Chapter 18

Jian Feng realized what was going on immediately and knew his daughter likely had a hand in it.

No wonder—no wonder this little girl had eagerly called her eldest uncle to let him know she was safe as soon as she got home, and even kept stopping her mother from calling back home repeatedly.

So, this was all planned!

Jian Feng clenched his teeth, trying to cover for his daughter. “I’ll ask Xiao Li about it when I get back. Brother-in-law, don’t worry too much. Pingping is eighteen now; she knows what’s important. Maybe she just doesn’t want to go to the U.S. and decided to hide out at a friend’s place for a while.”

Qian Jinlai sighed. “I’d actually be relieved if that’s the case. Her mother… let’s not talk about her. If we can’t find Pingping, I’ll tell her mother we’re calling it off and not going to the U.S. I’ve never believed those foreign places are as good as they say. Even when you go just a few miles away from home, you’re a stranger, let alone in another country. Even if you earn money, it’s at the cost of being bullied.”

Jian Feng nodded seriously, agreeing, “You’re right about that.”

This was the first time Jian Feng had heard that Wang Menglan planned to send her daughter to the U.S. The very thought made him feel as if his sister-in-law had gone mad.

A so-called “fellow countryman” with barely any ties could talk them into such a thing? How could this possibly be good for the child?

If it were him, he wouldn’t trust anyone—whether it was a distant relative or even a close one.

After hanging up, Jian Feng went back to work in the workshop.

Only after the day ended and he had changed into fresh clothes did he head to the market.

“Brother Feng!” Zhao Xiaopeng called from behind. Jian Feng stopped his bike to wait for him.

Zhao Xiaopeng was short and gasping for breath as he ran over. “Brother Feng, are you free tonight? We haven’t had a good drink together in a long time…”

That much was true. Ever since Liu Xiangdong caused a scene at the funeral, their old childhood group had mostly drifted apart—except for Xu Jianguo.

Jian Feng had burned his bridges with Liu Xiangdong the most thoroughly. Asking for money had been the breaking point, and he knew their friendship was over for good. Lately, Liu Xiangdong and his wife had been gossiping about him at the factory.

They called him ungrateful, stingy, and heartless.

Some people believed it, some didn’t.

Jian Feng heard the rumors but didn’t care. He lived by his principles then, and he still did now.

And lately, he’d been busy.

Wang Mengmei’s small food stall had grown so successful that she couldn’t manage it alone.

So, every day, Jian Feng woke up before five to help knead dough and cook porridge. By six, they started frying buns and baking flatbreads, and by seven, customers filled the stall. He barely wiped his hands before rushing to work.

Even during lunch, he helped when he could.

—-

In the evenings, the rush came again when school let out and adults returned from work. It wasn’t until past eight that they closed up, cleaned, and finally went home, exhausted.

This routine left little room for drinking or socializing, but Jian Feng didn’t mind.

Zhao Xiaopeng noticed his silence and grinned, draping an arm around him. “Brother Feng, your wife’s making so much money now—why not take it easy for once? Come by my place tonight. I’ll have Haixia cook us something good, and we’ll drink properly.”

Jian Feng shook his head. “Not tonight, really.”

He still had to sort out his daughter’s mess.

“Xiaopeng, I owe you a drink. We’ll do it soon.”

With that, he hopped back on his bike, leaving Zhao Xiaopeng behind with a complicated expression.

—-

At the market, Wang Mengmei was busy cooking, sweat dripping from her brow.

“Potato strips and tofu, right?”

“Pingping, grab a tea egg!”

“Five meat-filled buns? Got it. Xiao Li, help with the packaging.”

—-

Jian Li bustled around, dizzy with the pace of it all.

In just over a month at Wang’s Market, her mother had not only expanded their stall but added several new items without hesitation.

Morning sales included porridge, eggs, and fried buns.

Lunchtime and dinner featured flatbread sandwiches and tea eggs.

Business boomed from dawn until dusk.

Jian Li mentally calculated their daily revenue and couldn’t help but suck in a sharp breath.

Her mother’s earnings now easily reached fifty or sixty yuan a day. After expenses, making a thousand yuan a month wasn’t a dream.

Jian Li, more than anyone, understood how significant that thousand yuan was.

It wasn’t as lucrative as some bigger businesses, but it tripled her parents’ usual income.

However, the workload was immense.

Making breakfast alone was exhausting, and despite her mother’s toughness, Wang Mengmei could barely manage to handle it all by herself.

Jian Li urged her to scale back.

“Either stick to breakfast or drop it altogether.”

But Wang Mengmei couldn’t bear to give anything up.

Breakfast was steady. Lunch and dinner were profitable.

And as the market grew busier, more people came for breakfast each day.

How busy was it?

Even with two or three other breakfast stalls nearby, demand still outstripped supply.

Initially, Wang Mengmei hadn’t planned to offer breakfast at all. It was actually the stall diagonally across from hers that encouraged her to try it…

Competing for business is only worth it when there’s time to spare, but now everyone is so busy they can barely keep up!

Especially since the breakfast served in the factory cafeteria has become worse and worse, people who want a decent morning meal bring their kids to the market instead.

And school hasn’t even started yet—once it does, morning business will be even better.

Wang Mengmei couldn’t help but regret not getting into private business earlier. If she had started three years ago when she first lost her job, she would’ve been way ahead.

She might not excel at everything, but she has a knack for making food.

Take her pan-fried buns—perfectly crisped on the bottom, filled with savory pork and vermicelli. The filling had just the right hint of sweetness and spiciness, perfect with a bowl of mung bean porridge.

It only took a few days of selling these buns before two neighboring stalls decided to switch to different products to avoid competing with her.

Many factory workers even brought their kids over just to have her breakfast.

Her vegetable-stuffed flatbread sandwiches were also a hit. The crispy, flaky flatbread held soft, freshly fried eggs and shredded potatoes or green beans, with her own special savory-spicy sauce. When she set up an evening stall near the high school, the sandwiches became a favorite of stressed seniors.

Some parents even biked over to buy them, then sneaked them through the school gate so their kids could grab a quick bite during evening study breaks.

Wang Mengmei’s enthusiasm soared, and even her arguments with her husband, Jian Feng, decreased.

As she said, “When every waking moment is spent making money, there’s no time to think about nonsense.”

The couple had reached a new harmony.

The usual fights over Jian Feng’s old friends faded away. He was too busy to socialize much, and Mengmei didn’t have the patience to dwell on petty issues.

Every minute of her time now translated to earnings—spending it on anything else felt wasteful.

When Qian Ping moved in, Mengmei’s ambitions grew even larger.

“I’m thinking of adding noodles at lunchtime,” she said excitedly.

Autumn was coming, and winter in Taoyuan was bitterly cold. By then, cold sandwiches wouldn’t sell as well.

Hot noodle soup would be far more enticing—and easier to make. She could buy fresh noodles from a local vendor and focus on cooking just a couple of toppings.

This plan was already forming in her mind, ready to discuss with Qian Ping.

Mengmei was generous too—while she’d normally pay someone 150 yuan a month, she’d give Ping 200 yuan.

With Ping’s help, Mengmei expected to make at least 10 yuan more a day, and even more once noodles were added to the menu.

The very thought made her feel triumphant.

Though Ping was exhausted, she was thrilled with this kind of hard work.

Staying at her aunt’s house meant early mornings and late nights, but she slept peacefully.

No monstrous exam papers haunted her dreams, and no scolding from her mother.

Better still, her adorable cousin Jian Li kept things lively.

With the adults preoccupied, Jian Li helped during meals but spent the rest of her time inventing new snacks.

“I’ve already hit my weight-loss goal this month!” she declared proudly.

Indeed, Jian Li had lost 30 pounds over the summer, as confirmed by her hospital check-up. She was now down to 150 pounds.

To celebrate, she demanded sweet and sour pork ribs, declaring, “Sugar and fat, here I come!”

Two days of indulgence later, she gained a pound and promptly returned to dieting, adding rope-skipping to her daily routine.

At the market, people watched her jump rope after meals. She could do 200 jumps in one go, earning praise from everyone.

Jian Li didn’t mind if the compliments were sincere or fake—she responded cheerfully to them all.

In just three days, she had charmed all the nearby vendors, becoming their little sweetheart.

But today, their darling had a big problem.

Jian Feng arrived at the market, his expression dark as he looked at her.

Jian Li gulped. Did her dad find out she used his expensive liquor for scorpion wine?

Avoiding his eyes, she shrank into herself, but Jian Feng, amused by her guilty look, pulled her aside for questioning.

“Why did your cousin really come to stay with us?”

Jian Li’s eyes darted. “Aunt asked her to!”

Jian Feng’s gaze sharpened. “Your aunt asked, huh? Then let’s call and thank her properly.”

Jian Li panicked. “Dad, wait! I lied!”

He folded his arms. “Tell the truth.”

In a small voice, she confessed everything about how she tricked her aunt into letting Ping stay: “Aunt’s gone crazy! She wants to send my cousin to America without even asking her if she wants to go. My cousin doesn’t want to leave!”

Jian Feng sighed. “And that’s why you lied to all the adults?”

Jian Li pouted. “If I didn’t lie, would you have let her stay?”

Jian Feng: …

Although Jian Feng didn’t want to admit it, he really couldn’t understand.

If he and Wang Mengmei had known earlier that Wang Menglan insisted on sending her daughter to stay with the so-called “fellow townsman,” no matter how angry he was, he would have only worked on persuading Wang Menglan.

Wang Menglan’s temper was so stubborn that even Wang Mengmei, who was always strong-willed, couldn’t change it.

Wang Menglan could lift her cowardly husband and lead a group of workers to build sites, proving her absolute strength.

A few years ago, a family owed Wang Menglan money for building their house. Wang Menglan had gone to their house on Chinese New Year’s Eve and refused to leave, no matter how rude they were. She forced the family to settle the debt.

This kind of courage, Jian Feng admired, but he also understood a bit of how difficult it was for Qian Ping to deal with her strong-willed mother.

But knowing this didn’t change anything. Neither Jian Feng nor Wang Mengmei could interfere with Qian Ping’s decisions when it came to her going or staying.

After all the discussions and arguments, Qian Ping would still follow her mother’s wishes.

From this perspective, Jian Li’s method seemed like the quickest and most efficient one.

But…

“Your sister can’t stay at our house forever. Your aunt’s side will eventually find out. What do you plan to do then?”

Even if it’s just six months or a year, a month would be hard enough.

Wang Menglan wasn’t really ignoring her daughter’s feelings. On the contrary, she loved Qian Ping strongly. But once she leaves, there should be some kind of response.

A week or two would be fine, but if it drags on for more than half a month, let’s see how Wang Menglan reacts.

By then, even if they call the police, they will need to know where the daughter is.

Jian Li, of course, knew this. So when Jian Feng asked, she gave him an awkward but polite smile.

“But you and my mom are here, right?”

Jian Feng: …

Jian Li, with a cheeky grin, continued, “They say home is a safe haven. If my little boat faces trouble out there, of course, I should come to the safe harbor to solve the problem. Isn’t that right, dear dad?”

Jian Feng finally understood why his wife had been talking about wanting to hit their daughter lately.

It turned out that this girl never thought of any backup plans. She just thought this approach would be the most efficient, and now she planned to leave the mess to her parents!

“Jian Li!”

When he called her full name, Jian Li knew her dad was about 50% angry.

But she also felt aggrieved.

She believed in the saying “A leopard can’t change its spots.”

Reborn to fight?

Forget it. Anyone with this thought should try being a teacher for a while and experience how it feels when the students won’t listen, no matter how much you teach.

Changing oneself is already hard enough, let alone changing others.

She knew exactly what kind of temperament her relatives, especially her parents, had in her past life.

If they couldn’t change in the past, it would be even harder this time.

Not to mention her stubborn aunt, who would never change, even if Mars collided with Earth.

She could say a thousand words to her aunt, but her aunt would never be swayed.

If she didn’t want her sister to go, this was the only way.

Her aunt had a sharp tongue but a soft heart, and she was very sentimental. Even if she knew she was the one who had encouraged it, she would probably just scold her.

As long as it helped Qian Ping escape the fate of the past life, this price was minimal.

Jian Feng was speechless: “You’re quite open-minded.”

Jian Li sighed, acting like a little adult, “I really have no other way.”

Jian Feng took a deep breath: “Alright, I’ll keep this from you for now. Your uncle said the man will leave in three days, and the ship ticket is for a week later. To be safe, I’ll tell your uncle in a week.”

He looked at his daughter deeply: “You better hope your mom is in a good mood during this time.”

Otherwise, you won’t be able to avoid a beating.

Jian Li drooped her head: “Okay.”

Jian Feng’s big hand patted her on the head.

He vaguely felt that his daughter had really grown up.

But this growth didn’t seem like the same as other kids.

“Go back.”

—-

Jian Li’s mood didn’t stay low until the next day.

Before going to bed, she had already cheered herself up and shifted her focus to another big matter.

She was about to start school!

One important preparation before school was finishing her summer homework.

In the past few days, many kids in the neighborhood were busy with their homework at home. Of course, some stubborn kids still hadn’t started and were still playing ping pong and cards in the yard.

Having lived two lives, Jian Li felt a secret sense of satisfaction when she actively finished her summer homework for the first time.

So this is the joy of being a top student—watching others struggle with deadlines after finishing the work! She gets it now!

Without the threat of summer homework, Jian Li happily prepared to buy all the supplies she would need for school, and she also borrowed ten yuan from Wang Mengmei for her shopping expenses.

With the ten yuan from Wang Mengmei, her little savings now totaled 375.80 yuan.

Jian Li hid the 300 yuan under her bed, and the remaining 75.80 yuan would be her activity fund for the semester.

Jian Li took her money to the stationery store by the school gate.

Don’t say kids these days don’t compare with each other—middle school students have always been competitive. However, everyone was fairly poor, so the competition was mostly about stationery and notebooks.

Jian Li saw many children in the stationery store pulling their parents, insisting on buying specific items.

“I want this pencil!”

“I want this pencil case!”

Jian Li glanced at the rabbit-head pencil and the multifunctional pencil case with small drawers. These were once her favorites.

With a wave of her hand, Jian Li picked them up.

The pencil was 80 cents, and the pencil case was five yuan.

Jian Li also bought a few beautiful notebooks and pens. The store was now selling pretty book covers, which she had been wanting to try for a long time, but in the end, she decided not to buy.

The fancy book covers were nice, but they could quickly go out of style. At least in Jian Li’s eyes, they were already outdated.

After some thought, Jian Li decided to ask her dad to cover her books instead.

After finishing her stationery shopping, Jian Li ran to buy a few second-year junior high practice books.

She had forgotten much of her math, so this summer, she reviewed the middle school knowledge, and now she wanted to test herself.

Starting over, Jian Li still hadn’t given up on her wish to take things easy.

As for her studies, she preferred a steady and step-by-step approach.

She had never thought about skipping grades.

After buying the practice books, Jian Li also went to the city library to get a library card, preparing to go through the reading list that Wang Yun Yun had given her.

When she returned to the residential compound, Jian Li ran into her mom’s friend, Li Lijuan.

Li Lijuan was surprised to see her: “Xiao Li”, you’ve lost so much weight!”

The girl with Li Lijuan turned her head and refused to look at Jian Li.

Jian Li smiled and said, “Auntie, did you go shopping with Xia Liu?”

Li Lijuan: “Yes, did you go back to your hometown during the summer vacation? I didn’t see you visiting Xia Liu to play?”

Jian Li: “My mom was busy, so she sent me to my grandmother’s house. Did Xiao Li go back to her hometown this summer?”

At first, Xia Liu had been avoiding looking at Jian Li, but when Jian Li asked, her mother stared at her, so she could only mumble, “Yes.”

Jian Li said warmly, “By the way, Auntie, I brought some mountain goods from my grandmother’s house. My mom said she wanted to give them to you, but since she doesn’t have time, I’ll drop them off at your house later.”

Li Lijuan: “Oh, you can keep them for yourselves. Come to my house to visit Xia Liu later, and I’ll make crispy fried meat for you.”

Jian Li cheerfully agreed.

After Jian Li left, Li Lijuan turned to her daughter with a reproachful look: “Why did you pull such a long face when someone was being kind to you?”

Xia Liu grumbled, “I broke off all ties with her.”

Li Lijuan: “Broke off all ties? I think Jian Li is very friendly. When did you two break up?”

Xia Liu awkwardly replied, “We broke up last semester… She even took back the eraser she gave me.”

Xia Liu became a bit angry: “I don’t want to be friends with her. She said that if we broke up, we should never talk when we see each other. Whoever speaks first is a little dog!”

Li Lijuan was amused: “But just now, she made things easy for you.”

Xia Liu: “She’s just testing if I’m a little dog.”

Li Lijuan: “So what are you going to do? She’ll be here in a while.”

Xia Liu: “I’ll hide in my room and not go out!”

Li Lijuan laughed: “Alright, I can’t control you.”

What “breaking up”? Kids fight and make up all the time. These two had probably “broken up” countless times since childhood.

Xia Liu’s heart was pounding as she thought about whether to talk to Jian Li when she arrived, or just ignore her.

What if Jian Li spoke to her?

What if Jian Li said they should make up?

Xia Liu couldn’t find peace with these thoughts.

After returning home, she kept peeking out the window and listening at the door for any footsteps.

Li Lijuan: …

But after waiting for a long time, Jian Li never came.

Li Lijuan tried to reassure her: “She must have something at home and couldn’t get away.”

Xia Liu: “I didn’t wait for her!”

They had broken up!

Finally, by 9 PM, seeing that Jian Li really wouldn’t come, Xia Liu angrily locked the door.

“She’s a liar!”

—-

Jian Li didn’t actually break her word; she just encountered a tricky problem after getting home.

Her mom had made a call to their hometown earlier, intending to check in on the elders.

Coincidentally, Wang Menglan, who had been searching for her daughter for a while, was nearby.

So, under the impression that they were keeping things well hidden, Jian Feng and his daughter were caught.

As soon as Jian Li got home, her mother grabbed her and pulled her into the inner room.

“Tell me! How did you trick your sister?”

Jian Li looked at her mom holding a feather duster and swallowed nervously.

“Mom, please calm down.”