The next day, after registration for the start of the academic year, Xu Nian’an brought someone to the shop to discuss the renovation. It was the same reliable big brother who worked on Xu Nian’an’s last project; he was very meticulous and earnest in his work.
After finalizing the deal, Xu Nian’an found a free moment and asked, "Sister Wei Hong, I heard you’re looking for a place recently?"
"Yes." Wei Hong nodded, admitting with some embarrassment, "Sorry, I’ve been late because of this."
"Sister Wei Hong, it’s just you and Xiaohua, right?" Xu Nian’an asked.
Wei Hong looked at Xu Nian’an in confusion and nodded. Her husband had passed away, her in-laws considered her and her daughter unlucky, and her own family thought poorly of her for being without a husband. So, she was on her own, raising her child in Ningbei.
"Sister Wei Hong, if, if you and Xiaohua could live near Beining University, would you be willing?" Xu Nian’an asked, quickly explaining to avoid misunderstanding: "You see, my little sister attends Beining University, and I thought about opening a shop there. But my sister is busy with her classes..."
Xu Nian’an looked at Wei Hong and said, "I wanted to ask if you’d be willing to work there. There’s a room and a small kitchen behind the shop where you and Xiaohua could stay. It’s close to the police station and the school, so it’s very safe."
"Willing." Wei Hong agreed without a second thought; they could live anywhere as long as she had work to do! For origınal chapters go to 𝗻𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗹✶𝗳𝗶𝗿𝗲✶𝗻𝗲𝘁
This job allowed her to bring her child, and it paid well. Wei Hong couldn’t afford to lose it.
"It’s just the rent..." Wei Hong hesitated and looked at Xu Nian’an. If the rent was too high, she and her daughter couldn’t afford it.
"Since you’re working in our store, you can live there for free, but you will also need to help look after the shop," Xu Nian’an explained. "That area is mainly populated by teachers, so it’s quite safe."
"Of course, the previous one-month rent of three dollars is waived," Xu Nian’an added.
Previously, when Ban Lin stayed at the shop, she didn’t charge rent, so she compensated Wei Hong with the rent.
"No problem, I’m willing to work there. Don’t worry, I’ll take good care of the shop," Wei Hong said excitedly. She felt that she and her daughter had met a benefactor.
"Alright, the house is being cleaned and needs some simple renovations. It’ll take about one to two weeks. Is that okay for you?"
"Alright." Wei Hong confirmed. As a woman raising a child on her own, finding a good place wasn’t easy. The safe and good places were too expensive, and she didn’t feel safe in the cheaper ones.
In the library, Xu Nianhua had just borrowed some books and was in a hurry to meet Fei Jiayi and the others at the cafeteria. She was walking quickly and accidentally sprained her ankle when she stepped on a stone. All the books and assignments she was holding flew out...
Xu Nianhua endured the pain and hadn’t yet picked up her books when a kind person squatted down to help her gather them.
"Are you alright?" the kind person asked.
"I’m fine, thank you."
Seeing her books retrieved, Xu Nianhua gratefully thanked them.
"Should I take you to the infirmary?" the kind person asked again.
Xu Nianhua quickly shook her head, thanked them repeatedly, and hobbled towards the cafeteria.
"Nianhua, what happened to you?" After waiting for a long time without seeing Xu Nianhua, Fei Jiayi and the others finally saw her hobbling over and rushed up to her, bombarding her with questions about what had happened.