Xiao Shi only half-understood.

But Qin Jiao knew Xiao Shi had heard her. With a little time, she would come to understand.

Although education wasn’t the only path in life, for poor children like them in this day and age, studying hard was the best way to forge a better future.

The next few days were quite relaxing for Qin Jiao. Her days consisted of studying, doing practice exams, and helping her parents with some chores.

She also found time to deliver vegetables to Jinlan Flower Restaurant.

Of course, sometimes when her parents and aunt were out and couldn’t look after Xiao Shi, Qin Jiao would bring her little sister along.

Jin Lan Hua bought Qin Jiao’s produce and discovered it was extremely popular with her customers, even bringing in many regulars. As a result, she accepted Qin Jiao’s prices, even though they were a little higher than what others charged.

When she saw Xiao Shi, Jin Lan Hua grabbed two pieces of chocolate she had bought for her son and gave them to the little girl. Xiao Shi didn’t take them right away, glancing at her older sister first.

Qin Jiao reached out, stroking her hair. "Go ahead and take them. Thank Aunt Jin."

"Thank you, Aunt Jin."

Jin Lan Hua said, "You two sisters couldn’t be more different. You’re so assertive, almost aggressive. The way you bargain is really something! Then look at your sister—she’s so much cuter and better-behaved."

Qin Jiao smiled. "It’s because my sister is so well-behaved that I have to be the tough one. Otherwise, I’d worry about people bullying her."

Jin Lan Hua nodded. "That’s a fair point."

Children from poor families have to grow up fast. In her eyes, Qin Jiao was just that kind of resilient young girl, tough through and through. She was sure to have an incredible future.

Just then, Jin Lan Hua’s chubby son, who was actually a year younger than Xiao Shi but very round and tall for his age, saw his mother give away the chocolates she had bought for him. He wasn’t happy about it, but he didn’t dare say anything to his mom. Instead, he sidled up to Xiao Shi to taunt her. "Have you ever had chocolate before?"

Xiao Shi looked at the chubby boy and recognized him as a classmate. She nodded. "Of course. I have a really nice grandpa, and he once gave me a piece of chocolate this big!"

She gestured with her hands as she spoke. The chubby boy stared at the size she was indicating, completely stunned.

’Waaah, I’ve never even had a piece of chocolate that big!’

"I’ve also had this really soft cake with a sweet filling inside. Have you ever tried it?" 𝐟𝗿𝐞𝚎𝚠𝐞𝚋𝕟𝐨𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝕔𝕠𝚖

"Are you talking about cake? The kind with filling?"

"..."

Although the chubby boy loved to show off, he wasn’t a bully. Seeing that her sister wasn’t at a disadvantage, Qin Jiao turned to settle the bill with Jin Lan Hua.

Jin Lan Hua smiled and told her, "Don’t worry. My Little Fatty might be a bit spoiled and loves his food, but he’s not a bad kid. He never bullies anyone."

Just as they were speaking, they heard a child crying from the restaurant entrance.

The expression on Jin Lan Hua’s face stiffened. Qin Jiao immediately bolted outside, moving so fast that Jin Lan Hua couldn’t keep up.

But by the time they both reached the entrance, one after the other, they saw that the person crying wasn’t Xiao Shi, nor was it Little Fatty, but another girl entirely.

The girl was about the same age as Xiao Shi’s group and was sitting on the ground crying. Standing nearby was an impatient-looking Lin Nian, along with another woman who resembled her but was several years older.

It was Lin Nian’s older sister, Lin Yue.

Lin Yue had brought her child to the city to find Lin Nian and take her home. Lin Nian hadn’t returned since she’d left after a fight with her family. In reality, Lin Yue was only acting on their parents’ orders to bring her younger sister back.

She was a very traditional and dutiful woman who firmly believed it was completely wrong for her sister to run away from home.