Chapter 86: Youth Without Regret ②
The two of them took the bus back to Nie Qiu’s residential area. Nie Qiu led Huang Yan towards her home, and when they reached the doorway, Nie Qiu took out her key and opened the door.
As they walked into the room, Nie Aifang was eating. But… Nie Qiu looked at a small bowl placed in front of her rice bowl. It contained broad bean paste, a seasoning made from broad beans and chili peppers, which her family usually used for stir-frying dishes.
Nie Aifang was surprised to see Nie Qiu return. “Qiu Qiu, why are you back? Is school on holiday? Have you eaten?”
Nie Qiu shook her head, looked at Nie Aifang’s bowl, and then at Nie Aifang. “Mom, you’re eating this when I’m not home?” Eating broad bean paste with rice? In the morning, she ate fresh and delicious soy milk, steamed buns, meat buns, and sometimes dumplings. At noon, she had a meal card, and no matter how bad the school food was, there were still various side dishes, with vegetables and meat. In the evening, she ate with Nie Aifang, and Nie Aifang would try her best to cook the dishes she liked.
Every single day, although it was more tiring than in her previous life, she was willing and felt very happy. However, in places she couldn’t see, Nie Aifang was eating this. Perhaps, Nie Aifang didn’t drink soy milk in the morning either, and perhaps Nie Aifang ate broad bean paste every day at noon.
She only cared about her own happiness and forgot about Nie Aifang’s pressure. She had to support this family, their life, and her tuition fees.
“No! No, I only ate broad bean paste today!” As if sensing what Nie Qiu was thinking, Nie Aifang waved her hands repeatedly in denial, not daring to look Nie Qiu in the eyes. She only looked at Huang Yan behind Nie Qiu and said with a smile, “Young lady, have you eaten? What would you like to eat? Auntie will make it for you.” She remembered this girl and a boy eating barbecue at their family’s barbecue stall.
Huang Yan smiled and said, “Hello Auntie, I’m Nie Qiu’s friend Huang Yan. Auntie, you can call me Xiao Yan.”
“Mom…” Nie Qiu held back, but still didn’t say it. Family matters should not be aired publicly. Even if she didn’t think it was shameful, Nie Aifang would feel embarrassed. She smiled and said, “We finished school a bit late today, so we missed mealtime. I brought Huang Yan home to eat.”
“Okay, okay, okay. We had some pork skin left from yesterday. I’ll make you some congee!” Nie Aifang stood up, tidied the bowls on the table, and went into the kitchen.
“Huang Yan, you sit for a while. I’ll go help my mom.” Nie Qiu said with a smile and followed Nie Aifang into the kitchen.
Huang Yan stood in the small living room, feeling a bit awkward, and then walked into the kitchen. She smiled and said, “Nie Qiu, let me help you!” She looked at Nie Qiu and Nie Aifang. Nie Aifang was cutting pork skin, and Nie Qiu was washing rice. “Is there anything I can do?”
Nie Qiu smiled. “It’s nothing. Go sit down quickly. Don’t stand here and get in our way. We have to go back to school after we finish eating!”
Huang Yan couldn’t find anything to do, so she left the kitchen and walked into the living room. She began to survey the living room, which was less than ten square meters. There was a table made of nailed wood, a few stools made of nailed wood, and a worn-out sofa. Opposite the sofa was an old small cabinet, on top of which sat a frequency-tuning television set, which looked like a black and white television. The layout of the entire living room was roughly like this. Not far from the television was the door to this home. Behind the door were several stacked plastic stools and three folding long tables. These must be the things Nie Qiu’s family used for their barbecue stall!
What Huang Yan couldn’t understand was, since they had perfectly good tables and chairs, why did the family still use tables and stools made of nailed wood? Whether for setting up a stall or for use at home, wasn’t it all the same?
She just didn’t expect that Nie Qiu’s home seemed even more dilapidated and poorer than her own.
Nie Qiu used a tray for setting up the stall to bring out two bowls of pork skin congee. She placed the bowls on the table and smiled, handing chopsticks to Huang Yan. “Eat quickly! We have about half an hour before class starts.”
Huang Yan took the chopsticks and ate without being polite to Nie Qiu. Because it had just been cooked, the thin congee was already hot. Huang Yan blew on it while eating, but was still scalded and made ‘hissing’ sounds.
Nie Aifang also scooped a bowl and brought it out, eating with Nie Qiu and the others. After they finished eating, Huang Yan and Nie Qiu had to go back to school to study. Before leaving, Nie Qiu glanced at Nie Aifang, who was bending over and tidying the bowls and chopsticks, and lowered her head.
I need to be faster, much faster. I must earn money quickly. Li Mingxue’s tutoring is finished, but I used the tutor fees she gave me to pay back Peng Yu Yang. I have no money.
If I had money, Nie Aifang wouldn’t be so frugal! Nie Qiu took a deep breath, looking at the receding scenery outside the car window. I can only go to Zhang Qitian, Brother Zhang. Let Zhang Qitian help them rent a vegetable stand. If she were a vegetable vendor, Nie Aifang wouldn’t be so tired.
From what Zhang Qitian said that day, it seemed like there were many repeat customers who wanted to eat vegetables grown in the space, so there wouldn’t be any issues with customers. How should I talk to Zhang Qitian?
Nie Qiu sighed. These matters need to be thought through carefully; there needs to be a plan.
Seeing what Nie Aifang ate when she wasn’t home, Nie Qiu actually felt very uncomfortable. She also knew that Nie Aifang had inquired about the price of the desk, and it was probably not cheap, so Nie Aifang became even more frugal. It was only now that she realized it. Before, they bought fresh vegetables every day to cook, but recently they had been eating leftovers from the barbecue.
She had never felt this way before, a mix of heartache and tenderness, yet unable to voice it.
In the past, she didn’t understand fatherly or motherly love. Even though various books praised the roles of ‘father’ and ‘mother’ with exceptionally ornate words, when she was very, very young, she often felt very lonely. When others looked at her with strange eyes, she often resented it. Why did she have a father and mother, yet felt like a child without parents? Why did she have to endure this? She often hid and cried alone. She began to imagine that if the neighbor’s aunt were her mother, she would make her bread and egg pancakes, gently stroke her head, and smile, saying: “Come back early after school, Mom has made you something delicious.” Instead of carrying her schoolbag, being pushed out the door by the nanny.
She didn’t remember how many nannies her family had hired, because she started living alone at the age of twelve.
But now, she had such a gentle mother, just as she had imagined. Everything was prioritized for her. She spoke to her gently, cared about her health, and shed tears for her. This kind of love made her feel warm and also gave Nie Aifang the same feelings. She felt sorry for Nie Aifang’s exhaustion and wanted to find ways to improve their lives.
