Chapter 16 Forced by Life

Chen Ruogu walked forward with Chi Zhengzheng holding their arm. In the sunlight, their figures were closely pressed together.

They followed Coach Zhou to the training ground. Besides the two of them, there was another female student in the same group who looked a few years older than Chi Zhengzheng.

She stood there with her head down, her belly bulging obviously like a barrel, and even though she was wearing a loose shirt, she still looked fat.

When she looked up, her eyes were sunken, her skin was dull and lifeless, and her lips were dry and flaky. She looked like she had just given birth.

Chen Ruogu didn't want to stare at the other person for too long, so he turned away. Coach Zhou took off his sunglasses and said without any emotion:

"You guys will come here to practice driving at 10 a.m. every day. Each person will have 20 minutes to practice. Whoever arrives first will practice first. Line up and take turns. Now I will teach you the knowledge points of reversing into a parking space."

He spoke concisely and without any nonsense, and started immediately after he said it. Many people hadn't reacted yet, but the training ground was empty, without even a shade to block the sun, so they were just exposed to the scorching sun.

Chen Ruogu was wearing a sun-protective jacket and a hat, while Chi Zhengzheng was holding a parasol. She asked Chen Ruogu to share the umbrella with her, as it was indeed not so hot with the umbrella to block the heat.

She turned around inadvertently and saw the young woman who had just given birth. Her cheeks were red from the sun. Chen Ruogu leaned close to Chi Zhengzheng's ear and whispered a few words to her.

Chi Zhengzheng looked at the woman curiously, then walked towards her with an umbrella and held it over her head. The young woman smiled gratefully and took the initiative to talk to Chi Zhengzheng.

Chen Ruogu listened attentively to Coach Zhou's explanation. When he finished talking about the key points of learning and asked which student was willing to get in the car and practice first, no one raised their hand for a long time.

Seeing that no one was trying, Chen Ruogu stepped forward and said, "Let me try first."

Her calm demeanor made Coach Zhou's tense face relax a little. After she got in the car, Coach Zhou sat in the passenger seat and instructed her on the procedures.

Chen Ruogu has a strong ability to understand, and with Coach Zhou in charge, she was calm and composed, and she successfully reversed into a parking space on her first try.

Coach Zhou was very satisfied and praised her generously, asking her to practice more to improve her proficiency.

After the practice, Coach Zhou reminded:

"You have done all the key points correctly, but you should also pay attention to the distance between the car body and both sides of the wireframe. It is best to slow down a bit. Slowing down will give you a chance to make corrections. You must remember this!"

Chen Ruogu nodded quickly and took note. She smiled and said, "Thank you, coach. I know everything."

The beauty's smile was as gorgeous as a lotus in midsummer. Coach Zhou was almost dazzled. Fortunately, he only had his wife in his heart, otherwise he might not be able to resist her charm.

He cleared his throat, turned to look at the other students, and shouted with a stern face:
"Did you see it clearly just now? Don't just stand there like a fool. A few grown men are not as brave as women. Who is willing to go up next?"

All men are competitive, and once Coach Zhou stimulates them with words, they will go for it even if they are scared.

After getting off the car, Chen Ruogu walked to Chi Zhengzheng's side and stood still, then focused on watching the others practice. Chi Zhengzheng's eyes sparkled as he said:

"Sister Ruogu, how come you are so good? You can learn it just by listening to the coach once. I just don't understand it at all. Please teach me and Sun Yan."

It turned out that the young woman who had given birth was named Sun Yan. Seeing Chen Ruogu looking at her, Sun Yan said embarrassedly:

"Sister Ruogu, I'm also very stupid and I'm slow to learn anything. Just tell us about it."

Although Chen Ruogu's age is hard to tell, she has a good temperament. This small request from the two of them is not excessive, so there is no reason for her to keep it to herself.

She combined the operations of the students in the car and explained it in detail to the two of them. Perhaps because they were both women, what she said was easier to understand than Coach Zhou, and the two of them quickly understood it.

Chi Zhengzheng couldn't wait to get in the car to practice. She was a bit impatient, so she drove very fast but managed to park the car successfully.

Sun Yan was greatly encouraged and got on the car right after him. Although she was timid and made some small mistakes, she mastered the key points. Coach Zhou praised her very warmly.

After hearing this, Sun Yan smiled with stars in her eyes and the corners of her mouth slightly raised. She walked to Chen Ruogu and thanked him again.

Chi Zhengzheng was eating some crunchy snacks, and when he heard this he said carelessly:
"You don't have to be polite. If Sister Ruogu doesn't care about these things, we will still have to rely on her for special treatment in the future. It won't be too late to thank her later."

Sun Yan didn't know whether to laugh or cry, and Chen Ruogu rolled his eyes helplessly. Although she was a little aloof, her personality was quite likable, at least Chen Ruogu didn't dislike her.

Sun Yan lowered her voice and asked, "Sister Ruogu, we shouldn't get in the car again after practicing, right? Can we go now?"

Chi Zhengzheng hurriedly tied up the mouth of the snack bag and said anxiously:

"Don't rush home. Meeting is fate. It's not easy for the three of us to get to know each other. Let's have a spicy hot pot meal together at noon to celebrate."

Sun Yan said with difficulty: "I'm afraid that won't work... I'm still breastfeeding... My son is only two and a half months old, I have to go home to feed him..."

Chi Zhengzheng said in surprise: "You gave birth to a child, I didn't even notice, no wonder your belly is so bloated."

Chen Ruogu patted Chi Zhengzheng lightly, stepped forward to ease the embarrassment and said:
"It's normal for women to lose their figure after marriage and childbirth, and they will recover soon. My daughter is thirteen years old, and she's been through it, so don't worry too much."

When she said this, Sun Yan and Chi Zhengzheng were stunned. Chi Zhengzheng stammered:

"Sister Ruogu, how did you maintain yourself so well? Your daughter is already this big... I can't tell at all."

In Chi Zhengzheng's impression, most women who are mothers are plump, sallow-faced, and unkempt. Many mothers of adult children have been ravaged by time and have no sense of beauty at all.

Although Sun Yan is not very old, she fits the image of a postpartum mother quite well. But Chen Ruogu is too hard to believe.

Chen Ruogu said calmly, "I got married and had children relatively early. Although my daughter is thirteen years old, I am only thirty-five, not much older than you."

Chi Zhengzheng covered his face with his hands and sighed, "It turns out that being a mother doesn't make you ugly... I have one less reason to be afraid of marriage..."

Sun Yan pinched the flesh on her abdomen with a gloomy look. Chen Ruogu keenly noticed that she was in a low mood and comforted her softly:

"When I gave birth to my daughter, my figure was similar to yours now. It took me about two years to fully recover. Giving birth and breastfeeding are extremely harmful to the mother's body. You need to adjust your mindset and stop overthinking. The child is more important than you." Sun Yan's heart seemed to be filled with warmth, and her nose felt a little sour. Chi Zhengzheng was listening to their conversation and couldn't understand it at all. She took out her cell phone and said:

"It's okay for Sun Yan to go back first. Let's add each other on WeChat and create a group. We can talk in the group if we have anything to say. We can also chat when we have nothing to say. What do you think?"

Neither of them had any objections. After adding Coach Zhou on WeChat and saying goodbye, Sun Yan rode her electric bike home first. Chi Zhengzheng hurriedly pulled Chen Ruogu's hand and said, "Sister Ruogu, you're not in a hurry to go home, are you?"

Chen Ruogu said calmly, "My daughter has an appointment with her classmates for dinner, so I'm not in a hurry to go back."

Chi Zhengzheng let out an exaggerated sigh of relief, "That's good, I know there's a really delicious spicy hot pot restaurant nearby, I'll treat you, let's go eat together!"

Chen Ruogu has been eating normally for so long since she came here. She has heard of and seen many snacks but has never tasted them.

She was used to light meals, so she didn't feel greedy, but it wouldn't hurt to eat it occasionally, so she didn't refuse.

Chi Zhengzheng also came on an electric scooter. She took out a pink helmet from under the seat and handed it to Chen Ruogu to wear.

"Sister Ruogu, although this car doesn't suit your temperament, we haven't got our driver's licenses yet, so we have to bear with it for now~"

How could Chen Ruogu care about these things? This was a rare experience for her. She smiled and said, "I don't feel wronged. You are my full-time driver. This is not a low salary."

Chi Zhengzheng was overjoyed when he heard that. The two of them put on their helmets. Chen Ruogu put his arm around Chi Zhengzheng's waist and sat sideways, and the car sped away.

Chen Ruogu felt the fresh breeze blowing towards him and felt very happy. It turned out that everything he had never tried was fresh and interesting.

After riding the electric scooter for about ten minutes, they finally stopped in front of the Malatang store. Chen Ruogu got off the scooter and adjusted her long skirt. Chi Zhengzheng unbuttoned his helmet and said:
"Sister Ruogu, don't underestimate this spicy hot pot shop, it's very popular. If you come late, there won't be any seats."

Chen Ruogu had no doubt about this. The shop was only 20 square meters and had only four tables, which could not accommodate many people. If you came late, you would not be able to get a seat.

Chi Zhengzheng locked the car and walked quickly inside, followed closely by Chen Ruogu. As soon as she stepped into the store, she smelled the rich aroma of soup, the spicy and fresh flavor really stimulated her taste buds.

Chi Zhengzheng said happily: "Sister Ruogu still has an empty table, you should put your bag down and take a seat!"

Chen Ruogu simply reached out and put the bag on the seat. Although the space in the store was small, it was air-conditioned and it was not stuffy inside.

After successfully grabbing a seat, she and Chi Zhengzheng took small baskets to pick out vegetables. Chen Ruogu was afraid that the meat dishes were not fresh and would cause stomach upset, so she only picked some vegetables, while Chi Zhengzheng took some of everything.

Chen Ruogu did not rush to pay the bill with her. It was not necessary to do so for such a small meal. Chi Zhengzheng took two bottles of orange soda from the freezer and energetically prepared a dipping sauce in a small bowl, with unstoppable happiness in his eyes.

"Sister Ruogu, I'll give you a bottle of soda. Drink it when you eat something spicy. Can I record a video while eating? Do you mind?"

Chen Ruogu asked in confusion: "Why are you recording your meal? You're not going to film my face, are you?"

Chi Zhengzheng explained with a smile: "I won't film you. I mainly film myself eating. I am actually a short video platform anchor. I do food broadcasting. I need to update the video every day, and I also do live broadcasting to sell goods."

Chen Ruogu suddenly realized something. She was very curious about this industry and couldn't help asking, "Can you make a normal living by shooting videos and live streaming?"

Chi Zhengzheng adjusted the bracket and explained:
"I don't have a team to support me. I work alone, so I don't make a lot of money. I can barely make ends meet every month. After all, I eat a lot."

Chen Ruogu frowned slightly, "This job is probably a job that only requires youth, why don't you consider changing to other jobs?"

Chi Zhengzheng smiled bitterly and said, "My parents divorced when I was in high school. My college entrance exam scores plummeted, so I could only attend a technical college and majored in nursing. After graduation, I worked in a hospital for more than a year. I did all the dirty and tiring work. Not only was my salary pitifully low, but I was often scolded, so I simply resigned."

Chen Ruogu didn't know much about the employment environment in hospitals, but he knew that medical staff worked very hard. "So you're not going to find a job? Are you going to be a host forever?"

Chi Zhengzheng was not so naive. She smiled bitterly and said:
"I will definitely look for a job. I don't want to neglect my major. Being an anchor is just a transitional option. I can continue to update after I find a job. Having two salaries will also allow me to save more money. I have to make more plans for the future."

Chen Ruogu could hear the loneliness and helplessness in her words, and she didn't know how to comfort her. The spicy hot pot happened to be ready, and Chi Zhengzheng was excited to see that it was delicious. She stirred the spicy hot pot with chopsticks to let the sesame sauce fully coat the food.

Chen Ruogu followed her example and mixed the vegetables. Although the food in the bowl did not look very pretty, it smelled really good.

Chen Ruogu carefully picked up a piece of vegetable and put it into her mouth. It tasted better than she had imagined. Chi Zhengzheng stared at the camera and ate heartily while talking to Chen Ruogu at the same time.

"What do you think? Does it taste good?"

Chen Ruogu said honestly: "It tastes OK to me, but I feel it's not very oily."

Chi Zhengzheng did not refute. She lowered her head and took another bite. After tasting it carefully, she said:
"The taste of this restaurant wasn't like this before. Maybe they sold inferior products after the business got better. I'd better dine here less often in the future."

Chen Ruogu picked up a soft potato cube and put it into his mouth, puzzled: "Even if you are a food broadcaster, you can cook at home and eat it yourself. There is no need to eat out every time."

Because Chi Zhengzheng ate too fast, the chili powder went up her throat. She immediately stopped filming, coughed for a while, and drank a few sips of orange soda before saying:

“Sister, you don’t know how popular it is to be a food broadcaster nowadays. Basically, my fans order food for me. They can’t eat junk food because they are trying to lose weight, so they can only watch me eat.

If I ignore it, I might stop being a fan. Now it’s not okay to eat less, people think we are all big eaters. This is because those early food broadcasts have brought bad habits, there is nothing we can do about it.”

Chen Ruogu really couldn't get used to eating such oily and spicy food. She put down her chopsticks and frowned, saying, "Maintaining the flow is important, but long-term overeating is very harmful to the body. Eating too much messy food will not be able to bear it in the stomach."

Chen Ruogu's face was serious when she spoke, but it was not a scolding. Chi Zhengzheng paused while eating, her eyes were a little red, and she said pitifully:

"Sister Ruogu, no one has cared about me for a long time, thank you..."

Seeing her like that, Chen Ruogu's heart couldn't help but soften. She said in a gentle tone:
"It's true that you make money on your own, but it's not cost-effective to kill the goose that lays the golden eggs. You have to know that good health is the most important thing."

Chi Zhengzheng understood this truth very well, but she had no choice due to the pressure of life.

Sorry, I'm a little late today. I didn't finish writing it in the morning, and I taught two classes to students in the afternoon, so I was delayed a bit...