Chapter 74

Lin Xiaojing didn’t enter the classroom but called out, “Xiaomian.”

Although it was the review stage for the senior year with no teachers around, the classroom was still quiet.

Occasionally, there were whispers among students, but it didn’t disrupt the overall study atmosphere.

So, Lin Xiaojing’s voice was very clear at this moment.

When Yu Xiaomian heard someone calling her, she looked towards the door and saw Lin Xiaojing waving at her.

She immediately went out. “Xiaojing, what brings you here?” she asked softly, speaking much more cautiously since she couldn’t control her volume yesterday.

“I still need to go to the homeroom teacher’s office and the dorm. Can we talk while we walk?” Lin Xiaojing suggested.

“Sure, that’s fine,” Yu Xiaomian agreed naturally.

So, the two of them left the classroom.

On the way, Lin Xiaojing said to Yu Xiaomian, “Xiaomian, my job is confirmed. I’ll be working in the procurement department of the garment factory in our county town. If you need to find me, you’ll have to come to the factory. But I won’t start until after the New Year.”

“Wow, that’s great!” Yu Xiaomian genuinely felt happy for her friend. “Then I’ll also look for job openings in the county town. If I can find work there too, we can still be together in the future.”

“Yeah, if there are job openings at the factory, I’ll let you know,” Lin Xiaojing said happily.

Of course, she was delighted to be able to stay in the county town with her best friend.

However, she added, “Xiaomian, please don’t tell anyone about my job, and don’t share the address either.”

She didn’t like the classmates in her class who looked down on rural people.

Now that she had a job, she wasn’t interested in being flashy.

“Don’t worry, I won’t,” Yu Xiaomian assured her. Like Lin Xiaojing, she was also looked down upon by these urban classmates, so she didn’t like them either.

When they arrived at the homeroom teacher’s office, Yu Xiaomian waited outside while Lin Xiaojing went in to handle the procedures for collecting her graduation certificate.

There weren’t any complicated procedures; Lin Xiaojing submitted her work documents and applied to collect her graduation certificate early.

After arranging the documents, the homeroom teacher told her to come back at the beginning of the next school year to collect it.

Normally, it would take about a month, but with the Chinese New Year just around the corner, it would coincide with the start of the next school year.

“Lin Xiaojing…” the girl called out to her. “Can I talk to you for a moment?”

Lin Xiaojing responded, “Do you need something?”

This classmate usually had good grades and seemed to come from a well-off family.

She always stood out in terms of clothing and food in the class.

But they didn’t usually interact, so Lin Xiaojing couldn’t figure out why she was being approached.

The girl got straight to the point, “As you know, there’s a policy for urban youth to go to rural areas now, but rural youth don’t have the same opportunity. So, urban youth need jobs more than rural youth. I wanted to ask, can you sell me your job?”

What?

Lin Xiaojing couldn’t believe it.

The girl was asking to buy her job.

How did she know that Lin Xiaojing’s job was confirmed? “I’m sorry, my job hasn’t been finalized yet.”

Lin Xiaojing’s job was not for sale.

Even if she were unhappy, she would rather sell it to her older brothers, who had hurt her heart.

After all, they were family, and selling to someone else would never be as good as selling to family.

The girl smiled, “I can offer you 100 yuan more than what others are offering. How about it?” She didn’t address Lin Xiaojing’s statement about her job not being finalized yet.

Lin Xiaojing shook her head. “I really can’t help you.”

After thinking for a moment, she added, “If you can’t solve your job problem and can only go to the countryside, it’s better to sign up early. I heard that early registration allows you to choose the location to go to the countryside. You can choose a rural area near our county town, so it’s closer to home.”

The girl replied, “Although early registration allows you to choose the location to go to the countryside, there’s still a range of choices. Not every place is available for selection. You can only choose from the options they provide.”

Lin Xiaojing was at a loss for words. “I’m sorry, but I can’t help you.”

The girl didn’t insist. “You can think about it. Or you can sell me your job first, and I’ll keep an eye out for job openings for you. This way, you can get some money now, have hope for the future as a worker, and I won’t have to go to the countryside. We’re classmates; we can help each other out, right?”

Lin Xiaojing didn’t hesitate at all. “I really can’t help you. I have something else to do now,” she said, pulling Yu Xiaomian along as they left.

The girl stood there for a moment, feeling somewhat dejected, before walking away.

Back in the dormitory with Yu Xiaomian, she remarked, “They never paid us any attention before. Now that you have a job, they’re all coming to you. How typical. But Xiaojing, don’t sell your job. A job is for a lifetime. The money you’ll earn from selling it won’t compare to what you’ll earn over a lifetime. Besides, if you don’t have a job, you’ll have to go back to the countryside. We’re high school students; how can we be content going back there? Wouldn’t all the money our parents spent on our education go to waste? And we won’t find good partners in the countryside. But if you have a job, you can find someone from the city. Either way, they’re definitely more promising than those in the countryside.”

“I know. I definitely won’t sell it. This job was passed down to me by my sister-in-law. If I sold it, I wouldn’t even dare to face her. Ning Shu would definitely be furious. Just the thought scares me. Even though my relationship with Ning Shu is better now, I’m still afraid of her. It’s a fear mixed with dread.”

“But I haven’t thought about finding a partner yet. I just want to work hard, thank my sister-in-law, and be filial to my parents. They split up the family for my job, and I feel guilty about it. So, I want to be even more dutiful to my parents.”

“Absolutely, our parents sacrificed a lot to send us to school. We should definitely be filial to them. My parents endured a lot of ridicule to send me to school, so I have to do my best too.”

“Yeah, that’s how I see it too. Our parents went through a lot to send us to school, so we have to make them proud.” If she was naive before yesterday, experiencing the events of yesterday showed her that her older brothers and sisters-in-law had doubts about her job.

It showed that her parents stood by her side. It wasn’t easy for them to support her education.

The two quickly packed Lin Xiaojing’s luggage, then Yu Xiaomian and Lin Xiaojing together carried it to the school gate.

The luggage wasn’t much, but it was winter, so there were two thick blankets.

Once everyone helped load the luggage onto the cart, Lin Xiaojing and Yu Xiaomian parted ways.

By the time the cart returned to the village, it was already 3:30 in the afternoon.

“Mom… Mom…”

The three little ones were playing at the village gate, waiting for their mother to come back.

Sure enough, they saw the cart.

“Mom, you’re back! Did you buy snacks in the county?” Er Bao ran up to the cart, looking up with his little head.

Lin’s mother smiled. “This child’s mouth is really greedy.”

Ning Shu said, “All children are greedy. I was like that when I was little, always thinking about food.”

As she got down from the cart, she continued, “No, didn’t we buy snacks in the morning?”

Yi Bao said, “Mom, the things we bought in the morning made Er Bao stink.”

Ning Shu raised an eyebrow, a thought crossing her mind. “Did you eat cakes?” Something that could make Er Bao stink but be edible… other than the durian layer cake she got from the app, what else could it be?

Yi Bao shook his head. “We didn’t eat them, but… but we looked at them, smelled them, and Er Bao said they smelled really bad.”

Ning Shu said, “You haven’t tried them yet. Some things may look ugly and smell bad, but they might not taste bad. Come on, let’s go home and try them.”

“Really?” Er Bao, thinking it must be delicious if Mom said so, couldn’t wait and urged, “Then let’s hurry home and eat.”

“Eat…” San Bao didn’t know what they were talking about, but he knew it was something to eat, so he happily joined in, shouting, “Eat… eat meat…”

Yi Bao said, “It’s not ‘meat meat,’ it’s ‘cake cake.'” He just heard his mother calling it ” cake.”

“Cake cake?” San Bao asked, tilting his little head.

Ning Shu picked him up, “Yes, called cake cake.”

“Let’s go,” Er Bao followed.

Yi Bao also bounced along with them.

The little friends who played with them looked at them leaving with envy, really wishing Yi Bao’s mother could be their mother.

Lin’s father, Lin’s mother, and Lin Xiaojing rode in the ox cart all the way to their doorstep because they still had Lin Xiaojing’s luggage.

In the old house, it had been quiet since Lin’s father, Lin’s mother, and Lin Xiaojing left.

Later, Lin Guofeng and Lin Guoliang went to the fields, while Qian Aifen and Zhang Qinfang stayed home to make grass ropes.

However, although the two were making ropes, they kept looking towards the door from time to time.

Finally, in one of their countless glances, they saw Lin’s father, Lin’s mother, and Lin Xiaojing appearing.

“Dad, Mom, Xiaojing, you’re back.”

The two put down the grass ropes, looking excitedly at the three of them, then stepped forward to help with the luggage.

Lin’s mother said, “No need, just two quilts. You two go about your business.”

Qian Aifen had to retract her hand.

Zhang Qinfang followed suit.

Lin’s father didn’t see Lin Guofeng and Lin Guoliang: “Where are the eldest and the second?”

Qian Aifen hurriedly said, “They went to the fields.”

So, Lin’s father also went to the fields, leaving only four women in the house.

Lin’s mother and Lin Xiaojing moved the luggage into Lin Xiaojing’s room.

Instead of coming out right away, they spoke privately in her room.

Earlier on the cart, Lin’s mother couldn’t say some things because there were outsiders present.

“About renting a house, what do you think?” Lin’s mother asked Lin Xiaojing.

Lin Xiaojing said, “Originally, I planned to live in the school dormitory after starting work after the New Year, but Third Sister-in-law said it’s inconvenient to live in the school. In case I work late, the school wouldn’t be available.”

“The door is closed, so I have nowhere to go…” She repeated what Ning Shu had said, then continued, “Sister-in-law said she has an idea and wants to discuss it with you.”

Lin’s mother thought for a moment after hearing this. “I guess your third sister-in-law wants to talk about their family’s house. They bought three courtyard houses in the county town. One of the courtyards has already been rented out to Third son’s high school classmate. There are still two courtyards left. If you were to rent from someone else, I wouldn’t feel at ease. It’s better to rent the courtyard your third brother bought. But in terms of renting a house, we’ve already taken advantage of your third brother in work matters, so we can’t take advantage of her in this matter. We should pay whatever is appropriate. Relationships are built on mutual understanding and compromise, not just taking advantage of each other. Such relationships won’t last long. And now your third brother and third sister-in-law are a family. We need to be clear about financial matters with them to ensure a lasting relationship.”

Lin Xiaojing said, “Mom, I understand. I don’t want to take advantage of third brother either. I appreciate the kindness from third sister-in-law. I don’t have the ability now, but when I do, I’ll repay her. Also, renting third brother’s house is good. There won’t be random people around, and it’ll be convenient if you and dad come.”

Lin’s mother was pleased that her daughter could listen to reason.

“Then tomorrow, we’ll go talk to your third sister-in-law about renting the house.”

“Okay,” Lin Xiaojing nodded.

Lin’s mother glanced outside, pondered for a while, and decided to speak up, “About your eldest sister-in-law and second sister-in-law, don’t blame them either. They want to work for their own families. I hope you can understand that. Ultimately, they’re not wrong in this matter. After all, once married, everyone prioritizes their own families. Apart from this matter, neither they nor your two brothers have done anything wrong to you. When you get married in the future, you’ll have three brothers and three sisters-in-law from our side, all ready to support you. Don’t drift apart from your eldest brother and second brother just because of this.”

Lin Xiaojing listened quietly, “I understand, Mom. I won’t hold it against anyone.” Regardless of what she thought deep down, she didn’t want her parents to worry about her anymore, so she chose to say what her mother liked to hear.

Lin Family

Ning Shu and the three children returned home to see Lin Guodong chopping firewood in the yard.

There were many freshly split logs in the yard, some were dry, while others were still a bit damp and needed more drying.

Ning Shu asked, “Didn’t you go to the mountain this afternoon?”

Lin Guodong replied, “You weren’t here. If I had gone to the mountain, they wouldn’t have found anyone, so I didn’t go. Is everything sorted out?”

Ning Shu answered, “Yes, everything’s sorted out. Xiaojing brought back her luggage from school. Oh, by the way, the clothing factory doesn’t have employee dormitories temporarily, and Xiaojing hasn’t been assigned a room, so she’ll need to rent a place after the New Year to work at the clothing factory. How about we rent our house to her then?”

“That’s fine,” Lin Guodong had no objections.

“We have that courtyard we bought for 1200, right? It’s only about a 30-minute walk from the clothing factory, which is quite suitable. It has two rooms and a kitchen, the yard isn’t big, but it’s enough for two people. If Xiaojing lives alone, I’ll charge her 3 yuan per month per room. If the clothing factory still has female comrades looking for a place to stay, we can charge another 3 yuan each, so Xiaojing can have colleagues to commute with. If no one else comes, Xiaojing can stay alone.”

“That’s fine, you decide. By the way, is that cake you bought spoiled? Why does it smell?” Lin Guodong, being more knowledgeable than his son, recognized it as cake.

When he was in military school, Lin Guodong had been invited by close classmates to attend birthday parties, so he had eaten cake at their homes. Although the one Ning Shu bought was somewhat different from regular cake, who said cakes had to be exactly the same? So, since it also had cream on it, Lin Guodong assumed it was cake.

Upon hearing Lin Guodong describe the durian mille crepe as cake, Ning Shu also felt it was appropriate.

After all, this was a type of cake. “It’s not spoiled, it’s just this smell. It’s just that some fruit pulp has been added, and this fruit pulp smells a bit funky. Don’t think that just because it smells funky, it won’t taste good. I’ll go cut it for you to try. And, by the way, you actually recognized this as cake?”

Lin Guodong chuckled, “You underestimate me. When I was studying in military school, I knew several good friends well. I’ve eaten something similar to this cake at one of their homes. But theirs probably didn’t have the fruit pulp you mentioned, so it didn’t smell.”

Impressed by his words, Ning Shu praised, “Comrade Lin Guodong, your circle of friends is extensive.” With that, she walked into the kitchen.

In the kitchen, two durian mille crepes were already placed on the table.

After Ning Shu and Lin’s father went to the county town, Er Bao was rummaging through the things their mother bought in the morning when he smelled this funky durian mille crepe.

They thought it had gone bad, so they placed it on the dining table, worried that it might spoil other things.

However, since it was something their mother bought, they didn’t dare throw it away, so they left it there.

Ning Shu fetched a knife and first cut one of the durian mille crepes in half.

The six-inch durian mille crepe was actually quite small.

With this size, Ning Shu could finish half of it in one go, and she could finish one in a day.

She was a durian lover.

Then she sliced off a thin piece and cut it into three small pieces. “Yi Bao, Er Bao, San Bao, try it and see if you like it.”