Chapter 39.1

Zhou Jian had left.

Soon after his departure, Jiang Rou received a thick letter from Jin Dayou. The letter was filled with notes regarding the college entrance examination.

Jin Dayou advised her to drink less water and, if possible, to visit the examination room a day in advance to locate her seat and the restroom. He also reminded her to follow her usual strategy of answering questions when she received the test paper during the exam.

The most important advice was to maintain a steady mindset, as the college entrance examination questions were not particularly difficult.

In addition to Jin Dayou, Wang Minjun also called to discuss some preparations needed before the examination and urged her to stay calm. Wang Minjun encouraged her to call if she had any questions.

Jiang Rou felt warmth in her heart upon hearing their considerate words and thought they were very kind.

On July 7, Jiang Rou, accompanied by Li Xin and An An, walked into the school where the examination was to take place.

Jiang Rou’s examination site was at No. 3 Middle School, and the teacher accompanying her was a mathematics teacher.

Students from No. 1 Middle School stayed at the school and took the bus to the exam site in the morning. The school had even spent a lot of money to charter three buses for this purpose.

Jiang Rou did not travel with them; instead, she set out from home in the morning. Li Xin wanted to accompany her, so Jiang Rou had rented a tricycle from a roadside repair shop the day before. This was the same type of tricycle that Li Xiao had rented to sell snacks in the city. Jiang Rou drove from the front while Li Xin sat in the back with An An.

An An seemed to find the experience enjoyable, twisting her head to look around curiously and laughing as the scenery moved backward.
For Jiang Rou, this was a relatively novel experience. She doubted anyone else had ever ridden a tricycle to the exam venue with their niece and child.

When they arrived at the school gate, Jiang Rou parked the tricycle under a large tree and went to find a teacher to collect her admission ticket.

Since it was still early, Jiang Rou returned after obtaining the admission ticket.

There was a breakfast stall at the school gate, so Jiang Rou bought two pickled vegetable cakes, a red bean paste bun, and a bag of soy milk.

She and Li Xin shared the pickled vegetable cakes and broke the red bean paste bun into pieces to feed the little one. The red bean paste was sweet and sticky. An An liked it as soon as she tasted it and reached out for more. Jiang Rou didn’t give it to her immediately but blew on it a couple of times to cool it down before feeding it to her.

The soy milk came in a small transparent plastic bag and was at the perfect temperature. Jiang Rou gave some to An An first. An An took a sip, found it sweet as well, and smiled up at Jiang Rou before continuing to drink.

Jiang Rou did not let her drink too much, fearing that An An might become too full. She and Li Xin shared the remaining soy milk.

As they entered the examination room, Jiang Rou hugged the little one and said, “Mom will come out after the exam. Have fun with your aunt this morning.”

As Jiang Rou rushed into the school with her pen and ruler, Li Xin took An An in the opposite direction, pointing out various interesting things. The child was so engrossed that she didn’t notice her mother had slipped away.

—o—o—o—

The exams lasted for two days. On the final day, after finishing, Jiang Rou excitedly took Li Xin and An An out for a meal at a restaurant, ordering four dishes and a bowl of white fungus soup for An An.

An An seemed to understand that her mother had been busy over the past two days, so she had not caused any fuss and had followed her aunt to play.

Now, seeing her mother holding her, An An also wrapped her arms around Jiang Rou. When Jiang Rou attempted to pass her to Li Xin so she could go to the toilet, An An refused.

Jiang Rou had no choice but to hold on for a while longer.

—o—o—o—

After dinner, Jiang Rou went home and called Li Xiao.

On the phone, Li Xiao mentioned he had found a small house he liked. “It’s located behind G University, about a five-minute walk away. It has a small yard, and it used to be the residence of G University’s teachers. I heard that the school has built a new teacher’s apartment, so not many people live there now. The rent is still low—80 yuan a month.”

While this rent might seem high in the county, it was relatively affordable in G Province. Construction workers there typically earned 20 to 30 yuan a day, and Li Xiao’s current monthly salary was 2,000 yuan.

Li Xiao had previously told her that flight attendants in Hong Kong City could earn more than 3,000 yuan a month. He had remarked that the job was quite easy—flying every day and only needing to serve tea and pour water, a task anyone could manage.

Jiang Rou found this amusing and felt he was being too hasty. “I just finished the exam, and I am waiting for the admission notice. I think I did well and should be able to get into university. Whether I can go to G University depends on the final results.”

“Mm,” Li Xiao replied. “In that case, I’ll visit a few more schools over the next few days.”

Jiang Rou couldn’t help but worry. “Will you be able to handle it? ”

Li Xiao chuckled. “I’ll manage.”

He and Zhou Jian planned to proceed step by step: first, they would open a store, raise funds, build a reputation, and then start producing products when they had more money next year.

During this period, they intended to focus on preparatory work. They were entering the snack industry, and after thorough research, they realized there were numerous aspects to manage—ingredients, product packaging, cooperative factories, and so on.

There was a lot to cover, and every aspect required money.

Because of this, he had not resigned from his job and was prepared to endure the current phase. Even if he lost money, his salary would provide support. He planned to quit his job once the store became profitable.

“We rented a storefront in the city center. Zhou Jian is currently looking for someone to handle the renovations.”

Since he worked with Chang Yong, he had connections in the construction industry and knew various ways to save on decoration costs.

Jiang Rou, who had no experience with opening a store, didn’t fully grasp what Li Xiao was saying. However, she understood that since the internet wasn’t very developed, establishing a reputation was crucial before expanding production.

“It’s good that you have a plan. In the future, you could also try to appear on TV. Everyone says you look better than the stars on TV. At the very least, you could endorse your own products, and they would definitely sell well.”

Li Xiao laughed and asked, “What about you? ”

Jiang Rou replied, “What? ”

Li Xiao’s voice lowered as he asked, “Do you also think I’m better looking than the stars? ”

“…”

Jiang Rou blushed. She hadn’t expected him to ask so directly. She was unsure how to respond—saying he looked better might make him smug, while not saying anything might seem like stubbornness.

She pursed her lips and replied, “Guess? ”

Li Xiao chuckled softly. “I can’t guess.”

“Then never mind.”

Jiang Rou said, relieved to move on.

Worried he might ask more, changed the subject. “I heard that food businesses need to get many certifications. Have you applied for them? ”

Li Xiao responded, “Yes, some are in the process.”

Jiang Rou’s tone became more serious. “You must get them. Otherwise, it could lead to problems later.”

“Got it.”

When ending the call, Jiang Rou asked An An sitting beside her to call out “Daddy.”

An An had put on some weight, and Jiang Rou could no longer hold her with one hand. She placed her next to the phone and stood in front of her, holding her securely.

On the other end of the line, Li Xiao was about to say something more but fell silent, waiting for An An to speak.

However, An An ignored the request. Although unclear, they understood that she babbled “mama” twice.

Jiang Rou laughed and said to the phone, “It’s really not my fault. She called you this morning.”

Li Xiao chuckled, “An An, says ‘Daddy.’”

An An reached for the phone cord. Jiang Rou, afraid she might damage it, lifted the phone higher to keep her from grabbing it. Unfortunately, An An’s restless hands pressed the protruding button on the phone cradle.

Jiang Rou only heard a “beep” as the call was disconnected.

Before the disconnection, Li Xiao had still been encouraging An An to call him “Daddy.”

“…”

An An looked at her mother innocently.

Seeing her mother’s gaze, she grinned happily, revealing three tiny milk teeth that were as small as grains of rice—making her look particularly adorable.

Jiang Rou kissed her cheek and said, “You’re really your father’s good daughter.”

—o—o—o—