Wang Erjun and Old Madam Wang returned from the textile factory and went straight to the police station without even stepping inside their own home.
When they entered, the police station chief had just hung up the phone.
Seeing them come in, his face darkened considerably.
To be honest, when the police had brought Li Cuihua in earlier, their intention had been more to scare her.
When Ning Yi had come to file a report, saying that she had come to their house making an unreasonable scene and frightened their elderly grandmother, Officer Xiao Li and the other neighborhood officers were quite displeased.
They patrolled the small alleys every day, tired and hot. Ever since the Ning family’s herbal tea had become available, they felt their patrols had become much more bearable.
So, when they heard that Li Cuihua had gone to the Ning house to cause trouble, they were determined to teach her a lesson.
But although Li Cuihua had made a scene, she hadn’t actually caused any major damage or gained any advantage.
Everyone had seen it, Ning Xin’s fighting power was formidable. If anyone had come out worse, Li Cuihua was the one who had been hit the most.
So, even though Officer Xiao Li had brought her to the station, they hadn’t really intended to do anything severe to her. They had thought about just locking her up for a few days and letting her go.
But before her husband Wang Erjun even showed up, the station chief had received a phone call from a higher-level leader. The leader specifically mentioned by name that Li Cuihua was to be dealt with strictly.
Although the leader hadn’t been explicit on the phone, the station chief still understood, the Ning family was someone important. It seemed they had done something of great significance for the country and had now been designated as a key protection target by the higher-ups.
Under these circumstances, for Li Cuihua to have touched this sore spot and barged in like that, there was no way she would be going home after just a couple of days.
So when Wang Erjun arrived at the police station, what he got was the news that his wife, for trespassing and attempting to defraud another family of their property, acts deemed egregious, was to be sent to a labor reform camp for reeducation through labor.
As for how long the labor reform would last, that would be determined by the court’s verdict.
But at minimum, it would be at least six months to a year.
Wang Erjun collapsed onto a bench, utterly stunned.
Old Madam Wang, however, calmed down after figuring out the situation.
She ignored her son, who was already panicked and unable to come up with any ideas.
Instead, she said to the police officer, “My daughter-in-law was arrested so suddenly that our whole family was caught off guard and unprepared. We didn’t know what she had done, but we absolutely support the government’s decision.”
“I was wondering if I could ask a small favor, could I see my daughter-in-law? After all, the children are still young, one is five and one is three. Losing their mother so suddenly, I need to ask her if she has anything to tell them.”
As Old Madam Wang spoke, she wiped away tears.
Her crying made the police officers feel somewhat sad. Moreover, they all knew that what Old Madam Wang said was true, the Wang family’s two children were indeed still young.
Neither of them had reached an age where they could be without their mother!
So no one refused her request. Before long, Li Cuihua was brought to the visiting room to meet her husband and mother-in-law.
By this point, Li Cuihua still had no idea that she was about to be sent to labor reform. As soon as she saw her husband, she immediately burst into tears.
She cried with snot and tears streaming down her face, all while cursing the Ning family members with foul language.
Seeing how utterly confused and oblivious she was, Old Madam Wang’s anger flared up. She stepped forward and slapped Li Cuihua across the face!
“Mother!” Wang Erjun was completely stunned by his mother’s action.
“Shut up!” Old Madam Wang glared viciously at her son.
Then she turned to Li Cuihua, who was about to start wailing, and said coldly, “If you dare cry, I’ll have Erjun divorce you right now! You two never got a marriage certificate anyway, and you’re about to be sent to labor reform. We wouldn’t even need to go through divorce proceedings.
Do you believe me? The moment you leave, I’ll find Erjun another wife, find Xiaojun and Xiaobing a new mother! A wife like you, no one would say a word if Erjun divorced you. Whoever married you would be bringing shame on themselves!”
Li Cuihua’s wail was choked back in her throat by her mother-in-law’s words.
She choked for a long time, her face turning red and her neck swelling, before she finally managed to exhale.
After a while, she asked in a trembling, tearful voice, “Mother, what are you talking about? What do you mean, I’m being sent to labor reform?”
Seeing the dumbfounded expression on her daughter-in-law’s face, Old Madam Wang sighed silently.
She knew her daughter-in-law had truly been set up and used as a pawn.
Talking about getting rid of Li Cuihua was all just talk. What elder would willingly break up their son’s marriage and leave their two grandsons without their biological mother?
Besides, although Li Cuihua might be foolish outside, she was good to her family and filial to her mother-in-law.
Old Madam Wang put on a stern face and repeated what the police officer had told her earlier to Li Cuihua.
Seeing Li Cuihua swaying on the verge of fainting, Old Madam Wang continued scolding, “Pull yourself together! Now you’re scared? Where was this fear when you did it? If you had half a brain, you never would have done something like this!
The Ning family isn’t that easy to bully. You only saw how they treat everyone with kindness and warmth, but you forgot, Ning Xin’s third aunt is still in a labor reform camp!”
At these words, Li Cuihua’s face turned ashen.
“Don’t say anything else for now. Think carefully about how you came up with the idea of going to the Ning house to cause trouble. Tell me everything from beginning to end. We won’t just swallow this loss for nothing. I may not have the ability to keep you from being sentenced, but I won’t let the person who set you up get away with it either!”
Hearing her mother-in-law’s words, Li Cuihua’s face showed a sudden look of realization, which then turned into extreme indignation.
“Mother, it was that day at the bus stop when I ran into Leng Hui. She said to me…”
Since Xu Shaonian was taking Xiao’an to the hospital the next day, she didn’t stay overnight at the Ning household.
The next morning at breakfast, Hu Yuanping announced that he was leaving. He and his wife would be returning to the capital that very afternoon.
It was so sudden that there was no time to be sad. Everyone ate breakfast quickly that morning. After the meal, Ning Xin immediately began preparing tea packets for them to take back to the capital.
In fact, it wasn’t just for the two of them. Secretary Lin had left in a hurry as well, and his packets hadn’t been ready in time.
When Shi Zhengyi came to see off his old leader, he saw Ning Xin holding a large bag of assorted tea packets, explaining their uses and precautions to Zhuang Wenxia one by one.
He couldn’t help but feel a bit envious.
Seeing him, Hu Yuanping beckoned to Ning Xin. “Xiao Ning, come here. Now that your Uncle Shi is here, I want to say a few words to both of you.”
Knowing her husband was about to discuss serious matters, Zhuang Wenxia quickly put away the tea packets and gently pushed Ning Xin, urging her to go.
Hu Yuanping didn’t waste words. After sitting down, he got straight to the point.
“I saw yesterday that you’ve already started getting people to help renovate the rooms? My suggestion is, don’t rush.”
Hu Yuanping’s words caught Ning Xin off guard. She didn’t know how to respond.
Just yesterday, they had been pressing her about when the medicinal kitchen would open. Now they were telling her to hold off on the renovations?
Seeing her expression, Hu Yuanping didn’t immediately explain. Instead, he looked at Shi Zhengyi. “Can you be certain that the academy’s test results are authentic and reliable?”
How could something like that be faked?
Hearing his leader’s question, Shi Zhengyi immediately straightened his expression. “I guarantee it. They are absolutely authentic and reliable.”
Hu Yuanping nodded, then began to explain.
“The test results from the capital aren’t out yet. But since the provincial academy’s results are in, the capital’s results shouldn’t be too different.
Last night, I thought it over carefully. If the active properties of that soil truly benefit the human body to such an extent, then we need to make good use of it, get the most out of it. With that in mind, there’s no need to run some small, modest eatery.
I’m not saying a small eatery is bad, but it would be a waste of such valuable resources.”
Hu Yuanping knew all too well that the country’s medical standards still lagged far behind those of advanced nations. Medical resources were also extremely scarce.
Every day, countless people were suffering from the torment of illness.
Other matters could wait, but saving lives and treating the sick could not.
As a leader at his level, he knew better than anyone how many veteran experts and scholars were now teetering on the edge of life after all these years of turmoil, fighting a desperate battle against disease every single day.
Even if this medicinal kitchen couldn’t cure every ailment, if it could help alleviate some of the suffering of those elderly individuals, that alone would be a tremendous service to the nation!
If even one of those veteran figures could be saved, it might just bring the country’s development to a new level!
This was no exaggeration, nor was it alarmist talk.
Under these circumstances, running a small eatery would truly be a waste of talent, completely unnecessary.
“Leader, what are you suggesting?” Shi Zhengyi asked tentatively.
Of course, he understood the implication in Hu Yuanping’s words.
To put it bluntly, if this matter hadn’t already been reported to higher authorities, leaving him in a passive position where he had to be cautious in everything, Shi Zhengyi would have directly sent people to help renovate the Ning family’s house long ago!
This kind of endeavor was beneficial to both the nation and the people. It wasn’t about abusing power for personal gain, so there was no reason for him to be so hesitant.
But with Hu Yuanping here, he couldn’t just act on his own. Now, hearing that his leader seemed to share the same thought, Shi Zhengyi grew excited.
Hu Yuanping didn’t immediately answer Shi Zhengyi’s question. He paused to consider further.
Although by now he was deeply convinced that the Ning family’s water and soil truly had healthful properties, many things still needed to be handled personally after he returned to the capital.
Until things were confirmed, he couldn’t just issue directives arbitrarily.
“Xiao Ning, don’t rush into renovating the house just yet. Don’t rush to open your medicinal kitchen either. Hold off for a while. Wait until I call back and update you on the situation before making any decisions.
For now, if you have the time, you’d be better off looking for helpers. Otherwise, when your medicinal kitchen does open, you won’t be able to manage everything on your own.”
Ning Xin had been called in to meet with Hu Yuanping, but from start to finish, it was him and Shi Zhengyi doing all the talking. She hadn’t really had a chance to say anything.
But she understood what they meant, it seemed the state was preparing to get involved with her family’s medicinal kitchen.
If that was the case, she wouldn’t need to worry about renovations or remodeling at all. She wouldn’t even have to spend her own money!
And it would surely be built on a grander, better scale than anything she could manage on her own.
Ning Xin hadn’t been trying to take advantage of anyone. But if the medicinal kitchen could be built better, then her plans to treat and help people could proceed more smoothly. That would be a win-win for everyone.
How could she not be happy?
At that moment, Ning Xin was absolutely overjoyed.
She forced herself to hold it in, maintained her composure, and agreed to Hu Yuanping’s request before slipping out of the room.
But as soon as she stepped outside, she bounded over to Old Madam Ning like a little rabbit, buried her face in her grandmother’s shoulder, and giggled for a long time.
It made the old lady pinch her cheek and scold, “Did you eat honey? Why are you so happy?”
“Even happier than if I had eaten honey!”
Ning Xin wrapped her arms around her grandmother’s shoulders and rubbed her face against them.
Then she said, “Grandma, I’m going to give you a good life! Not just you, my brother too. I’m going to make sure our whole family lives better than anyone else!”
Old Madam Ning didn’t know what had made her granddaughter so happy, and she didn’t ask.
She simply stroked Ning Xin’s hair affectionately and said, “Grandma doesn’t care about living better than anyone else. Grandma just wants our family to live in peace and carry on.
Xiao Xin, I know you’re ambitious. That’s like your father, he was ambitious too. But no matter what, don’t take things too hard, and don’t wear yourself out. Good enough is good enough. Don’t make things hard on yourself.”
If before, Old Madam Ning still thought of herself as an elder with a say in the household, after the siblings had discussed it and transferred the house into Ning Xin’s name, the old lady understood that in this family, being a hands-off grandmother who didn’t interfere was best, for her, and for her grandchildren.
They respected her and were close to her, but when it came to making major decisions, it was always the siblings discussing things together.
No one acted according to her wishes.
At first, the old lady felt a little hurt by this.
But on the day Li Cuihua had come to cause trouble, both children had stood up for her. Her granddaughter, usually so delicate, had even picked up a stick to defend her.
Afterward, the old lady suddenly understood.
Children have their own fortunes. As long as they could live well, what did it matter if she became a dotty old woman?
She would help as much as she could with household chores, and as for the rest, let them be.
That noon, despite Hu Yuanping’s repeated refusals, Ning Xin insisted on preparing a table full of delicious dishes. She gathered all the best ingredients she could find and cooked them.
This was her way of seeing the couple off.
Zhuang Wenxia left the family’s address and phone number with Ning Xin, repeatedly advising her that no matter what, she must never neglect her studies, she still had to take the university entrance exam.
She also expressed her hope that Ning Xin would be able to go to the capital for university, saying that when the time came, she would definitely welcome her.
Ning Xin naturally agreed to all of it.
After Hu Yuanping and his wife left, the Ning household returned to a temporary calm.
That evening, when Ning Yi came home and realized he had missed seeing the couple off, he felt a bit wistful.
The old lady was also somewhat listless.
Seeing them like this, Ning Xin tapped on the table. “Come on, come on. Let’s do something exciting tonight.”
“What exciting thing?” Ning Yi glanced at his sister without much enthusiasm.
“Counting money, of course! Is there anything more exciting than counting money?” Ning Xin replied with a smile.
As soon as she said this, sure enough, both the old and the young perked up.
This time, Ning Xin went to her room and brought back the small box where she kept the money.
Since Ning Xin was now focused mainly on cooking, the task of selling herbal tea and tea snacks had largely fallen to Old Madam Ning.
The old lady could handle small calculations and making change, but keeping accounts was beyond her.
So, every evening after closing up, Ning Xin would record the daily transactions in a ledger to track income and expenses.
She had a clear idea of how much money they had made over the past ten-plus days.
But Old Madam Ning and Ning Yi had no idea!
And besides, counting money was such a joyful activity!
Ning Xin deliberately messed up the bills she had already sorted, then carried the box full of money back to the dining table.
When she poured the entire box of money out onto the table, Old Madam Ning and Ning Yi’s eyes nearly popped out of their heads.
Their mouths practically stretched to their ears.
“You two count, I’ll keep the books,” Ning Xin said, pushing the money toward them.
Neither of them refused. They both became intensely focused, stacking the money in neat piles, five here, ten there, absolutely meticulous.
They were terrified of making a mistake.
After about ten minutes, Ning Yi was the first to finish counting.
“I’ve got ninety-seven yuan, sixty-five cents here.” He gathered the coins in front of him into a tighter pile.
Old Madam Ning, meanwhile, was still counting the paper bills one by one.
“How much is it, taking this long?” Ning Yi leaned his head over to peek at his grandmother’s hands, only to get kicked unceremoniously by her.
He chuckled and pulled his head back, sitting quietly without daring to make a sound, just waiting.
Another nearly ten minutes passed before the old lady finally looked up.
Her lips trembling, she looked at Ning Xin, opening and closing her mouth but unable to utter a single word.
“How much, Grandma?” Ning Yi grew anxious.
But the old lady completely ignored him. Seeing him lean in again, she impatiently jabbed him in the head.
Then she held up the bills in her hand and looked at Ning Xin.
Seeing the old lady like this, Ning Xin was startled. She was afraid that getting too excited over the money might trigger some health problem, that would be a real loss!
“Grandma, it’s one hundred forty-six yuan and five cents, right?”
Old Madam Ning nodded repeatedly. It took her a while before she finally managed to say, “Right!”
Then she took a deep breath and asked in a trembling voice, “Xiao Xin, how did we make so much money?”
“That’s exactly how much we made!” Ning Xin pointed at the money and said to her grandmother with a beaming smile.
From the time they started their business until now, only fifteen days had passed, and they had sold over two hundred yuan. This was something the old lady never could have imagined.
Not to mention in the countryside, even in the city, this was equivalent to half a year’s wages for many people!
“This is just the money from selling herbal tea and snacks. The one hundred forty-five yuan for meals that Aunt Zhuang paid hasn’t been included yet. Adding it all together, over these fifteen days, we’ve made a total of three hundred eighty-eight yuan and eighty cents.”
As she spoke, Ning Xin took out a handkerchief bundle from her pocket and added the money inside to the pile on the table.
“Brother, keep the small change, around thirty-some yuan, and deposit the rest in the bank for me tomorrow.”
“Oh, okay!” Ning Yi was also stunned by the amount.
After a moment, he readily agreed.
Previously, under Ning Xin’s request, the family’s savings had been split into two passbooks, one for each sibling.
Now, depositing money was easy enough. He just needed to step out and turn the corner to get it done.
Seeing that Old Madam Ning still hadn’t recovered from the shock, Ning Xin didn’t say much more.
In fact, she had also been thinking about paying her grandmother a salary.
But seeing her like this, Ning Xin felt it would be better to wait until the end of the month to tell her.
After the money was counted, Old Madam Ning went to bed content. Ning Xin then told Ning Yi about what Hu Yuanping had said that morning.
“So we’re not doing anything with the rooms for now?” Ning Yi asked hesitantly.
“It’s not that we’re doing nothing, it’s just that renovations are on hold. But there’s still plenty to do.”
In her heart, Ning Xin wanted to take things step by step, steadily and solidly.
Her original idea was to start the medicinal kitchen as a small dessert shop, selling herbal tea, stewed soups in ceramic jars, and a few simple tea snacks.
That way, customers could spend just a couple of mao (a few dimes) and get some nourishing food, while the family could earn a modest income from their hard work.
Although each sale wouldn’t bring in much, as long as customers kept coming, Ning Xin believed the business could be profitable.
With this approach, the initial investment wouldn’t be too large. Aside from the renovations, the family would only need a basic stock of ingredients and supplies, gradually adding more as needed.
With fewer people, she and Grandma could manage on their own for a while, and at worst, they could hire a helper later.
But judging by what Hu Yuanping had said today, it seemed they were planning something big. If that was the case, her original idea wouldn’t work.
From ingredients and supplies to medicinal herbs, most importantly, the lack of staff, all of this needed to be considered.
“Brother, while you’ve been collecting grains recently, have you come across any fine grains like glutinous rice, red beans, or mung beans? Also, do you know of any larger herbal medicine shops nearby? The one next to the clinic at our alley entrance has too few varieties. Also, I want to buy some wheat starch and glutinous rice flour, these are southern specialty items. Could you ask Xu Shaonian to help find out where to get them? By the way, these kinds of things would be available at large restaurants, they’re definitely not in circulation on the open market.
And Brother, where can I find people?! Uncle Hu said my top priority right now is finding helpers, but I have no idea where to look. Do you think anyone would come if I posted a hiring notice at our doorstep?”
The more Ning Xin thought about it, the more her head ached.
If this were the 21st century, none of this would be a problem. But in this era, it was giving her a real headache.
She couldn’t very well go begging Shi Zhengyi for help just to buy some mung beans and soybeans, could she? That would be wasting a valuable favor.
Good steel should be used for the blade. If she used up favors on trivial things, she wouldn’t be able to ask for help when she truly needed it.
At this thought, Ning Xin let out an “Ah!” and scratched her hair in frustration.
Ning Yi had never seen his sister so dejected.
Ever since he returned from the countryside, Ning Xin had always seemed either indifferent or confident, as if she had everything under control and nothing could faze her.
So seeing her like this felt refreshing to Ning Yi, and it also made his big-brother instincts kick in.
He tugged gently at the ponytail on Ning Xin’s head. “What’s there to be afraid of? You’ve got your brother. We’ll figure things out together. Don’t worry.”
“Then Brother, help me think of what to do! I really don’t know. Relying on our small amount of grain and ration coupons, trying to buy all these things, that’s impossible. And even with money and coupons, we still couldn’t get them!”
“Don’t worry about the fine grains. Shaonian and I will discuss it. We should be able to figure something out,” Ning Yi replied confidently.
“As for the staff…” He glanced at his sister and shook his head. “Posting a hiring notice probably won’t work very well.”
By this point, Ning Xin had already realized what era she was in, 1980.
At this time, government policy toward private businesses was still in a wait-and-see phase. They allowed it, but there was no support.
As for ordinary people, they looked at self-employed individuals through tinted glasses, looking down on them from the bottom of their hearts.
The neighbors didn’t think much of the Ning family selling herbal tea in their courtyard because they assumed it was just a temporary thing, once summer passed, the siblings would go back to looking for regular jobs.
But if their medicinal kitchen opened and people knew they were running their own business, there would surely be many who looked down on them.
Ning Xin felt that neither she nor her brother would care about that. After all, other people’s mouths were on their own faces, if they wanted to talk, let them talk.
But under those circumstances, posting a hiring notice at the door might not actually attract anyone.
And even if someone did come, who knew what kind of undesirable character they might be?
“So what do I do?” Ning Xin had no choice but to ask her brother for help.
After all, compared to Ning Yi, her familiarity with this era was far inferior.
“Xiao Xin, maybe we could go back to the hometown…”
“Brother, I don’t want to bring in people from the hometown,” Ning Xin interrupted before Ning Yi could finish.
Ning Yi reached out and tapped her on the forehead in exasperation. “I know you don’t get along with Uncle and the others. Don’t worry, I wouldn’t want them meddling in our family’s affairs either. Do you think so little of your brother? You didn’t even let me finish. Don’t I have at least that much self-respect?”
Ning Xin rubbed her forehead sheepishly and pouted. “They hit me, and they look down on our family from the bottom of their hearts. I don’t want anything to do with them.”
Back then, because of her, first Zhu Chunhong was sent to labor reform, and then, witnessed by Uncle Ning Chengyou and Uncle-in-law Chen Zhigang, Ning Ling was also sent away.
Although no one had mentioned it since, Ning Xin knew in her heart that the grudge between her and her third uncle’s family had been set in stone.
Over the past days, Ning Xin had outwardly appeared calm, but inside she had been tense, waiting to see how the hometown relatives would react.
Would they come to her door, fighting to the death? Or would they cut all ties and never interact with them again?
Either way, for Ning Xin, it was like that second shoe hanging in mid-air, waiting to drop. Only when it actually hit the ground would she feel at ease.
But over ten days had passed, and there had been no word from them at all.
As if nothing had happened to Zhu Chunhong, as if Ning Xin had never been hit, as if everything before had just been a dream.
This turn of events was unexpected for Ning Xin, but she didn’t have time to dwell on it. She had too many pressing matters to attend to every day.
But proactively seeking them out just to hire a worker was clearly out of the question.
“By ‘going back to the hometown,’ I didn’t mean going to find Uncle and the others. I meant going to ask at our aunt’s house. Don’t you remember? Xiao Jing is sixteen this year and isn’t engaged yet. If she doesn’t have anything to do at home, she could come and help you out. Xiao Jing is an honest child. She was always getting pushed around by you when you were little.”
Hearing her brother say this, Ning Xin’s eyes widened. “When did I ever push anyone around?”
“Fine, fine, you didn’t, you didn’t. Anyway, I think Xiao Jing could be a good helper for you. But we’ll have to see. I haven’t seen her in years either, I don’t know what she’s like now. Plus, she’s always been afraid of you, so who knows if she’d even want to come.”
As Ning Yi described her, Ning Xin slowly recalled a few things from the past.
She also remembered fragments about Xiao Jing.
The “Xiao Jing” her brother was talking about was Chen Jing, the second daughter of her aunt and uncle-in-law.
Her aunt and uncle-in-law had only two daughters. The eldest, Chen Juan, had been married off by the family when she was just sixteen. That left only Chen Jing at home.
Ning Xin remembered that her aunt’s mother-in-law favored boys over girls. Every year when she went back to her hometown for the New Year, she never saw the Chen sisters wearing a single new piece of clothing.
Their clothes were always covered in patches, one on top of another.
Her aunt, Ning Xiuxiu, was a proud woman. To keep her daughters from looking too shabby, she always tried to make the patches look nicer, sometimes even embroidering a little flower to cover them up.
But no matter how much she disguised them, patches were still patches. Everyone could see them.
Ning Xin had been doted on by her father since childhood. She had always had expensive tastes, wearing and eating the best things.
Every year when she went back to her hometown for the New Year, standing next to Chen Juan and Chen Jing, she was practically a contrast study, the difference was stark.
Sometimes Chen Juan would feel embarrassed and keep her distance from her cousin.
But Chen Jing didn’t mind at all. She clung to Ning Xin like glue, following her everywhere like a shadow.
Ning Xin had always been a loner by nature. She wasn’t even particularly close to her own brother, so naturally she didn’t treat this suddenly clingy cousin very kindly.
But no matter what Ning Xin said or how sour her expression was, Chen Jing never took it to heart.
For Chen Jing, even though this beautiful older cousin always had a stern face, she wasn’t like the others, the ones who smiled warmly on the outside but looked down on her family from the bottom of their hearts.
This older cousin, even if she didn’t pay her much attention, would always share half of any good food or drink with her.
So she clung to Ning Xin even more tightly.
And Ning Xin grew even more annoyed.
For many years, the cousins had this kind of love-hate relationship, one disdaining, the other not caring, growing up with bumps and bruises along the way.
But after the eldest sister, Chen Juan, got married, Chen Jing’s personality changed drastically. She was no longer the cheerful, laughing, carefree child who let nothing bother her. She became quiet and withdrawn, not close to anyone.
In the past couple of years when Ning Xin went home, Chen Jing had been like an invisible person, staying far away from Ning Xin, not coming near. Gradually, Ning Xin had grown more and more distant from her cousin.
Ning Xin took a moment to examine her feelings and realized that she didn’t actually have any aversion to this cousin.
If that was the case, having her come for a try might be acceptable.
Seeing that his sister hadn’t said anything, Ning Yi assumed she was taking out her resentment toward their uncles on their aunt. He couldn’t help but sigh.
He said, “Xiao Xin, you have to separate things. Uncle and Third Uncle aren’t close to us, so we’ll keep our distance from them. But Aunt has always loved you so much! Even Juan and Jing, didn’t they play well with you when you were little?
When you were sick this time, Aunt didn’t come to see you, but Uncle-in-law came three times. Each time he brought you something special. Aunt’s life isn’t easy. Those things may not be worth much, but her feelings for you are genuine. We have to appreciate that.
Besides, in this day and age, opening your own restaurant, it’s really not that easy to hire people in the city. Rather than hiring people we know nothing about, it’s better to give Xiao Jing a try. At least we know her background and character, right?”
To be honest, Ning Xin would have preferred to hire strangers. That way, the relationship would be purely employer-employee: she paid people to work, they worked for the money. If they did well, they stayed; if not, they left. The relationship would be simple and clean, saving a lot of trouble.
But she knew her brother had a point. Maybe things would be different in a few years, but right now, hiring people really wasn’t that easy.
Besides, her aunt and uncle-in-law had truly treated her well. In just over ten days, her uncle-in-law had come three times, bringing lotus flowers and lotus leaves, delivering eggs. Ning Xin felt she needed to repay that kindness.
“When do you have time to go to Aunt’s house for a visit? If Xiao Jing is free, bring her back to stay for a few days.”
Ning Xin looked at her brother. “Don’t tell her it’s to work. Just say Grandma misses her and wants her to come stay for a while. As for whether she’s suitable for the job, I’ll have to see first.
But Brother, let’s be clear, personal feelings are personal feelings, and business is business. They can’t be mixed.
If Xiao Jing isn’t suitable, don’t try to guilt-trip me. I won’t keep her. If she is suitable, I’ll pay her a salary. If she does well, she stays; if not, I won’t keep dead weight. And don’t start with that ‘we’re family’ talk later. If that happens, I’d rather work myself to the bone than take on that trouble.”
Seeing his sister talking like a big boss, laying down the rules of employment in such a serious manner, Ning Yi found it both amusing and a bit headache-inducing. He also couldn’t figure out where a girl her age had learned all these principles.
But he still nodded. “Alright, I understand. I’ll take care of it tomorrow.”
Early the next morning, Ning Yi left home before six o’clock. But shortly after he left, Xu Shaonian brought Xiao’an over.
Xiao’an had a backpack on her shoulders and was wearing new clothes. Although she still seemed a bit timid around people, it was clear that the child was in a good mood, somewhat happy.
Seeing Ning Xin, her face flushed slightly. She twisted the hem of her clothes with her fingers, rubbing it unconsciously.
She greeted Ning Xin properly: “Hello, Sister.”
“Hello, Xiao’an.”
Ning Xin walked over, put an arm around her shoulder, then smiled and pointed toward the kitchen. “Xiao’an, Grandma is in the kitchen. Could you go in and help her brew the herbal tea?”
Hearing that there was a task for her, Xiao’an’s shyness vanished instantly. She even straightened her back and said loudly, “Okay, I’ll go help Grandma brew tea.”
With that, she trotted off toward the kitchen.
This was the approach Ning Xin had thought of yesterday.
She had noticed that Xiao’an didn’t like interacting with people, the more unfamiliar the person, the more nervous she became.
Conversely, she relaxed easily when doing tasks.
So, Ning Xin figured giving her small jobs to do would keep her from feeling too idle in the house and might help the child get used to life here more quickly.
Watching Xiao’an’s noticeably more relaxed retreating figure, Ning Xin felt she had made the right decision.
After Xiao’an disappeared through the kitchen doorway, Ning Xin walked over to Xu Shaonian, who was still standing off to the side.
“Are the test results out? What’s the situation?” she asked directly.
Xu Shaonian took a large kraft paper envelope out of his bicycle basket and handed it to Ning Xin. “All the test reports are in here. I didn’t really understand everything the doctor said. Maybe you should take a look?”