“Sister-in-law, what my brother-in-law said is too much. You work so hard taking care of four children every day, doesn’t he see that at all? He can have a hot meal as soon as he gets home, the house is always in good order, and the children are always clean.”

Without these things, could he have worked so peacefully in the army?

Xia Enruo's words struck a chord with Ge Qiuqin; her hard work in managing all the household affairs every day was something that people could see.

"Who says otherwise? When I married Zhang Xin, his family was so poor they only had a water jar. My father saw that he was clever and said he would be successful in the future, so I shouldn't worry about his financial situation. After the marriage, my family helped us a lot."

Now that he's in the army and has a job, he's become increasingly arrogant and critical of me, constantly nagging me about how I can spend money even though I don't have a job.

Xia, you know I have four kids, everything costs money. Even buying an ice cream requires buying four servings. He's in the army every day, he really doesn't know how expensive food is.

Ge Qiuqin's husband, Zhang Xin, was two years older than Gu Shaoxuan. After enlisting in the army, he was promoted to the regimental headquarters as an officer because of his beautiful handwriting and good writing skills. Every day, he would go to the troops with his leaders to collect information and write articles.

Sometimes he had to go to interview the cultural troupe's performances, and he often dealt with the Yongning City Daily. After seeing so many handsome men and beautiful women, he grew to dislike his wife, who came from the countryside, more and more. He disliked that she didn't have a job, spoke in a rustic way, didn't care about dressing up, looked old-fashioned, and even more so that she would ask him for money as soon as she got home.

Recently, Zhang Xin has been restless and has become very close to Chen Yan, a junior editor at the newspaper. Now, whenever he comes home, he picks on Ge Qiuqin, finding fault with her in every way.

After listening to Ge Qiuqin's words, Xia Enruo became even more convinced that no matter the era, one must have a job and be able to earn money to stand tall, and relying on anyone for too long is unreliable.

"Sister-in-law, don't be angry anymore. Getting angry is bad for your health. I can understand your pain. Your brother-in-law may have just said it in anger. The two of you were just arguing and things got out of hand. When the child is a little older and can go to kindergarten, you should find a job as soon as possible. It's always more enjoyable to spend money you earn yourself."

"Xia, but I have no education and no skills. Where can I find a job? I just graduated from elementary school and I can only recognize a few words."

Xia Enruo could tell at a glance that Ge Qiuqin had been staying at home for too long, becoming somewhat out of touch with society and developing a fear of employment. At this time, college graduates were extremely rare, and there were countless jobs and business opportunities to be explored. Even without formal education, one could still make a name for oneself, let alone someone who could read.

"Sister-in-law, of course you can find a job. Trust me. If you can't find one, I'll help you find one."

Encouraged by Xia Enruo, Ge Qiuqin gained some confidence. She was surprised that Xia Enruo, despite her young age, was so ambitious and mature. It was truly impressive.

"By the way, Xia, I've noticed you've been going out every day these past few days. Are you going to work?"

"It's my sister-in-law. I found a job cooking. When someone books a banquet, I go to their house to cook for them."

Upon hearing this, Ge Qiuqin realized that Xia En was a chef.

"Xia, your sister-in-law knows you can cook, but won't people talk about a girl working as a head chef? Besides, can you even make money?"

Xia Enruo never expected that Ge Qiuxia would share the same idea as Gu Shaoxuan and the others, believing that cooking was a low-status job that didn't pay well. She was really a blockhead.

"Sister-in-law, now that we've started reform and opening up, the country is increasingly supporting individual businesses. In the future, most of the big companies in the country will be private enterprises, so there's a great prospect for individual businesses. I can earn 50 yuan for cooking a banquet for someone's home."

"50 yuan per table?"

Upon hearing this, Ge Qiuxia was so surprised that she threw all the towels on the ground.

"For my sister-in-law, it's 50 yuan per table."

“50 yuan is equivalent to a month’s salary in the army. My goodness, Xia, you’re really something.”

Ge Qiuqin never expected that being a cook could earn so much. Why bother working in the factory then? In the past, among the military dependents in the compound, only Qiao Huizhen had a job, but her salary was far less than Xia's.

"So, sister-in-law, you mustn't be discouraged. We're living in a great era for our country now, and there are plenty of opportunities."

After talking with Ge Qiuqin, Xia Enruo had dinner with them at their house before returning home. Now that she was familiar with the neighbors, she was actually a little reluctant to part ways.

She boiled a pot of water on the stove, planning to rest for a while before going out to continue running and exercising. Her physical fitness had improved significantly in the past few days due to consistent running, and with yoga practiced at home in the evenings, her figure was even better than before. Her former belly was flat, and chasing the bus was much easier now.

While running, Xia Enruo's right eye kept twitching. When she got home, she simply put a piece of paper on her eyelid, as she had heard that this would work. However, the twitching continued from time to time, and she couldn't even feel at ease when she lay in bed.

"This is strange. What's going on today? It's never been like this in all the days I've been here since I transmigrated."

Xia Enruo couldn't figure it out, but decided that getting some sleep was the priority, as she had work to do tomorrow.

Night. Xia Enruo was awakened from her sleep by a series of frantic knocks on the door. Being home alone, the urgent pounding made her feel uneasy.

"Who is it? Why are you knocking on my door so late at night?"

Xia Enruo exclaimed, "Could it be that Gu Shaoxuan forgot his keys?"

"Sister-in-law, I am Yuan Qiang."

At this moment, Yuan Qiang was like an ant on a hot pan, running around covered in sweat.

Upon hearing Yuan Qiang's voice, Xia Enruo hurriedly dressed and went out of the house.

"What's wrong, Brother Yuan Qiang? You're panting so much. Did something happen?"

"Sister-in-law, you'd better come to the hospital with me right away. Old Gu was injured on a mission. He was hit by a car and is unconscious. He's still in the hospital being treated!"

Yuan Qiang's words made Xia Enruo gasp. Gu Shaoxuan was in trouble! He was unconscious! It seemed her right eyelid twitching today was related to this; it was truly eerie. Having weathered many storms in her past life, she didn't panic; she knew she had to remain calm.

Although she wasn't very close to Gu Shaoxuan, Xia Enruo still felt a pang of pain in her heart when she heard Yuan Qiang's words.

She went inside, put all the money into her bag, grabbed toiletries and a few clothes, and hurriedly followed Yuan Qiang out the door.

Yuan Qiang's impatient knocking woke up many families in the compound, and they all came out, throwing on their clothes, to inquire about the situation.

Seeing Xia Enruo's hurried departure, Ge Qiuqin knew something bad was about to happen.

"Xia, what's wrong? Why are you in such a hurry to go out?"

"Sister-in-law, Gu Shaoxuan was injured during a mission and is currently in the hospital receiving emergency treatment. I need to get there right away. Could you watch the door for me? I'll leave the key with you for now."

"Okay, don't worry about things at home. Let us know if you need any help, and we'll lend a hand."

"Xia, if you need money urgently or any other help, just let us know. We have plenty of people."

"That's right, come back and call someone if anything happens."

"Don't be afraid, we'll wait for your message in the compound."

Tian Xiuli, Liu Cuiyun, and others also came out and called out to Xia Enruo.

Xia Enruo felt a warm feeling in her heart at this moment, and it was truly worthwhile to stay in the military family compound.