Chapter 13: Helping Grandma Li

    On the first day of the school break, Li Yifeng took his sister to buy a phone at a shopping mall, which they had to take a bus to reach. Back when she was Tang Yifei, she had lived in City S and had never been to City A, a secondary city.

    So, this trip to buy a phone was a whole new experience for her.

    The shopping mall was quite large, bustling with people who seemed to gather there simply because they had nowhere else to go. Li Yifei also spotted a boba tea shop that used to be her favorite.

    However, she had to save her money for the phone. If there was any leftover, she might treat herself to some bubble tea as a farewell to her dwindling funds.

    The phone that her younger brother picked out for her was a brand she didn’t recognize, but it had many features, especially when it came to the camera and video recording. It seemed that Li Yifeng had carefully considered his sister’s needs and had done his research well.

    His questions were well-prepared, and he tested the phone himself. However, Li Yifei still had to part with her 600 yuan, which meant her boba tea indulgence would have to wait.

    If she were still Tang Yifei, the price of the phone would have been a mere pocket change. But now, it hurt to spend so much. Still, a phone was a necessity, so she reluctantly made the purchase.

    Li Yifeng noticed his sister’s deflated mood after buying the phone. He understood why.

    Spending 600 yuan was no small thing for them, but a phone was essential. He had also installed a tracking app on it, just to keep an eye on her.

    He wasn’t trying to invade her privacy, he was simply worried about her. Normally, his sister loved going to this mall, but he had noticed her excitement on the bus ride there.

    She didn’t seem to recognize the route, as if the experience was entirely new.

    His sister had become more considerate since the accident, but there were still things that concerned him. She seemed to be more naive than before.

    If she ever found out about the tracking app, he’d later deal with it then.

    After buying the phone, Li Yifeng asked if she wanted to walk around the mall for a while to ease the pain of spending so much money.

    But his sister just shook her head.

    So, the two of them got on the bus and headed home.

    As they got off the bus and walked into the alley leading to their home, they passed a convenience store. Li Yifeng led his sister inside.

    "Hey, let me treat you to some ice cream."      

    As he expected, his sister smiled, and it was a really beautiful smile. No wonder she once dreamed of being a star. But becoming a celebrity wasn’t something that came easily.

    For Li Yifeng, he only wanted to study hard, get into university, and work for a top company with a high salary. That way, he could move his family to a better place where everyone could have their own room.

    But that dream was still far away.

    In the meantime, he’d go back to work at the fried chicken shop to earn some extra money. Whether at home or outside, everything required money.

    “Thanks.”

    His sister’s voice snapped him out of his thoughts.

    “It’s nothing. Just celebrating that you’ve got a new phone.”

    To think, her old phone had been top-of-the-line, modern and so expensive, even after passing through many hands. But it had shattered completely during the accident. When the nurse handed it to them, it was in pieces, and her money in her wallet had also disappeared.

    No one knew who had taken the money, and the police didn’t bother investigating such a small amount, as it wasn’t tens or hundreds of thousands.

    They didn’t care that for some people, even a small sum could sustain them for a whole month.

    "What about you? Which one you get?" Li Yifei asked her brother.

    Even when choosing ice cream, her sister picked the cheapest one, which made Li Yifeng smile, as he knew that flavor wasn’t very good.

    "I think you should get this one instead," he suggested.

    His sister, now much more agreeable, went along with his choice. If her younger brother thought she should have this one, she would go with it.

    After paying, the siblings sat outside the convenience store, enjoying their ice cream.

    Li Yifei had never eaten convenience store ice cream before. The ice cream she used to eat was either from a well-known shop or made by a pastry chef.

    Eating something like this was a new experience, and the ice cream her brother chose for her was delicious. It even helped lift her mood after spending so much money on the phone.

    “Let me take a picture of you with your new phone,” her brother offered

    While enjoying the ice cream, her brother took a few pictures of her, and Li Yifei was more than happy to oblige. She smiled brightly in the photos because that’s how she truly felt.

    Looking at the pictures, she couldn’t help but wonder if modern cameras came with built-in filters because the girl in the photos looked fresh and beautiful, perfectly her age.

    Her brother even set one of the photos as her phone wallpaper.

    "Shall we take a picture together?" Li Yifei suggested.

    Li Yifeng hesitated for a moment before nodding in agreement. His sister moved closer to him. Despite being the older sibling, Li Yifeng was now almost as tall as her, and by the time he entered high school, he would definitely be taller.

    Li Yifeng took a few more pictures with his sister

    He snapped several shots.

    When they got home, Li Yifei scrolled through the photos, pleased with how they turned out. She thought about taking more photos when Grandma Li, her parents, and brother were all together.

    And maybe even a family photo.

    It occurred to her that there weren’t any family portraits hanging on the walls of their house.

    "I’m off to work now," Li Yifeng said.

    Li Yifei had wanted to offer to go with him, but after nearly a month of adjusting, she still wasn’t comfortable enough with things. She figured she would use this break to train herself.

    While her brother was at work, Li Yifei spent her time during the break helping Grandma Li sell vegetables. They started at around 3 p.m., after Grandma Li had finished sorting the vegetables she had bought earlier in the day. Even though it was mostly sitting work, Li Yifei felt surprisingly sore.

    It turned out she wasn’t as helpful as she had hoped. Perhaps Grandma Li had brought her along to show her how hard it was to earn money.

    At 3 p.m., they bought vegetables at a low price to sell outside, where the local authorities allowed it. They sold each plate of vegetables for a small profit of no more than 2 yuan per plate, which was quite cheap. If they sold everything, they could make about 30 yuan in profit—not a lot by any means.

    Their selling spot was small and cramped, surrounded by other vegetable sellers, most of whom were around Grandma’s age, or a little younger.

    Soon, the calls for customers began.

    With Li Yifei, the beautiful granddaughter, helping out, Grandma Li's vegetables sold out quickly, prompting a nearby vendor to joke,

    "Your granddaughter really is as beautiful as they say! Why don’t you let her help me sell too?"

    Li Yifei, wanting to build goodwill, helped call customers over. It wasn’t long before they sold out as well. Others nearby called her over to help, too.

    However, Grandma Li soon interrupted, "That's enough. If you keep asking her for help, my granddaughter and I won’t get to eat."

    "Now that you have helped, you should help to the very end!"

    One of the vendors said.

    "No way. I’ve got other things to do. Come on, Yifei, let’s go home. Otherwise, your parents and your brother will be starving because of your kindness," Grandma Li replied.

    It was unclear if Grandma Li’s words offended the other vendors, but those who had already sold out were packing up to go home.

    Leaving just Grandma Li and Yifei as the last to finish.

    Li Yifei, feeling a little guilty, said nothing and stood next to her grandmother. While her heart was in the right place—wanting to help others sell out—Grandma Li was right. It meant she had kept her grandmother waiting instead of letting her return home to rest.

    On the way home, Grandma Li offered her some wisdom.

    "Helping others is good, but don’t let it cause you trouble. Look at those people you helped. Did any of them stay behind to help us? As soon as they sold out, they disappeared without offering anything in return, except for a ‘thank you.’"

    Just from the money Grandma Li earned today, Li Yifei understood why the others hadn’t offered any money in return.

    When Grandma taught her this, it reminded her of her grandfather’s words. Back when she used to buy things for friends and distant relatives, many would hint at wanting expensive gifts, making her feel obligated to give.

    There was an old saying her grandfather used, "If you care for others too much, you’ll eventually hurt yourself."

    Giving expensive gifts should never exceed one's means.

    "Thank you, Grandma, for teaching me. I’ll remember that."

    Grandma Li looked pleased that her granddaughter was so obedient.

    "Good."

    When they got home, Grandma Li handed Li Yifei 30 yuan.

    "You made the sales today. The profit is yours."

    "But, Grandma—"

    She now knew how much hard work her grandmother had put in.

    "I still have my wages from sorting vegetables. Don’t worry. When adults give you something, you must accept it, understand?" Grandma replied.

    Li Yifei accepted the 30 yuan with a grateful heart. Even though it wasn’t much, she knew how hard Grandma had worked to earn it, sitting for hours and calling out to customers in the heat.

    Every yuan had been earned with effort.

    Li Yifei decided that unless absolutely necessary, she would keep this money as a token of her grandmother’s hard work and not spend it.

    Over the next few days, Li Yifei stayed home in the mornings, cleaning the house, a task she had now mastered. The only difficult part was cleaning the bathroom, but Grandma told her it didn’t need to be done too often to save water.

    Of course, that made sense. Aside from the small house they were still paying off, there were monthly expenses like water, electricity, cooking gas, and many other things.

    All of it added up, especially with five people living in the house.

    Luckily, they had an old washing machine. Otherwise, they would have had to wash clothes by hand. After washing, Yifei would climb up to the rooftop to hang the clothes out to dry, and later, she would go back up to collect them when they dried. Since the house didn’t have a balcony, this was their only option.

    It wasn’t uncommon to see laundry hanging from the windows of houses like theirs.

    At 3 p.m., Li Yifei would go help Grandma Li sell vegetables. Once their stock was sold out, they would head home right away, making up excuses about having other things to do so it wouldn’t seem rude to leave early.

    At last, Grandma Li could come home and rest.

    Aside from the first day, Grandma Li didn’t split the profits with her anymore, and Yifei never asked for her share as well.

    She continued living her life this way until the day the exam results were announced.