Rebirth: I Am Not the Movie Queen This Time-Chapter 44 Moving

Upon arriving home, Bai Zhixi was stunned for a moment when she saw An Lian behind Wan Chu’er, then glanced at her daughter’s expression only to see Wan Chu’er head straight into her own room without turning back.

"Mom, I’m going to pack my things." She left the space for Bai Zhixi and An Lian.

In the living room, Bai Zhixi and An Lian were at a loss, unsure of Wan Chu’er’s attitude.

It was An Lian who broke the silence first, speaking softly, "Moving is such a big deal, and both of you, mother and daughter, are women. How could I not come and help? Chuchu didn’t say anything."

Bai Zhixi wanted to refuse but, bearing in mind An Lian’s stubbornness, she nodded and said, "That’s fine. I was just about to go out and hire a truck. Why don’t you go? Seeing that you are a man, they won’t likely charge a higher price."

An Lian nodded eagerly, smiling and saying, "This is something I should do. Okay, I’ll go now, you guys hurry up and pack."

Seeing An Lian come and go without even a sip of water, just a few words before leaving, Bai Zhixi hurriedly took an apple from the kitchen and forced it into his hand.

After much pushing back and forth, An Lian could not refuse Bai Zhixi and left happily with the apple, grinning from ear to ear as he walked.

As for the fare of the truck, it was customary to pay after the move, so Bai Zhixi did not bring up the issue of the fare, which was definitely going to be paid by her.

After sending An Lian off, Bai Zhixi went into her daughter’s room to check.

"Chuchu, do you need Mom’s help?"

Wan Chu’er was packing her textbooks, exercise books, and other materials. She had bought quite a lot of books recently, needing two large cardboard boxes to fit everything. She stopped what she was doing and looked up, smiling, "Mom, no need, I don’t have much stuff. Once I’m done here, I’ll help you."

Seeing her daughter’s smile, Bai Zhixi was reassured and said, "I’ve packed everything we need to move from the house. It’s mainly these jars of pickles that will need to be carried downstairs later."

"Ah, okay."

Watching her daughter busily sorting things out, Bai Zhixi lingered for a while before saying, "That... An Lian came by the other day, just when I was carrying vegetables upstairs. He gave me a hand and found out we’ve switched to making pickles, so he’s been coming almost every morning to help me carry them."

Since physical education classes are generally not in the early morning, An Lian was mostly free at that time.

Bai Zhixi continued, "I’ve told him off a few times, but he never listens. I’m worried about talking too much and causing the neighbors to gossip."

In the glass factory community where they lived, there were dozens of families, and where there are many people, there’s a lot of chatter, with plenty who loved to watch the commotion.

Wan Chu’er nodded and then said, looking up, "Mom, you don’t have to explain these things to me. Whatever you want to do, I support you. As long as you’re happy. Life is just a few short decades. Dad has been gone for so long. I hope you can be happy. If there’s something you wish I would do for you, don’t hesitate, just tell me, and I will definitely help you do it."

Hearing her daughter’s words, Bai Zhixi opened her mouth to say, "Mom won’t remarry. I promised to always be with you. Although your father is no longer here, he will always be in my heart."

Seeing Bai Zhixi become a bit agitated, Wan Chu’er quickly approached and took her hand, comforting her, "Mom, don’t get worked up. Whatever you want, it’s your choice. If you feel that An Lian is causing you trouble, I can help you send him away so he won’t dare to come back."

"Ah?" Bai Zhixi was stunned for a moment, remembering the harsh words Wan Chu’er had said to An Lian before, and also recalling An Lian’s dejected look, she became hesitant.

She had always been soft-hearted and knew that An Lian truly cared for her, and not wanting An Lian to be too upset or to reject her daughter, she was at a loss for what to do. Suddenly, she remembered her daughter was still learning martial arts from An Lian and had an idea. She said, "Well, aren’t you still learning martial arts from An Lian? Let’s... not fall out with him."

Bai Zhixi’s hesitation had already been noticed by Chuchu, who really couldn’t bear to press her own mother; she just smiled and followed up with her words: "Okay, I’ll listen to you."

By the time An Lian had hired a vehicle to come back, the mother and daughter had packed all their belongings.

The vehicle they hired was a small truck. As soon as the truck entered the yard, people started to gather around. When they saw Bai Zhixi and Wan Chu’er carrying parcels out, everyone knew that the Wan Family was moving.

Aunt Ma from next door said, "Ah? Mommy Chu’er, are you moving out? Where are you moving to? We didn’t hear a thing."

Bai Zhixi smiled, stopped in her tracks, and explained cheerfully:

"You all know that our family has been making pickles these days, and our home is really too small. The pickle smell is strong, and I feel bad making everyone smell it all the time, so we rented a bungalow outside. It’s more convenient for making pickles, moving things in and out, and we can rent this place out to help cover the expenses."

Aunt Ma laughed heartily and said, "Look at what you’re saying. We’re all neighbors, who would mind the smell of your pickles? Besides, we’ve all enjoyed eating your pickles a lot. You’re being too modest."

Polite words don’t cost anything, and they come by the bushel.

Even though she knew these were just courteous words, they were still pleasant to hear. Wan Chu’er pondered as she moved things.

When neighbors spontaneously started helping to move, Wan Chu’er was somewhat surprised. She had always thought these neighbors did nothing but gossip about each other; she hadn’t expected them to genuinely lend a hand.

Seeing Bai Zhixi laughing and joking with the neighbors, even agreeing to come back to visit everyone and asking them to keep an eye out for people interested in renting, Wan Chu’er thought of a saying: Distant relatives are not as good as close neighbors, unless you keep your door shut and ignore everyone.

When it was time to depart, Wan Chu’er finally put on a smiling face and said goodbye to Aunt Ma: "Aunt Ma, goodbye. We’ll have to trouble you to take care of our house."

Aunt Ma was taken aback by these words. She exclaimed with laughter: "At last, I got a smile out of Chuchu. I thought she couldn’t smile."

This made Wan Chu’er blush. Bai Zhixi came over to take her hand, with an expression full of approval, protecting her daughter: "Chuchu’s a bit shy; don’t tease her too much."

Her daughter didn’t like interacting with the neighbors, and she hadn’t pressed the issue. Now that Chuchu was taking the initiative to greet others, she was even happier. Chuchu would have to go out on her own eventually. When out in the world, a bit more smiling and being proactive would set her mind at ease.

In the end, An Lian and the driver sat in the cab, while Bai Zhixi and her daughter sat in a corner of the truck bed.

Soon, they arrived at their new home. An Lian directed the driver to move the pickle jars, while Bai Zhixi and Wan Chu’er took care of the everyday items and some smaller pots and jars.

An hour later, everything had been moved down, and Bai Zhixi gave the driver fifty yuan for the moving fee. freēnovelkiss.com

Thinking it over, Wan Chu’er took out a small packet of freshly made pickles and offered it to the driver, "Uncle, this is our homemade pickle. Many restaurants and hotels in the county buy our pickles. Here’s a packet for you to try, and if you like it, you can buy from us. It’s not expensive, just a little over one yuan per catty."

The driver didn’t refuse and accepted it with a happy laugh, saying, "Then I must savor it. If it’s really good, not only will I come to buy, but I’ll also recommend it to my acquaintances."

Wan Chu’er replied with a smile: "Then thank you in advance."