She Only Cares About Cultivation

Caihua’s tears fell heavily: "Got it, sister, the principal is actually very nice. He even made a point to talk to us, telling us not to dwell on it, and that if we have any problems, we can always ask the teachers. They will treat everyone equally."

"Isn’t that good? If the teachers don’t mind, why should you? Those classmates are just classmates. If they were genuinely kind, would they isolate you? Besides, we’re all older than them, so we have no common ground anyways. It’s best to focus on your studies and pass the vocational school entrance exam as soon as possible. Do you understand?"

When it comes to pep talks, no one’s words are as effective as An Yi’s. They came with low spirits but left full of confidence.

Even An Yi couldn’t help but shake her head and sigh, "Too bad I’m not in a union."

But immediately she thought, "Actually, I’d make a pretty good teacher too, haha!"

——

Yesterday, she made six small rolls, and the little guy could eat one in a sitting. She put the rest in the space while they were still hot.

Adults certainly wouldn’t compete with kids for food, so after cooking yesterday, she took out just one roll. This morning they drank milk and had egg custard, at noon, they made pickled fish. They sliced the leftover fish from yesterday and paired it with bread rolls.

Since they had to catch the bus back to school, they began cooking at eleven. As they left, she slipped them some money.

"Take it, better to have money on the road than at home. You don’t need to save for me. I have a job now, and there’s no need for money while at home. You two focus on your studies, and pay me back when you start working. No interest charged."

That touched their hearts, and they left with teary eyes.

An Yi sighed. These two kids have it tough. Luckily, they weren’t infected back then, nor did they get pregnant and give birth. Otherwise, their situation might have been worse.

She also asked about their periods, everything was normal, but they were frugal buying paper each month. An Yi specifically gave them money to buy better ones. Nowadays, there are three types of toilet paper. The smooth-surfaced grass paper isn’t suitable for women. Another type is wrinkled but rough, with a bad texture. The slightly better type is wrinkled and soft. The most expensive is pink and very soft, costing three to four dimes per pound according to the 1960s prices. The cheapest cost five cents per roll, and she asked them to buy the one that costs ten cents.

She had grabbed her toilet paper in the past, picking the best.

In the late afternoon, when she planned to nap with her daughter, the village chief and secretary came to visit with an old lady and a young woman.

An Yi politely let them in. The chief and secretary looked sympathetically at An Yi and stated their purpose.

"Xiao’an, this is An Ran’s biological mom and grandma, they came to take the child."

An Yi raised an eyebrow and paused mid-pouring tea, set down the kettle, and turned around to look at the two women.

The older woman’s eyes darted around, with yellowish sclera, high cheekbones, thin lips signaling meanness. Her large frame and slim body wore a dirty tunic full of patches, emanating an unapproachable odor.

The younger woman, although not unattractive, had a sallow complexion and stood less than 1.6 meters. Her patched clothes hung loosely but at least were clean. She instinctively searched for the child upon entering, her nervous and eager expression betraying her reluctance back then to give her child away.

Even more alarming, her belly was slightly raised—was she pregnant again?

An Yi hurriedly dragged a stool over: "Have a seat and let’s talk."

She then offered chairs and water to the village chief and secretary but ignored the old lady.

The old woman, seeing An Yi’s treatment, bristled immediately: "What do you mean by this?"

"It means you’re not welcome. What’s the issue? Don’t like it? Then leave!"

"You... you treat the elderly like this? I’m a guest in your home!"

"No, you’re an enemy of this house. We don’t have guests like you. Enough talk, sit or leave."