He Mingchu: “I don’t like you.”
Lin Xiyue: So direct.
Would a gentle male lead say something like that?
She couldn’t help but take another look at He Mingchu.
Jin Yao seemed to have anticipated this outcome. She straightened her back.
“Fine, He Mingchu, I won’t give up! I will definitely win you over!”
Her eyes were filled with confident determination.
After saying this, Jin Yao turned and walked back to her seat.
Lin Xiyue pried He Mingchu’s hand away, glaring at him with suppressed anger.
He Mingchu remained calm as if he hadn’t heard Jin Yao’s confession. After sitting down, he extended his hand.
“Let me see your hand.”
Lin Xiyue: “Why?”
He Mingchu narrowed his eyes.
Lin Xiyue sensed danger and timidly offered her hand.
Having lost control of his strength earlier, He Mingchu had left red marks on Lin Xiyue’s arm.
“I didn’t mean to do that earlier. Does it still hurt?”
He Mingchu seemed to have split personalities.
His tone sounded…
Like the gentle male lead again.
Lin Xiyue shook her head: “It doesn’t hurt.”
He Mingchu made a hissing sound.
Lin Xiyue looked at him curiously.
He Mingchu frowned while rubbing her arm: “How can a young girl like you have such rough skin…”
Lin Xiyue: …
“I’ve heard city folks say they use snow cream and other body care products. Those things cost money that we don’t have. Plus we have to do lots of chores – of course my skin would be rough!”
He Mingchu pondered for a moment.
“I’ll make some for you.”
Lin Xiyue became interested: “You know how to make that?”
He Mingchu said casually: “I’ll give it a try!”
Lin Xiyue rolled her eyes: “Am I your lab rat?”
He Mingchu raised an eyebrow. Lab rat? Does this term already exist now?
After class ended, He Mingchu took Lin Xiyue to town.
He bought a piece of pork fat and then went to the herbal medicine shop to buy an ounce of astragalus.
Lin Xiyue muttered while carrying the fatty meat.
“What’s so good about this pork fat?”
He Mingchu: “It’s not for eating.”
Lin Xiyue nodded: “We can render it for cooking… and the cracklings are quite tasty too!”
Having been here for almost two months, she could only eat her fill at the He household. The previous month had left her so hungry she almost developed PTSD.
No wonder she could only think about food now.
He Mingchu was speechless too.
When they got home, He Mingchu told her to do her homework while he started rendering the pork fat.
He soaked the astragalus in He Jianguo’s strong liquor.
Though curious, Lin Xiyue obediently went to do her homework after He Mingchu merely glanced at her.
After the lard was rendered, He Mingchu took out the cracklings to cool.
The remaining work would have to wait until the next day.
Bai Xiaomei found a new job.
Her happiness showed in her bright demeanor, and she smiled at everyone she met.
“The new job is doing some mending work at a fabric store!
“My skills are pretty good. I originally wanted to work at a clothing factory, but they didn’t want me. The fabric store is fine too – the work is easy and there aren’t many people.”
Lin Xiyue: “As long as you like it.”
He Jianguo: “You can do whatever you want.”
He Mingchu didn’t express an opinion.
With a job, Bai Xiaomei became more motivated, frequently making delicious food for He Mingchu and Lin Xiyue.
She spent all her wages on food.
When He Mingchu brought out the cream, Lin Xiyue almost popped her eyes out.
The cream was whitish with a faint medicinal fragrance. When applied to the back of her hand, it felt oily and moist – quite nice actually.
“I thought you were tricking me.”
He Mingchu let out a light scoff, “This is the simplest one. Later on…”
Later, when purchasing goods no longer required ration tickets, he could make other things.
Forget it, she wouldn’t understand even if he explained now.
After applying the cream, Lin Xiyue grew curious about its preparation method.
“He Mingchu, how did you learn to make this face cream?”
He Mingchu’s eyes flickered slightly, “I read it in a book once. Didn’t expect it to turn out quite decent.”
Lin Xiyue nodded. Well, he was a genius – understanding things after just one glance wasn’t surprising.
With only one month left until the college entrance exams, studying became increasingly intense.
Lin Xiyue didn’t need He Mingchu’s supervision anymore – she had become self-motivated, spending all her time besides eating and sleeping on solving practice problems.
The gap between her and He Mingchu remained vast, making her anxious.
“He Mingchu, if I can’t get into Qingbei, you wouldn’t really lower yourself to attend whatever school I get into, would you?”
He Mingchu smiled, “Anyway, we definitely need to be at the same university. How else could I take care of you?”
Lin Xiyue scratched her head until the few new hairs that had grown after drinking the Five Black Powder were rubbed off again.
So anxious…
He Jianguo comforted her, “Moon Maiden, don’t worry. If it doesn’t work out this year, you can try again next year. I’ll cover your tuition!”
He Mingchu objected, “No way. I’ve already promised our teacher I’d help her get into Qingbei. Please don’t complicate things.”
He Jianguo and Bai Xiaomei exchanged glances.
In their household, these two adults had less say than the two young ones.
Since Lin Xiyue couldn’t oppose He Mingchu either, He Mingchu sat firmly at the top of the food chain in the He family.
In the final mock exam before the actual test, the class ranking was He Mingchu first, Jin Yao second, and Lin Xiyue third.
Their teacher had high expectations for all three of them.
“If all of you get into Qingbei, surely more students will return to school next year! You all need to do your best!”
Jin Yao turned back and shot He Mingchu a challenging look.
It clearly conveyed “you can’t shake me off.”
When they returned home, Bai Xiaomei was crying again.
She had lost another job.
“His clothes were already damaged – I didn’t ruin them while mending! But the boss only listened to him, made me pay compensation, and fired me!”
“At least you got your wages, Mom. We didn’t lose out!”
Lin Xiyue hurriedly finished her meal and was about to start working on practice problems, her comfort to Bai Xiaomei somewhat inadequate.
Seeing that her daughter had no time for her, Bai Xiaomei sat on the stool weeping quietly.
She recalled what her mother-in-law had told her before leaving.
“You came here alone, bringing a daughter with you. My son’s salary is only this much, supporting this whole family. During holidays, we still need to buy gifts for the elders. Where would there be any extra money?”
“You need to find a job quickly, no matter how small the salary. What matters is being able to contribute to the household. I’ll come back to check in a month. If you still don’t have a job by then, you’ll have to give me an explanation.”
She didn’t dare tell He Jianguo what his mother had said, fearing it would drive a wedge between mother and son.
But having failed to secure a proper job twice in a row, her confidence had taken a serious blow.
That night.
While Lin Xiyue was studying by kerosene lamp in her room, Bai Xiaomei knocked and entered.
“Mom, it’s so late. Why aren’t you asleep?”
Unable to confide in He Jianguo and uncertain what to do, Bai Xiaomei could only seek her daughter’s advice.
After hearing her mother’s troubles, Lin Xiyue patted her back comfortingly.
“Mom, Grandma is actually all bark and no bite. From what I heard at the wedding banquet, it’s not that she dislikes you – it’s just that Grandpa and Grandma embarrassed her back then. But now that we’ve cut ties with them, seeing how well you’ve been taking care of everyone, she couldn’t be happier!”
Bai Xiaomei asked tearfully, “Really?”
Lin Xiyue replied, “Look at how you keep our home perfectly organized, cook for us every day, and maintain everything so clean and tidy. That’s valuable too! Who says being a homemaker isn’t important?”