Ji Meng had gotten used to these gazes in recent days, but Ji Qinghe was uncomfortable. He said nothing, but his eyes were filled with deep pain, as if countless vines were growing from his heart, making it hard for him to breathe.

His daughter, who should have been the happiest and most envied girl in the world, was now subjected to looks of pity everywhere she went.

“Mengmeng, you take Qiuqiu home first. I need to go check on the pharmacy, I plan to open it tomorrow and need to tidy up a bit.”

After a silent walk out of the Yuhong Garden, Ji Qinghe’s expression softened slightly. He handed a set of keys to Ji Meng and said to himself,

‘He needs to quickly get the clinic back up and running. When his son passed away and he hadn’t heard from his daughter, he lost heart and thought about closing the clinic for good.

But now he can’t close it, not only can’t he close it, but he also needs to expand it. He has to provide for his daughter and granddaughter, making sure they each have something to rely on.’

Ji Meng didn’t take the keys immediately. “Cleaning up? If that’s the case, I can come with you, I don’t have anything to do at home anyway.”

“No need. I’ll call Kuizi to help, cleaning will be quick. I mainly want to check on a batch of medicinal herbs at the store. It rained for a long time recently, and I haven’t checked on it, so I’m not sure if everything’s okay.” Ji Qinghe waved his hand and said.

“You take Qiuqiu back home. Come by when the pharmacy is cleaner, it’s not good for little kids to breathe in too much dust.”

After saying that, Ji Meng didn’t insist anymore and took the keys.

However, instead of heading straight home, she took a detour to the department store to buy a backpack for Qiuqiu.

Qiuqiu used to go to kindergarten, so she could go empty-handed every day. Ji Meng and Su Cheng hadn’t thought about preparing a backpack for her.

Now that she was entering the Yuhong class, equivalent to modern kindergarten and pre-K classes, she would receive textbooks and learn new knowledge. It wouldn’t do to have no backpack.

The department store had a full range of goods, and although the backpack choices weren’t many, there were still some available. Ji Meng chose a military-green backpack with a five-pointed star for Qiuqiu and also bought her a few pencils, an eraser, and a notebook.

The little girl was very happy and put it on her back right away, her little hand reaching behind her to touch it.

Thinking about how Qiuqiu would start school tomorrow, it was her first day reporting to a new school.

Ji Meng considered this and decided to buy a full set of clothes for her daughter from the children’s clothing section.

The Yuhong class was run by the street administration, and most of the children attending school there were from nearby units, department stores, or government departments.

Ji Meng had visited the class today and noticed that the children were dressed relatively well. While they weren’t necessarily fashionable or trendy, at least they didn’t wear stiff, coarse cloth.

Since Qiuqiu had just arrived in the city and was entering school for the first time, she would inevitably be subject to the curious stares of her peers.

Ji Meng didn’t want her child to be labeled in any way due to her clothing.

This was something avoidable, a situation that she, as a mother, should prevent.

Considering that Qiuqiu had previously mentioned saving money, Ji Meng decided to have a talk with her before buying clothes.

“Baby, we’re starting school tomorrow, right?”

Qiuqiu didn’t quite understand why her mother suddenly pulled her aside to talk by the pillar, but when she heard the question, she obediently nodded, “Mm!”

“At school, in the new class, we’ll have new little friends, so let’s dress up nicely and make a good impression on them, okay?”

“Mommy will buy you a new outfit, but not that expensive set from this morning. We’ll pick one that’s suitable for school, alright?”

Qiuqiu was a smart child who was relatively sensitive and had some experiences. When Ji Meng spoke, Qiuqiu immediately recalled seeing her little friends sitting in rows and playing games inside the classroom earlier with her mother.

They were all wearing beautiful clothes, similar to what Tongtong and Xinxin wore when they were at Grandma Zhang’s house and Teacher Wang’s house during her time in the army.

Thinking of Tongtong and Xinxin, Qiuqiu couldn’t help but remember the way they called her a “country bumpkin.”

At that time, she was too young to understand what it meant, she could only feel that they didn’t want to play with her.

Later, after becoming good friends with Xiaojun and Dajun, she understood the meaning of that phrase, realizing it was because she was a country kid, lacking sophistication, and didn’t dress well.

Qiuqiu couldn’t help but feel anxious, she worried that the children in the Yuhong class wouldn’t want to play with her either.

What would she do then? If they didn’t become her friends, how would she learn how to make money from them?

She bit her lip and nervously squeezed her little hands before finally nodding, “Then, Mommy, can you buy me a cheaper outfit?”

“Okay.”

Once Ji Meng got through to the little girl, she sighed in relief, smiling as she agreed and gently ruffled Qiuqiu’s hair before heading to the children’s clothing section to choose clothes for her.

Considering that school was starting soon and she would inevitably be playing with her friends, Ji Meng thought lighter colors would easily get dirty.

After some deliberation, she chose a red sweater with delicate embroidery and a small black-and-white checked blouse with a Peter Pan collar to go underneath, paired with black corduroy pants that had a slight flare at the bottom.

Noticing the bright pink cloth shoes made for her by Fang Aihua, Ji Meng went to the children’s shoe section to pick out a pair of black leather shoes for her.

Since the clothes didn’t contain cashmere, they were much cheaper, and together with the little shoes, they cost about the same as the two previous outfits.

Ji Meng felt it was acceptable, so she took out her money to pay.

Seeing Ji Meng pay, Qiuqiu tightened her little hand around Ji Meng’s finger, her big eyes fixed on her mother’s hand as she paid, feeling both nervous and heartbroken about the money being spent.

Ji Meng noticed and sighed inwardly, realizing that the little girl clearly hadn’t absorbed her earlier words, which was why she was so concerned about spending money.

But she said nothing and took Qiuqiu home after finishing the payment.

“Baby, are you worried that we might go hungry?”

Once they got home, Ji Meng tried the clothes on Qiuqiu. Seeing that they fit well, she felt relieved and gently pulled the little girl close, asking her softly,

“Now listen, even though Daddy is gone, his unit will still send Qiuqiu living expenses every month until you grow up. And now that Mommy has found a job, I’ll be earning money too, so we don’t need to worry so much, okay?”

“The unit will send Qiuqiu living expenses?”

Qiuqiu’s eyes widened. This was the first time she had heard this, after all, in her dreams, when her mother didn’t want her anymore, she had nothing to eat, and Grandma had always scolded her for eating plain rice.

“Yes.” Ji Meng nodded firmly.

In reality, there was no such support, it was just the one-time compensation that the original body received.

In the book, Qiuqiu could still receive subsidies, which were sent monthly by comrades who had once been saved by Su Cheng, taking a portion from their own salaries to send back to the village. Before Ji Meng returned to the city, she had discussed with Fang Aihua that Su Cheng’s comrades might send money to the family.

Fang Aihua replied that they couldn’t accept that money.

Once their family was allocated land, she would earn enough from farming to support Qiuqiu.

Ji Meng didn’t plan to have Fang Aihua work in the fields, but she also didn’t oppose the idea.

However, there was no need to tell the little girl this, it was enough for her to know they wouldn’t go hungry, which would help her open her heart.

“That’s great, Mom! Daddy’s unit is really nice!” Qiuqiu sighed in relief, her face breaking into a brilliant smile.

This way, she wouldn’t have to worry about her and her mother going hungry for the time being. Once she grew up, she would earn money to support her mom.

“Mm, yes, especially good!”

“So from now on, Qiuqiu shouldn’t worry about anything and should focus on studying, okay?” Ji Meng said, gently patting the little girl’s head.

“Mm, okay! Qiuqiu knows! Mom, I will study hard.”

Still excited about the fact that they would receive living expenses every month, Qiuqiu nodded vigorously.

After a while, she recalled something, and her smile faded as she looked at Ji Meng:

“Mommy, are you really going to work at Aunt Lingling’s place?”

This morning, Meng Ling had called out for Ji Meng to come to work, and after exiting the youth office, Qiuqiu had asked Ji Meng if she was going to work for Meng Ling, also inquiring whether it would be hard work. In order to comfort her daughter, Ji Meng had assured her that it wouldn’t be difficult.

However, she didn’t realize that Qiuqiu was even more worried about it. She felt that Aunt Lingling was quite fierce and didn’t treat her mother politely, she feared she might bully Ji Meng.

Her mother used to stand up to people who didn’t like her, but this time, she didn’t argue with that aunt, which must be because she was going to work there.

Just like when she was at her father’s unit and wanted Dajun to take her to the mountain to dig turmeric for money, she would unconsciously try to please the grumpy Xiaojun, even letting him pinch her cheeks without dodging.

Thinking about her mother possibly suffering, Qiuqiu felt very upset and wanted her mom not to go.

But at this moment, she thought about how her father was gone, and her mother must want to earn money. Since she couldn’t help, it didn’t matter, if she stopped her mother from going, she didn’t know if Ji Meng would be angry, so she was conflicted and said nothing.

Now that she knew they could still receive living expenses, she gathered some courage and spoke to Ji Meng:

“I feel like she is really fierce to you, Mom. What if she bullies you and makes you do really hard work?”

Ji Meng was slightly taken aback but quickly smiled, saying, “How could that be? Is Qiuqiu misunderstanding something? Aunt Lingling just talks that way, she’s not being fierce to Mommy and wouldn’t do anything deliberately to target me.”

“Is Qiuqiu worried about Mommy?”

Noticing the little girl was once again fiddling with her little fingers, Ji Meng reached out to touch her head: “Qiuqiu should trust Mommy. Mommy won’t let anyone bully her.”

“Well, if Aunt Lingling does bully Mommy, Mommy has to tell Qiuqiu.”

Qiuqiu felt that she wasn’t misunderstanding anything, she could sense that the aunt’s attitude toward her mother wasn’t very good. However, she didn’t think the aunt was a bad person. Since her mother insisted, she ultimately conceded.

Hearing this, Ji Meng’s smile deepened: “Mm, I understand. Mommy will let Qiuqiu know, and I’ll report to you about my work every day so you won’t worry, okay?”

“Mm!” Qiuqiu nodded emphatically. “I will also tell Mom about what happens at school every day.”

“Then let’s both work hard!” Ji Meng said, gently patting the little girl’s soft, tender cheek.

However, she thought to remind Meng Ling next time to be more careful when speaking in front of her daughter.

Children are very perceptive about people’s emotions and can read situations better than adults, if one isn’t careful, they’ll remember things deeply.

To open the little girl’s heart knot, the mother and daughter had agreed: one would work hard to earn money, and the other would focus on studying.

That evening, after dinner and washing up, the two went to bed early.

The next morning, at six a.m., just as dawn broke outside, Ji Meng woke up naturally.

As soon as she woke up, even though she was careful, Qiuqiu still stirred.

Ji Meng brought her the new clothes and shoes to change into, then styled her hair into a beautiful princess bun.

Qiuqiu already looked like a little princess, and with her new outfit, she appeared even more delicate and adorable.

Ji Meng couldn’t help but hug the little girl and kiss her soft little face.

Qiuqiu blushed at her mother’s kiss, her cheeks turning pink.

After getting ready and heading to the bathroom to wash up, Ji Qinghe, who had risen even earlier than they did, had already prepared breakfast.

After breakfast, the three of them headed out together. Qiuqiu’s Yuhong class was near the pharmacy, and Ji Qinghe offered to take Qiuqiu there.

Since it was Qiuqiu’s first day of school, Ji Meng felt a bit uneasy and said to Ji Qinghe:

“I agreed with Meng Ling to meet at seven, it’s only six-thirty now, so there’s still plenty of time. Since today is Qiu Qiu’s first day of school, I’ll take her. Later, when I’m busy, you can help me with the pick-up.”

Ji Qinghe glanced at Qiuqiu’s big eyes that looked a bit anxious hearing their conversation, and thought for a moment: “Let’s all take Qiuqiu to school today. After she gets used to it, I can take her by myself.”

“Alright.” Ji Qinghe loved Qiuqiu, and Ji Meng was happy to agree.

Since they arrived early, the Yuhong class had just opened its doors, but the teacher was already there.

Yanzi was also present, seeing them, she walked over.

This time, she greeted Qiuqiu first before speaking to Ji Meng and the others:

“The Yuhong class ends at 4 in the afternoon, but since most parents get off work at 5, the uniform pick-up time is 5:10.”

In the late 1970s and 80s, whether it was a factory, a community nursery, or a Yuhong class, they aimed to allow workers to focus on their jobs without worries, making it relatively more humane.

The tuition fee was also affordable—only 5 yuan per semester, and lunch was included.

Ji Meng nodded upon hearing this: “Alright, Teacher Yanzi, thank you for taking care of Qiuqiu. If there’s anything, please send a message to my father at the pharmacy.”

After thanking Yanzi, Ji Meng bent down to look at Qiuqiu, who was wearing her new clothes and standing next to Yanzi with her little backpack:

“Baby, Mommy has to go to work now. I’ll pick you up after school. You need to pay attention in class and listen to your teacher, okay?”

“Mm, goodbye, Mom!” Qiuqiu obediently nodded and followed Yanzi into the school, turning back to wave three times.

As Ji Meng watched Qiuqiu’s figure disappear inside, her heart felt a bit heavy, it was the first time she was sending her daughter to school.

The small market and Ji Qinghe’s pharmacy were on completely opposite paths. After Qiuqiu entered, Ji Meng and Ji Qinghe went their separate ways.

Ji Qinghe was worried about his granddaughter going to school, and even more concerned about his daughter working in the noisy and chaotic market. He understood Ji Meng’s temperament, knowing that once she set her mind on something, she wouldn’t easily change it. All he could do was repeatedly remind her with concern.

Ji Meng patiently listened and finally said, “Dad, don’t worry. I know what I’m doing. I’ll come by for lunch!” She waved her hand and ran off.

When she arrived at the small market, it was still not yet seven o’clock, just 6:50.

The small market was close to the agricultural trade market and the supply and marketing cooperative. Those who rushed to the morning market or needed to buy things would usually circle around here, and there were several large factory dormitories nearby.

So at this time, there were already quite a few people around.

The crowd was much larger than what she saw yesterday around noon.

It was a bit crowded and lively.

Meng Ling had already set up her stall and was doing business. When Ji Meng reached her stall, she finally understood why this girl had said she was short-staffed.

Her stall was not just any ordinary one, it was twice the size that Aunt Lai had mentioned!

Meng Ling sold a wide variety of clothes, catering to everyone from children to young people and the elderly. Three old tricycles were packed full of goods.

In addition to clothes, she also sold socks—compression socks, nylon socks, and cotton short socks—all piled high on the cart.

Then there were pots, bowls, pans, enamel plates, iron woks, stew pots, clay pots, and thermos bottles…

On top of that, she had newly added items like soap, shampoo, and floral water…

In this small market, she occupied five stalls all by herself.

The three carts were filled with clothes, with a few pieces hanging from bamboo poles. She had set up two stalls made of transparent plastic sheets and bamboo, where the items were haphazardly stacked together. Things that couldn’t be taken out were piled inside the carts.

For the pots, bowls, and soap, she simply laid down a plastic sheet on the ground and set up two stalls.

At this moment, she was busy like a spinning top.

Perhaps because she was too busy and tired, with so many people around making it hot, the girl didn’t even wear her jacket. She had on a thin white shirt and black pants, with a small purse for money slung around her waist. She was darting between several stalls, shouting to the older women who were asking about prices:

“Soap is 1.5 yuan, two for 2.8 yuan, scented soap is 0.8 yuan, and two for 1.5 yuan…”

“What? There are spots? That’s no problem, it won’t affect the use. Isn’t there a basin with water next to it? You can try it, the cleaning power is very good!”

“The pots and bowls are good, there’s water nearby, so you can try to see if they leak. Just minor flaws, minor flaws, they won’t affect usage. They’re cheaper than the supply cooperative, and you don’t need coupons!”

“As for the clothes, you can look for yourself. Make sure you check before you come over to ask…”

Ji Meng stood and watched for a while. Perhaps it was the new goods she had brought in, or perhaps she was relatively well-known in the area, her stalls had the most customers. The income was coming in, but most of it was from the new soap and scented soap.

People were also buying pots and bowls.

The clothing business was the most disappointing. There were some onlookers, but they would just pick up a piece, glance at it, and quickly walk away.

Ji Meng picked up the shirt that the older lady had just handled. It was a silk top with ruffled edges and floral patterns. The style was quite nice, but it was wrinkled as if it had been stuffed in the cart for too long, giving the impression that someone had worn it and then peeled it off.

Looking at the other clothes, aside from the polyester fabric that doesn’t easily wrinkle, the rest had similar issues.

This greatly affected their appearance, not only would they fail to sell at a decent price, but they would also be hard to sell at all.

Ji Meng couldn’t help but glance at Meng Ling. Given her efficient manner while selling soap and socks, it was hard to believe she wouldn’t know about such a simple problem.

Putting this matter aside for the time being, Ji Meng continued to rummage through the cart and soon pulled out a pair of pants with uneven lengths.

Ji Meng’s brow twitched sharply as she quickly scanned the distance to see Meng Ling.

Could this girl really be selling defective clothing?

Was she afraid her business would go under if she didn’t sell flawed items?

A sense of foreboding filled her heart, and Ji Meng hurriedly continued searching through the cart. Sure enough, it was filled with a large number of clothes with minor flaws.

There were pants with uneven hems, uneven stitches, and items stained with who knows what—either mold spots or grease…

As Ji Meng looked through each piece, her frown deepened, and her eyebrows nearly knitted together. In the next moment, she tossed aside the clothes and crossed her arms.

With such garments, without some kind of solution, even a deity wouldn’t be able to sell them.

Even if she managed to sell them through trickery, she wouldn’t be able to live with her conscience.

“Hey, you’re here!”

After finishing collecting money, Meng Ling finally had time to pay attention to her clothing stall. Upon seeing Ji Meng, she greeted her and couldn’t help but complain:

“Why didn’t you say anything when you arrived? I’m swamped! That little brat Xiao Wu is late again today!”

“I’m just a little late and suddenly I become a ‘little brat’ now?”

Before Ji Meng could respond, a loud and displeased male voice interrupted from the side. A young man in his twenties, with a neat buzz cut and a handsome face, squeezed through the crowd with a frown and immediately began arguing with Meng Ling:

“Sister Ling, are you saying I can’t even take a break from this^[1]“White-collar work” refers to jobs that typically involve office-based, administrative, or managerial tasks rather than manual labor. These jobs often require specialized knowledge, … Continue readingwhite-collar work?”

When Meng Ling saw him arrive, her expression changed as if she had undergone a transformation,