of your favorite dishes. It’s so convenient to buy groceries now. We don’t have to prepare as much stuff as we used to before the New Year. We can buy whatever we want to eat anytime.”
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