Gu’er didn’t tell her how much she made each day. There was no need to flaunt it in front of Lin Sui’er.
’But how much did I make today?’ Gu’er silently calculated.
She wasn’t selling mushrooms in the city for free, of course. Sun Jiaming had already explained the arrangent to everyone: for every jin sold, Gu’er would take a small commission. At that rate, she figured she must have earned over eight yuan today.
Gu’er smiled. Nothing else mattered; at least she could make a living.
"Enough. When you’re eighteen, you can do what you want and no one will say a thing. Your sister is earning money through honest, hard work. She deserves respect even if she only makes a single cent. You should be learning from her, not making fun of her."
Lin Shan lectured his second daughter.
Lin Sui’er’s face went pale. ’Dad is being so unfair! Everything is about how great Gu’er is. At this point, even if Lin Gu’er farts, he’d probably think it slls like roses. If this keeps up, will there even be a place for in this family anymore?’
"Alright, alright, let’s just eat, shall we? After dinner, Sui’er, you can go do your howork. Gu’er, you’ve been busy all day and must be tired. Wash up and get so rest early."
Seeing her daughter’s pale face, Chen Fengjiao’s heart ached, and she quickly interjected to defuse the situation.
Lin Shan shot her a look. He knew what his wife was doing. The saying was true: a doting mother spoils the child. She always shielded Sui’er this way, and as a result, the girl was growing more and more spoiled. He wanted to discipline her, but his wife always interfered. He understood her reasoning—their eldest daughter had been gone, so she didn’t want their second daughter to feel the slightest bit wronged. But that was no way to raise a child.
He’d tried to have a serious talk with Chen Fengjiao about it several tis, but she would just get teary-eyed, and he couldn’t bring himself to go on. He knew she was still carrying a heavy heart, so he couldn’t push it. But now that their eldest daughter was back, it was high ti the younger one was properly disciplined. Otherwise, she was in for a rude awakening when she entered the real world.
Lin Sui’er stole a glance at her father. Seeing his grim expression, she didn’t dare make another peep. ’I’m not a child anymore; I understand how things work. The teachers at school mostly leave alone, and lots of students want to be my friend. Why? Because my dad’s an official. People are always trying to get on my good side. When I graduate, if I want to be a factory worker, I can. If I want to work at the departnt store, I can. If I want to be a teacher, I can go to a school. If I want to be a nurse or a doctor, Dad can probably arrange that for , too.’
She was well aware that her ability to do whatever she wanted depended entirely on her father, which was why she didn’t dare talk back to Lin Shan.
Seeing Lin Shan’s dark expression, Lin Sui’er fell silent.
anwhile, Lin Zheng was quietly asking Gu’er what mushrooms looked like and how they grew. He had only ever eaten chicken and mushroom stew, and in his mind, mushrooms were black. Having never seen fresh ones, he was curious.
"Tomorrow, I’ll bring so back and make you a soup. It’s delicious with a little at and so bok choy."
Gu’er was very fond of Lin Zheng.
"Okay!"
Lin Zheng nodded eagerly. For the past few days, Gu’er had made him a new dish every day—all things he’d never tasted before. He loved her cooking. He thought this eldest sister was completely different from his second sister. She was pretty, good-natured, and an amazing cook. He liked his eldest sister.
"Then I’ll pick up so bok choy tomorrow," Chen Fengjiao chid in. All that mattered to her was that her children were happy.
Lin Sui’er pouted. ’Like it’s so kind of delicacy. I couldn’t care less.’
The next day, after breakfast, Gu’er took a sack of mushrooms from the store to sell. Once she sold out, she returned to the gatehouse to haul another load. By the ti she got back from her second trip, Uncle Zhao and his group had arrived. Sun Jiaming hadn’t co with them this ti. Soone needed to manage things at ho, so he couldn’t get away.
They had brought a lot of mushrooms this ti as well. Gu’er took the slip of paper from Uncle Zhao. Sun Jiaming had already written down the total weight in jin.
Gu’er had them grab a bite to eat before they headed back to the village, then she went back to selling her mushrooms.
On the third day, Gu’er gave Uncle Zhao the money from the first two days of sales to take back with him.
Staring at the thick wad of cash, Uncle Zhao’s hands trembled. Even though the stack was a mix of yuan, jiao, and fen bills, he had never held so much money at once. He knew it wasn’t all for him—it belonged to several families—but this was real, hard cash! He couldn’t help but feel a thrill.
Gu’er stayed busy like this for several days. One evening, she had just finished dinner at ho when Lin Shan ca to see her. It was ti for her to start night school.
Lin Shan had signed Gu’er up for a business managent course. Classes ran from 6:00 to 9:30 or 10:00 PM every evening and would last for one year.
There was a six-month version of the course available, but Lin Shan figured that if his daughter was going to learn, she might as well learn as much as possible. It wasn’t as if he couldn’t afford it, so he had enrolled her in the full-year program.
"Now, when you get there, don’t be scared or flustered. Pay close attention to the teacher’s lectures. If you don’t understand sothing, just ask. If you can’t ask right away, write it down and ask later. If there are any words you don’t recognize, you can ask when you get ho. There’s no need to feel embarrassed. It’s bound to be a little difficult at first, but as long as you’re willing to learn, I’m sure you’ll do great."
Lin Shan encouraged his daughter, hoping she would truly be able to apply herself to her studies.
"Okay, I understand. Thanks, Dad. I’m heading out now."
Gu’er grabbed the pen and notebook she had laid out, tucked them into her bag, and left her small room, her heart filled with excitent.
"Eldest Sister, why do you go to school at night? Second Sister and I both go during the day. Can’t you go then?"
Lin Zheng asked curiously, his big, innocent eyes wide.
"I have to sell things and earn money during the day, so I have to go to school at night."
Gu’er ruffled his hair. The little guy had grown quite attached to her.
"Co back soon, Eldest Sister. It’s dark out, so don’t trip."
Lin Zheng instructed her like a little adult looking after his big sister.
"I will."
Gu’er nodded, giving him a warm smile.
Lin Zheng walked Gu’er downstairs. He had wanted to escort her all the way there, but she said she knew the way and he didn’t have to, so Lin Zheng didn’t insist.
The night school Lin Shan had enrolled Gu’er in was called the Workers’ University. It wasn’t an accredited university, of course, but rather a place for continuing education for workers. It rented rooms in the Mass Art Center, where instructors held classes.
Not just anyone could attend, either. Most students ca from families with so status; otherwise, who would pay out of pocket just to study?
Gu’er got off her bicycle on Yanjiang Road and found the art center. She spotted the sign for the Workers’ University.
Gu’er looked for a place to park her bike, but the entire area in front of the building was already packed with them. It looked like there was no space left.
"Looking for a place to park?"
Just then, Gu’er heard a voice behind her. It sounded young. ’Is he talking to ?’ she wondered.
Gu’er turned around.
Behind her was a brand-new bicycle, clearly a better make than her own. A young man was sitting on its seat.
The young man’s hair was parted on the side. He wore a blue denim jacket and a pair of straight-leg trousers that weren’t jeans.
For the ti, his style was quite fashion-forward.
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Thank you to Super Assassin and 125401451 for the monthly tickets. I’m not ho today, so I stayed up late to write this Chapter—it’s already past 1 AM. Who knows when I’ll get the second Chapter written. The tragedy of having no stockpiled Chapters. Have a great weekend, everyone.
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