In the countryside, there was nowhere to spend money. She had handed over her entire first year’s salary to her family, who had, after all, spent a considerable amount to put her through Normal College. Later, most of the three thousand yuan bride price from the Zhao Family had also gone to them, leaving her with only a small fraction to take into her marriage.
For the Zhao Family, this was still quite a bargain. She was a teacher with an iron rice bowl—a secure, state-employment position—so her future salary would belong to and be spent on the Zhao Family.
Over her four years of marriage, with the exception of the first year when her salary was only ninety-eight yuan, her pay had risen annually. By this year, before she lost her permanent position due to an out-of-quota birth, it had reached a hundred and sixty-five yuan a month.
The Zhao Family had money, having become one of Water Wharf Town’s earliest “ten-thousand-yuan households.” The price of a single color TV casually sold by the family could match more than half a year of her salary. Zhao Zongbao simply took his daily spending money from the shop’s drawer and naturally looked down on her income. Because of this, she had kept her salary for herself over the years. She ate lunch at school, and her mornings and evenings were spent with the Zhao Family. Aside from daily small purchases of clothes and shoes for Xiaoxi, over four years, she had managed to save a total of four thousand yuan.
When she left the Zhao household, she had grabbed a thick roll of money from Father Zhao’s wooden chest. She hadn’t counted the exact sum, but it was considerable. Along with the loose cash she took from the drawer in their room, she estimated there was another two to three thousand.
This shop space was available for purchase with a down payment and a loan. If it was three hundred per square meter and she wanted thirty square meters, her own savings plus the loose cash she had taken from Father Zhao’s room could cover the price of a unit. What’s more, she still had the Silver Dollars coins and other ancient coins. She wanted to find a pawnshop to inquire about their value. If possible, she hoped to exchange them for cash and buy the shop space as soon as possible.
However, after all, she and Zhou Huaijin had only known each other for a few days. Although his profession gave her an innate level of trust in him, she hadn’t shared too many details. Zhou Huaijin assumed she only wanted to buy a single unit and said, “If you want to take out a loan to buy a shop here, you’ll need to find work first and have your workplace issue a proof of income. This mall will take at least another two years to build, so there’s no rush.”
But Xu Huiqing was very much in a rush.
Inflation had been rising since last year. Because the Zhao Family ran an appliance store, her understanding of it was clearer and more direct. She heard Old Zhao cursing at home every day about wholesale prices shooting up nearly forty percent. Consequently, the prices at the Zhao Family Appliance Store had also risen by forty percent. Other things, like raw materials, grain, and agricultural products like cotton, had jumped by over seventy percent, nearly doubling.
Otherwise, her own salary couldn’t have suddenly jumped to a hundred and sixty-five yuan a month, with further increases still ongoing.
The prices at the Zhao Family Appliance Store were still climbing, which indicated that the inflation had never stopped. After the year 2000, money would be worth even less.
Right now, shops were priced at only two to three hundred per square meter. Xu Huiqing felt it probably wouldn’t even take a year for that price to double again. To prevent any unforeseen complications, she had to close the deal quickly.
She said to Zhou Huaijin, “I don’t know anyone else here, only you. Once my job is settled and I can get that proof of income, would you be able to introduce me to the right people so I can finalize the purchase quickly?”
Zhou Huaijin hadn’t imagined she’d be so impatient, but nodded and said, “Sure!”
Personally, he thought she didn’t need to rush. The mall construction project was massive and under extreme financial pressure. The developers likely hadn’t even thought of pre-sales yet. If pre-selling could truly recover funds, he believed the market managers would be even more impatient than Xu Huiqing.
As for the bank, he had a classmate working there. They often ate together, and he knew the bank had loan quotas to meet right now. In this era, you weren’t begging the bank for a loan; as long as you had proof of income to demonstrate a repayment ability, the bank would grant you one.
The only catch was the interest rate—mortgage rates for terms over five years were 3.6%, while those for five years or less were just 3.1%.
Hearing this only made Xu Huiqing more anxious to get the loan and buy the shop.
She remembered very clearly that the Zhao Family, as Water Wharf Town’s first ten-thousand-yuan household, had also been the first to buy a house in the Neighboring City and settle there formally. Because it was their first home purchase, even after so many years, Xu Huiqing still remembered the mortgage interest rate at that time: around fifteen percent.
She couldn’t recall if the Zhao Family had moved to the Neighboring City in ’97 or ’98. But if the current mortgage rate was only around three percent, it likely meant it would jump to over fifteen percent within the next year or two. After all, 1998 was known as the Housing Reform Year. That was the year the housing allocation policy was officially abolished and housing supply was commercialized.
That was why she remembered the year ’98 so vividly!
Xu Huiqing acted with incredible speed. After getting the details on the mall shops, her first priority was enrolling Xiaoxi in Yinshan Kindergarten’s summer program. The program started on July 1st; she had arrived in H City at the very end of June. Right after securing her housing, it was just in time for registration.
Since she had pre-registered before, the enrollment and payment process was very fast. After settling that, she even asked if Yinshan Kindergarten was short on staff.
Given that Xiaoxi had been sold, Xu Huiqing feared the child would feel insecure if simply dropped off at kindergarten. She wanted the same situation as in her past life: to work as a teacher at the school to accompany Xiaoxi through her development.
But these past few years were the peak of a massive layoff wave. Whenever a job opening appeared, it was filled instantly. How could there be any opportunities for Xu Huiqing? With fewer children during the summer break, the kindergarten’s own staff weren’t even fully utilized, making it impossible to hire external substitute teachers.
Unable to be inside the kindergarten with Xiaoxi, Xu Huiqing worried that the child might encounter overly strict, serious teachers who would frighten her. She privately spoke to Director Chen, explaining that Xiaoxi had been kidnapped just over two months ago and was now very insecure. She hoped Director Chen could place Xiaoxi in a class with a gentle, warm-natured teacher.
Xu Huiqing didn’t elaborate much, but those few words were enough for Director Chen to understand why a teacher with a permanent, state-assigned position at a public school would leave her home alone with a child to find work in the city.
Director Chen smiled warmly and said to Xu Huiqing, “I understand. I’ll keep this in mind. If you’re still worried, you’re welcome to volunteer here during your free time, and we can stay in touch about her progress.”
Xu Huiqing asked if the matter could be kept as confidential as possible, without many others knowing. Xiaoxi was still young, and she hoped the child could forget the incident quickly and start anew.
Director Chen fully understood her wish and agreed, offering comfort as well: “You’re a teacher yourself; you must know a child’s capacity for adaptation. You need to trust her ability to adjust and not worry overly. Sometimes, being too protective and unwilling to let go can make a child psychologically more dependent on you, preventing her from becoming independent.”
Director Chen’s words struck a chord in Xu Huiqing’s heart, making her reflect on her past life. Back then, out of worry for Xiaoxi, she had re-entered the school system to continue teaching, just to watch over her.
She shook her head, dismissing the thought. The circumstances of her past life and this one were different. In this life, Xiaoxi had been found after just over a month. In her past life, Xiaoxi had suffered years of inhuman abuse. The situations were not the same. If she could go back and do it all again, she would still choose to stay by Xiaoxi’s side, protecting her as she grew.
Yet, Director Chen’s words still left a mark on her mind, making her question if she was being overprotective of Xiaoxi.
Director Chen, meanwhile, was also considering which teacher’s class to assign Xiaoxi to.
No one knew the personality and teaching style of each teacher better than the director.
She was an extremely responsible director. Considering the special trauma Xiaoxi had just endured, she said to Xu Huiqing, “How about this: if you’re uneasy, don’t go home just yet. Take Xiaoxi into a classroom to play and get familiar with the teacher. When she officially starts on July 1st, she’ll be a bit more adjusted. What do you think?”
Xu Huiqing had no objections and was led by Director Chen to a classroom.
The class’s teacher was named Xi. She looked to be about twenty-five or twenty-six, with large eyes, a high nose bridge, and full lips, radiating youthful energy.
She had just graduated her most recent class of older children. Starting next semester, she would take on a new class of young children. Xiaoxi was, in a sense, her new class’s very first student, and she was pleasantly surprised to meet her early.
Her assistant teacher was a young woman of eighteen or nineteen, surnamed Lin. She had short hair, an oval face, and slightly puffy eyes. Still, she was an extremely warm and friendly young lady. The moment she saw Xiaoxi, she spread her arms wide and dashed over to greet her: “Hello there! I’m Teacher Little Lin. What’s your name?”
Director Chen went off to speak with Teacher Xi alone, leaving Teacher Little Lin to play with Xiaoxi.
At first, Xiaoxi was frightened, clinging tightly to Xu Huiqing’s leg, constantly looking up to check if she was still there.
Xu Huiqing remained seated on a small chair, smiling and offering encouragement.
Seeing her mother stay put probably gave Xiaoxi a sense of safety. Coupled with Teacher Little Lin’s genuine warmth, Xiaoxi eventually allowed herself to be led by the hand to a nearby reading area, where Teacher Little Lin sat and read picture book stories with her.
As Xiaoxi held Teacher Little Lin’s hand, she kept glancing back at Xu Huiqing. Even when seated on the teacher’s lap, she would occasionally look up to verify her mother hadn’t disappeared. But before she knew it, she was absorbed in the stories Teacher Little Lin told her.
At first, she’d look up at Xu Huiqing every minute or two. Later, it stretched to several minutes, then over ten minutes, before she would snap out of the story and glance up to see if her mother was there.
After a while, Teacher Xi also entered the classroom. She brought a small wooden chair and sat beside Xu Huiqing. The two of them watched Xiaoxi with encouraging smiles, chatting quietly.
Teacher Xi had already gotten a rough understanding from Director Chen about Xiaoxi’s previous abduction. She came to talk with Xu Huiqing hoping to reassure her: “You can rest easy. Teacher Little Lin and I will always be attentive to Xiaoxi’s emotional state.”
She was a slow, gentle, and very warm teacher, someone who just seeing gave a sense of security and comfort. She and Teacher Little Lin were perfect complements—one calm, one lively; one steady, one animated.
After speaking with Xu Huiqing, Teacher Xi didn’t rush to join Teacher Little Lin and Xiaoxi. She only came over with a smile once the story time was finished and patiently played toys with Xiaoxi.
Gradually, Xiaoxi became engrossed in playing toys with the teachers. She no longer felt the need to look up so frequently to confirm Xu Huiqing’s presence.
With her years of teaching experience, Xu Huiqing knew this was a sign that Xiaoxi was beginning to feel secure in her environment.
The next day followed the same pattern. Xu Huiqing bought plenty of fruit and snacks for the two teachers.
She sat at the classroom doorway while Teacher Xi and Teacher Little Lin played with Xiaoxi.
They were lucky the teachers had just sent off their graduating class and the new students hadn’t yet arrived. Both were free at school, waiting for the summer program to start; otherwise, there wouldn’t have been time for Xiaoxi to adjust like this.
Over those two days, they spent the morning at the kindergarten and ate lunch right there in the cafeteria.
Yinshan Kindergarten wasn’t hiring teachers, so that very afternoon, Xu Huiqing went straight to the Youth Palace diagonally across from the kindergarten to inquire.
Her first reason was, naturally, its close proximity to the kindergarten. From the upper floors of the Youth Palace, you could look down and see the kindergarten’s playground and facilities across the street. If anything happened, she could be right there immediately.
She didn’t need to be present at every moment like in her past life, but she hoped to stay near, so that whenever Xiaoxi needed her, she could instantly know where she was and be found.
This was the Youth Palace’s busiest season. Its hallways were packed with parents and students signing up for summer programs. When Xu Huiqing arrived carrying Xiaoxi, the teacher in charge of registration assumed she was there to enroll Xiaoxi. After a single glance at the child, the teacher said, “She’s too young. Has she even started kindergarten? I suggest sending her to kindergarten first and coming back to register in a year or two!”
The Youth Palace was a place for learning skills, after all, not just a daycare.
Xu Huiqing then stated her purpose: she was here to apply for a job.
The teacher handling registration looked up at her with mild surprise and pointed towards the innermost office upstairs, saying, “For job applications, go to that office upstairs and find Teacher Qiao.”
Teacher Qiao’s office was easy to find. Upon learning she was there to interview for a teaching position, Teacher Qiao was a bit surprised—even more so when she discovered Xu Huiqing was a graduate of a Normal College. Due to the job assignment system, it was extremely difficult for the Youth Palace to recruit teachers with an education above high school level because they all had permanent positions, the iron rice bowl. In this peak era of mass layoffs, it was virtually unheard of for a teacher with such a secure job to go looking for work.
This made Xu Huiqing’s job hunt remarkably easy. Especially with her fluent English, drawing and mental arithmetic skills, and nearly five years of public primary school teaching experience, she was exactly the type of teacher the Youth Palace urgently needed.
The process went extremely smoothly. Teacher Qiao told her to come back the next day to teach two trial lessons before deciding on her subject assignments.
The salary was even a bit higher than what she’d earned back home. Taking advantage of the busiest summer period, there wasn’t even a probation period. The pay was two hundred and twenty yuan per month, and her onboarding paperwork was processed that very day, allowing her to start work the next morning.
Early the next day, Xu Huiqing again bought some fruit and snacks and dropped Xiaoxi off first at Yinshan Kindergarten with Teacher Xi and Teacher Little Lin. She stayed with Xiaoxi in the classroom for a short while before earnestly pointing towards the Youth Palace diagonally across the street and saying, “Be good, Xiaoxi. You stay here in kindergarten with Teacher Xi and Teacher Little Lin. Mama has to go to work at the Youth Palace across the street. Once Mama’s class is over, I’ll come see you, okay?”
Xiaoxi, of course, refused. No matter how Teacher Little Lin held her, coaxed her, or tried to distract her with stories, the child just cried, reaching out her hands for Xu Huiqing. It broke Xu Huiqing’s heart, and she couldn’t tear herself away.
Teacher Xi kept signaling Xu Huiqing with her eyes, urging her to leave quickly. “The longer you stay here, the harder it is for Xiaoxi to detach from you. Only if you firmly let go and leave will she realize you won’t return until dismissal time, and then she’ll start to get used to the separation.”
In truth, the one who really needed to get used to the separation was not just Xiaoxi!