Chapter Sixty-Eight: On the Other End of the Line

Chen Xin had no idea, but even if she did, there was nothing she could do about them. There were plenty of jealous people in the world; the fact that Chen Xin, a single mother, lived better with her child than many families with both parents working naturally attracted envy. Fortunately, Chen Xin seldom mingled or gossiped with others; otherwise, who knows how much resentment she would have to bottle up.

By the time she tidied up at home, it was already past four in the afternoon. She turned on her computer to inform her editor, then found her advisor’s email and sent him her revised thesis.

"Chen Xin, if you’re not too busy in November, could you help substitute a class?"

No sooner had she sent the email than her advisor called.

"Me, teach a class? That’s unlikely," Chen Xin replied. She didn’t mind, but the university certainly would—since when did fourth-year undergraduates teach classes?

"It’s at the Tourism School," her advisor explained. He seemed to be outdoors; there was some background noise on the call. "Our department’s teaching assistant, Ms. Zhu Ling, is pregnant. After a recent checkup, her family insisted she take leave and rest at home. The university won’t object, but she’s also teaching part-time at the Tourism School. They were already short-staffed when they hired her, and now, if she can’t go and there’s no substitute, they can’t just leave the students without a class. Among our students, your spoken English is the best. Go teach one class—if the Tourism School is satisfied, you can fill in. If not, Ms. Zhu will have to figure something out herself."

The students at the Tourism School were mostly from vocational programs. Rumor had it they were applying for an upgrade to a higher status, but nothing had been approved yet, so there was no rush to hire new teachers. Zhu Ling had excellent spoken English, was attractive, lively, and approachable—just the qualities the Tourism School needed. She’d been teaching there part-time for two or three years and had earned plenty of praise.

Their Foreign Languages Department had no shortage of top students, but there were far more who only knew "mute English." Even those with good spoken skills often couldn’t handle tourism English, which involves specialized vocabulary and specific contexts.

Chen Xin didn’t doubt her ability to teach the class, but the fact remained she was still an undergraduate. Even if she planned to pursue a master's, that wouldn’t begin until this winter. If the Tourism School cared about qualifications, they might refuse her.

Still, she wanted to do her advisor the favor. There was no harm in teaching one class—if they didn’t want her, so be it.

After arranging the time with her advisor, Chen Xin decided to visit a bookstore to look for tourism English and hotel management reference books.

She wheeled her bicycle out of the yard, locked the door, and was about to leave when she saw Liu Jianmin approaching.

Liu Jianmin had come to compensate Chen Xin for the cost of repairing the damaged gate.

"Forget it, it wasn’t much money anyway," Chen Xin refused to accept the payment and didn’t want to prolong the conversation; she was eager to leave.

"Chen Xin, I’m sorry, I know my sister-in-law went too far, but she didn’t really mean any harm, it’s just..."

"Brother Liu, that’s enough. Your family’s matters have nothing to do with me. Chunyan and I are business partners, so I help out when she needs it. As for the rest, that’s your personal business. Even an impartial judge can’t settle family disputes, let alone outsiders like us. If you have time, you should talk things over with Chunyan. Don’t let unimportant people damage your relationship as siblings."

With that, Chen Xin excused herself, said goodbye, and rode off.

Liu Jianmin sighed, glanced at the neighbors watching the commotion, and left in the opposite direction.

"Tsk, that man is clearly henpecked," Aunt Chen cracked sunflower seeds and chatted with Granny Hua over the courtyard wall. "He looks decent enough, but ended up with such a shrewish wife—no wonder Chen Xin is unlucky; serves her right for trying to take advantage."

"That’s not fair, Aunt Chen. How was Chen Xin taking advantage? Did you see it yourself?" Granny Hua’s husband, reading the paper in the yard with his reading glasses, retorted immediately. "You women gossip too much—have a little decency."

Having been neighbors for most of their lives, he knew exactly what Aunt Chen was like. Normally, he wouldn’t bother, but this time Chen Xin had suffered an injustice and was being slandered—he couldn’t stand by.

Aunt Chen, embarrassed after being rebuked, grumbled and shut her door, retreating inside.

Granny Hua glanced at her husband and said nothing, continuing to knit.

Chen Xin rode her bike to Xinhua Bookstore, browsed the shelves, and bought three books before heading home. Just as she reached the entrance, she spotted her long-absent friend, Bai Mengqing.

"Xiao Bai, why are you back?"

According to her doctor, Bai should have been bedridden for at least half a year, yet after only a few months, she looked perfectly fine.

"I came back to prepare for my postgrad exams," Bai Mengqing replied. She still walked slowly, and after sitting with Chen Xin in the mall next to the bookstore, she adjusted her skirt to cover her legs.

"What happened to your legs?" Noticing something was off, Chen Xin asked with concern.

"It’s nothing. Just some muscle atrophy from being bedridden too long."

"Haven’t you done any rehab?"

"I have, but the rehab doctors back home aren’t very skilled. Since I’d be coming here to prepare for the exams anyway, my mom rented an apartment near the hospital. I go to rehab every day, then come back to study. She even hired a housekeeper to cook and clean for me."

Bai Mengqing knew that the previous incident hadn’t been Chen Xin’s fault, and since Chen Xin had always cared for her, there was no resentment between them. However, her mother, after what happened, had cut off business ties with Chen Xin, which made Bai feel a bit awkward, so she hadn’t contacted her until now.

"As long as you’re all right. I’ve been busy lately too, and in a few days, I’ll have to be away for a while, so I probably won’t be able to keep you company during rehab. I’ll get in touch when I return."

Chen Xin didn’t mention that she was going away to avoid someone. Since Bai Mengqing knew about her work compiling books, she assumed the trip was for research and warned Chen Xin to be careful—especially to avoid remote, deserted places.

They chatted for over an hour. As dinnertime approached, Bai Mengqing had to return for her nutritional meal, so they parted ways.

Chen Xin decided to visit the underground mall and bought two light jackets and long pants for Zhang Zhang, along with some underwear and socks.

Zhang Zhang was growing fast; last year’s and this spring’s clothes were all too short. The mountain was several degrees colder than the city—she would have to dress Zhang Zhang warmly for mornings and evenings. Since she was taking him with her, she wanted everything prepared.

No sooner had she left the mall than her phone rang. As soon as she answered, she heard a startled exclamation from the other end.