Chapter 266: A Little Bit Nervous

Chapter 266: Chapter 266: A Little Bit Nervous

She had already made up her mind back when Ji Huan told her to think it over carefully.

She was willing to trust Ji Huan.

This trust wasn’t baseless. It stemmed from everything that had happened with Ji Huan over the past six months or so.

Making dehydrated vegetables, teaching the Hu Family how to make hot and spicy soup...

Although she didn’t know what Ji Huan was planning this time, Ji Xuelan had a strange feeling that she would definitely succeed.

Besides, this might be a great opportunity for the whole family. If they could just seize it...

Yang couldn’t care less about opportunities. Hearing her daughter’s words, she grew anxious on the spot.

"She hasn’t even said what she’s doing; it’s all just talk. If you felt you couldn’t refuse, you should have just gone to help for a couple of days to see how things go. If it didn’t work out, you could have gone back to doing laundry for people without any issue. Why were you so stubborn and just quit your job? What are we going to do now! You know how desperate things are at home. Every extra cent helps. How could you just..."

"Mother!"

Ji Mingfang came in from outside, cutting her off.

"My sister isn’t someone who makes reckless decisions. Let her finish what she has to say."

Ji Xuelan took a deep breath and patiently explained to Yang.

"Mother, Wan won’t treat anyone unfairly. Have you forgotten? Last year, when she hired people to make dehydrated vegetables, word got out that she was paying wages, and no one believed it at first. But what happened later? You yourself have mentioned more than once how her life keeps getting better. That proves she’s capable. Now she’s come to me. Is it really because she needs me and no one else? She’s willing to pay wages, so she could find anyone. This is just a pretext. Her main reason is to give our family a leg up."

"But she didn’t say how much she’d pay. What if you earn less than you did washing clothes for people... Why don’t you wait until her business is more stable, and then you can go..."

"Mother!" Ji Xuelan frowned, interrupting her. "Even if she didn’t pay me, I’d still be happy to help for the sake of our late Second Aunt. Have you forgotten? That year I was caught in the rain and had a high fever, I was on the verge of death. It was Second Aunt who saved me with a remedy from her hometown. We can’t be ungrateful, and we can’t always just think about ourselves. Even if Wan’s business doesn’t work out, I’ll just find another job. There’s no reason to be so half-hearted about this."

Yang felt a pang of hurt at her words. ’Is my daughter implying that I’m not grateful to Mrs. Wei?’

’But Mrs. Wei didn’t even need to step in that time. The doctor had prescribed medicine, and she would have been fine after a night of rest... Besides, so many years have passed. You can be grateful, but you still have to live your life.’

She wanted to persuade her further, but Ji Xuelan didn’t want to hear it. "Don’t say any more. I’ve already made my decision."

Yang could only look at Ji Mingfang, her gaze pleading for help.

Unexpectedly, Ji Mingfang shared Ji Xuelan’s attitude, and his words were even sharper.

"Mother, have you ever thought about why our family has been falling so far behind everyone else all these years?

I have.

It’s not because we have bad luck. It’s because we’re afraid of this and that—we’re afraid of too many things. So much so that we don’t dare to seize opportunities when they come along.

You say my sister should wait until Ji Huan’s business is more stable, but if we aren’t willing to lend a hand when she needs it, why should she want you once her business is established?

There’s no such thing as reaping rewards without taking any risks. And besides, there’s Second Uncle and Second Aunt... We can’t be so selfish."

With both her children saying this, what else could Yang do?

She lifted the corner of her apron to wipe her eyes. "You’re all grown up now. You have your own minds..."

Ji Xuelan and Ji Mingfang exchanged a look, both speechless.

After lunch, once she had lulled the three children to sleep, Ji Xuelan planned to go talk to Ji Huan.

Before heading out, she glanced at Ji Mingfang, who was sitting in the middle of the courtyard chopping firewood.

In truth, the wood was already chopped finely enough, but he didn’t seem to notice, continuing to chop away with his head down.

It wasn’t because the household had particularly high standards for firewood, but because, besides this, he had nothing else to do.

Usually, he would go up the mountain after a meal, taking Daya and Erya with him to gather some firewood and dig for wild vegetables.

Yang, afraid he would tire himself out, would often try to stop him, but he would just say he was going to clear his head.

But Ji Xuelan knew the truth. It wasn’t about clearing his head; he just didn’t want to stay at home and feel useless.

Today, however, he didn’t mention going up the mountain.

’He must be in a bad mood.’

Ever since their father left for the brick kiln and she had found work doing laundry, Ji Mingfang’s mood had grown gloomier by the day.

It wasn’t that he didn’t want to see his family members become more successful than him. He just... increasingly felt that he was incompetent, unable to do anything.

’What good is the firewood he gathers? What good are the wild vegetables he digs? Those are things even Daya and Erya can do... He’s just a good-for-nothing who has to be supported by his family.’

Ji Xuelan knew her younger brother too well. Even though he buried his worries deep inside and never spoke of them, she knew.

Before, all she could feel was sympathy and helplessness, because she could barely even take care of herself.

But now...

Ji Xuelan walked over to Ji Mingfang and said deliberately, "I’m heading to Wan’s place to talk about the job."

Ji Mingfang grunted in acknowledgment without lifting his head, but the sound of his chopping grew louder.

’He’s being hard on himself again.’

Ji Xuelan couldn’t hold it in any longer, unable to bear seeing her brother suffer.

"Well, what are you waiting for? Are you waiting for a personal invitation?"

The raised axe froze in mid-air. Ji Mingfang turned his head, not understanding what she meant.

Ji Xuelan burst out laughing with a PFFT. "You silly goose! Wan said you should come too. She has work for you!"

This time, Ji Mingfang was well and truly stunned.

"Work for me? What kind of work? Is there something I can do? What can I possibly do?"

The string of questions tumbled out. As soon as he’d asked, he felt a twinge of regret, afraid it was just a joke.

"How would I know? Go ask her yourself. All I know is she said I’m not enough on my own and that she needs her cousin’s help too."

Ji Mingfang stared intently at Ji Xuelan. After confirming that she wasn’t tricking him, the axe fell to the ground with a CLANG.

He shot to his feet.

He stood up so abruptly that he almost lost his balance, but Ji Xuelan steadied him with a hand.

He grabbed Ji Xuelan’s arm in return.

"Really? Me too?"

Seeing the utter disbelief on his face, Ji Xuelan felt a mix of exasperation and heartache. She nodded emphatically. "Really. You too."

"Then why didn’t you..." He wanted to ask, ’Then why didn’t you tell me sooner?’

But a moment’s thought told him that Ji Xuelan must have wanted to surprise him.

Ji Mingfang couldn’t be bothered with that right now.

He reflexively wiped his hands, feeling they were a bit dirty.

Only after wiping them did he realize he had just dirtied his clothes.

He was a little annoyed with himself.

’This is the only decent set of clothes I have. The rest are all patched up. They’re clean, but would it be too informal to wear them to discuss business?’

Ji Xuelan had never seen her brother act like this. ’He’s overthinking this even more than I expected. What a handful.’

Without another word, she grabbed him and started walking.

"Hey! Sis, wait, maybe I should change my clothes... Or at least wash my face..."

"Does Ji Huan not know you? Just go as you are. What are you so nervous about?"

"I’m not nervous. Who said I’m nervous..."

"Not nervous? Then why are your palms all sweaty?"

"I..."

In truth, he was just a little nervous.