In an old, dilapidated self-built house, Jian Yiyi and her grandmother sat in front of two massive basins.
Just how big were they?
An adult man could sit inside and take a bath.
Each basin held thirty catties of soaking soybeans.
Grandma's head was wrapped in bandages, with faint bloodstains seeping through the snow-white cloth.
"These soybeans were supposed to be made into tofu this morning. Now we've been delayed for so long."
"Normally, if something unexpected happened, we just wouldn't set up the stall. We wouldn't make the tofu, and at most, we'd lose some money."
"But these soybeans were ordered by an old customer who always takes good care of us. They'll be here to pick up the goods in two hours."
"If we tell them at the last minute that we can't make it, it won't just ruin our reputation; it will also mess up their plans."
Jian Yiyi: "Grandma, you sit and rest. I'll make these soybeans into tofu."
Grandma: "Sixty catties of soybeans, all made into tofu within two hours? How can a little girl like you manage that?"
Jian Yiyi rolled up her sleeves and reached into the large basin of soaking soybeans: "We won't know if I can until I try. Just talking and sitting here doing nothing definitely won't work."
Grandma picked up a large plastic scoop, reached into the basin to scoop up some soybeans, and started to help.
Jian Yiyi reached out and snatched the plastic scoop from her hand: "Grandma, sit down. The doctor said you need to rest and can't do heavy labor."
How could Grandma bear to let her granddaughter work all alone: "This isn't heavy labor. I've been doing it for decades."
Jian Yiyi pushed her toward the bedroom: "Grandma, listen to me, don't be stubborn. The doctor said you're older and have a head injury. If you do heavy lifting, you could collapse at any moment. If you faint, I'll have to take you to the hospital. Then we won't just break our promise to the customer, but your health will suffer too. That would truly be a total loss."
This argument successfully bluffed Grandma into yielding.
Jian Yiyi pushed Grandma into the bedroom, made her lie down on the bed, and pressed a small handheld fan into her hand: "Lying down and getting a good sleep right now is the biggest help you can give me."
Grandma: "I've become a little piece of trash now. No, an old piece of trash."
Jian Yiyi: "An elder in the house is like a treasure. Grandma isn't an old piece of trash; Grandma is my precious old baby."
Grandma was coaxed into a wide, beaming smile.
Having successfully persuaded Grandma back into the bedroom, Jian Yiyi went to the tofu-making room and got to work.
She had grown up with her grandmother. Having watched the process of turning soybeans into tofu thousands of times, she already knew it by heart.
Selecting and soaking the beans, grinding and filtering the milk, boiling and coagulating, and pressing into shape.
Jian Yiyi scooped out the soaked soybeans, scoop by scoop, and put them into an iron bucket.
She carried the bucket full of soybeans to grind them into milk.
The heavy iron bucket dragged her down. Red indentations were left on her pale, delicate palms, and her slender calves trembled.
She successfully transported the first bucket of soybeans to the grinding area.
Then came the second bucket, the third, the fourth... the eighth.
It was the height of summer, and there was no air conditioning in this room.
Even if there were, she wouldn't have been willing to spend the money to turn it on.
Running the AC was a luxury for poor people.
Trip after trip, carrying heavy loads back and forth, Jian Yiyi sweated profusely until her clothes were completely soaked.
It was fine. Grandma had done this kind of work her whole life. Even at her advanced age, Grandma did it every day. She was young; she could definitely handle it.
Jian Yiyi carried the ninth bucket of soybeans toward the grinding area.
Being young, however, meant a lack of experience.
When Grandma worked, she would work for a while and then rest for a while.
Now, Jian Yiyi was working non-stop.
She had overestimated her stamina. Halfway there, her foot slipped, and she fell toward the ground along with the bucket.
She cried out in her heart: Ah, help!
But who would come to save her?
There was only her and Grandma in this rundown little house.
And Grandma was lying in bed with a head injury.
Even if Grandma wasn't injured, given her elderly physical condition, if she ran over to catch her, Jian Yiyi would just knock her down, and they would both crash to the floor.
It's fine, it's fine. Life is no big deal. You fall down, you just get back up.
Even though she was terrified of pain, Jian Yiyi braced herself to hit the concrete floor.
It was just, sigh, a pity about that bucket of soaked soybeans.
Suddenly, an arm wrapped around her shoulders. She crashed into a lean, warm embrace, and a refreshing, pleasant scent of oranges hit her nose.
Someone had actually come to save her.
Jian Yiyi turned her head and saw Jin Ruizhi's face.
She didn't know how to describe her feelings at that moment; her heart was quite complicated.
Once she stood steady, she shoved Jin Ruizhi away.
"Why are you at my house?"
Jin Ruizhi: "I'm here to atone for my sins."
Jian Yiyi had already guessed that the three men in floral shirts last night were arranged by Jin Ruizhi.
She had been living her life perfectly fine, but because of him, a sudden downpour had struck.
True, he had saved her today, but the storms in her life were brought by him.
If it weren't for him, she wouldn't be rushing frantically to make tofu today.
Thinking of this, Jian Yiyi's expression grew even colder: "Hurry up and leave. I don't want to see you."
Right now, she cared more about her bucket of soybeans spilling and getting dirty on the floor.
Jian Yiyi looked to the side, only to see the iron bucket standing perfectly upright. Not a single soybean had spilled. Standing next to it was a beautiful, radiant woman.
Jian Yiyi looked at Song Xinya in pleasant surprise: "It's you!"
She wanted to call Song Xinya Sister, but felt the term was too intimate, as if she were deliberately trying to get close. Not knowing if the other party would mind, she swallowed the word Sister back down.
Song Xinya: "It's me, Yiyi."
Jian Yiyi felt another surge of joy in her heart. This beautiful sister hadn't called her by her full name; she had called her Yiyi!
Song Xinya wasn't the type to easily buddy up to others either, but every time she saw Jian Yiyi, she felt a sense of warmth. The nickname Yiyi just naturally slipped from her lips.
Seeing that Jian Yiyi didn't reject her using the nickname, joy leaped in Song Xinya's heart.
Jian Yiyi looked at Song Xinya and said: "Miss Song, did you come over today to buy tofu?"
Song Xinya: "I came to help you make tofu."
Knowing Jian Yiyi's grandmother was injured, Song Xinya figured their family would be short-handed for making tofu, so she brought Jin Ruizhi along.
Song Xinya gestured toward Jin Ruizhi with her chin: "I even brought you some free labor."
She said to Jin Ruizhi: "Why are you still standing there? Are you putting on a human exhibition?"
Jin Ruizhi asked very obediently: "What do I need to do?"
Song Xinya: "Put the soybeans into the iron buckets and carry them over, bucket by bucket."
Jin Ruizhi didn't hesitate for a moment. He squatted by the large basin, stuck his butt out, and started scooping soybeans.
Jian Yiyi: "I don't need your help. I can do it myself."
Song Xinya patted her shoulder: "Yiyi, a person's greatest ability is knowing how to leverage others' strength, not relying entirely on oneself. The meaning of independence isn't blindly doing everything alone, but learning to step on others to climb up. After all, one person's capabilities are limited."
"Besides, the trouble you ran into today is all thanks to Young Master Jin. What is wrong with making him do some work? Young Master Jin, are you having fun working?"
Jin Ruizhi carried two heavy iron buckets, one in each hand. "Having fun."
Song Xinya handed a towel to Jian Yiyi. "Wipe your sweat. Sit down and rest for a while."
Jian Yiyi and Song Xinya sat together.
Jin Ruizhi grunted and panted as he worked.
While they were chatting, Song Xinya looked at Jian Yiyi and asked in a seemingly casual tone, "Why is it that I only see you and your grandmother? Where are your parents? Do you have any older brothers or sisters?"
