Ruan Qiqi slept until noon before getting up. Lu Ye went to work and prepared breakfast for her. The lunch box was wrapped in cotton cloth and stuffed into the quilt. It was still steaming when she opened it.

A box of white porridge, three meat buns, and some side dishes, all of which she liked.

Ruan Qiqi got up and went to wash up. There were many people in the bathroom washing clothes and vegetables, and chatting loudly about gossip. It was very lively.

“Come here!”

Everyone made room for her.

Ruan Qiqi smiled at them, poured some hot water to brush her teeth, and listened to some gossip. The gossip these sisters-in-law talked about was really explosive.

"Do you know? Sang Qingfeng returned to her hometown a few days ago!" a sister-in-law said mysteriously.

"No wonder we haven't seen her these days. She is five or six months old, right? Why did she go back home with such a big belly? Isn't it said that she has a bad relationship with her parents' family?" someone asked.

"She didn't go back to her parents' home, she went back to Captain Xu's home. She, Captain Xu, and Ji Xianglian are all from the same place. That's also where my hometown is."

The woman who was speaking was Mrs. Liu, whose hometown was the same as Sang Qingfeng’s.

"You said last time that Ji Xianglian's leg was broken. How is she now?"

"She died last month, and her mother and sister collected the body. What a sin." Sister Liu sighed.

"Stop talking about this, and quickly tell me why Sang Qingfeng returned to her hometown!"

Liu Dani was eager to hear the gossip, so she changed the topic back to the topic.

Mrs. Liu looked around subconsciously, which was her habitual action when she gossiped about others, for fear of being heard.

"Sang Qingfeng has returned to her hometown, hurry up and tell her!" everyone urged.

"She divorced her ex because she couldn't have children. The man's family was very wicked. They told everyone that Xiao Sang couldn't lay eggs. Everyone in the surrounding area knew about it and called Xiao Sang a barren woman. Her family also blamed her for bringing trouble to her younger brothers and sisters. The most wicked one was her ex-husband. He married her right after the divorce and gave birth to a big fat son eight months later. He even deliberately invited Xiao Sang to the full-month banquet."

Sister Liu's tone was very sympathetic.

"She gave birth to a cub at eight months old. Is this cub wild?"

"If he's alive or dead, he must be a bastard!"

"Xiao Sang is now five or six months pregnant, which means it's her previous husband who can't lay eggs. If I were Xiao Sang, I would go to the previous husband's house with my big belly and beat drums to let everyone know that this wicked man can't lay eggs, is cuckolded, and is raising bastards for others!"

Liu Dani can't tolerate any grain of sand in her eyes and her words are full of hostility.

Mrs. Liu slapped her thigh and said excitedly, "You gave Xiao Sang this idea, didn't you? Xiao Sang did this when she returned to her hometown. She went to the front man's house every day. People in the surrounding area knew that the front man was the one who couldn't lay eggs. Do you know what this man did?"

"Stop keeping me in suspense and tell me now!"

Everyone's appetite was whetted and they urged in unison.

"The man beat up his current guest severely. The woman was not a pushover either. She called the man a eunuch and said he would never have a son. She also said that she had done a great deed by bringing a son into the family. If she angered her, she would take the son and leave, leaving the man childless. She scolded the man so much that he dared not even fart."

Mrs. Liu spoke with disdain.

"That woman is right. No matter whose child it is, the fat son is always real. This man should thank his current cousin!" Liu Dani said sarcastically.

"Xiao Sang is still too soft. She needs to learn from the guest now and not be polite to men!"

"Xiao Sang has finally gotten his reward after all the hardship he has endured. Things will get better and better in the future."

Sang Qingfeng is very popular in the staff housing complex and has never quarreled with anyone. Everyone hopes that she can live a good life.

Ruan Qiqi listened with great interest. The washroom was indeed a great place to eat melons.

"Xiao San's belly is round, it's likely she'll be a girl."

The topic turned to what Sang Qingfeng gave birth to, and everyone guessed it was a daughter.

"It's good to have a daughter. It's exactly what Captain Xu wants. Before Ji Xianglian divorced, she said Captain Xu wanted a daughter."

When Ji Xianglian was mentioned, everyone was silent for a few seconds. They didn't want to mention this person as it was unlucky.

"Xiao Ruan, you introduced Wang Shuhua to this job, right?"

The woman who asked the question had an envious tone. Many sisters-in-law in the building did not have jobs arranged for them because they had no education and no skills, and there were no suitable jobs. They could only receive a living allowance of five yuan a month.

Wang Shuhua used to be the same as them, but now she has transformed herself into a worker in a state-owned factory, and everyone is envious of her.

"Um."

Ruan Qiqi finished washing up, and went home with the basin and thermos, hearing a series of quacking sounds behind her.

"Wang Shuhua is so lucky. Why is Sister Ruan so nice to her?"

"I heard that Deputy Head Lu had eaten her dumplings before."

Everyone fell silent again, wondering what kind of dumplings were they that could make Lu Ye so obsessed with them that he even offered him a job to repay the favor. Could it be that the filling was made of dragon meat?

The sisters-in-law in the water room all dispersed, but they all had the idea of ​​currying favor with Ruan Qiqi. After all, this Ruan sister really gave them work!

After returning home and having breakfast, Ruan Qiqi went to her space to watch some drama. Someone knocked on the door, so she had to leave. It was Wang Cuihua who came in. She had a flattering smile on her face and was carrying a basket covered with a cloth, so she couldn't see what was inside.

"I raised the duck myself. It has been killed and plucked. The duck is very tender and is delicious when cooked with blood duck."

Wang Cuihua suppressed her grief and generously took out the slaughtered duck, cleaning it thoroughly, even washing the duck intestines and gizzards, and also giving it a bowl of fresh duck blood.

Ruan Qiqi really liked eating duck, so she accepted it and even paid for it.

"I can't take the money. This is a gift from me to you. I treat you like my own sister. A duck is nothing. Eat it while it's fresh!"

After Wang Cuihua finished speaking, she snatched the basket and ran away, running very fast as if there was a ghost chasing her.

After running back home in one breath, Wang Cuihua patted her chest in pain and said to herself: "You can't catch a wolf without sacrificing a child. Sister Ruan is happy with the meal, maybe she can arrange a job for me!"

As soon as she finished speaking, she suddenly thought of something, quickly covered her mouth, opened the door and looked around, but found nothing unusual, so she felt relieved.

She spoke so softly just now, Ruan Qiqi shouldn't have heard it, right?

Ruan Qiqi, who was upstairs, walked to the window. A branch stretched out and conveyed Wang Cuihua's movement. She couldn't help but laugh.

No wonder they send ducks as gifts during any festival, it turns out it’s for work.

She still had two spots in hand, so it would be fine to give one, but one duck was definitely not enough, and she would need a few more.

The happy weekend ended quickly. On Monday morning, Ruan Qiqi went to school, had lunch and returned to the dormitory for a nap, but found that someone had moved into Zheng Jingyun's empty bed. It was a sweet and quiet girl.

She was about twenty years old, with two braided pigtails, wearing a flowered cotton jacket made of homespun cloth, and had very fair skin, looking a bit exotic.

"Hello, I'm Xia Tao. Let's study and improve together from now on!"

Xia Tao introduced herself generously and said that she was an educated youth from the frontier.