Chapter 16.1| Understanding with empathy

Yin dreamt of Alice, the character from "Alice's Adventures in Wonderland". 

Alice asked her, "What if the world hidden on the other side of the mirror was real?" 

Before Yin could respond, Alice flashed a brilliant smile and replied, "Be honest and kind, maintain innocence, nurture curiosity, and seek understanding with empathy."

The next morning, after feeding "Friday", Meng Yin pushed the pet stroller out. 

At the entrance of the neighbourhood, a business car stopped in front of her, and the electric door opened with the members of the "Foodie Group" inside. 

Xipei leaned out from the back seat, waved to the stunned Yin, "Meng Yin, hurry and get on the car!" If her memory served her right, Yin thought, she had only agreed to learn more about GrannyYu with Xu Zhiyi the night before. What was the current situation? Could someone explain it to her?

After storing the pet stroller in the trunk, "Friday" seemed very excited to see godfather and immediately cuddled into Xu Zhyii's arms upon getting into the car. 

The rest of the members of the group, unaware of the story between "Friday", Xu Zhiyi, and Meng Yin, saw "Friday" for the first time and were both fond and curious about it. 

"Could someone explain it to me?" Clearly, Yin directed this question to Zhiyi. 

Zhiyi looked at Yin's slightly perplexed expression and said, "Let's all figure this out together."

The soup and rice restaurant, which should have been closed for the night, was still open, devoid of the lively traces of the evening. 

A small stool was brought out by Ah Wei, carrying a can of chilled beer as he sat at the entrance of the shop, with Xiaoyu beside him resting her head on his lap. 

Upon seeing a few individuals, Ah Wei and Xiaoyu exchanged greetings with them. The same warmth as the night before was present, accompanied by the weariness of the whole night.

This family-run soup and rice shop was named "Ah Wei Soup and Rice Restaurant." The lightbox at the entrance was turned off, and even the phone for takeout orders that convenience the surrounding neighbours had lost its colour. Before leaving the night before, Yin took a photo of the takeout phone number of the restaurant, and Zhiyi also noted down the string of digits. 

Over the phone, Ah Wei mentioned, "A girl who was with you guys just called a while ago, her words were similar to yours." 

Xu Zhiyi was not surprised by this revelation.

"Are you Xu Zhiyi and Meng Yin? "The two stood side by side as Ah Wei pointed towards them. 

Zhiyi and Yin nodded simultaneously. Ah Wei finished his drink, got up from the low stool, pulled down the curtain, and led the 'Foodie Group' towards the depths of the alley. 

"Can you tell me about your campus life?" A Wei held Xiaoyu's hand, recalling that they all wore the same school uniform yesterday. 

"Xiaoyu saw the video of your school's sports meeting opening ceremony at L Station and liked it a lot."

"I'm not talented in studying. I attended vocational school back then, while Xiaoyu's high school entrance exam score was for regular high school, but due to family reasons, she ended up in vocational school." Xiaoyu looked ahead as Ah Wei's gaze fell on her hair. "She has always longed for the student life in regular high school."

Xiaoyu looked up, smiled at Ah Wei, and then turned away. "Life is good now," she whispered. 

Ah Wei and Xiaoyu were not much older than them, just in their early twenties, but early exposure to society had added a layer of fatigue and frost to their faces. 

"Did you watch this video?" Xipei opened her first Vlog - a fantastic montage of the entrance of the sports meeting at Yizhong. 

"Yes." 

"Come on, let this host tell you about the campus life at FHS," Xipei naturally linked arms with Xiaoyu. "No one knows better than me!" 

Xipei enthusiastically talked about the sports meeting, parent meetings, various clubs, proposals adopted by Xu Zhiyi, Xing Xiuze, and more.

A group of individuals arrived at the residential community where Grandma Yu lived. The neighbourhood was built in the 1990s and was not a highly sought-after school district, but rather a typical old and rundown area. 

Instead of disturbing Grandma Yu, they encountered a grassroots cadre named Bai Ping; He was the person referred to by Awai as the one who helped Grandma Yu apply for subsistence allowances. 

Bai Ping was the primary person in charge of this area and was considered a friend of Ah Wai. 

Last night, he received a call from Ah Wei informing him that some students from a local high school wanted to sponsor Grandma Yu's grandson for education and wished to gather information. This request seemed somewhat unbelievable to him. 

Ping, a university graduate from a rural area, experienced the ups and downs of life on the narrow path he grew up in. After graduating from college, he joined the community and became a grassroots worker.

Upon meeting Xu Zhiyi and his group, Ping could tell from their attire and demeanour that they all came from privileged backgrounds. Despite this observation, he inquired, "Why do you wish to sponsor Granny Yu's grandson?"

Having spent his youth chasing after money, Ping had never crossed paths with their world. In his understanding, even ordinary urban children of their age mostly relied on their parents for financial support, enjoying the necessary material comforts with some pocket money for daily expenses. Parents covered educational and tutoring costs, and providing extra money would only lead to friction, especially for activities beyond their age-appropriate abilities.

Ultimately, they were just a group of minors who had not achieved economic independence yet. 

"I was raised by my grandparents," Ping expressed his surprise, Yin thought perhaps he might misunderstand, then explained, "My parents have always been overseas."

Having grown up surrounded by four mischievous elders, seeing the elderly suffer was one of the things she couldn't bear. Encountering Granny Yu yesterday was purely coincidental; she was merely observing the lively atmosphere when her gaze fell upon that scene.

Although she only heard a brief account of Granny Yu's story from Ah Wei, the idea of supporting Granny Yu's grandson's education had already taken root in her mind. Materially, her life had never lacked anything, and 2000 RMB per semester was a negligible amount in her living expenses. However, the significance of this sum for Granny Yu's grandson was entirely different.

Yin remained composed as Xu Zhiyi, holding "Friday," informed Ping, "We possess the independent decision-making ability and right in this matter."

His words carried a convincing power, and Bai Ping, accompanied by these youngsters in his eyes, strolled around the neighborhood, discussing Granny Yu and her grandson's situation.

A few years ago during a community visit, Ping started to learn about the situation of the Yu family. After assisting them in applying for poverty subsidies, Ping has continued to offer support. The Yu family originally lived in Unit 7, Room 201. Before his wife left, Yu used her remaining savings to renew the lease for another year. Later, Granny Yu and his grandson moved to Unit 5, Room 101, which had been divided into two units. One unit still contained old belongings left by the previous landlord, while the other was rented to Yu. Understanding the Yu family's circumstances, Ping accepted a token amount of rent. 

Li Yong started elementary school in September of this year.