For a moment, all three were stunned, staring at Jin Yao in disbelief. Wei Shufen, in particular, was truly taken aback—she had never imagined that her youngest daughter could hide her thoughts so deeply, and that she had actually taken a liking to Chen Anguo from the educated youth dormitory.
“You have someone you like!?”
When Jin Miao heard Wei Shufen’s question, she raised an eyebrow and glanced over.
[Jin Miao: Huh? Did Jin Yao fail to hide her notebook and get caught by Mom? Tsk tsk tsk, can’t keep it a secret anymore. But it’s good to find out early. That Chen Anguo is getting pretty close to Xu Hong from the educated youth dormitory right now, trying to use her family connections to get transferred back to the city. And he’s also flirting with Wang Daniu because her dad is the village chief. He’s always treated women as tools!]
She didn’t see that her younger sister, standing with her back to her, had turned deathly pale.
“Mom, don’t jump to conclusions. It’s nothing like that. I just didn’t understand some good things from the books I read before, so I was just asking.”
Even though she said that, since it came from Jin Miao’s inner thoughts, Wei Shufen already believed it eighty percent. Besides, all her children came from her own womb—she knew exactly what they were up to just by the way they wagged their tails.
With Jin Yao acting like this, Wei Shufen understood perfectly well—this girl had most likely taken a fancy to that Chen Anguo.
“Don’t even think about it. How old are you? Stop daydreaming all day long. Besides, there aren’t many decent ones in that educated youth dormitory. They’re all as skinny as plucked chickens, can’t carry a load on their shoulders or lift anything with their hands. What’s the use of marrying someone like that? Tomorrow, I’ll take you to see if the old tailor in town is still taking apprentices. After all, it’s a skill. Relying on mountains, they may crumble; relying on people, they may run away. Only relying on yourself is truly reliable!”
Jin Miao looked at her mother, a flicker of surprise and admiration in her eyes.
[Jin Miao: Hey, I didn’t expect my mom to have this kind of awareness. She talks a good game when it comes to others, but when it comes to herself, why is she so determined to stick with Dad no matter what? Could this be the so-called ‘ocean of hatred, sky of love’?]
Wei Shufen didn’t quite understand what ‘ocean of hatred, sky of love’ meant, but when she thought about what happened today, she shot a fierce glare at Jin Dayong, who was sitting quietly to the side, seemingly lost in thought but actually secretly pricking up his ears to listen to the gossip.
Unable to contain her fiery temper, she muttered under her breath, “You shameless old man, you dead silent gourd. You grin from ear to ear when you see that vixen, but now you’re wearing a long face. If you dare get close to that flirtatious woman again, just you wait!”
Jin Dayong truly felt like he had swallowed a bitter pill—there was no way to explain his innocence. And to say such things in front of the children—even with the thickest skin, his face flushed dark red.
“Oh, I’ve already told you, there’s nothing between me and her. She fell right in front of me, and I just thought, since we’re from the same village, I’d lend a hand. You see…” Seeing his wife’s expression grow increasingly unpleasant, Jin Dayong immediately changed his tone, almost swearing an oath. “I’ll definitely stay far away from that woman from now on, eight zhang away!”
Seeing that Wei Shufen’s expression still hadn’t improved, her eyes still scrutinizing him, he quickly changed the subject.
“Mother of my child, are you planning to take Little Four to the old tailor in town tomorrow to become an apprentice? I heard the old tailor is only hiring two apprentices, and he’s already taken one. There’s just one spot left. Do you think this will work out?”
[Jin Miao: Of course it won’t! They’ve already filled the apprentice positions, so they definitely won’t take you. But you’re no pushovers either—you’ll make a scene, crying, making a fuss, and even threatening to hang yourselves, all while causing trouble for the other two apprentices. In the end, you’ll throw such a fit that the old tailor will be so enraged he’ll drop dead on the spot, laying the foundation for your reputation as wicked people!]
Gulp.
Jin Yao and Wei Shufen couldn’t help but swallow hard, exchanging glances filled with disbelief.
Wait, they just wanted to send her off as an apprentice—how did it end up with someone dying?
At this point, Wei Shufen grew anxious. Honestly, if it were true that the positions were already filled, she would definitely fight for Little Four’s chance.
Who knows, she might even do something like that.
Little Four was the youngest, almost like a late-in-life daughter. After she was born, the family’s circumstances weren’t as tight anymore. You could say she hadn’t suffered much hardship growing up—she’d never been made to do heavy labor. If they tried to send their youngest daughter to work in the fields or do hard labor, she definitely wouldn’t be able to handle it.
Being an apprentice was practically the easiest job there was!
“What are we supposed to do now?” Wei Shufen’s voice was tinged with urgency. Though she seemed to be asking Jin Dayong, her eyes kept darting over to Jin Miao, who was sitting nearby watching the scene unfold. “Oh dear, our Little Four is so young and has never done any heavy work. She’s the youngest in the family—if she can’t become an apprentice, what else can she do? Ah, it’s all because your parents are useless!”
As she spoke, her shoulders trembled slightly. She wiped her runny nose under the bench.
Jin Miao had never seen her mother act so vulnerable before. In her memory, her mother was sharp-tongued, stubborn, and unwilling to back down. Later, she even became bitter and spiteful, with a gaze so dark and menacing it was frightening.
After all, they had been mother and daughter for so many years. Deep down, Jin Miao felt a tiny, tiny, tiny bit of pity.
“Mom, don’t be like this. How about I go back to the factory and ask if there are any suitable jobs I can recommend for Little Sister?”
Wei Shufen felt a surge of anger rise in her chest at the sight of her foolish son, leaving her speechless. All she could do was glare at him fiercely.
If the timing weren’t so off, she would have loved to snap, “How did I give birth to such an idiot? You have no sense at all.”
“Your factory? You can’t even keep your own job steady yet, and you’re trying to act all high and mighty?”
She shifted her focus directly to Jin Miao. “Third Child, have you noticed any suitable jobs around lately that your little sister could do?”
Jin Miao was dumbfounded. How did this suddenly involve her?
“What kind of good job could I possibly recommend for Little Four? You all know perfectly well that ever since the educated youth arrived, teaching and literacy work hasn’t fallen to me anymore. I can barely take care of myself!”
[Jin Miao: I don’t even want to do this myself, what good opportunities could I possibly introduce to you? Should I honestly tell you that in my past life, I decisively quit and started my own business by carrying a basket to sell stuffed pancakes in town? Back then, you all didn’t hesitate to mock me, but in the end, wasn’t I the only one who grew this stall bigger and bigger? But what’s the point of making money anyway? It still couldn’t save my whole family from dying. Forget it, forget it, I might as well just let things rot—after all, whether I die early or late, I’ll still die.]
What in the world?
The other four members of the Jin family were stunned. What did she mean by “my whole family dying”?
In her past life, she went into business? And grew it bigger and bigger?
What does she mean by “what’s the point of making money”? That’s the most meaningful thing there is!!
[Jin Miao: Wait, it seems there was another thing around this time in my past life, something that caused quite a stir back then. Oh, I remember now—there’s a cultural troupe coming to hold auditions and recruit people!]