Chapter 31

Chapter 31

Xu Meng and her mother were not surprised by this outcome. In the adult world, there’s more than just "saving face." Zhang Mingqing still had a long road ahead of her.

Tenants like Zhang Mingqing—the more, the merrier.

Cookies and milk came in whole boxes, along with several crates of household supplies. Feng Yanwen felt there was too much and tried to decline, but they weren’t taking no for an answer. Zhang Mingqing merely glanced at the items and told them to keep them.

—"These are all distributed by the workplace or gifts from visitors. Even if they don’t use them, they’ll just give them away."

This family cared only about keeping up appearances, but at least they were willing to make things look presentable. In reality, the good stuff sent to them was either kept for themselves or reserved for more important relatives. Only the things they didn’t care for ended up here.

After they left, Xu Meng took a look and exclaimed, "Holy cow, I don’t mind at all that these are things they didn’t want. The cookies are delicious—want some, Mom?"

Feng Yanwen shook her head. "I don’t like eating these."

At first, Xu Meng thought Feng Yanwen was just being polite, but later she realized her mother genuinely didn’t enjoy them. Xu Meng went out to call Liu Jin and the others.

The second child peeked in with his little head, his big eyes blinking. When he saw Xu Meng, he grinned widely. "Sister!"

He was at that age where his baby teeth were falling out, so when he smiled, his grin was full of gaps.

Xu Meng burst out laughing and handed each of them three cookies.

The second child zipped inside from outside, sniffed the cookie, and exclaimed, "So fragrant!" He had striking, cat-like eyes.

The oldest, a little shy with age, glanced at Feng Yanwen, and seeing the warmth in her eyes, he stepped in confidently, took the cookies, snagging one for the youngest too. Handing it over, he thanked Xu Meng and said to the youngest, "Eat it quickly, or your second brother will trick you out of it."

The second child, that little troublemaker, was someone the eldest kept a strict watch on.

The second child immediately whined. "Big brother, don’t make me sound like some villain."

A few days ago, their parents’ workplace had sent over a bunch of stuff, and they had shared some with the neighbors.

Xu Meng found these little neighbors a hoot.

The second child shoved the cookie into his mouth, crunching away, and wolfed it down in no time.

The cookies were made with butter—something not commonly found in the market. Only after eating it did he realize how good it was, widening his eyes. "Delicious!"

He devoured it so eagerly that Xu Meng had to resist the urge to give him another.

The youngest, as usual, ate like a proper little gentleman.

Feng Yanwen and Xu Meng discussed the tutoring class.

They’d gotten a few sign-ups, but it wasn’t enough. Xu Meng told her that they should start the class first—once it got going, more would follow.

Feng Yanwen thought it over and agreed with the logic, so she kept brainstorming with her.

"We handed out flyers, but it didn’t really help. Plenty asked, but..."

Money was tight—people weren’t exactly rolling in it.

Xu Meng stared at the cookies, ideas suddenly sparked in her mind.

Having lived through her past life, she knew that English tutoring would be a gold mine for a long time to come.

The market was clearly there, but cracking into it was tough.

Where should I begin? Just standing on the street and talking won't help much. These days, people trust word-of-mouth recommendations most. Having someone put in a good word for you is more effective than anything else. Xu Meng's gaze drifted outside again.

Little Third sat on a low stool, with a slightly higher stool in front of him acting as his desk. The child held a pencil, doodling in a notebook below. Perhaps he had finished a drawing, as he first showed it to the eldest brother. The two murmured back and forth for a long time before the toddler scampered over and handed it to Xu Meng.

"Sister, look!"

Xu Meng took the drawing. It depicted a house with five little figures inside—two taller figures with pigtails and three smaller ones holding hands. Though the drawing was crude but comical, it was remarkably vivid. She couldn’t suppress a grin. "What’s this drawing about?"

The eldest remained silent.

This child, three years old already, still struggled with speech.

The second brother wedged himself in for a look, gently patting Little Third’s head as he asked softly, "Is it Auntie and Sister with us brothers?"

Little Third nodded emphatically.

The second brother then shoved his homework at her and asked Xu Meng to check it.

Xu Meng sighed heavily. "Buddy, how did this happen? I’ve told you so many times—you don't subtract a larger number from a smaller one. Well, technically you *can*, but it’ll give you a negative number. Why did you subtract 7 from 2 again? What minus 7 equals 5?"

The second brother’s face fell, as if he were about to cry. "How did I forget again?" He thumped his own forehead in frustration.

The eldest stood nearby, smirking. "I told him, but he wouldn’t believe me. Had to ask Sister. Now he’s convinced." He sounded downright bossy, carrying a natural air of maturity.

Though the second brother had the gift of gab, his grades left something to be desired.

He was nearly in tears. "Why do I keep forgetting?"

Xu Meng felt helpless. "I’m troubled too!" She had taught him multiple times, yet he still forgot. If anything, *she* was the one who should be frustrated.

Little Third patted the second brother with an oddly solemn expression, though he was too short to reach his head and could only pat his buttocks—in a half-hearted attempt at comfort.

The second brother immediately jumped like a spooked cat. "Hey, Third, don’t pat me like I’m a kid!"

Wasn’t that the eldest’s usual move?

Both Xu Meng and Feng Yanwen were amused by the children’s shenanigans.

Finally, after sending the kids off, Xu Meng had dinner, read for a while, and lay in bed at night when the idea of starting a class suddenly resurfaced.

This scattershot method wasn’t working—she needed a clear direction.

She had to open the class. Only by enrolling more students could she make money.

———

The next day, Xu Meng returned from school at half past ten, yawning repeatedly along the way.

Entering the courtyard, she saw the living room light still on. In the dim glow, Feng Yanwen was bent over her desk, scribbling away. Xu Meng parked her bicycle, locked the gate, and trudged inside with her backpack.

Feng Yanwen remained absorbed in preparing her teaching materials, only noticing the door opening when she heard the sound. Without looking up, she said, "Make yourself some milk powder. There’s still hot water in the thermos."

Seeing Xu Meng still staring at her, Feng Yanwen instinctively glanced at the materials on her desk.

What’s there to stare at?

Xu Meng wasn't looking at that. She pointed at the brochure on the table and said, "Why doesn't this highlight your education and qualifications? Print the university—Capital Normal University—and your five years of teaching at No. 17 High School."

Feng Yanwen's brochure was pretty lackluster...

"Is this really okay?" After all, she had been let go by the school back then.

Xu Meng placed her bag on the table, casually pulled out a box, and rummaged through the snacks inside, only to find a lot missing. It must have been that sneaky little second kid sneaking close to their mother. Feng Yanwen loved kids and couldn’t resist giving them treats. And these kids, once you were nice to them, would cling to you like little puppies.

They were all children without parents—kinda sad, really.

Not to mention, the hand-me-downs from rich families tasted pretty good too. Xu Meng dug out something she wanted from the box, sat on the chair, and started eating. She noticed the half-done medicine cabinet Feng Yanwen had bought recently, left by the wall. When she first brought it home, she had been excited to refurbish it, but now, busy with lesson plans, she had abandoned it.

"What’s there to be ashamed of? You earned your way into college, and your teaching experience isn’t fabricated. These are your biggest strengths—why not include them?"

Feng Yanwen gritted her teeth. "Fine, I’ll add them."

The next day happened to be Sunday, Xu Meng’s school’s half-day off.

In the afternoon, Zhang Mingqing brought Tuan Tuan over for tutoring, along with a pile of things. She had stayed with Feng Yanwen for a few days before and knew how tight things were for them. Even after returning home, she still thought about Feng Yanwen. The two shared a little secret, making them good friends.

Feng Yanwen took Tuan Tuan to class, leaving only Xu Meng behind.

Zhang Mingqing quite liked this girl. She had heard that Xu Meng had poor health as a child, and when her parents were sent to labor camps ("cowsheds"), they didn’t dare take her along, leaving her with relatives. Rumor had it that the family treated her poorly, yet she hadn’t gone off the rails—quite rare. She was also said to be a girl with a mind of her own.

"Mengmeng, how many students does your mom have now? What’s her plan?"

Xu Meng thought for a moment. "She’s still doing private tutoring, and her weekends are pretty open. Why do you ask, Auntie?"

"Some colleagues at my workplace noticed Tuan Tuan’s improvement after tutoring and asked me about her. But I see how busy she is every day and worry she might not have time. Do you know when she might be free?"

The railway bureau was a big organization, with thousands of employees, all doing well, with great benefits.

Xu Meng was about to rattle off Feng Yanwen’s schedule but stopped herself. After a pause, she continued, "Auntie, are there people at your workplace who might want to start learning English early? Here’s the thing—English is different from other subjects. Getting a head start helps, so when kids reach seventh grade, they won’t find it too hard. Honestly, our seventh-grade curriculum moves too fast, and some students struggle to keep up."

Add to that some teachers who were half-decent—some kids were thrown straight into the deep end.

"That’s true!" Zhang Mingqing recalled how Tuan Tuan had complained in seventh grade about the teacher going too fast. She regretted not finding a tutor sooner. "So, what’s the difference, exactly?"

"Think of it this way—we start first grade at seven, and by seventh grade, we’re twelve or thirteen. Starting a new language that late is tough. The basics need to be solid, or everything afterward is confusing. You know language is best learned young—it helps get the hang of it. You know why my English is good? I started learning it when I was very, very young. Otherwise, with the seventh-grade pace—jumping straight into conversations—honestly, I think it’s too fast."

This was her complaint from a student’s perspective.

It also happened to be Tuan Tuan’s struggle. She had cried a lot in seventh grade—when to use singular, when to use plural. Why hadn’t the teacher explained it clearly? Some words didn’t even have plural forms—what the heck!

This hit home with Zhang Mingqing. Feng Yanwen had started from the very basics, teaching Tuan Tuan step by step.

At first, Zhang Mingqing thought Feng Yanwen was going too slow, but later realized this method suited Tuan Tuan best. Though her grades didn’t improve immediately, Tuan Tuan stopped hating school as much. For that alone, she kept bringing her for lessons.

By the second month, Tuan Tuan’s English slowly improved. She often mentioned Teacher Feng when playing with her colleagues’ kids, and that was how Feng Yanwen’s reputation spread.

"Could you ask around at your workplace, Auntie? If anyone wants to start learning, recommend my mom. No need to push it—just mention it casually so it doesn’t affect your image at work."

A subtle plug!

Zhang Mingqing chuckled. "What image do I have?"

But she took the matter to heart and paid extra attention.

Since her last return, Zhang Mingqing hadn’t fought with her in-laws. Simply put, there was no point.

If she really got divorced, apart from the modest sum she had, she wouldn’t be able to keep anything.

She didn’t make a fuss, and her in-laws—a respectable family—compensated her quite generously.

"They gave me a sum of money, and I used it to buy a commercial property, which I’ve rented out," Zhang Mingqing said calmly, her eyes bright with quiet confidence. Seeing Feng Yanwen’s current state, she felt that a woman’s independence and self-reliance were most important. Though she had a job, she didn’t have Feng Yanwen’s unshakable confidence.

What was she so afraid of? She still had a stable job.

In the end, she figured it out—she feared losing her comfortable life and social standing, and she needed to plan for herself.

Feng Yanwen was surprised. "You didn’t buy a house?"

"Renting out a home is a hassle. Buying a commercial property is better—you can lease it right away, and the rent is higher. I haven’t told anyone about this, only you." Zhang Mingqing smiled, her tone full of resignation. "My so-called friends just pass gossip around. Colleagues at work scheme, and as for my family—"

Her own family was worse than her friends. When she married well, her parents only said one thing: "We’ll rely on you for our retirement."

Once her life improved slightly, they urged her to help her younger brother.

Then came uncles, even cousins…

No wonder her in-laws looked down on her.

If they found out she bought a commercial property, they’d storm into the city the next day, demanding she hand it over.

Some women lose their home the moment they marry.

There’s no place for you in your birth family, and in your husband’s family, you’re still an outsider.

But Zhang Mingqing had made up her mind—who says a woman needs to depend on others? She could build a home for herself.

Feng Yanwen had given her the idea to buy a commercial property. Last time, when Feng Yanwen asked Wang Shuanzhu about housing prices, it drew Zhang Mingqing’s attention to commercial properties. After some inquiries, she learned that storefronts were way easier to lease out. For the same price, the rent brought in several times more than that of a residential property.

Some things went without saying—Feng Yanwen understood immediately. She had no ties to Zhang Mingqing’s in-laws, and they were in the same boat. They were kindred spirits.

A few days later, Zhang Mingqing introduced Feng Yanwen to the union leader.

She even suggested to Feng Yanwen, "Get in tight with the union. They’ve got connections all over the company and have plenty of resources."

Then she glanced at Xu Meng. "It’s best to bring your daughter along."

Feng Yanwen’s daughter was something else.