Chapter 534: Chapter 534: Endless Work
With the teething biscuit, Wen Yi finally lost interest in his own and his brother’s fingers. He leaned against Qin Jiu, obediently holding the biscuit to grind his teeth.
Yi Chichi saw this, bowed her head, and continued to work.
The bright afternoon light poured through the wide-open door, and the cross-draft lifted the embroidery thread on the embroidery frame. Wen’s mother worried the thread might be blown away and gently suggested, "Chichi, why don’t you change places to embroider?"
"Why?"
Yi Chichi, not thinking there’s any issue, looked over full of confusion.
"The wind is too strong."
She was silent for two seconds, uttered an "oh," and obediently moved the embroidery frame a bit, "Here it’s sheltered from the wind and won’t blow."
Wen’s mother twitched her mouth; moving it that tiny bit made no difference at all.
But never mind, as long as she’s happy.
Just then, Yang Qing led Yu Ting to pay a visit.
Compared to the disarray when they first met, today Yu Ting was wearing Yang Qing’s clothes.
They weren’t new, but they were clean and tidy, without patches, looking much better than the patched-up clothes she had when she came.
The clothes were altered to fit well.
After all, there was quite a difference in body shape between the two sisters; without alteration, they couldn’t be worn.
Her messy, straw-like, dry yellow hair was also cut short.
Though still as frizzy as ever, she looked much more spirited.
Only one thing, the fluffy hair made her small face look even smaller.
Seeing her like this, Yi Chichi thought that Yang Qing must not have had a moment’s rest since getting home. She had to take care of kids, do chores, and alter clothes and cut hair for her sister; truly a hard worker!
"Busy finished?"
She greeted.
Yang Qing hummed, "Almost done. I brought Tingting over to get familiar with the place."
Yi Chichi expressed understanding; Wen’s mother warmly welcomed the sisters’ arrival.
Wen Yi and Qin Jiu weren’t much interested in the two, but Qin Jiu still politely greeted them while holding Wen Yi.
The two sisters responded duly and sat down to drink tea under Wen’s mother’s enthusiastic greeting.
Wen’s mother was full of curiosity about Yu Ting, "How old is the little girl?"
Yu Ting held the teacup awkwardly, and upon hearing the question, immediately looked at Yang Qing for help.
Yang Qing smiled and encouraged her, "You chat with Auntie yourself."
Hearing this, Yu Ting remembered what Yang Qing had told her before leaving and immediately put down the teacup to respectfully chat with Wen’s mother.
"Hello, Auntie. My name is Yu Ting, and I just turned eighteen."
Wen’s mother, "..."
She’s a big girl now, but her figure is really too petite.
Looks like she could be around 13 or 14.
There was nothing else to say, as the child wasn’t from their family.
So she smiled, "Next time, Auntie will take you to the sea, okay?"
Speaking as if comforting a child, gentle and kind.
Yu Ting smiled, "Okay, Auntie."
Yi Chichi raised her eyebrows at her performance, who used to be timid and cowardly; now she was willing to open up and embrace the outside world, which was a good sign.
Indeed, the environment and people have a significant impact on a person.
"Aren’t you working today?"
She looked at Yang Qing, thinking that bringing Yu Ting here wasn’t just as simple as introducing her to the place.
As expected, with this question, Yang Qing gave her a pleasing smile, "I am, but I was worried that Tingting would feel uncomfortable staying home alone. So I thought of asking Auntie to chat with her."
Couldn’t count on the children; in the morning, while she went to the bathroom, she reminded them several times not to run around when the aunt came, and to stay at home to get to know people and visit around.
The two kids agreed readily, yet once she was out of the bathroom, they were gone.
Asking around, they were taken by Yuan Chu and the others.
By the time she chased them, they were nowhere to be seen.
No choice, she had to bring Tingting herself; however, she had to go to work, and the child’s temperament needed guidance from an elder.
In the residential area, the only elders were Zhang Xin’s grandfather, Mr. Zhang—unsuitable due to gender—and only Wen’s mother was appropriate.
She looked at Wen’s mother, "And Auntie, I also want to ask you a favor."
Wen’s mother, "...You can tell me first."
Small favors are doable; too difficult ones would be declined.
Even though she had this in mind, she didn’t expect Yang Qing’s request was for Wen’s mother to teach Yu Ting life skills.
Wen’s mother looked at Yu Ting, not responding immediately, but instead asked her, "How did you spend your days at home?"
Upon hearing this, Yu Ting’s eyes turned red, "Working, endless work."
Then, she detailed her daily life at home.
From the time she turned three, her childhood was over.
Every morning before her parents woke up, she had to get up and work with her sisters.
Her sisters didn’t like her, resenting her for being a girl. Treating her well was out of the question; using her as a slave for work was the norm.
Parents would scold the sisters, and they would turn around and beat her up.
As she grew older, not only did her parents scold and beat her, but so did her sisters.
She took care of her brother and did the chores; doing well was expected, not doing well definitely led to a beating.
Covered in old marks, she couldn’t eat properly or dress warmly, so her development was stunted; her period only started half a year ago.
Once it came, her parents thought of selling her to save money for her brother’s marriage.
After hearing about her daily life, Yi Chichi didn’t feel much because the protagonist’s past wasn’t much better than hers, but Wen’s mother almost felt suffocated from anger.
Breathing deeply several times, she finally calmed down, "Have you ever been to school?"
"I finished third grade."
Knowing how to read is enough; one shouldn’t expect too much from such children.
Wen’s mother’s heart finally eased; literacy meant they could communicate and understand simple reasoning.
She looked at Yang Qing, "I can only say I’ll try my best."
As for whether she can be taught successfully, she made no guarantees.
However, for the sisters, that was enough.
As a result, after Yang Qing expressed her infinite gratitude, Yu Ting was left behind.
In fact, Wen’s mother proved to be good at teaching children. In just half a month, while educating Qin Jiu and Wen Yi, she also taught Yu Ting many things.
This girl was quite diligent and eager to learn, observant and swift, not just someone who only knows how to take but not give.
When Wen’s mother tended the vegetable garden, she followed and helped out.
When Wen’s mother cut shoe patterns and made shoes and clothes, she picked up the needle and thread to help, being quick and steady-handed. The tiered soles she made were very pretty.
When the whole family went out to the sea, she kept a close eye on Wen Yi and Qin Jiu, fearing the waves might sweep the kids away or they might encounter danger.
When Yi Chichi ran out of thread and needed to split the thread, she wanted to help but was turned down, which made her quite dejected.
It wasn’t until Wen’s mother told her that her hands were too rough and might snag and ruin the embroidery thread, that she felt okay.
Yang Qing went even further; to thank Wen’s mother for teaching Yu Ting, she brought two tins of malted milk powder and thirty sea duck eggs to the house.
Wen’s mother accepted the sea duck eggs, but asked her to take the malted milk powder back.
The next day, she asked Qin Jiu to bring some White Rabbit candies to Yang Qing’s two children.
Once Old Huang returned home, Yu Ting no longer reported to the house.
That’s because she took over a colleague’s shift during late pregnancy, earning five yuan a month, with food and accommodation provided by the factory, making Yu Ting quite satisfied.
Yang Qing even came over to sigh, "She’s pretty lucky."
Yi Chichi had been embroidering for over two hours, her neck sore during the break, and upon hearing this, glanced at her, "Once your colleague finishes maternity leave, you need to think about her future."
Taking over a shift isn’t a long-term solution. Once it’s over, one still has to worry.
