Boss Lady weighed the bok choy, then added a few corn cobs, enthusiastically stuffing them into a bag and handing it to Principal Meng. Even the usually stingy Boss Lady rounded off the price by five cents.
As Principal Meng picked up the vegetables and was about to leave, Shen Jiaojiao’s crisp voice rang out, “Fresh fish for sale! Crucian carp, snakehead fish, perch, catfish, bighead carp—we’ve got it all! Free cleaning for braised, steamed, stewed, or sliced fish dishes! We even throw in scallions, ginger, and garlic! Come and buy fresh, affordable fish while you’re here…”
Xiao Yueyue was momentarily stunned, but as soon as Shen Jiaojiao paused, she immediately joined in the hawking: “Selling fish! Fresh and delicious! If it’s not tasty, you don’t have to pay!”
The mother and daughter’s calls—one charming, the other sweet and youthful—stood out vividly in the bustling market. The couple at the neighboring fish stall were practically glaring with envy.
Principal Meng, who had already walked several steps away, couldn’t help but turn around. Seeing Shen Jiaojiao and her daughter, he was taken aback. After all these years of shopping for groceries, it was the first time he’d seen such a young child kill fish.
He couldn’t help but feel a pang of sorrow. Life is hard, and children from poor families grow up fast.
“Little one, I’ll take a crucian carp. I want it steamed,” Principal Meng walked over, his smile gentle and kind.
“Coming right up!”
Xiao Yueyue deftly scooped up a crucian carp weighing about half a kilogram and explained, “If it’s too big, it won’t taste as fresh when steamed. This one is just right.”
“Good, please help me clean it.”
“Just a moment.”
Xiao Yueyue knocked the fish unconscious with a single blow of the knife, weighed it, and then began cleaning it. After three days of practice, her fish-cleaning skills were now remarkably proficient—fast and precise. In no time, she had scaled the fish, gutted it, and asked, “Do you want the roe and swim bladder?”
“Yes, please.”
Principal Meng watched with a pleased smile, his eyes full of approval.
Xiao Yueyue skillfully removed the black membrane and intestines from the belly, stuffed the roe and swim bladder back inside, placed the fish in a clean bag, and handed it over with both hands.
“Half a kilogram and fifty grams. It’s one yuan fifty per half kilogram, so that’ll be one yuan sixty.”
Xiao Yueyue rounded off the five-cent difference and even added a few scallions, a small piece of ginger, and a few cloves of garlic to the bag—just as she’d learned from Shen Jiaojiao.
Mother said these were extras. They didn’t cost much, but they made customers happy and more likely to return.
“You’re quite impressive, little one. Are you in school?” Principal Meng wasn’t in a hurry to leave and struck up a conversation.
“I finished first grade back home. I’ll be in second grade next semester, but Mother hasn’t found a school for me yet,” Xiao Yueyue answered honestly and confidently.
Truthfully, she was nervous inside, but Mother had told her that adults don’t like timid children. When talking to people, she should hold her head up, speak neither too loudly nor too softly, and never hesitate or mumble.
“Do you not have a house in this city?” Principal Meng looked at Shen Jiaojiao with concern.
“We just bought a house, but I want to find a good school for my child,” Shen Jiaojiao replied truthfully.
“Which school is it zoned for?” Principal Meng grew interested. It seemed the mother and daughter weren’t doing too badly financially if they could afford a house in Shanghai. Clearly, they weren’t impoverished.
“South Second Primary, but all the kids in the neighborhood go to Chunhui.”
Shen Jiaojiao observed discreetly as Principal Meng’s eyes flickered slightly. She had her answer now—he was indeed the principal of Chunhui Primary School, and he seemed quite approachable.
But that didn’t mean Principal Meng would accept Xiao Yueyue. There were only two ways to get into Chunhui Primary School: either through strong connections or by spending money.To enter Chunhui Primary School, one must pay a 60,000 yuan school construction fee—this is a written rule. Many parents in the neighborhood have paid to get their children in.
Shen Jiaojiao had neither strong connections nor 60,000 yuan to spare, so she had to think of other ways.
“Nan Er Primary is also quite good. Learning ultimately depends on the child’s own motivation.”
Principal Meng was actually quite pleased. He loved hearing others praise Chunhui and belittle other schools, but he couldn’t show it. After all, he was known for his magnanimity.
“That’s true in principle, but a good school can definitely better promote a child’s learning. Otherwise, Mencius’s mother wouldn’t have moved three times.”
Shen Jiaojiao sighed. Principal Meng didn’t respond. He couldn’t waste an admission spot out of mere sympathy.
Apart from those reserved for superiors and those sold for money, he currently had only ten spots left, which he intended to use for building connections or repaying favors. He certainly couldn’t waste one on an unfamiliar child.
Moreover, this child could already attend Nan Er Primary, so there was no need to insist on Chunhui. Principal Meng smiled amiably and walked away with his groceries.
“You didn’t know that guy was the principal of Chunhui?”
After he left, Jiang Fan finally spoke up, looking surprised.
He had wanted to remind her several times earlier but couldn’t find the right moment. Besides, he actually thought—
“Chunhui isn’t that great either. The pressure is too high.”
Jiang Fan spoke from the heart. He still believed Nan Er Primary was better.
“High pressure is only for poor students. For top students, pressure is motivation.” Shen Jiaojiao disagreed. Xiao Yueyue was smart and had a strong aptitude for learning—she needed an environment like Chunhui.
Jiang Fan pouted, feeling Shen Jiaojiao’s words were a subtle dig at him, since he was the poor student.
“Did you attend Chunhui?” Shen Jiaojiao looked at him intently.
“Yeah.”
“Do you have connections there?”
Shen Jiaojiao’s eyes lit up, her intense gaze making Jiang Fan feel a bit dizzy. He took a few steps back, shook off the romantic notions in his head, and said firmly, “It was my parents’ connections, but they definitely won’t help.”
“My parents are obsessed with money. If you ask them for help, you’d have to pay at least 50,000.”
Jiang Fan held up a hand, not lying in the slightest. His parents were that greedy.
All six of his sisters attended ordinary primary schools because his parents refused to spend money on connections. It was only because he was the only son that he had the privilege.
Shen Jiaojiao immediately gave up on the idea of seeking help from Jiang Fan’s parents. As she killed fish, she asked Jiang Fan about Principal Meng’s family situation.
“He’s terrified of his wife. If she tells him to go east, he’d never dare go west.”
Shen Jiaojiao thought for a moment and gave Jiang Fan a task. “Do me a favor—find out if there’s anything troubling Principal Meng’s family recently.”
If she were Principal Meng, she wouldn’t casually help a stranger’s child get into school either. Every admission spot at Chunhui Primary was a valuable favor. Given Principal Meng’s status, he would undoubtedly use these spots to expand his network or repay favors.
But if she could help Principal Meng solve a troublesome issue, she could reasonably make a request in return.
Although Jiang Fan wasn’t great at selling fish, he wasn’t stupid. He quickly understood Shen Jiaojiao’s intention and snorted disdainfully. “If even Principal Meng can’t solve it, how can you, a fish seller, manage?”
He looked at Shen Jiaojiao as if she were a naive fool.
“Not necessarily. Just go and find out for me. There’ll be something in it for you.”Shen Jiaojiao didn’t have much confidence either, but one must try to accomplish things before knowing whether they can succeed.
Moreover, two strangers casually passing by on the street might have some intricate connection, like nodes on a spiderweb. What she needed to do was bring together these seemingly unrelated nodes to form her own network of connections.