Chapter 186: 第一百八十五章:石头对象_1

“My son is a little over three. He’s usually at home, but you won’t need to look after him; Daya will do that. You’ll be responsible for cooking for all of us, keeping the kitchen clean and tidy, and picking up my daughter from school in the afternoon. The school is nearby, just a ten-minute walk away. I sometimes get held up, so you’ll need to pick her up at five p.m. every day except Sunday. We’ll take her to school in the mornings.”

“Your salary is fifty yuan a month, with two days off each month. Right, you’ll also need to buy the groceries. I’ll take you to the market in a little while. I’ll give you money for groceries every day, and you just need to keep an account of it. Can you write?”

Aunt Ge nodded. “A little.”

“That’s good, then,” Xue Yue said.

Xue Yue took her to the nearby market and Ruanruan’s school, explaining the routes to her.

Xue Yue specifically told Daya about her decision to have Aunt Ge stay and cook, worried that Daya might read too much into it. The young girl was rather sensitive.

“Your only job each day is to take good care of Shiyi. The cooking will be handled by Aunt Ge. This will lighten your load, because you’ve been working too hard. If you need anything, you can tell her as well.”

Daya nodded. ’I don’t really feel that tired,’ she thought. But she just listened to what Xue Yue said.

She also felt a little unsettled. Before, when everyone was at work or school, it was just her and Shiyi left at home. She had a lot of freedom and could do as she pleased. Now, a stranger was suddenly in the house, and Daya was afraid of not being liked.

Xue Yue patted Daya’s head. “If anything makes you feel uncomfortable, just tell me.”

“Okay.”

’As for Daya, Xue Yue already had plans. In the latter half of the year, Shiyi would start school. When that happened, she intended to have Daya either enroll in school herself or learn a trade so she would have a skill to support herself in the future.’

That day, Aunt Ge moved in.

When she had free time, Xue Yue would help out at the store. There, she finally met the girlfriend Shitou had been talking about—Aunt Ge’s daughter.

She wasn’t what you’d call beautiful, but she did resemble Aunt Ge. Her clothes were very stylish: a pink sweater and black bell-bottoms, the very kind they sold in the store. Her long, straight hair was held back by a headband, and she had a vibrant look about her.

The young woman came to the entrance of the store, saw Xue Yue inside, and immediately called Shitou to come out.

“Why not come inside to talk? My sister-in-law is in there,” Shitou said.

Ge Meili looked at Shitou, scuffing her foot nervously on the ground. “I saw her,” she whispered. “I’m just shy. I’ve never met her before. What if she doesn’t like me?”

Shitou smiled. “It’s okay. My sister-in-law is really nice. There’s no way she won’t like you.”

Ge Meili pouted. “I have to go. Maybe next time. I just came by to see you. And remember what I told you: don’t talk too much to those two pretty girls who work here.”

Shitou scratched the back of his head. “I know.” ’Girls really do overthink things,’ he thought. ’It’s not like I’m the one starting conversations; they’re the ones who don’t want to talk to me.’

Ge Meili asked Shitou, “How’s my mom doing at their place? Are they happy with her work?”

Shitou nodded. “She’s doing great. Aunt Ge’s cooking is delicious.”

“That’s good. If you’re back at the house and see my mom working, give her a hand. Don’t be so unobservant.”

“Of course,” Shitou said with a grin. “I even helped your mom with the dishes a couple of days ago.”

Shitou was thirty years old, and this was his first real relationship. And the girl was from Beijing City, of all places. He never imagined someone like her would be interested in him. He was just a poor kid from the countryside. Back home, no girl had ever wanted to marry him because his family was poor, consisting of just him and his widowed mother.

’Now that he had a girlfriend, he had to tell his mom in his next letter. The old woman would be thrilled to find out.’

Ge Meili didn’t stay long. She talked with Shitou outside for a while and then left.

When Shitou came back inside, his face flushed a little upon seeing Xue Yue.

Xue Yue teased, “Shitou, was that your girlfriend? Why didn’t you invite her in to sit for a bit?”

Shitou said sheepishly, “Sister-in-law, Meili had to go. I’ll introduce you two next time.”

“Sounds good.”

When Xue Yue returned home that afternoon, she saw Daya playing hide-and-seek in the yard with Shiyi and Ruanruan. Aunt Ge was nowhere to be seen.

“Where’s Aunt Ge?”

Daya shook her head. “I haven’t seen her since I came outside. She must have stepped out.”

Soon, Xue Yue heard voices at the door.

Aunt Ge entered through the doorway, a smile on her face.

When she saw Xue Yue, her expression faltered for a moment before she said, “I just went for a walk and ran into our neighbor. She’s very warm and invited me over to her house for a while.”

Xue Yue nodded. ’I don’t expect her to stay at home all day,’ Xue Yue thought. ’As long as she gets her work done, it’s fine.’

Some time passed, however, and then one day Shiyi suddenly told her, “Mom, I don’t like that older boy. He’s always stealing my toys, and he pushes me when I don’t let him have them.”

Xue Yue asked Shiyi, puzzled, “Which boy?”

“The boy from next door! He’s so mean. He steals my toys and even hits me. I don’t like him.”

Xue Yue called Daya over. “Shiyi says a boy has been stealing his toys. What’s this about?”

Daya was also angry about it. “Auntie, it’s that woman from next door. She brings her two kids over to our house every day and stays for a long time. Her son is always running all over the place. He even went into the rooms last time, but I chased him out.”

What Daya didn’t mention was that Li Lanying had also berated her, saying she wasn’t Xue Yue’s daughter, just a hired hand looking after the children, and that she should stop being so nosy.

Xue Yue’s brow furrowed. “Didn’t I tell you not to open the door for them when we aren’t home?”

“I didn’t,” Daya said. “It was… it was Aunt Ge who let them in. She often goes over to their place to visit, too. I see them laughing and talking all the time.”

Shiyi hugged Xue Yue’s leg. “Mommy, can you make them stop stealing my toys?”

Xue Yue’s lips formed a thin line. Looking down at Shiyi, she said, “Alright, Mommy understands now.”

’It wasn’t a huge deal, but it still made Xue Yue uncomfortable. Aunt Ge had only just arrived, so they barely knew her. It wasn’t that Xue Yue was being overly guarded, but she really disliked having strangers come to her house every day when she wasn’t there, especially with two young children at home.’

Xue Yue went to speak with Aunt Ge directly. “Aunt Ge, I heard from Shiyi that a boy has been stealing his toys.”

Aunt Ge looked taken aback for a second, then acted as if she’d just remembered. “Oh, he must mean Lan Ying’s son from next door. They’re a nice family. I saw Lan Ying’s two kids are around Shiyi’s age and thought they could play together. Otherwise, he’s all alone in the house, which must be so lonely.”

Xue Yue replied, “Shiyi might not be used to it. In the future, when we aren’t home, please try not to bring strangers inside.”

Aunt Ge finally seemed to grasp Xue Yue’s point. She quickly added, “I guess I’m just used to how things were back home, where all the neighbors are very close. You know the saying, ’a close neighbor is better than a distant relative.’ But since you’ve said so, I understand. I won’t let them in again.”

Xue Yue nodded without saying anything more. All in all, it was a minor issue.

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