Chapter 38: Space Farming ②
Tomorrow is Sunday, and there isn’t much homework. Nie Qiu also wants to see if the things planted in the space will really grow as Dao said.
In the evening, as usual, Nie Aifang rode her tricycle, taking Nie Qiu to the night market to set up their stall. As soon as they had arranged the tables and chairs, someone came forward to ask with concern if anything had happened. Nie Ai smiled and thanked them for their concern.
Some people came and immediately wanted to order pan-fried dumplings. Nie Qiu smiled, packed the barbecue that Nie Aifang had grilled, handed it to someone, and collected the money. She said to the person who wanted pan-fried dumplings, “I’m sorry! We’re really too busy today to make pan-fried dumplings. Do you like any of the barbecue? How about two skewers?” Her words were filled with the flavor of everyday life, something Nie Qiu couldn’t have imagined before.
“Alright then! Two skewers of dried tofu and one skewer of konjac.” The person was a little disappointed, but clearly knew what had happened yesterday, so they didn’t storm off. They even ordered three yuan worth of items.
Nie Qiu took out the items and handed them to Nie Aifang. Nie Aifang asked, “Charcoal grill or barbecue?” Charcoal grill means grilling on a charcoal grill rack, while barbecue means deep-frying in the oil tank.
“Barbecue!” the person said with a smile. Nie Aifang used tongs to hold the items and then put them into the oil tank. After one side was fried, she flipped the other side.
“Little sister, why weren’t you at the night market yesterday?” a familiar voice chimed in while Nie Qiu and Nie Aifang were busy.
Nie Qiu looked up and saw the university student who had wanted to study English with her that day. After collecting money from someone, she said while making change, “Find a seat first, and we’ll talk when I’m free.”
Li Mingxue was stunned. She looked at the people waiting around the tricycle and then at the crowded stall, and fell silent.
Nie Qiu turned her head and saw that their stall was already full! She smiled and said helplessly to Li Mingxue, “Come over!”
Li Mingxue nodded and walked towards Nie Qiu.
Nie Aifang saw that Nie Qiu and Li Mingxue seemed familiar. She was surprised for a moment and then said, “Qiu Qiu, your friend must have something to tell you, right? I can handle things here, you go and have fun!” After working with her for so long, she felt sorry for her.
Nie Qiu didn’t refuse. She pulled Li Mingxue towards the other side of the bridgehead. This was the night market, and the bridge was a place full of stalls. It was quite difficult to find a quiet spot.
“Have you thought it through?” Have you thought about why you are studying?
“I am a fourth-year student in the management department at A City’s First University. I’ve taken the CET-4 exam twice, but I haven’t passed either time. I don’t want… I don’t want my family to know, so… I must pass this exam.” Li Mingxue looked up at Nie Qiu and asked, “Can you teach me?”
Nie Qiu touched her forehead. What was she persisting for? Wasn’t she short of money? But… for that reason, was she going to teach someone who didn’t genuinely want to study? “How much can you give me per hour?”
“Fifty!” Li Mingxue said. “Is fifty yuan okay?”
The hourly tutor fee for a typical university student. This was the term that appeared in Nie Qiu’s mind. Nie Qiu knew that this university student was already giving her a lot of credit, because for a junior high student like her, fifty yuan was a bit much. “Fifty yuan is enough to hire a university student tutor. Surely many of your classmates also do tutoring, right? Wouldn’t it be more convenient to find them?”
Li Mingxue lowered her head. “I… I don’t want them… I don’t want them to teach me.”
Nie Qiu looked at Li Mingxue and knew it was her pride at play. She sighed and said, “Okay, I’ll teach you. My name is Nie Qiu, and what’s yours?”
“My name is Li Mingxue,” Li Mingxue said with a smile.
Nie Qiu asked in English, “So, when is your CET-4 exam?”
Li Mingxue was stunned and replied in English as well, “There are two months left.”
“What do you think your English level is? Why do you think you can’t pass the CET-4 exam?” Nie Qiu asked with a smile.
Li Mingxue had heard this question for a long time. After a while, she replied, “It should be… okay. I don’t know why I can’t pass the CET-4 exam.”
Looking at Li Mingxue, Nie Qiu knew that Li Mingxue had some problems with English listening comprehension. She would reflexively translate what she heard into Chinese before understanding it, instead of immediately grasping the meaning as if it were her native language.
Nie Qiu borrowed a pen and a newspaper from a clothing store, wrote for a while, and then handed it to Li Mingxue. “There’s too little time, and I can only teach you on Saturdays and Sundays, so you’ll need to put in extra effort at other times. Starting tomorrow, listen to more English songs! Pop songs or classic songs, whenever you listen, sing along while looking at the lyrics. No matter what, you need to practice your listening first. Do you have any English songs you like to listen to?”
“Yes, I like GAGA’s songs,” Li Mingxue nodded, took the newspaper Nie Qiu handed her, and looked at what Nie Qiu had written on it. “What are these…”
“These are songs recommended for you,” Nie Qiu said with a smile. “There are also two original novels. These novels, though not famous, are addictive. Start reading from the beginning. If you don’t understand something, look it up in an English dictionary, or ask your Teacher and classmates. Once you get hooked, you’ll want to keep reading, and then you’ll understand.” Although everyone has their own preferred novel styles, every woman has the same girlish sentiment. Romance novels and tragic novels are most appealing to sensitive women.
And Li Mingxue was precisely that kind of person. She wanted to pass the CET-4 exam because she didn’t want her family to worry. The fact that she didn’t ask her classmates to teach her indicated that she had strong self-esteem. People with strong self-esteem are usually sensitive and soft-hearted, so these two books would be perfect for her.
These two books are precisely the kind that cannot be translated to convey their true artistic conception. Therefore, only original books are sold domestically, and those who usually buy them are people with literary inclinations.
Li Mingxue took the newspaper, returned the pen to the store, and left after saying goodbye to Nie Qiu.
Nie Qiu watched Li Mingxue’s back. In two months, she believed Li Mingxue would be able to learn well. Perhaps… she might even pass this CET-4 exam without her help. Her foundation was very good, and her score for the CET-4 exam would likely not be too far off. As long as she had the desire to learn, she should be able to pass this time.
Nie Qiu returned to her family’s barbecue stall and helped Nie Aifang collect money and pack orders. Perhaps because of what happened at their home last night, everyone was very supportive of their business. They sold out by almost eleven o’clock.
The mother and daughter finished packing up at just past eleven o’clock and didn’t get home until twelve.
“Nie Qiu, the vegetables have grown. Come and collect them! If you say it, they’ll rot and spoil.” As soon as she entered the room, Nie Qiu heard Dao’s voice. Understanding the content, Nie Qiu couldn’t help but widen her eyes. They had grown so quickly?
Nie Qiu smiled and said to Nie Aifang, “Mom, can you make me something delicious tomorrow? I want to eat fish. You go buy the fish, and I’ll buy the things for the barbecue tomorrow.”
