I Bacame the Mother of His Child-Chapter 109 - 108: Staying Put

Song Chengguang was so excited about his first day of school that he didn’t fall asleep until midnight. Xu Xiuxiu was startled by the little guy’s non-stop chattering, and it took her quite a while to soothe him to sleep.

Xu Jingjing, having spent the entire day on the train, went straight to bed after dinner without any prompting from Xu Xiuxiu. Xu Xiuxiu herself didn’t get to sleep until almost dawn, busy as she was. She woke up before daylight, tidied up her appearance, and went out spiritedly to buy soy milk, fried dough sticks, and steamed buns for breakfast.

When Xu Jingjing, having slept soundly, was woken by Xu Xiuxiu, the young girl was somewhat disgruntled. However, as soon as she sat down for breakfast and saw the big meat bun she had craved all day on the train, her excitement took over, and she began to gobble it up, clamoring about how right she was to come to City Z. Back home, there was no such treatment; her mother fed her white porridge and pickles every day, making her feel as if she smelled of pickles from head to toe. She had been practically going crazy craving a meat bun.

"Third sis, I’ve decided I’m going to stay here and never leave," Xu Jingjing said, her mouth full of steamed bun, her eyes full of hope as she looked at Xu Xiuxiu.

That’s because City Z was infinitely better than their old village home. The streets outside were bustling and the shop’s clothes were all so fashionable and pretty; these were just a few of the reasons why she didn’t want to leave. Moreover, it was only after arriving in City Z that she realized the vast difference between a city and a county. With that in mind, she might as well settle here—maybe she would even meet a suitable man! freewёbnoνel.com

When she walked down the street the previous day, just pulling aside anyone, the natural urban vibe they gave off was incomparable to the uneducated brutes back in the village. Those unsophisticated villagers lacked education, fine, but on top of that, they were tall and burly, looking like dark lumps of coal that would just get in the way.

"Sure! If you want to stay, stay! And you can help me out by picking up Cheng Guang from time to time," said Xu Xiuxiu, nodding her head, thinking that if she ever got too busy to pick up Cheng Guang, she could ask Xu Jingjing to do it, which would save her from worrying about one less hassle.

"Third sis! I have no objections to picking up and dropping off Cheng Guang, but I have one more favor to ask you. Will you agree?" Xu Jingjing giggled, stretching her hands out to start shaking Xu Xiuxiu’s arm, clearly with an agenda in speaking to her.

Xu Xiuxiu slightly raised her eyebrow; Si Ya wanted her to agree before even mentioning the purpose. Was she up to some mischief again? Xu Xiuxiu eyed the younger girl warily: "Let’s hear it first, as long as it’s not too much trouble for me, I’ll consider it." Xu Xiuxiu wasn’t old-fashioned; as long as Xu Jingjing wasn’t planning anything bad, agreeing to her request wouldn’t be a problem.

"It’s not trouble, I promise! Just need a word from you," Xu Jingjing said quickly, waving her hands and shaking her head: "Third sis, what do you think about me working as a waitress at the Sichuan Pavilion? I want to earn some pocket money for myself." Her face begging for approval, Xu Jingjing, with pockets emptier than her face, indicated a dire need to amass wealth.

"Are you short on money?" Xu Xiuxiu was taken aback, instinctively thinking about Xu Jingjing’s lack of funds. A moment later, she remembered that all of Xu Jingjing’s money had been pickpocketed on the train and immediately showed an apologetic look: "I forgot you didn’t have any money on you! But you don’t need to work at the Sichuan Pavilion just for that. If you’re strapped for cash, just tell me, and I’ll help you out! Wait here, I’ll get you some spending money right away." With that, Xu Xiuxiu turned to go to the bedroom drawer to get some change for Xu Jingjing.

"Hey! Sis, sis, sis! You don’t need to give me pocket money—I mean it, I want to work as a waitress at Sichuan Pavilion, I want to continue staying in Z city. Since that’s the case, I can’t just hang around at home eating and drinking for free. Plus, I am at least a middle school graduate, and though I don’t have much experience, I should be able to be a waitress, right?!" Xu Jingjing said as she hurriedly reached out to grab Xu Xiuxiu’s arm.

She had just about come to a firm decision to become self-reliant, and if her elder sister were to simply give her pocket money, wouldn’t that easily corrupt and make her lazy? No, she had to stay determined—she even planned to make a fortune! This decision had come the previous day when she visited Sichuan Pavilion with her elder sister. Her sister was too busy to pay attention to her, so she wandered off to the office doorway where she casually chatted with a couple of waitresses and learned about their wages.

Adding up all kinds of benefits, overtime pay, and with room and board provided, they still made nearly a hundred yuan a month! My God? That number was virtually unattainable for her! Her father, that old pedant, only made twenty or thirty yuan a month as a village official, didn’t he? But that was at least a village official! Even so, that was nothing compared to what her sister’s waitresses at the restaurant earned—if her dad knew, he’d surely be fuming.

"Are you being serious, Xu Jingjing?" Xu Xiuxiu stopped in her tracks and looked at Xu Jingjing as she asked.

"Mhm." Xu Jingjing nodded seriously, as if she couldn’t possibly be any more serious.

"Do you know what the waitresses at Sichuan Pavilion have to do? It’s not as easy as it seems; by the end of the day, their feet are killing them." She thought that Xu Jingjing’s snobbish personality would look down on the job of a waitress, not to mention that while the waitresses at Sichuan Pavilion were well-compensated, their job responsibilities were anything but light. Xu Xiuxiu was someone who believed in clear rewards and punishment; generous rewards came hand in hand with strict penalties.

"Taking orders, carrying dishes, stuff like that!" Xu Jingjing replied casually to Xu Xiuxiu.

Just as expected, the girl had no clue about the specifics: "Waitresses start work promptly at nine-thirty, and besides setting tables, they must complete thorough cleaning. They start waiting for customers at ten, and there isn’t much time to rest throughout the day; the rest of the time is spent moving back and forth, with hardly any time to sit down. Are you sure you can stick it out?" It wasn’t that Xu Xiuxiu didn’t believe in Xu Jingjing, but being a waitress was indeed not easy!

"I can," Xu Jingjing assured, clenching her fist and nodding.

"Alright then! Tomorrow I’ll let you try a day at Sichuan Pavilion, and if you feel like you can’t persist, then give up, okay?" No matter how difficult she might describe the work verbally, without personal experience, one could never let go.

"Thank you, elder sister," Xu Jingjing said with a "I can definitely do it" expression, her seriousness clearly surprising Xu Xiuxiu.

But Xu Xiuxiu merely nodded and didn’t take it to heart. She thought no matter how earnestly Xu Jingjing spoke now, no matter how serious her promises were, without perseverance, Xu Xiuxiu didn’t believe Xu Jingjing would be willing to obediently work as a waitress—this girl’s aspirations were sky-high!