?Chapter 31: 31 Iron Thermos Chapter 31: 31 Iron Thermos Back then, her mom had made it clear early in the morning that if she didn’t rank among the top five in her grade, she would have to follow the family’s arrangements.
She studied hard, so hard…
She woke up earlier than her classmates and stayed up later than them.
But because she wasn’t very smart, studying felt so difficult it drove her to despair.
And Tangtang? She was one of those naturally intelligent people.
Just by listening in class and without even looking at the books after school, she could easily rank first.
Back then, she couldn’t help but feel resentful towards the world and others.
Later on…
One time, overcome with unrestrained grief, she initiated a conversation with Tangtang, and the two became friends.
With two years of tutoring from Tangtang, she achieved what she has today.
In Fang Xiaoyun’s eyes, Lin Tang was not only a friend but also a benefactor.
Lin Tang met her friend’s bright eyes and smiled pleasantly.
“We are friends, after all, helping each other is what we do, and you’ve helped me a lot too.”
Fang Xiaoyun thought of something and asked Lin Tang to wait a moment.
She excused herself with a salesperson who looked like a junior manager, then fetched a tin hot water bottle.
“Tangtang, this hot water bottle is a flawed one, it doesn’t need a ticket, do you want it?” Fang Xiaoyun asked with warm eyes.
Lin Tang took one look and saw that it was a tin hot water bottle adorned with flowers.
This hot water bottle was the trendiest item at the moment, even people in the county wouldn’t necessarily buy one.
Because it cost at least three yuan.
“That hot water bottle is meant for you, how could I take it?” Lin Tang said with a smile as she refused.
Then added, “We’ll have plenty of chances to meet in the future, save the good stuff for me then.”
Fang Xiaoyun frowned upon hearing this and said, “We have a hot water bottle at home. This one was for my brother to use, and it’s not urgent, so if you need it, I can give it to you first.”
This item was still very practical.
As she spoke, she placed the hot water bottle on the counter, evidently intending not to take it back.
Lin Tang knew her friend’s stubbornness and shook her head helplessly. S~ea??h the Novel?ire(.)ne*t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.
Today, she was being forcefully given things for the second time.
Fang Xiaoyun, remembering Tangtang’s words about ‘having plenty of opportunities to meet in the future’, stared at her intently.
“Tangtang, is something the matter?” she asked.
Lin Tang hadn’t expected Xiaoyun to be so sensitive. She laughed and replied, “Yeah, I came to ask you to keep an eye out for any job openings…”
Fang Xiaoyun was stunned.
“Looking for a job? Weren’t you going to college?” she hesitantly asked.
“Hmm, something came up, so I didn’t go,” Lin Tang explained.
The corners of Fang Xiaoyun’s eyes suddenly reddened.
“How could that be? Weren’t you the top student in our county? Why didn’t you go to college? That’s such a waste! What exactly happened?”
She turned her body slightly, sniffing and trying to hold back her shock and sorrow.
Fang Xiaoyun knew that if it weren’t for some overwhelming circumstances, Tangtang would not have given up on college.
The Tangtang she remembered always had a sparkle in her eyes when she talked about college.
Lin Tang took a deep breath, patted Fang Xiaoyun’s shoulder, and said with a smile:
“What exactly happened, I’m still not quite sure, but it’s just college, it’s okay! If you keep crying, your colleagues are going to start swinging the scales and abacuses at me.”
Her tone carried a teasing note with the last sentence.
Fang Xiaoyun chuckled through her tears.
“If they try to hit you, I’ll stand in their way,” she said, wiping her reddened eyes, her gaze filled with compassion as she looked at Lin Tang.
Seeing that Lin Tang didn’t want to discuss it further, Fang Xiaoyun suppressed the sourness in her heart and changed the subject too.
“It’s especially hard to find a job in the county these days; positions are quickly taken by those with connections. But I’ll keep an eye out and let you know as soon as I hear anything.”
Her cousin next door, who was a year younger than she, still hadn’t found a job.
Her family had been prepared with money and food for a long time but hadn’t been given a position.
This showed how hard it was to find a job nowadays.
Lin Tang expressed her gratitude, “Then I’ll have to trouble you.”
Fang Xiaoyun smiled with teary eyes, “We’re good friends, no need for such formality.”
Seeing that it was getting late, Lin Tang prepared to head home.
The journey would take over an hour.
“It’s getting late, I should head home. We’ll catch up another time, I won’t keep you from work any longer,” Lin Tang said.
The work supervision wasn’t too strict at the moment.
If someone familiar came by, it was okay to chat for a while.
But staying too long wouldn’t be good.
Fang Xiaoyun felt a bit reluctant.
It had been so long since she last saw Tangtang and she had so much to say to her friend.
However, she knew today wasn’t the right day.
“Alright, next time you come to the county, you have to find me, I’ll treat you to meat,” Fang Xiaoyun said as she held Lin Tang’s hand with sisterly affection.
“Okay,” Lin Tang agreed with a smile.
There would be many more days in the future to meet.
“Let me see you out.”
Fang Xiaoyun, holding the hot water bottle, prepared to step out from behind the counter.
Lin Tang stopped her.
“No need, you’re at work and it’s not proper to just leave your post. How much is this hot water bottle? I’ll give you the money for it. If you don’t accept it, I won’t take it.” Her gaze was stubborn, and her expression was uncompromisingly firm.
Buying a hot water bottle now wasn’t exactly rational.
But—
Firstly, coming across a flawed one wasn’t easy.
Secondly, her mother had mentioned the hot water bottle several times.
If she didn’t accept it when it was right in her hands, that would be foolish.
Though this would spend most of the pocket money she had saved over the years, if it made her mother happy, it would be worth it.
Seeing that Tangtang was willing to take it, Fang Xiaoyun’s pearly white teeth shone with joy as she smiled.
“Just give me one yuan and fifty cents for it.”
As she said this, the other salespersons looked at her as if she were a fool.
Why don’t you just give it away for free!
Lin Tang resignedly handed over two yuan.
“I only have two yuan left, nothing more! Here, this is a moisturizing cream I made, consider it the difference,” Lin Tang said with a smile.
Having spent thirty cents for the meal at the Qin’s, she had only two yuan left in her pocket.
The moisturizing cream she gave away was something she had made at home a few days earlier.
In this dry season, the wind made her face painfully dry.
Trapped at home with nothing much to do, Lin Tang quietly made skincare products.
Armed with the wealth of knowledge from that other world, creating such items was like play for her.
Fang Xiaoyun saw it was a palm-sized round wooden box, beautifully carved with patterns on the surface.
The wood box was uncolored, yet it exuded an elegant charm.
“Moisturizing cream?” Fang Xiaoyun opened it with a delightful surprise.
Inside was a cream-colored substance.
A faint, pleasant fragrance wafted out.
“It smells so good!” she exclaimed.
“Tangtang, you’re amazing! This moisturizing cream smells even better than Snowflake Cream!”
She couldn’t wait to try it.
Lin Tang’s smile deepened, her beautiful eyes brimming with a galaxy of stars.
“Of course, try it out, and I’ll bring you more once you’ve used it up.”
Fang Xiaoyun’s eyes sparkled as she nodded continuously.
With her index finger, she applied a dab to the back of her hand.
The cream was soothing and soft, leaving a delicate sheen on her skin.
Whether it was an illusion or not, her skin seemed much brighter and more radiant than before.