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Chapter 11 – Explaining the Questions

“I have a few problems I can’t solve, Brother Tingjun, can you explain them to me?”
The disappointment on Xu Jingchu’s face instantly vanished, her eyes sparkling again.

Could explaining a few questions to someone really make them this happy? But he truly was busy.

“I don’t have time. You can ask Tingyu to explain.” Lin Tingjun’s face was cold.

Xu Jingchu glared at him fiercely. If you don’t have time, just say so—no need to repeat it twice. Is toying with people fun for you? Why even bother asking then!

Lin Tingyu, precocious for his age, quickly cut in. “Sister Jingchu, don’t worry. I’ll explain it to you. I already finished my summer homework, so all the knowledge is still fresh and hot in my head.”

Xu Jingchu thought, Your fresh knowledge is useless to me. The questions I can’t solve are middle to high school math, physics, and chemistry. But she couldn’t dampen the child’s enthusiasm. So she smiled and agreed.

Seeing her smile, Lin Tingyu eagerly added more fuel. “Lin Tingjun, after lunch, you wash the dishes.”

“What did you just call me?” Lin Tingjun narrowed his eyes at his younger brother, who had not only grown chubbier these days but also bolder.

“Brother, after lunch you wash the dishes.” To make his argument solid, Lin Tingyu counted off his fingers. “First, studying requires a balance of work and rest—you should relax your brain by washing dishes. Second, even if you’re good at studying, you can’t do nothing at home. You eat the meals Sister Jingchu makes every day, so you should at least help with some chores.”

“Anything else?” Lin Tingjun asked, amused.

Being stared at made Lin Tingyu nervous, but he puffed up his chest again. He wasn’t wrong, so his brother had no reason to scold him.

“N-no… that’s all!”

“Fine. You’re right. I’ll wash the dishes at lunch.”

Lin Tingjun always indulged his brother. Besides, Xu Jingchu’s scheming was one matter; helping with housework was another. She cooked, he washed—it was fair, and he wouldn’t owe her any favors.

With someone washing dishes, Xu Jingchu was happy to be free. “Come on, Tingyu, let’s study!”

But the moment Lin Tingyu saw the problems, his confidence deflated like a balloon. “Sister Jingchu, don’t worry, wait for me. Once the new school term starts and I learn this at school, I’ll come home and explain it to you.”

“Alright!” Xu Jingchu didn’t have the heart to discourage him. “Go out and play then, I’ll think it through on my own for now.”

Lin Tingyu bounced out happily. He had already made plans with his friends to catch crickets today.

Xu Jingchu sat staring at the problem, lost in thought.

“You’re going to burn a hole in the paper staring at it like that. The solution won’t appear on its own. Draw an auxiliary line here.”

She jumped in fright—Lin Tingjun walked so quietly, and he didn’t even knock. No manners at all.

“Next question.”

“Huh?” Xu Jingchu blinked.

“I said next question. I already told you where to draw the auxiliary line on this one. What more do you want? Hurry up, I don’t have much time.”

Seeing that he was actually willing to point things out, Xu Jingchu quickly flipped through her book and found more problems she couldn’t solve. Each time, Lin Tingjun’s explanation was no more than three sentences. After that, he left.

“Thank you, Brother Tingjun.” Xu Jingchu gave him a sweet smile. After all, he did teach her—it would be ungrateful to complain.

Lin Tingjun glanced at her, expression unreadable, then strode off. With a sharp bang, he shut the door behind him.

Xu Jingchu scribbled notes frantically in her notebook. Honestly, she didn’t fully understand his explanations. But having someone point her in the right direction was better than nothing. She could slowly work it out later.

Now, she divided her schedule into different time slots, dedicating each to a different subject. The only inconvenience was that neither her nor Qin Yajuan’s room had a clock.

If only I had a watch… But staying in someone else’s house, a watch was a luxury. She shook off the impractical thought.

Soon it was time to shop for groceries again. Xu Jingchu grabbed her little basket and went out. After a few days in the military compound, many people already recognized her. Such a beautiful girl, with such a good figure—how could anyone forget her after just one glance?

Some older aunties even took the initiative to greet her. Xu Jingchu, unsure how to address them back, just smiled politely.

Time flew, and more than half a month passed.

That evening, Lin Jianbai came home with good news. “Jingchu, Yajuan, I want to discuss something with you two.”

In her previous life, it had started the same way! Qin Yajuan barely contained her excitement. Finally, the moment she had been waiting for.

Actually, she already knew through Liu Xiaoxia and the others that the paper mill was recruiting. But as a country girl with no education and no background, applying on her own wouldn’t get her anywhere. So she had to pretend ignorance and wait for Lin Jianbai to arrange things.

“Uncle Lin, please go ahead.” Xu Jingchu had a good guess it was about jobs.

“I have one slot for a job at the paper mill. I wanted to get two, but the rest of the positions all have special requirements. The only suitable one for you two is a packaging position.

“I’ll keep looking for other opportunities for you, so even if you don’t have work yet, don’t worry. You’ll still live and eat here with us.”

“You two can discuss it between yourselves.”

He and Zhang Qiuyun had already talked it over beforehand. In their hearts, they preferred to give the job to Xu Jingchu—she was more sensible and likable.

But… Xu Jingchu was focused on studying. Would working as a packer at the mill hinder her? Besides, they had another selfish thought: with Jingchu around, life at home had become so much easier.

So they planned: if Qin Yajuan went, they’d give Jingchu money every month equivalent to Yajuan’s wages, as a sort of “nanny fee.” Later, they could help Jingchu find a job that suited her better.

If Jingchu went, they’d also arrange a job for Yajuan as soon as possible.

“Uncle Lin, my family is struggling. My mother is waiting for me to send money home. It’s been less than a month, and she’s already written me three letters asking if I’ve found a job yet.” Qin Yajuan pulled out her well-prepared excuse.

Then she looked at Xu Jingchu with tearful eyes. “Jingchu, can you let me have this job? I really need the money. Uncle Lin will definitely help you find an even better one later.”

Qin Yajuan’s calculations were clear—she was morally pressuring the couple. Refusing her would mean stopping her from being filial to her mother. And she was also forcing Xu Jingchu to make a public promise not to fight her for it. That way, even if things changed later, it would be useless to regret.

“Yajuan-jie, it’s not that I don’t want to let you have it… you know my family’s situation back in the village too…” Xu Jingchu said hesitantly.

Lin Jianbai had already asked Jiao Jincheng to check. Both families’ situations were equally tragic—one worse than the other. Qin Yajuan’s family was just a widowed mother and orphan daughter.

Xu Jingchu’s family still had labor, but her parents favored their son, exploiting their daughter, giving everything good to her brother. The old couple plus Jingchu all lived miserably.

“Jingchu,” Zhang Qiuyun hesitated for a long moment before finally speaking, “there’s something your Uncle and I don’t know if we should say or not…”

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