Bai Xiaomei was just about to pack her things and get ready to leave work when Sister Liu suddenly walked into the kitchen.
“Xiao Mei, wait a moment before you go. The Second Young Master wants to see you.”
Bai Xiaomei, who had been thinking about what delicious food to cook for her two children when she got home, was taken aback upon hearing that the Second Young Master was looking for her.
The Second Young Master usually never spoke to her.
Could it be that she had done something wrong recently and was going to be fired?
During her over month at the Jin family, she had worked efficiently without complaint. Everyone enjoyed working shifts with her, and she hadn’t made any mistakes. It shouldn’t come to that, right?
Thinking it through, Bai Xiaomei felt somewhat reassured. She straightened her clothes and walked into the living room.
“Young Master, you asked for me?”
Jin Yu was sitting on the sofa, legs crossed, and gestured with his chin toward a gift set on the coffee table.
“I have a set of products here that are about to expire. Since you’ve been quite diligent in the kitchen lately, this is your reward.”
Bai Xiaomei was skeptical.
As a kitchen helper, how would the family even notice she was doing well?
Moreover, the Second Young Master was rarely home. This sudden reward seemed suspicious.
“Young Master, there are many more experienced people in the kitchen—Chef Wang, Sister Liu who handles prep work—they’re more deserving of this. I haven’t been here long enough; it wouldn’t be appropriate.”
If she took this home now, she’d likely face resentment in the kitchen tomorrow.
She couldn’t accept it.
Jin Yu narrowed his eyes. Mother and daughter were equally stubborn—
How annoying.
He impatiently lit a cigarette, took a deep drag, and eased his frustration.
“Don’t worry, you’re not the only one getting a reward. It’s just that this set is about to expire, so I’m giving it to you first.
“Besides, you’re working for the Jin family, who makes skincare products, yet your skin is in this condition. Isn’t that practically tarnishing our reputation?
“Go back and tell the kitchen staff that starting tomorrow, whoever performs well will get a reward—brand new ones.”
Bai Xiaomei glanced down at her skin.
Life in the countryside had been tough; there was no extra money for skincare products.
After moving to the city, even though she had registered her marriage with He Jianguo, she knew that taking advantage of his hospitality by bringing along a daughter was already pushing it. She couldn’t bring up any excessive requests.
Lin Xiyue had offered her the Astragalus Cream, but that was something He Mingchu made for Lin Xiyue. Sharing it between the two of them was clearly stretching it thin. She couldn’t bear to use it—Moon Maiden was still young and needed it more.
So, she had kept putting it off until now.
Last month, she had received her wages, but it coincided with He Mingchu and Lin Xiyue’s college entrance exams. She spent all the money on groceries.
Such an important exam for the two children—their nutrition had to be prioritized.
Delay after delay, it had come to this.
The Second Young Master had a point, Bai Xiaomei thought, still uneasy, torn inside.
“Alright, just take it if it’s given to you. Are you even afraid to accept a reward?”
Jin Yu sounded slightly impatient.
Bai Xiaomei panicked. “No!”
She quickly took the gift set and returned to the kitchen, where several pairs of eyes were fixed on what she held.
Bai Xiaomei forced a smile. “Young Master Jin said that starting tomorrow, anyone in the kitchen who performs well can get a set of skincare products—new ones. Mine is just an expiring sample.”
With that, she carried her things and left the Jin residence.
Watching Bai Xiaomei’s retreating figure, Jin Yu curled his lips into a smile.
“Classmate Lin Xiyue, weren’t you going to reject me? Now, how will you refuse?”
Upon returning home, Bai Xiaomei immediately brought the gift set into Lin Xiyue’s room.
She was genuinely happy deep down.
“Moon Maiden, look! This is the reward Second Young Master of the Jin family gave me. It has everything – lip balm, hand cream, face cream, and even face oil!”
Lin Xiyue caught the key point: “Mom, who did you say gave this to you?”
“Second Young Master of the Jin family…”
Seeing Lin Xiyue’s somewhat serious expression, Bai Xiaomei asked: “What’s wrong?”
Lin Xiyue lowered her head and thought for a moment. Since Bai Xiaomei worked for the Jin family, it seemed normal to receive some employee benefits. She then looked up and smiled: “It’s nothing, I just haven’t heard of Second Young Master before. Since it’s your reward, you should make good use of it.”
“Look at the skin on your hands and face. Keep using these products, and they’ll improve quickly!”
Bai Xiaomei: “At my age, why would I need these things? You’re still young and should take good care of yourself…”
Lin Xiyue extended her hand. She had been using the pearl cream that He Mingchu made for her for over a month, and her skin had indeed become fairer.
“Look, is my skin still lacking? Ming Chu said he’s going to make other face oils for me too!”
“This is your reward, so you should use it! When your skin improves, Uncle Jianguo will definitely be happy!”
At the mention of He Jianguo, Bai Xiaomei blushed: “You… you silly girl…”
Lin Xiyue helped her pack the items and delivered them to her and He Jianguo’s room, reminding her: “You must use them properly!”
Lin Xiyue glanced at the skincare set she had previously brought back from the Jin family, sitting in the corner.
She had been wondering if there was a way to secretly give it to Bai Xiaomei to use, and now the opportunity had arrived. When Bai Xiaomei had used most of it, she would secretly replace it.
He Mingchu had prepared a college application preference list.
Currently, applications were submitted blindly. They had checked their answers right after the exam, and her score was slightly lower than He Mingchu’s.
Lin Xiyue felt that both Qinghua and Peking University were somewhat out of reach, but to coax both He Mingchu and Jin Yao to go to Beijing together, she kept her expression unchanged.
He Mingchu thought she was quite confident, so for the first choice, he unhesitatingly selected both Qinghua and Peking University.
For the second choice, he mainly focused on top universities near Yuncheng.
As for the third choice…
He didn’t even want to fill in the third choice. If it came down to being admitted through the third choice, he would rather repeat the year.
“Lin Xiyue, take this and make a copy. Later, we’ll fill out our applications according to this.”
He Mingchu handed her the paper with the application preferences.
After copying it, Lin Xiyue returned it to him. She sneakily waited until He Mingchu turned off his light before lighting her kerosene lamp to research universities.
For her first choice, to avoid both him and Jin Yu, she directly selected a top university far from Yuncheng.
For her second choice, she deliberated for a long time before choosing one near Yucheng.
As for the third choice…
She shared the same thought as He Mingchu.
After confirming that her preferences didn’t overlap with He Mingchu’s, she tucked his application preference list into a book.
Tomorrow she would go tell Jin Yao about He Mingchu’s plan.
Looking over her own application preferences again and again, Lin Xiyue was extremely satisfied. She wrote on the paper: “Lin Xiyue will definitely be admitted!”
Then she placed the paper under the kerosene lamp.
Early the next morning, Lin Xiyue was about to go out with the items tucked in her clothes.
He Mingchu suddenly appeared from somewhere.
“Where are you going?”
Lin Xiyue was greatly shocked inwardly, steadying her emotions.
“I’m going to find Jin Yao.”