Chapter 28: MAMA-28 Part 1

Over the next few days, Mi Shanxin attended classes as usual, went to the hospital after class, ate the hospital’s meal, and then played the role of the old lady’s daughter.

Her lines included, but were not limited to: schoolwork, not dating too young… and finally ending with “Mama, I’m going to do my homework now” as the signal to leave.

Jian Wanji and her had no extraneous contact on WeChat.

The Big Boss, handling countless affairs daily, still honored the greatest promise of this relationship and was keen on creating a good environment for Mi Shanxin.

The old washing machine at home had been disposed of. The new one Jian Wanji bought for Mi Shanxin was too smart, and Mi Shanxin still hadn’t figured out how to use the app, but she had learned to use the laundry pods and fabric softener.

Every night around eight o’clock, Jian Wanji would show up at her door punctually. By then, Mi Shanxin was already washed up, waiting for her sleep assistance session.

Probably feeling that getting out of bed again to answer the door was too much effort, Mi Shanxin had given Jian Wanji an extra key.

Thanks to Jian Wanji, the quality of Mi Shanxin’s sleep steadily improved.

When she met Li Yin on Saturday, her friend stared at Mi Shanxin’s face for a long time. “Shanxin, it really does seem like you’re not struggling to keep your eyes open anymore.”

A person’s overall spirit is hard to change, but combined with a change of attire, the difference is huge.

Jian Wanji clocked in punctually every day, and transformed the Little Mother’s basic equipment along the way.

This included, but wasn’t limited to: throwing out wardrobe staples that were always the same color, and trashing shoes so worn the soles were splitting and crooked from being glued multiple times with superglue.

Because Mi Shanxin always made a mess on the bedding sets, they were constantly being replaced. Now the cabinet had many extra sets, even disposable blankets.

Mi Shanxin was very sentimental. She couldn’t bear to throw out a hoodie with split seams. Yesterday, Jian Wanji finally had enough. She took away and threw out Mi Shanxin’s old, stiff sweaters—harder than a baguette—along with the hoodie.

This was the first time Li Yin had seen Mi Shanxin not wearing a hoodie. She circled her friend several times and asked curiously, “Shanxin, when did you buy these clothes?”

She had brought a gift for Mi Shanxin too, but suddenly felt it was utterly eclipsed, nowhere near as suitable as this outfit.

This set of clothes fully brought out Mi Shanxin’s unique aura. Perhaps she was a little rounder than before, and although she still lacked much expression, at least she wasn’t gloomy anymore.

Sweet with a hint of coldness, cool but not to the extreme, making people want to pinch her even more.

Li Yin still reached out and rubbed her face, hooking her arm around Mi Shanxin as if to pull her into a hug. “Why aren’t you saying anything?”

“You… mmph…” Mi Shanxin pushed away Li Yin’s hand, which was still pinching her face, and let out a breath. “Hard to talk when you’re pinching my face.”

“My pay for classes was raised. Teacher Wang asked me to buy new clothes for teaching.”

“Teacher Wang?” Li Yin thought for a moment. “That’s the person in charge you mentioned before, right?”

Mi Shanxin gave an “Mm.”

The shopping mall was crowded with people. Mi Shanxin had taken off her coat because of the indoor heating and it was draped over her arm. Underneath was a green knitted top.

The plaid wasn’t rigid either. Combined with her hair, which always hung down to her shoulders and then naturally flipped up at the ends, her naturally overly dark pupils, and her too-deep lip color, it all became a coordinated look.

Jian Wanji was very thoughtful in this regard. The outfits came fully matched, accessories and all.

If Mi Shanxin asked what a necklace was for, she would tell her which piece of clothing it went with.

Today, Mi Shanxin had taken leave, and Jian Wanji knew where she was going. She had specifically instructed her not to dress like she was begging for food.

Boss Changchang’s bluntness soared with familiarity. Mi Shanxin didn’t mind her talking that way at all now, only replying with, “So are you delivering dinner tonight then?”

The frivolous daughter wouldn’t reply. Maybe hours later, she’d feign nonchalance and send something like [Was just in a meeting, have you eaten?] —some insipid remark like that.

Mi Shanxin could call her out on it, but she felt it was unnecessary.

Jian Wanji was like a mole, seemingly having dug many holes, her network crisscrossing underground. Mi Shanxin was curious, but for now, had no intention of taking over.

Li Yin’s flight was the next afternoon. She was going back to her hometown with her parents for Chinese New Year, and today her parents allowed her to stay out a bit later.

Their classmates had arranged to eat at a newly opened Chinese-style restaurant. Li Yin linked arms with Mi Shanxin, eyeing her friend’s face. “Why did your pay suddenly increase?”

“There’s a one-on-one student, they pay a lot.” Mi Shanxin’s old backpack had also been thrown away by Jian Wanji. She was carrying a new one now.

She didn’t really know brands. As they happened to pass a store, Li Yin frowned even more deeply. “Male or female? Are the one-on-ones held in the institution’s classroom?”

“Female. Yeah.” Mi Shanxin heard the negative tone in Li Yin’s voice and asked, “What’s wrong?”

Li Yin shook her head. “I was pretty worried when you said your class pay was so low before. I thought the job wasn’t worth it.”

“Now suddenly they’re giving you so much, I’m really worried.”

“It’s fine,” Mi Shanxin knew Li Yin wouldn’t approve of her deal with Jian Wanji, so she omitted that part. “The salary is transferred to me through the institution.”

“Then how old is your one-on-one student?”

“…Thirty-nine.”

“That old?” Li Yin found it strange. “Does she really treat you as a teacher?”

“Why didn’t she go to the head teacher instead?”

After saying that, she apologized to Mi Shanxin. “Shanxin, sorry, I didn’t mean it that way. I mean, people that age usually don’t seek out teachers younger than themselves…”

“You’re right,” Mi Shanxin said with an “Mm.” “So she rarely comes to class. But there was a prepayment, and Teacher Wang felt my pay rate was justified, so it was transferred to me first.”

Li Yin was reassured then. “So…”

She wanted to ask Mi Shanxin where she bought her clothes, why she hadn’t told her, but classmates waiting at the restaurant entrance spotted them. “Li Yin! Over here!——”

The group was a mix of men and women, including people not from their small circle.

Mi Shanxin glanced over. This wasn’t the small group dinner Li Yin had mentioned. She asked her friend, “Why are there so many extra people?”

Li Yin looked embarrassed too, saying apologetically, “They insisted on bringing their partners.”

Mi Shanxin wanted to leave even more. “That wasn’t mentioned in the group chat before.”

Li Yin coughed. “It was mentioned.”

Mi Shanxin was puzzled. “Was it?”

Li Yin guessed she wasn’t happy and softly coaxed her, “It’s fine, just eat the yummy food. Someone’s treating today.”

Mi Shanxin looked down at the group chat then, and realized she had indeed missed some information.

She was very busy at night and wouldn’t reply in the group.

Because the notifications vibrated too often, she’d also muted the group, and over time, she’d forgotten about it.

“I’d rather eat with just you.” The people nearby were still waving. To be fair, Mi Shanxin’s relationship with them was nowhere near as close as with Li Yin. “I…”

“You’re not going to say ‘next time’, are you?” Li Yin guessed what she was about to do and clung tightly to Mi Shanxin’s arm, not letting her escape. “No deserting now.”

“You can’t always be like this. You need to interact more with everyone.” Li Yin dragged Mi Shanxin towards the restaurant. “Shanxin, don’t you participate in activities at university? There must be some club credits or something, right?”

Mi Shanxin shook her head.

“Is that Mi Shanxin?! Wow, long time no see! So you’re not a hoodie monster anymore?” A classmate came up to greet them. Countless gazes fell on Mi Shanxin. Most people hadn’t seen her since graduating high school, only sharing life updates in the group chat—it felt a bit like meeting online acquaintances.

Mi Shanxin didn’t speak. Men and women, so many unfamiliar faces. She stood off to the side, really wanting to get away.

She should have refused.

If she’d known it would be like this, she’d rather be playing Jian Wanji’s mother, flipping through old photos in the hospital room. That would be better than meeting new people.

This restaurant, averaging nearly two hundred per person, wasn’t a place Mi Shanxin and Li Yin would come to on their own. Although they didn’t have a private room booked, everyone settled into a booth in the main hall. Up front, there was a newly introduced musical performance, and some tourists sat up front specifically to wait for it.

Mi Shanxin sat next to Li Yin, silently listening to them chat, not interjecting.

She kept opening her chat history with Jian Wanji, wanting to ask what she was doing, but she’d already taken leave today, so disturbing her didn’t feel right.

Although, if it was Jian Wanji, she definitely wouldn’t ignore her messages.

Most of the time, Jian Wanji didn’t reply instantly, but she would reply when she saw them.

Even on topics she couldn’t easily respond to, she’d let them simmer, then change the subject an hour or two later.

“…Oh right, Mi Shanxin, are you working part-time at a training center during winter break? Calligraphy counts as an art form, it must be really profitable, right?”

A classmate suddenly steered the topic towards her. “You always used to carry a backpack when going out on weekends too. You’re really different today.”

Everyone looked at Mi Shanxin. Li Yin was about to change the subject, but Mi Shanxin, who had been staring blankly at the cold dishes, lifted her gaze and said amidst the sound of gongs and drums from the stage, “Thank you.”

After speaking, Mi Shanxin glanced at the bag she was carrying. Small, soft black waxed lambskin. Jian Wanji had said she didn’t use it herself, so she gave it to her.

This classmate came from a well-off family and usually liked studying these things. She looked at Mi Shanxin for a while longer, then said, “Hey, that scarf seems to be the new season’s gradient blue. I remember it being a men’s style. Mi Shanxin, did your father give it to you?”

The scarf was also from Jian Wanji. Mi Shanxin remembered that day when they met, Jian Wanji casually handed her a paper bag, saying it was from a business partner, she had a similar one and didn’t need it, and told Mi Shanxin to wear it with today’s outfit.