Xu Kai followed Jiang Yan, watching her squeeze onto buses and transfer between routes.
On the bus, she guarded herself as tightly as she could, clutching the few dollars in her pocket as if her life depended on them.
The bus jolted along, and she was like a little boat tossing in a storm—small and helpless, yet stubbornly refusing to accept her fate.
Xu Kai couldn’t help wanting to go over and steady her, but he was afraid she’d think he had ulterior motives.
All he could do was watch her make her way through the streets and alleys and return home.
Looking at the sign for the residential compound, Xu Kai wore another puzzled expression.
“If she lives here, how can she be poor?”
Unable to resist his curiosity, he offered a cigarette to the compound’s gatekeeper and asked about her.
There might be plenty of households in the compound, but whenever something happened to anyone, the compound’s “grapevine” quickly spread the news everywhere.
And the gatekeeping men and women were at the heart of that grapevine.
It didn’t take Xu Kai long to learn the basics about Jiang Yan.
Laid off, divorced, raising a child.
Any one of those things was miserable enough on its own, and Jiang Yan had all three.
Naturally, Xu Kai felt even more sympathy for Jiang Yan.
…
“How come you’re only getting back now?”
Jiang Yan had just pushed open the door when she heard Su Mei complain.
“Quick, quick! The food’s gone cold!”
Su Mei was very regular in her habits. At this time of day, she would usually have finished dinner and gone downstairs for a walk.
“I bought the groceries, and Xiaoya cooked the meal. She did a pretty good job! Someone even said Xiaoya looks just like my daughter did when she was little!”
“Really?”
Jiang Yan changed her shoes. “I bought a fish, and it’s still alive. Give me a minute, and it’ll be ready to eat!”
“You know how to clean a fish?”
Su Mei looked delighted at the fish still flopping around. She loved eating fish, but didn’t know how to clean one.
In fact, she didn’t know how to cook at all.
She’d always had a housekeeper at home, ever since she was a child. But good housekeepers were hard to find, and she was a neat freak; the older she got, the less she could put up with anyone.
After her last housekeeper left, she stopped hiring them and began learning to cook for herself.
“It’s been ages since I’ve had fish at home!”
Leaning against the kitchen doorway, Su Mei watched Jiang Yan clean the fish. Her brows were knitted tightly. She was scared, but couldn’t stop watching.
Wang Xiaoya came over too. Jiang Yan drew the girl into her arms, and the two leaned together like a mother and daughter.
“Have you found a job? I called my son. There’s an opening in his work unit’s canteen. Don’t look down on cooking— the pay’s not bad, and they give out cooking oil, grain, rice, and flour for the holidays.”
Su Mei urged her earnestly:
“That opening won’t stay available overnight. So many people are fighting to get it. You seem quick and capable—why not give it a try?”
A canteen at a government office was certainly a plum job.
But Jiang Yan wasn’t keen on it.
Her daughter’s tuition wasn’t high yet, but that would change in the future. After she finished high school, she’d want to go to university, and universities charged tuition.
Without money, she’d have to settle for a major that didn’t cost much and offered little in the way of prospects.
Arts, foreign studies, and electronic technology all required families to pour money into them.
Even a small tape player for studying a foreign language could cost several thousand yuan, not to mention a computer—so expensive that most people wouldn’t even dare dream of owning one.
How could a fixed salary from working in a canteen cover all that?
“Thanks!”
Jiang Yan kept working as she spoke. Once she’d cleaned the fish, she lit the burner and started stir-frying it.
“I set up a stall today and made a little over five yuan. It seems pretty good.”
“Oh…”
Su Mei nodded, a little disappointed.
“Still, earning five yuan in an afternoon is pretty good. But you’re a woman, out in the wind and sun. You can’t keep doing this forever.”
“I’ll take it one step at a time.”
Jiang Yan smiled, not discouraged in the least.
The gas burner was on high. She stir-fried the seasonings until fragrant, tossed in the fish, then added a little water and let it simmer briefly before serving.
“Red-braised fish chunks! Come try it—see if I’ve lost my touch.”
Jiang Yan carried the dish out of the kitchen. The aroma of the fish immediately made Su Mei’s mouth water.
“I’ve never tasted your cooking, so how would I know if you’ve lost your touch? But it looks so good, I bet it’s every bit as good as restaurant food!”
Su Mei pulled out a chair and sat down, quickly picking up a piece of fish to taste.
“Mmm! So fresh!”
Smiling, she urged the mother and daughter to sit down and eat.
A wave of emotion came over her. It had been so long since the house had felt this lively.
Eating alone was truly no fun.
“This piece from the belly is tender. Big Sister, have some more!”
Jiang Yan hadn’t eaten yet, but first she picked up a piece of fish for Su Mei.
A moment ago, she’d nearly let something slip. Seeing the benefactor who had once helped her again filled her with gratitude she couldn’t put into words.
There were so many good people in the world. Why had she, of all people, ended up with Wang Xuezhong?
“Xiaoya’s the one who needs to eat more!”
Su Mei took Wang Xiaoya’s chopsticks, picked up a large piece of fish for her, and added the fish’s eye to her bowl as well.
“Eating fish is good for your brain. Our high school student needs to eat plenty and do her best to get into the best university. Then, when you graduate and come home, you can repay your mother properly for all the hard work she’s put into raising you!”
“Mm!”
Wang Xiaoya nodded emphatically.
“Mom, I’ll definitely get into a good university, find a good job, and give you a good life!”
“I believe you. Now eat up!”
Jiang Yan didn’t doubt her daughter for a second. She could do it, and she had a filial heart.
“By the way, have you thought of what name you want? If you haven’t, you can ask Auntie Su to help you decide. Auntie Su is educated and well-read. She should be able to come up with a good one.”
“Xiaoya’s changing her name?”
Su Mei perked up immediately.
“Xiaoya, Xiaoya—it really doesn’t sound like a proper name. It’s cute enough while she’s young, but imagine when she’s seventy or eighty. Someone calls out ‘Wang Xiaoya,’ and an old woman with missing teeth turns around. What a joke!”
She thought it over but didn’t immediately offer a suggestion.
“I’d better look through a dictionary. Choosing a name is a big deal; there’s a lot to it, and it can affect a person’s whole life. We should be careful.”
She took Wang Xiaoya’s hand and smiled kindly.
“Later, let’s go to the study together, look through some options, and pick a nice name that will bring you good fortune, all right?”
The three women sat around the table in perfect harmony.
They had known one another for only a day, yet the three women in the house seemed as close as family.
But things were entirely different over at Wang Xuezhong’s.
After constantly having to empty bedpans and bring urine bottles, Wang Chuanzhi was sick to death of it. He’d have to keep living like this for at least another week.
He couldn’t take it anymore. He really couldn’t!
Even worse, it seemed the factory was going to fire Wang Xuezhong and take back his dormitory room.
Someone from the factory had brought medical expenses, and had secretly told him then.
“Dad, then if we go out, won’t we be homeless?”
Wang Chuanzhi panicked.
“What am I supposed to do about high school? I want to go back and find Mom. No matter what, you can’t keep me from going to school—that’s my future, my whole life!”