Chapter 338 - 164: Two Fellow Sufferers

Chapter 338: Chapter 164: Two Fellow Sufferers

Shen Qingning wanted to earn money to pay Su Ran back.

Xie Yiren, on the other hand, didn’t want to keep using Su Ran’s money.

She had her principles. She didn’t like the feeling of getting something for nothing—of being a kept woman. It wasn’t technically that, but he was still just giving her money, which felt pretty much the same. Anyway, Xie Yiren couldn’t quite put it into words.

However, she was a bit better off than Shen Qingning. Shen Qingning was only good at studying. Xie Yiren’s academics were poor, but she was an art student! She could dance, sing, and even cast hexes. Finding a part-time job should have been a breeze.

But society dealt Xie Yiren a harsh blow. She applied for a job, but the moment they heard she was still a student, they rejected her flat out. Recent graduates were already lining up outside; what was a current student like her doing, trying to get in on the action?

’Was finding a part-time job really this hard?’

’The pressure to find work is intense.’

Xie Yiren returned, completely dejected. She had planned to eat one of her favorite grilled sausages, but it tasted bland. It was all just so miserable.

’I used to go on and on about finding a boyfriend to support me. But now that I have the super-rich Su Ran, I don’t want to be supported by him. I just *have* to be difficult and insist on relying on myself. And now? Now I just want to call him, crying my eyes out, and tell him I’m a good-for-nothing waste of space, big boobs aside.’

Puffing her cheeks out in frustration, she gnawed on the sausage as if venting her dissatisfaction with society’s treatment of university students.

"Sigh... I should just go back to the dorm and hole up."

Finishing the sausage, she scanned the code to pay. "Sir, I’ve paid."

"Hang on, young lady. They’re five yuan each now. You’re one yuan short."

"Five yuan? A sausage costs five yuan now? The New Year just ended!"

"Prices have gone up."

"Fine." She scanned another yuan. ’No, this won’t do,’ she thought. ’I have to find a job. If I don’t, I won’t even be able to afford sausages. I’ll go back, get some sleep, and then ask the girls if they know any ways to make some cash.’

Subconsciously, the ’Saintess’ still didn’t want to find a job.

Lost in thought, she started to walk across the road. Suddenly, a hand grabbed her arm and yanked her back. Only then did Xie Yiren see the red light. Scared to death, she turned her head and thanked the kind person beside her profusely.

"You’re welcome. Be more careful when you cross the street."

An elegant, noble-looking old woman was looking at Xie Yiren.

Xie Yiren looked back at her. She thought the old woman had such a refined air about her. She was dressed beautifully and didn’t look her age at all. "Grandma, you’re so beautiful," she couldn’t help but say.

"Beautiful? Hehehe, what’s there to call beautiful about an old woman like me? *You’re* the one who’s young and beautiful. Are you a student at the dance school across the street?"

"Yes."

"Oh... What’s your major?"

"Folk dance."

"Not bad."

Just then, the light turned green, and the two of them walked across the street side by side.

"I’m going to your school, too."

"Are you going to meet someone?"

"Just taking a look around."

"Then let me be your guide. Think of it as a thank-you for pulling me back just now."

The woman looked at the pretty young girl and nodded. "Alright. What’s your name?"

"Xie Yiren. And you, Grandma?"

"Me? ...Luo Shumin."

The two of them walked into the school. The semester hadn’t started yet, so there weren’t many people around. The old woman and the young girl strolled along a lush, green path, with a bicycle or two occasionally gliding past—a picture of youth.

Luo Shumin—Aunt Luo—looked at her surroundings, the scene seemingly stirring up old memories. She murmured, "I used to be a student at this school, too. But unlike you, I studied ballet."

She said it with a touch of pride.

"Really?"

she asked, curious.

"Yes, that was decades ago. Later, I was in the first group of students from this school to go to the United Kingdom for advanced studies..." As she spoke, a smile like that of a first love graced her lips. "I met my husband in the United Kingdom. He was from China, too. We came back together, and right here..." She excitedly pointed to an old, weathered pagoda tree. "Right here is where he proposed to me."

"Oh, now that you mention it, I know! I’ve heard this story."

"You’ve heard it?"

"Mhm! Ever since your successful proposal under this pagoda tree, for decades now, any couple at our school will confess their feelings here. It has a 95% success rate."

"Hehe, is that so? That’s quite nice. Have you been confessed to here, then? Hehe..."

"Of course!" Xie Yiren said proudly. "Countless times! Do you know why the success rate is only 95%? Because I’m responsible for the other 5% failure rate! Hahaha..."

For a girl, having people confess to and pursue her is actually a point of pride. It’s proof that she’s pretty. It wouldn’t make sense for someone said to be as beautiful as a goddess to have no suitors at all.

But Xie Yiren felt no spark with any of them. The only one she felt a spark with was Su Ran.

"Grandma, after you and your husband’s successful proposal here, you two must have been very happy and in love afterward."

Young girls love hearing these kinds of love stories and can’t help but ask for the rest of the tale.

"A few sweet years, followed by a lifetime of bitterness."

Aunt Luo gave a bitter smile.

"What do you mean?" Xie Yiren asked.

"He died in the war." She let out a soft sigh, her voice filled with endless sorrow.

"I’m sorry."

"It’s alright. It’s all in the past." She patted the back of Xie Yiren’s hand. "By now, I’ve come to terms with it. It’s all fate. The day I die will be the day I’m reunited with my husband."

Xie Yiren, in her innocence, tried to comfort her. "Don’t say that. Think of your children. They would be heartbroken if they knew you felt this way."

"Heartbroken? My only son is dead, too. Who is there to be heartbroken for me?"

"Huh?"

"They’re all dead!"

A look of indignation flashed across Aunt Luo’s face. "He was driven to his death by that group of obstinate fools."

"There, there, don’t be sad." Xie Yiren patted her on the back comfortingly. "Don’t think about those things." Perhaps it was a sense of shared suffering, but Xie Yiren could deeply empathize with the old woman’s feelings.