Chen Lan, along with her daughters Jia Hui and Jia Yu, walked into Biguan Hutong. The mother and daughters went from place to place asking for directions, but everyone they asked just shook their heads. They had found nothing, with everyone saying that housing in the capital was tight and there were no empty apartments in this area.
Chen Lan was not willing to give up and, with her two daughters, searched from one end of Xiping Street to the other. Still, they found nothing. The answer Chen Lan received was always the same: there were no vacant rooms for rent.
Chen Lan was so anxious that she almost broke out in a sweat. At this point, Jia Yu tugged on Chen Lan's hand and whispered, "Mom, everyone says there are no empty rooms for rent. Let's just give up! I'll live in the school dormitory with my classmates!"
Chen Lan shook her head and said, "Jia Yu, you've lived in the mountains your whole life and never suffered hardship. The way people live in the capital is completely different from how we lived in the mountains. Take bathing, for example, a simple thing you can't adapt to! You need to know that living in a collective dormitory at school means you can't bathe every day! If you want to bathe, you have to go to a public bathhouse."
At this, Jia Hui, standing beside Chen Lan, said, "Little sister, Mom is right. You've never been to a public bathhouse. A large group of people bathing together in one big hall. Think about it, that scene, that feeling, it's truly something else!"
Seeing that her younger sister was still looking down and not speaking, Chen Lan continued, "Jia Yu, living in a collective dormitory is not just inconvenient; more importantly, you have no understanding of the ways of the outside world. If you were suddenly to live in a collective dormitory, you wouldn't know how to get along with your classmates. Tenth sister, just listen to your mother's advice, okay?!"
Jia Yu hugged Chen Lan's arm and pouted, "Mom, I can overcome the bathing issue. As for getting along with classmates, I can slowly learn from others!"
Chen Lan reached out and patted Jia Yu's hand, saying, "My dear daughter, you are still too young to understand how terrible jealousy can be. Learning from others sounds simple, but try to think about it: who would sincerely want to help someone who is better than them in every way? You know, the Conservatory of Music is full of talented people, and only a select few can get on stage. With such fierce competition, who would selflessly help a rival?"
Seeing that her two daughters were silent, Chen Lan patted Jia Yu's hand again and continued, "Besides, Jia Yu, you'll be studying for five years. I can't bear to see my dear daughter living cautiously every day, like a wronged young wife. If that's the case, what's the point of studying? You might as well come home with your mother."
At this, Jia Hui, standing beside Chen Lan, reached out and patted Jia Yu's little shoulder, nodding in agreement. "Little sister, Mom is right. If it's really like that, it's better not to study at all. Mom can download teachers' courses for you and teach you privately. The only drawback is that you won't have classmates to interact with, and you'll be a bit lonely."
Chen Lan looked at her dear daughter's nonchalant expression and said earnestly, "Jia Yu, Mom knows you really want to get along with your classmates and find a few close friends at school! But don't think Mom is exaggerating. I'm telling you, jealousy, this invisible and intangible thing, has a terrifying destructive power!"
Hearing Chen Lan's words, the tenth sister stopped walking and stared with wide, astonished eyes! Even Jia Hui stopped and asked, "Mom, aren't you being a bit over the top? Is it really that serious as you say?"
Chen Lan nodded and replied, "Of course! It's not that Mom is crying wolf, but such situations do happen, and we must be prepared. You two sisters should know the idiom 'It is not poverty that men concern over, but it is inequality that they concern over'!"
Seeing the sisters nod, Chen Lan continued to explain, "If everyone's conditions are similar, and one day you want to eat a good meal or wear a new piece of clothing, your difference might attract others' jealousy. Then, someone might set traps for you, report you, gossip about you, or even gang up with classmates to isolate you."
Seeing that the tenth sister was still looking down and not speaking, Chen Lan worried she might have scared her by being too serious. She immediately changed the subject, "Tenth sister, even if you don't live in the school dormitory, you still have to attend classes. You can still make friends! If you don't live with your classmates and don't interact with them day in and day out, these kinds of issues won't arise. Besides, learning a musical instrument requires diligent practice. If you live in a collective dormitory, there must be at least seven or eight people in each room. If seven or eight people are squeezed into one room, you might not even have a place to put your guqin. How can you practice diligently?"
After talking for a long time, Chen Lan realized that the most effective point was this one. The tenth sister thought for a moment and finally agreed not to live in the school dormitory!
Chen Lan let out a sigh, thinking that it took so much effort for just one point to be effective. She should have just said it directly. Why did she have to waste so much breath? It's true that hindsight is 20/20.
At this, Jia Hui reminded her, "Mom, should we ask the auntie at the entrance of the hutong again? Where is the housing management office? We can go there and ask; we might have some luck!"
Chen Lan heard this and thought, "Yes! The people at the housing management office should know very well about vacant properties in this area. Asking there is definitely the right thing to do."
So, Chen Lan reached into her pocket, pulled out a handful of peanuts, and walked towards the auntie who was lighting a coal stove at the entrance of the hutong.
Chen Lan smiled and asked, "Auntie, I'd like to ask you something."
The auntie, who was squatting by the stove adding firewood, turned her head and asked, "Sister-in-law, didn't you just ask me? I truly didn't lie to you. I really haven't heard of any empty rooms for rent nearby."
Chen Lan knew the auntie had misunderstood. She reached out and offered the peanuts in her hand to the auntie, saying, "Auntie, thank you for your help just now. Please try these. They're from my hometown!"
The auntie did not reach out to take the peanuts Chen Lan offered. Instead, she stood up and said, "Sister-in-law, please don't be so polite. Since I couldn't help you, I'd feel bad taking your things. Please keep the peanuts for yourself."
Hearing the auntie's words, Chen Lan thought to herself, "The women in the capital are indeed like this. So genuine, frank, and straightforward."