Pretty and charming, dressed in the 90s, she's good at everything from making money to causing

Indeed, guests had arrived; they were two female classmates carrying two pairs of pants.

"Hey, it's here! It's here!"

Aunt Zheng immediately wiped away her tears and sat down by the window at the sewing machine, leaning on her cane.

She opened the window and forced a smile: "What do you need?"

One of the girls said, "I want to widen the waist area a bit."

Another said, "I want to tighten my waist."

After they finished speaking, they looked at each other at the same time, and sparks flew as their eyes met.

Nothing distracts you more than making money.

Aunt Zheng sniffed, picked up the measuring tape, and said to the two of them, "Come in, you two, I'll measure your waistlines."

"it is good."

Two girls came in and were taken aback when they saw Zheng Miaoying eating on the kang (a heated brick bed).

Zheng Miaoying is beautiful and very famous at school.

Does this small tailor shop belong to her family?

Zheng Miaoying smiled and waved to them, then continued eating.

Aunt Zheng suddenly felt a little uncomfortable. She turned around and glanced at Zheng Miaoying. Seeing that her expression was normal, she then began to measure the waists of the two girls.

"Auntie, when are we coming to pick it up?"

"There's not much work to do right now, you two wait a bit, it'll be done soon," Aunt Zheng said, and started working.

Two girls stood to one side, glancing at Zheng Miaoying every now and then, their eyes full of curiosity.

After being stared at for a while, Yingzi became a little embarrassed. She touched her nose and asked, "Why don't you... go eat first?"

Don't look at her like that; her family never cooks more than they need, so they can't share with them.

"No need, no need, we ate before we came."

"Yeah……"

The two girls thought Zheng Miaoying was unhappy, so they quickly turned their heads away and dared not peek at her anymore.

About ten minutes later, Aunt Zheng handed the two pairs of pants to them: "Try them on, and I'll alter them if they don't fit."

Zheng Miaoying immediately jumped off the kang (a heated brick bed), grabbed a curtain made from a bed sheet, and said, "I'll block it for you."

Aunt Zheng originally wanted to do the work herself, but Zheng Miaoying took it from her.

These days, almost every store has one of these simple "fitting rooms," and the two girls took turns trying on the pants.

"Suitable."

"Suitable."

"Thank you auntie."

They each paid fifty cents and hurriedly left with the pants.

Aunt Zheng held the money, remained silent for a moment, and then suddenly smiled.

She stuffed the money into Zheng Miaoying's hand and said, "I'll buy some soda with Ting'er this afternoon."

Zheng Miaoying grasped the money and happily agreed, "Okay!"

Aunt Zheng sat back down at the table, then hesitated, "Yingzi, will my shop here affect you?"

"How does this affect me?" Zheng Miaoying asked, puzzled. "I can see my mother every day and go home to live, but they can't."

"But if people say your mom is just a small business owner..."

“Mom, listen to this, we’re doing business too. We earn our living with our own hands, what’s wrong with that?” Zheng Miaoying smiled brightly.

Aunt Zheng thought to herself, "How can they be the same? What kind of shop is Lin Ting's? And what kind of shop is theirs?"

However, seeing her daughter's carefree, silly grin, she swallowed back the words that were on the tip of her tongue.

She reached out and grasped Zheng Miaoying's hand, her voice soft yet firm: "From now on, Mom will only think of you, and we'll live our own lives... We'll pretend we don't know anyone who bullied us, and let others say what they want!"

In the past, she always thought that "they are all relatives," and the opinions of outsiders constrained her.

Now she's come to terms with it. Let others say what they want; she just wants her daughter to be alright.

"Ok!"

Zheng Miaoying nodded vigorously.

……

In a cramped warehouse, the police removed the chains binding Xiao Ning and rescued him.

"Quick, get him to the hospital right away! His wound is infected and he has a high fever!"

For Xiao Ning, being rescued by the police was an incredibly lucky thing.

Unfortunately, his mother was also sentenced to prison for trying to use her niece to pay off debts.

Xiao Ning was dumbfounded after hearing all this.

"Can I...see my aunt?" Xiao Ning asked in a trembling voice.

Su's father frowned: "What do you want to do?"

"I'm not doing anything... I just want to apologize to her and Yingzi..."

Su's father looked at him for a while, said nothing, and then turned and left.

He quickly brought back the news.

"Zheng Miaoying said she doesn't want to see you anymore, and she doesn't want to see you again."

Xiao Ning closed her eyes, and tears streamed down her face.

He regretted it.

I really regret it.

No matter how much he regretted it, his fingers wouldn't grow back, his mother couldn't be acquitted, and his aunt and sister would never forgive him.

……

In the courtyard, a group of girls were gathered around a round table.

A copper pot was placed in the middle of the table, with charcoal burning underneath, and slices of meat and vegetables arranged around it.

Aunt Zheng, leaning on her cane, called out to all the girls in dormitory 234 and Feng Yue: "Quickly, everyone pick up your chopsticks and eat more."

“Auntie, please sit down and eat with us.” Lin Ting supported her arm. “We really can’t eat anything as you’re treating us with your injury.”

“That’s right,” Su Yu nodded in agreement, and moved a stool over. “Auntie, please sit down.”

Aunt Zheng shook her head, looked at them and said, "I won't join in your fun. You all eat well and have more. I'm going back to my room now."

"No, Auntie, let's eat together..."

The girl tried to persuade her to stay, but Aunt Zheng was worried that they would feel uncomfortable with her there, so she was helped back into the house by Zheng Miaoying.

Zheng Miaoying returned quickly and, seeing that they hadn't picked up their chopsticks yet, said, "What are you waiting for? Eat up, I went to buy groceries early this morning."

"Auntie, you really won't eat?"

“My mom just ate and even gave some to Grandma Li,” Zheng Miaoying said. “Come on, let’s eat.”

Aunt Zheng had been planning this meal for several days. She thought that her daughter had been taken care of by everyone when she was at school. She couldn't invite them before, but now that she was better off and lived not far from the school, she invited several girls over.

The courtyard was bustling with activity. Inside the main room, Grandma Li was feeding her granddaughter, who was sitting on the kang (a heated brick bed), with sesame paste from a small bowl.

The little girl had very dark eyes, but her skin was slightly pale and her hair was a bit yellow, which was caused by not being exposed to the sun for a long time.

She looked out the window, listening to their laughter, her lips pursed.

Grandma Li glanced at her, and after a moment of silence, asked, "Qiu'er, do you want to go out and play for a while?"

The little girl turned around instantly and ate the food her grandmother fed her.

She was as frightened as a little rabbit, hanging her head and refusing to say a word.

Grandma Li sighed silently.

After a moment of silence, she said again, "The wheelchair I bought for you will be delivered in a couple of days. Grandma will take you to the park then, okay?"

The little girl clenched her fists and stopped chewing.

She stared at her legs, her eyes reddening.

Grandma Li coaxed, "I'll cover you with a small blanket then, so no one can see, okay?"

She remained silent for a long time, then slowly raised her head, looked at her grandmother's worried eyes, and nodded very lightly: "Okay."