Chapter 90: The First Time Eating at School

The next day, Jiang Banyue sent the three children to school and returned home to clean. After finishing, she lay on the couch, zoning out. The children would be at school all day and would only return at 5:30 p.m.

“This is so boring. Maybe I should open another store here.”

Jiang Banyue had always wanted to open a clothing store, one that specializes in custom-made clothes. She thought to herself, “Why not go for it?” She rode her bike around, scouting out clothing stores in the area.

The streets were full of teenagers with big, explosive hairstyles, partially covered faces, girls wearing all kinds of tank tops and bell-bottom jeans, and some in super-short shorts. The boys were dressed in loose, ill-fitting suits, flowered shirts paired with bell-bottoms.

Jiang Banyue liked simple, elegant clothing and couldn’t stand what she was seeing.

“Is it that I’m getting old and can’t keep up with the young people’s sense of style?”

She visited a few clothing stores, and they all sold similar kinds of clothes. Was she going to have to wear these kinds of clothes in the future, too?

No, she couldn’t do that. She was determined to open her own store, one that only sold simple, elegant clothing, as well as various styles of qipaos. She calculated the cash she had on hand. Since all of Shen Yunhe’s money was in her hands, and she had made quite a bit from running the cake shop, she figured it could work.

Renting a space wouldn’t cost too much. Buying a property was unrealistic at the moment, especially since Shen Yunhe had mentioned that he might be transferred soon. So, she decided to rent a place first.

She started looking for available properties. A small clothing store didn’t require a huge space—around 50 square meters would be ideal. She’d buy a big table, set up a sewing machine, and hang up fabrics.

She found a vacant shop. It was empty inside, with a sign that read “Barbershop.” The previous owner had run a barbershop here. The space was small, only a single floor, with white tiles on the floor, now yellowing. The walls were divided into two colors—white on top and green on the bottom. The entire space seemed to be under 50 square meters.

Jiang Banyue asked the shopkeeper next door if they could help her contact the landlord. The shopkeeper kindly called the landlord on her behalf.

“Thank you,” Jiang Banyue smiled as she expressed her gratitude. The shopkeeper waved her hand dismissively.

“No problem. Are you planning to open a store here?”

“Yes.”

“What kind of store will you open?”

“A clothing store. I’ll be making the clothes myself.”

“Then we’ll be seeing each other a lot. Let me introduce myself, I’m Wang Caixia, and this is my grocery store.”

Wang Caixia smiled and extended her hand. Jiang Banyue shook it.

“Hello, I’m Jiang Banyue.”

They chatted for a bit until the female landlord arrived and asked,

“Who is renting my place?”

“It’s me,” Jiang Banyue replied, walking up to the landlord. The landlord led her inside.

“How long do you plan to rent?”

“One year.”

“My place is 45 square meters. For a year, I’ll charge you 1,100 yuan. If you go by the monthly rent, it’s 100 yuan. Property prices are rising everywhere, and this price is already very cheap.”

“Alright, let’s settle on it today!”

Jiang Banyue wanted to confirm everything as soon as possible so she could start preparing the space and officially open her store. She signed the lease and paid the money, officially renting the place.

She borrowed a water basin and rag from Wang Caixia’s store and cleaned up the space. After working hard for over two hours, she locked up the door and headed to the market to order a sign that read “Banyue Clothing.”

By the time she was done, it was already noon. She hopped on her bike and headed home.

As soon as Jiang Banyue stepped into the house, she saw Shen Yunhe cooking in the kitchen. Upon hearing the door, he turned around to look at her.

“Where did you go?”

“The kids are at school, and I’m just at home bored. So, I rented a shop on the pedestrian street to open a clothing store.”

“You rented the shop?”

Jiang Banyue stood by the door, changing out of her slippers and taking off her coat.

“Yes, I rented it for a year, 1,100 yuan. I just finished cleaning. Tomorrow, I’ll buy a sewing machine, some fabric, a table, and rulers. It’s going to cost quite a bit. I realized I’m really good at spending money.”

Shen Yunhe smiled.

“Money is meant to be spent. Otherwise, it’s just a pile of useless paper. If you need more, I still have some.”

“It’s enough, it’s enough. After paying for the rent, I still have plenty left.”

Shen Yunhe brought a plate of food out. “Go wash your hands and eat.”

“Okay.” After washing her hands, Jiang Banyue sat at the dining table. She picked up her chopsticks and sighed.

“I wonder how the kids are doing. It’s the first time they’ve been away from home, eating at school by themselves.”

“We all need to learn to let go and let them handle things on their own. Don’t worry. With Jin around, they’ll be fine. Now, eat.”

Jiang Banyue lowered her head and absentmindedly ate her meal, her thoughts on her children who were at the school cafeteria, carrying trays and looking for a seat.

Jiang Huairou followed her two brothers to a quiet corner, where they sat down to eat. Each of them had different meals.

Jiang Huaijin’s food was light, while Jiang Huaiyu’s plate was full of meat. Jiang Huairou was a picky eater, avoiding scallions, ginger, and garlic, and only eating lean meat. She only ate the skin of the buns. Unsure of what to eat, she copied whatever her brothers put on their plates.

The three ate quietly until a chubby boy with a tray sat next to them.

“Huaiyu, let’s eat together!”

The boy, Sun Fubao, leaned over, his plate full of meat. Jiang Huaiyu joked,

“Fatty, you’re so chubby, and you’re still eating meat!”

“My grandma says, being able to eat is a blessing!” Sun Fubao bit into a large chicken leg and took a sip of soda, smiling as he licked his lips. “Wow, chicken legs with cola, so good!”

Jiang Huaiyu laughed and leaned in. “Fatty, let me have a sip of your cola!”

“Jiang Huaiyu! Eat your food!”

Jiang Huaijin looked up and glared at him. Startled, Jiang Huaiyu quickly lowered his head and ate his food obediently. When his older brother got angry, he was even scarier than their mom. Sun Fubao choked on his chicken leg, panicking, and handed his soda to Jiang Huaijin.

“Do you… want a drink?”

Jiang Huaijin looked at him with disdain before lowering his head to eat. He glanced at Jiang Huairou and unsurprisingly saw a pile of scallions, ginger, garlic, and green vegetables on her plate.

“Jiang Huairou, eat properly!”

“Big brother, I am eating, but I really can’t eat these. They’re bitter and spicy, so awful,” Jiang Huairou complained, looking at him pitifully.

Jiang Huaijin rubbed his temples, feeling drained. He finally understood why their mom always got angry.

He just couldn’t take it anymore.

Sun Fubao, not afraid of anything, took his chopsticks and picked up some of the food from Jiang Huairou’s plate.

“Huairou, I’ll eat the things you don’t like. I’m not picky.”

“Okay, then take the fatty meat too. I don’t want to eat that.”

Seeing someone else help her eat what she didn’t like, Jiang Huairou was happy.

Jiang Huaijin coldly grabbed Jiang Huairou’s tray and yanked it away.

“Bang!” The tray hit the table and was pushed aside.

“If you don’t want to eat it, then don’t!” He turned to glare at Sun Fubao.

“Are your chopsticks clean? Do you have a contagious disease? How dare you put food in her plate!”

Sun Fubao, unfazed, put his chopsticks in his mouth, licked them, and then held them up.

“They’re clean, no problem!”

Jiang Huaijin felt disgusted and his face darkened.

Jiang Huaiyu, frightened, lowered his head to eat faster. His older brother had changed, and it was scary.

Jiang Huairou also noticed her older brother’s change and saw him becoming the cold, indifferent Jiang Huaijin again. She quietly lowered her head, afraid to say anything more.