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“No, no, maybe this year is the last year he will be working on the farm at home. If he goes to the big city for school and then gets a job, can you expect him to come back to do farm work? This year, he must stay home and work.”
Ye Lian said, “I find you so contradictory. The eldest doesn’t do well in school, and you blame him for not being capable, so he has to stay home to work. The third one does well and goes to school, and then you blame him for flying far away and not being able to come back. What do you really want?”
Lin Dawei: …
“Ah, anyway, he can’t go. His grades aren’t out yet, and whether he gets in or not is still uncertain. Why should he run off? He should stay home and help harvest the grain from those few acres. Once the grades are out and the acceptance letter arrives, he can go over early.”
“Hey, you…”
As they argued back and forth, Lin Yuyao spoke up, “Mom, why don’t we listen to Dad? If Lin Ping gets accepted, he will still have to go back for the investigation; he can’t just stay here. Even if he comes over for three days, he has to head back again, and the back-and-forth will only leave him with a few days here. After everything is settled at home, you can let him come over; I’ll pick him up then.”
Ye Lian thought for a moment and said, “That works; I’ll call you. Is it the number you gave me last time?”
“Yes, that’s the shop’s number.”
“Okay.”
“By the way, Mom, have you gone to the Lu family to ask for the money back?”
“Yeah, I couldn’t get it. The Lu Cong couple is as broke as can be. They saved some money to help their son marry, but it all went to that wastrel Lu Jiangting.”
Lin Yuyao said, “Why don’t you give Lin Ping the IOU when he comes over and have him bring it back for me?”
“Bring it to you?”
“Yes, where will Lu Jiangting’s parents get the money? I need to ask Lu Jiangting and Fang Qing for it.”
Thinking about it, Ye Lian agreed. “Alright, I’ll have Lin Ping bring it to you. He needs to get out a bit; if he weren’t studying, he could even be thinking about getting married.”
She and Lin Ping both started school later. At that time, the village only had one class; it took five years to enroll one first grader, so the kids in the class were either very young or quite old.
Back then, Lu Jiangting was one of the early starters, beginning primary school at five or six years old.
Lin Yuyao was a bit younger and missed that opportunity.
By the time Lin Yuyao could start school, the only class in the village had closed.
This was because the brigade was building a larger school that would take in new students every year.
Once that school opened, all the primary schools in the surrounding villages closed, and everyone had to go there.
Unfortunately, due to various reasons, the construction was delayed, and the opening was pushed back another year.
By that time, Lin Yuyao was already ten years old.
After years of accumulation, all the children rushed to enroll, causing fierce competition for middle and high school entrance exams.
There were so many students that the school couldn’t accommodate them all. Lin Ping, who was supposed to start primary school with Lin Yuyao, had to wait until the next year.
It turned out to be a blessing in disguise; their cohort faced less competitive pressure.
In those years, management in various departments was chaotic, but things have improved a lot since then, and various systems will gradually be perfected.
…
After a long time, the shop owner Fu Leyi, who hadn’t come in a while, arrived. Today she was wearing a pair of flat cloth shoes and a fitted long skirt that didn’t seem so fitted anymore, with a slight bulge in her belly.
Her husband, the man Lin Yuyao had initially mistaken for a driver, held an umbrella over her, carefully supporting her as they entered.
Once they reached the shop door, he tossed the umbrella outside and helped her sit on a stool inside before going back to retrieve the umbrella.
Fu Leyi smiled and said to him, “I told you I’m fine; you don’t have to treat me like I’m disabled.”
Pan Hong replied, “Of course, I need to be careful; you’re carrying our precious baby.”
“Isn’t that also a treasure of the Pan family?”
“Yes, yes, it’s a treasure of both our families.”
Pan Hong returned with the umbrella and took out a water bottle, unscrewing the lid before handing it to her.
It was a pink thermos; it’s not easy to have such a trendy thermos in this era, and the logo on it seemed to indicate it was bought from abroad.
Fu Leyi drank some water, rested for a moment, and then started talking to the three of them.
“I haven’t been coming by lately because I’m pregnant, and with the hot weather, I didn’t want to go out.”
Zhou Jing smiled and said, “That’s how it is for pregnant women; you should rest more. If you need anything, just call us.”
She nodded, looking around and saying, “This little bookstore is doing really well; it wouldn’t be possible without all your hard work.”
“That’s what we should do.”
“I’ve been feeling bored staying in the city, so I’m planning to go back to the countryside to rest during my pregnancy. The phone may not be as convenient there, so I won’t be able to manage the shop as well.”
Huh?
The three of them looked at her in surprise.
“Having a baby in the countryside might not be as convenient as in the city. If something happens, getting to the hospital could be a hassle. Sister Fu, you should think it through,” Zhou Jing advised.
Before Fu Leyi could respond, Pan Hong beside her said, “It’s not inconvenient at all; my home is not far from the city, and there’s a road leading into the village. We can drive back, and if anything happens, getting to the hospital is very convenient.”
“I’ll handle it myself.”
Song Qin: …
“It was sent by express mail; it’s quick within the same city.”
“Alright then, that works. Next time, tell me, and I’ll come to pick it up.”
“Okay.”
That day, Lin Yuyao mailed the previous book back home. During her lunch break, she told Sister Zhou and the others that she was going out to call home.
Sister Zhou was surprised, “Don’t we have a phone in the shop?”
Lin Yuyao replied, “I’m making a long-distance call; it’s quite expensive.”
Zhou Jing: …
Her awareness was too high, wasn’t it?
She actually wanted to say that they weren’t reporting to the boss, so what was the big deal?
Lin Yuyao took advantage of her lunch break to call home.
This time, both her parents were there. After some small talk, Lin Yuyao asked, “About the money, you didn’t tell anyone, right?”
Ye Lian said, “Of course not! You’re just a young girl making so much money outside. If the people in the village found out, who knows what they’d say. We’re not fools; we definitely won’t say anything.”
That reassured her; she knew her parents were reliable.
“You think ahead as always, Mom.”
“By the way, Mom, the sample book is out. I sent one to you; you should receive it in a few days.”
“Really? That’s great! I want to see what our daughter has written.”
Lin Yuyao smiled, feeling a bit shy.
“Mom, has Lin Ping finished his exams?”
“He finished. Today he went out to play with his classmates, and he said he might come to visit you in a few days.”
Lin Yuyao smiled and said, “Alright, let him come over; I’ll go pick him up.”
Lin Dawei, who had been quiet all this time, suddenly shouted, “No, don’t let him come.”
Lin Yuyao: …
Ye Lian: …
“What are you shouting for? You nearly scared me to death with that roar,” Ye Lian complained.
Lin Dawei said, “It’s almost the busy farming season; if he leaves, who will do the work at home?”
“You, me, and his big brother—there’s no way no one will do it! He’s worked hard for years; let him relax for a bit.”
“Today I came mainly to hand over some work.”
Saying this, she looked at Zhou Jing and said, “Zhou Jing, you’ve been here since the bookstore opened, so you know the operations inside and out. While I’m away for these days, you’ll be responsible for contacting the publishers and temporarily take on the role of store manager.”
“Ah? Me? Sister Fu, I don’t think I can do it.”
“You have to do it, whether you think you can or not. If you can’t, then those two are even less capable. Don’t worry, I won’t let you work for free. Starting next month, I’ll give each of you an extra ten yuan in salary. As the acting store manager, I’ll give you an additional twenty yuan for the month.”
This…
That meant she would get an extra thirty yuan all at once.
Seeing the money, Zhou Jing happily agreed.
Fu Leyi reached out and took a thick notebook from Pan Hong, handing it to Zhou Jing. “This will be your responsibility for the next few months.”
“Okay, you can count on me; I will do my best.”
“Mm, if there’s anything urgent, make sure to reach out to me or my cousin, Fu Huayi.”
“Sure.”
After handing over the work, she casually asked about each of their situations, checking in on their thoughts about their work, their needs regarding the work environment, and how tired they were, among other small talk.
After asking everything, she decided to buy them an additional fan.
She instructed Zhou Jing to purchase it and have it reimbursed through the business account.
Finally, her gaze landed on Lin Yuyao.
“You’ve been here for over two months, right?”
Lin Yuyao nodded, “Yes, it’s been a little over two months.”
“Good, are you getting used to the job?”
“It’s going well, thank you for your concern, Sister Fu.”
Fu Leyi smiled and said, “That’s good. Work hard, and I’ll give you a bonus when the New Year comes.”
“Thank you, Sister Fu.”
She didn’t stay long before leaving, and the three of them gathered together.
“Sister Zhou, congratulations! You’re the store manager now.”
Zhou Jing smiled and said, “This is only temporary; when the boss returns in a few months, I’ll go back to being a clerk.”
“Still, it’s a store manager position, and you get an extra twenty yuan a month.”
“We all got a raise of ten yuan, which is enough for our meals for the month.”
Both of them were locals, eating at home most of the time. Considering only lunch, it was indeed enough for them.