Chapter 69: Discussing Opening a Shop

Xu Jiaojiao held her mother’s hand as they entered the room, and stuffed the two thousand yuan her eldest brother had given her into her mother’s hands. “Mom, this is from big brother. He gave it to me before he left. You should save it for him to get married.”

Yan Fenglian’s brow twitched when she felt the thick wad of paper. She opened the bag and saw a large stack of money, mostly in loose bills. “Why did your brother give you so much money? Is Xiaoshu not doing well?”

All kinds of thoughts rushed through Yan Fenglian’s mind. Giving so much money at once—had something happened to him? She anxiously paced the room.

“Mom, don’t overthink it. I told big brother I wanted to open a clothing shop, but I couldn’t take his money.”

Xu Jiaojiao hugged her mother tightly, trying to reassure her.

Yan Fenglian calmed down, pressing her hand to her chest and letting out a long breath. “I thought something bad had happened. Since it’s from your brother, just keep it, Jiaojiao.”

“But mom, he still needs money to get married. And besides, I have money. I earned seven hundred yuan from translating.”

As she spoke, her expression grew more and more proud, almost like a little tail was wagging behind her.

“Seven hundred yuan? That much? Jiaojiao, Mom was right—you really are the Xu family’s lucky star.” Yan Fenglian stood tall with excitement, hugging her daughter tightly.

Those people who didn’t appreciate her—how would they ever understand Jiaojiao’s worth? “Jiaojiao, I’ll keep your brother’s money. Tomorrow I’ll go with you to the county to look at shops.”

Since her mother insisted, Jiaojiao didn’t argue. She went with her fourth brother to invite her grandparents over—having a meal with white rice wasn’t easy these days.

Xu Jiaojiao’s grandparents lived near the creek, in the quietest part of the village. They were old and preferred peace.

“Grandma!” Jiaojiao called out loudly from afar, waving enthusiastically at the old lady before running over quickly.

Her grandmother’s surname was Mu. In her youth, she had been the daughter of a landlord’s family. If not for her grandfather’s protection, who knew what kind of torment she might have suffered. Though the times had changed, people in this era still had children young—Grandma Mu was only in her fifties.

“My good girl! Yan, go call your grandfather!”

Laughing, she pulled her granddaughter into a hug, clearly overjoyed. Jiaojiao nestled into her grandma’s embrace, full of affection. Even now, Grandma Mu exuded a noble air, a remnant of her upper-class upbringing.

From inside the house came an energetic old man. He looked older, but only had a few strands of white hair near his temples. His presence was commanding—his first impression could be rather intimidating.

Xu Jiaojiao knew just how good her grandparents were to her. In her previous life, after ruining the whole family, they had still held onto their dignity and sought help from old war comrades, only to be beaten to death by thugs in an alley on their way back.

Thinking of that made Jiaojiao’s nose sting. “Grandpa.”

Her grandfather’s voice was powerful. “Jiaojiao, why are you crying? Did someone bully you?”

Looking at the three concerned faces around her, she shook her head tearfully. “I just missed you all.”

Xu Yan gently stroked her soft hair. “Let’s go home, Jiaojiao. Mom made something delicious.”

“Okay!”

The group walked back together, warm and close. Jiaojiao was nestled between her family members, and Grandpa carried a bag in his hand—it was mooncakes from a war comrade for the Mid-Autumn Festival, which was coming soon.

Mooncakes were rare treats, especially ones with five different fillings. People didn’t complain about mixed-nut flavors back then. Even Jiaojiao looked at them like they were treasure.

When they got home, the food was already ready. Everyone was waiting at the table. Jiaojiao sat naturally beside Xie Zhi, and his ears turned red when he noticed the teasing looks from the others.

Jiaojiao, however, didn’t feel awkward at all. She even sweetly picked food for Xie Zhi. There were eight or nine dishes on the table, better than even New Year’s. Everyone had white rice in their bowls, and even the meat on the plates was sizzling—just looking at it made one hungry.

During dinner, Jiaojiao announced her plan to open a shop. Everyone was shocked—after all, there were many restrictions at the time. But Father Xu considered it seriously. It wouldn’t do for Jiaojiao to sit at home all day. If she stayed busy, she wouldn’t get into trouble.

He was the first to speak: “I support Jiaojiao.”

“I do too,” Grandpa Xu nodded in agreement. He always thought Jiaojiao was extraordinary—she was destined to do great things.

With those two speaking first, most of the others followed suit. They discussed the plan and decided that Mother Xu and Xu Ze would accompany her to scout out shop locations. Xie Zhi didn’t have time.

He had been away long enough. With the harvest season over, school was starting the next day. Of course Jiaojiao knew that. She hooked her pinky finger with his, clearly trying to butter him up.

After dinner, she handed clothes and shoes to her grandparents, along with lots of elderly-friendly snacks and sweets. They left with plans to return for dinner.

Jiaojiao couldn’t wait and ran into her brother’s room, only to find they were staying in the most dilapidated room in the house. Some of the earthen walls were crumbling, with bits of dirt falling from them.

Thankfully, the room was clean. Two wooden beds stood side by side, all handmade by Father Xu. Xu Ze saw her sneaky expression and tapped her head with his book. “Jiaojiao, what’s with that look?”

“Hey, why’d you hit me? I just wanted to ask what happened with Hongyan’s case.”

She hadn’t told anyone what Hongyan’s parents had done to her. In her mind, Hongyan was still her own person, and things were already bad enough for her—her parents had even abandoned her.

“Not sure. I think it’s still being processed. It’s a big case, might take another half month.”

Jiaojiao pouted. “Okay…”

Like a whirlwind, she rushed back and forth between the two courtyards. When she pushed open the door, she found Xie Zhi sitting inside reading, posture upright like a tall, steadfast poplar tree.

She couldn’t help but admire his dedication. He studied every day—no wonder he succeeded. Some people truly earned their achievements.

Xie Zhi waved her over. “Jiaojiao, come look at this problem.”

She walked closer and saw—it was high school math material! Her face instantly fell. How miserable!

He raised an eyebrow, a hint of mischief in his usually calm eyes. “Dad gave me this. From now on, I’ll supervise you on one topic a day. I’m not sure how strong your basics are, though. Let’s test it.”

She glanced at the problem he had copied. Hah—wasn’t this just the Pythagorean Theorem? How could he underestimate her? She was a proper graduate from a 211 university.

Picking up the pen, she skimmed the question and solved it in a few quick strokes, then looked up proudly, waiting for praise.

“Not bad. I’ll give you another one tomorrow.” Xie Zhi smiled and nodded. She was much more knowledgeable than he expected. Seeing her all eager and pleased, he pulled out a piece of chocolate.

He unwrapped the shiny foil and popped it into her mouth, praising with zero reservation, “My Jiaojiao is just so smart.”