After Xiao Yueyue finished speaking, her face turned serious. This child rarely smiled or joked in front of strangers, remaining expressionless throughout—it had nothing to do with her mood.
But in the eyes of the elderly neighbors, they thought they had touched on a painful subject for the child. After all, what child doesn’t love their father?
They had asked too rudely just now. Sigh.
The elderly neighbors felt deeply guilty, their expressions awkward. One of the aunties cautiously asked, “Was he sick?”
Shen Jiaojiao sighed and calmly replied, “He passed away in an accident. He left some money for us, but his relatives said Yueyue is a girl and can’t hold onto property. They kept coming to our door to cause trouble. I was afraid it would affect the child, so I sold our old home and moved to Shanghai. I thought people in a big city would surely be more civilized than in our hometown, and the educational resources would be better too.”
The elderly neighbors looked at her with sympathy, not doubting Shen Jiaojiao’s words at all. People from small towns were indeed uncivilized—taking advantage of families without male heirs was all too common.
“Our neighborhood is very civilized, and there are plenty of good schools here. Just settle down and live peacefully with your child from now on. Don’t go back to your hometown.”
Everyone offered words of comfort and even asked with concern about Shen Jiaojiao’s work.
“Xiao Shen, don’t mind us meddling, but no matter how much money your husband left, it’ll run out one day. The child is still young, and there are many expenses. You need to find a job.”
“That’s what I’m planning too, but I want to find a school for the child first. Once we’re settled, I’ll look for work.” Shen Jiaojiao spoke earnestly about her plans.
“How old is Xiao Yueyue? Is she in first grade?”
“She’s eight. She finished first grade in our hometown and will be in second grade this fall. I’m new here and not familiar with the situation, so I wanted to go out and ask around.” Shen Jiaojiao smiled shyly, appearing a bit timid.
In front of these experienced elderly neighbors, she couldn’t appear too capable—she had to give them a chance to shine.
“Why go out and ask around? We know best. The elementary school assigned to our neighborhood is Nan Er Primary. Turn right out of the neighborhood, cross one street, and you’re there. Since you bought a house here, you’ll definitely get into the school. I’ll help you ask about it later.”
The auntie was very enthusiastic, and from her tone, getting into Nan Er Primary was a sure thing. But Shen Jiaojiao wasn’t interested in Nan Er Primary.
She had already asked Jiang Liang about it yesterday. The teachers at Nan Er Primary, the assigned school for the neighborhood, weren’t very good. Many children in the neighborhood didn’t attend Nan Er Primary but went to Chunhui Primary, which was a bit farther away.
Chunhui Primary was also a public school, but it had a strong teaching staff. It was a prestigious school founded before liberation and had produced many notable figures. It was one of Shanghai’s key elementary schools, and many parents went to great lengths to get their children enrolled.
The parents who could afford to buy houses in this neighborhood had good connections, and almost all of them had managed to get their children into Chunhui Primary. After hearing Jiang Liang’s comparison of the two schools, Shen Jiaojiao decided that Xiao Yueyue should also attend Chunhui Primary.
Living in the same neighborhood, if all the other children went to Chunhui Primary while her Xiao Yueyue attended Nan Er Primary, the difference would be too stark.
Don’t think that all children are innocent and adorable. In fact, the malice of children can be even more hurtful than that of adults. They would clearly understand the difference between the two schools and would likely flaunt their superiority in front of Xiao Yueyue—ranging from verbal insults to physical harm.
In her past life, Xiao Yueyue had experienced all of this—bullied at home by Xi Zihua and tormented by classmates at school. There was never a moment when she felt kindness. Whether at school or at home, it was all a deep abyss.Shen Jiaojiao didn’t want Xiao Yueyue to go through such things again; she wanted to give this child the best.
“Aunt Wang, I heard all the children in our neighborhood attend Chunhui Elementary School. Is that true?” Shen Jiaojiao asked casually.
The enthusiastic aunt, surnamed Wang, was something of a leader among the neighborhood’s elderly residents. She loved being in the spotlight and meddling in others’ affairs, so Shen Jiaojiao decided to win her over.
“Chunhui Elementary doesn’t accept outsiders—only locals,” one of the aunts blurted out, her tone thick with the pride of a local.
Aunt Wang shot her a glance and smiled at Shen Jiaojiao. “Even locals have a hard time getting into Chunhui. Every summer, the principal goes into hiding to avoid being pestered by people.”
Shen Jiaojiao found this amusing. Aunt Wang and the other aunt were clearly on different levels.
Low emotional intelligence: “We don’t accept outsiders.”
High emotional intelligence: “Even locals have a hard time getting in.”
Though the meaning was the same, Aunt Wang’s words were far more pleasant to hear.
“Aunt Wang, I was just asking casually. I don’t have the ability to get my child into Chunhui,” Shen Jiaojiao said with a smile, careful not to make any bold claims about getting Yueyue into the school. If she failed, it would be embarrassing.
“Actually, whether a child succeeds or not doesn’t have much to do with the school. A promising child can thrive anywhere, and I think Yueyue is just that,” Aunt Wang said kindly, patting Xiao Yueyue’s head to reassure Shen Jiaojiao.
After all, in Aunt Wang’s eyes, Shen Jiaojiao was a newcomer to Shanghai with no job or connections. There was no way she could arrange for her child to attend Chunhui—even many locals couldn’t manage it.
“You’re right, Aunt Wang. It all depends on the child herself. I’m off to buy groceries now.”
“Go ahead. If you don’t hurry, the stalls will be closing.”
Aunt Wang even helpfully gave directions. The market was quite convenient—just turn right out the door and go through the alley.
After Shen Jiaojiao and her daughter left, the elderly residents’ chatter grew deafening.
“Xiao Shen is so pretty, but her fate is unfortunate. Losing her husband so young and raising a child alone—it’ll be hard for her to remarry.”
“Not necessarily. Xiao Shen is good-looking and has a pleasant personality. Men like women like her.”
“Xiao Shen has a daughter, so it’s not a problem. If she had a son, it might be more complicated.”
“Old Li, isn’t your nephew divorced? Has he found someone yet? I think he and Xiao Shen would be a good match.”
Aunt Wang suddenly felt like playing matchmaker. Aunt Li’s nephew, who lived in the same neighborhood, was average in looks and ability. He had divorced last year and was raising a son slightly older than Yueyue. He hadn’t found a new partner yet, and Aunt Wang thought Shen Jiaojiao would be a good fit for him.
“How is she a good match? She has no job and is an outsider. My nephew wouldn’t be interested,” Aunt Li scoffed, her expression disdainful.
She was the same aunt who had earlier said Chunhui didn’t accept outsiders, harboring an inexplicable disdain for non-locals.
“I’m more worried that Xiao Shen wouldn’t be interested in your nephew. He’s not tall, looks older than his age, doesn’t earn much, and still lives in a cramped company apartment. Meanwhile, Xiao Shen bought such a big house,” Aunt Wang retorted, feeling Aunt Li was overly confident.
Her nephew was in his thirties, divorced, and raising a son. Aside from being a local, he had little else going for him.
“My nephew is a local,” Aunt Li said, lifting her chin proudly.
“Being a local doesn’t mean money grows on trees. Fine, forget I said anything. I’m more concerned Xiao Shen might think your nephew is too old.”
Aunt Wang snorted, not holding back. Her own children were far more accomplished than Aunt Li’s, so she felt no need to be polite.Aunt Li left in a huff—this conversation was impossible. If only her son’s job wasn’t worse than that Wang fellow’s son, she would have cursed back today.
Shen Jiaojiao had no idea that because of her, the aunties nearly erupted into war. She and Xiao Yueyue arrived at the market, bought some meat and vegetables, then headed straight for the fish stall.