***
Back home, Jian Changnian busied herself starting a fire and cooking. Her grandmother refused to come inside to rest and insisted on helping her, so she had to move a chair to the yard and let her grandmother do some light work such as picking vegetables.
She put the rinsed rice into the pot, added water, covered it, and lit a roaring fire in the stove. The dry twigs and pine cones crackled, and the firelight made her face look yellow, with a fine layer of sweat on her forehead.
Jian Changnian wiped the sweat from her brow with the back of her hand and went to the woodpile by the door to collect the firewood her grandmother had gathered yesterday.
Dry branches and the like can be used now, but some wet firewood needs to be left to dry in the yard for a few days.
She rummaged through the firewood pile, looking for any wood that could be used to make a walking stick, but after searching for a long time, she couldn't find anything suitable. After thinking about it, she decided to give up and go to the mountain to look for something the next day.
"Xiao Nian, the rice looks ready," Grandma said.
"Hey, here it comes."
Jian Changnian carried the stacked firewood into the kitchen, then ran out to fetch water from the well to wash her hands before carrying in the vegetables her grandmother had prepared.
Amidst the clanging of spatulas, Grandma watched her small figure bustling around the stove, feeling both heartache and pride.
Before long, the aroma of food wafted out.
Jian Changnian first went inside to set out the bowls and chopsticks, then came out to help her grandmother up.
"Grandma, come on, it's time to eat."
After finishing her meal, Jian Changnian went to wash the dishes. Her grandmother was doing needlework in the room. She noticed that the zipper on Jian Changnian's schoolbag was broken and was being held up with a safety pin. She decided to mend it for her and took out all the books inside.
When Jian Changnian entered the room, she saw her grandmother trembling slightly as she looked at the torn and taped-back book.
"Grandma..." she called softly, her face burning, her steps heavy as if filled with lead.
The old man turned his head, his eyes red.
"How...how did this happen?"
"I...I broke it by accident."
Jian Changnian didn't want her grandmother to worry, so she had no choice but to bite the bullet and say it.
Grandma held the tattered books in her trembling hands, her voice shaking.
"How have I always taught you? To cherish every stitch, to never leave rice in your bowl, to replace things when they're worn out, and to remember that learning opportunities are hard-won. And yet... how could you be so disappointing!"
Fearing that her grandmother might get even more upset, Jian Changnian quickly knelt down and grabbed her grandmother's knees, tears welling up in her eyes.
"Grandma, I'm sorry, please don't be angry. I didn't mean to. I won't do it again next time, I won't do it again."
She was raised from a young age, and just as she cherished her grandmother, her grandmother loved her even more.
The old man looked at her for a long time, his cloudy eyes filled with tears, and suddenly reached out his hand.
Jian Changnian subconsciously closed her eyes, and tears welled up in her eyes.
Grandma gently touched her face and wiped away her tears. Jian Changnian buried her face in her grandma's palm and lay down on her knees.
The old man touched her head, his voice choked with emotion.
She knew that Xiao Nian was a good child. Because her family was very poor, she had always been very frugal since she was old enough to understand things, and she was reluctant to spend a penny recklessly. How could she have torn up books?
"Xiao Nian, Grandma... I'm so sorry. If Grandma were a little more capable, you could have gone to high school..."
Jian Changnian sniffed, hugged her grandmother tightly, didn't look up, and tried to make her voice sound cheerful.
"I'm so lucky to have grown up thanks to my grandma! And what's wrong with vocational school? While others are still studying, I can already earn money!"
“It’s always good to read more books, just like your mother…” The old man paused abruptly, as if remembering something, and changed the subject, affectionately patting her head.
“Once Grandma can walk again, she will go to town to find a job. She can sew and wash clothes or do cleaning. Xiao Nian is growing up and can't just be fed and clothed like when she was little. There will be many places to spend money in the future, and Grandma will save every little bit for you.”
Jian Changnian shook her head; she had already thought it through very clearly.
"Grandma, I'm not a child anymore. Starting this week, you don't need to give me so much living expenses anymore. I won't go home on weekends. I'll find a part-time job and earn some money."
Fearing her grandmother would disagree, she rattled off her words in a rapid-fire manner, even telling a white lie.
"Grandma, please don't stop me. This is good training for me, since I'll have to work sooner or later. And I've already found a part-time job."
Fortunately, her grandmother always believed her without question and didn't ask any more questions. Otherwise, she wouldn't have had Zhou Mu's eloquence to make a lie sound true and to fabricate a wonderful story.
The countryside nights are peaceful and quiet, with only the occasional bark of a dog and the chirping of insects.
The bedroom light bulbs were quite old and already dim, but now covered in a thick layer of dust, they looked even more yellowish.
Jian Changnian sat at her desk reading and doing her homework. She rubbed her eyes, turned around, and saw that her grandmother was already asleep, still holding the needle and thread in her hand.
She tiptoed over, carefully took out the needle and thread, placed it on the table, glanced back at her grandmother to make sure she was asleep, and then took the letter of introduction out of her pocket. Luckily, she had it with her and hadn't put it in her schoolbag.
Jian Changnian smoothed out the creases on the paper, carefully read each word again, gritted her teeth, and was about to tear it up when she finally couldn't bear to do it.
She sighed softly, folded the book again, and locked the letter of introduction, along with her budding dreams, inside her dark and dreary textbook.
Chapter 8 Part-time Jobs
"What? You want to take a part-time job!" Upon hearing her idea, Zhou Mu yelled, startling most of the birds in the forest into flight.
Jian Changnian turned around and glared at her: "You're so loud, you almost gave me a heart attack."
She climbed the mountain quickly, and Zhou Mu followed closely behind, panting heavily.
"Hey, wait for me! You're not even sixteen yet, how can you work part-time? They can't hire child laborers."
After climbing the mountain for half a day, Jian Changnian finally found a suitable jujube tree. He cut off a branch about the thickness of his wrist, and the walking stick he was making for his grandmother was half done.
As she worked, she replied, "Jiangcheng is so big, I don't believe I can't find a suitable part-time job. I'm not picky, I can do everything from washing dishes and serving food to cleaning and handing out flyers."
Zhou Mu also came over to help: "So you're not going to the training camp?"
Jian Changnian remained silent for a moment, then chopped the tree branch with a machete and wiped the sweat from his forehead.
“With my grandmother in this state, how could I bear to ask her for money? Besides, there’s no guarantee I’ll be selected for the training camp. It’s better for me to go to school for two years and then honestly go out to work to help support my family.”
That being said, Zhou Mu still felt it was a bit of a pity.
Because of the heat, Jian Changnian took off her coat, revealing only a round-neck short-sleeved shirt underneath, which showed the black lanyard around her neck.
Zhou Mu suddenly had a flash of inspiration.
"Don't you have a pendant you found? Grandma needs to take her medicine again, so you can sell it to get some money in an emergency."
Jian Changnian was taken aback, because she had been wearing it for so long that she couldn't remember it for a moment.
Reminded by Zhou Mu, she pulled the pendant out of her clothes and touched the intricate patterns on it. She later looked it up and found that it was a type of bellflower. The jade felt warm and smooth, and it was clear and translucent in the sunlight.
Someone in the village had previously taken a liking to this jade and asked her about the price.
Jian Changnian thought for a moment, then put the jade back.
"Keep it. I've worn it for so long, I'm a little reluctant to part with it."
"Alright, alright, I know your things are very important to you, and you want to find the owner, but it's been so many years."
On the way down the mountain, Jian Changnian remembered something else.
"By the way, if my grandma asks, she doesn't know about the part-time job or the training camp yet, so don't let it slip."
Zhou Mu changed his usual slow, crawling pace and started pushing her from behind.
"Alright, alright, I know, I'm starving, let's go."
***
After staying at home for two days, Jian Changnian hardly went anywhere, not even playing ball. She prepared three meals a day, took her grandmother to get an IV drip, and spent the rest of her time doing farm work and fiddling with her cane.
On the day she returned to school, the cane was finally finished. She had never made such a thing before, and only had an idea in her mind. It wasn't very well made, but her grandmother didn't mind. She walked around the yard several times with the cane, and even seemed to be in much better spirits than she had a few days ago.
After finishing the last IV drip, the doctor said the recovery was going well and I didn't need to come back tomorrow, but I still needed to take the medication regularly.
Jian Changnian's heart skipped a beat: "My grandmother..."
Even with her limited and superficial medical knowledge, she knew that a sprained ankle didn't require long-term medication.
The doctor waved his hand: "Let's go."
Seeing her grandmother still packing her things on the hospital bed, Jian Changnian grabbed the doctor's sleeve and pleaded.
"Doctor, please tell me, what happened to my grandma? She doesn't need to take medicine for a long time after spraining her ankle..."
They're all from the same village, they see each other all the time, and everyone in the village knows about Jian Changnian's family situation.
The doctor couldn't bear it either, and opened his mouth, but then suddenly remembered something and changed his words.
"High blood pressure is a common disease among the elderly. The medicine I prescribed for your grandmother is not expensive. Please remember to make sure she takes it on time."
Jian Changnian held onto the doctor's sleeve tightly, her eyes full of earnestness.
The doctor sighed and said, "We're all from the same village, I have no reason to lie to you."
"Xiao Nian, okay, let's go."
As they were talking, Grandma came out of the inner room leaning on her cane. Jian Changnian then let go of her cane and bowed slightly to the doctor.
"Thank you, doctor."
It was already afternoon when she got home. Jian Changnian packed her things and prepared to return to school. There was still one thing she hadn't done today: she needed to go to the city to look for a part-time job.
Usually, it was her grandmother who would remind her to walk her to the village entrance, but now it's her turn to remind her grandmother not to walk her anymore.
"Grandma, the doctor said to take the medicine on time. Don't worry about the money. This medicine isn't expensive. I'll also send money home."
"I just fertilized the crops in the field, so you don't need to do anything with them for the next three to five days. If you're worried, ask the aunt next door to check on them. Just don't go into the field yourself."
"I've already stacked the firewood and bought some rice; they're all in the kitchen."
Grandma stood in the yard, leaning on her cane, her back hunched, and waved to her: "Okay, okay, let's go, let's go."
Jian Changnian left home, looking back every few steps.
***
When Jian Changnian arrived in the city, it was already past three in the afternoon. As soon as she got off the bus, she rushed to the job market. She asked about everything from supermarket sales promoters to restaurant dishwashers, and even things like handing out flyers and delivering milk. But either they didn't hire part-time workers or they thought she was too young.
She went into a hair salon with hope, and the sign at the door read: "Apprenticeship Wanted, No Age Limit".
"Go away, you look like a minor. We don't hire child laborers."