Chapter 39

After returning home, Lin Qingping’s first task was still to check Zhiyuan and his sister’s homework. Then, she found an issue in Zhiyuan’s work: she had deliberately left some addition and subtraction problems with numbers over ten, and Zhiyuan had written down the answers.

Lin Qingping called Zhiyuan over and asked how he had done it. She wondered if Zhiyuan had counted the stones out loud. However, Zhiyuan explained the process very clearly, breaking down the tens digit into 10 plus a few. Zhiyuan was just over five years old.

“Did Sister Qingyun teach you this?” Lin Qingping assumed that his sister had taught him. Zhiyuan’s first reaction was to shake his head. He seemed a little nervous. “Is… is it wrong?” he asked. 

“No, it’s very correct, and your thinking is good. Did you come up with this by yourself?” Lin Qingping asked again.

Zhiyuan became a bit flustered. “Mm… mm… yes.” he said.

This time, he was lying. Lin Qingping did not point it out, but still praised him, then proceeded to prepare dinner.

“What would you like to eat, Zhiyuan?” Lin Qingping asked.

Zhiyuan’s big eyes turned, and he asked: “Can we have that milk skin dessert you made last time?” 

Double-skin milk…

“Sure!” Lin Qingping said without hesitation and went into the kitchen to help her mother-in-law.

During dinner, Lin Qingping noticed keenly that Zhiyuan had left the bowl of double-skin milk untouched.

Lin Qingping did not say anything. The family happily finished their meal together. After dinner, the adults usually busied themselves with tidying up, cleaning, and washing.

At Zhiyuan’s age, children would run wild and play around the village. Lin Qingping soon noticed that Zhiyuan was missing, along with the bowl of double-skin milk.

She went out looking for him. She checked all the places in the village where the children usually played but couldn’t find him. Originally, Zhiyuan wasn’t fond of playing with the other kids in the village. 

Just as she was about to give up and head back, a village aunt, who had just returned from the river, told her: “I saw Zhiyuan heading toward the school.” 

“Thank you!” Lin Qingping thanked her and headed toward the school. 

At this time, the village school had already closed for the day. Most of the students had gone home, and the teachers, who didn’t live on the school grounds, had mostly left. Only one room had a light on. Lin Qingping walked toward the lit room. The door was closed, but she could hear Zhiyuan’s voice coming from inside.

“How does it taste? I told you, my aunt is really good at cooking. You didn’t believe me!” 

“I didn’t believe it? Is there anything your aunt can’t cook?” A slightly older voice replied. 

“Nothing!” Zhiyuan’s voice was filled with a child’s pride. 

“Can she make cakes like the ones at the big restaurants?” 

“She can!” 

“Have you ever had cake?” 

“Of course I’ve had! I ate it last time when I went to the Provincial Capital with my aunt! I’ve eaten it many times when I was little, with my… well, anyway, I’ve eaten it!” 

“Alright, stop bragging. What story do you want to hear today?”

“Tell me more about Romance of the Three Kingdoms.” Zhiyuan said.

“Did you finish your homework? If you don’t finish it, you’ll be scolded.” the older voice replied.

“I finished it already! The problem you taught me, I said I figured it out myself and didn’t tell my aunt that you taught me.” Zhiyuan responded.

“Alright, then. Let me continue. Where did we leave off last time?” the older voice asked.

Lin Qingping quietly returned, not wanting to disturb the two inside.

The next day, Lin Qingping woke up early and started steaming the cake. She had already made it twice during home visits and gained some experience, so it went smoothly. She made a large one and decorated it with cream. Zhiyuan was stunned.

“Aunt, you really can make cakes!” he exclaimed, calling her “aunt” for the first time. In the past, he never used a title for her.

“Mm!” Lin Qingping smiled, cutting the cake into pieces. The Gu family each got a piece, with some leftover. Zhiyuan hesitated and asked timidly: “Aunt, can I… have two pieces?”

“Of course, you can!” she said, having prepared extra just for him. 

Zhiyuan’s eyes lit up, and he happily began eating. After all, if he only had one piece, it would be for his grandfather, and he wouldn’t have anything left for himself. Children, after all, had a sweet tooth.

“Eat up. When you’re done, we’ll have class. I’ll teach you some characters.” Lin Qingping said with a smile.

During the character study, Lin Qingping mixed in both the characters he had already learned and those he hadn’t, testing him. She discovered that many of the characters she hadn’t taught him, he actually knew. 

After all, he was still a little under six years old and hadn’t learned the art of hiding knowledge. As long as he recognized a character, he would read it aloud. Lin Qingping kept a calm demeanor, teaching him a few new characters, having him memorize a nursery rhyme, and then moving on to new math problems.

She stayed at home for the rest of the day, preparing to head out to the Clothing Factory.

That evening, while chatting with Second Sister Lin, Lin Qingping reminded her about how to review the week’s lessons.

After she had planned everything for her Second Sister Lin, she specifically instructed her that she might have to stay at the factory for a long period of time and would only be able to return home once a week.

She also entrusted Second Sister Lin with Zhiyuan’s studies, advising her to teach him something every day. She emphasized that it wasn’t about how much he learned, but about helping him develop good habits, so that when he grew up, he wouldn’t end up being a drifter in society.

Once she had taken care of everything at home, she left the next day with Gu Youlian for the Clothing Factory.

When they arrived, Lin Qingping was surprised to see Du Gen looking glum, his face completely lacking the enthusiasm they had seen when they were setting up their street stalls in the Provincial Capital.

“What’s wrong?” Lin Qingping asked.

Du Gen was clearly downcast. “For two days now, the clothes we’ve altered are still off the mark. The discrepancies are huge. I told them, but no one listened. No one wants to redo the work, and when I pushed them, they got upset and just tossed the clothes and walked off.”

“What about the factory manager?” Lin Qingping inquired.

Du Gen’s mood sank further. “The manager is on a business trip, and Section Chief Fu can’t handle them either.”

“Why is Section Chief Fu so useless?” Gu Youlian spoke without holding back.

Du Gen gave his wife a resentful glance. “The workers don’t want to work. Anyway, whether they work or not, they still get paid.”

“Aren’t they supposed to get overtime pay?” Lin Qingping frowned.

“A lot of people said they aren’t interested. Once one person stops, the rest just follow suit and won’t work.” Du Gen sighed in frustration. “What should we do?”

“I’ll go have a look.” Lin Qingping said. 

Under Du Gen’s guidance, they went to the workshop. Inside, it was eerily quiet and empty, with clothes scattered all over the floor.

When Section Chief Fu heard that Lin Qingping had arrived, he hurried over to explain: “It’s lunchtime now, so everyone has gone to eat.”

“So, they will come back to work after lunch, right?” Lin Qingping asked.

“Yes. They’ll be back in the afternoon.” Section Chief Fu replied. However, he added with a touch of uncertainty: “Once they’re back, whether they actually work or just idle away the time, well, that’s another matter…”

“Alright, as long as they come back, that’s good enough. I’ll wait for everyone.” Lin Qingping nodded.

“Then, how about I take you to the canteen for lunch?” Section Chief Fu asked, clearly overwhelmed.

Lin Qingping nodded.

After lunch, Lin Qingping returned to the workshop and checked all the clothes that had been altered. Less than 10% passed her inspection. She piled up all the unapproved garments at the front. In the afternoon, the workers gradually returned to work. 

Once most of them were back, Lin Qingping stood with Section Chief Fu behind the large pile of unapproved clothes. She watched as some workers chatted, some cracked sunflower seeds, and the workshop was filled with noise. However, no one seemed to be starting any work.