Chapter 3

"Xiaoqi, have some sweet peanut soup," Mom Su said as she knocked on the door and came in carrying a bowl.

Seeing her daughter holding an English textbook, Mom Su had a smile on her face and was very happy, despite not being able to understand the book.

Normally, Xiaoqi would be annoyed that her mother came in without knocking first, even though Mom Su had changed that habit. Xiaoqi felt like she was being suddenly attacked and inspected.

Especially during a period when she was reading more romance novels, although her mother may not have been able to understand them, Xiaoqi felt guilty herself. Her guilty reaction was to get angry.

However, today when Xiaoqi saw the mushy peanut sweet soup that Mom cooked, she drank it with complex emotions.

Although the ingredients for peanut sweet soup were simple, it was very troublesome to make. First, the peanuts had to soak in cold water for an hour. Then the red peel on the outside had to be removed. Next, the peeled peanuts were put in a sandpot and boiled over high heat. After boiling, it was switched to low heat and simmered for about an hour before adding cold water again. It was boiled again over high heat before adding rock sugar. Then the heat was reduced and simmered until the soup became thick and milky white. Only then was it considered cooked well.

It took several hours to make a simple bowl of peanut sweet soup.

Other than Mom, probably no one else would be willing to spend so much effort to make her this sweet soup.

"Use a spoon to drink it. Don't hug the bowl. The rim of the bowl has chips. Be careful not to cut your mouth," Mom Su said, rubbing her apron.

With that one sentence, Su Xiaoqi's eyes reddened again.

There were no unchipped bowls in the house. If there was even one, it would definitely have been given to her to use.

After finishing the sweet soup, she said, "Mom, I want to go into town tomorrow." "You're on summer vacation now. What do you need to go into town for? It's hot in the city in summer. It's easy to get heat stroke. It's cooler at home. You don't need to do any chores at home. Just stay home and read books comfortably."

"No, a classmate introduced a tutoring job to me. I want to try it and earn some tuition at the same time." Su Xiaoqi slowly explained.

Since starting high school, it seemed like lying was no longer the first time.

Ashamed lies, ashamed requests for money, ashamed outings to play.

She knew it was wrong, but she just couldn't control herself.

In Mom Su's heart, her daughter was extremely well-behaved. She would obediently stay home when she came back and would never go out and fool around. So of course she believed her.

She just said, "I'll have to discuss it with your dad. It's chaotic outside right now. Which classmate was it? Are your classmates going together?"

Su Xiaoqi vaguely acknowledged it with a few words, then picked up her book.

Worried about disturbing her daughter's reading, Mom Su didn't say more. She took the bowl downstairs.

After that, Su Xiaoqi took out her New Concept English Elementary textbook and stood up to recite it while pacing around the room.

She recited very loudly.

At first she would check the step count and money count increase, but later she became completely immersed in the book.

Things she had previously felt were memorized and then forgotten were now very clear.

It seemed like she firmly memorized them after reading and reciting just once.

She read louder and louder.

Downstairs, Dad Su and Mom Su were talking. Hearing the sound, they unconsciously lowered their own voices a bit. "Our daughter said she wants to tutor in the city to earn some tuition money. She said a classmate introduced it to her," Mom Su said softly.

Dad Su didn't smoke or chat idly outside. He sat among a pile of bamboo and was quickly weaving a bamboo winnowing basket. He could sell two of these baskets for 26 yuan, but making them was not easy.

He had to go up the mountain to chop bamboo, drag the bamboo back home, dry it for a period of time, then split the bamboo into long strips. He had to remove the innermost bamboo pith layer, and split the thin bamboo strips into three layers. From stiff, straight bamboo, it became soft bamboo strips. Only the outer layer with skin was usable. Then he wove them into baskets.

If he worked exclusively on weaving baskets all day without doing anything else, Dad Su's record was two and a half baskets in one day, five winnowing baskets total. That meant working from dawn to midnight, for 65 yuan.

That didn't even include the time spent chopping bamboo up the mountain and carrying it back, plus the bus fare to take the baskets into the city to sell.

Because the baskets were so big, they couldn't even take the public bus into the city.

Once, Su Xiaoqi had walked with her dad all the way from where they got off the village bus to the place they sold the winnowing baskets. She carried nothing while her dad shouldered the baskets. The bamboo baskets were wet and heavy. Her dad's left foot was also lame, yet she was the one who walked until she was panting heavily. The public bus cost one yuan even for such a long distance, but her dad had to shoulder the baskets and walk there.

It wasn't possible to take a taxi. With just a few baskets, there was hardly any money left. The entire earnings were from hard work.

Dad Su's hands continuously wove the basket, although they were coarse and calloused. The fresh bamboo still managed to cut his hands, leaving dense scars.

He was silent for a long time before speaking. "If you want to go, then go. You're grown up now. You'll eventually have to go out. In the future when you go to college, you'll go even farther. We can't accompany you forever."

Mom Su didn't make a sound now as she tidied up the stove and sat down to help weave the basket.

When Su Xiaoqi finished reciting a book and saw the step count display 10,000 and the money display 1,000 yuan without increasing further, she went downstairs to get some water.

She saw her parents sitting under the dim light, weaving baskets.

Moths fluttered around the lamplight.

Outside was very quiet now. The chatting adults and playing children had all gone home. Occasionally, a dog's bark carried over.

"Your mom said you're going into town tomorrow. I'm going to sell baskets anyway, so I'll go with you," Dad Su said.

"Okay, good."