“I had saved fifty thousand yuan in here earlier. I’ve already taken out five thousand, so there’s forty-five thousand left. You two can use that for now!” With that, Lin Yanan ignored their stunned expressions and simply pushed the box toward them.
“Mom, where did you get this money?” Qin Feng’s eyes were filled with disbelief. In his memory, his mother had always been a big spender; he never imagined she could have saved up this much money. This couldn’t help but astonish him!
“I stole it. What, are you going to report your own mother?” Seeing the suspicion in her son’s eyes, Lin Yanan couldn’t help but snap back.
“Mom, that’s not what Qin Feng meant…” Seeing Lin Yanan’s displeased expression, Li Xue quickly gave Qin Feng a meaningful look, signaling him to calm down. If he provoked her mother-in-law any further, would there be any peace left in the house?
“Haha, Mom, you’re the elder—don’t take it personally. I was just startled by you, that’s all. “Who would’ve thought someone who’s always taking and never giving would actually offer to pay back?”
“You think you don’t have to pay it back? Dream on! This is my nest egg. Once you’re back on your feet, you’ll have to pay me back.” After delivering this “ultimatum” in a mix of shame and anger, Lin Yanan stormed off to her room, leaving the couple staring at the money in silence.
“Should we take it?” After a moment of silence, Li Xue asked.
“Let’s take it. We don’t have any money on us right now anyway. Since we’re going to borrow anyway, we might as well use Mom’s—at least there won’t be any psychological burden.” Qin Feng spoke these words in a low voice, and his cautious demeanor made Li Xue burst out laughing.
With this money, Li Xue no longer felt such a pressing need to find a job, but her path back to employment remained rocky. Either the pay was too low, or employers looked down on her qualifications. For a moment, she really felt a bit discouraged.
“Auntie, there’s a tear under the arm of this skirt. Can you mend it? I want it to be invisible—don’t just slap a big patch on it. That would look awful!”
“Master, is my bag fixed yet? I brought it in three days ago.”
“I’ve lost a bit of weight lately, so my clothes are too loose. Could you take them in a little?”
After a rough job interview, Li Xue took the bus back to her neighborhood and walked over to Lin Yanan’s small workshop. To her surprise, the tiny space was packed with people. Seeing that Lin Yanan was swamped, Li Xue quickly stepped in to help, clearing a path for the customers.
“Anyone here to pick up clothes, please come over to me. And customers needing alterations, please sign up here.”
As Li Xue’s voice rang out, the crowd surrounding Lin Yanan thinned considerably, allowing her to breathe a sigh of relief. It wasn’t as busy in the morning or at noon, but everyone came by after work, making it quite crowded.
“How did your job interview go today?” Once the rush had subsided, Lin Yanan finally had time to chat with Li Xue.
“Not great—it didn’t go very smoothly.” Perhaps because of her own frustrations, or perhaps because they’d gotten along so well lately, Li Xue began venting to Lin Yanan about her job search—and there wasn’t much good news to report.
“Since you haven’t found the right one yet, there’s no need to rush.” Lin Yanan continued talking to Li Xue while her hands kept busy with her work.
“Today, I heard from Aunt Li in our neighborhood that her daughter plans to take the civil service exam for a teaching position next year. I remember you graduated from a teachers’ college. Why don’t you give it a try? After all, the salary is stable, and there’s social insurance and a housing fund.” Lin Yanan shared the news she’d heard that day with Li Xue.
“I do have a teaching certificate—the school practically forced it on me back then—but I haven’t touched a textbook in years. I really have no idea if I’d be up to it.” Li Xue had actually considered applying for a teaching position when she graduated. But first, there were few openings back then, and second, although the tutoring center she joined was a bit shady, the pay wasn’t bad. Once her probationary period was over, she was hired on the spot. But now, the thought of picking up textbooks again really made her a little nervous!