Chapter 26

Chapter 26

Sun Miao had nearly finished packing when she finally saw her mother return.

Nothing annoyed her more than this—when work needed doing, no one could be found; but as soon as it was done, everyone came trickling back.

Auntie Li walked into the room looking distraught, only to be met by Sun Dafu’s frantic questioning: “What’s going on? Why did they call you back again?”

“We’re finished,” Auntie Li muttered, collapsing onto the edge of the bed. “Jiang Huiqi is demanding compensation.”

“It’s just a bit of meat we took. We were in the wrong to begin with—just pay a small amount as a show of remorse. They just want an apology.”

Auntie Li didn’t dare tell the whole truth. She loved gambling—at first, she played for small stakes, with modest wins and losses. But as her addiction grew, she sometimes stayed up all night playing mahjong. Over time, she ran up debts. When her own money wasn’t enough to cover the losses, she even borrowed from her gambling buddies. Eventually, she turned her attention to the household provisions.

Jiang Huiqi had gone through the accounts and discovered not only that Auntie Li had secretly taken food and pastries from the house but also that she had skimmed a considerable sum from the food procurement funds.

At first, it might have been just a little, but over time, the amounts grew larger.

The Hans weren’t fools—they had a rough idea of how much supplies needed to be replenished. Yet by the end of the month, the expense claims were at least double what they would have been through legitimate channels. Auntie Li had naively thought no one would notice, but Jiang Huiqi had dug up all the receipts and invoices. Not only were the quantities off, but the prices were also inflated. A simple trip to the market or a consultation with a professional buyer would have exposed her scheme right away.

Even Auntie Li herself couldn’t say exactly how much money was involved.

The Han family gave her a choice: either return the money, or they would report her. Losing her pension would be the least of it—she could even end up in jail.

Auntie Li had just returned from the back and was now discussing the matter with Sun Dafu in distress.

Sun Dafu was stunned. Losing his job had already been a heavy blow, but he had tried to look on the bright side—early retirement had its perks. He could start collecting his pension sooner and enjoy a few more years of leisure. But now, hearing that his wife had embezzled money—money he’d been completely unaware of—left him speechless.

What would Old Master Han think of him now? Any remaining goodwill would be gone.

Losing his job was one thing—after all, forcing him into early retirement over such a minor issue meant the Han family owed him. But this?

“How could you do something like this? Do you even have any idea how much money is missing?”

“I don’t keep accounts!” she snapped, implying she had no clue.

“Then where’s the money?” Sun Dafu’s hands trembled slightly. If Jiang Huiqi was angry, the sum must be substantial.

Auntie Li slumped onto the bed frame in frustration.

Sun Dafu stared at his wife, too shocked to speak. “You spent all that money and can’t pay it back?”

His chest ached.

For years, the couple had lived on staff meals, stayed in the staff quarters, and paid nothing for utilities. The only extra expense had been their spoiled daughter.

Sun Miao had also eaten with the staff, but she had been indulged since childhood. From a young age, she had sneaked food out of the kitchen—starting with a bowl of steamed eggs, then gradually taking more. Eventually, Sun Miao stopped seeing herself as an outsider and began visiting the back courtyard more frequently. That should have been Sun Dafu’s first sign things were going wrong.

But his wife had never been one to listen to advice, always brushing things off as no big deal.

And now, everything had come to a head over some pastries. What should have been a simple matter—an apology to Jiang Huiqi for the plate of pastries that sent Han Lingling to the hospital—had spiraled out of control.

“Our wages were never high—how much could we have saved?”

“Then where did it all go?” Sun Dafu’s expression darkened. “Did you gamble it all away? You reckless woman! You took our family’s money to gamble, and then you stole from the Han family to feed your habit! What kind of background do we come from? If it weren’t for my father saving Old Master Han before Liberation, we’d still be dirt farmers herding sheep in the fields! What gives you the right to defy Jiang Huiqi? If it weren’t for you, the joint venture I was handling wouldn’t have been canceled halfway through!”

Auntie Li shot to her feet. “Now you’re blaming me? You’re the one who couldn’t provide a decent life for your wife and daughter! Don’t talk to me about principles—look at the Jiang family next door! They started out as field hands with hoes, but they built a future for their descendants. You and your father had a better start than them, so why didn’t your father become a general or a Party official? That’s why I always tell Miao Miao—marry a man with ambition, or she’ll suffer her whole life!”

She collapsed onto the floor in despair and began wailing. “I’ve slaved in the kitchen half my life—up before the roosters and to bed after the dogs. And now I have to listen to your complaints? After a lifetime of hard work, can’t I have one little hobby? Am I just some worthless drudge, fit only to slave away for your precious Sun family?”

Sun Dafu shouted, "If my dad were a general on the Party committee, would I even be stuck with a wife like you?"

The couple started yelling at each other.

Sun Miao was already in a bad mood, and hearing her parents quarrel made her chest feel tight.

Was money the issue now? Soon she’d get her job assignment, but without the Han family’s backing, who could she turn to for help?

But she quickly realized something and glared at her mother, who loved gambling. With a nasty look, she asked, "Don’t tell me we really have no savings at all—are we going to have to rent from now on?"

————

Seeing Xu Meng finally improved Jiang Huiqi's mood a bit.

Thanks to Xu Meng’s frequent visits recently, even a free-spirited kid like Han Lingling had become more focused, hardly ever begging to go out to play.

She wanted her daughter to hang out more with kids like Xu Meng. As for someone like Sun Miao, today was when she finally saw her true colors.

Sun Miao was the type who knew how to work the system. Even if she was a snob, she made the people she wanted to impress feel comfortable. In front of Jiang Huiqi, she always played the perfect angel, but people like that inevitably showed their ugly side sooner or later.

"Mengmeng’s here. Aren’t you here to study with Lingling today?"

"Auntie Jiang, my mom asked me to bring something for Lingling."

Jiang Huiqi glanced at it without much interest. Having Xu Meng over was her own idea—she didn’t expect anything in return. Besides, she had heard that Xu Meng’s family wasn’t well-off. During the summer, she had even sold watermelons at the train station to earn money. That alone impressed Jiang Huiqi deeply—hardworking and independent.

"You’re such a good girl too. Come on in and rest a bit," she said, assuming it was just an ordinary notebook. These days, teenage girls often gave gifts like this.

This only increased Jiang Huiqi’s fondness for Xu Meng. If the gift had been too expensive, it wouldn’t have felt quite right.

But then Han Lingling suddenly called out, "Xu Meng, did your mom really make these notes?"

Earlier, she had just been supporting Xu Meng, hyping up how great the notes were, but hadn’t actually looked closely.

Xu Meng leaned over as well and saw that Han Lingling was reading about essay-writing techniques.

Feng Yanwen had analyzed and categorized college entrance exam essays into roughly four or five types.

The 1990s college entrance exams weren’t particularly difficult, and Feng Yanwen had put in a lot of effort, so the notes were plenty to get by on the tests.

"Not exactly real-world useful," Xu Meng added casually, "They're just test prep stuff."

Even Jiang Huiqi, who usually didn’t join their conversations, came over to take a look. She always paid close attention to her daughter’s studies. Xu Meng explained, "Test prep stuff isn't the same as real-world English."

Jiang Huiqi didn’t quite understand—wasn’t it all just English?

But she seemed to realize that Xiao Xu’s mom really knew her stuff.

Jiang Huiqi immediately invited Xu Meng inside, "Don’t stand around out here. Come in and have some snacks. We just got a new cook who makes great Cantonese dim sum..."

Xu Meng wasn’t interested in snacks. She had come just to drop off the notes, so she quickly apologized, "Auntie, my mom’s waiting for me at home—I should head back now."

After saying that to Jiang Huiqi, she left without so much as a goodbye.

School was about to start again, and everyone was busy. Xu Meng’s school reopened, and along with it came the first practice test of senior year.

Just like before, most schools finished the high school curriculum before the end of sophomore year. The entire senior year would be review, preparing students for the nonstop round of exams ahead.

Xu Meng placed her books back into the desk and immediately dove into practice problems.

Ever since being reborn, she had cherished every single day.

Drills, memorization, vocab…

In her past life, her grades had barely met the college admission cutoff. This time, Xu Meng wanted to work harder—maybe she’d get lucky too.

She wasn’t sure how long she had been studying when someone gave her a poke from behind. Turning around, she saw a thin, petite classmate. The girl hesitated, her mouth opening and closing a few times before finally asking,

“Xu Meng, aren’t you going to eat?”

Crap. Xu Meng glanced around the classroom and quickly realized—it was lunch rush.

With so many students and so few cafeteria windows, getting food was a race. To accommodate seniors, they were dismissed ten minutes early, but if you were late, you'd end up squeezed in with the other grades, turning into a mob of people.

Xu Meng snatched up her lunch tray and took a quick look at the girl, suddenly remembering who she was.

—Wei Xiang.

She didn’t have much of an impression of Wei Xiang, mainly because the girl always seemed to fade into the background. But she did remember hearing later that Wei Xiang had committed suicide. As a classmate, Xu Meng felt a twinge of guilt, though by then they had already graduated. No one had Wei Xiang’s contact details, so no one could visit her family or offer condolences.

Years later, she ran into a high school classmate. By then, they were all nearing middle age, and their conversations revolved around houses and kids. Someone happened to mention Wei Xiang, and the classmate mused wistfully, “If only I had pursued Wei Xiang back then. Her village was redeveloped late, and every household got several properties and a big payout. Even the worst-off families ended up with multiple apartments. Property prices in her area weren’t cheap—basically, everyone became millionaires.”

Redevelopment sounded lucrative, but not everyone caught the right timing.

Those who got redeveloped early received peanuts. Some spent the money on overseas trips, cars, or other luxuries, leaving little behind.

The best timing was during the years when real estate prices shot up—compensation was generous, and ordinary people had started to figure out money management.

Wei Xiang looked just as Xu Meng remembered—thin and small, with a somewhat comical appearance. Seeing her still standing there dazed, Xu Meng quickly grabbed her and bolted for the cafeteria, saying along the way, “Let’s split up—you get the rice, I’ll get the dishes. Give me your meal voucher for the dishes, and I’ll give you mine for the rice.”

“Oh, okay. Here’s mine. I’ll just have the budget meal,” Wei Xiang said timidly.

Xu Meng handed her a meal voucher. “Get me a small scoop of rice.”

That was the usual portion for girls.

They agreed on a meeting spot and went their separate ways.

Luckily, only seniors were there at the time, so the lines weren’t too long. But the budget meal counter was packed—apparently, quite a few people were tight on cash. Xu Meng joined the line, and before it was her turn, Wei Xiang had already finished.

Splitting tasks like this was one of the rare time-saving tricks of high school life.

It saved half the time.

Xu Meng quickly spotted Wei Xiang in the crowd, and they headed back to the classroom together. By then, most of their classmates were already eating. They shared a grin of relief—once, they had envied seniors for eating early, and now they were enjoying the same privilege.

“Ah, it’s pumpkin,” Wei Xiang said, her eyes curving slightly.

Budget meals weren’t exactly flavorful, but the portions were generous. Mixed with rice, it tasted just fine.

Wei Xiang first divided the rice, placing half on the lid—that was Xu Meng’s share.

Some grains had scattered, but Wei Xiang distributed them evenly, even splitting those in half.

Once the rice was divided, Xu Meng gave half of her pumpkin to Wei Xiang. After that, she dumped the remaining rice into her bowl.

Then, Xu Meng pulled a jar from her desk and waved it in front of Wei Xiang. “Want some? I’ll give you a spoonful.”

It's minced chili peppers.

Wei Xiang immediately nodded. "How'd you think to bring this?"

People usually brought pickled stuff once it got cooler, but she never thought to bring minced chili peppers.

Since starting fresh, Xu Meng had become enthusiastic about hoarding food—a habit she’d picked up earlier. She used a clean spoon to scoop out a spoonful from the jar and gave it to Wei Xiang, then took one for herself before sealing the lid.

At home, there was plenty of minced chili peppers, all preserved in oil-filled jars. They could just scoop some out when they wanted to eat, and it would last until next year’s pepper harvest. Feng Yanwen told her not to skimp—school food was tasteless, and these were needed to make it edible.

The chilies had ginger mixed in and smelled fragrant. Wei Xiang took a bite and said, “This is delicious!”

Xu Meng smiled. “A neighbor from the south showed me how—they make this every summer where she’s from. If it’s sealed with oil, it won’t spoil and can last the whole year. We still have plenty at home—if you run out, just ask me for more.”

Wei Xiang shook her head. “I’m not great with spice, so I’ll finish this first.” But it was so good she couldn’t stop eating.

Soon, sweat appeared on her nose, and her lips turned bright red.

Wei Xiang sucked air through her teeth and drank a lot of water. “I need to build up my spice tolerance. Next week, I’ll bring some pickles too. My family made a bunch of pickled chilies over the summer, but in this weather, they’d go bad if kept out too long.”

Even pickles couldn’t last long now.

Wei Xiang was living in the dorms—she couldn’t go home daily like Xu Meng.

Xu Meng thought for a moment. “How about this—you start with yours, and we’ll use that up first. Then when you’re out, I’ll bring some from home. I go back every day anyway.”

Wei Xiang seemed to love the idea and nodded eagerly.

Finding a lunch buddy in senior year wasn’t easy, so the two agreed to eat together from now on.

Speaking of meal partners, Xu Meng thought of Xu Jia. They used to be like sisters, a natural pair. But Xu Jia was super shady—when dishing rice, she’d poke around to scatter the grains, only willing to split a full portion halfway with Xu Meng. Xu Meng used to call her out, but Xu Jia always acted like it was normal, claiming the scattered rice in her bowl was extra given by the cafeteria worker.

Like anyone was fooled.

Back when she ate with Xu Jia, Xu Meng often went hungry.

They walked outside to wash their bowls.

As they passed by, they happened to see Xu Jia arguing with someone.

"I'm not eating with you anymore," said a girl with an honest face, now flushed with anger. "You only gave me a tiny bit."

Xu Meng frowned. She knew no matter what the other person said, Xu Jia would shoot back something even harsher. Sure enough: "Maybe you're just eating too much? You should eat less—you're already so fat, don't you know how to control your weight? Blaming me because you're not full?"

The girl she was talking to had gained weight after years of hormone treatment for an immune disorder.

Swollen from meds—that’s what people meant by that kind of weight gain.

Hurt by Xu Jia’s words, the girl shot back, "You're so unfair. I won't eat with you again."

"Oh yeah? Let's see who dares to partner with you after this."

Xu Jia had her little gang. She cheated with them, and now hung out with the "‘top’ students" from each class. These kids stuck together, making it easy to push someone out.

Teachers turned a blind eye—the school only cared about grades.

That’s why no one batted an eye when Xu Jia later got into college.

To outsiders, she was just another model ‘good’ student.

In the end, Xu Jia's little clique is nothing but school bullying.

The girl was clearly intimidated by Xu Jia's words and shrank back. Xu Jia not only forced her to eat together with them, but also made her wash the mess tin, thrusting it into the girl’s hands without a word of explanation. Xu Jia said coldly, “Go clean this properly. If it’s not spotless, you’ll regret it.”

She’s doing it again. She’s doing it again.

Xu Meng used to be terrified of Xu Jia pulling these kinds of childish, bitchy tactics, but having been through it before, she now finds them laughably immature.

“Zhang Xiaoyu, come here,” Xu Meng commanded with steely resolve. “Come with us to wash the dishes. Xu Jia isn’t even in our class anymore—why are you listening to her?”

“But Xu Jia—”

“Throw it back at her. If she doesn’t want it, toss it in the trash.”

Today, Xu Meng was especially assertive, her tone carrying undeniable authority. Zhang Xiaoyu hesitated for a moment, glancing between Xu Meng and Xu Jia, before finally shoving the mess tin back into Xu Jia’s hands. After the track split into arts and sciences, everyone had been reassigned into new classes, and Xu Jia had moved to another class.

Xu Jia’s frosty glare locked onto her again.

—So it’s Xu Meng.