EBE Chapter 243 Xiaomin's Conscience
Chapter 243 Xiaomin's Conscience
Ignoring Xiaomin, Zhang Amei continued her frantic search, determined to find Shanshan's acceptance letter and hide it. Xiaomin was a sure thing to get in, but suddenly the factory stopped hiring recent graduates, and Shanshan lost her secure job. She wanted Shanshan to experience the taste of loss too.
"Mom, what are you doing? You've messed everything up." Xiaomin put down her novel, sat up on the bed, and looked at her mother's figure as she searched the room, her brows furrowed tightly.
Zhang Amei raised her head, a look of panic flashing in her eyes, but it was quickly overshadowed by her obsessive thoughts.
"Never mind that, Mom is looking for something. You read your book."
As she spoke, she continued to rummage through the wardrobe next to her. With each movement, the clothes inside were pulled out one by one and piled up haphazardly on the floor.
"No, no, where did you put it?" Zhang Amei muttered to herself as she turned around and saw the bunk beds.
Her eyes lit up instantly, and she quickly walked over.
She forcefully lifted the mattress, and sure enough, there was the acceptance letter.
With trembling hands, Zhang Amei picked up the admission notice. At this moment, the dark side of her heart was magnified, and only one crazy thought came to her mind: Why can Shanshan go to university, but Xiaomin doesn't even have a job?
Jealousy and resentment surged like a tidal wave, completely overwhelming her reason.
Just as she was about to tear up the notice, a hand suddenly reached out.
Xiaomin had somehow appeared next to her. With lightning speed, she snatched the admission notice from her mother's hands.
"Mom, what are you doing? This is Shanshan's acceptance letter!"
Xiaomin's voice trembled slightly with shock; she couldn't believe her mother would do such a thing.
Zhang Amei had completely gone mad at this moment. Her eyes were bloodshot, and her face was contorted with rage.
He lunged at Xiaomin. "Xiaomin, give it to Mom, give it to Mom!"
Looking at her mother's unfamiliar appearance, Xiaomin remembered that her mother had always been the best mother. From childhood to adulthood, her mother never let her suffer any grievances and always protected her, giving her the best of everything. Especially after her father passed away, she was worried that her mother would treat her badly after remarrying. Later, she found that these worries were unnecessary.
Sometimes, she even felt sorry for Shanshan and Xiaojun.
She knew her mother must be upset because she didn't have a job while Shanshan got into university.
But this is the acceptance letter that Shanshan has worked her way up for over three years!
Even though she had resented her mother when she graduated from a technical school and the factory didn't want recent graduates, she still knew that her mother was doing it for her own good.
Who would have thought the factory would suddenly go under and stop hiring recent graduates? She couldn't let her mother bear the blame for ruining Shanshan's future.
If her father found out that her mother had torn up Shanshan's admission notice and hidden it, no, she couldn't let that happen!
Zhang Amei reached out to snatch the admission notice from Xiaomin's hand, but Xiaomin quickly put the notice into her pants pocket and then tightly grabbed her mother's arm with both hands.
Xiaomin's voice was choked with sobs as she spoke, shaking her mother's arm vigorously.
"Mom, Mom, I don't blame you anymore. I can find a job myself. Please don't be like this, I'm scared, Mom!"
"Mother!"
These repeated calls of "Mom" brought Zhang Amei back to reality.
Her movements abruptly stopped, her eyes gradually regaining their clarity as she stared in shock at her own actions.
Fortunately, Xiaomin stopped her. If she had really torn up the admission notice, she would probably have lived with guilt for the rest of her life.
Although she has always been selfish, it was simply because she didn't want her Xiaomin to suffer a loss, but she almost made a big mistake.
She looked at her hands, and those hands slowly looked up at her Xiaomin.
Although Xiaomin wasn't good at studying, she had always been a kind and good child. It was her own jealousy that clouded her judgment and almost ruined such a good child's future.
Zhang Amei burst into tears immediately, reaching out her hands to hug her Xiaomin tightly.
"It's my fault. I should have listened to Teacher Zhuang and sent you to a vocational school. I was wrong. I'd rather risk my life than let Xiaomin have a stable job!" She was filled with remorse and self-blame, and tears streamed down her face.
Xiaomin reached out and gently patted her mother's trembling back.
"Mom, I've made up my mind. I want to set up a stall like Brother Yiming. If Brother Yiming can make money, so can I."
Zhang Amei quickly wiped away her tears and looked at Xiaomin. "Xiaomin, it's my fault, but setting up a stall is ultimately unstable. You still need to find a proper job."
Xiaomin sighed, recalling the past six months of her internship at the cotton mill.
At the cotton mill, Aunt Song was there to guide her, but the working environment and intensity were unbearable for her. She had endured it before just to get a job at the mill.
The three-shift work system meant the workshop was stuffy and hot, with constant machine noise, and you couldn't stop working there for even a moment.
The thought of possibly living like this for the rest of her life made her panic, especially since the factory was in a bad situation and she might be laid off any day.
Xiaomin loosened her grip on her mother's arm. "Mom, don't worry about me, I have my own plans."
"How can I not care about you? I'm your mother."
Xiaomin did not respond to her mother again, and turned to sit on the edge of the bed.
Seeing that Xiaomin ignored her, Zhang Amei sighed helplessly and began to tidy up the room that Xiaomin had turned upside down.
She bent down and picked up the clothes from the ground one by one, glancing at Xiaomin every now and then, as if she wanted to say something but hesitated.
In the afternoon, Shanshan brought Xiaojun back from outside, chatting and laughing all the way.
After entering the room she shared with Xiaomin, Shanshan put down her handbag.
Xiaomin had already put the admission notice back in its place. She looked up. "I'm back."
Shanshan responded with an "Mmm," then sat down in a chair, fanning herself with her hand as she asked, "How's the job search going?"
Xiaomin shrugged, looking helpless. "It's not going to be great, Shanshan. Can you take me with you to set up the stall tomorrow? I'll talk to Yiming myself, you don't need to help me, okay?"
Shanshan raised an eyebrow, looking at Xiaomin with some surprise. "Mom is determined to get you a job in the factory. Do you think she'll agree to you setting up a stall?"
Xiaomin lowered her head, her voice tinged with stubbornness. "Setting up a stall is better than me staying at home, right? I don't believe she can overturn the stall if I actually set it up."
Shanshan hesitated for a moment, but still agreed to Xiaomin's request. "Then you can come with me tomorrow. Whether Brother Yiming can take you or not depends on him."
Xiaomin looked up in surprise. "Thank you!"
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