Chapter 34: Quitting the Job

Shen Qingyao is someone easily influenced by her surroundings. When she is around a serious person, she naturally becomes serious herself. At the very least, when she first met Jiang Yan, she thought she had provoked someone she shouldn't have. But now, Jiang Yan is truly very different from what she had imagined.

Amused by Jiang Yan’s words, Shen Qingyao puffed out her chest and said with great spirit, "That won't do. My man only needs to be a pretty face quietly behind me; I’ll handle the rest."

"That’s not impossible, but I might have to go back to work now." Jiang Yan naturally put his arm around Shen Qingyao’s shoulders and guided her outside.

Shen Qingyao didn't act coy. "What’s going on? I’m actually a bit reluctant to part."

For a split second, Jiang Yan felt as if his heart had been struck by something. He looked at Shen Qingyao with a smile. "Then tonight, I’ll come to pick you up. You can just stay at my mother’s shop."

"Alright, I’ll wait for you." Shen Qingyao grinned, and Jiang Yan raised his hand to pinch the soft flesh of her cheek. Although there wasn't much meat on her face, Jiang Yan seemed to love these little gestures. Every time Shen Qingyao saw him do this, she couldn't help but stand still and watch him. From Jiang Yan’s perspective, she looked like a naive little sprite.

Chen Zheng dropped Shen Qingyao off at the shop, and Jiang Yan headed off toward Jiang Feng’s direction. Inside the shop, only Mianmian was watching the front door. Seeing Shen Qingyao arrive, she stood up to greet her. "Sister-in-law!"

Oh dear, she had forgotten about that. "You should still call me 'Big Sister.' Calling me 'Sister-in-law' feels a bit strange." Especially in this place, it felt even more awkward. Moreover, this was Xie Meiyi’s shop. Shen Qingyao thought that perhaps this job would only last until now.

"Big Sister, can you teach me how to do my problems again today?"

Xie Meiyi wasn't in the shop, and Shen Qingyao figured it wouldn't hurt to find something to do. She readily agreed. "Sure, go get your textbook."

"Great! Big Sister, let me tell you, today's math problems are so hard." Before even opening her book, Mianmian began to complain. Shen Qingyao leaned closer to her, and couldn't help but think of what Xu Kaifeng had said: Mianmian’s life from now on would only be filled with happiness.

Opening the textbook, Mianmian pointed to the spot. Shen Qingyao took a glance and wrote out an equation for her. It was just the Pythagorean theorem. Life was as easy as flipping one's hand.

Shen Qingyao’s confidence began to swell, but Mianmian said she had never seen this formula before. "This is called the Pythagorean theorem. Just follow this formula to calculate it; it’s very simple."

Shen Qingyao flipped through the pages further. Their textbooks were too obscure and difficult to understand. There were piles of theory and poorly drawn diagrams, but not a single example. There were plenty of practice problems, though, which meant their practical utility was zero.

"Is that so? Then I’ll give it a try..." Mianmian calculated the numbers by herself and realized that Shen Qingyao was indeed right.

"Sister-in-law, you are so amazing!"

"That I am." Shen Qingyao looked smug, using a palm-leaf fan not to cool herself, but to celebrate her own success.

With most of Mianmian’s homework finished, the girl went to practice her calligraphy while Shen Qingyao picked up a broom to sweep the floor. By the time Xie Meiyi returned, Shen Qingyao had just dampened the floor in preparation for mopping. Seeing this, Xie Meiyi hurried to stop her. "Yaoyao, what are you doing? This isn't your job."

"It’s alright, Auntie. I was just idle anyway."

Xie Meiyi insisted, "If you're idle, then rest. You really don't need to do this."

Shen Qingyao assumed Xie Meiyi was just being polite and didn't stop her work. But the next second, a "Big Fool" stood at the door and started crying. Xie Meiyi panicked. "Oh, don't cry! Don't cry at the door of my shop!"

"Auntie Xie, who is this?"

Xie Meiyi sighed helplessly. "Well, if you finish the work, he won't have anything to do, and he won't get his candy today."

"Ah?" Shen Qingyao was dumbfounded, watching the Big Fool cry so sorrowfully. Feeling like a culprit, she silently handed the broom to him. The Big Fool swept while sobbing, tears dripping down one by one.

"Sister-in-law, the Big Fool is from that family at the end of the village. He used to come here to steal food, so later Auntie told him that if he cleaned for a week, she’d give him a bag of candy. That’s the only reason he stopped stealing."

After hearing Mianmian’s explanation, Shen Qingyao felt even more flustered. "How about I take you to buy some candy? Although I might not be able to buy a whole bag because I..."

"Then we’ll go after I finish sweeping." The Big Fool stopped crying the moment he heard Shen Qingyao. The speed of his change was so fast that Shen Qingyao hadn't even reacted.

Xie Meiyi smiled as she took out some coupons and money for Shen Qingyao. "Yaoyao, why don't you take him to buy it later? It’s been almost a month anyway."

Shen Qingyao didn't take it and firmly refused. "Auntie, this isn't appropriate..."

Xie Meiyi remained insistent. "There’s nothing inappropriate about it." Seeing that Shen Qingyao still wouldn't take it, Xie Meiyi stuffed the money into the Big Fool’s pocket. "Go buy it with this big sister later, okay?"

"Got it." The Big Fool obeyed Xie Meiyi completely.

Xie Meiyi, satisfied, sat down at the sewing machine to mend a piece of cloth. Shen Qingyao stood to the side, struggling with how to bring it up to her. Xie Meiyi, sensing something different about Shen Qingyao, waited for her to speak first.

"Auntie Xie, after I finish today, I probably won't come to work here anymore."

Hearing this, Xie Meiyi’s hands paused. "What’s wrong? Did I do something poorly?"

"No, it’s just that before, I didn't know you were Jiang Yan’s mother, so it was fine working here. But now that I know, I feel a bit strange..."

Xie Meiyi felt relieved. "Is that all? Just settle down and work. Jiang Yan is clumsy with words; there are some things he won't say, so I’ll say them for him."

"Auntie, Jiang Yan isn't clumsy." Shen Qingyao subconsciously defended him, and Xie Meiyi looked up at her with a smile.

"Fine, if you don't think he's clumsy, then he isn't. He’s just a stubborn boy. Just work here with peace of mind; we’ll keep our relationship as it is."

Shen Qingyao hesitated repeatedly before speaking again, "Auntie, I still want to go out and find a more stable job."

Xie Meiyi pondered, stopping her work. "That’s fine too. But if you can't find anything, you can come back and continue working here; that’s not impossible."

Xie Meiyi was offering her a safety net. Shen Qingyao appreciated the kindness and smiled at her. In this world, most of the people she had met were incredibly kind—except for Wang Guihua’s family.

The Big Fool put down the mop, and Shen Qingyao led him to the supply and marketing cooperative. After getting the candy, the Big Fool didn't eat it; instead, he tugged at Shen Qingyao, insisting on heading into an alleyway. Shen Qingyao was confused, but knowing the Big Fool wasn't a bad person, she followed him.

The Big Fool stopped at a corner and threw a rock inside. A moment later, a rock was thrown back out, landing right at Shen Qingyao’s feet.