Once they were seen off, everyone here went to wash up and then retired to rest.
After Kong Demin was done, his hands didn’t idle.
"Deming, your two sisters are still not as good as Mengjie."
"Yes, I know. Meng Lin has been jealous of Mengjie since they were young, and Meng Lin doesn’t have much sense. Having a little cleverness but not using it in the right place."
"True, Mengjie and Dehong hadn’t been gone long before you arrived, but Meng Lin didn’t mention them at all."
Meng Xiu Fen was smart, she knew better than to delve deeper into the topic. She preferred to let Kong Demin think it through on his own.
On Saturday morning, Jiang Xinyu went out to buy breakfast for the two children and brought back five pounds of rib meat.
Qiao Jingyi was coming over today, so stewing some meat to entertain guests seemed very practical.
"Mom, are we having guests over today?"
"Yes, my classmates are coming over for lunch. What do you two want to eat?"
"We love everything you make, Mom."
"Alright, we’ll have a hotpot today. You two go study now. Tomorrow’s Sunday, how about we go check out the club?"
"Great, awesome. Will Sister Xiangting go? Will Brother Zhiwei go?"
"I’ll notify them today, and we’ll all go together tomorrow. We can also choose to watch a movie if you want."
The two children were very excited about going out to play, so they obediently went to study.
Today, Jiang Xinyu didn’t use the big pot to stew the meat but used a tin stove instead. There was plenty of time, so it was done slowly.
The dried goods were already soaked, and there were plenty of fresh vegetables at home, enough for today’s meal.
Once everything was prepared, she thought about taking the kids out tomorrow, and started kneading some dough to make bread for them in the evening.
Yao Shimin arrived at nine o’clock. "Vice Factory Director Jiang, I’m going to check the house bit by bit. It’s all set up, but I want to make sure there’s nothing unsuitable. I’ll come over for lunch at your place afterward." Read full story at 𝔫𝔬𝔳𝔢𝔩~𝕗𝕚𝕣𝕖~𝙣𝙚𝙩
After seeing Yao Shimin off, she hung the watermelon in the water well, so it would be ice-cold by lunchtime.
Qiao Jingyi arrived at ten o’clock. The moment they saw each other, they embraced tightly. They hadn’t met since graduating high school.
"Xinyu, you’ve grown taller, now taller than me, and your figure has improved—you’re prettier too."
"Haha, our Sister Qiao has become more articulate, but I love to hear it."
"Shijing, Feifei, come over and say hello to Aunt Qiao."
Jiang Xinyu looked proudly at her two children, who were stepping out. "Jingyi, this is my son, Jiang Shijing, and this is my daughter, Jiang Feifei."
"Jiang Xinyu, have you gotten married?"
Jiang Xinyu smiled but didn’t answer. She wasn’t willing to lie but didn’t want to get caught up in explaining either.
"Shijing, this is Aunt Qiao, Mom’s high school classmate."
"Hello, Aunt Qiao, I’m Jiang Shijing."
"Hello, Aunt Qiao, I’m Jiang Feifei. It’s delightful to have you visit our home, we warmly welcome you."
Qiao Jingyi was stunned, blankly staring at Jiang Xinyu and the two children.
"Shijing, Feifei, you two go find Master Shang, your Aunt Qiao hasn’t come to her senses yet."
Once the two children left, Jiang Xinyu nudged Qiao Jingyi, "Are you back to reality now? Was that necessary?"
"Jiang Xinyu, are those two kids really yours?"
"Can’t you see some resemblance between us Niang San?"
"Who is it exactly? Damn it, how could he not appreciate you? We have such a wonderful Jiang Xinyu here, and he actually chose to leave? Tell me who he is, I’m going to beat him up."
"Alright, alright, sister. It’s not a big deal. Separating is separating; I’m already quite content with my two kids. Don’t get upset."
Suddenly, Qiao Jingyi embraced Jiang Xinyu and started sobbing, "Xinyu, why is your life so bitter? How did you end up with such an awful man?"
"Alright, alright, don’t cry. I feel quite okay with it. I can raise two kids by myself, and us Niang San are very happy together."
"Happy? You’re doing both mom and dad’s jobs; isn’t it exhausting?"
"I don’t find it exhausting. Come on, don’t cry, I don’t even shed tears."
Only then did Qiao Jingyi let go of Jiang Xinyu, awkwardly wiping her eyes.
"Xinyu, let me introduce someone to you. A teacher from our school who has a daughter—his wife passed away. He’s a very good man, thirty years old; all his students adore him."
"Haha, Qiao Jingyi, wasn’t I supposed to introduce someone to you? How did it become you introducing someone to me?
I genuinely have no thoughts of pursuing anyone and absolutely won’t in the future."
Upon hearing Jiang Xinyu’s words, Qiao Jingyi assumed she’d been deeply hurt. This matter should be picked up later.
"Xinyu, the letter you wrote to my parents—they asked me to come and see you. I’m already twenty-four, and still an old bachelorette. If Yao Shimin is indeed a genuinely good man, I agree."
"It’s great that you agree. If you don’t want to continue teaching, we can arrange a job for you at the textile factory. Since Yao Shimin genuinely has talent, our factory would definitely offer him many conveniences to keep him."
"Is that even possible? What good jobs are there at the textile factory?"
"It depends on what you want to do. I reckon you definitely can’t be in the workshop, but you can work as a clerk in the union, or go to the finance department, or to quality inspection—plenty of easy jobs for women."
"Alright, alright, as long as Yao Shimin passes the test, I agree. I’m really tired of being a teacher; dealing with students drives me nuts. Now I finally understand how our teacher felt back then."
"Hahaha, it’s not bad. If you really like teaching, you can go to the Worker and Staff Primary School. You’re a top graduate from Normal University; being just a clerk at the textile factory is a waste of your talents."
"Waste? I’ve had enough; if I hadn’t messed up my exams, I’d never have attended Normal University, nor did I want to retake them. I never wanted to be a teacher my whole life."
"Haha, well, I understand what you want now. When the time comes if it really happens, we’ll discuss work later."
"Okay, okay. Did you really stew meat for me?"
"Of course not. It’s been years since I last saw you. I surely have to make something good for you.
I’ll start by slicing watermelon for you; Shijing and the others should be done with class soon."
"Jiang Xinyu, you’re not a true mother—letting such young children study for so long! When will they finish learning?"
"Do you think everyone’s like you? My Shijing and Feifei love to study."
"Look at that pride!"
"That’s right. My two treasures are so thoughtful and considerate; they know how to care for me."
Jiang Xinyu brought up the water bucket, sliced the watermelon for Qiao Jingyi first, and only then went into the room to call them trio.
Qiao Jingyi respectfully greeted Master Shang, amused by her interesting nature and perceptiveness about people.