“Huanhuan, we’re planning to go to the aquarium this weekend, then go shopping and eat hot pot. Do you want to come with us?” As usual, the few girls who were close to Qin Huan extended an invitation to her.
Busy calculating how much living expenses she had left, Qin Huan paused for a moment before responding: “ “Um, sorry, but I already made plans with some other classmates to go hiking. I can’t stand them up.”
“Oh, no problem. We’ll hang out another time.” The girl across from her didn’t press the issue and simply walked away.
“Yuyu, why are you being so nice to her? I’ve already asked around—don’t let her act all high and mighty; her family is actually broke. ” After walking for a bit, seeing no one around, she launched into her rant.
“What do you know? From now on, whenever we have outings like this, we have to invite her. If she doesn’t want to go next time, we’ll just talk her into it.” Given Qin Huan’s personality, as long as you use a little reverse psychology, getting her to go out isn’t that hard.
“Oh, fine, we’ll all listen to you.”
Yutong didn’t explain her reasons to the others, and they didn’t press her for details. Although in their eyes, Yutong seemed to be getting too close to Qin Huan—which didn’t fit her usual style—Qin Huan was just a nobody, so there was no need to make a big deal out of it. Besides, it was just bringing someone along to have fun; it wasn’t their money being spent, so who cared?
“So, how’s it going? Are you used to having an extra person in the house?” Lin Yanan was now completely self-sufficient, and Li Xue had also started working to earn some pocket money. On her first day back, her close friend Luo Jiajia came over and asked in a low voice.
“It’s okay. Even though her tone isn’t the best, she hasn’t caused any trouble yet. So far, things are fine.” Luo Jiajia wasn’t just Li Xue’s close friend—she was also her upstairs neighbor, so nothing that happened at home could be kept from her.
“That’s good. But how many days is your mother-in-law planning to stay? It’s fine if it’s just a short time, but who knows what’ll happen if it drags on.” As close friends, they could vent to each other about just about anything.
“She originally said she’d stay for a few months and leave once she’d recovered, but it’s hard to guarantee an exact date.” If she just refused to leave, could Li Xue really kick her out?
Luo Jiajia sighed softly, patted her on the shoulder, and, seeing that no one was around, whispered to Li Xue, “ “I’m pregnant, but the pregnancy isn’t stable. After discussing it with my husband, we’ve decided I should stop working for now and wait until the baby is born safely. So I’m going to resign next month—just letting you know in advance.”
“How are you feeling? Should you go to the hospital for a checkup?” Li Xue wasn’t particularly surprised by Luo Jiajia’s resignation; the two had discussed this before.
After all, tutoring centers are full of kids and hard to manage; the workload is heavy. One person does the work of several, getting worked to the bone while only getting paid a single salary. Li Xue wanted to quit too, but with her mother-in-law sick and no suitable new job in sight, she kept putting it off.
“Hey, you two, stop whispering over there. The boss told you to go hand out flyers and recruit students.” ” Before the two could finish speaking, the assistant manager, Xing Hui, tossed two stacks of flyers their way. If Li Xue hadn’t blocked them, they would have nearly hit Luo Jiajia.
“Be careful! If something happens, can you take responsibility for it?” Luo Jiajia was startled, but once she confirmed she was okay, she immediately shouted at Xing Hui.
“I’ll throw them however I want. If you’ve got the guts, quit!” Seeing that Luo Jiajia had calmed down under Li Xue’s soothing words, Xing Hui immediately added, “Get to work already. Trying to slack off?”
“Just the two of us? Surely you can find us two assistants?” Li Xue’s face darkened. No matter how they rotated the shifts, it shouldn’t be just the two of them—they’d always worked in teams of four before.
“It’s just the two of you. Especially you, Li Xue. You’ve been on leave for so long; you’d better get back to work and prove yourself. Are you waiting to get fired?” ” With that, Xing Hui paid them no further attention and turned to leave, leaving the two to listen to the click-clack of her high heels.
“Damn it, she really doesn’t treat us like human beings. There’s still a week left until next month. If I can just endure these few days, I’ll be free. But what about you? Are you going to stay here and put up with this?” When you’re under someone’s roof, you have to bow your head. Luo Jiajia and Li Xue had no choice but to head out into the blazing sun, clutching their thick stacks of flyers. Li Xue was afraid Luo Jiajia might get hurt, so she didn’t dare leave her alone.
“We’ll take it one step at a time and see what happens. If I really can’t stand it anymore, I’ll just quit. Don’t worry about me—I’m a living, breathing person; they can’t suffocate me to death.”
Luo Jiajia and Li Xue braved the sun to hand out flyers. They didn’t return until just before the end of the workday, only to be berated by Xing Hui. She accused them of loitering during work hours and not taking their jobs seriously, threatening to dock their pay. This left the two seething with anger. Just as they were about to snap back, they saw the owner of the tutoring center strolling over with a beaming smile: “ “It’s no big deal. No need to dock your pay—times are tough for everyone. Just be more careful next time.”
With the boss having spoken, Xing Hui naturally wouldn’t go against him. She shot the two of them a pair of withering glares before storming off. But whether it was Li Xue’s imagination or her being overly sensitive, as the boss walked away, he had inadvertently brushed against her arm. Perhaps it was an accident, but it made her feel a bit uneasy. Still, she didn’t dwell on it and gradually pushed that uncomfortable feeling aside.
“Mom, you’re back? Grandma made your favorite sweet and sour spare ribs today. They’ll be ready to eat in a minute.” The day hadn’t gone particularly smoothly, but when Li Xue got home and saw her little Sweetie running toward her with a smile, she couldn’t help but smile back, then gently pulled the soft, warm little body into her arms.
“Little Tianguo’s really partial to you. Yesterday when I went to pick her up, she told me she wanted to make spare ribs. I hadn’t even agreed yet, and she just kept hovering around me. So, here I am, having just cooked this dish.” Hearing the commotion, Lin Yanan emerged from the kitchen. She felt a bit uneasy at the sound of Little Tianguo’s voice, but quickly found a reasonable excuse for her actions.
“Thank you, Mom. You’ve worked so hard.” Regardless of the circumstances, she was still grateful for the pork ribs. After speaking, she turned to look at her own daughter. Their heads were pressed together, their noses almost touching: “Thank you, my sweet girl.”
“Hehe.” Feeling Li Xue’s tenderness, Xiao Tianguo planted a big kiss on her. Before long, Li Xue felt her face growing damp. The mother and daughter took turns kissing each other, enjoying the moment. When Qin Feng came home from work and saw this scene of harmony at home, his heart warmed.
Time flew by. Ever since Luo Jiajia left, Li Xue had seemed all alone at the tutoring center, and the pressure she was under had clearly multiplied, making the situation feel suffocating.
The few companies she managed to sneak away to interview with didn’t turn out well either. Either the compensation offered was far below what was advertised, or they looked down on her personal qualifications. Going through the interview cycle left her exhausted—finding a job these days was truly difficult. She didn’t have the courage to quit without a new job lined up, after all, she had to shoulder the financial burden for several families.
“Hey, Mom, I transferred some money to you. Please check your account. When Dad goes for his follow-up checkup, don’t forget to call me—I’ll go with you guys…” After hanging up, Li Xue continued dragging her heavy footsteps home, her heart sinking a little more with every step.
“Did the interview go badly? Don’t worry too much about it. I’ll ask my friends around tomorrow, and I’m sure we’ll find a suitable job for you.” Before Li Xue even made it home, she ran into Luo Jiajia from upstairs, who was coming down with some fruit. There had been an abundance of fruit at home lately, and they couldn’t finish it all, so she’d asked Li Xue and her family to help out.
“Sure, and you can ask around too.” There was no need for formalities between the two of them.
As neighbors and friends, Luo Jiajia had plenty of free time after quitting her job, so she often came over to hang out. She had become quite familiar with Li Xue’s family and would often ask for their help when needed.
“Auntie, could you please help me mend some clothes again this time?” Ever since Lin Yanan had reattached Luo Jiajia’s loose buttons and sewn up the frayed seams last time, Luo Jiajia had realized that Li Xue’s mother-in-law possessed this skill—and that her mending was even better than what you’d find in a shop. You couldn’t tell there had been any repairs at all.
“Just bring them over to me.” Lin Yanan agreed readily. Lately, the two had been chatting often, and their relationship had grown closer quickly.
“If that dry cleaning shop in our complex were still open, I wouldn’t have to bother you.” Luo Jiajia felt a bit embarrassed about always asking for help.
“It’s no trouble at all—it’s just a quick fix. But doesn’t our neighborhood have a shop like that?”
“Yes, there used to be one, but two months ago, they moved away, so the shop naturally closed down.”
Hearing the news Luo Jiajia brought, Lin Yanan fell deep in thought.