Xia Enruo has one last banquet to prepare tomorrow, so she has to ask Yuan Qiang for help. Once that banquet is over, she'll have more time and won't need to bother him anymore.

She saw Yuan Qiang out of the ward and said:

"Brother Yuan Qiang, I'd like to ask you for a favor."

Xia Enruo felt a little embarrassed to open her mouth, as Gu Shaoxuan had troubled her quite a bit since he fell ill.

Yuan Qiang saw through Xia Enruo's thoughts and, in order to ease her mental burden, replied:

"Sister-in-law, just tell me what's wrong. Old Gu and I were the best of friends in the army, so don't be shy. Is it because you don't have enough money?"

Yuan Qiang was wondering if Xia Enruo was short of money because she was unemployed, Lao Gu was sick, and their living expenses were high.

"No, that's not it. I have the money. Could you come over tomorrow morning and look after Gu Shaoxuan for me? I need to go out to cook lunch. I'll have time after tomorrow. I'm just worried that he might not be able to hold back like he did today."

Xia Enruo knew that Gu Shaoxuan was already angry because she was unable to take care of herself, and that he kept saying discouraging things, which made him depressed and irritable and did nothing to help her recover.

"Sister-in-law, I thought it was something serious. It's nothing. I'll come over early tomorrow morning to keep him company. You can go out without worry. By the way, sister-in-law, there's something I still need to tell you."

Old Gu probably mentioned arranging a job for you. I think you need to think about it more carefully. The sugar factory job is very good. My dad said you should work there for a few months first, and then you can get a permanent position. A government job is much better than starting your own business.

These days, being self-employed is looked down upon. Those who set up stalls and do business are the worst choice they've made because they have no other options.

If Xia Enruo knew that Yuan Qiang was saying this for her own good, it seemed that he really was doing things for Lao Gu. If she hadn't traveled from the 21st century, she would definitely have been tempted to agree.

But Xia Enruo knew that in this day and age, if one wanted to become rich and powerful in the future, one had to seize the opportunities presented by the reform and opening up.

"Brother Yuan Qiang, the fact that you're saying all this to me shows that you and Gu Shaoxuan are really good friends. But I've already made up my mind. My personality and aspirations aren't suited for working in an office. You probably can't understand what I'm thinking right now."

But I still want to thank you for your help.

Seeing that Xia Enruo was so determined, Yuan Qiang didn't try to persuade her anymore. After all, everyone has their own thoughts, and you can't force someone to have a happy marriage.

Xia Enruo saw Yuan Qiang off at the hospital gate and ran into Qiao Huizhen as she went upstairs.

Judging from her displeased expression, you could tell that a serious warning was not a pleasant experience.

"Sister-in-law, you just got back?"

Out of politeness, Xia Enru greeted them first.

"Xia, I was just about to come find you! That Ma Dandan is a mad dog, biting people indiscriminately. Don't believe her. I have never asked her to do anything to betray Gu Shaoxuan."

Qiao Huizhen knew that Xia Enruo was no longer as easy to bully as before. Ma Dandan was already known for her arrogance in the hospital, but she never expected that Xia Enruo would beat her until she begged for mercy.

No matter how unhappy I am, I can't provoke her. If she goes to the boss to complain about me, I'll be fired soon.

Sister-in-law, I know. There's a higher power watching over us; those who do bad things will certainly not be forgiven. As the saying goes, retribution may be delayed, but it will come eventually. Ma Dandan has received her due punishment for her wrongdoing. If she were to take care of Brother Ding and Gu Shaoxuan again, you certainly wouldn't feel at ease.

Exactly! If I let her take care of Lao Ding and his wife, I won't be able to work in peace. Ma Dandan deserves to be fired. Let me tell you, this woman has never been a good person in our company. She's always been arrogant and domineering, talks nonsense, and has a questionable private life.

Xia, please don't take any of my sister-in-law's previous remarks to heart. I'm just straightforward and don't mean any harm.

Qiao Huizhen is truly multifaceted; she said these things to Xia Enruo without blushing at all.

Xia Enruo really disgusted her. She was full of nonsense, not a single word of it was true. She did shameful things and acted like nothing had happened, without feeling guilty at all.

"Sister-in-law Huizhen, all I want right now is for Gu Shaoxuan to recover soon. I don't have the energy to think about anything else."

Qiao Huizhen's eyes darted around, and she whispered close to Xia Enruo:

"Xia, your sister-in-law is only doing this for your own good. There's something I'm not sure if I should say."

"Please feel free to speak."

Xia Enru wanted to know what nonsense she was spouting.

“Gu Shaoxuan’s injury is so serious. I’ve asked the attending physician, and it’s going to be very difficult for him to recover to his original state. He might even be left with a disability. His career is probably ruined. You’re still young, and you can’t spend your whole life with a disabled person.”

That's like jumping into a fire pit! Listen to your sister-in-law, call his parents and ask them to come and take care of him. You should divorce him as soon as possible; the sooner you separate, the better. With your pretty face, you won't have trouble finding a good young man.

What utter nonsense! Xia Enruo's eyes would practically pop out of her head if she heard it. Is Qiao Huizhen even keeping secrets? How could she say something like that? She really won't stop until she stirs up trouble!

"Sister-in-law, you're also a military family member, do you think it's right to say such things? If Brother Ding is like Gu Shaoxuan, are you still planning to divorce him?"

Xia Enruo replied irritably. Although she was going to divorce Gu Shaoxuan in the future, it was still unpleasant to hear her say it like that.

"Of course. If Lao Ding really becomes disabled, I won't waste my youth guarding him."

Qiao Huizhen blurted it out without thinking.

Xia Enruo rolled her eyes at her, quickened her pace, and hurried upstairs. Old Ding was really pitiful, having married such a heartless and ungrateful wife.

Watching Xia Enruo run away, Qiao Huizhen didn't think she had done anything wrong. She just thought Xia Enruo was stupid, young and inexperienced, and naively believed in love and affection. She deserved to jump into the fire pit. Now Gu Shaoxuan was practically a second-class disabled person. When the family was starving, she just hoped he wouldn't cry.

In the early morning, sunlight shone brightly through the windows of the family compound. Ge Qiuqin woke up and pulled the blankets back up from the three children. She had been beaten too badly by Zhang Xin yesterday, and this morning she had several bruises on her body and her arms ached.

Seeing that her eldest son, Zhang Zhicheng, was not in bed, Ge Qiuqin got out of bed, pushed open the door, and went out to look for him.

Zhang Zhicheng sat alone in a chair, using an awl to thread stitches into his cloth shoes.

"Boss, what are you doing?"

Ge Qiuqin walked over and asked.

"Mom, I'll mend my shoes a bit more, they'll still be wearable. You can use the money Dad gave me yesterday to buy a new pair of rain boots."

When Ge Qiuqin heard her eldest son say that, she quickly covered his mouth, afraid that Zhang Xin would hear it from inside the house.

Zhang Zhicheng used both hands to move Ge Qiuqin's hands away and said:

"Mom, Dad left early this morning, and there's no one in that room."