Chapter 26

The next morning, after finishing her morning exercise and breakfast, Ye Xiaoyu began dressing up.

She paired a light gray sweater with dark gray straight-leg trousers, layering it with a vibrant green coat. Her shoes and handbag matched in a soft coffee shade. Her hair required no styling—freshly straightened hair wasn’t suited for intricate braiding—so she simply left it down.

Finally, she applied some moisturizer and a flattering lipstick shade to brighten her complexion.

Looking in the mirror, she admired the result:

Wow, she was finally giving off that stylish “hot mom” vibe!

Lele also changed into his new outfit. His sweater matched his mom’s coat, and on his feet were a pair of sneakers that lit up in flashing colors with each step. He loved them so much that he had refused to take them off even for bed the night before.

The mother and son set out confidently, attracting plenty of attention as expected.

By now, Ye Xiaoyu was no longer a stranger in the neighborhood—many people knew her and were surprised by her transformation. The children especially envied Lele’s flashing shoes, and quite a few immediately started pleading with their parents and grandparents for a pair of their own.

Some young women and mothers couldn’t resist asking Ye Xiaoyu where she got her hair done, where she bought her clothes and shoes, and even about her lipstick color, which didn’t seem to be a common shade. After all, everyone loves beauty.

Lele proudly showed off his new shoes to his little friends, while Ye Xiaoyu chatted happily with the neighbors. Besides the children, there was now more to talk about.

A group of seven or eight mothers set out together because today’s outfit wasn’t just for show—there was something important to do: enrolling Lele in school.

When it came to schooling, Ye Xiaoyu had chosen a preschool class over kindergarten for Lele. After careful comparison, she decided to take him to Jing Experimental Primary School, which was about a 30-minute bike ride from their residential complex.

Jing Experimental Primary was one of the better public schools in Yanjing. The affiliated middle and high schools were also of good quality, meaning that if things went well, Lele could stay in the same system for years.

When they arrived at the school, a large number of students were at the gate, and four security guards were maintaining order.

At this time, security guards were usually elderly men or at least middle-aged, but one of them seemed way too young and was strikingly handsome. With broad shoulders and a slim waist, he made the ordinary security uniform look like something out of a movie, drawing the attention of some parents.

Some speculated that he might be a teacher helping out, but Ye Xiaoyu quietly thought to herself—wasn’t he a police officer?

Not that she looked down on security work, but between a security guard and a policeman, she naturally had a better impression of the latter.

The man had a pleasant smile and an even more pleasant voice: “Preschool and grades 1-3, go straight ahead and turn left into the first teaching building. Grades 4-6, turn right to the second teaching building.”

“Thank you!” Ye Xiaoyu admitted that his looks hit her type just right. When it was her turn to enter, she took the initiative to strike up a conversation. “Hi, I’m Ye Xiaoyu. We met before at the hospital and the police station entrance. What a coincidence! Do you remember?”

The man nodded. “Hello, I’m Qin Yang.”

Ye Xiaoyu’s smile grew wider. Just like when she met Yu Mingzhu, she simply wanted to befriend someone good-looking. Besides, knowing the school security could be beneficial for Lele’s safety.

As she and Lele walked into the school, Qin Yang seemed to glance at their backs, a flicker of confusion passing through his eyes before disappearing.

After the younger and older students were separated, the number of parents and children heading toward the preschool class was nearly halved, though it was still quite a crowd.

Lele spotted two kids from their neighborhood, as well as his friend He Haoyu, who was just as mesmerized by the flashing shoes.

Yang Qian, He Haoyu’s mother, was asking Ye Xiaoyu where she had bought her green coat. Then she looked down and scolded her son, “Behave yourself and don’t get in trouble. If you stop making the teacher call me, I’ll buy you a pair.”

She then turned to Ye Xiaoyu, saying, “Haohou started preschool last year. He’ll turn six in May, and I want him to start first grade in September. I just don’t know if he’ll pass the final exam.”

Preschool classes had final exams too, though scores weren’t emphasized. Even if a child scored 20 or 30 points, or even zero, only the parents would be informed. However, to start first grade before turning seven, a student needed to score at least 80 points. Otherwise, the teachers would advise against early enrollment, saying the child wouldn’t be able to keep up.

Hearing their mothers’ conversation, He Haoyu declared, “I want to go to first grade!”

Lele clenched his fists and refused to be left behind. “I want to go to first grade too!”

Other children started competing as well.

Ye Xiaoyu: …Was this considered healthy competition?

Due to Jing Experimental Primary’s reputation, all applicants had to go through a simple interview before being admitted. Talking about first grade was still premature—Lele first had to pass this hurdle.

The preschool assessment wasn’t too difficult.

Part of it was for the parents, with questions like how far they lived from the school, whether their child cried easily, could use the restroom independently, and eat by themselves. The other part involved interacting with the children, testing whether they could count to 100, knew the alphabet, and other basic skills.

Ye Xiaoyu hadn’t expected preschool applicants in the ‘90s to be so competitive.

Some kids could recite a hundred poems, some played the violin, and others had learned abacus mental math, instantly solving addition and subtraction within 100.

Amazing!

Ye Xiaoyu didn’t intend for Lele to be so competitive, but she planned to take him to the youth center on Sundays to explore and see if he found any hobbies he liked.

Having hobbies not only made kids happy but also gave them an advantage in socializing.

If they excelled in something, the possibilities were endless.

Of course, if Lele simply enjoyed playing, that was fine too. Taking him out to explore the world and broaden his horizons—being happy was its own kind of success.

Lele easily passed the preschool interview. Ye Xiaoyu gave him a big hug and praised, “Great job! From today on, our Lele is officially a big kid in preschool!”

“Mm! Big kid!”

Lele straightened his back proudly. He was assigned to the same class as He Haoyu, which was lucky—having a familiar friend in a new environment was reassuring.

Ye Xiaoyu hoped that He Haoyu’s influence would make Lele more confident and outgoing, while Yang Qian hoped her son would learn to be more obedient. A win-win.

After leaving the school, Ye Xiaoyu said goodbye to the other moms and took Lele to visit her cousin Zhao Yuzhen’s middle school.

Middle school registration was earlier than primary school, and today was already the third day of classes. It was also the second day of Ye Ermei and Zhao Qing’s business opening.

Getting off the bus, they passed an old lady selling fresh flowers. Unable to resist, Ye Xiaoyu stopped to buy a whole basket—peach blossoms, camellias, and wintersweet, embracing a natural beauty.

If it weren’t for seeing Lele, Ye Ermei wouldn’t have recognized Ye Xiaoyu carrying a flower basket. It had only been a few days, yet she had changed again. Her eyes twitched slightly, and she couldn’t help but tease, “You always act on impulse.”

“Does it not look good?” Ye Xiaoyu asked, though it was unclear whether she was referring to the flowers or herself.

Ye Ermei:

“It looks good, okay? You just love showing off.”

Ye Xiaoyu grinned smugly, glanced at the stall, and asked, “How’s business?”

“It’s okay. In the morning, aside from breakfast, red scarves, national emblems, and exercise books sell the most. Midday is the slowest, since only some students are day scholars. In the afternoon, snacks sell the best, and toys bring in the most profit. Your brother-in-law comes to help, or else it’d be too much to handle.”

Money was definitely being made, but running a stall that sold all sorts of things was undeniably tiring.

Ye Ermei had many concerns.

She felt their stall’s location wasn’t ideal. She noticed people selling candied hawthorn, fried potatoes, and glutinous rice rolls with sweet fillings and thought maybe she could sell those too. Another vendor was selling snacks at a price ten cents cheaper than theirs—should she lower her prices as well?

Ye Xiaoyu addressed each issue one by one. In a small-scale business like this, engaging in price wars was a bad idea. Selling more didn’t always mean making more profit, and it was impossible to dominate the entire market. Even if Ye Ermei and Zhao Qing worked full-time, they wouldn’t be able to manage everything. Location was key—it determined foot traffic. Moving to the intersection ahead on the left might be better since it was a route all elementary, middle, and high school students had to pass through.

There was even a storefront for sale at the intersection. If they could afford it, they should buy it.

Ye Xiaoyu once again tried to persuade them.

But Ye Ermei was reluctant. Buying that store would cost almost all their savings. Even though Ye Xiaoyu offered to lend them some money, she refused. She planned to rent it first if business remained good for a week.

“That works. Rent it for a year first.” Ye Xiaoyu understood her sister’s concerns. She lowered her gaze. Buying that store now would undoubtedly be a profitable investment in the future, but it wasn’t the perfect timing yet. She had a habit of pushing for things, though—maybe next time, her sister would agree, just like how she finally took this first step.

Around 4:30 PM, her brother-in-law, Zhao Qing, arrived.

Half an hour later, the school bell rang, and a flood of students poured out. Ye Xiaoyu finally witnessed their overwhelming energy—it was like thousands of ducks quacking at once.

Lele had never seen such a crowd before, but thanks to his prior experience with bus stations, he adapted quickly. He even curiously looked around, helping keep an eye on things. The little guy was well-liked by many older kids.

At some point, Zhao Yuzhen, still carrying her schoolbag, squeezed into the crowd to help. Ye Xiaoyu had promised to call her “Yuzhen” at school instead of “Sweetie,” a childhood nickname that might embarrass her in front of her classmates.

However, the rush only lasted forty to fifty minutes. Soon, the crowd visibly thinned, but in just this short period of about an hour and a half, they made a gross profit of 300 to 500 yuan. After deducting costs, they still earned at least 100 yuan.

Mornings were also peak hours, though the flow was more gradual rather than concentrated. Often, morning sales surpassed the afternoon.

Only then did Zhao Yuzhen have time to call out, “Auntie!” She then praised, “You look so pretty today.”

Ye Xiaoyu reflexively responded, “So I don’t usually look pretty?”

“You’re always pretty. My classmates even thought you were my sister and that Lele was my little brother.” Zhao Yuzhen giggled.

Aside from keeping her promise to her niece, Ye Xiaoyu had another reason for coming today. Once Lele became familiar with his school environment, she planned to take a business trip next week