Chapter 16

As the end of the workday approached, a large crowd began streaming toward the factory gate. Xiao Man’s childish voice rang out first, “Lunchboxes for sale! Aluminum lunchboxes at a huge discount, one yuan and three mao (1.3 yuan) each!”

Next came Shu Yuan’s voice, “Auntie, come take a look at these lunchboxes. They’re five mao (0.5 yuan) cheaper than the ones at the supply and marketing cooperative, and you don’t even need ration coupons.”

When the crowd saw the mother and son, those who had been trying to make sense of the gossip hurried over again, eager to ask questions.

They felt unbearably anxious until they got to the bottom of it.

“Shu Yuan, is Xiao Man really your son? Then why does he call you Auntie?”

Xiao Man, tilting up his adorable face with a smile, called out to Shu Yuan, “Auntie, I’ve set out all the lunchboxes!”

Shu Yuan smiled as she replied, “Big Sis, come take a look at the lunchboxes. Buying one is a bargain, not buying is a loss.”

Of course, she couldn’t let them know the truth. Once they got the real story, they’d leave satisfied, and without a crowd, how could she and Xiao Man stay popular?

“Are you married?”

Shu Yuan dodged the question. “Auntie, whether you’re married or not, you can still have a child. Just look at the quality of these lunchboxes, just as good as the ones at the supply and marketing cooperative.”

Seeing so many people gather around, Yang Shengli was overjoyed. He tapped the lid of a lunchbox with a spoon and said, “Sturdy, see? Won’t get dented.”

In crowded places, it was easy for people to follow the herd. Once the first few handed over money and bought lunchboxes, sales quickly picked up. More and more people joined the line, afraid they’d miss out on a good deal. Some even stretched out their arms, waving money in hand, hoping to get a lunchbox as soon as possible.

The two of them were swamped, collecting money and handing out lunchboxes nonstop. Shu Yuan, of course, was in charge of drawing in the crowd, answering questions now and then, saying vague things to keep people guessing.

Someone asked, “When are you going to let us meet Xiao Man’s dad?”

Shu Yuan replied confidently, “He lives right here in the family housing compound. You’ll definitely run into him.”

As soon as those words came out, the crowd erupted. Everyone was eager to find out who Xiao Man’s father really was.

After that, Shu Yuan didn’t even need to draw people in anymore. The workers came rushing over to snatch up lunchboxes. Normally, the crowd would disperse quickly, but today it lingered for a full thirty extra minutes.

Li Hongxia wanted to drag the mother and son back inside, but she couldn’t squeeze through the crowd. Worried that the situation might spiral out of control, she was left standing there, helpless and anxious.

Only a few scattered customers remained. Shu Yuan and the other two had their shoulder bags full of loose bills. The two of them began counting the money, and in the end, they tallied up a total of 302 lunchboxes sold, with the amount of money matching exactly.

Yang Shengli readily counted out forty-six yuan and handed it to Shu Yuan, laughing as he said, “I didn’t expect sales to be this good. Sis, I really admire you.”

Shu Yuan took the money and replied, “Pleasure doing business. We’ll keep selling tomorrow.”

Having money in hand gave her an unprecedented sense of security.

She and her son were now the most talked-about pair at the electronics factory. Hopefully they could keep the attention coming tomorrow.

The sky was already darkening as the three of them walked toward the family compound. Li Hongxia felt Shu Yuan had changed a lot. She used to freeload off her family, but now she was actively making money. Who would’ve thought she had it in her to earn over forty yuan in such a short time?

Maybe it was because she had a child now that she had to earn money to raise him.

Dinner was still the same cabbage and tofu stew. While they ate, Li Hongxia spoke with a tone of pride as she told Shu He, “Your second sister finally went out to make money. She made over forty yuan selling lunchboxes.”

Shu He was surprised. “Second Sister, that’s impressive.”

Shu Yuan sounded proud too. “Xiao Man helped out as well. He was quick with collecting and giving change. Xiao Man did great, didn’t he?”

Xiao Man was overjoyed at the praise. He was genuinely happy to be able to help Shu Yuan. Learning how to run a street stall from his mom, maybe he’d be able to support himself soon.

Li Hongxia also thought the child was quite decent, but she still didn’t want to keep Xiao Man around.

Around eight o’clock the next morning, Shu Yuan took Xiao Man to the supply and marketing cooperative to buy him a set of thermal underwear, underpants, socks, Little White Rabbit children’s toothpaste, Yumeijing children’s cream, a toothbrush, and two enamel mugs: one for brushing teeth, the other for drinking water.

Xiao Man carried the mesh bag full of items, looking like a little beast hauling goods.

Seeing the little rabbit printed on the toothpaste box, he felt uneasy about spending his mom’s money. “Mom, you bought so many things for me?”

It was money earned from selling a lot of lunchboxes, and spending so much all at once made Xiao Man ache with guilt.

Shu Yuan nodded. “Yes, these are all necessities.”

Raising a child was really expensive. And it wasn’t just about food, clothing, and shelter; she would also have to support his education.

Just these few things had already cost over five yuan.

Shu Yuan was generous with her spending. On top of that, she boldly bought four jin (2 kg) of peach crisps, spending another four yuan and eight mao (4.8 yuan).

Money really flowed like water.

After thinking it over, she also bought three menstrual belts and two packs of toilet paper. These hygiene products were rough and crude, and just thinking about them gave her a headache.

If only she could return to her original world. Then she could take Xiao Man back with her.

She stuffed the menstrual belts into her own pocket, then placed two packs of peach crisps and the toilet paper into the mesh bag. “These two packs are for us to eat. The other two packs are for Auntie.”

The mesh bag was even heavier now. Dark and bulky, the little one lugged it along, looking absolutely adorable.

After leaving the supply and marketing cooperative, the mother and son headed to the electronics factory’s canteen. It was already nine in the morning, and the canteen was busy preparing lunch. Shu Yuan called Shu Ping out and pulled out forty-three yuan from her pocket, money she had prepared in advance, and handed it to her, saying, “I’m earning money now. Hurry and return this to your coworkers.”

Paying off debts couldn’t wait.

Shu Yuan didn’t like owing people money, nor did she want to owe favors.

Shu Ping hadn’t really expected Shu Yuan to pay the money back. Since payday was coming soon, she had planned to use next month’s wages to return what she owed her coworkers. Now, seeing Shu Yuan hand over the money, she was pleasantly surprised.

Shu Yuan also passed her the peach crisps she was holding. “These are for you.”

Shu Ping accepted the peach crisps with a smile and half-jokingly scolded, “You just made some money and already you’re spending it recklessly. Don’t buy this again next time.”

After repaying the debt, Shu Yuan felt completely at ease. With a cheerful smile, she said, “You spent a total of one hundred and twenty yuan on me around the time I had Xiao Man. I’ll earn money and pay you back.”

She felt deeply guilty. No, it was the original host who should have felt guilty. Shu Ping had spent so much money to support her younger sister, which must have caused strain in her marriage.

Shu Ping’s marriage was not particularly harmonious.

Xiao Man looked up at his mom and aunt with wide, dark, sparkling eyes. So having a child cost that much money! It was because of him that his mom had racked up so much debt.

Shu Ping’s nose turned sour. Shu Yuan had grown up and become sensible, perhaps this change was thanks to Xiao Man.

Leaving the canteen, Shu Yuan did a quick count of the money in her hands. Only fourteen yuan left. Earning a living was going to be a long, difficult road.

Back at the canteen, Shu Ping quickly repaid the money to her coworkers and shared the peach crisps with those she had borrowed from. After all, it was her good relationships that had helped her borrow the money in the first place, and giving out the peach crisps was her way of repaying the favor.

Being free of debt felt liberating.

When they got home, Shu Yuan took Xiao Man to brush his teeth. The little one handled everything on his own, happily self-sufficient. He bared his neat little white teeth and asked Shu Yuan, “Mom, are my teeth white?”

Shu Yuan nodded. “Xiao Man keeps brushing every day, and his teeth will stay bright and shiny.”

At noon, when Li Hongxia saw the peach crisps laid out on the table, she immediately scolded, “You just earned a little money and you’re already spending it like crazy. You need to start saving.”

Xiao Man unwrapped the paper, and the rich, sweet aroma of the peach crisps filled the air. He pressed his lips together, swallowed his saliva, then picked up a piece and offered it. “Grandma, have some.”

Li Hongxia’s voice immediately softened. “Grandma doesn’t like sweets. Xiao Man should eat it.”

Shu Yuan called out to Xiao Man, “Come, give Mom a bite.”

Xiao Man obediently handed over the peach crisp. Shu Yuan brought it to his mouth, and Xiao Man took a big bite. It was sweet, crispy, and fragrant.

Shu He came through the door. “Give your little aunt a piece too.”

Seeing the three of them happily munching on peach crisps, Li Hongxia glared at them. “We’re about to eat lunch, and you’re still snacking?”

Shu Yuan didn’t respond. If they wanted to eat, did they need to wait for the right time?

Shu He argued, “Mom, you can’t blame us. It’s because we always eat cabbage and tofu stew.”

That afternoon, around four o’clock, they returned to the factory gate to sell lunchboxes after work hours. Shu Yuan had worried that she and Xiao Man might be losing their popularity as the factory’s hottest duo, but to her surprise, their appeal hadn’t faded at all. Even more people had heard they could be seen at the gate, so they rushed over after work to watch the two of them in action.

That day, the mother and son earned even more commission, bringing in fifty-five yuan. The next day, they made sixty-two.

With over a hundred yuan in hand, Shu Yuan felt an immense sense of security and courage.

When Second Aunt and her daughter heard that Shu Yuan had brought back a child from the Northeast, couldn’t find work, and had no choice but to set up a street stall, they came in the evening to take a look at her child. But they didn’t expect to be stuck outside the crowd, unable to squeeze in. They were even shoved to the ground by anxious customers scrambling to buy lunchboxes.

After earning money, even dinner tasted especially good. While they were eating, Auntie Yang arrived, calling out urgently to Shu Yuan, “Shu Yuan, someone called for you. Go return the call quickly.”

She muttered to herself, “Why ask for Shu Yuan by name? Just say you’re looking for the Flower of the Electronics Factory.”

There was a public phone in the family housing compound, installed at Auntie Yang’s house. It could only make and receive calls within the city, and each month her household earned a bit over ten yuan in compensation for hosting it.

Shu Yuan put down her chopsticks and wiped her mouth with a handkerchief as she asked, “Did the caller say who he was?”

Auntie Yang’s face crinkled with a gossip-loving smile, her tone full of teasing curiosity. “It was a man. Sounded young, well-spoken, and very polite.”

Shu Yuan didn’t respond.

She took the slip of paper with the phone number from Auntie Yang’s hand and, ignoring her, looked down and said to Xiao Man, “Finish your meal. Mom’s going to make a phone call and will be back soon.”

Xiao Man nodded obediently. “Okay.”

Shu Yuan ran ahead quickly, and Auntie Yang chased after her. “Why are you running so fast? Who was it that called? The kid’s father? Wait for me!”

Perfect. Finally, she was about to get a juicy scoop. Maybe it really was Xiao Man’s dad calling. Tomorrow, she could tell her old friends exactly what she heard from that phone call.

Tomorrow, Auntie Yang would be the unrivaled star of the factory. Everyone would crowd around her, asking for the latest gossip.

But what she didn’t know was that after Shu Yuan ran past four buildings and made the left turn that should have led to Auntie Yang’s apartment, she didn’t stop. Instead, Shu Yuan kept running straight, heading toward the main gate.

Auntie Yang grew anxious. “Shu Yuan, where are you going? Come to my place to make the call!”

Her voice grew fainter and more desperate as Shu Yuan shook her off, dashed out of the family compound’s gate, and only then slowed down. Regulating her breathing, she made her way toward the Telephone Bureau.

You want to hear her gossip? No way.

Who had called her? Chen Zai? But he had said he was busy with work and wouldn’t be returning to Lucheng so soon.

Then it must have been Shen Zhongcheng who called her. Coincidentally, she had been meaning to settle accounts with him. She needed to get back the 1,600 yuan she had spent on that freeloading man. She just didn’t have time to deal with it now.

At the Telephone Bureau, the call went through. Shu Yuan said, “This is Shu Yuan. Who was looking for me earlier?”

A calm voice came from the other end. “Chen Zai.”

Shu Yuan was pleasantly surprised. “Didn’t you say you were busy? You came back so soon?”

Chen Zai gave a brief explanation. “I have a meeting in Lucheng. It was originally assigned to a colleague, but now I’m going instead.”

Shu Yuan and Xiao Man had disturbed his thoughts and affected his work. He had to resolve this matter as soon as possible.

After getting off the train and returning home, or more precisely to his grandfather’s house, Chen Zai didn’t even take a sip of water before immediately calling Shu Yuan.

He didn’t waste any words and got straight to the point. “When can we meet with Xiao Man?”

“When are you free?” Shu Yuan asked.

Chen Zai’s voice was completely devoid of emotion. “The sooner the better. Tomorrow evening?”

Shu Yuan could sense that it wasn’t Xiao Man he was eager to see. What he really wanted was to cut ties with the two of them as quickly as possible.

Chen Zai must have strong opinions about her. His tone was cold, distant, and carried a clear sense of rejection, as if keeping her a thousand miles away.

Would he try to take the child and leave the mother behind? No way. If anything, Shu Yuan was the one considering taking the child and leaving the father.

But his attitude didn’t affect Shu Yuan much. She still had lunchboxes to sell in the evening, so she said, “Evening is when I’m busiest. Let’s reschedule.”

Chen Zai efficiently set the time and place. “Then let’s meet at 1:30 in the afternoon, at the entrance of Duzhong Park.”

It was a good location. Duzhong Park was very close to the electronics factory.

Shu Yuan immediately agreed. “Alright, under the flagpole at the park entrance.”

With the time and place settled, neither of them had anything else to say. The call ended quickly.

Walking along the path in the family compound, lined with phoenix trees and tangled branches, Shu Yuan slowed her steps, trying hard to recall memories of Chen Zai. Yet his appearance was surprisingly blurry in her mind.