When Jiang Lai returned home, Jiang Shan’s face still wore a joyful expression.
“Lai Lai, when did you apply to Mingde?”
“The first week of the holiday,” Jiang Lai didn’t lie. “Zhang Yue transferred to Mingde. She mentioned that Mingde offers scholarships, so I gave it a try.”
Jiang Lai didn’t dare to elaborate too much, afraid that her mother might look it up on the official website and expose the lie, as Mingde didn’t actually offer such a scholarship.
“Is Zhang Yue at that school too?”
“Yes, her family received a large sum of money from a housing demolition, so even though her grades aren’t top-tier, she can afford the more expensive international department and plans to study abroad later. It was because of her that I found out I could apply.”
Jiang Shan looked at her for a moment, took two steps forward, and gently tucked a stray strand of hair behind Jiang Lai’s ear. “Such a big decision, and you didn’t even discuss it with me.”
“I was afraid you’d worry.”
“I am worried,” Jiang Shan withdrew her hand, her tone shifting from sentimentality to something more practical. “But with tuition and accommodation fees waived, it would be wrong of me to stop you from going.”
Jiang Lai hugged her. The embrace was sudden, and Jiang Shan paused for a moment before wrapping her arms around her daughter.
[Keyword detected, triggering Compensation. WeChat payment received: 10,000 yuan.]
Now, she needed to find a legitimate reason for the money to appear in her account.
A few days later, Jiang Lai found a part-time job as a shop assistant at an old bookstore three streets away from home.
The store was called “Hundred Herbs Garden,” and the owner, surnamed Zhou, was a retired middle school Chinese teacher in his early seventies, with graying hair and a slow, deliberate way of speaking. The shop sold both secondhand and new books. Several rows of shelves lined the walls, reaching up to the ceiling, while a flat table in the middle was piled with discounted old magazines. The air carried the mixed scent of paper and aged wood.
During the interview, Teacher Zhou asked only three questions: whether she could use a calculator, whether she was afraid of dust, and whether she read books.
Jiang Lai answered yes, no, and yes. Teacher Zhou nodded in approval.
The job was from 1 p.m. to 6 p.m. daily, with one day off per week. Her duties included organizing shelves, helping customers find books, and handling payments. It wasn’t particularly busy, and she often had time to sit and read. Teacher Zhou usually cooked for himself and would occasionally prepare dinner for her as well.
The hourly wage was 20 yuan, which was average for summer jobs, but the work and conditions were quite good.
When Jiang Lai told Jiang Shan about it, she quoted a different number—double the actual rate, 40 yuan. This way, her weekly earnings for six days of work increased from 600 to 1,200 yuan, significantly boosting the household income.
Jiang Shan had little understanding of the part-time job market, but hearing that her daughter had found a safe and interesting job, she happily said, “My daughter has really grown up.”
For the entire month that followed, Jiang Lai spent her mornings at home previewing her second-year high school coursework and her afternoons working at the bookstore. Teacher Zhou would occasionally drop by, then sit in a rattan chair by the entrance, reading his own book until he dozed off. The store didn’t attract many customers, so Jiang Lai used the free time to reorganize the shelves by genre. She became especially familiar with the literature section—whenever a customer asked for a specific book, she could walk directly to the shelf and pull it out.
By mid-August, the weather had become stiflingly hot. On payday, Teacher Zhou took an envelope from under the cash register, filled with cash, and slipped in an extra hundred yuan. “It’s hot out—use this to buy some cold drinks.”
Jiang Lai thanked him and put the envelope away. On her way home, she stopped by the electricity bill collection point at the entrance of the neighborhood and paid the water, electricity, and gas bills for the month in one go. With the air conditioner running more in the summer and both mother and daughter frequently going out and using more shower water, the costs were slightly higher than in spring and autumn.
With the remaining money, she went to the mall and bought a new pair of shoes for Jiang Shan. They were off-white, made of soft cowhide, flat-soled, and perfect for walking to work. It was a low-key brand, costing a little over a thousand yuan.
When she brought them home for Jiang Shan to try on, Jiang Shan was pleasantly surprised. She stood up, walked a few steps in the living room, then went back to the mirror and looked down at them for a while.
“These shoes aren’t cheap, are they?”
“They’re an old style, on sale at the shoe store. Not expensive, just over a hundred yuan.”
The next evening, Jiang Shan went out for a walk wearing the new shoes. Downstairs, she ran into Auntie Li, and the two chatted for a few moments at the entrance of the building.
“These were bought for me by Lailai!” Jiang Shan’s voice carried halfway across the building. “She worked at a bookstore during the summer break and insisted on buying me a pair of shoes with the money she earned. I told her not to waste money, but she wouldn’t listen.”
Auntie Li crouched down and touched the shoe’s surface. “Real leather? This child—even though Jiang Wei ran off, she raised a good daughter.”
These words happened to be overheard by Jiang Lai, who was about to go downstairs to take out the trash.
[Keyword detected, Compensation triggered. WeChat transfer received: 2,000 yuan.]
“Lailai has always been different from other kids, so smart and independent,” another neighbor aunt chimed in, holding a vegetable-washing basin. “Look how young she is. While other kids are out playing during summer break, she’s working, and she even buys shoes for her mom when she comes back.”
[Keyword detected, Compensation triggered. WeChat transfer received: 3,000 yuan.]
“Exactly,” Auntie Li stood up, sighed, and then smiled. “Jiang Shan, you’re quite fortunate. With such a sensible daughter, you still have hope for the future.”
[Keyword detected, Compensation triggered. WeChat transfer received: 1,500 yuan.]
Jiang Lai tossed the trash bag into the bin. She had an idea—she couldn’t give money openly, but she could buy things directly and claim they were very cheap.
After working for a month, her wages plus the System transfers meant the balance in her account hadn’t decreased but had actually grown compared to the beginning of the month.
Jiang Lai couldn’t help but laugh at herself inwardly. At such a young age, her biggest worry was how to launder her own money.
The sound of cicadas drifted in through the screen window. Summer had only two weeks left.