She Only Cares About Cultivation
Chapter 112: Cook 112 from the 90s (Third Watch)

Chapter 112: Cook 112 from the 90s (Third Watch)

Mother and son both had obtained their driver’s licenses in mid-August. As soon as Cao Yang got his license, he began packing his things, taking his admission notice, and reported to University C.

When Cao Yuan offered to take him, he was rejected, "I’m already grown up, where’s the need for anyone to see me off? Besides, the family is so busy, I don’t want to add to the chaos. While I’m gone, help out my mom a bit more."

Gong Mingxia was so moved she shed tears. Of course, she wouldn’t give less pocket money. Although the child didn’t refuse, he said,

"Mom, I’ll accept the money this time, but you know, our school’s miscellaneous fees are all waived, and there are many subsidies. From now on, don’t send me any more money. These one thousand yuan I’ll take, it’s enough for one semester. Please, don’t send more."

Gong Mingxia nodded at this, "Alright, but at least let your dad take you to the airport, right?"

Since the child had never taken a plane before, and the journey was one thousand kilometers away, traveling by train would take several days. Although there were fast trains in that era, they were far from the high-speed rails of later generations. The plane would save a lot of time and allow him to get acquainted with the city, so Gong Mingxia generously bought him a plane ticket.

On August 20th, Cao Yang left on a plane. This time, he would probably not return until the National Day holiday in October.

After that, time flew to October. The restaurant’s business could not be said to be good, nor could it be said to be bad; it was in a half-dead state, sometimes even losing money. If there was a profit, it wasn’t more than two thousand yuan. Cao Yuan felt pained to see his wife work so hard for so little return.

"Why don’t we rent it out for rent money? This can’t continue. Look at you all, a dozen people working so hard every day, and we’ve even put in a house, but we ended up losing money these last few months. How can we go on like this?"

While calculating accounts, Gong Mingxia responded without lifting her head, "This is normal. Don’t worry just yet. Wait until the commercial district around our new house picks up. Do you see the office building opposite? Business, ah, it won’t be bad. But before that, we must be able to keep our composure."

Though the police station was not so dangerous, there were always many trivial matters, and overtime had now become frequent. So, to spare him the hardship, Gong Mingxia, once she got her driver’s license, took over the task of buying groceries.

By the end of September, Gong Mingxia had successfully weaned her son, and for his first birthday feast, his elder brother couldn’t come back. The journey was long, and to save money, he stayed at school. Although everyone felt a bit down, they also understood his excitement about his first time traveling far away.

This year, she did not collaborate with Meng Xiuying, as she was too busy with the restaurant and couldn’t manage anything else. Meng Xiuying was now mainly writing special features for magazines, earning a decent income that could take care of the mother and daughter’s living expenses with some to spare—a good start. By the beginning of next year, she could start serializing online.

Xiao Xiao passed her piano Level 7 and ethnic Dance Level 6 this August. Her self-discipline made her mother feel extremely guilty. Homework that could be done at school would never be brought home. After school, she would come to the restaurant, finish her homework by lying on the table, then help with washing dishes or picking vegetables, sometimes even serving plates.

She would only go home for meals, because the restaurant’s food was greasy, so Mingxia usually didn’t let her stay to eat, preferring that she had meals at home with Grandma.

Now in fourth grade in primary school, Xiao Xiao was already a ten-year-old girl. Her daily life consisted of practicing the piano, dancing, studying, taking care of her brother, and helping at the restaurant, especially on weekends, when she was even more eager to help. They say poor children mature early; although they were not poor, this conscientiousness still moved her deeply.