☆ 17. Old Acquaintances

“Are you really willing?”

Perhaps Ji Meng agreed too quickly, and considering that their relationship had always been poor and often leading to arguments—Meng Ling began to doubt whether Ji Meng had any ill intentions.

After all, they had never gotten along since childhood, and if she wanted to set a trap for her, it was certainly possible.

“I’m telling you, don’t play tricks on me. I really need help. If you mess with me on this, I won’t let you off lightly like before!”

“What tricks? You’re offering such a high salary, why wouldn’t I come? It’s all the same where I work.”

Ji Meng genuinely felt good about it and was very satisfied.

To be honest, this salary was quite high.

At the collective, people earned only about 18 to 20 yuan a month, here, the base salary was 30 yuan, and there were commissions too. What a great job! Moreover, she had originally planned to spend some time observing the market conditions at the small collective market, and this opportunity was just perfect for her.

With this in mind, the smile on Ji Meng’s face grew even brighter. “I really think it’s great! When do you want me to start? Didn’t you say you were short of people?”

Ji Meng’s smile was radiant, her beautiful eyes sparkling. The dimly lit room, with its grayish white walls, seemed to brighten up considerably because of her presence. Meng Ling couldn’t help but be momentarily taken aback. After returning from the countryside, how had this woman become so enchanting?

“If you’re free, come tomorrow. I’ll be at the small market waiting for you. Don’t be late, I have other matters to attend to, so I’m leaving first.” Not wanting to admit she felt a bit jealous, Meng Ling averted her eyes and coldly added, before turning and exiting the room.

“Hey, wait, you guys…”

Meng Ling rushed out, and by the time Aunt Lai realized what was happening and called after her, she was already gone. Feeling frustrated, Aunt Lai muttered, “That unreliable girl!” Then she turned to Ji Meng.

“Xiao Meng, about Meng Ling….”

Aunt Lai was worried and didn’t know how to express herself. She wanted to tell Ji Meng not to listen to Meng Ling because she was in serious debt and couldn’t possibly pay such a high salary.

But looking at Ji Meng’s cheerful face and then at the curious Qiuqiu beside her, the words got stuck in her throat. She could already imagine how disappointed the mother-daughter duo would feel if she spoke her mind.

Just a moment ago, that troublesome girl had said Ji Meng was playing tricks on her, but she was the one playing tricks!

“Xiao Meng, um, you should try out Meng Ling’s job for a couple of days first. If I find a suitable position for you later, I’ll replace it.”

“After all, self-employed work is still self-employed, it’s better to have a proper job.” In the end, Aunt Lai could only say this, feeling distressed inside.

Ji Meng could sense the goodwill and had overheard some of the conversation earlier at the door, so she could guess Aunt Lai’s concerns. However, since she had already agreed to the job, she couldn’t back out, as it was related to her future plans.

But Aunt Lai had a kind heart, and she couldn’t just pretend to be ignorant and walk away.

After some thought, Ji Meng said:

“Auntie, you don’t need to worry about arranging a job for me. I’ll just go try out Meng Ling’s place for a couple of days. If I really can’t help her with anything, I’ll arrange something else on my own. You don’t need to worry.”

“Hmm, if I do end up staying there…” After thinking about it, Ji Meng added, “I’ll do my best to ensure my work is worthy of the salary Meng Ling is offering me.”

With such frank words, Aunt Lai understood Ji Meng’s feelings, and there was almost no need for further discussion. A sense of guilt and awkwardness arose in Aunt Lai’s heart.

“Xiao Meng, since you’ve put it this way, I won’t hide anything from you. I’m not a stingy person, but that girl Meng Ling really knows how to annoy people.”

“At the beginning, she insisted on leaving the collective to do her own thing. We couldn’t go against her will at home, so I even gave her my savings to buy clothes.”

“But, after only a few months, she came back saying the clothes wouldn’t sell, and she wanted to think of another way… So her father had to swallow his pride and go to the factory to get a batch of slightly flawed enamel basins, iron buckets, and pots for her to sell. She hasn’t sold many of those yet, but when she heard from her aunt that a batch of defective, spotted soap had come from her factory, she eagerly ran over to grab those too.”

“Her aunt even had to cover the costs for her, and that stubborn girl wouldn’t let her aunt tell me. I only found out through others.”

“Honestly, with her like this, how can she succeed? She’s so indecisive. I don’t want you to work with her, I’m really afraid she’ll hold you back.”

“She really wants to sell anything and everything, but as far as I know, she hasn’t sold many of the clothes she bought in bulk.”

Ji Meng hadn’t heard much before, she only knew that Meng Ling was short on money and hadn’t expected her to be so reckless.

When starting a business, people are not afraid of hard work, and not afraid of lacking knowledge in the beginning.

What’s really frightening is diving in headfirst and making the operation too big, leading to an unsatisfactory outcome.

That would just become a ^[1]“big snowball, getting bigger and bigger” refers to a situation that starts small but gradually grows out of control, accumulating more complexity or problems over time. It’s like a … Continue readingbig snowball, getting bigger and bigger.

But what could she do? She had already agreed. Meng Ling’s harsh words earlier didn’t seem to be empty threats.

“Auntie, I understand. I’ll go check out what’s going on with Meng Ling. If it really is as you say, I’ll try to talk some sense into her.”

“Don’t worry too much, I think Meng Ling knows what she’s doing.” Ji Meng reassured her after gathering her thoughts.

“Ha, what does she know? She’s just reckless and stubborn.”

When talking about her daughter, Aunt Lai’s tone turned sour. After a moment, she softened and looked at Ji Meng:

“Xiao Meng, don’t take my earlier words to heart. Since that girl has invited you, you should go. Make sure you get every bit of your salary from her, it’s high time she learned a lesson. She doesn’t realize how precious money is until she’s in charge.”

After chatting with Aunt Lai, Ji Meng left the Youth Office and headed to the nearby police station to handle Qiuqiu’s household registration.

When she arrived, the staff were just about to go off for their lunch break. However, after listening to Ji Meng’s situation, they stayed behind to help her with the paperwork.

It was already noon, so Ji Meng took a detour to the supply and marketing building to buy some groceries before heading home.

When she got home, Ji Qinghe had already prepared the meal and set the table. Hearing the sound of the gate opening, he quickly ran out. “You’re back! The meal is ready, let’s eat.”

Seeing that Ji Meng was carrying groceries, he hurried over to take them from her. “Why did you go grocery shopping? Didn’t I say I’d cook lunch?”

“I didn’t buy much. I got there late, and there weren’t many vegetables left, so I just picked up a few things for dinner,” Ji Meng replied as she took Qiuqiu to wash her hands.

“Okay, got it.”

Ji Qinghe responded and didn’t mention that he had brought back a lot of groceries, including a chicken, planning to kill it later for a stew.

After washing their hands, they sat down at the table and looked at the dishes before them, which was quite abundant.

In the center was a dish of braised pork, beside it was sweet and sour ribs, steamed fish, stir-fried cabbage with vinegar, and stir-fried shredded radish, along with some soda.

It was a lavish meal, almost giving a festive feeling.

However, Ji Qinghe was nervously rubbing his hands on the side. “I haven’t cooked a decent meal in many years. I don’t know if my cooking skills have declined. Mengmeng, you should taste it, if it’s not good, we’ll go out for dinner tonight.”

Ji Qinghe could cook. After his wife passed away, he had to learn to take care of the two kids and cook for them.

But after spending many years on the farm and coming back focused on saving money to bring his son and daughter back to the city, he had only casually bought steamed buns to fill his stomachs and rarely cooked at home.

It couldn’t possibly taste bad.

Ji Meng looked at the dishes on the table, the aroma wafting through the air, and more importantly, she could feel the love and care behind it.

“It looks delicious.”

Ji Meng smiled and picked up a piece of sweet and sour ribs, putting one in Qiuqiu’s small bowl as well. “Quickly try your grandpa’s cooking! Isn’t it amazing? Mom used to love the dishes grandpa made.”

The sweet and sour ribs were made from spare ribs, tender and sweet, perfect for children.

Qiuqiu took a bite, and her big eyes lit up. “It’s so delicious! Qiuqiu really likes it!”

Though she wasn’t very familiar with her grandpa, and he looked quite old, Qiuqiu nodded continuously, unable to express that she wanted her grandpa to cook for her again.

Ji Qinghe was especially pleased, his eyes crinkling into happy folds. “It’s great that Qiuqiu likes it! Eat more, and grandpa will cook for you often in the future.”

As Ji Qinghe spoke, he grabbed a bowl and chopsticks, picked a piece of fish, carefully removed the bones, and handed it to Qiuqiu, all while not forgetting to call out to Ji Meng.

“Mengmeng, you eat too, I’ll take care of Qiuqiu.”

The older generation is always very fond of their grandchildren. Ji Meng was happy to see Qiuqiu being cared for, so she smiled. “I know, but Dad, you don’t have to take care of Qiuqiu, she can eat by herself.”

“Yeah, Qiuqiu can eat by herself. Grandpa, you eat too.” Qiuqiu chimed in, her eyes bright with happiness, her features soft and adorable.

No one could resist such a little girl, let alone Ji Qinghe, who loved her dearly. He smiled and nodded, repeatedly saying, “Okay, okay, grandpa will eat too!”

He replied, but his hands didn’t stop picking out the fish bones.

He only paused when he saw that Qiuqiu had eaten several pieces of fish belly meat and realized she preferred the sweet and sour ribs.

“Has Qiuqiu’s household registration been processed?” Ji Qinghe finally found a moment to ask Ji Meng.

Ji Meng nodded. “Yes, it’s done. The service here is pretty quick, I took care of it right away.”

“It’s good to hear.”

Ji Qinghe felt relieved and added, “I ran into Sister Zheng when I went grocery shopping earlier. I told her about Qiuqiu’s situation, and she helped me out. She’s already coordinated with the neighborhood’s Yuhong class. Tomorrow, we just need to take Qiuqiu to meet Sister Zheng’s daughter-in-law, Yanzi.”

As Ji Qinghe spoke, he thought about how the child had just arrived and was being asked to adapt to school life. He furrowed his brows slightly and discussed with Ji Meng, “Should we let Qiuqiu stay home for a few days to get used to it before going to school?”

“Qiuqiu doesn’t need to adapt, Qiuqiu wants to go to school.”

Before Ji Meng could respond, Qiuqiu eagerly interjected.

“Mom, Grandpa, Qiuqiu can play well with her little friends, and she will behave in school. Please let Qiuqiu start school early.”

Both Ji Meng and Ji Qinghe were a bit taken aback.

“Qiuqiu really wants to go to school?” Ji Meng couldn’t help but ask.

Qiuqiu had also spent some time in a kindergarten at the military base. Did she think it would be the same with her little friends here?

“Qiuqiu, the Yuhong class here is not the same as the kindergarten at Daddy’s base. The teachers and classmates are different.” Worried that the little girl would cry upon realizing the differences, Ji Meng hesitated for a moment and explained to Qiuqiu.

“Qiuqiu knows.”

Qiuqiu nodded, indicating she understood.

“It’s okay, Qiuqiu can take the initiative to meet them. Qiuqiu will listen to the new teacher and make friends with her classmates. They will be Qiuqiu’s new little friends.”

As she spoke, Qiuqiu clenched her small hands.

She was eager to start school.

Daddy had told her that going to school was a way to grow up, and only by going to school could she grow up faster.

“Okay, Mom will take you to meet the teacher tomorrow.”

Ji Meng realized that Qiuqiu was more mature than other children, her eagerness to start school didn’t seem like a bad thing, so she agreed.

Ji Qinghe added, “Yanzi doesn’t live in our alley, you might not know her. Tomorrow, I’ll go with you to find her.”

“Okay, sounds good.”

Ji Meng nodded in agreement, then recalled her appointment with Meng Ling and asked Ji Qinghe, “When does the Yuhong class open? Can we go early? Or should we visit in the afternoon?”

Ji Qinghe paused. “Do you have something planned for tomorrow?”

“Yeah, Meng Ling asked me to help her at her stall, and I agreed,” Ji Meng replied directly, having intended to mention this to Ji Qinghe anyway.

“Meng Ling?”

Ji Qinghe frowned slightly. He knew that his daughter and Meng Ling had never gotten along well since childhood, and given his daughter’s current situation, he was worried she might feel wronged.

“Where did you run into her?”

“At the Youth Office, she ran into me while looking for Aunt Lai.”

Hearing that it was at the Youth Office, Ji Qinghe furrowed his brows even more. He looked at Ji Meng and cautiously asked, “Are you sure you want to go?”

Ji Meng was in the middle of picking out fish bones when she paused briefly and then nodded. “Yeah, I plan to give it a try. The salary she offered isn’t low, and I think it sounds pretty interesting. I want to see what it’s like.”

As Ji Meng spoke, she looked up at Ji Qinghe and said earnestly, “Dad, I don’t think being self-employed is something to be ashamed of. Look, more and more educated youth are returning to the city now, and the country has issued policies encouraging self-employment. It will definitely be further relaxed in the future, just like the special economic zones in Shenzhen.”

“Aunt Lai showed me the jobs that the youth office can arrange for me today, but none of them really fit. I need to work, and it’s the same wherever I do it.”

Ji Qinghe opened his mouth, wanting to say something, but in the end, he didn’t. He lowered his eyes and after a while, he looked up and smiled, saying, “Then go ahead and give it a try. Mengmeng, you’re right, being self-employed isn’t shameful.”

“By the way, your brother Junyan also mentioned to Uncle Fu that he wanted to go into the medicinal herb business. Uncle Fu didn’t agree, but he doesn’t seem to have given up, he occasionally brings herbs to me for identification.”

“But if it’s too tiring, don’t force yourself. Your health is important.”

“Yeah, I know, Dad. Don’t worry, I have it under control.”

Ji Qinghe was easy to persuade, which made Ji Meng quite happy, and she nodded with a smile.

As for Ji Qinghe mentioning Fu Junyan’s medicinal herb business, she didn’t take it to heart.

Because in the book, Fu Junyan started his career in medicinal herbs.

She had also considered going into the medicinal herb business, especially since in the 1980s and 1990s, the industry was doing well. She was relatively skilled at identifying medicinal herbs and had a good grasp of market fluctuations, so it seemed like a guaranteed profit.

But after thinking it over, she decided against it. Firstly, the medicinal herb market was still in its infancy, and without a certain financial foundation, it would be difficult to get in. Secondly, the medicinal herb business often required staying out for ten days or half a month, and with her taking care of Qiuqiu, it would be impossible for her to be away from home for such long periods.

With the work situation settled, it was time to confirm Qiuqiu’s enrollment in school as soon as possible.

After finishing their meal, the three of them went to the street’s Yuhong class to find Yanzi.

Yanzi was the deputy head of the street’s Rainbow Yuhong class. She was relatively petite, with her hair styled in double ponytails, giving her a gentle demeanor.

Having greeted each other beforehand, and knowing Ji Qinghe, who usually treated her sick child, she smiled and called out, “Uncle Ji,” and then turned to Ji Meng.

Ji Meng was quite striking, a rare beauty. Yanzi had never seen Ji Meng before, she was momentarily stunned and then felt a bit embarrassed when she came to her senses.

“I heard from my mother-in-law that you were the prettiest girl in our alley. I didn’t believe it, but now I see you really are beautiful.”

Ji Meng smiled at that, replying in a straightforward manner, “Well, I just have this face. Teacher Yanzi is the one who looks beautiful and gentle at first glance. She’s the type I want to be.”

“Haha, Xiao Meng, you’re too good with words.”

Yanzi had few friends in school, and after graduating, her family helped her find a position at Yuhong Garden. She usually interacted only with children or colleagues. It was her first time meeting someone like Ji Meng, who was not only beautiful but also straightforward and articulate. After being momentarily stunned, she laughed and then greeted Qiuqiu, who was next to Ji Meng.

When she greeted Qiuqiu, she slightly bent down, displaying a gentle and patient demeanor.

Ji Meng had heard that some teachers at this time were quite strict, with some advocating corporal punishment.

Seeing Yanzi, she felt a slight sense of relief, she didn’t want Qiuqiu to grow up under high pressure at such a young age. The child was already very well-behaved and sensible.

After chatting with Yanzi, Ji Meng felt that even if she might not teach the children a lot, her patience was more than enough, allowing Ji Meng to fully relax.

They went to the office together to complete Qiuqiu’s enrollment.

Upon learning that Qiuqiu’s father had passed away as a martyr, Yanzi’s gaze towards Ji Meng and Qiuqiu was tinged with pity and regret.