Chapter 412: Chapter 412

No matter what Yuan Mei Qin and Chen Jiahua mother and son had in mind, Wan Chu’er planned to ignore them completely, and besides, this was her territory. It was one thing to be bullied by the Crown Prince and powerful foreign capital, but if she couldn’t even deal with Yuan Mei Qin and her son, she might as well go back to Wutong County.

After lunch, Mrs. Jiang came over with big and small bags of things.

The elderly woman hadn’t seen her grandsons for a while, and upon seeing them, she hugged Legend and Hunter affectionately, calling them her beloved treasures non-stop.

"I haven’t seen them for a couple of days, and I felt really empty inside, and I also wonder how Ke Chu is doing," Mrs. Jiang hinted indirectly, hoping Wan Chu’er would take her grandsons to see her son.

Though she missed her grandsons, she felt it was more important for the son and his family to reunite.

Wan Chu’er smiled awkwardly and changed the topic, saying, "Mom, Legend’s father called yesterday and said he has to take his team out for training for a few months and won’t be able to return."

Mrs. Jiang’s attention was immediately diverted, and following Wan Chu’er’s lead, she asked, "Do you know where they went for training? I’m most worried about them going to remote forests and mountains, where the environment is perilous and filled with snakes and bugs.

I remember when Ke Chu first joined the army, he also went for training and ended up rolling down a hillside, and he was hospitalized for a month without telling me."

Is there such an incident? Jiang Kechu always seemed so competent; it’s surprising he had such an embarrassing past.

"I don’t know where they are training; this is a military secret," Wan Chu’er said curiously. "How do you know about it?"

Mrs. Jiang replied, "I found out much later. When Xiao Zhuo grows up, don’t let him join the army. Having a military family always keeps me anxious."

Wan Chu’er smiled and said, "Xiao Zhuo and Xiao Ya are not even a year old yet. There’s still a long way to go; they can do whatever they like."

It seems her words pleased the two little guys, who giggled just in time, making Mrs. Jiang incredibly proud.

"Our family’s two little treasures are so clever; whatever you want to do in the future, grandma will support it."

After cleaning the house, Mao Xiaoyu hesitated for a while before she approached Wan Chu’er and said timidly,

"Sister-in-law, um... can I take half a day off? I want to see my younger brother, and I will come back in the evening."

She had been here for two months, and Wan Chu’er had given her two months’ salary, five hundred more than the initially agreed 2,000 yuan, plus she ate and drank at home, and Wan Chu’er even gave her some used clothes, which were actually newer than her newest clothes, so she didn’t need to spend any money, hence she saved up five thousand yuan intact.

Having saved the money, she wanted to send some to her older brother right away, but she had just arrived, and Wan Chu’er had been busy these two months, so she hesitated to ask for time off.

Today, seeing Mrs. Jiang coming over, she wanted to ask for half a day off to make a quick round trip.

Only then did Wan Chu’er realize that she had never given Mao Xiaoyu a day off since she arrived.

She was very pleased with Mao Xiaoyu, a girl who endured hardships and was very down-to-earth, plus Li Shan also took an interest in her, so she agreed without hesitation.

"This period has been tough on you, take two days off, have a good chat with your brother, and go around Beijing."

"No need, half a day will be enough," Mao Xiaoyu quickly waved her hand.

"Go ahead." Wan Chu’er then had Xiao Liu pack a big bag of the house’s fruits and snacks for Mao Xiaoyu to take to her brother.

Mao Xiaoyu, holding a big bag of food, gratefully and excitedly went to find her brother, with the pocket inside her clothes carrying her five thousand yuan salary.

Feeling nervous yet excited along the way, Mao Xiaoyu tightly clutched the bag in her hand, determined to take her brother out for a good meal and buy him a new outfit from head to toe.

On the bus for an hour, Chuchu finally arrived at her younger brother’s school.

But when she got to her big brother’s dormitory, she was told that he wasn’t there and that he had left early in the morning. The male student who informed her looked at her with disdain, which made Mao Xiaoyu quite sad, thinking her brother must have been looked down upon.

Mao Xiaoyu didn’t know where her brother had gone. In Beijing, the siblings didn’t have other relatives or acquaintances. She was at a loss for a moment and after some thought, she found a nearby spot and decided to wait for her big brother to come back.

She ended up waiting until six in the evening, watching as the sky gradually darkened, yet her big brother still showed no signs of returning. She had no choice but to find a phone booth to call Wan Chu’er and tell her that she wouldn’t be coming home tonight.

Around eight o’clock, under the dim street lights of the campus, she finally saw her brother, looking exhausted as he approached the dormitory building.

"Xiao Zhu." Mao Xiaoyu’s gloom instantly vanished, and she hurriedly ran towards her brother.

Mao Xiaozhu paused, then, seeing clearly that it was his sister, his eyes immediately filled with joy.

"Sister, how come you’re here? How long have you been here?"

"Uh..." As Mao Xiaoyu got closer, she frowned. A sour and smelly scent hit her, and as she looked closely, she noticed that her brother’s clothes were wrinkled and stained.

"Xiao Zhu, where have you been?" Mao Xiaoyu grabbed her brother, her gaze intense.

Mao Xiaozhu pulled his sister a few steps to a secluded spot, his eyes sparkling with happiness as he pulled a handful of change from his pocket.

"Sister, look, this is the money I earned today."

Mao Xiaoyu became anxious, "You were out the whole day just to make money? Didn’t I tell you? You just need to focus on your studies, studying well is your real task. It’s the sister here to make money. Studying is more important than making money.

Only if you do well and learn real skills, after graduating, lots of companies will be vying to hire you with good offers."

After living with Wan Chu’er for two months, her perspective had broadened far beyond her initial days after coming from the village. She knew what was important.

Mao Xiaozhu naively smiled, "Sis, don’t worry, I won’t neglect my studies. I only go out to earn money when I’m not in class."

Mao Xiaoyu finally refocused, "What did you do?"

"Sis, I’ve noticed people in Beijing are really wasteful. Lots of bottles, cardboard boxes, scrap papers, and newspapers are just thrown away. I collect these items and take them to the recycling station for money."

Finally, it all made sense. Her brother had been picking up trash, which was why he smelled sour and looked disheveled, and why his classmates looked at him with disdain.

Mao Xiaoyu looked down at her tracksuit, given to her by Wan Chu’er, nearly new and of very good quality. Her nose tingled, and she said:

"Big brother, don’t do this anymore. How much money can picking up trash make?"

She pulled out a stack of money from her pocket, "Your sister works as a nanny, making two thousand five hundred yuan a month. This is two months’ salary. There will be more, I can support you and our younger siblings in their studies."

Mao Xiaozhu was stunned by the stack of money his sister had pulled out. He hurriedly stuffed the money back into Mao Xiaoyu’s pocket.

"Sis, don’t show off wealth."

Mao Xiaoyu smiled, "It’s okay." She took her brother’s hand and headed outside, "Let’s go eat outside, you must be hungry."

Two months had passed since they last saw each other, and her brother had gotten much thinner.