Single-parent families, especially single mothers, were under great pressure to survive in modern society.
China’s situation was different from the United States in the United States, after a couple divorced, the man basically had an extra mother. The woman usually received a house and a child, and received monthly alimony, including double the alimony for the woman and the child. There might even be government subsidies and relief funds, so the situation was relatively better. In China, even if the property division was more fair, the woman could at most receive alimony for the child, and the amount might not be much. It was difficult to survive on this, so he had to go out and work.
Every family had its own difficulties. It would be fine if the woman quickly found a new lover after the divorce, but if she was deeply hurt by her previous marriage and couldn’t get over the shadow, or if she placed her child first and didn’t plan to get married again because she was worried that her stepfather would treat her child badly, she could only work and take care of her child. It was normal that she didn’t have time to send her child to and from school.
Zhang Zian didn’t know the specific situation of little celery’s family. Maybe it was just as he had guessed, or maybe he had completely overthought it. The truth was that the couple worked in 996, and little celery didn’t really like her father, so she didn’t mention it.
He didn’t ask any further. What could he do even if he asked? What’s the point of tearing open someone’s wound and emotionlessly expressing sympathy for something you can’t do?
However, he could at least do some small things that were within his power.
“Then … Is there anyone in your house now?” he asked.
Little celery shook her head.
“Will you be able to enter the house when you go back?” He asked again.
She extended a finger and lowered her head in embarrassment.””Yes, because I always lose my keys, my mom changed the lock to a fingerprint lock …”
In fact, she wasn’t sloppy, but she was too lively. It was indeed easy to lose her keys when she was jumping around all day.
“I see …”
He thought to himself,”little celery doesn’t have a cell phone, so I don’t know if the school has called her mother to inform her. It’s unlikely. At most, she [email protected] in the WeChat group. How could so many students call each and every one of them? besides, the teachers are in a hurry to go home, in case their children are in danger during the typhoon.”
While they were talking, several primary school students ran excitedly from the door of the shop. They didn’t know how dangerous a Typhoon was, but they knew that they had at least half a day off. Although the teacher had left them a lot of homework, they were still happy like birds out of their cages.
“Little celery, if there’s no one at home, do you want to stay in my shop for a while? Wait for your mom to get off work before going back, or give her a call and wait for her to pick you up?” He suggested.
Usually, it would be fine, but leaving a primary school student alone in a Typhoon could be dangerous. No one knew how strong the typhoon was this time. Besides, even if there was no danger, it would leave a psychological shadow.
“But … The teacher asked us to go home immediately after leaving school …” Little celery was hesitant. Obviously, the teacher’s words had a strong restraint on her.
“It’s fine. We’ll analyze the situation in detail. Of course, we have to listen to the teacher, but we can’t make the same conclusion.” He advised,”I asked you to go home quickly because I wanted you to stay at home with your parents. However, your parents are not at home now. This is not in line with the original intention of the school and the teachers.”
At this moment, someone else approached.
“Master, have you heard? a Typhoon is coming.”
Wang Qian, Li Kun, and Jiang Feifei came back together. They had originally said that the school’s welcoming work would last a day, but it seemed that it had ended early because of the typhoon.
The three of them were like primary school students. They were not afraid at all when they heard that a Typhoon was coming. They were excited and nervous, especially Jiang Feifei. Her family was inland. She had only heard of typhoons before, but had never seen one with her own eyes.
Not only primary school students and college students, but also middle school students and some office workers had begun to appear on the streets and rush home. All the vehicles were fully occupied. Even the shared bicycles that could barely be ridden had been pushed out.
Under normal circumstances, children, middle School, University students, and office workers all had staggered travel times. Now that they were all gathered together, in addition to the parents who came out to pick up their children because they were worried about their children, hundreds of thousands of people rushed to the streets at the same time. One could imagine the chaotic situation.
Everyone was in a hurry to go home, and the traffic instantly became congested. The more anxious they were, the more congested it became. Illegal actions such as snatching the road and running red lights were frequent. Some people simply rode their bicycles or e-bicycles on the sidewalk because the road was blocked. From time to time, there were owners who stopped their vehicles and quarreled because their vehicles scratched each other. Small accidents such as you hit me and I hit you one after another were even more common. Sharp and harsh honking sounds came one after another, intensifying everyone’s anger.
All the traffic police were out on the streets to maintain order and direct the traffic, but it was like a drop in the bucket. The traffic in the entire Binhai city was almost paralyzed.
It was still cloudy in the morning, and the air was so heavy that there was no wind at all. Now, the sky was silently covered with dark clouds, and from time to time, strong winds blew sand and dust from the South, blowing paper scraps and plastic bags into the sky.
“Little celery, look at this. It’s too dangerous for you to go home alone. You might be hit by a car if you’re not careful. You’d better stay in the shop.” Zhang Zian tried to persuade her again.
Wang Qian, Li Kun, and Jiang Feifei also tried to persuade little celery when they heard that there was no one at home.
Little celery was finally convinced. She nodded and agreed to stay.
Wang Qian and Li Kun were talking about the upcoming Typhoon and were about to walk into the store when Zhang Zian stopped them and said,”Both of you live in Binhai city, so you should go home as well. Otherwise, your family members will be worried.”
The two of them didn’t care and said that it didn’t matter. They just had to call home. Moreover, the current traffic condition was really not suitable for going home.
As for Lu Yiyun and Jiang Feifei, they both lived in other places. They rented a house in the community opposite the Pet Shop.
Lu Yiyun came out of the store with Jasmine in her arms and asked nervously,”Mr. Store manager, is there a Typhoon?”
“Yes, are you and Fei Fei going back to the rental house or staying in the shop? Did you close the windows before you left this morning?” Zhang Zian asked.
They said that the windows were closed, but Zhang Zian considered that if the typhoon was strong, the window glass might not be able to hold up. If the glass broke, a lot of water would pour into the house. Their home appliances and digital products would all be finished if they were soaked in water.
So, Zhang Zian asked Wang Qian and Li Kun to follow them back to the rental house, seal all the windows with tape, cut off the power switch, close the gas valve, and pack all the valuables up to a higher place. He also brought important documents with him and came back after everything was done.
Wang Qian and Li Kun followed the two girls and left the Pet Shop.
