Chapter 5: Matters Settled, Achievements

  Wang Zhen and Li Qingyao laughed and chatted about some family matters.

  "Sister-in-law, I have something else to tell you." Wang Zhen looked up and glanced at Li Qingya, seeing that her expression was normal, before continuing: "Sister, you also know my family situation... I think if we have time this weekend, let's go pick up some pebbles together."

  After finishing speaking, Wang Zhen lowered her head and didn't say anything else.

  Li Qingyao listened and felt that this child was too pitiful, understanding, progressive, and knew how to earn money to support his family. Alas! That good-for-nothing Wang Xianguo.

  Wang Zhen didn't know what Li Qingyao was thinking, and she didn't dare to continue speaking since Li wasn't saying anything. This little kid wanted to go pick up gravel, but needed an adult to accompany her; after all, when weighing the stones, it's also necessary to have someone help with the calculations, so that the other party would pay the money happily.

  "Sister-in-law, if it's inconvenient, then forget it." Wang Zhen's voice was very soft, with a hint of hope and fear of disappointment, also afraid of troubling others, her heart was filled with anxiety.

  "Hey, what's up? If there's anything inconvenient, just come. In the future, if you're free on weekends, just come a day in advance and greet my sister-in-law." Li Qingyao was a person who clearly distinguished between good and evil. If she liked someone, she would treat them with kindness, but if she disliked someone, she would not hesitate to teach them a lesson. There was a woman named Luo Wangshi in the village who was very fierce, but even she did not dare to provoke Li Qingyao. Even the most powerful Wang Zhen's grandmother had some reservations about her.

  Wang Zhen's eyes were red with excitement, he could finally earn money and help his family. His voice trembling with gratitude, he said: "Thank you thank you thank you, thank you sister-in-law, I'll come to see you every Friday from now on."

  Looking at Wang Zhen's slightly red and excited eyes, Li Qingyao felt both relieved and distressed. If this child were her own, she would have to support her education even if it meant selling all her possessions. She shook her head in her heart and then scolded Wang Xian-guo a few hundred times in her mind!

  After the two agreed, they went together to pick up pebbles and chatted about some family affairs. Wang Zhen was going home.

  Li Qingyao sent Wang Zhen to the gate of the courtyard, watching her leave. This girl was tall and slender, but she looked frail and bony. Shaking his head, he thought that this child was also pitiful.

  My father is a useless person, my mother can tolerate it but that's all, she can only sell vegetables, let her do something else and she won't be able to handle it. As for grandparents, they are even more useless, don't bother them if there's nothing important. They're not as good as outsiders. The most hateful one is Wang Xian Guo...

  "Ah-choo……” Wang Xianguo was working as a laborer on a construction site in the mountains of a foreign land. This year, the weather had been bad, with constant rain, and they hadn't been able to work for two or three months already. Half of the year had passed, but he still hadn't earned any money to send back home. Wang Xianguo was squatting in his room on the mountain, sneezing repeatedly that day, without knowing the reason, only feeling that he didn't have a cold at all.

  Back home, Wang Yan started feeding the chickens and ducks. In the chicken coop, she found three eggs, picked them up with a smile, and stored them in her room's drawer. She counted them, hmm, almost forty now. Once she has fifty, she'll take them to sell.

  The eggs at home, Wang Zhen and Zheng Shuirong have never been willing to eat them all, they keep them to sell for money. After all, there is no income in the family, this year, relying solely on selling vegetables to pay tuition fees, living a tight life is just enough to make ends meet. But if she wants to attend high school and university, this money has to be pinched and scraped together.

  At night, Wang Zhen cooked some porridge, steamed some buns, heated up the dishes from noon, and just ate them for dinner. After finishing these things, Wang Zhen went back to her room, took out a book, and started reciting it.

  In junior high school, although I understood all the things that needed to be learned, I couldn't remember the texts that needed to be recited. In order to get a good grade in Chinese, math, history, chemistry, biology, and English, not one of them could be missed! Even if chemistry and biology only had a few points, she still wanted those points.

  After carrying it for a while, Zheng Shui Rong still hadn't returned, Wang Zhen was dazed for a moment, feeling that carrying English was easy. Wang Zhen smiled and stopped, looking out of the only small window in the room towards the bamboo forest outside, her mind wandering. In her previous life, Ma Cheng had successfully taken her on a business trip to the United States, where she had performed well in front of several American partners and even managed to say a few sentences in English, which made Ma Cheng very proud.

  Afterwards, Ma Cheng praised her a few words, Wang Zhen was overjoyed, so for this man, Wang Zhen studied English with all her might, attended training classes, and Ma Cheng also generously paid her tens of thousands of tuition fees. Because she studied hard, the motivation was still the love support that women couldn't refuse, so Wang Zhen can be said to have spent almost half a year communicating with her husband without any obstacles, or it can be said that even doing translation work would not be stumbling. At least at that time, foreign teachers and she could communicate in all aspects.

  Is this a gift left by my past life for my current self?

  Recalling her spirit, Wang Zhen continued reading. That distant man, she hoped to never see him again in this life. She, Wang Zhen, was going to live for herself. No matter who it was, no one could make her be a mistress! An improper and unreasonable mistress!

  Zheng Shui Rong returned from the fields and looked at the clean and tidy courtyard, the well-fed poultry, the steaming pot lid, Wang Zhen's room was connected to the kitchen, with a door that led inside. From the doorway, Zheng Shui Rong gazed at her daughter sitting in a chair with her eyes closed and back against a book, and her heart once again surged with sorrow.

  The child is sensible, knows how to share household chores, knows how to earn money, and knows how to study diligently. She heard that Wang Zhinan was going to university and would be assigned a job after graduation, and she knew her daughter also wanted to, but as a mother, she didn't have the ability to give her so much support? For the first time, Zheng Shuirong had the idea of not letting her daughter live a useless life like herself.

  She suppressed her emotions, as she was the only adult at home and the child had no one else to rely on: "Is dinner ready?" In her usual cold tone, a hint of gentleness was revealed.

  Wang Zhen heard Zheng Shui Rong's voice, opened her eyes and smiled slightly: "Mom, I'm back, dinner is ready, you sit down, I'll go get the dishes."

  Watching her daughter's rare smile, Zheng Shuirong blamed herself for the first time for marrying a man who didn't fight with her.

  Put down your rice bowl and chopsticks: "Mom, let's eat. I have some good news to tell you, Auntie agreed to take me to pick up pebbles next weekend."

  Looking at the smile on her daughter's face, Zheng Shuirong felt a pang of sadness in her heart. She composed herself and said, "Alright, go with Erniang, but don't delay other people's important matters."

  "Don't worry about it." Wang Zhen said with a smile.

  "Xiao Zheng," Zheng Shui Rong paused for a moment, then continued: "You, how's your academic performance in school? Can you rank first?"

  Wang Zhen's hand paused, her eyes wide with surprise as she stared at her mother. In her past life, her mother had never asked about her school grades. This change made Wang Zhen both excited and sad.

  Watching her mother ask cautiously.

  "Generally, within the top five in class." Wang Zhen replied calmly.