Chapter 713: Thank You, Brother Jun
Despite his family’s difficult financial situation, Du Xiaohui really wants to lend a hand. But she knows well that boys his age often have strong pride, especially someone like Du Xiaohui. His family used to be quite well-off, and the sudden change has been hard on him; she doesn’t want to wound his pride.
"Are you hiring?" Du Xiaohui eagerly asks, "I have time. My homework is almost done; there are only a few problems I can’t solve. If you explain them to me, I’ll be done."
"It pays two yuan a day, and you’ll have to help carry and organize stock. It might be a bit tiring," Shen Mianmian deliberately makes the job sound more demanding, so he won’t feel like she is giving him charity.
As expected, Du Xiaohui doesn’t mind the sound of hard work at all. On the contrary, he’s excited, "I’m not afraid of hard work. Working hard is good. If it weren’t challenging, I wouldn’t feel right taking the money."
"Then start working next week!" Shen Mianmian decisively finalizes the arrangement, "After school starts, you can also come to help on Saturdays and Sundays."
Du Xiaohui is thrilled. After he finishes unloading a truck of vegetables with Dajun, Dajun pulls out a pair of shoes from the truck that were squashed under the vegetables and hands them to Du Xiaohui, "I bought these shoes too small, and the stall owner won’t take them back. Try them on, and if they fit, they’re yours."
Du Xiaohui is taken aback. The shoes look nice and would cost quite a few yuan.
"What are you dawdling for? Give them a try," Dajun urges.
Du Xiaohui hesitates and takes off his own worn shoes to try on the new pair. They fit perfectly—not too big, not too small. Seeing this, Dajun says, "They fit you well; consider them a gift!"
"How much for the shoes? I’ll pay you," says Du Xiaohui feeling a little uneasy. The shoes are comfortable and his own shoes are worn out. A new pair would be good, but he worries they may be too expensive.