Make a Fortune and Become Well-off [90] - Chapter 132

Only then did Jiang Ning notice that her mood seemed a little low, so she comforted her by saying, “My grandpa came to Wucheng a few days ago. I’m afraid he won’t adapt to life here, so I’ve been staying with him these days.”

Jiang Ning’s professional habits from her previous life made her seem stable on the surface, no matter how tired she was.

Only then did He Xiaofang realize that Jiang Ning hadn’t been around because she was with her grandfather, not because she didn’t like her.

“Your grandpa came to Wucheng?” She asked, surprised.

“Yeah,” Jiang Ning replied briefly. “He’s running a small business here and has been busy with it these days.” 

He Xiaofang felt apologetic. “Is there anything I can do to help?”

Jiang Ning’s laughter came from next door, warm and pleasant in the mist. “I hope you can be kinder to yourself and stop worrying about others’ actions.”

He Xiaofang blushed.

She didn’t want to, but couldn’t help paying attention to others’ feelings, feeling sad because of their neglect.

Just like Jiang Ning’s behavior these days—He Xiaofang fell into self-doubt, wondering if she had done something wrong to make her unhappy and ignore her.

But Jiang Ning hadn’t ignored her; she was just busy with her own things and hadn’t thought much about it.

He Xiaofang realized she had misunderstood, and her originally low spirits lifted. After taking a bath, she and Jiang Ning stayed together to wash clothes.

They were the only two left in the washroom, which felt particularly nice. He Xiaofang was happy, her smile never fading.

When Jiang Ning got up in the morning, He Xiaofang got up too, smiling shyly, saying she wanted to run with her.

Jiang Ning had been jogging in the mornings for many days, and He Xiaofang was eager to join. Jiang Ning smiled and encouraged her, leading her through warm-up exercises, then quietly reviewing her studies while running.

Following her, He Xiaofang found even running strenuous, yet she still listened to Jiang Ning’s recitations.

Her face was tear-streaked with effort. She wanted to run with Jiang Ning but regretted not bringing a book to review like her.

Why was Ning Ning’s memory so good? She memorized so much verbally, and she worked so hard.

He Xiaofang watched Jiang Ning’s back with admiration in her eyes. She chased her like chasing the light.

After five laps, He Xiaofang was exhausted. She could only follow behind and say, “I can’t run anymore. Ning Ning, you’re amazing! How do you run so well?”

Jiang Ning felt refreshed after her run. She wiped sweat from her forehead with a towel and stretched her legs in front of the double bars.

“I feel like I’ve grown a lot recently. My pants are shorter, and I had to unroll a hem,” she said. 

He Xiaofang, seeing her every day, hadn’t noticed much change. She replied, “Your brother’s so tall, you’ll definitely grow taller too.”

There were almost no people in the cafeteria by then, and breakfast had just been prepared. Jiang Ning made her own soy milk, eggs, and fried dough sticks. Knowing Grandpa Jiang didn’t like soy milk, she brought him salted tofu puffs and big meat buns.

As she waved goodbye to He Xiaofang, she encouraged her, “Study hard and make progress every day.”

He Xiaofang was caught up in Jiang Ning’s enthusiasm.

She clenched her fists, made a cheering gesture, and watched Jiang Ning leave, tears in her eyes.

Jiang Ning was so smart and worked so hard, but she felt stupid. If she didn’t work hard, she would be embarrassed to be friends with Jiang Ning. But she didn’t have time to wallow in her depression. She quickly took out her book and started reading when she returned to the dormitory.

Grandpa Jiang liked tofu nao very much.

His teeth were no longer good, so he preferred soft, chewy foods that didn’t trouble him. That salted tofu puff was perfect. He said, “Bring this to me for breakfast from now on.”

The big meat buns were delicious too. They cost two or five yuan, but Grandpa Jiang was a little reluctant to spend on them. His eldest granddaughter said that tofu was nutritious and good for his health, so he ate that instead.

How could Jiang Ning manage it all?

After serving him breakfast, she dressed the two mannequins with another outfit and placed them on either side of the door. She matched several more outfits and hung them on the wall for display. Then, she taught Grandpa Jiang how to use the tape recorder and the loudspeaker.

Grandpa Jiang had noticed that the day Jiang Ning used the loudspeaker at the shop, business had boomed. If there hadn’t been a shortage of stock, they would have kept it playing.

He couldn’t wait to use it, but Jiang Ning told him not to turn it on until after nine o’clock. Grandpa Jiang was so anxious he wished it could be nine o’clock in the next second.

Not long after Jiang Ning left, Jiang Bai came to the shop. To keep it from being too quiet, he stayed and brought his tutoring books and homework. Early that morning, he went to Tong Jingang’s house to borrow an iron. If there was no business, he would study in the shop. When tired of reading, he would iron clothes.

As soon as Jiang Bai arrived, he began tidying up.

The packages piled in front were moved behind the curtain and stacked neatly. Grandpa Jiang’s bed was made tidily. The pots and pans, left unused in a messy corner, were stuffed away by Jiang Bai.

It was a pity there was no shelf for the dishes, or they would have all been placed neatly.

The white floor was dirty, so he grabbed the new mop Jiang Ning bought and carefully cleaned the entire shop. Then, he placed all the shoes on the rack at the same angle and direction.

After organizing everything, Jiang Bai finally felt comfortable. He unfolded the ironing table and started ironing clothes.

He began with the ones on the mannequins, then displayed them on the outermost area and matched them with clothes on the wall.

Finally, he moved on to the clothes hanging inside.

He was the most diligent of the three Jiang siblings. In Mother Jiang’s words, he was “bright-eyed”.

Perhaps lacking love as a child, he was coaxed by Mother Jiang and had been hardworking from a young age. Among the three siblings, he was the most grounded, without a playful streak.

His life motto was that self-discipline was the cornerstone of success.

He had always lived by it.