Chapter 27

A new week began, and Jian Li stood under the national flag, holding her own manuscript as she delivered a speech.

Teacher Fang, who was thrilled about Jian Li’s manuscript being selected, not only shared the news with the principal but also organized a small reward ceremony in the class.

She awarded Jian Li with a certificate of merit and a brand-new notebook.

With a kind smile, Teacher Fang said, “I hope you’ll continue writing more brilliant articles in the future.”

Jian Li thought to herself: Brilliant articles like “The Summer After Divorce Year Two”?

She reluctantly accepted the reward. All of this was beyond her expectations.

The truth had been revealed so suddenly that she had no time to react.

A few days before the flag-raising speech, news of her successful submission had spread around the compound.

Wherever Jian Feng and Wang Mengmei went, people asked how they had raised a “young writer.”

At first, Jian Feng and Wang Mengmei didn’t understand what was happening. They hurriedly called Jian Li over, asking what she meant by “my composition was accepted.” Only then did they realize that their daughter had successfully submitted her writing to a magazine.

“Why didn’t you tell us?”

Jian Li countered, “I did! You didn’t pay attention!”

Wang Mengmei was momentarily at a loss for words.

She had been busy lately.

Breakfasts were no longer made at home. For lunch, in addition to noodles, she prepared rice and steamed buns. The dishes were simple—two meat and three vegetables. Everything was portioned and ready to serve.

No one else was selling set meals like this in the market, so Wang Mengmei quickly established a unique business.

Even the neighboring braised food seller came over during lunchtime to order her convenient and tasty meals.

She even spent ten yuan to have a sign made from plastic that read: Boxed Lunches and Quick Meals.

After cleaning up from lunch, she stayed at the same spot, unfolding three small folding tables in the evening.

Her specialty was stir-fried chicken, but she also offered stir-fried dishes and noodles upon request.

The stir-fried chicken was Jian Li’s favorite—fresh, free-range chickens butchered that afternoon. The chicken was cooked in fragrant spices with generous amounts of oil. She stir-fried the chicken to render its fat, added her special sauce, and then simmered it until tender. Just before serving, she tossed in fresh green and red chili peppers and sesame seeds.

Wang Mengmei’s cooking skills were exceptional. The aroma of her stir-fried chicken filled the streets, quickly drawing customers.

When asked about the price, she responded confidently: “Twelve yuan for a portion.”

Some walked away, but others stayed to try it, curious if it was worth the cost.

Once the dish was served, the rich flavor proved it was worth every penny.

The whole chicken was simmered to perfection, swimming in aromatic oil. It wasn’t like the watered-down dishes some vendors offered.

Wang Mengmei would then ask, “What would you like for your main dish?”

The cautious diners would inquire, “How much?”

She’d smile, “Main dishes are free. Choose from flatbreads, steamed buns, or rice. If you want noodles, I’ll cook fresh ones right here in the steel pot and mix them with the chicken.”

“Thick noodles soaked in chicken gravy are better than meat,” she’d recommend.

Some stalls sold freshly pulled noodles at midday, which were pressed into thick strips ready to be cooked. The fresh noodles were chewier and tastier than dried ones.

One diner swallowed hard just hearing her description, “Give me a flatbread first. I’ll decide about the noodles later… Can I get both?”

Wang Mengmei chuckled, “Of course! As long as you don’t take it away, the main dishes are unlimited.”

After all, if people packed up food to go, even a hundred pounds wouldn’t be enough.

The piping hot flatbread, soaked in the chicken’s rich broth, immediately won over the diner’s taste buds.

“Delicious!”

Spicy and flavorful—it was worth the price.

That night, she sold out all five chickens she had prepared.

In just one evening, she earned over sixty yuan.

Wang Mengmei clutched the money, finally understanding why her daughter had insisted on higher pricing.

“Expensive things have no flaws except being expensive. Cheap things have nothing but flaws.”

She now believed in premium pricing—good service and great flavor would keep customers coming back.

“Jian Feng, we need to figure out drinks.”

Beverages were a major source of profit, and she wanted to stock beer next to the stall.

“We also need a freezer,” she added.

Without a freezer, she had to guess the right amount of food to prepare. If she made too much, it might not sell; too little, and she’d lose earnings.

“And we should spruce up the stall,” she sighed.

There was always something that needed money.

The stress of managing everything had taken its toll—she now had a cold sore on her lip.

Jian Li brewed chrysanthemum tea, filling her thermos and a tea jar for her mother.

Wang Mengmei saw the tea and felt even more guilty.

Her daughter was juggling writing and school. It made her heart ache.

Softening her tone, she said, “Your dad and I are busy. How about this—what reward would you like?”

Jian Li’s essay had been published, and though she was mature for her age, she was still a child. Wang Mengmei thought of buying her the portable music player she had long wanted.

Jian Li’s eyes sparkled mischievously. “I don’t want a music player… I want a dog!”

In her past life, she had always wanted a dog, but Wang Mengmei had found endless reasons to refuse.

When she finally started working, her rented apartment prohibited pets. Later, when she had her own house, her busy life left no time for a dog.

Every day, just the struggle to support herself in the workplace leaves her mentally exhausted. On the rare occasion that she has free time, a visit to a pet café can make her happy for days.

Jian Li cheerfully said, “I’m going to bring a little dog home!”

Wang Mengmei’s expression changed, and she instinctively wanted to say, “What do you need a dog for? It’ll make the house too dirty.” She had a bit of a cleanliness obsession, always thinking pets would make the house filthy with their fine fur, and who knows if there are fleas in it.

Jian Li turned away, “You made me choose, and now you’re disagreeing.”

Wang Mengmei: …

Jian Feng looked at his wife, then at his daughter, and finally stepped in to mediate.

“Your mom didn’t say she disagreed. If you want to raise one, it’s fine…”

Jian Li perked up her ears.

“You have to take care of it yourself.”

Jian Li confidently patted her chest and promised, “I’ll take care of it myself!”

She was going to get a dog!

Jian Li skipped out the door, eager to tell Xia Liu and discuss where to adopt a dog from.

Xia Liu’s mom also didn’t allow her to keep a dog, but hey, Jian Li could bring her new dog to make Xia Liu jealous!

Jian Feng watched his daughter run off with affection. Although Wang Mengmei wasn’t fond of the idea, since she had agreed, she couldn’t go back on her word.

She muttered a few times, “What do you need a dog for? It’ll be so dirty.”

Jian Feng comforted her, “We’re too busy to take care of things, especially at night when we’re working late. A dog would be good, it can guard the house.”

Wang Mengmei thought for a moment but still felt uneasy, “But no dog in the house!”

She could tolerate it being tied up outside, but if the dog was allowed in the house, she’d really lose her mind.

—

Jian Li jogged to find Xia Liu, who was indeed very envious. Xia Liu’s mom, Aunt Lijuan, was much more welcoming than usual when she saw Jian Li.

“Here comes the little writer.”

Jian Li felt a bit embarrassed, “Aunt, I’m not a little writer.”

Lijuan smiled and said, “You’re so shy! Go play, Xia Liu, you should learn from Jian Li.”

Xia Liu stuck out her tongue and whispered to Jian Li behind her mom’s back, “My mom has been praising you at home for several days. She told me to ask how you submitted your work.”

Jian Li quietly asked, “Do you want to submit too? I can give you some addresses.”

Xia Liu felt awkward. She wanted to submit but was afraid of failing, and most importantly, she feared Jian Li would be upset.

How could Jian Li be upset? She was thrilled!

She realized she had been too narrow-minded. Instead of being teased by the people in the courtyard calling her “little writer,” why not encourage everyone to submit and have more “little writers”?

Jian Li waved her hand, “I’ll write down a few addresses for you. There are some magazines that I think are more suitable for you… oh, and the school’s journal, it also has a submission address.”

Xia Liu asked, “But doesn’t the school journal only have topics?”

Jian Li replied, “Didn’t you see the small space in the middle with the ‘Tofu Blocks’? That counts as a submission too.”

Xia Liu gathered her courage but then deflated, “I probably won’t get accepted. Forget it.”

What if she submitted and didn’t get in? Her mom would scold her again.

Jian Li patted her on the head, “You’re silly. If you just submit without thinking, of course it won’t get accepted. You should study the magazines’ submission guidelines carefully.”

Jian Li taught Xia Liu how to write with a marketable approach.

Xia Liu was shocked, “Can you really do it like this?”

Jian Li, munching on the cookies Aunt Li Juan had brought, said, “Of course! We’re trying to get published, after all.”

Xia Liu glanced at Jian Li, feeling uneasy, “It feels a little off.”

It was supposed to be a literary magazine, all about literary ideals.

Jian Li smiled mischievously.

Her speech for the flag-raising ceremony was already written, and Teacher Fang praised it greatly, hardly changing a word.

In the speech, Jian Li described how she developed a love for reading as a child, how she trained herself in writing, and eventually started submitting her work and getting accepted.

It was truly an inspiring and moving speech. Even Xia Liu felt encouraged after reading it.

But… Jian Li had intentionally targeted her submission!

It was disillusioning.

Jian Li finished her cookies and bit into an apple, completely ignoring the image of a cultured person who should have some reserve and dignity.

Xia Liu: …

Jian Li’s speech at the flag-raising ceremony went smoothly. She had given many presentations to clients in her past life, so she was very comfortable.

The loudspeaker broadcasted her speech across the campus, with Jian Li in her school uniform, speaking under the bright morning sun about how she had embarked on her literary journey.

Afterward, the principal took the microphone and encouraged everyone to learn from Jian Li.

After the ceremony, Teacher Fang called Jian Li to the office to ask how she planned to continue submitting work.

Jian Li quickly took out the addresses she had prepared: “Teacher, I think some information should be shared with everyone.”

She handed over addresses for several pure literary magazines, a few children’s literature ones, and some submission addresses for essay competitions she had found in the newspapers.

“I don’t think it’s such a big deal that I got accepted. The important thing is to improve the overall writing level of our class.”

Jian Li spoke with righteous indignation, “So I plan to share this selflessly with everyone!”

Teacher Fang looked at her with deep admiration and turned to announce to the class that everyone should submit an essay this week, with an open topic.

The students who had unexpectedly been given extra homework:…

Fortunately, Teacher Fang quickly explained everything, telling them it was for submitting ideas.

The class erupted in excitement.

Jian Li was praised repeatedly by the teacher for an essay, and except for a few who really didn’t like studying or writing essays, most students couldn’t help but imagine what it would be like if they won with their submission.

The more they thought about it, the more eager they became.

Teacher Fang gave them the perfect opportunity, and many students, upon returning home, didn’t rush to write their essays but instead boldly asked their parents for one yuan.

“I need to buy an envelope and postage stamps to submit my work!”

Jian Li finally relaxed. When she got home, she suddenly remembered something, grabbed some money, and went out to make a phone call.

She called Wang Jia Zhuang, and Jian Li said, “Please help me find Wang Yun Yun!”

Wang Yun Yun answered the phone, panting.

In just a few words, Jian Li explained what she wanted.

“You like reading, right? I’ll give you a few addresses, and you can submit your work.”

Helping Wang Yun Yun was an easy task for Jian Li.

Wang Yun Yun hung up the phone, her heart racing.

Jian Li’s grandmother was sitting in the living room, and when she saw her come back, she asked pointedly, “Who called? Is your little aunt coming back?”

Wang Mengmei hadn’t come back for almost half a year, and the old lady felt her younger daughter wasn’t being filial. How could she not show up for such a long time?

Wang Yunyun replied, “No, it wasn’t my little aunt, it was Jian Li.”

Jian Li’s grandmother snorted. “That girl is heartless too. She’s been back for so long and hasn’t even asked about me.”

She began to grumble, mostly about how her granddaughter was disrespectful and ungrateful.

“Even if I didn’t take care of her when she was little, she shouldn’t be so disrespectful to her elders. Where would she be without me?”

Wang Yun Yun didn’t want to listen, so she went into her room and sat at her desk. After thinking for a while, she finally decided to take out some scrap paper and start drafting.

Jian Li hung up the phone, then remembered the letter from the editor.

She wanted to make another call, but as soon as she did, she would have to reveal that she was just a middle school student.

What should she do?

Jian Li was very troubled. Now that there was no internet café around, she wished she could use a computer to contact someone, but even the school’s computer room was so precious. Where could she get a computer?

Not having a computer was really inconvenient.

Wandering around, she finally reached her doorstep and saw someone she disliked the most.

Zhao Xiaopeng was standing outside her small yard, staring at the door with a dark look in his eyes.