Lin Wan was surprised by her brotherās expression and thought to herself, how did Ye Qing find her brother?
She responded with a lukewarm "Oh."
Lin Yinghui looked at Lin Wanās indifferent expression and asked in confusion, "Arenāt you two good friends? Arenāt you happy to hear she came to S City? Did you have a spat?"
"Even good friends can have conflicts, brother. If she doesnāt come to us, donāt bother with her." She didnāt want her brother to have too much contact with Ye Qing.
"Did you really have an argument?"
"Yes." Lin Wan didnāt want to talk to her brother about Ye Qing.
"Good friends having an argument must be due to a misunderstanding. Itāll be cleared up when you meet again later, wonāt it? Weāre from the same village, and itās not easy being away from home. Itās good to help each other out. Ye Qingās family isnāt doing well either. When I saw her, she was washing dishes in a small restaurant. The business there is mediocre, and they only pay fifty cents for a full day on Saturday and Sunday. Even then, they didnāt want to hire her. She said she was just earning a little spending money. I felt she had it tough too, so I let her come to work with us."
"Brother, you let her work here?" Lin Wan couldnāt believe it; she was trying to distance herself from Ye Qing, yet her brother took her in.
"Sheās just a young girl finding it difficult. Letās help if we can. Itās only two days a week, and she gets one yuan a day, like everyone elseās wage in the shop. Iāve already agreed with her, Iāll bring her over tomorrow." Lin Yinghui saw Lin Wanās tone as just a misunderstanding between two girls and made a decision himself.
"Brother, and what if I disagree?"
"Xiao Wan, donāt make a fuss. Our shop is busy on Sundays, and we canāt manage it all. Just consider hiring her as a temporary worker. I plan to take a few days off and return to our hometown soon."
"Returning home?" Lin Wan was successfully diverted by her brotherās talk of going home.
"Didnāt we talk about making vermicelli for Uncle to sell? The new batch is out; Iāll prepare to collect some vermicelli from the neighboring villages in the coming days and bring more of our noodles back."
"Brother, the final exams are coming up soon." The semester was ending; evaluations would soon start.
"It wonāt get in the way; I know what Iām doing."
"Quite true. You should mention it to Brother Huang; their village should have some too. Itāll save you from running back and forth."
"Oh right, how could I forget about Brother Huang!" Lin Yinghui smacked his forehead and laughed.
When Liang Hongmei heard her son was going back home, she didnāt feel like going with him. She felt quite fed up with the people from that village.
However, she did miss Little Grandmother and Uncleās family.
"Donāt forget to pay respects with incense at your Grandpa and Grandmaās grave when you go back."
"Mom, I know. I still have a few days before I leave. Iāll send a telegram to Uncle today asking him to pick me up at the station when I arrive."
Liang Hongmei nodded and went out early the next morning to buy gifts for Uncleās family from the store. Specialty items definitely had to be brought back.
Lin Wan didnāt expect her brother truly brought Ye Qing over.
Inside, Lin Wan was extremely reluctant to have her stay here, but since her brother brought her, she couldnāt embarrass him. Let her stay then, she thought, as itās only a day or two a week.
"Xiao Wan, long time no see, youāve become prettier," Ye Qing wore a dark purple collared shirt and common black pants. Her hair was braided on the sides. She seemed paler than she was in the village. However, compared to Lin Wanās wool coat, she was down a level. If Ye Qing looked fair, Lin Wan was even fairer, with a rosy white complexion. Her loose high ponytail made her look youthful and vibrant, hardly suggesting she was already married.