Eighties Sweetheart Wife
Chapter 438: Can’t Help the Worthless?

Chapter 438: Chapter 438: Can’t Help the Worthless?

Old Mrs. Song wasn’t used to using forks, but chopsticks were too long to fit in the lunchbox, and she disliked the small forks, so Old Man Song made her some small chopsticks.

They were merely wood forks, and nobody really paid them any attention.

However, a train conductor who was hurrying by did notice them.

His eyes lit up.

He stopped in front of Song Yunuan and politely asked, "Uh... young student, do you have any extra wooden forks?"

Song Yunuan silently took a metal box from her bag, opened it, and inside were a dozen or so smoothly polished wood forks.

It was like finding what she needed without even looking, effortlessly.

This scene called over a few colleagues who were chatting at the doorway.

They were very surprised, but one of the conductors was rather obstinate and insisted on asking Song Yunuan, "Why do you have so many wooden forks? Aren’t chopsticks good enough for eating noodles?"

Song Yunuan replied, "I can’t bear to throw away chopsticks after using them, but I can dispose of a wooden fork after one use."

Another person patted his back, "Do you even know how to speak? This young girl is here offering help in an emergency, and here you are, asking questions and looking for trouble."

Shouldn’t you hurry and inform the train captain? He’s trying to contact the next station to see if he can have a fork sent over.

So, they put ten wooden forks on a clean plate. Before leaving, they told Song Yunuan they wanted to pay her, but she quickly waved them off, "No need, my grandfather made these in his spare time. He would be so happy to know they came in handy."

It wasn’t right to insist on paying when she refused. The train captain came to thank Song Yunuan, telling her that Aliya really liked the wooden fork and even said it looked like a handicraft.

Song Yunuan then took the opportunity to introduce a bit, "... My grandfather is an advisor at Nan City Handicraft Factory. The factory’s wicker storage boxes and other items are all exported. Actually, these wood forks are a bit rough, but they’re fine for temporary use."

The train captain also took the chance to praise Old Man Song. When he was leaving, Song Yunuan called him Uncle Liu, and Old Liu readily called her Little Nuan, adding that she shouldn’t bother with others when buying tickets. She could just go directly to the ticket window; he would let Nanshan train station know.

He even asked Song Yunuan when she would be returning. If it was his train and she couldn’t get a sleeper ticket, it was no problem. She could just buy a hard-seat ticket first and then find him when she got on the train.

Train tickets were just as difficult to buy in those days, especially sleeper tickets.

Old Mrs. Song felt that her granddaughter had a knack that not just anyone could learn.

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After dinner, Song Ting chatted with Shi Jinglan for a while, with Mother Shi peeling apples for them by their side, no longer carrying the worry and anxiety of the previous days.

Shi Jinglan had been checked, and there were some minor issues, but nothing serious.

It seemed she was taken to the hospital just in time.

After a month of treatment, she could return to her job.

Song Ting found out from Shi Jinglan’s lips the identity of the people who stood behind her at that time.

Shi Jinglan expressed her concern, "Tingting, maybe just let it go. Those people are very close friends. You won’t get anything out of them, and they will just mock you in return. I had no evidence; it was just a fleeting sensation at the time, and I wasn’t sure if someone pushed me from behind. Now, after so much time has passed, I’m even more uncertain."

Song Ting replied, "... I don’t necessarily have to confront them, but you’ll be able to go back to work in half a month. I need to talk to my teacher about it. And there’s Lew Xia, who moved into my dormitory; she needs to move out. In half a month, we’ll still be dorm mates."

After leaving the research base, Song Ting stood at the entrance and saw Old Mr. Ji smiling at her with satisfaction, saying, "That’s more like it. If you always keep such a distance from us, your sister and I will feel uncomfortable. You should be more like Little Nuan, you hear?"

Song Ting smiled.

For some reason, ever since she had brought Jinglan to her second uncle’s care, she felt as if she had accomplished something tremendously significant.

She introspected the mindset and expression she had while talking to Jinglan about this matter on previous occasions.

Perhaps she herself lacked confidence, and Jinglan, being sensitive, did not believe it either.

It wasn’t until before she called her second uncle and he said he could visit the Shi family to treat Jinglan that she felt confident.

Of course, it was also because Little Nuan was coming.

It was as if she suddenly had solid support!

But at the same time, Song Ting felt deeply ashamed.

As an aunt and an elder, she should have been the one taking care of Little Nuan, yet now the roles were reversed, and Little Nuan was looking after her in every way.

If she had known it would end up like this, why bother bringing her here in the first place?

It would have been better to take her to see her life and work environment at the dance troupe last time.

Maybe Little Nuan really could have helped her break out of her predicament.

Although Song Ting’s face wore a smile, her heart was far from feeling at ease.

She considered herself a failure, a burden that dragged others down.

Far from being of any help to Little Nuan, she was a liability, making Little Nuan run around on her behalf.

In her mother’s words: "You can’t make a wall from mud."

However, Song Ting originally had some estrangement with Old Master Ji, and their interactions were constrained, but at that moment, they suddenly grew closer.

She even told Old Mr. Ji that she would get more tickets for Sister Xinyi and Di so they could all come to watch the May Day performance.

Watching her departing figure, Old Master Ji nodded.

Good, she wasn’t so constrained anymore.

It was progress, after all.

Song Ting didn’t return to Flowering Apple Alley, but instead rode her bicycle to the dance troupe.

First, she found Zhu Mann and told her that she had already sent Jinglan to her second uncle for treatment.

Now that the medicine had been applied, she would be able to recover and return to work in half a month.

Zhu Mann was also pleased.

Looking at Song Ting who seemed a bit different, she asked, "Then... about Lew Xia at the dormitory, what do you plan to do with her?"

Song Ting said, "I’ve been too weak, always failing to learn how to say no. I’m going to find her right now and tell her to move out."

Zhu Mann thought for a moment and tentatively asked, "Won’t you create a conflict with her then?"

Song Ting: "I’ll try to handle it as best as I can. Besides, there’s already a conflict, one more won’t make much difference."

Zhu Mann hid her surprise; she liked this new Song Ting who was becoming much friendlier to her.

Zhu Mann was very happy.

Song Ting returned to the dormitory.

When Lew Xia saw her come back, she frowned but didn’t speak to her.

Song Ting clenched her fists, took several deep breaths, and pictured Little Nuan’s demeanor when speaking to others, finally she spoke up, "Lew Xia, I sent Jinglan to my uncle’s place for treatment today. My uncle said that Jinglan would be able to come back to work in half a month. This was originally her bed, so please pack up your things and leave."

Lew Xia looked at Song Ting incredulously, as if she had become a completely different person.

After a long pause, she managed to utter, "Do you understand what you’re saying?"

In fact, Song Ting was extremely nervous at that moment, a layer of cold sweat forming on her back.

She had never handled a situation like this from childhood to adulthood.

But there was no turning back once the arrow was released from the bow. With tense emotions, she clenched her hands tightly, her face stony, her voice ice-cold as she said, "You came here uninvited in the first place, and right now, the dormitory list still has Shi Jinglan’s name on it.

I told you before that Jinglan would come back, but you said it wasn’t possible. Even if she did come back, you said she would be transferred to logistics.

At that time, I hadn’t taken her to see a doctor and I couldn’t be sure.

My uncle is a great doctor, as you probably know. After his diagnosis, if my uncle says there’s no problem, it means there’s absolutely no problem.

So pack up and leave now. I can help you with your things; your original bed is still unoccupied. If you disagree, then I will take the diagnostic report to the troupe leader."