Because of the huge argument with Meng Yu the night before, Meng Yu still refused to come out for dinner.
Meng Yao didn’t indulge her either. She told Zhao Meilan and Meng Zhihong that Meng Yu had already eaten and there was no need to bring food into her room.
The two elders believed her and really didn’t deliver any food.
As a result, Meng Yu went hungry for another night.
Early the next morning, Meng Yao got up bright and early, carried her small basket on her back, and rode Uncle Wang’s cart into the county town.
The women on the cart asked what she was doing in town, and Meng Yao lifted the cloth covering her basket.
“My goodness, how did you grow these vegetables? They look so fresh!”
“Exactly! Look at how crisp and lively they are. You just picked them from the field, didn’t you?”
The women chattered one after another.
Meng Yao smiled.
“That’s right, Aunties. Just picked this morning.”
What a joke. Her vegetables drank spiritual spring water every day—how could they not look fresh? If she weren’t short on money right now, she wouldn’t even want to sell them!
Meng Yao had often come to the county before to sell things and help support the family, so she skillfully made her way to the marketplace.
She had arrived a little late this morning, so all the good spots were already taken. Only a tiny corner remained for her stall.
She didn’t mind. She casually settled down, lifted the cloth over her basket, and the bright green, fresh-looking bok choy was immediately exposed, drawing curious questions from the nearby vendors about how she had grown them.
Meng Yao chatted with them with a smile. Since the morning market rush had already passed and everyone already carried vegetables in their hands, no one bought from her despite how appealing her produce looked.
She wasn’t anxious. Instead, she simply took out her English textbook and started memorizing vocabulary words.
Ye Lei wandered around the vegetable market carrying a basket, but still hadn’t chosen anything. His wife was pregnant and needed fresh food, but after supervising his students’ morning reading session, all the freshest vegetables had already been snatched up by the time he arrived.
As his gaze continued searching, he suddenly noticed a vibrant patch of green in a corner.
He quickly walked over.
“Comrade, how much are your vegeta—”
Meng Yao looked up from her textbook at the sound of his voice.
Ye Lei abruptly stopped, then exclaimed in surprise,
“Hey! Aren’t you the kind-hearted young comrade from the other day? Why are you selling vegetables here?”
Meng Yao thought helplessly: What a coincidence…
“Haha, I’m helping my family sell vegetables. Teacher Ye, how much would you like? I’ll weigh some for you.”
She was actually quite willing to sell to Ye Lei. After all, Fangxiu was pregnant, and these vegetables grown with spiritual spring water were perfect for her.
“Why bother weighing them? I’ll buy everything. Your Aunt Fangxiu was just discharged from the hospital a few days ago and keeps talking about the two kind people from that day. Today, no matter what, you must come to my house for a visit.”
Although Ye Lei looked scholarly and refined, he acted surprisingly quickly. While speaking, he had already crouched down and started helping her pack up the stall.
Meng Yao: “…”
Ye Lei efficiently picked up the basket for her. Left with no choice, Meng Yao packed away her textbook and stood up.
Sharp-eyed as ever, Ye Lei immediately noticed the English textbook in her hands and became interested.
“You like English?”
Meng Yao slung her bag over her shoulder.
“No. I want to take the university entrance exam, but I can’t pronounce English properly, so I can only memorize it by rote.”
Ye Lei didn’t mind at all. He directly hoisted the basket onto his back and proudly pushed up his glasses while standing in front of her with shining eyes.
Meng Yao had no idea what he meant.
“Teacher Ye, aren’t we leaving?”
Ye Lei was speechless. The girl was already calling him Teacher Ye, so why wasn’t she getting the hint?
He stepped aside to let her pass, and the two walked one after another.
Excitedly, Ye Lei asked,
“What’s your name?”
“Meng Yao.”
“Comrade Meng, I’m a high school teacher! If you want to get into university, I can help you! Such a great resource is standing right in front of you.”
He pointed proudly at himself.
Meng Yao paused.
Right… wasn’t Teacher Ye a high school teacher?
She asked,
“Teacher Ye, do you teach English?”
“No, I teach mathematics!”
Meng Yao immediately wilted again.
“Then what’s the use? I can’t pronounce English.”
Ye Lei was speechless once more.
“Even if I don’t know English, I know English teachers!”
Meng Yao looked even more embarrassed and finally told the truth.
“Teacher Ye, I appreciate your kindness, but I really don’t have money, so…”
She should just rely on herself instead.
After all, she couldn’t possibly save Aunt Fangxiu once and then shamelessly cling to them for tutoring without paying. Meng Yao wasn’t thick-skinned enough for that, and she’d feel embarrassed too.
Seeing that he couldn’t persuade her, Ye Lei realized she had her own principles. He decided not to push further for now. Once they got home, he would let his wife handle it. After all, his wife was the formidable women’s committee director—no one could outtalk her!
Ye Lei’s home was in a residential building with a large shared courtyard downstairs. When they entered the courtyard, the neighbors chatting together immediately noticed the pretty young girl Ye Lei had brought home and curiously looked her over.
Ye Lei led her to the second-floor landing and knocked on the door.
“Fangxiu, look who I brought back!”
The door opened, and the heavily pregnant Fangxiu blinked in surprise when she saw Meng Yao before breaking into a delighted smile.
“Quick, come in, come in!”
Then she asked Ye Lei,
“Where did you run into this young comrade?”
“Aunt Fangxiu, my name is Meng Yao,” Meng Yao introduced herself somewhat shyly.
Fangxiu warmly held her hand and led her inside.
“Comrade Meng, hurry and come in.”
Meng Yao followed her into the house. Ye Lei’s home was warmly decorated, clean, and tidy. A shoe rack stood behind the door, and directly ahead was the living room. The table was covered with a floral tablecloth, adding a touch of charm, while the faint scent of laundry detergent lingered in the air.
“You two chat first. I bought meat today, so I’ll start cooking. We have to properly thank Comrade Meng today.”
Ye Lei carried the groceries into the kitchen.
Fangxiu was extremely hospitable, bringing out all the snacks in the house and repeatedly telling Meng Yao not to be polite.
The three of them ate lunch together. Ye Lei probably cooked often because the food was surprisingly delicious.
Toward the end of the meal, Fangxiu said to Meng Yao,
“Comrade Meng, you all left in such a hurry that day that I never properly thanked you. Here’s five hundred yuan—you must accept it as our token of gratitude.”
She pushed five large bills toward Meng Yao.
“I can’t accept this money. Please don’t make things difficult for me.”
Meng Yao truly didn’t know how to refuse Fangxiu’s enthusiasm.
What happened that day had only been a small act of kindness. Besides, Fangxiu’s family seemed to be ordinary people, and with a baby about to be born, there would definitely be many expenses ahead. She absolutely couldn’t accept five hundred yuan over something so minor.
When Fangxiu saw that she wouldn’t take the money, she smoothly changed the subject.
“If you won’t accept our money, then I don’t know how else to repay you. I heard from my husband that you want to take the university entrance exam. Coincidentally, my husband is a high school homeroom teacher. Why not let him tutor you instead? That way we can still do something for you and feel more at ease.”
Meng Yao: “…”
Ah, so this was where they had been leading her all along!
Ye Lei lowered his head, laughing so hard his shoulders trembled. Under the table, he secretly pinched his wife’s leg in approval.
Fangxiu: As expected, I’m the best!
Seeing how persistent the two of them were, Meng Yao finally stopped refusing.
“Alright then. But please try not to let it interfere with Teacher Ye’s work schedule.”